Chapter 9:
The Weekend in Vegas (Part 1)
A/N: This chapter and the next are told entirely from Emily Smoak's point of view.
That Tuesday after the Sunday when all four of us were in church, Mom got a call from Oliver. She was doing some work for QC on her laptop while she was busy making lunch. She had just sent an email to the IT department when the bell rang for the timer she had set for the chicken baking in the oven. At exactly the same time, her phone rang. She put the phone on speaker mode and dashed to take the chicken out of the oven.
"Hey! Miss me?" Oliver asked with a level of excitement that was all too evident in his voice.
"Why would I miss you? We just saw each other Sunday," Mom teased. She giggled as she skipped towards the kitchen counter, almost dropping the chicken in the process. It's been fun watching my mom each time Oliver's name was spoken, or her phone rang and she'd look to see his name and photo flashing on the screen. She would behave like a little girl who had just been given a treat. In fact, in many ways, she acted a lot like me.
"Aw! That's too bad. Coz I miss my Felicity every minute, every hour, every day," Oliver responded.
"That's so sweet," Mom remarked. "But Mr. Queen, sir, I'm working right now, so if you're not calling about business, I'm afraid I'll have to put you on hold."
"Fe-li-ci-ty," he spoke my mom's name one syllable at a time.
"Hey, that's not fair! You know I can't win when you start saying my name that way," she retorted.
"Okay, okay. You don't have to say you miss me too… even if you really do," he said as he chortled. "But I did call about business."
"I'm listening, sir," Mom said with a more formal tone of voice.
"How would you like to go down to Vegas for the weekend? You and Emily. With me. And Diggle."
"I thought you said this was business? Sounds like a vacation."
"It is business. The Board of QC would like me to look into a potential partnership with another multi-million-dollar company based in Las Vegas. They'd like to consider putting up a subsidiary over there. A meeting's been set up Friday afternoon."
"So what would I be doing if I were to come with you?"
"I thought it would be wise to have you inspect the company's computer systems and see if they're compatible with our own. You know, so that if the deal pushes through, the transition would be better facilitated, and communications with a subsidiary there would go more smoothly."
"And Emily?"
"Well, I thought you two might want to visit your folks while we're there… make the most of the free ride aboard QC's private jet."
"Sounds wonderful! We haven't been home since we moved to Starling. No matter how hard I've worked on our budget, there hasn't been much saved enough to buy us both roundtrip tickets to visit my parents. Thank you for this opportunity. Emily will be so excited to see her grandparents!"
"Will you be excited for me to meet your parents?" Oliver asked. The tone of his voice clearly showed that he was expecting an honest answer from my mom.
"Of course! That'd be great! I've been telling my folks about you, you know. I've been wondering how I could get you to meet them. This is just perfect! We can have Friday night dinner with my parents, and then sightsee all day Saturday. I'll be your tour guide. I'll take you to the best places, show you where I went to school, where I was born and gave birth to Emily. Oh, you and Diggle are gonna love Vegas!"
Oliver didn't interrupt my mom's rambling. When she was finished, he said, "All right then, we're set. Diggle and I will pick you up at 7:00 Friday morning. If we leave at 8:00, we'll be in Vegas in about an hour or less."
After a few more affectionate exchanges of endearment, the two lovebirds hung up. Mom didn't have to explain the details to me. I understood two things from their conversation. One, I'd be tagging along on their business trip to Vegas, and two, I'd be seeing my grandparents for the first time since we moved away. I was thrilled!
That Friday morning, Mr. Diggle and Oliver picked us up at 7:00 sharp and after about an hour's drive through morning traffic, we reached the private air strip where the QC jet was. As soon as we boarded and got settled in, the flight crew told us that we were taking off in a few minutes.
The flight took almost an hour, but I didn't mind. Mom, Oliver, and Mr. Diggle talked the whole time, sometimes laughing at Oliver's corny jokes or at the funny stories Mom told about growing up in Vegas. I, on the other hand, enjoyed looking out the window and watching the clouds spread out like cotton candy against the powder blue sky. Down below I could see mountains, lakes, and rivers, but they seemed so small compared to when I see them on television. The plane ride was simply amazing! I couldn't compare it with my first flight out of Vegas because I was too little to remember.
When we landed at the Las Vegas airport, a black limousine was waiting for us. Mr. Diggle got behind the wheel and drove us to our hotel. As soon as we entered the city, my mom was on tour guide mode. She pointed to one building after another, one hotel and casino after another, so fast, that Oliver and I were more confused instead of amused at the sights of what many people called "Sin City." She would even insert short personal anecdotes whenever she remembered an experience she had in certain spots in the city. There was a story when she saw the phone booth where she got locked in; the alley where she almost got mugged when she was fifteen; the casino where she hit a twenty-thousand dollar jackpot that paid for a year of room and board at MIT on her senior year; and the diner near The Strip where she met her first boyfriend. It was fun listening to my mom's stories, but for Oliver, she was the one he found most entertaining of all.
When we reached the lobby of The Bellagio, I let go of my mom's hand and ran right into the middle of that huge… I mean, gigantic… space. My little eyes could hardly take in everything. I looked up at the multi-colored painted ceiling. I looked around, dumbfounded by the intricate designs of the walls, the mirrors that were taller than people, the flowers and plants that were elegantly arranged everywhere. There was piped in music that came from I don't know where. There were so many people… walking… to and fro. They were making me dizzy.
As I swirled around, I caught a glimpse of my mom talking with two people. She then pointed to me, and the two adults who looked much older than her started walking towards me. Their faces were so familiar, and I recognized them from the pictures back at our apartment. When they were already right in front of me, the older man and woman knelt down. They looked at me with caring, longing eyes. The woman extended her hand and said, "Emily?"
As soon as I heard her voice, I recognized them. "Grandma! Grandpa!" What followed was a really tight group hug. When the three of us finally let go, my grandmother had tears in her eyes. "I missed you so much, sweetie," she said. My grandfather picked me up and carried me back to my mom.
"I can't believe how big she is now," Grandpa said to my mom.
"Well, she's got your genes, Dad," Mom remarked, smiling.
"Thank goodness," Grandma commented. "I'm so glad there's hardly any trace of her father in her features. She looks just like you when you were our little darling," she told my mom.
Oliver and Mr. Diggle had finished checking in at the counter and were walking back towards our family. Oliver was smiling, but the fingers of both his hands were twitching. I could tell he was nervous.
"Oliver, come over here," Mom waved, motioning for him to join us. "I'd like you to meet my parents. I phoned them yesterday telling them which hotel we'd be in, and… here they are!" Oliver stood beside my mom and straightened his business suit. Mom clung to his left arm as she continued with the introductions. "Dad, Mom, this is Oliver Queen. Oliver, meet Edward and Donna Smoak, my wonderful parents."
"Good morning, Edward, Donna. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You have raised such a remarkable daughter that I've been eager to meet you since… uhm… since we… uhm…" Oliver couldn't finish what he was saying. For a CEO, I had expected more from him. But the guy was obviously nervous about meeting my grandparents.
"Since we officially became a couple." Mom finished the sentence for him.
Grandpa managed a smile that didn't reach up to his eyes, but Grandma was not smiling at all. I wondered why. "Didn't they like Oliver? Who wouldn't like Oliver?" I thought to myself.
"It's good to meet you too, Mr. Queen," my grandfather responded, offering a handshake. Oliver reached for Grandpa's hand, and the two men squeezed each other's hands. The way they shook hands told a story. It was as if both men were studying each other.
My mom's eyeballs shifted from left to right, keenly observing the two men she held dearest in her life, like she was watching a tennis match. I saw her press her lips together, and I knew… she was starting to get nervous, too.
"So, what brings you to Vegas, Mr. Queen?" Grandpa asked.
"Business. Felicity is accompanying me to an important meeting this afternoon that could result into Queen Consolidated having a subsidiary here."
"Hmm. I guess, that's good… for your company, I mean," my grandpa said. "By the way, I can't thank you enough for the kindness you have shown my girls. Felicity told us, you not only gave her a job and a promotion; you also saved our dear Emily's life."
"You're welcome, but really, it was-"
"Now don't you say it was nothing. To simple folks like us, it means everything. We are grateful to you, Mr. Queen." Grandfather meant every word he said. He wasn't as brilliant and educated as my mom, and neither was my grandmother, but they were respectable people who worked hard to earn their keep. And he wanted Oliver to know that.
"Well," my grandmother began to speak when both men had run out of things to say to each other. "We won't keep you much longer. My shift as Caesar's starts in fifteen minutes, and I'm sure you folks would like to get settled in your rooms… or your suites, I presume. So we better go. We'll see you tonight for dinner at our house, right, Felicity?"
"Oh, yeah, right!" Mom replied. "We'll be there around seven."
After the goodbyes and the handshakes and the hugs, my grandparents left, and we checked in to our rooms, or should I say, our grand suite. Grandma was right. The suite had three large bedrooms. Oliver's room was right beside ours. Mr. Diggle's was right across Oliver's. At the center of the suite between the rooms was a spacious living room and study, with elegant carpets and furniture fit for a king or the President of the United States! The room my mom and I got was bigger than our apartment, I mean seriously! As soon as I saw the king-sized bed, I ran and climbed on top of it and started jumping up and down.
All four of us rested for the rest of the morning and met up at the hotel's restaurant for lunch. The food in that place was delicious. I couldn't believe we were allowed to get as much food as we wanted! And I didn't see my mom pay a single dollar. Vegas was fantastic! They had rooms bigger than apartments, with trampolines for beds, free food to last a lifetime, and cable TV that had twice as many channels as what we had back home.
Before lunch ended, Mom had a short, serious talk with me. "Emily," she began. "Oliver and Mom, we have a very important meeting with a very important person after lunch. I can't leave you in our room by yourself, so I'll have to take you with us. Now, it's very important that you be in your best behavior. Do you understand?"
"Uh-huh," I answered, nodding my head twice.
"I'm gonna set you up in a corner and let you play games on my tablet. Is that all right?" she asked.
"Yes, Mom. I'll be fine," I replied.
"That's my girl." Mom wiped my mouth clean and unbuckled me from the high chair. She set me down as she, Oliver, and Mr. Diggle stood up to leave the restaurant.
About thirty minutes later, we were in an elevator inside a very tall building. When the elevator dinged at the thirty-fifth floor, all four of us were met by an old, bald guy who introduced himself as a Mr. Judson. He led us to a large office with a comfortable lounge. A pretty secretary made us sit down and served the adults some coffee. Mr. Diggle stood in a corner behind the couch where Oliver sat. Mom took a chair and put it near the corner where Mr. Diggle was. She made me sit there and began to set up my gadget so I won't get bored.
Shortly after, I got settled in, and my mom sat beside Oliver on the comfy couch. She was looking for something in her purse when a tall, handsome man with dark hair, wearing an expensive suit, entered the office with his own bodyguard. I could tell by his looks that he was the boss in this place.
"Mr. Queen! I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. So good of you to fly all the way from Starling City to meet with me," the man greeted.
Oliver stood up instantly and walked up to the man to offer a handshake. "Good afternoon, Mr. Palmer! It's great to be here. I thought coming here in person would convince you to go through with the deal."
As soon as Mom heard the name Palmer, she looked up and gasped. All the color on her face faded faster than The Flash could run from here back to Starling. Something was seriously wrong. I saw panic all over her face. I was afraid she would faint.
Oliver looked from Mr. Palmer to my mom and said, "I'd like you to meet our Senior IT Consultant, Ms. Felicity Smoak. I hope you don't mind I brought her with me? I thought it would be a good idea for her to see how your IT department works so that any transition in the future, and all communications between our companies could go smoothly."
Mr. Palmer wasn't listening to Olive at all. He looked at my mother like he had seen a ghost. A hauntingly beautiful ghost of the past. After a brief pause (that obviously puzzled Oliver), the man replied with a naughty smile beginning to form on his face, "Oh, I definitely don't mind."
"Good," Oliver said. He walked towards Felicity and said, "Felicity Smoak, this is Mister-"
"Ray Palmer…" Mom spoke softly, almost in a trembling whisper.
Dead silence followed. Palmer stared at my mom with a mischievous smirk on his face. Mom stared back at him with a mixed expression of panic and disgust. This time, it was Oliver's eyeballs shifting from left to right, keenly observing the two of them, whom he had already figured out, had known each other before. Sweat began to appear on Oliver's temples. He scratched a fake itch at his nape, and then put his left hand in his pocket. After a while, he decided to break the awkward silence. "I guess… you two know each other?"
"Oh, yes. We certainly do," Mr. Palmer replied. "MIT. We graduated together in 09, and then worked together in the computer science division of Star Labs in Boston before Dr. Harrison Wells moved his headquarters to Central City. We were quite a team, Felicity and I."
Mom was still staring at him. Speechless. Oliver, on the other hand, didn't know how to react. One thing was sure: he was smart enough to figure out what I wasn't smart enough to figure out at that moment. Mr. Palmer was my father.
"Well, I guess we better sit down and start talking about the future of both our companies. That is reason why you two came all the way from Starling to see me, isn't it?" Mr. Palmer said.
Oliver wasn't new to this line of talk. He knew Mr. Palmer now had a hidden agenda – and it had absolutely nothing to do with their companies. Mr. Palmer was now bent on discovering what kind of relationship Oliver had with my mother.
Mr. Palmer sat down behind his huge desk. Oliver took the seat right across him, intentionally angling his seat so that he could have a clear view from Palmer on his right to the other end of the square-shaped office where my Mom, Mr. Diggle, and I were. Mom didn't take the other seat in front of Palmer's desk. After she checked on me, she whispered something to Mr. Diggle, and then returned to the couch in the lounge. That was when Mr. Palmer noticed me sitting in the corner, almost covered by Mr. Diggle, standing tall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Oliver's talk with Mr. Palmer lasted longer than expected, and it didn't take the genius of Einstein to figure out why. On the surface, the negotiations were about Queen Consolidated and Palmer Technologies. But now on hindsight, I understand that what the two grown men were really fighting over were not their company's best interests. They were fighting over my Mom. Two wealthy, powerful, influential men who had become a big part of my mother's life in recent years were in the same room at the same time, waging war for her heart. I was relieved I hadn't understood was what happening right then and there, coz if I had, I would've given them both a piece of my mind.
An hour later, both men stood up and shook hands in a civil manner. As they were trying to agree on their next scheduled video conferencing, my mom came to get me and pack away the gadget, getting ready to leave.
"Could we visit your IT department now?" Oliver told Mr. Palmer.
"Sure. Martin and I can take you there," Palmer replied, referring to his bodyguard.
Oliver motioned to Mr. Diggle, who immediately opened the door of the office, ready to let his boss out. Oliver walked out the door, followed by Mr. Diggle and then Mr. Martin, not noticing that Palmer wasn't following behind them.
Mr. Palmer went straight to me and my mom. "Felicity," he said, reaching out to touch my mom's arm as she stood up from a kneeling position. Mom brushed off his hand. It seemed she didn't want him touching her at all. "Felicity, I was wondering if you and I could talk while you're here."
"What is there to talk about?" Mom answered, not making eye contact. She was pretending to be busy putting my jacket on.
"Well, now that you're here… and she's here-"
"My daughter's name is Emily. Emily Smoak."
"Right. I was thinking… now that you and Emily are here… we could talk about-"
"Like I said… There's nothing… to talk about," Mom said with an even more firm tone of voice, this time, looking him straight in the eye. She clutched my arm, and for the first time ever, that gesture of hers hurt. She probably didn't realize she was holding on to me too tight. I looked up to her and saw her face burning with rage, holding back tears that were brimming in her eyes.
"But I just… Felicity, I'm her father!" Mr. Palmer began to shout and curse, and it scared me.
"Since when?!" Mom shouted back. "You were never in our lives, and now, just like that, you want in? You must be crazy!"
The yelling stopped instantly when the door opened. Oliver's eyes narrowed at what he saw. He grit his teeth as he tried to keep himself from blowing his temper. My mom had just wiped a tear off her cheek, as Mr. Palmer released a firm grip on her arm. They quickly pretended that nothing happened and walked away from each other. Oliver cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Palmer, I believe we can't do this tour without you and Ms. Smoak."
"Ah, yes. Forgive me," Mr. Palmer said as he walked briskly out the door without looking back.
Mom picked up her purse and my knapsack and took me by the hand. As she turned to walk towards the door, Oliver put a steady arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for an embrace. "Are you okay?" he asked tenderly. His concern was evident in his voice and actions.
"No, I'm not," Mom answered, trying to keep herself from breaking down. "I feel terrible."
"Can you still handle the tour of the IT department?" he asked.
"I think so. Just give me a minute," Mom replied. Oliver pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the tears on her face. And then he hugged her again. "Shh… I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you… or Emily."
"You don't know Ray," my mom began to speak. "He won't stop until he gets what he wants. And he always does. Not once did he show us that he cared. Now all of a sudden he's asking if he could be a part of our lives. Oliver, I'm scared."
"Don't be. Everything will be fine. I promise," Oliver said reassuringly.
"No, you don't get it. Ray doesn't care about us. This is… about you."
Oliver was shocked at what my mother had just said. He had just met the man. "What? Why is this about me?"
"I know how his mind works, Oliver. This is just some game to him. A game of conquests. He doesn't really care about us. He had already conquered me. Didn't you see? In just a short time, he had already figured out what we have. Now, all he wants to do is beat you… because you own my heart, and I own yours. His ego thrives on competition, the kind where he is the one who comes out the winner. And if I'm right about him, he won't stop until he gets… not just your company… but me and Emily, too."
"I won't let that happen," Oliver said.
"Oliver, I'm so sorry. Seems like… now it's my past that's catching up with me, and I'm dragging you down with me. I… I don't want you getting hurt because of me," my mom said.
Oliver planted a kiss on my mom's forehead. "As long as we have each other, we'll get through this… and every other obstacle that comes our way," he said.
I hoped, for all our sakes, that Oliver could keep that promise. Coz that was the day the obstacles started coming… one after another.