Chapter 8: Group status

The secretary really did sing that way in the song, pacing back and forth quickly as she handed Thea a large stack of materials. Moira instructed her to return to the living room and examine everything more carefully.

Following her mother's orders and carrying some bulky documents, Thea went back to the living room.

"This is the foundation for an independent future," she thought. "I need to take a closer look, grab my notebook, record the résumés of several important people, and conduct a basic character analysis using my own methods. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? It's always good to be prepared and know which subordinate might be assigned."

What? Why record only a few executives? Would they be assigned to positions like doormen? How could that be possible? I'm the sole heir! How would my mother ever make her daughter a security guard? This feels like a personal transformation story, not an urban tale about the return of the king of soldiers!

After carefully analyzing the current state of Queen Group, it became evident that the company employed over 30,000 people and had branches worldwide, primarily engaged in iron and steel smelting and non-ferrous metal mining. The steel sector accounted for 7% of U.S. production and 4.1% of the global market—a veritable empire in the steel industry.

At the same time, the group had diversified its operations, investing heavily in research and development in weapons and biopharmaceuticals. Although some progress had been made, these research ventures had yet to become sources of economic growth, and the high annual investments remained a significant financial burden for the company.

Reviewing the reports and comparing them with the previous year's data, Thea noticed a troubling trend—the company had been diverting excessive resources to real estate, while the previously abundant cash flow was now in decline. This was not a sign of a financially healthy company. Comparing the acquired properties to a map of Star City, Thea quickly realized that most of the land purchases were in slum areas.

As she reflected on the city's layout, a question arose in her mind: could it be that old Robert had asked her mother to do this? Had he been secretly acquiring these properties to prevent Malcolm from using a seismic device to destroy the slums? But what was his real motive?

Robert had known Malcolm for years, yet he had never realized that this man had no financial return on his projects, no moral scruples, and still expected these properties to remain safe in his hands? If their relationship had been good, would Malcolm have simply done nothing? That was impossible. Malcolm left nothing to chance—he simply eliminated obstacles.

In the book Robert left for Oliver, Malcolm wasn't even mentioned. Did he truly believe that a lifelong friend wouldn't betray him? If Robert had foreseen this, Oliver would have dealt with Malcolm in the first season, and the entire series would have been reduced to a single episode instead of 23!

Seeing the long list of acquired properties, Thea felt a headache coming on. Six years later, Malcolm would try to imitate Whitebeard's attack on Marineford, and half the slum would be wiped out. Now, these lands were under her responsibility.

Star City was no stranger to disasters. In the first year of the story, Malcolm used an earthquake tactic, resulting in the deaths of over 500 people—despite the Green Arrow's desperate attempts to prevent it—including his own son, Tommy. In the second year, a death sentence brought hundreds of evolved soldiers, turning the streets into a bloody battlefield. In the third year, the League of Assassins conducted a Resident Evil-style "exercise," releasing a deadly virus. In the fourth year, a magician delivered more than 15,000 nuclear bombs as "Christmas presents," preparing for an apocalypse.

In a city like this, believing that purchasing land would help eradicate poverty and promote prosperity seemed utterly delusional—unless a miracle happened.

Holding her pen, Thea felt even more discouraged as she reviewed the documents. The land acquisitions hadn't stopped with Robert's death. In just two weeks, three more plots had been purchased.

It seemed like her mother was faithfully carrying out her late husband's final wishes, but in reality, there was no financial return. The Queen Group continued pouring money into a project with no foreseeable profit. If there had been any hope of recovery, Moira would have shown at least some concern by now.

It was no wonder that, by the third season, Dr. Raymond Carson had been able to buy out Queen Group so effortlessly. Yet somehow, the company had survived in this state for eight years! The group had significant capital, but it was depleting its own reserves. So much so that, in the future, the Green Arrow wouldn't even be able to afford dinner for his girlfriend and would end up in a dead-end job as a security guard.

This policy needed to be reversed.

But talk was cheap. Right now, I am insignificant. I can't just show up and declare that, in the future, my drunk father will make the Earth tremble. No one would believe me. I just hope that, once I reach a higher position, I can overturn the company's decisions.

As for stopping my father's actions, I believe the first-year crisis could be avoided through our relationship. But what about the second? The third? There are too many unpredictable factors, and I still don't have the power to change everything. There are five years left before the plot unfolds. It's best to take things one step at a time.

. . . .

The next morning, Thea woke up early and applied light makeup. Choosing an outfit was a challenge—after all, it was her first day at work, and she needed to dress formally. She settled on a short beige suit paired with a straight navy blue skirt. The skirt was an appropriate length, covering her knees, giving her a more mature and professional look. To complete the outfit, she selected a pair of black high heels, less than two inches high. Finally, she looked in the mirror and felt ready.

Moira was already waiting downstairs. She knew her daughter well. The old Thea had been stubborn and impulsive, but now she seemed more composed and willing to take on responsibility.

Moira had expected Thea to resist her plans and was already considering ways to convince her. However, when she saw her daughter coming down, formally dressed—without scissors, gas bottles, or any other signs of rebellion—she immediately knew that Thea was willing to follow her lead. This made her extremely happy.

As they got into the car, Thea continued asking about the company's situation. After all, some details weren't included in the reports. This made Moira even more pleased. What did this mean? That her daughter had actually read through the documents carefully. If it had been Oliver, he wouldn't even know where the company headquarters was.

Wanting to make up for her coldness toward her mother the day before, Thea deliberately acted more approachable. When they arrived at Queen Group, Moira was beaming with pride.

In twenty years, her children had never brought her so much joy. One was always causing trouble, and the other had always been indifferent. But now, finally, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Excited, Moira took Thea's hand and walked with her through the company's doors.