Sorry about the late update. Been busy at work, plus I've been busy planning out another Lauriver story. This one is considerably darker than this story, and it's almost done in the planning stages. I'm already in the midst of finishing up the Epilogue. Once that's done, I'll complete the Five Years of this story before starting on that one.
Starling City
Oliver was all nerves as his car rolled up next to the apartment complex where the Adachis resided. Now that he knew exactly who they were to him and his family, the curiosity he once felt had been turned into awkwardness. It didn't cause him to second-guess himself, but it did cause his resolve to weaken. Did he really have to do this today? It had only been just yesterday when Jean had finalized the creation of the trust and the transfer of funds. When he had revealed the reasons for his actions, she hadn't been surprised in the least; there was no secret the Queens kept that she didn't know about.
After a moment of thought, he sighed and opened the door. Yes, he did have to do it today. Because if he didn't do it now, then he would never get around to doing it at all. He would just keep on finding different reasons to put it off, dawdling while the understandable resentment the Adachis had for his family and him grew. Better to just rip off the bandage now so he wouldn't forget and let it come back to haunt him later down the line.
He tapped the button to their apartment and waited quietly at the steps for that telltale buzz. Once he was inside, he walked up the stairs to the second floor, and rang the doorbell. Just like before, there were footsteps, and the door opened. This time, however, he wasn't met with Kazumi, but Emiko. His younger sister.
Another sister. Who wasn't Thea.
Goddamit, Dad. "Hello, Emiko," Oliver said, smiling lightly. "May I come in?"
Emiko pursed her lips, clearly not pleased to see him, before turning her head to the side. "MOM! HE'S BACK!"
The Queen heir prepared himself for Kazumi's acid tongue, and not a moment too soon because the older woman had marched up to the door with a snarl on her face. "What do you want? Here to force a restraining order on us? Or maybe you bought the building so you can kick us out of our apartment and leave us on the streets?" she spat out.
Oliver swallowed, holding the papers in his arms tightly. It's clear whatever confrontation Kazumi had with his parents when his mother had found out about his father's second family had not been pretty. "Can I come inside? There's something we need to discuss. Something important."
Kazumi scowled, but gave a nod to her daughter. Emiko opened the door wider and stepped aside to let him in, to which he nodded his thanks. The moment he was inside, he got a good look at the apartment, and frowned. It wasn't one of the worst apartments in the Glades, but it was clearly rundown and old. There was a chill in the air, and a small, old plug-in heater that suggested they didn't have built-in heat. All in all, a difficult existence, especially compared to the privileged lives the Queens lived.
No wonder they hate our family. It was only more proof that what he was about to do was the right thing.
He was guided to what passed for the living room, an old-patched together couch and a similarly worn chair. The Adachis took the couch while he was given the chair. Oliver grimaced as he sat down, feeling some of the old springs, before setting down the papers on the coffee table. "What are these?" Kazumi asked the moment she saw them, the suspicion pouring out of her. "An NDA?"
Oliver shook his head. "No. This is paperwork to transfer the ownership of the trust I created for both of you. Just sign it and the trust will be yours."
Both women stared at him. Then Kazumi snatched up the papers and started scanning them, probably looking to see if he was lying or not. She was, Oliver recalled, a former personal assistant of Robert's before resigning from the company upon her pregnancy with Emiko. Probably so they could carry on their affair in secret to make sure Moira didn't find out about them, for all the good that it did them.
"What's the catch?" Kazumi finally said after authenticating the documents. "Why are you giving this to us? Do you have another folder with the NDA?"
"There is no NDA," Oliver asserted. "I'm just doing the right thing, and fulfilling the last wishes of my father. He left me a second letter explaining the situation to me and that he wished for me to take care of you. So I've created a trust with twenty million dollars for you. You can do whatever you wish the money, with no blowback from me or my mother or anyone else."
There was a moment of silence. Then, slowly, a chuckle began to fill the room, and then full-blown laughter. Both Oliver and Emiko stared at the howling Kazumi as she clutched her stomach, bending over as her cackling reached a fever pitch. Finally, the laughter subsided, and she slowly lifted herself back upright. Robert's son and daughter stiffened in shock when they saw her face: her eyes were red, and there were tear tracks running down her cheeks. She was crying.
"So only when it didn't matter anymore did he feel it was safe enough for him to care," were the words that spilled out of her mouth. "How great and virtuous of him." She then started cursing in Japanese. Oliver couldn't understand a word she was saying, but judging by the wince Emiko was sporting, it wasn't pretty.
After she was done with her rant, Kazumi stomped out of the living room and into one of the bedrooms. Nobody moved to stop her as she slammed the door behind her. The sound echoed throughout the apartment, and it was only when it ceased did Oliver and Emiko turned back to each other.
"Is she alright?" Oliver asked, genuinely concerned.
"She's fine," Emiko claimed, rubbing her arm in an awkward fashion. "She's just… well. She loved my—our father a lot. And she never forgave him for abandoning us like he did, just because your mother would've left him less rich. And now, to learn that his last wishes were for you to take care of us… well, she's probably feeling a lot of conflicting emotions right now. A lot like me."
That made sense. "Emiko, I'm truly sorry for what my parents put you through," Oliver told her, tone completely apologetic. "Your mother might've been guilty for willingly entering a relationship with a married man, but you are innocent. My mother should've let my father at least support you financially, rather than leaving you to rot like this."
His words caused Emiko to swallow. "It's fine, Oliver. You don't need to apologize. If I'm not guilty for what my parents did, then you're not guilty for what your parents did either," she said. For some reason, she seemed a little tense. "While we're on the subject, I doubt your mother will be happy about this."
"She has no grounds to complain," her brother declared. "I inherited the family fortune, so the money is mine, not hers. And this is what I choose to do with it." He scratched the side of his head. "Adding to that, if you want to take on the Queen name, you can. You're Robert Queen's child, as much as Thea and I am. The name is rightfully yours if you want it."
Emiko stared at him like he had two heads. Then she shook her own head, and sighed. "Thank you for the offer, but I can't accept. My mother and I made a promise that if we ever managed to earn enough money, we would use it to leave Starling City behind and make a fresh start somewhere else. This place has too many painful memories for us. But making a fresh start will be difficult if I have the Queen name and publicly associated with your family."
Oliver nodded. "That's understandable. It won't affect you receiving the money — it's yours by right, as Robert Queen's daughter." He exhaled deeply. "I just wish things could've been different. I would've loved having another sister, and I'm sure Thea would've enjoyed having another sibling as well. Especially an older sister."
"Yeah," Emiko agreed. There was a sadness in her eyes, though it was mixed some other feeling Oliver couldn't quite identify. "It would've been nice."
There was a brief silence as they both fantasized over what could've been. "So," Emiko said, clearing her throat. "Where do we sign? And who do we file this to?"
After signing the papers, Oliver gave Emiko a list of printed instructions on how to properly access the trust and the money inside. With that piece of business done, Oliver decided he had outlived his welcome, and bid Emiko farewell with a handshake, along with leaving behind a card with his phone number and email on it. "Just in case you have any other questions or need help with anything," he explained.
Once he was gone, Emiko's mother finally left her room, considerably more disheveled. Her tears had dried, though her eyes were still red. "Is he gone?"
Emiko nodded.
"Good," Kazumi said, going to the kitchen to grab a much-needed glass of water. "I have to admit though, he's loads better than his parents. At least he seems to have something of conscious, unlike his shrew of a mother."
"He gave me his phone and email in case we needed anything," Emiko noted, staring at the card like she couldn't quite believe it existed. "He's nothing like his mother at all. And Robert…" she trailed off, and looked away.
Her mother frowned at the sight. "Emiko, I will not hold it against you if you decide to forgive your father after this," she said. "Just because I'm bitter and angry at him doesn't mean you have to be too. It's clear that he cared about us in the end. I just believed he should have cared more."
So did I. Except she had believed Robert hadn't cared at all. It's why she let him die. And yet, here was her brother, coming to her with the claim that he had cared in the end. That he had loved her and wanted to be taken care of, to have a piece of his fortune, as relatively small and paltry as it was. Did it absolve him of all the other wrongs? Maybe not, but Emiko was starting to feel guilt all the same.
And Oliver. Oliver was a complete innocent in all this. Him and his — their — sister. Even his mother, as much as Emiko hated her, had reason to be angry, for all that her reaction had gone completely overboard. But Oliver hadn't been angry at Emiko — or her mother — at all. He seemed more frustrated with his parents' actions, and had been nothing but kind to them. He had given them the money their father wanted her to have without a second thought, had apologized to her for what happened even though it had nothing to do with him, had even offered to let her take on the Queen name if she wanted.
I just wish things could've been different. Emiko sighed, as she remembered her half-brother's words. Dante was looking to relocate to another city for the time being, stating that things were happening in Starling that the Ninth Circle wanted to leave be for now to see how they played out. And he wanted Emiko to come with him, even offering to fund the move for Kazumi and her himself. Now, with this money, he didn't need to trouble himself with it.
She hadn't been entirely honest with Oliver. Before all this, part of her wanted to stay in Starling, if only so she could begin putting the pieces in place for her eventual revenge on the Queens. But now, the thought of even doing anything against Thea or him made her feel sick. Moira Queen could go to hell for all she cared, but her children…
Maybe it was better just to leave the Queens entirely behind her, instead of seeking vengeance against them. They were inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. And besides, with the Ninth Circle's backing, she could be something greater than Robert Queen ever was. If she played her cards right, she would be in complete control of the free world within the decade. What was a CEO of some random tech company compared to that?
Emiko smiled. That, in her opinion, was the greatest revenge of all.
Hours after his visit to the Adachis, Oliver returned home with a sigh, handing his jacket to one of the house staff to hang while he stretched out his arms and legs. He was officially both physically and emotionally exhausted, and just about ready to take a lay down at his bed. Unfortunately, it seems luck just wasn't on his side today.
"Hello, Oliver," Moira Queen greeted her son, crossing her arms. "Might I ask where you went today?"
Oliver groaned. "Mom, please, not now. I have been through the ringer for the past twelve hours and I really want to sleep." He was so lucky tomorrow was a Sunday. It meant he didn't have class in the morning.
"And you can. Once you explain where you were."
She wasn't going to budge. Fine. "Living room," Oliver told her, heading for the couch. "Something tells me this is going to be a long talk."
They were situated on the couch. His mother was as prim and proper as always, with perfect posture. Oliver, meanwhile, had decided propriety did not matter when it was this late and he was having a private talk with his mother, so he didn't hesitate lounge against the couch cushions. Moira merely arched an eyebrow at the sight but said nothing about it, which Oliver counted as a win.
"I'm waiting," she said instead.
Her son winced, then inhaled a deep breath. "As you know, Dad left me a couple of letters detailing some of his last requests," he started. "One of those requests is that I go to the Glades to meet a certain woman and her daughter. Kazumi and Emiko Adachi."
And just like that, whatever severe expression his mother had faded into shock and horror as she stiffened. "Oliver—"
"Mom," Oliver cut her off, speaking calmly, if tiredly. "Don't. You can explain your reasons after I finish."
Moira pursed her lips. Nonetheless, she gave him a conceding nod, and allowed him to continue.
"After learning about who they were, I was instructed to read a second letter Dad left me. There, he revealed the situation, explained what happened between all of you, and asked me to take care of the Adachis. So, after thinking it over, I decided to fulfill his wishes. I created a trust of twenty million dollars and have just transferred ownership of it to them today."
"And you didn't tell me," Moira noted, voice completely devoid of emotion.
"Because you would have tried to stop me," Oliver pointed out, stubbornness seeping in. "Even though it was the right thing to do. Mom, I completely understand why you were angry, but forcing Dad to cut them off was wrong. Kazumi might've been guilty for being his mistress, but it wasn't Emiko's fault for being born, and she was Dad's daughter. You should've at least let him financially support her, instead of leaving her to rot in the worst neighborhood in the city, like she was some dirty little secret instead of an actual person."
It was clear his words struck a chord in her, because whatever retort she had died in her throat. Moira looked away instead, and a tense silence fell between them for several minutes. Oliver was just about ready to doze off on the couch because he was that tired, but then he became wide awake again when Moira started speaking once more. "You're right."
He blinked when he heard those two words. "Mom?"
Moira sighed, and her eyes were pained. "You're right, Oliver. What I did was wrong. But… when I found out about Kazumi, about Emiko, I was angry. So, so angry. I forced you father to cut off contact and tried to sweep the entire thing under the rug and forget it ever happened, even though it did." She let out a bitter chuckle. "I guess we're lucky Kazumi had never thought to sue us for child support. The lawsuit would've dragged the entire thing out into the open."
"If I had been the one handling this, I wouldn't have given them a single penny. All your father's request would've done to me is reopen old wounds. I'm glad that you had the heart and the will to do the right thing on your own, for both of us."
Upon hearing those words, Oliver felt the hold in his chest loosen. She wasn't angry. This wasn't going to cause a rift between them. Thank God.
But now that the worst of his fears had passed, another thought occurred to him. A question that had been lingering ever since he had learned about the Adachis. "Mom… your marriage to Dad, it wasn't always happy, was it? I know he tended to cheat on you, but…"
"…but he always came back to me in the end, right?" Moira finished for him. Oliver nodded, causing his mother to adopt a bittersweet smile.
"Your father and I's marriage was complicated, sweetheart," she told him, fingering the wedding ring that even now still lingered on her finger. "We were partners in everything. Despite our issues, we trusted each other more than anyone else in our lives. And we always made the effort to listen to each other and talk out our problems. We loved raising you and your sister, and yes, we loved each other."
"But your father had a wandering eye. And while I would always come first in the end as his wife and the mother of his children, I wasn't always what he wanted in a lover. Your father was approaching a time in his life where he wanted to feel young again, if only for the brief moments where he didn't have to deal with all his responsibilities. Where he could relive the thrill of a new relationship rather than… settle." Moira sighed. "Your father was selfish, honey. I might've been the love of his life, but that didn't mean I was enough."
It was a familiar tale, one that made Oliver swallow. How many times had his father hurt his mother with his 'distractions'? But his mother kept on forgiving him anyway, because she loved him that much, and believed he loved her just the same. No matter how unhappy he had made her.
Oliver had done the same thing to Laurel so many times, content in the fact that she would always forgive him because he loved her, and she loved him. He had taken her for granted, and it was only when she was gone had he realized what he lost. Never more did he wish he could go back in time and take it all back, that he could just start things over between them.
But she was gone. And all Oliver was left with were memories, mementos, and regrets. Considering the fact that he had been unable to think of another woman, let alone touching another woman, since, he had a feeling that was all he was going to have for a very long time.
"Mom, about what I said a week ago," he started. "About you dating again. I know I wasn't happy with you, but everything I've learned since then has given me a new perspective. It'll take me some time to get used to, but if you want to date and find someone new to spend the rest of your life with, you can. I won't stand in the way of your happiness."
His mother seemed surprised to hear that. But then she smiled. "That's kind of you, sweetheart. But you were right — it's too soon for me to start seriously dating someone yet. For now, I'm just content to be with you and your sister. That's enough for me."
Oliver blinked, but then smiled back.
As she saw her son off to bed, Moira felt a swell of pride mixed in with several conflicting emotions. Her beautiful boy had grown up so much. He was becoming a far better person than his father, a far better person than her, and she could feel the worries she once felt for him as he entered his adolescence and then adulthood slip away one by one. As long as he continued this path, Oliver was going to be fine, even long after she was gone.
But then her thoughts slipped away to darker topics. The Adachis always made her feel a mountain of grief, anger and pain that she could never quite wash away. It was learning about the Adachis that had led to Thea's conception and birth, and no matter how many times Robert had sworn to stop seeing them, he always ended up going back on his word. So she had finally issued that ultimatum to make him stop, and had refused to budge an inch because she feared it would've caused him to backslide anyway.
Even now, part of her was smarting at the fact they were given a portion of Oliver's money. But Oliver wasn't wrong either, and Moira could objectively admit that Emiko was innocent of her parents' sins, even if she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive the girl for her existence quite yet. She might never, to be honest. Moira could be vindictive like that, a trait she had never managed to get rid of, even though she tried to teach her children to be better than her.
But all of that didn't matter anymore, did it? Robert was dead. She was free to choose her own path, to pursue her own happiness again. Even Oliver wasn't going to stand in her way of that. Her mind strayed to Walter, and she felt her heart flutter. Good, kind, Walter. A complete gentleman, an even better friend. Even though they had only gone on one or two dates, Moira knew her feelings for him were deepening at a startling pace.
It's for that reason that, even with Oliver's new blessing, she needed to keep their relationship a secret. Malcolm's threat still echoed in her mind, haunting her nightmares. If she went public with Walter, then he would just become another pawn for Malcolm to use and control her, just like her children. One misstep, and Walter find a black arrow in his heart, courtesy of her tormentor's enforcer.
That couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it happen. And if that meant things between Walter and her had to be quiet… well, what was one more secret to add to the pile?
For the record, Oliver's thoughts about Robert and Moira's relationship are my thoughts. Moira might have thought she was the love of Robert's life, but in my honest opinion, she wasn't. Mainly because I believe Robert didn't have a love of his life. As Ray_Writes put it on the Lauriver Discord, he just chased after whatever pretty thing caught his eye and then ditched them after he was bored. The only reason he kept on coming back to Kazumi even after Moira found out is because of Emiko, and even then the moment his lifestyle was threatened he didn't hesitate to ditch her too.
As for the Adachis, this is the reason why Arrow's S6 and S7 are not happening. Because Oliver did the right thing and gave the Adachis the money Robert wanted them to have, Emiko doesn't hold a grudge against him or Thea and decides to leave them and Starling alone. So, no Ninth Circle, which means no mega-crime lord Diaz (which was BS, by the way). Granted, this means she gets away with letting the Gambit go down, but you can't have everything. And, well, if this little crisis of conscious causes Dante to have some doubt in her which may or may not get her killed by her bosses later down the line… well. That's up to your interpretation.
Meanwhile, despite Oliver promising to give his blessing to whatever new relationship she starts, Moira opts to keep her relationship with Walter a secret for the time being. The reason for that is because both her children are alive and are already virtual hostages of Malcolm, even if they don't know it. Moira can't bear the thought of losing either of them. If she goes and adds Walter to that list, then Malcolm will have a stranglehold on her — she'll be completely beholden to his will. And there's no telling whether or not Malcolm might try to kill him anyway just as a reminder. So keeping the relationship a secret is her way of keeping Walter safe from him.
Next Chapter: The Amazo starts its voyage.