The scent of garlic bread filled the kitchen as Clark stirred the pot of pasta sauce, his movements relaxed and practiced. Lois stood beside him, chopping basil with expert precision, while Jonathan sat at the counter, swinging his legs and munching on a baby carrot.

“Did anything interesting happen at school today?” Clark asked, glancing over his shoulder with a small smile.

Jonathan perked up. “Actually, yeah! This super rich guy came to our class. Lex Luthor. He gave this whole speech about innovation and the future and stuff. It was kinda cool—he even gave out little flash drives with his company logo on it.”

Clark froze, his hand tightening slightly around the spoon. Lois’s knife stopped mid-chop. The smile on her face faltered just a bit.

“Lex Luthor?” she repeated, her voice neutral but tight.

“Yeah,” Jonathan said brightly. “He was wearing this fancy suit and had security with him. He seemed really smart. Like, not boring-smart. Kinda…cool-smart?”

Clark turned away from the stove, setting the spoon down quietly. “Did he say anything… strange?”

Jonathan shrugged. “Not really. He just talked about technology and how he wants kids like us to think big. Oh—and he said people fear what they don’t understand. That got a little intense.”

Lois exchanged a glance with Clark, silent but loaded. Their son still didn’t know. Didn’t know that the man he’d found “cool-smart” was one of the most dangerous men in the world. Didn’t know that the reason Lex had come to that school might not have been as innocent as a motivational speech.

And most of all—he didn’t know his father was Superman.

Clark gave a tight smile, reaching out to tousle Jonathan’s hair. “Glad it was interesting, kiddo,” he said. But his eyes had gone distant, far away from the kitchen warmth. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Lex Luthor didn’t do anything without a reason.