Past Memories

Not knowing what was wrong with dear old dad, Thea felt that her answers were still in line with his expectations. After all, there were only a few combinations of questions, and she had been pondering them repeatedly for a month. Her answers should have been perfect. As for why the old man turned and ran away, maybe it was to maintain a sense of mystery? She called her family to send someone to pick her up and also had the two guards sleeping on the ground taken away. She needed to replace them with better ones; with such poor quality, could she survive without learning martial arts?

Thea was completely unaware that her words had caused her father at least a thousand points of distress as he removed his mask in the distance. Malcolm gasped for air heavily, recalling his youthful vigor and the phone call from his dying wife. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. Back then, he only cared about making money, thinking that money could bring him everything. If he had had Thea's awareness back then, perhaps his wife wouldn't have left him.

Stumbling back to the Merlyn mansion, Malcolm locked himself in his room, silently holding his wife's photo album all night. In the morning, he asked the butler if Tommy had returned home, but he was too lazy to deal with him now. He would leave him alone for a while.

Taking a box from the bedroom safe and holding it close, he instructed the driver, "Go to Queen Consolidated." When they arrived at the company, he didn't ask for directions and found Thea by wandering around. He was more familiar with this place than his own company from watching videos every day.

"Hey, Thea," Malcolm greeted softly as he approached.

Thea, buried in writing a document at her desk, thought the person entering was just a staff member and didn't pay much attention. But she soon realized something was off about the voice and looked up to see a middle-aged man gazing at her with intense eyes.

"Why did you come here?" Although they had met just last night, she pretended not to know him. This should be their first meeting after her identity as his daughter was exposed that day, or at least the first meeting without the disguise.

"Can you accompany me for a cup of coffee? I want to talk to you." Malcolm said earnestly.

Thea also wanted to talk to him, to see if she could dispel his hatred for the slums. Maybe if she explained a bit more, he wouldn't have to fight Oliver. After all, one was her brother and the other her father, both close relatives.

She nodded and the two of them left the building, found a café, ordered two cups of coffee, and began to chat.

"Child, do you know, you're very much like my wife, equally intelligent, young, and energetic. It's funny; I even suspect you're my wife's biological daughter, and Tommy is Moira's." Malcolm looked into Thea's eyes seriously as he spoke.

Thea thought to herself, 'You're just talking nonsense. It must be the impact of last night's conversation that made him feel that my presence and his late wife had merged to some extent. Well, it's a lucky coincidence.'

'You didn't say anything like this in the original story. You said I was a born warrior. Listening to this, is this something a father would say to his daughter? You're really bad at talking; no wonder you've been single since your wife died.'

"Can you tell me about her? I've only seen her photos from Tommy." It was a safe bet, and since Thea was too lazy to go back to work today, and Moira had a lot of ears and eyes, she should know the reason. Since they both had nothing to do now and it was during working hours, the café wasn't crowded, so why not chat?

"We met on a train, and at that time, she..." Malcolm hadn't talked about these things since his wife's death, and it was rare for someone willing to listen today, so he started telling the story from their first meeting, not thinking too much about the logical confusion of discussing his wife with his illegitimate daughter.

"She was doing charity work in the slums, offering medical services. On her way back from work, she encountered a homeless man who tried to rob her, and she ended up losing her life over a few hundred dollars! She lay in a pool of blood, calling me three times for help, but unfortunately, I was holding a grudge and didn't answer the phone. That day was supposed to be when I went to pick her up! I hate myself for it!" Malcolm said, pounding the coffee table with force, clearly holding onto this incident for a long time.

Thea also felt a bit of empathy at this moment. Was Tommy's mother a good person? She must have been, just a victim of fate's cruel joke. If she had the power, such a tragedy wouldn't have happened. Thea became more convinced that she had chosen the right path. It's too hard for women to live in this chaotic world; they must have their own strength to protect themselves.

Gently patting Malcolm's hand, Thea said, "She was so kind; I'm sure she would forgive you, Dad." On one hand, it was due to unfamiliarity, and on the other hand, it was due to discomfort. But seeing him in so much pain, she wanted to comfort him.

Malcolm was also moved by these words. The joy on his face lasted for a moment but quickly faded. He stroked Thea's hair and said, "Child, I know you're pitying me. It's okay; I'm just happy that you acknowledge me. You don't need to see me as your father; you will always be Thea Queen. You have your family and friends there, everything that belongs to you. I will silently support and protect you from behind. I won't let anyone hurt you!"

These words echoed Thea's thoughts. If she changed her surname to Merlyn, she wouldn't inherit Queen Consolidated, and she would have to fight with Tommy for the family business. It would be too troublesome. The current arrangement was the best – each child with their own family. She still didn't know about the agreement between the two unscrupulous parents.

Malcolm took out a box and placed it in Thea's hands. "This was something I gave to my wife back then, and today, I give it to you. I hope its radiance will continue to guide our path forward." After saying this, he straightened up and left the café.

Thea opened the box to find a very delicate necklace. The silver chain held a sky-blue gemstone that shimmered with a soft lake-like glow as it moved. There were some inscriptions on the inner side of the chain, but Thea didn't recognize any of the words. This didn't seem like something from modern times?

The original plan was to persuade Malcolm to let go of his hatred for the slums, but they didn't talk about it, and he consciously avoided the topic. This was his unresolved issue, how could she comfort him?

Maybe she should go ask Batman? His experience was very similar to Malcolm's, except he lost both parents when he was young and eventually let go of his hatred. After thinking for a moment, she quickly gave up this idea. Batman was too clever, and his mind was too dark. He was known for being able to solve 90% of heroes and villains with intelligence and technological weapons. Yes, even the righteous heroes were wary of him. She had many secrets, so it was better to stay away from him.

Could she only slowly influence him with affection? With less than six years left, Malcolm at this moment was not a big boss in Thea's heart, but just a pitiful man seeking revenge for his deceased wife.