Lex did not make impulsive decisions.

Every choice had a purpose. Every action had a return.

Which was why the situation outside LexCorp was… unusual.

He had been on his way inside when he noticed her.

Small. Thin. Sitting just far enough from the entrance to avoid being removed, but close enough to watch people come and go like she was studying them.

Most would have ignored her.

Security certainly would have.

Lex stopped walking.

Not out of sympathy.

Out of curiosity.

He watched her for a moment, noting the details—cleaner than expected, alert, eyes tracking movement with quiet precision. Not begging. Not approaching.

Observing.

“…You’re not asking for money,” he said.

A pause.

“You’re watching patterns.”

He stepped closer, just enough to confirm what he already suspected.

“…You’re learning,” Lex continued. “Which means you’re not the problem.”

Another pause.

He glanced toward the building, then back at her.

“The problem,” he said, “is that you’re out here wasting that.”

Silence hung for a moment.

Then he made the decision.

Immediate. Final. Logical.

“Get up,” Lex said.

A pause.

“You’re coming with me.”

He turned toward the doors without checking if she followed, because in his mind, the outcome had already been decided.

“…I don’t invest in things without potential,” he added.

Then, almost as an afterthought—

“And you have a great deal of it.”