The Banquet

Unaware that she had caught the attention of another antagonist, Thea, under the guise of treating inner turmoil while secretly feeling joyous, stayed home for three days.

By searching through the computer in her room, she explored the general structure of this world. There was no Captain America, no Iron Man, and no S.H.I.E.L.D. What existed were Superman and Batman. This result left Thea feeling a bit overwhelmed. It was obviously a DC Universe, and she wasn't familiar with the situation here. She only remembered the chaotic setting of numerous parallel universes, ranging from Earth-1 to Earth-52. The structure of this world lacked coherence! Even the Central City next to her Starling City had been riddled with holes by those Speedsters. If they brought a DC scriptwriter here, even they would be completely lost.

Sighing, she thought, since she had no intention of saving the world, she would just be a quiet pretty girl! She would silently watch the heroes save the world. Even if the sky fell, Superman would hold it up, right? If Superman couldn't handle it, there was always the Flash to reset the timeline. There was nothing to fear for herself. After all, even if the world ended, she wouldn't be the only one to die. She was quite content with her mindset.

"Thea, come with me to attend a banquet, just to keep me company," Moira said with a sorrowful expression.

Looking at the gentle gaze in her mother's eyes, Thea felt a bit sad. For the past three days, Moira had been explaining things to her, hoping she would forgive her. With her deliberate adjustments, their relationship had gradually emerged from the shadows—at least, that's what Moira thought.

Having spent three days cooped up in her room, Thea felt a bit restless and saw this as an opportunity to go out and explore. Besides, she wanted to see what benefits her biological father could offer her. In the original storyline, due to Tommy's death, Malcolm had invested all his physical and emotional energy into Thea. However, now that Tommy was alive and well, albeit a bit thinner from being constantly exploited by Laurel, at least he was alive. It was impossible for Malcolm to give her his full attention, but he would surely make some gestures!

To reassure Moira and put her at ease, Thea didn't dress in her usual neutral attire. Instead, she gritted her teeth and put on a long dress that reached the floor. She tried on high heels but found she couldn't walk in them, so she had to settle for a pair of flat shoes. Fortunately, she had long legs, so she still looked like an elegant beauty.

Mother and daughter arrived at the venue together—a typical charity banquet. Moira introduced various wealthy businessmen and officials to Thea. At the moment, Thea hadn't figured out her future direction, but having money was always better than not having any. Even if Oliver came back and showed no interest in the family business, perhaps he considered their family to be part of the problem as well. Taking over Queen Consolidated was one of her current important tasks. The company's weapons development department was second only to Wayne Enterprises owned by Batman, and the Atom's battle suit was developed after the acquisition of Queen Consolidated's weapons development department.

Whether it's ambition or aspiration, true power lies in the control of one's own abilities. I've even changed from a man to a woman. With such sacrifices, even the gods shouldn't object to me gaining control of a company as compensation, right?

Following Moira's introduction, Thea also politely greeted everyone, demonstrating good manners and upbringing. As Oliver's assistant in the future mayoral office, Thea's own abilities are indeed strong.

As she looked around at the guests, Thea wondered how many of their names were written in Green Arrow's little book. This little book was quite magical—it was theoretically the diary of Oliver's biological father, Robert Queen. It should have been unique, but strangely, Moira also had a little book, and it seemed like the villain Prometheus from the fifth season also had a similar list diary.

Moreover, each diary was almost the same size, and the logo inside the cover was also the same—a subway map of the city government. Was it because Malcolm wanted to maintain organizational consistency that he ordered a batch of diaries from a printing factory, with each member receiving one?

Tragically, Oliver thought this was a huge secret, keeping a diary close to him for five years before realizing that many members had one too!

While lamenting her cheap brother, another brother came to say hello. "Hey, Thea, haven't seen you out and about these past few days. Heard you were sick?"

Only Tommy could greet her in such a casual manner, as he was not an outsider but her real brother. Tommy clearly didn't care much about this so-called banquet. He was casually dressed, wearing a white shirt half-open with no tie, and strolled in nonchalantly, his arm linked with a well-dressed Laurel carrying a purse and wearing a necklace.

As she watched the two of them ignoring their surroundings and being affectionate, Thea's mind spun, and she understood. Tommy was subtly indicating that he wasn't interested in her, so she should be careful not to ruin their relationship. She hoped to gracefully withdraw.

It seemed Malcolm hadn't told him the truth? Or maybe he hadn't come home and was always hanging out with Laurel? Thea wanted to grab him by the collar and shout, "Big brother, you're overthinking it! I was just acting, do you understand acting?" But of course, she couldn't say that. What expression should she wear now that she knows the truth? Should she show regret? Sadness? Remorse?

Her head was spinning with thoughts. Tommy nervously looked at Thea, afraid she might be too emotionally fragile. Fortunately, there was a discerning person nearby—Laurel. Laurel had grown up with Tommy and Oliver since childhood, and her feelings had always swung between the two of them. What she didn't know was that regardless of whom she ultimately chose, Thea would still be her sister-in-law. This was truly a miraculous plot twist.

Laurel gave Thea a big hug, easing the awkward atmosphere, and the two women exchanged a few meaningless words.

Thea was a bit puzzled by the deep love Oliver had for Laurel, the future Black Canary, the official partner of the hero Green Arrow. Oliver loved her so much that he held onto a photo of her for five years. Shouldn't that kind of love be unbreakable? But during those five years, Oliver had slept with almost every woman he knew. Was this the correct way to express true love?

As for Laurel, this woman with a face like a cone, Tommy had finally won her over after five years, but as soon as Oliver returned to the city, she immediately wavered. They exchanged a few words by the window, and a moment later, things escalated. The curtain wasn't even drawn, and Tommy saw everything from outside the window. Burning with jealousy, he was ready to overturn the boat of friendship.

Her distant brother's charm was out of this world. Thea decided not to get involved in their mess. If she had the ability later, she would make sure to save Tommy when the time came, ensuring that their love triangle would reach an apocalyptic level! The Arrow couldn't stop for eighteen seasons! Would it be more exciting to bring Laurel's sister into the mix? A four-way battle? Would the Green Arrow ultimately decide to spend the rest of his life with Tommy?

Ugh, how nauseating! Thea entertained herself with these absurd thoughts, greeted the two of them, and walked to the side to rest.