Summary: AU. Oliver Queen was the billionaire CEO of his father's company. Everything was going great until his daughter, three year old Natalie Queen, decides she wants to follow in her father's footsteps and slipped the leash of every nanny Oliver tried to hire. Then they meet Felicity Smoak, the clumsy tech girl who his daughter actually likes. Hiring her as a nanny would be the best option, right? Oliver's not so sure as he soon begins to develop feelings for her. Will she be just another nanny that eventually quits, or will she become more to him than that? Something worth fighting for?
Oliver's POV:
"That's it! I quit!"
The front door wasn't even halfway shut behind me when my newest nanny stormed up to me with all of her bags in her arms, ready to walk out the door at any second.
Confusion swept over me. "Veronica, what's goi-?"
She cut me off before I could even finish my sentence. "That child of yours slipped away this morning and I have been chasing her all day! As soon as I find her, she disappears again! I'm sorry but I cannot be hired to watch a girl who is intent on staying as far away from me as possible."
"Wait, where are you going?" I asked as she pushed past me.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't!"
With that, she slammed the door shut behind her and ran out to her car.
I sighed heavily and ran a hand down my face. The hairs on the back of my neck shot up when I felt a pair of eyes on me from a distance. Not just any eyes though. The ones that were an exact replica of mine. "I know you're there, Nat."
That made her step out of her hiding spot behind my favorite green recliner. "Daddy, are you mad at me?"
I sighed and scooped her up into my arms. "Of course not, babygirl. I just wish you would be a little nicer to your nannies. They are only trying to help."
"I want Aunt Thea here," she told me for probably the hundredth time since my sister left.
"Natalie, I already told you, she and Uncle Roy are only going away for a few months. When they come back, you won't need a nanny and can go back to being watched by them during the day," I explained.
My cellphone rang just then so I sat my daughter back on the ground before answering it. "Hello?"
"Mr. Queen, our systems are down and we need your access codes," my secretary's voice filtered through the other end of the phone. "We need you back at the office right away."
Can this day get any worse? I wondered. "Alright. I'll be right there." I stabbed the 'End Call' button and grabbed my jacket. "Natalie? Daddy, has to go back to work for a few minutes. Would you like to come with?"
An enthusiastic, "Yeah!" came from the other room before the sound of little feet running down the hall reached me. I helped her into her jacket before taking her hand and leading her to the car.
*Ten minutes later*
I stepped off the elevator at my floor and marched over my secretary, Stacy. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Someone hacked into our systems and shut us down. We are trying to get it running again but your access to certain areas," she explained.
Natalie pulled on my hand. "Can I please go look at the windows?"
She flashed me her best puppy-dog eyes and I caved instantly. "Sure, sweetheart. Just stay where I can see you, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy!" she cheered and skipped away.
I asked some of the IT guys how I could help and got to work.
After a few minutes I looked up and scanned the floor for Natalie. Panic gripped me for a few seconds when I couldn't see her, until I spotted her talking to a beautiful blonde with thick glasses and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. The sight floored me. My daughter, who had always been scared of strangers, was laughing and talking to this woman as if she were a close relative. Who is this woman? . . . I'm gonna go meet her.
