Chapter 44: The World Keeps Turning

Oliver and Thea watched in concern as the last of the staff placed down Tommy's bags on the floor of the foyer. Tommy himself was surveying the scene with a critical eye, as if one of the staff would take advantage to slip something unsavory into his bags – never mind that most of them had known him when he was but a babe still in Aunt Rebecca's womb.

Then again, Oliver couldn't exactly blame Tommy for his paranoia; the Merlyn name had been tarnished, perhaps irreversibly, but Malcolm's actions. The few times Tommy had been active in the city, he had taken care to hide his most distinguishing features, and even so, people still recognized him, and many had no issue throwing him dirty looks and/or debris to express their distaste. It was why everyone had respected his wishes to seclude himself to the Queen Mansion. It was simply too dangerous.

But now, Tommy felt he had his time and didn't want to impose any longer. Merlyn Global had been shut down while the investigation into Malcolm's activities continued, and the family's assets frozen in return. However, that part of the investigation was over, and Merlyn Global, net worth having significantly decreased, was now ready to continue day-to-day operations. With Malcolm's incarceration and impending trial, everything in his name had reverted to Tommy, including the majority share of the company. And in place of his father, Tommy was now CEO and Chairman of Merlyn Global, and had much work to do to save his ailing company.

Even so, both Oliver and Thea wished he would stay with them, and the rest of their family. Tommy would be all on his lonesome in the Merlyn Mansion, his father's ghost clinging to him and like a parasite, present in all the memories that haunted that place. But Tommy was determined, and stubborn, and it was a losing battle to convince him to do otherwise.

"Again, Tommy – your room is your room, no matter what happens." Oliver clasped a hand onto his best friend's shoulder, smiling lightly.

The smile faded as Tommy, irritated, slapped his hand away. "Thank you for the offer, Ollie." He replied, a little frigidly. "But as I said before: I'll be fine."

That was another point of contention. Whenever he wasn't in a silent, contemplative slump, Tommy was easily irritable and uncharacteristically cold. Just the other day, he had snapped at Raisa, and while he had apologized immediately afterwards, the maid had been walking on eggshells around him ever since. It was worrying, even more so now that Tommy was moving out so soon. While the Queens were aware the Undertaking would have some effects on his personality, to be acting so profoundly unlike himself was well beyond what they expected. And now that he wasn't under their supervision…while Tommy may have been an adult capable of making his own choices, he was still family, and they felt responsible for him.

"Alright, then." Oliver cleared his throat awkwardly. "Laurel told me that she's off two days from now. If it's alright with you, the three of us could meet up then for lunch. Go out for a little bit. If that's fine…?"

At the sound of Laurel's name, Tommy cracked a small smile. "It's fine Ollie. I'll see you then. Speedy." He nodded at the teenager, who had been watching the proceedings silently. Thea returned the nod with a tentative one of her own.

The last of his luggage loaded up into the car, Tommy slid in, and the siblings watched as he drove away.

"It's progress." Thea commented the moment they were alone. "But…" she trailed off, knowing her brother understood.

"I know." Oliver sighed. "He's still in there, though. All we can do is keep reaching out, and hope he eventually meets us halfway."

The Palm was the be-all-to-end-all for Starling City's elite. If you were someone who couldn't get invited to The Palm, let alone afford a reservation, then you were someone not worth talking to, as far as Starling's upper crust was concerned. It was this status marker that, along with the high-quality and absolutely delicious food, that catered to The Palm's continued existence for the last thirty years.

Perhaps the only downside to The Palm is that they did not discriminate as long as you could line the owner's pockets. While the likes of the well-reputed Bowens frequented the establishment, so had Frank Bertinelli and his ilk. Even Tommy Merlyn could still, conceivably, book a reservation despite his father's heinous and outwardly illegal actions a month prior, the younger Merlyn's own moral alignments irrelevant.

That was a misfortune for the Queens, as that meant they often had to interact with people they very much would rather not concern themselves with (outside duress, such as their forced membership in Tempest). The aforementioned Frank Bertinelli, for one; there was a reason why he was unafraid to send Paul Copani to meet with Moira Queen in his fit of desperation prior to his arrest. Unfortunately, it was impossible to frequent The Palm without meeting Bertinelli at least once, since his father was one of their first patrons. The same applied for many of those who had occupied the pages of The List – in fact, The Palm was integral to the creation of The List in its entirety. Everyone on there had been to, or at least was connected to someone that had made at least one visit to The Palm.

So, it only makes sense that, even after Malcolm Merlyn's arrest, the Queens' luck in that regard remained unchanged.

"Ma'am." The usher opened the door, greeting The Palm's newest patron. The woman, young with brunette hair and Russian features, would've been attractive had it not been for the severe look on her face. She barely graced him with a glance before walking away without a word, absentmindedly palming a tip to his chest with a strong push.

"Isabel Rochev." She stated to the host. After confirming her name on the list, the host gestured inside to the waiting area in the lobby.

Just as she was making her way, she stopped, noticing an exiting couple, two familiar faces that she had longed to see ever since the day she left Starling City with termination papers in her hands, thoroughly disgraced.

Isabel smiled. It was not kind.

"Robert. Moira. It's good to see you again."

Robert froze when he heard that familiar voice, looking away from his beloved wife to see the one person he never wanted to see ever again, perhaps even more so than Malcolm Merlyn and Amanda Waller. He could feel Moira's hand clasp his own tightly in a possessive manner, and he didn't have to look back to see that she was glaring as much as propriety would allow in a public setting like The Palm.

"Isabel." He greeted his former lover stiltedly. "What brings you back to Starling?"

"A new business venture." Isabel's smile widened, and for a moment, he could've sworn her teeth were pointed. "A lot has happened in the last month, and, well, I'm here to make sure that my investments stay healthy."

"You're here for Merlyn Global." Moira stated, eyes narrowed.

Isabel shrugged. "Tommy Merlyn and I have been in contact for a while, and I was impressed with his perseverance and business savviness. It would be a shame for his company to fall to pieces just because his father happened to be a mad man, so I figured I'd get involved and help him stabilize things. It's a win-win for everybody, as good business should be. You two, of all people, should know that."

"Indeed." Robert interjected, wanting to get this meeting over with as soon as possible. "Well, it was…interesting, to see you again, Isabel, but Moira and I must be going. Work in the office and all that."

"Of course, Robert." Isabel stepped away, clearing their path. "Don't let little old me hold you up."

As the Queens, as dignified as they could, rushed away, Isabel watched them go, her smile slowly fading away, replaced by a dark look.

Arms linked together, Kara Danvers and Samantha Arias entered The Palm, giggling at some unheard joke. Less dignified than most of the other patrons present, they turned heads and some disapproving looks, most of which were ignored. They stopped briefly to mention their reservation to the host, then waited in the lobby to be seated.

"So, you're having Kal's birthday party at the Queens'?"

Kara laughed awkwardly. "Well, we were having trouble coming up with a venue. His first suggestion was the arcade, but considering the relative social classes of his classmates, I vetoed it. Second choice was the place we chose for Ruby's party, but, well, he felt like that was too much like copying his best friend. After that we were drawing blanks, and when we mentioned it to Moira during our last visit, she suggested the Mansion. Neither Thea nor Oliver are much for partying these days, so while the pool is clean, it hasn't been used a lot anyway. And we figured more parents would be inclined to let their kids attend if they knew Robert and Moira were present."

"And when they learn that you're familiar enough with the Queens to have Kal's birthday party in their own home…" Sam felt a smile creep up her face.

"…They'll invite Kal to their own kids' parties. And let them attend Kal's, even if it's in a "plebian" place like an arcade." Kara finished for her. "I know they're not all like that – you're the prime example. But more than enough of them are, unfortunately."

Sam waved her off. "I understand perfectly well, Kara. God knows Ruby and I had the same problems when she first enrolled into Balliol. It was only after A-Corp started getting more recognition that was I finally acknowledged as someone other than the "Single Mom Parent"." She mimicked quotes with her free hand to emphasize her point.

"I wonder what they see me as, if they saw you as that." Kara mused.

Sam made to make a comment, only to freeze when a patron exited the restaurant to the lobby. A very familiar patron, who soon noticed her own presence, and glared at her. Sam glared back, ignoring Kara's quizzical look. The patron made their way to them, heedless of any looks they might have been getting.

"Arias."

"Rochev."

Kara watched the exchange for a few moments, and when the tension started to become unbearable, stuck out her hand. "Hello there. I'm Sam's friend, Kara Danvers. And you are?"

'Rochev' looked down at the offered hand disdainfully, then turned away with a dismissive sniff, exiting the restaurant with her head held high. Kara blinked as she left.

"Your friend was rude." Kara commented to Sam as their server went to fulfill their drink order.

"She's not my friend." Sam almost growled, mood sour.

"I can see that." Kara observed. "Who is she?"

Sam sighed. "Isabel Rochev. We were rivals back in business school, competing for a lot of the same opportunities. She never hesitated to make a shot at my single parent status, and in fact used it to snatch away an internship at Queen Consolidated from me – which she somehow squandered away when she was fired a few months later for 'undisclosed reasons.' Around the same time, I managed to get my own internship at Wayne Enterprises, and after it was over, used those connections to start A-Corp. While she managed to snap up a VP position at Stellemoore International, she's never forgiven me for starting and heading my own successful company before she could. A-Corp has had a lot of dealings with Stellemoore over the years, and she's never hesitated to make her displeasure known during the few face-to-face meetings we've had together."

Kara nodded along the explanation, and after Sam finished and announced they should forget Isabel and enjoy their day out together, smiled agreeably. Internally, however, she felt her insides twist, and resolved to get Oliver and Barry to look into Isabel Rochev as soon as possible.

From the moment she saw that woman, her instincts were on edge. Something was up with her, and something told Kara that, whatever it was, it was something she wouldn't like.

"You know how it goes, boys." Daniel Brickwell announced to the two men in front of him. He set the gun down on the table and waited for the carnage to begin.

Danny "Brick" Brickwell was just another two-bit thug in the Glades before he bought his trusty gun, shot a woman, and made something of himself. He rose through the ranks of his gang until he was the one calling the shots, and then subsumed many other smaller, weaker crews under his control. Brickwell would've done more, expanded more, but unfortunately, he hit a bit of a snag.

Brickwell didn't play well with others, and he lacked the deep-rooted and long-standing connections found in crime families like the Bertinellis and the Triad. And with his criminal record and reputation public and well-known, he couldn't put up a façade sophistication and expand his influence that way. Brick was deceptively smart despite this thuggish demeanor – smart enough to realize that said demeanor was hampering him from becoming a big fish in the crime capital of the west coast, a fact that grated him deeply. The only reason he and his crew hadn't been scooped up by one of the established factions in the city was because they had ties to the crime lord that ruled over Hub City, a Tobias Church, and even then, an argument could be made that he was just another lackey for Church instead.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't bitter about it.

However, things were look up for dear old Brick. Green Arrow and Supergirl, thanks to all their do-gooding and Samaritan-behavior, had created a power vacuum in Starling. The Bertinellis were gone, done in by a laptop full of evidence they thought long gone, with the head honcho himself doing time and their little princess missing, presumed dead. The Triad were slowly withdrawing from Starling now that their top enforcer was in the slammer. For whatever reason, the Bratva were being reticent, content with minimal influence in the city. And as for all the other aspiring crime lords, after the Count and Cyrus Vanch, nobody was stepping up to the plate for fear of making themselves another target for the Green Arrow.

Brick wanted out of Church's thumb. He wanted to shine, the way he wanted to for years, all those opportunities denied to him because nobody ever saw him as anything more than a meathead to point their problems at. And now that he had that chance, he wasn't going to waste it.

"You got it." Brick demanded his second-in-command, Xavier Reed.

Xavier smirked, then set down a roll of paper. He slowly unraveled it, revealing it to be a stack of blueprints. Brick grinned.

"Perfect."

His eyes glinted upwards, towards the title:

CHRYSANTHEMUM BALLIOL PREPARATORY ACADEMY FOR THE GIFTED

Tommy's getting colder yes, but he's still Tommy…maybe. And yes, before you ask, his change in personality has to do with that vial of green water. As to where this leads…who knows?

Isabel Rochev, #2 on the bitch-o-meter, second to only Amanda Waller herself, is here. Rochev is an important villain, however, she is not THE villain for Oliver's arc, that much I will say. Also, she will not be a combat-type villain like Ravager, for obvious reasons. But she's integral to the plot nonetheless, and it all has to do with Tommy, as you can tell. And it's obvious that she's whatever up to, it involves payback against the Queens. I also added in that bit with Sam, which will be important later on as well.

Finally, Danny Brickwell. He's important to, but again, he isn't the Big Bad of Oliver's arc. He is, however, important to someone else's arc, but who, I won't say. You can probably guess, but I'll keep things tight-lipped for now.

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