Smoaked Out: The Secret Diary of Felicity Smoak-Ch.2

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Date:         October. 24, 2012

         What a weird week it’s been.  I didn’t think I’d be writing in you again so soon trusty diary, but there are just something’s that I need to write down.  Maybe this way they’ll start to make sense.

         First off, and I don’t know why I’m even thinking about him, but there have been no further surprise visits from Oliver Queen.  It’s not like I expected him to come back since he doesn’t even know me, but part of me had hoped he would…which makes no sense whatsoever.  It’s not like I like the guy or anything…IT’S NOT THAT!  I guess it’s just the fact that since last I saw him it’s been pretty boring down in I.T. …

         Today was a little more interesting though!  Mr. Steele himself called me up into his office for a private meeting…but it wasn’t a “private” meeting…eww, no.  He is way too old and so not my type.  I was actually kind of scared when he called me upstairs.  I was absolutely sure that I was about to get fired.  I was so sure that was the case that I stormed into his office in a rage and practically yelled, “I’ve got one question.  Why am I being fired?”

         He just sat there all stern and British like in his burgundy sweater and blue collared shirt, leaning back into his leather chair for a few moments before he said, “Ms. Smoak isn’t it?”

         “Yes,” I replied all miffed as I launched into defending myself. “And I am without a doubt the single most valuable member of your technical division, that’s including my so-called ‘supervisor.’  Letting me go would be a major error for this company.”

Persuasive right?

         “I agree, which is why you’re not being fired,” he said to me in a tone cooler than ice.

         THANK GOD!!!  I honestly hope that the whole ‘my so-called supervisor’ thing…finger quotes and all… doesn’t actually get back to my supervisor.  I’ll definitely be getting fired then.  So what did he call me to his office for if not to fire me you ask?  Good question.

         “I assumed… that when you brought me up here…it was because…” I said to him as I made a brutal noise that should have sounded like my head getting chopped off.  It probably didn’t sound anything like what I was going for but he seemed to get the point…and don’t judge me ok?  I do weird things when I get nervous.  You should know that by now!  Your pages are full of them!

         Anyway, I’m getting off topic.  Looking at me then in all seriousness, which seems to happen a lot with members of the Queen family…Steele family? Queen-Steele?  Do they hyphenate?  Crap!  I got off topic again.  Mr. Steele looked at me then and said, “It’s because I wanted you to look into something for me…a variance of 2.6 million dollars on a failed investment from three years ago that was authorized by my wife.  I was hoping you could find out some of the details of the transaction for me.”

         How he managed to say all of that with such a calm attitude I will never know.  2.6 million may not be a huge amount of money to be missing from the Queen…Steele?  Crap!  It may not be such a big deal to Mr. Steele, but I would be freaking out if I were suddenly missing that amount from my company accounts.  And what did he mean exactly when he said, ‘find out some of the details?’

         “Find out?” I asked him unsure of what he really wanted me to do.

         “Dig up…discreetly,” he said gravely.

         AH HA!  So I guess 2.6 million IS a rather large amount.  At least it is large enough that he doesn’t want Mrs. Queen…Mrs. Steele?  I really need to figure out what they call themselves now… but it must be a significant amount if he doesn’t want his wife to know that he has me looking into it.

         “I’m your girl,” I said to him as I grabbed the file that he handed to me from across the desk and made my way toward the exit.  “I mean I’m not your girl…I wasn’t making a pass at you…”

         That’s just another smooth move on my part right?  I really need to get a lid on the whole nervous babbling thing that I do…though that will probably never happen…ever.

         “Thank you for not firing me!” I called out quickly as I made a mad dash out the exit and to my cubicle down in the I.T. department.

         Once I managed to make my way back to my desk I pulled up all of the files on the transaction Mr. Steele had wanted me to look into.  Naturally there was nothing there of value.  I then mapped out and wrote an automated search algorithm with automated security bypasses and left it running.  I figured it would take at least all night so I set up an alert that linked to my tablet and went to get some dinner and a new set of clothes.  The whole encounter with Mr. Steele had made me so nervous that I couldn’t stop sweating.  I had barley gotten into my new outfit at home when my tablet rang to alert me about my program’s completion.  I called Mr. Steele, who luckily was still in his office back at Queen Consolidated, and told him that I’d be back in about thirty minutes.

         As luck would have it my super-genius search program had found something and thirty minutes later I was back in Mr. Steele’s office showing him the results.

         “The company Mrs. Queen…Steele…Queen-Steele?  Does she hyphenate?  She seems like a woman who would hyphenate,” I said.

         What?  I had to ask.  I couldn’t take it anymore!  Unfortunately that question remains unanswered.  Mr. Steele wouldn’t give up the goods.  He just stared at me all ‘are you serious right now?’

         “Right,” I said catching on.  “The company that she invested in doesn’t exist.”

         “I don’t understand,” he said.

         “There was no investment,” I told him.  “The money was used to set up and off-shore L.L.C. called Tempest.”

         “I don’t remember that name being under the Queen Consolidated banner,” Mr. Steele replied, clearly confused now.

         “Because it’s not.  There is nothing registered with the Secretary of State, no federal tax records, no patent applications filed,” I explained.  “But in 2009 Tempest purchased a warehouse…in Starling City.”

         The look of surprise on Mr. Steele’s face right then was golden.  After a scoop like that there was no way he could fire me.  Who else could he find with skills like mine that get him results this fast?  As for what Tempest is, I don’t think I’ll ever get to find out.  He gave me a clear dismissal right then with a look as he also reached over the desk to grab the file in my hand.  I wasn’t about to press the issue and ask either.  I like my job way too much.  Still…the Queen/Steele family is way too mysterious for my taste…and you know how much I hate mysteries.

         Anyhow, it’s late.  I need to sleep.  I’ve got to be back at work bright and early tomorrow.  There really is no rest for the brilliant it seems.

         Goodnight diary.

                                                                        Love,

                                                                        Felicity.