In the theater of Gotham Manor, Shiller picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray and clinked glasses with Mrs. Leto in front of him. Shiller sighed, "Such lively yet dignified parties are getting rare nowadays. The parties in the city are simply too noisy, the loud music gives me a headache."
Mrs. Leto fondly stroked the white hair at her temples and said, "It was indeed quite different in our days. The girls and boys were often very shy and nobody dared to hold hands at a party like this. But you know, the young people today are really wild. Once I went to the Golden Cup Mansion in the city center, I was simply shocked. The clothes they were wearing could hardly be called clothes, even curtains are more conservative…"
Shiller laughed heartily and said, "Things truly develop so quickly nowadays, but it's a good thing. The economy seems to be doing much better lately."
Mrs. Leto agreed, "True that, the rent of my two apartments on Fourth Avenue has surged by more than half. I have no idea how the Mob makes their money. I'm also negotiating with the bull on Elizabeth Street about buying another apartment..."
"Madam, you are very wise." A husky voice came from the side. A man with a little mustache walked over, gently clinked his wine glass with Shiller and Mrs. Leto's glasses, and then said, "Hello, here's my business card."
Shiller took a look at it and said, "The manager of Golden Cup Company? You are the property agent of the Falcone Family?"
"Correct. I work for the Godfather, but of course, our Golden Cup Company is a legitimate company independent of the Falcone Family and we have real estate business all over the East Coast."
"As you know, we recently cooperated with Chicago, and property prices there are soaring. I specifically attended this gathering to introduce properties in various eastern cities to you rich gentlemen and ladies."
Mrs. Leto seemed very interested, she asked, "I heard that the scenery in Chicago is even better than in Gotham. How about buying a villa there?"
"Mrs. Leto, you certainly asked the right person. Chicago is indeed not bad, but for a retirement villa, I would recommend Emperor City more. The scenery there is absolutely stunning, completely unique on the East Coast. Moreover, you know, it's much safer there than in Gotham or Chicago."
"Although I really like the tropical style of Emperor City, there are too many casinos and too many tourists from other places. I always feel like it's not peaceful enough to live there," Mrs. Leto replied, frowning.
"Then I have to recommend Miami to you. This city is beautiful, wilder than the orderly beauty of Emperor City. Of course, the mobs there are nothing compared to Gotham. With your husband's capabilities, it should be great to buy a mansion there."
Mrs. Leto fanned herself with a hand fan and said, "I'm planning on discussing this matter with him. Although we've lived in Gotham for generations, the weather here is really unbearable. If we could vacation somewhere else for a month or two, it would not be bad. After all, we're getting old and the air in Gotham is really not conducive to long life…"
Shiller said, "I heard that the Mayor has intentions to co-develop a city air purification system with Wayne Enterprises and promote it nationally. This system can adjust local climate conditions, although this might indeed take some time."
The Golden Cup manager continued, "If only that was true, it would be wonderful. I can't quite understand why the weather in Gotham is so awful despite its ideal geographical location. If there were sunny days for three or four months a year, our beaches would drive tourists from all along the East Coast crazy".
The manager was right. Gotham Beach was of very high quality as it had barely been developed at all. In fact, it would be suicidal for anyone to take a vacation here since the beaches were hardly ever used aside from locals, making it the best-protected city beach on the East Coast.
The waiter with the tray came around again. The group took some biscuits and continued their discussion of Gotham's future development while nibbling and sipping their drinks. However, during a pause in their conversation, Shiller noticed a dark figure dash past the theater entrance, as if someone was spying on him.
The manor was brightly lit up for the party, but outside the manor, it was pitch black. The old manor neighborhood wasn't too large or populous, so whenever there was a party, the houses were generally empty as everyone would be present at the party.
Unlike Bruce, who was busy with his internship, Catwoman had been having a tough time recently.
As a thief, her main source of income was stealing. But she was a high-end thief, not a common pickpocket. What Catwoman stole were mostly pricey jewels from jewelry stores or stamps and albums from private collectors.
Yet, due to Gotham's reform, the city's nights have become increasingly lively. The boutiques, jewelry stores, and watch repair shops on the main streets were now open at night, with store staff and security guards working in shifts.
Catwoman relied on infiltration and skills for theft, instead of slaughtering everyone like some Man-Beating Hero does, expecting that nobody will notice his presence once all others are dead. Given Catwoman's petite size and limited strength, such a tactic was beyond her capabilities.