Chapter Two- Two days before the party
Felicity waited patiently in the back seat of her limo as her driver hurried around the back side of the vehicle to her door, after opening the door for her he quickly unfolded the wheel chair that She used to get around. At the age of seven Felicity and her father had been in a serious car accident, a drunk driver ran a red light and T-boned their car causing it to flip three times before coming to rest at the opposite end of the intersection. While Noah Smoak had miraculously emerged from the tragic ordeal practically unscathed, his little girl had not been so fortunate. Felicity suffered a major spinal chord injury and, despite numerous surgeries and experimental treatments, she had been paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair ever since.
Faced with these circumstances some may have allowed themselves to fall into depression and despair, but not Felicity Smoak. Ever an optimist, the young bright minded girl managed to pull a positive outcome out of all that negativity. While it was still first and foremost a tragedy, the fact that she could no longer use her legs allowed Felicity to finally cast aside a persona that had been forced onto her by her mother from the day she had learned to walk, the ballerina princess. Dancing, just thinking about it still made her shutter to this day. Once that blemish on the record of her life was over with she could focus on her real passion, technology. Felicity spent the next twenty or so years of her life learning everything she could about computers and other forms of tech. Taking apart anything she could get her hands on and putting it back together became a favorite past time, and she took every opportunity to expand her mind. Her knowledge of everything Tech was vast, so much so, that buy the time she turned eight-teen Felicity was already a highly valued consultant at her father's company Smoak Technologies.
On the day of his daughter's twenty eighth birthday Noah Smoak passed the title of CEO down to her and retired. That was two years ago, and although her time as head of the Smoak Tech empire had been short, Felicity quickly grew rather fond of being the boss. With a little guidance from friends, family and various board members she quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the world of business. She had no doubt elevated her company to greater heights than Noah himself could have ever imagined.
"Ms. Smoak we have arrived," her driver announced as he placed her chair next to the open car door.
"Thank you Eli," she replied cheerily as she braced her self against the car's frame and moved her self from one seat to the other.
"Of course ma'am," the older man answered as he wheeled her back from the car and closed the door.
"Oh Eli don't be such a gentleman," Felicity joked, "Call me by my name please."
"You got it Ms. Felicity," Eli replied
Felicity sighed, "You'll get it some day," she reached up and gave him a few light pats on the cheek, in turn he looked down and gave her a wink.
"Alright stop hitting on my woman Eli!" A booming voice called from the building behind them.
Eli turned Felicity and himself around to face the source, a tall muscular man walking towards them. "Oh terribly sorry !" Eli exclaimed, feigning fear. "I had no idea Ms. Felicity was already taken!" All three smiled and laughed together.
"I'll take it from here," John instructed. Eli handed the wheelchair off to him, wished them well, then returned to the limo and drove away.
"So I'm your woman now huh?" Felicity inquired with a grin.
"For as long as I'm your head of security, you might as well be," John replied as he wheeled her through a set of sliding glass doors.
"Ah my home away from home, my office away from the office," Felicity sighed happily.
The Smoaks had been frequent guests of the Starling City Grand Hotel ever since Noah had hosted Smoak Technologies's first company function there, he had instantly fallen in love with the place and over the years would rent out the ballroom once or twice a month for various occasions. As one would expect all three Smoaks had grown very close to Donald Kinning, the owner, and his family. Before her accident, a young Felicity could often be found running through the halls chasing after Donald's sons Eric and Paul while their parents were mingling and doing business downstairs.
"Hey it's Paul!" Felicity cried happily as a man in a suit walked towards them, arms folded behind his back.
"Hello Ms. Smoak, wonderful to see you again." The man gave a slight bow.
Felicity frowned, "Paul come down here," she gestured for him to come closer.
"I'm sorry?" He replied looking confused.
"You heard me!" She furrowed her eyebrow. Paul sighed and leaned down to her level. "Pauly how long have we known each Other?" Felicity asked.
Again Paul sighed, "A long time," he replied. A smile began to form in the corners of his mouth.
"Then why don't you ever call me by my name!" Felicity exclaimed with a playful punch to Paul's shoulder.
"I can't, not when you're in my hotel!" He laughed and pretended to be in pain. "I kind of run the place, and you're one of our highest profile guests, I can't walk around treating you like you're just one of my gal pals now can I?" He stood up straight and fixed his jacket and tie, "I've got to set a good example for my staff."
"Excuse me?" Felicity frowned, "One of your highest profile guests?"
"So sorry! I meant to say that you're are definitely our highest profile guest, ever!" Paul snickered.
John looked down and shook his head, "It never ends with you two."
"Quiet you!" Felicity pointed a finger at him and smiled, then turned back to Paul, "Now, is it ready? Can I see it? Please please please please tell me I can see it I've been waiting so long!"
Paul chuckled, "It's only been a few days, but yes, we've almost got everything ready."
"Great, lead the way!" Felicity exclaimed. Paul gestured for them to follow him, Diggle grabbed the wheel chair's handles and pushed forward.
After a good minute and a half of Felicity trying not to explode with anticipation, they reached a set of tall wooden doors, "Here we are!" Paul pushed them open revealing the massive ballroom on the other side.
"It's perfect!" Felicity squealed as her hands shot up to cover her mouth.
The Starling Grand's main ballroom was truly a sight to behold. The many lights and candles cast a golden hue over the entire space. The walls were adorned with intricate designs of all sorts and the cornice molding around the edges had been crafted with what could only be described as true craftsmanship. The tables placed around the room were decorated with beautiful red table cloths and floral arrangements. However, the crown jewel of the entire room, maybe even the entire hotel, had to be the centerpiece, a stunning crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling. It was a true work of art that never failed to capture the eyes of anyone who looked upon it.
In Felicity's case it was a piece that not only captured her eyes, but also her heart. The chandelier had been a gift to the hotel from her father as a thank you for everything they had done for his company and his family. Noah had the piece custom made and spared no expense in its creation. For that reason ever since her father had passed away just over a year ago, Felicity had seen the chandelier as a sort of piece of him. It was something she could remember him by.
As they reached the center of the room Felicity raised her hand signaling John to pause, "Hey dad," she spoke softly as she stared up at the gleaming crystals. One small tear welled up in her eye, but she quickly wiped it away and signaled John and Paul to proceed.
A loud voice suddenly rang throughout the room, "And now, ladies and gentlemen approaching the stage, she's our fearless leader, our North Star, our piece de resistance. You know her, you love her, Ms. Felicity Smoak!" Felicity, John and Paul all smiled and began to laugh.
"Curtis Holt you be quiet right now!" Felicity joked as they reached the stage at the far end of the room. Curtis ignored her and applauded. "Curtis!"
"Oh fine," Curtis stepped away from the podium and quickly jumped off the stage. "You know, I've always wanted to introduce you at one of these things," he smiled expectingly.
"Curtis, were good friends, and you're my go to guy for presentations and what not, but that's where I draw the line." Felicity joked.
"Oh burn!" John bellowed, Curtis gave him the stink eye.
"Well I must say I've been pleasantly surprised by Mr. Holt's technical prowess," Paul cut in. He's done a wonderful job of setting the stage for your big shindig. The lighting, music, the presentation, it's all very impressive," he gave Curtis a small smile.
"Oh it's nothing really," Curtis replied sheepishly.
Paul stole another glance before turning to face the others, "Well, I'll leave you to it then, if you need anything at all, you know where to find me."
"Thanks Pauly!" Felicity exclaimed as she reached out for another hug, Paul obliged before heading back to the lobby. Once he was out of ear-shot Felicity snapped her head back to Curtis, "When are you gonna man up and ask him out?"
Curtis pointed at himself, "Who, me?"
"Yes you dummy!" Felicity cried as she delivered a smack to Curtis's forearm. "Every time we come here I see you two dancing around each other, what are you waiting for!"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Curtis replied nervously.
Felicity let out a sigh, "Look, is it because of me? Don't let it be ok? I've said it once, I'll say it again, I give you my blessing. You're a hottie, he's a hottie, go be hotties together, ok?
Curtis sighed in defeat, "I'll think about it."
"Don't think, just do! I've invited him to the party, he'll be a guest not an employee, it'll be the perfect time." She wheeled herself closer to Curtis, grabbed his hand and gently squeezed, "Just please promise me you'll try to talk to him, ok?"
Curtis smiled, "Have I ever told you that you're more of a best friend than a boss to me?"
Felicity smiled up at him, "I'd rather be your BFF than your boss any day. Now, show me what's happening here, run me through the entire thing." They spent the next hour rehearsing Felicity's presentation.