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 something unfair. Better she didn't know at all.
After winding through several streets, Thea finally found Derrick's home — a small, worn-down house surrounded by a few similar ones.
When she arrived, a heated confrontation was already underway: several tattooed men 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 payment on time, we'll have to proceed with enforcement. I'm sure you don't want things to get… unpleasant."
Inside, Derrick and several other men silently stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the doorway.
A few neighbors had come 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 mention of that name, a murmur rippled through the 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 memory 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 me?" His tone turned sharp, defensive.
"Would you rather I say it out here," she asked quietly, glancing at the curious neighbors still watching, "or somewhere more private?"
People everywhere loved a good spectacle, and several heads were already poking out from doorways again.
Derrick hesitated, then sighed. 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 me."
He led her to a small outdoor café nearby. Under the shade of a parasol, he folded his arms.
"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-employment. 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 time 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 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 settlement 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 meant 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 me, but… is this offer just for me, 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 me 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 mentioned 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 some… compromising situation.
Luckily, both were behaving — though the way Walter's grin stretched nearly to his ears didn't exactly scream professional meeting.
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 someone 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 media, 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.