Arrow: Fracture Part 3

Fallen Shepherd

A somber presences lingered over Felicity as she sat behind her desk, toying with a pen as she struggled to accept her decision during the board meeting. Betraying Victor in such a way had left a much more painful effect than she had anticipated or wanted, considering her attention needed to be on HIVE and not her friend's feelings. The sting of betrayal however wouldn't detach itself from her, almost draining all energy from Felicity as the work day came to a late end. The aftermath of the board's decision had stirred up many concerning conversations about QT's future and how their current CEO fit into it, worrying Felicity slightly. Thankfully Walter had made his stance clear, letting the others know he fully trusted and supported Felicity's decisions for the company. The influence Walter held over the other board members was enough to keep them inline, especially with Richards push for a collaboration with a not so reputable company weakened his position. The storm within QT had passed for now and Felicity was grateful that it had, hopefully allowing her to focus on more pressing issues. Her opening door pleasantly caught her attention, pulling her from a brooding meditation. Walter smiled as he approached her.

"And to think, I read an article once that stated it is unlikely that the former IT employee will have the gull to sway opinions in the QT boardroom among the sharks." Walter began proudly as he stopped before Felicity's desk and smiled, admiring her courage for standing and fighting for her opinion. Felicity half-smiled as she replied.

"Maybe they were right...the days not over yet, and the sharks are still swimming." Walter studied Felicity's torn expression, understanding that her actions had crossed into personal territory involving Victor. Walter steppes aside and poured two glasses of liquor, placing one on the desk with a determined grin.

"I'll handle the remaining sharks. You just need to remember that what you did wasn't out of hate, or spite, or anything of that sort. You made a choice to fight for a belief...same as Mr. Stone. And there's no shame in that." Walter explained before taking a sip from his glass. Felicity hid behind her glass as she quietly responded.

"Only regret." Walter nodded, understanding the feeling of betraying a friend. He placed his glass down and moved to Felicity's side.

"Anything worth fighting for isn't easy, and it often is accompanied by baggage. But it doesn't mean that it still wasn't the right thing to do." Walter spoke as he placed a hand on Felicity's shoulder to comfort her. Felicity smiled as she looked up to her friend and mentor, thankful to have someone like Walter in her life to help guide her in such a difficult field.

"Thank you...for everything you've done." Felicity said, gripping her friend's hand. Walter smiled, incredibly proud of someone that he considered to be as close to him as family.

"Well we're not done yet, but I do believe that is all for today." Walter stated as he finished off the remaining liquor in the glass before moving to leave the room.

"Don't stay too late, we've got a big day tomorrow...and the next day." Walter happily exclaimed as he exited the room.

"Goodnight." Felicity replied as she smiled and watched Walter walk off.

The long day had brought with it a sense of accomplishment that Walter found himself distracted by as he waited on the sidewalk for his ride home. The smaller limousine pulled to a stop in front of him, prompting Walter to enter the car on his own accord as he always had. The privilege of having a personal driver was simply due to Walter's distaste for driving in traffic, he always insisted on opening his own doors unlike many others in his position. He nestled into the seat and quickly retrieved his phone from a pocket, distracting himself from the outside traffic. He took a sip from the glass of water sitting ready in the cup holder beside him, opting against the small liquir cabinet.