After thanking her future sister-in-law Laurel for the heads-up, Thea hurried straight to the address listed on the case file to find the plaintiff, Derrick Leston.
She didn’t even tell Felicity — that girl might be a loyal friend, but she was also one of those “burning-justice-type” heroines who could never keep quiet once she learned about sothing unfair. Better she didn’t know at all.
After winding through several streets, Thea finally found Derrick’s ho — a small, worn-down house surrounded by a few similar ones.
When she arrived, a heated confrontation was already underway: several tattooed n were standing at the doorway, arguing with the people inside.
At the front of the group stood a well-dressed young man in a suit, his polite smile thinner than paper.
“Mr. Leston,” he said smoothly, “if you can’t make your mortgage paynt on ti, we’ll have to proceed with enforcent. I’m sure you don’t want things to get… unpleasant.”
Inside, Derrick and several other n silently stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the doorway.
A few neighbors had co out to support him.
“We stand with you, Derrick!”
“Hang in there, we’ll find new jobs soon!”
The debt collectors smirked. The leader pointed at Derrick.
“Three days. If you’re still here then, Mr. Frank Bertinelli will be very unhappy.”
At the ntion of that na, a murmur went through the small crowd. The onlookers quickly lowered their heads.
Frank Bertinelli — outwardly a construction tycoon, but in reality one of Star City’s most notorious mafia bosses. His family’s power ranked high even among the Italian syndicates.
Thea’s mory stirred. Wasn’t this the guy whose daughter later killed her fiancé and went rogue?
She frowned, trying to recall. Helena… Helena Bertinelli? Right. The “Huntress.”
She’d have to ask Felicity later whether that storyline had played out yet.
As the crowd began to disperse, Thea stepped forward.
“Mr. Derrick Leston,” she called. “May I have a word?”
The middle-aged man turned, suspicious and tired. For a second he thought she might be another collector, but quickly realized otherwise.
“What do you want?”
Today, Thea had deliberately dressed the part — a neat business suit, light makeup, even a pair of fake glasses to look more mature.
She handed him her card.
“Thea Queen. Queen Consolidated.”
His eyes narrowed. “Queen Consolidated? What do you want with ?” His tone turned sharp, defensive.
“Would you rather I say it out here,” she asked quietly, glancing at the curious neighbors still watching, “or sowhere more private?”
People everywhere loved a good spectacle, and several heads were already poking out from doorways again.
Derrick hesitated. If the company heiress herself had shown up, this was clearly about the lawsuit — and he couldn’t risk discussing that in public.
“Fine. Follow .”
He led her to a small outdoor café nearby. Under the shade of a parasol, he folded his arms and said, “All right, Miss Queen. Speak your piece.”
Thea got straight to the point.
“I’ve reviewed the company’s records. The way this issue was handled was… inappropriate. On behalf of the corporation, I apologize.”
She couldn’t exactly say Laurel had tipped her off, so she left it vague.
“Within three days, Queen Consolidated will arrange for your re-employnt. If you still want a foreman’s position, that can be arranged — though it would have to be in another city. Star City doesn’t have many factories left.”
Privately, she wanted this walking ti bomb far away from Star City. Judging from how his neighbors had rallied around him earlier, Derrick clearly had influence among the workers. If he started making noise again, the company would take a major hit.
If she’d had the authority, she would’ve made him a factory manager in Siberia.
“If you don’t wish to return to work,” she continued briskly, “you’ll still receive full severance and pension back pay. Either way, as compensation for the company’s mistake, an additional settlent will be issued. Does that satisfy you?”
Derrick frowned, thinking. A job or a payout? The job was worth more — especially with that compensation attached. But taking the money ant dropping the case for good.
He wasn’t a fool, nor a saint. Still, he had enough conscience to hesitate.
“Miss Queen,” he asked cautiously, “forgive , but… is this offer just for , or for everyone?”
His tone had softened, and Thea smiled inwardly. So predictable.
But she couldn’t exactly promise to rehire 1,500 people. One or two she could handle — that many was a different story.
Still, the pretty lies had to be said.
“It applies to all affected workers,” she said smoothly. “If you follow the news, you’ll hear about it soon.”
That sealed it. Derrick’s expression brightened.
“I understand. Queen Consolidated has always treated well. I’ll gladly return to serve the company.”
Thea nodded approvingly. “Good. Expect notice within three days.”
They shook hands, and she left the café. The lawsuit was never ntioned again.
Back at headquarters, Thea paused outside the CEO’s office, using her heightened senses to check the room first. The last thing she wanted was to walk in on her mother and Walter in so… compromising situation.
Luckily, both were behaving — though the way Walter’s grin stretched nearly to his ears didn’t exactly scream “professional eting.”
She knocked and entered.
“Cough, cough.” No need for small talk — they all knew each other too well. She reported everything honestly from start to finish.
When Moira heard that soone was threatening to sue the company, her eyes flashed with a cold, dangerous light.
But when she learned that 1,500 people were involved, that expression gave way to hesitation.
Of course. It was one thing to silence one or two. But 1,500? Even with a machine gun, that would take a while — and these weren’t pigs; they could run and talk. If even a few escaped and leaked to the dia, it’d be chaos.
Violence wasn’t off the table entirely, but unless they had the power of Darkseid or Thanos, that kind of “solution” was impractical.
Thea had been thinking hard about this on the way back. Handling it neatly and completely was now the company’s top priority.
Derrick might have been easy to pacify — but what about the next one? And the next?
Moira also needed tangible results to strengthen her political footing.
Creating 1,500 jobs, directly or indirectly, would secure her thousands of votes — enough to anchor her first campaign.
This wasn’t just a corporate crisis anymore.
It was a political opportunity.
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