The aide at the desk seemed to be expecting her, smiling at Laurel's name and quickly marking something off in her computer system. She got to her feet and moved to press a button, but did not step out from behind the circulation desk in order to guide her up. Instead, the glass confinement wall that separated the elevator bay from the lobby opened of its own accord, a green light flashing through the pane in response to her cue. She smiled and waved Laurel onward.

The elevator had only one destination, for Lex didn't use the same bay that the rest of his employees did—this one shot straight up to the top level of the towering headquarters in the center of LuthorCorp Plaza. When the shining metal doors slid open, they revealed Lex in front of the seamless wall of windows with his back to her, a phone in his hand.

"That doesn't make a difference to me. I trust you to run your own business. When you have it figured out, you can give me a call. Until then, I'm not sure we have anything to say to one another." A pause. "I wish circumstances were different, but you need to understand—"

The elevator dinged as the doors slid shut and he turned to glance towards her. The pace with which he ended the call picked up.

"Excuse me. I've got another call. Reach out to my secretary once you have a firmer idea of where your company is heading." And he hung up.