"ALL A WOMAN WANTS FROM HER MAN IS TO BE RESPECTED WHILE SHE IS IN HIS COMPANY, AND WHEN SHE'S OUT OF IT."
Walter Steele
I straighten out the stack of papers in my hands, taking great care as to avoid the various graphs and numbers printed on it in fear of an incoming headache. I am required to be at my full potential today, especially since I don't know what the day and my impulsive support of a dying company will bring.
Today is the first annual stock meeting for Queen Consolidated, I am equally nervous, and anticipating the outcome of the meeting, as I have heard some very good things on the direction, the new direction, that QC has been heading towards since Oliver Queen took on the throne.
I may not still be with Moira, but that doesn't in any way change my affections for the two other Queens, especially Thea, whom I have visited quite often since the Undertaking, and who has been successfully running a nightclub that is apparently the hotspot in all of Starling City. One could not be more proud.
And in accordance with my thoughts, a familiar face appears on the TV screen in front of me, and I hastily search the table for the TV's remote, to hear the latest scoop the press has on Oliver Queen.
It's terribly boring, I must say, only talks of his not-so-recent reign, his figure in a suit, and his haircut.
One could not be more proud.
I, being Robert's close friend, spent the better part of my life watching Oliver Queen grow up. To say that I was disappointed in the way Robert and Moira raised him with a silver spoon was an understatement. The boy has so much potential and it could have been used for so much more than frat parties and drugs suppose his parents were more involved in his life.
Instead, he grew up to be the man who never respected women, treated them like dirt on the sole of his feet, ruined and wasted his life through parties, drugs and petty crimes, and Moira and Robert didn't do a single thing about it apart from bailing him out of jail and paying a new school every year.
And although the circumstances that led to his drastic change in personality were terrible, and as much as I wish I can go back and stop both father and son from getting on the stupid gambit and kept them in Starling City, I am forced to look at the one good that has come out of it. Oliver Queen.
He's changed, some parts for better, some for worse, but I can honestly say that the Oliver Queen that came back from the island has a much better life paved out for him. He's putting his trust fund to good use, running the company exceptionally well, and bringing back that honor and respect that the Queen name used to hold. It certainly helps matters that Thea has taken a turn for the better, and is on her way of giving up drugs and booze and trying to follow her brother's footprints.
However, I'm not sure that the lifestyle Oliver is living right now is any more emotionally healthier than the one he used to live. Before the gambit, he had a limitless supply of phonies. He surrounded himself with girls, friends, and people who just didn't care. He didn't care for any of them either. The only two people I can think of Oliver respecting was (and is still) Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance for some part.
Now, he's just closed off. He seems like a shell of a man that used to be so vibrant and full of life. Even though I know that he's is paying close attention and absorbing everything he is being told in a conversation, to the normal eye he looks like all the words being said are just passing through him. He unarguably lonely, although he seems to have formed quite a friendship with his bodyguard (the only one that has lasted more than 2 weeks) and with Ms. Smoak (although I wonder if there is a hidden motive around that) and I assume that is much better than being around ones who don't care about anything but your net worth.
And the timing today seems to be perfectly on point as the elevator doors open to reveal the famous trio walk into the office, Ms. Smoak and Oliver in the front, and Mr. Diggle the ever-so-faithful bodyguard trailing after them. They haven't yet noticed my presence, so I decide to sit in my chair, watching them interact with each other, my eyes going from between Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle, especially the former two.
"It plummeted down 35%, but that was after the undertaking, and although you were the technical owner of QC, you didn't take over then and so make sure to add the fact that the cause of this plummet wasn't your fault." Ms. Smoak rambles, not looking at anything but her tablet.
"But that's only if they bring up the 35% loss, right," Oliver asks her, his eyes never leaving her and I do a double take on the open curiosity and attentiveness in his face.
"Ya, only if they ask. But knowing them they probably will. Because they're all sharks that want to make sure that they leave the room with more money and the better deal, so any way to make you falter or feel uncomfortable, they will take it, don't let them." She unashamedly states her opinion (her spot on opinion) and I've stopped looking at Felicity by now, and have focused my gaze onto Oliver (whose reactions are proving to be much more interesting) who has an amused and fond look on his face.
"Felicity, you do realize that you're talking about the people in this office with your loud voice right?" Diggle interrupts her, speaking my mind, although he also looks more amused than mad.
"Never mind that. Felicity, back to the stock reports." Oliver interjects, steering her towards the conference room.
"Right. So in the past few months you have actually gained 13% of the money you lost and I know that doesn't really seem like a big number, but it is, well for me it is, I don't know how highly you think of that much money, but in terms of business, it seems fairly reasonable."
They walk reasonably slowly to the room, directly adjacent to my office, and I take their obliviousness to my presence to observe Oliver and Felicity communicating about the stock value and the way he should manner himself on the stage and the things he must include and say, and however important the conversation may be, I can't stop the only thought that flows through my head from reappearing constantly,
Oliver would have never accepted advice and directions as such years ago, let alone from a woman.
As much as it pains me to say (think) Oliver Queen that left on the gambit was a sexist bastard and didn't care much for respecting the opposite sex unless they were his mother or Thea.
I guess some things change for the better.
I arrive last, making sure that my details and files are up to date, and also after making an appointment with Thea, whom I haven't seen in weeks.
When I get there, everyone has already taken a seat, Oliver near the head of the table, while Felicity sits beside him and Diggle at far corner in the back looking closely at all the other investors with his sharp eye (not that I can really blame him. Not after we have learned that the most successful and well-known business man of Starling City was a mastermind hell-bent on destroying the city)
"Alright gentleman, let's begin," I say, walking to my seat at the head of the table.
Mr. Rittman clears his throat and stares at Oliver Queen oddly, "Mr. Queen, the meeting has started."
Oliver mirrors my look of confusion but answers anyway, "I'm well aware Mr. Rittman."
The man addressed indicates his hands towards Felicity, who looks shocked to be included in the conversation, and she scrunches her brows in a way that allows me to know that the wheels in her brain are spinning, trying to come up with every possible theory as to what could be wrong.
"Your assistant could leave now. We are not in need of any refreshments and she isn't going to be of much use in here anyway. Nothing requires any noting down." Rittman tells him unashamedly and by the look on Oliver's face, I fear for the man's life.
I anticipate a blow up from Oliver, telling the old man his place, something I will entirely support because I am very ashamed of my colleague's behaviour and manners, or lack thereof.
But before the young Queen can get up and start fighting with an important member of the board, Felicity places her hand on his knee, an action only I can see from the head of the table, she shakes her head, and some sort of silent communication goes on between them; her face one of acceptance and reassurance while his is contorted into sorry and guilt, it is fascinating.
But before I know it, the young woman strides out of the doors of the conference room, her head held high and her steps never faltering. I see Oliver send another silent signal to his bodyguard (should I be slightly scared of the way this trio have managed to gain telepathic abilities with each other?) and the dark-skinned man proceeds to also walk out the door, probably to watch over Ms. Smoak.
The presentation was quite tense after that, since the other board members realized that they had upset the young billionaire by throwing his assistant out, especially since the report that Oliver presented proved to indicate a bright future for QC with profits rising up to almost 45%, which indicates money for us.
Once Oliver finished his presentation (he had everyone on board, especially the ladies as soon as he smiled), it was Mr. Rittman's turn, and I kept my eyes focused on the screen, trying to keep my smile off my face at the sight of Oliver brooding and pouting I see from the corner of my eye.
Mr. Rittman's is a fairly intelligent fellow, with the right amount of confidence and poise to be such a prominent figure in society. But the truth is that he lacks the many things it takes to be an individual who runs a bank; fundamentally speaking, math.
I almost groan in annoyance as he stumbles and tries to charm his way through the stock and mathematical figures and equations that I know his assistant made, and finally Oliver does it for me.
"Mr. Rittman." He interrupts (more like gives the man more time to add the numbers to his obvious calculator pulled up on his phone).
"Y- Yes Mr. Queen." He responds, straightening his back, putting in deep care to avoid me. If only he would put as much care as that into his work.
"Can I invite my assistant now?" Oliver innocently asks, and I have to wonder where he is going with this.
Rittman looks as equally confused, "I'm sorry?"
"Well you see, my Executive Assistant is a genius. In fact, I'm sure she has a higher IQ than any one of us in this room. I'm confident that she can get the answer to these problems and numbers in a matter of seconds, so I'm going to call my bodyguard and ask him to bring her up." Oliver tells everyone blatantly, with an undercurrent of firmness in his voice (the undercurrent of something that reminds me of Robert) that leaves no room for argument.
He picks his phone up, ready to dial Mr. Diggle's number, but stops midway, his expression turning harsh and cold and he looks at the rest of the room, specifically at Rittman (who shakes in fear at the hard glare he receives),
"And I would just like to remind all of you that I will not tolerate anyone treating my overqualified EA with anything less than the respect she deserves to be treated with. Am I clear?" his voice is stern and threatening, and it does the trick as everyone including Mr. Rittman shake their head rapidly, not wanting to get on Oliver Queen's bad side.
His orders to his bodyguard are quick and curt and within moments, Felicity Smoak and John Diggle walk into the room, the former's head held as high as it was when she left, proving the strength of her confidence and self-esteem.
She, without saying a word or making eye contact with anyone else in the room, gives me a smile before taking her seat beside Oliver.
The next few minutes are the last few minutes, of the meeting and Mr. Rittman's presentation finalizes his termination of employment because he has proven to be useless ever since I took over as CFO and especially during the meeting.
I have to say that I was extremely embarrassed when Ms. Smoak, however smart she may be (and I know that she is incredibly smart), was practically presenting Mr. Rittman's presentation by calculating all the numbers and reading the charts and percentages. It was a disgrace to the bank and especially to Mr. Rittman, who fled the meeting room the second everyone was dismissed, ignoring both me and a very smug Oliver Queen, who couldn't seem to keep the grin off his face, despite his EA's scolding.
And as the last person leaves the room, I call out to Miss Smoak, who is collecting the papers Oliver left behind after receiving a phone call from Thea,
"Ms. Smoak." She turns to looks at me, her bright smile present on her face.
"I would like to thank you for all the help you have done today, despite the atrocious behavior of Mr. Rittman for whom I would like to apologize for," I tell her sincerely.
"Oh ya, don't stress over it. It was fine. Not that it was fine, fine. But you don't have to apologize on behalf of him. I'm good. Perfectly fine. It not like I wanted to be here anyway. Not, that it's horrible and all, I'm sure the meeting was very...educational, but I'm an EA, and I want to do EA things, which do not require sitting in meeting rooms. Do they require sitting in meeting rooms?"
I laugh, completely refreshed by Miss Smoak's babble.
"You are alright with your new position, right? I know that Oliver can be quite demanding sometimes." I tell her, wanting to make sure that her presence in Oliver's life, however beneficial it may be to him, is entirely her choice.
"Well, alright may not be the appropriate word to describe my feelings on the new position, but I'm fine. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be and it helps that I have Oliver in return." When the words finally process, she rushes to explain, "Not have him, have him! I mean to have him as a friend who makes working with him much easier because he works hard at business."
She's about to continue defending herself (unnecessarily) when Oliver himself pokes his head through the door,
"Everything okay."
Felicity turns around and gives him a smile, so unlike (brighter, warmer, fonder) the one she gave me (or anyone else for that matter), "Ya, you were just about to save me from my impending death through embarrassment."
Oliver grins at Felicity, a boyish smile that I've missed since he left for that boat, "Well, Dig's car is parked out front ready to take you to one Big Belly Burger to celebrate..."
She waves me goodbye and walks (more so skips) to Oliver, who also gives me a nod in farewell, and I hear Felicity tell Oliver,
"My Hero."
And as I make my own way out the door to my office, I see Oliver eying his female companion with pride and respect, telling her, "We both know that you are your own hero Felicity. You don't need me."
The respect Oliver has for Felicity can definitely be considered the basis of whatever relationship they have going on, whether it is friendship or more. The Oliver of before never really contemplated others, and never thought much about women apart from their physical appearance. It's good to see Oliver appreciating women for who they really are behind their looks.
But I assume that it is a different case entirely with Ms. Smoak.
Oliver Queen respects Felicity, not only as an equal but as if she were better. And I'm also sure that the pedestal he puts her on, is the only thing coming in between the two of them starting a romantic relationship. Only a fool would miss the way the two of them look at each other as if they were the only ones in the room, as if they were they only people in the universe. No one could have missed the secret smiles, the silent conversation, or the sudden touching.
But even if one did miss the obvious, the respect Oliver has for Felicity should be a dead giveaway.
He not only respects, but also defends her honor even when she's not around, and expects others to treat her with respect as well. He sees Felicity's full potential and makes sure that everyone else sees it too, so that they know that she deserves to be treated highly. He won't tolerate any bad mouthing about Ms. Smoak; because he knows the kind of person she is and won't let anyone other than Felicity herself change his opinion on that.
And that right there is the reason why everything is going to work out perfectly for the two of them.
"RESPECT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE."
Walter Steele knows that by respecting Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen has proven to everyone how much he adores her.