"What did he say?"
A sip of hot tea.
"What do you think he said?"
The blond-haired man grimaced slightly. "That bad, huh?"
"Not that I was expecting anything different, anyway." Meredith rolled her eyes. "Like there was ever a chance he was letting me get that leg-up on him."
The man stared at her, almost seeming nervous under her gaze as he fidgeted with the button on his suit jacket. She narrowed her eyes. She'd known Oliver for years, and there were very few things that ever got that reaction out of him.
"What's your damage, Mare? Your company is booming, revenue at an all-time high, you're top ten on Forbes for Christ's sake— why do you even need more money?"
She scoffed. "It's not about the money, Oliver. If Elias Incorporated is seen being partnered with the Justice League, do you know what that's going to for my reputation? Especially after the whole 'exploding laptops' debacle a few months ago, my market value dropped two percent and I need it back."
"So, you're essentially only showing up for the good graces?"
"Precisely."
He looked exasperated, running a hand through his hair as he swiveled his chair around and stared out the window of his office. The Queen Industries tower— although she would never admit it— was one of her favorite company buildings in terms of style. His office was big and warmly lit, with oak wood tables and soft carpets. Behind him was a birds-eye view of the entire Star City skyline.
"I think you're chasing a lost cause."
Meredith went silent. Usually, Oliver was in support of her business expenditures, calling her on late nights to find out what happened to whatever deal she had brokered. This particular one was involving the Justice League, with high-flying heroes and men who could outrun race cars. She'd figured that Oliver would've been all over her to get a part in it.
"Weren't you the one who said that I always get what I want?" She took another sip of the hot tea one of his assistants had brought in.
He swiveled back around. "Yeah, but—"
"Then I don't see how this is a lost cause."
"—you don't get it! It's different this time. This isn't your typical, rich CEO shmuck," he explained. "It's Batman. And no offense, but that's a little out of your league."
She glared at him. "And it's in yours? How did you even get a stake, anyway?"
"That's... not important. Listen—"
"Wait, you never actually told me," she said, realization dawning on her. She set down her glass. "How exactly did you get in?"
He froze and his face went blank. She could tell a thousand thoughts were running through his mind. He looked exasperated again.
"Mare, I already paid off my debt to you with those numbers. I don't owe you anything else."
"Then don't consider it work-related. It's just a conversation between two old friends."
"Meredith..." he said warningly. She could read his unspoken plea not to press any further.
"Oliver..."
He sighed, and silence fell over the room before he spoke again. He stopped playing with his jacket button and rested his head in his hand, almost looking guilty.
"I... have a connection."
"Which is?"
"Just someone I know."
"A name would be helpful."
There was another long, heavy stillness.
"Green Arrow."
She couldn't help the look of utter confusion that washed over her features. She had anticipated a lot of names, but not quite that one.
"Excuse me?"
He groaned, his head falling on his shoulder. "C'mon, don't make me say it again."
"Green Arrow," she repeated slowly in slight disbelief. "As in, the vigilante?"
He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "How many 'Green Arrows' do you know?"
"He got you in?"
Oliver didn't respond, not meeting her gaze.
"How do you even know him?"
His head snapped back to her and he narrowed his eyes.
Meredith put her hands up in mock defense, deciding it was best to not press. "Alright... so you're telling me that the only way to get in is by resident city hero endorsement?"
"Meredith—"
"Does that mean Wayne knows Batman?"
"Jesus, Meredith! How much more do you want me to tell you? My social security? Bank account password?" he asked, obviously agitated. "What Bruce does isn't my business, and it isn't yours. Can we just drop this now?"
She sat back in the brown leather chair and stared past Oliver out into the city. There were a few beats of quiet before the blond groaned.
"I don't like that. That's your 'I'm about to do something that Oliver isn't gonna be okay with' face." He paused and inspected her. "Oh, please do not tell me you're going to go find Batman."
"God no," she scoffed. "I have no interest in that creep. I saw him briefly once and that's more than I need for a lifetime."
"Then what are you going to do? And don't say nothing, because I know that's a lie."
Her mind was racing and she let a light smirk tug at the corner of her lip. She met his green eyes, which were filled with too many emotions that Meredith didn't have the time to make out.
"Absolutely nothing."
She suddenly stood up from her chair and started towards the massive wooden doors.
"Don't do anything stupid, Mare," Oliver called.
She turned around as she pushed the door open, a smirk still on her face. She raised an eyebrow. "Me? Stupid? Who do you take me for? Bruce Wayne?"
Meredith noticed the grin that spread slowly on his lips. They had always shared a love of sticking it to Bruce.
"Good luck," she heard him say. "Not like you'll need it."
And with that, the doors slammed shut.
* * *
The smell of brewed coffee and paper filled the halls of the Daily Planet. The mid-day Metropolis light shined through the tall windows surrounding the entire work floor, somehow amplifying the sound of ringing phones, low voices, and clacking keyboards.
As per usual, Lois was on another one of her Wednesday morning rants.
"I'm telling you, Smallville," she spouted. "It would be my next Pulitzer if only the stupid governor would get his head out of his ass and answer my question!"
Clark stared at the woman sympathetically, offering her a small smile which he knew she was too irritated to notice. As she continued to talk, he took in the angered redness on her cheeks and the determined look in her eyes— call him cheesy, but he found it absolutely endearing.
Not like he ever had the guts to tell her that, of course.
She was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone on her desk. She glanced down in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she haphazardly picked it up and slammed the call button.
"What?" she demanded.
Although he could easily hear the conversation if he pleased, Clark was raised too much a gentleman to invade Lois' privacy, and instead settled on staring at her in curiosity. The woman's face slowly became shocked.
"Yes, this is her," she answered cautiously.
Clark had never seen Lois' expression change so quickly in such a short amount of time. Her eyebrows rose, immediately sitting up straighter in her chair and brushing the stray hair from her face.
"Ms. Elias!" she said excitedly, looking at Clark with surprise in her eyes. "How can I help you?"
More of the muffled voice ensued, along with another minute of Lois making noises in agreement and shaking her head enthusiastically. A wide grin then spread on her face, and Clark could've sworn his heart skipped a beat.
"Of course! That sounds fantastic. A huh... absolutely! I'll see you in a few hours then."
The second she ended the call, Lois was up and out of her chair, hastily grabbing her coat along with her purse.
Clark raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"
She turned to him with a look that definitely said she had forgotten that he was there. "Meredith Elias just called and said she wants an interview."
"Meredith Elias?" he repeated as he watched her grab the empty cup of coffee on her desk and toss it in the trash. "As in the Gotham billionaire?"
"Yes! Can you believe it? I've been trying to get a couple of questions in with her for months, and she just calls me out of the blue? And when I just happen to need a new story?"
"Listen, Lois," he said, "I don't want to discourage you— I don't think I could even if I did, but I've had a few run-ins with some of the big business owners up in Gotham, and randomly calling a reporter is not their typical MO."
She paused in the midst of putting her coat on. "I'm not an idiot, Clark. Obviously, she's not calling for kicks— I'm just happy she decided to call me."
He shook his head with a small smile. Typical Lois, always wanting to get to the best story first.
"Do you need any help?" he offered.
"I've gotta run," she shook her head, starting toward the elevator across the room. "I have to be at Chez Metro in two hours. All expenses paid, courtesy of Meredith."
She threw him a wink before turning around and walking away.
"Later, Smallville!" she called over her shoulder, stepping into the elevator doors which had just opened, more of his fellow colleagues entering it as well.
He watched the metal doors close, gears spinning in his mind. Meredith Elias was a household name as far as the Daily Planet's journalists were concerned, so what could she possibly want with Lois?
He briefly wondered for a moment if it had something to do with Bruce since he was a fellow billionaire who had connections with Lois. He brushed the thought out of his head quickly. Although he didn't know much about the two billionaire's relationship, he'd heard of her reputation: intelligent, unrelenting, and always got what she wanted.
If Clark knew his best friend like he believed he did, then Bruce would definitely not approve of her, most likely considering her a "threat" or something along those lines. He inwardly chuckled at the thought of Batman, the Dark Knight, and Protector of Gotham, being irked by the likes of Meredith Elias.
He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a startling voice.
"Kent! Is that slacking I see?"
Clark grimaced, swiveling back towards his computer and placing his hands on the keyboard. "Of course not, Perry."
"Good," his boss commented in a tone that meant it was anything but. "And since you're being oh so productive today, I'm sure you wouldn't mind filing these papers for me, would you?"
A massive stack was dropped on his desk, causing everything on it to slightly rattle, and Clark sighed.
It was going to be a long day.
* * *
Hello lovely readers! I'm back with chapter two in a somewhat-timely fashion, crazy right? Also, I'm now updating most of my other books, so check those out if you like! Thanks for 36+ reads!
xo Alexa