Malcolm's Embarrassment

Tommy, usually cheerful, greeted Thea half-heartedly, looking as dispirited as a frost-stricken eggplant. "Hey, Thea, sorry for the wait," he managed to utter.

Seeing the man before her, wearing sunglasses and leaning on a cane, it was hard to believe he was the same lively Tommy from before.

'Hey, buddy, are you cosplaying as Daredevil? Did you stumble onto the wrong set?' Never mind that your faces match a bit, both with long faces. Just a few days ago, when Thea met him with Laurel, Tommy seemed quite energetic. How did he turn into this ghostly figure in just three days?

The original plot had undergone a significant change. Is he blind now? This little butterfly from my crossing over couldn't have caused such a drastic change. Thea stared at his sunglasses for a while, unable to decide whether she should help him sit down.

She hesitantly asked, "What happened to your eyes?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just bumped into something," Tommy replied, taking off his sunglasses to show that he wasn't blind. Then, he quickly put them back on..

Seeing Tommy's bruised eyes, Thea almost spit out her coffee. His left eye was clearly punched, and the right eyelid was swollen. Was it Laurel who did this? 

"Did you have a quarrel with Laurel?" Thea tentatively asked.

"A fight? No, uh, well, sort of." Tommy hesitated at first, but quickly realized what Thea meant and hurriedly explained, "My father hired a trainer for me. You know I have to protect Laurel, right!"

Tommy still had some sense of secrecy. He certainly couldn't say that his own father was training him personally, so he made up a fictitious skilled trainer.

But how could Thea believe that? Starling City was undoubtedly the newbie village of the DC world, with only a few skilled individuals. The sudden appearance of a mysterious Lady Shiva was surprising enough, but how could there be more?

Realizing that Malcolm had started training Tommy, the plot had already deviated from its original trajectory. Thea didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Her feelings were complex, so she decided to focus on the task at hand.

When Tommy heard that she just needed him to call a few media contacts, it was a piece of cake for him. After being a playboy for so many years, he hadn't done anything serious, but he had certainly made many acquaintances. Regardless of whether they were close or not, at least they were familiar faces. After a few phone calls, everyone agreed to talk.

Thea didn't show much gratitude for Tommy's help. There was no need for politeness between them, whether it was based on their relationship or blood ties.

Seeing Tommy swaying back and forth in his seat, Thea quickly urged him to go home. In case he fell flat on his face in the coffee shop, people might think he was trying to scam them.

"Do you need me to drive you home?" Thea asked.

"No, no, I'll be fine," Tommy said, stumbling to the door. Whether it was customers or cafe staff, they all automatically made way for him, afraid that he might fall without making a sound. At the door, a kind-hearted person even held it open, signaling him to leave quickly and never come back.

Tommy took a few steps out and then turned back, causing the entire cafe to tense up as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Thea, you need to be careful lately. There's a rising force of darkness in Starling City, and my father was injured by them," Tommy said in a hushed tone to Thea.

"He was injured again? By whom?" Malcolm wasn't necessarily a good person, but he had been kind to her. When she heard he was injured, Thea naturally cared.

"Again?" Tommy automatically ignored the previous subject, noticing this word. Could his father have been injured before?

"Oh, I mean, where was Uncle Merlin injured?" Thea vaguely guessed what was going on but still wanted to confirm.

"Below the ribs, a knife wound. It's quite severe, about ten centimeters long."

Oh, this old liar, isn't this the wound she gave him! What dark forces, he can really make up stories! Seeing Tommy's current performance, Thea knew Malcolm had staged a scene, either through a pity play or by leveraging existing conditions, fabricating a mysterious force to bring peace between father and son. Thea couldn't help but be impressed by Malcolm's cunning foresight. In fact, she had misunderstood him; this was all an improvisation due to unforeseen circumstances. Now, he was probably figuring out how to continue the lie, as was often the case. We had to keep spinning more lies to cover up the initial lie until the truth came out.

Although Tommy said he didn't need a ride, Thea still drove him home. She had had enough and wanted to talk to Malcolm and get everything out in the open. Even if he denied it, it didn't matter. At least it would alleviate her discomfort.

At this moment, Malcolm was resting with his eyes closed. He hadn't had time to think about the Starling City Purge Plan due to his recent busy schedule. Spending all his energy on raising his son, even if he didn't achieve much, was worth it just to improve their relationship.

"Hey, Uncle Merlin, I heard you got injured. How serious is it? Let me take a look!" Suddenly, a clear and familiar voice sounded in his ear, and he quickly opened his eyes.

Thea? How did she get here? Looking at her mischievous expression, he immediately understood her intention. Through his wound, she confirmed that Malcolm and the Dark Archer were the same person, which wasn't a problem. He had only changed his identity as a precaution.

But then he saw Tommy next to her, and he realized that the lie he had previously concocted was completely exposed, and the victim had come knocking at his door.

With an awkward smile, Malcolm said, "Thea, it's been a while. Thanks for your concern; I'm much better now."

Thea nodded towards Tommy, giving Malcolm a meaningful look that said, "You better come clean now, especially since everyone is here today."

Malcolm had been pondering this issue for a while now. Tommy's feelings for his mother were filled with love and nostalgia. If he found out about Malcolm's affair, their father-son relationship would be irreparably damaged, with no possibility of reconciliation. He was stuck in a difficult situation and could only delay the inevitable for now.

In response to Thea's pointed gaze, Malcolm could only shake his head vigorously from an angle where Tommy wouldn't notice, indicating that it wasn't the right time.

Despite her dissatisfaction with his response, Thea had to maintain respect. If she appeared too eager, she might be misunderstood as trying to seize his assets. Changing the subject, she sarcastically remarked, "I heard you were injured by the dark forces in the city. Can you tell us more about it?"

"Yeah, Dad, when I asked you, you said you were injured by a woman. You haven't given us the specifics yet," Tommy chimed in, offering a perfect assist.

"Oh? Which woman injured you? Please, do tell us the specifics," Thea said with a displeased look in her eyes.

Malcolm had never felt so embarrassed in his life. Caught between his children's words, unable to go up or down, and caught red-handed fabricating lies, how could he continue spinning the story in front of the victim?