DCU: Split

Chapter 244: First meeting

The restaurant overlooked the waterfront, its large windows offering a picturesque view of Star City's harbor. Sailboats drifted lazily across the water while pedestrians filled the walkways below. It was exactly the sort of establishment Kieran preferred for meetings. Expensive enough to attract successful people, casual enough that nobody felt intimidated, and public enough that everyone behaved themselves.

Kieran sat at the head of a long table surrounded by several local business leaders, event coordinators, and hospitality consultants. Every person present had spent their lives in Star City. They understood the city far better than Kieran ever could after only a few months of back and forth travel. If the Continental was going to make a strong first impression, he wanted their expertise.

A collection of blueprints, schedules, and promotional materials covered the table between them.

"The opening gala should focus on local charities," one woman explained while reviewing her notes. "Star City responds well to community involvement. If people feel you're investing in the city rather than simply extracting profit from it, public reception will be significantly stronger."

Several others nodded in agreement.

"Environmental initiatives wouldn't hurt either," another man added. "Star City residents care about that sort of thing far more than most major cities."

Kieran smiled and made a note, "Community involvement and environmental partnerships. Understood."

The discussion continued for nearly half an hour as ideas flowed back and forth. Fundraisers, charity auctions, local artists, public outreach programs, and partnerships with existing businesses were all proposed and refined. Kieran listened far more than he spoke. Gotham and Star City were fundamentally different places. What worked in one city wouldn't necessarily work in another.

For example in Gotham charity was just an excuse to throw a party and make underhanded deals. Oh and tax breaks great tax breaks.

Eventually one of the consultants flipped through a folder before pausing, "There is one thing I've been curious about."

Kieran looked up, "Oh?"

The man nodded, "Your location."

Several heads around the table turned toward him.

"The Continental is beautiful," the consultant continued, "but most developers would have built further north. Closer to the financial district."

A woman seated nearby nodded.

"Especially for a luxury hotel. Building so close to the Glades seems… unconventional."

The others exchanged glances. Clearly it was a question more than one person had been wondering about.

Kieran leaned back slightly in his chair and smiled, "Property prices."

The table blinked, "What?"

"Property prices." Kieran spread his hand, "Do you have any idea how much money I saved?"

Laughter erupted around the table.

One of the women rolled her eyes, "That's your answer?"

"It's an excellent answer."

"You built a luxury hotel next to one of the roughest districts in the city because you wanted cheaper real estate?"

"Do you know how expensive luxury hotels are?"

More laughter followed.

The consultant shook his head, "I honestly can't tell if you're joking."

"Neither can I." Kieran flashed a bright smile before taking a sip of coffee.

The truth was considerably more complicated than property values. There were reasons the Continental sat where it did. Reasons tied to long-term plans, logistics, accessibility, and future growth opportunities.

But property prices were technically part of the equation.

That made the joke even better.

The conversation gradually shifted back toward event planning. They discussed catering options, entertainment, media coverage, and guest lists. Several local politicians had already expressed interest in attending while numerous business leaders had requested invitations.

Everything appeared to be progressing smoothly.

Then Kieran's phone vibrated. The sudden interruption drew his attention immediately.

He glanced at the screen. Dre interesting, he hadn't expected a call yet.

"Excuse me for a moment."

The others nodded as Kieran rose from his chair and stepped away from the table. Crossing the restaurant, he moved toward a quieter corner overlooking the harbor before answering the call.

"Dre."

The response came immediately, "We got a late start."

Kieran checked his watch. That was unlike Dre. Something had clearly come up.

"How late?"

There was a pause, "Midnight."

Kieran's eyebrow rose, "Midnight I honestly expected later."

"Best guess. Don't want to spook them too bad boss."

Now that was unusual.

Dre wasn't someone who casually lost half a day. If he was estimating midnight, then whatever he was dealing with had become significantly more complicated than expected.

Kieran considered the information for a moment.

"Very well. Keep me informed."

"Will do."

"We'll debrief at midnight."

The line disconnected shortly afterward.

Kieran lowered the phone and stared thoughtfully at the screen for several seconds. Whatever Dre had found was apparently important enough to monopolize his entire day.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Sliding the phone back into his pocket, Kieran turned toward the table.

Then he stopped.

A man had just entered the restaurant.

Tall.

Blond.

Confident.

Far too recognizable.

Even if Kieran had never seen a photograph before, the man's reputation alone would have made identification easy.

Oliver Queen.

For a brief moment Kieran simply watched him.

The billionaire moved through the restaurant with the casual confidence of someone accustomed to being noticed. A few patrons looked up from their meals while others whispered quietly amongst themselves. Star City's favorite son had that effect on people.

The timing was curious, not impossible, not even particularly unlikely. But curious nonetheless.

Kieran's smile widened slightly.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Quentin immediately began laughing.

"Oh that's funny."

"Very funny," Kieran agreed internally.

"Think he's here for the food?"

"Not a chance."

The restaurant suddenly felt much more interesting. After all, Batman had warned the Justice League about Nolan.

If Kieran were a betting man—and he absolutely was—he suspected Oliver Queen hadn't walked into this restaurant by accident.

Kieran slipped his phone back into his pocket and returned to the table. Whatever had delayed Dre for the day would have to wait until tonight's debriefing. For now he had a meeting to finish and an opening gala to plan.

Sliding back into his chair, he offered the group an apologetic smile.

"Now then, where were we?"

The consultant sitting across from him immediately glanced down at his notes. "Supplies. Your liquor license has already been approved, and the distributors we discussed have confirmed they can meet demand for the opening weekend."

"Excellent."

"We'll need final numbers for guests soon," another woman added. "Once invitations go out there won't be much room for adjustments."

Kieran nodded thoughtfully while making a note. The conversation resumed smoothly, everyone returning to business as if nothing had interrupted them.

Then a voice carried across the restaurant.

"Lillian? Is that you? Man, I haven't seen you in forever."

Several heads turned.

Kieran's eyes shifted toward the source.

Oliver Queen stood several tables away with a look of pleasant surprise spread across his face. It was a convincing performance. Not perfect, but convincing.

The woman beside Kieran immediately brightened, "Oliver?"

Oliver walked over, smiling broadly. "I've been looking right at you for the last five minutes trying to figure out if it was actually you."

Lillian laughed and stood to embrace him. "It's been years."

"It has. How have you been?"

"Busy."

"I can see that."

Oliver's gaze moved around the table before returning to her, "I've been great, by the way. Staying out of trouble, you know."

That earned several amused looks. One of the older women seated nearby rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Somehow I doubt that."

Oliver pressed a hand against his chest, "You wound me."

"I'm glad you're doing well, Oliver. You haven't needed my services in quite some time." Oliver immediately grinned.

"Well, who's the lucky man getting your services now?"

The table erupted into laughter.

Lillian pointed a finger at him, "Careful. People are going to misunderstand that."

"I understood it perfectly."

"Which is exactly the problem."

Still smiling, she turned toward Kieran.

"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce you. This is Kieran Everleigh. He's opening a hotel here soon. I'm sure you've heard about it."

For the first time Oliver's attention shifted fully toward Kieran.

The two men studied each other for a brief moment. Kieran rose smoothly from his chair and extended a hand.

"Kieran Everleigh. It's a pleasure to meet you, Oliver."

Oliver accepted the handshake immediately, "The pleasure's mine. I've heard quite a bit about your hotel. The Continental, right?"

"That's the one." Kieran's smile remained warm and effortless, "I hope you'll attend the grand opening."

"Of course, of course." Oliver released his hand and gestured toward the table.

"You managed to gather one of the best event teams in the city. Half the people sitting here planned my parties when I was younger."

A few people laughed.

"Only half?" one of the consultants asked.

Oliver winced.

"Okay, most of them."

"That's more accurate."

Kieran chuckled, "I've heard the stories, Oliver."

That earned a collective groan from several members of the table.

"Oh no," Lillian muttered.

"Oh yes."

Kieran looked thoroughly amused, "From what I've been told, some of those parties were legendary."

"That's a very diplomatic word for them."

"Expensive is another."

"Dangerous," someone else added.

"Questionably legal," another offered.

The entire table broke into laughter.

Oliver pointed accusingly at each of them.

"None of you were complaining when I was paying the invoices."

"That's because your checks cleared."

"Most of them."

"They all cleared!"

Kieran laughed alongside everyone else before shaking his head, "I fear my grand opening won't be nearly as entertaining."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong."

Oliver pulled out an empty chair and sat down without waiting for permission.

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that opening parties are never the problem."

The smile on his face widened slightly, "It's everything that happens afterward that gets interesting."

Kieran met his gaze for a brief moment.

There was humor there, curiosity too. And beneath both, something else evaluation.

Oliver Queen wasn't here because he happened to know someone at the table.

He was measuring him.

Taking his measure the same way a businessman might evaluate a competitor or a boxer might study an opponent before the opening bell.

Kieran laughed and leaned back slightly in his chair. "All too true."

Oliver grinned. "So I hear you come from Gotham. What made you want to open a hotel all the way over here?"

The question was casual. Casual enough that most people probably wouldn't have noticed the intent behind it.

Most people weren't Kieran.

He considered the question for a moment before shrugging.

"I always liked the name Star City."

The table laughed.

Oliver blinked.

"You liked the name?"

"I do."

"That's your answer?"

"It's as good as any other."

Oliver shook his head in amusement.

"I was expecting market analysis, economic forecasts, strategic expansion plans…"

"Those too."

"Those too?"

Kieran nodded seriously.

"But mostly the name."

That earned another round of laughter.

One of the consultants pointed toward him.

"I told you he was impossible."

Kieran accepted the accusation with a gracious incline of his head.

"The residents also seem my style."

"Oh?" Oliver asked.

"Friendly. Community-oriented. Willing to help each other."

Kieran smiled.

"It's refreshing."

Oliver laughed.

"Careful. Keep complimenting us like that and people might actually start liking you."

"I should hope so. It's generally good for business."

The conversation flowed naturally after that. Anyone observing would have seen nothing more than two successful businessmen making pleasant small talk. Neither raised their voice. Neither appeared particularly interested in anything beyond casual conversation.

Yet beneath the surface, both were probing. Oliver rested an arm on the back of his chair.

"So tell me, anyone else from Gotham looking to expand their business over here? Or is it just you, Kieran?"

Now that was an interesting question. Subtle enough to avoid suspicion. Broad enough to reveal a great deal depending on the answer.

Kieran smiled.

That was certainly an open-ended question, "I'm not sure. Just me, I think."

The answer came easily. Then he shrugged, "I've always been ambitious."

"Clearly."

"Speaking of Gotham friends though, I'm trying to convince my best friend to attend the grand opening."

A dramatic sigh escaped him, "Unfortunately he's being stubborn."

Oliver immediately brightened, "Oh?"

"Terribly stubborn."

"Now I need details."

Kieran shook his head, "I don't understand it. Who doesn't enjoy attending a party on somebody else's budget?"

The table erupted into laughter, "That's an excellent point."

"Exactly." Oliver pointed enthusiastically.

"You must tell me his name. I'll get him down here personally." Several people around the table laughed.

Oliver continued anyway, "No one can resist an invitation from Oliver Queen."

"That's a bold claim."

"It's a factual claim."

"Is it?"

"It absolutely is."

Kieran rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Now that I think about it, he might actually be a mutual friend."

Oliver's smile widened, "Oh?"

"With both of us pressuring him, he'll have no choice but to come."

"Don't keep me in suspense."

The excitement in Oliver's voice sounded genuine. To his credit, it mostly was.

Kieran met his gaze.

Then grinned.

For just a moment something flickered behind his eyes. Amusement. Genuine amusement.

Immense amusement, "Bruce Wayne."

The name landed like a stone dropped into still water. Kieran continued speaking as if he hadn't just detonated a small explosive in the middle of the conversation.

"He keeps telling me he doesn't want to make the trip." The smile remained firmly in place, "But I'm sure if we both ask, he'll come."

Lillian smiled gently, "Bruce Wayne? That's your best friend?"

"One of them." Kieran look to be reminiscing "We've spent quite a bit of time together. Did you know he helped fund the first Continental?"

Oliver didn't laugh. He didn't smile.

For the first time since approaching the table, he simply looked at Kieran.

Really looked at him. Most people wouldn't have noticed the shift. The smile was still there.

The relaxed posture remained. The billionaire playboy persona hadn't changed.

Yet his eyes had sharpened considerably.

Because suddenly several things Batman had said during the Watchtower meeting came rushing back.

He knows more than he should.

He gets close to people.

Don't underestimate him.

Just what is Kieran Everleighs relationship with Bruce, and is it true he helped fund the first continental? Oliver internally sighed he had a call to make.

—

A/N: couldn't find much about the life of green arrow outside of his duties in young justice. So he is older than the tv show but I'll kind combine some things