"Can you bring the car over here, Alfred?" I asked Alfred as he turned and instructed one of the bodyguards to bring the car.
"You have a beautiful name," I said to Selina, giving her a warm smile.
"Thanks, but could you please let go of me now?" Selina replied with a smile that looked more like a cry than a smile.
"Yeah, my bad. You mentioned that you were doing this for your sister, right? Tell me about it so that I can help you," I said, releasing her.
She didn't respond to me immediately, but she looked into my eyes for a moment. "You just threatened me, and now you're talking to me as if I'm your friend. What's the catch, rich boy?"
"You are talented, Selina, while you are using it for something bad, but it doesn't matter since you are talented nonetheless. And you are smart and cunning as well. Just like now, when I caught you, you acted like a scaredy-cat and tried to manipulate me emotionally by acting pitiful to let you go, but look at you now, you are acting all calm," I said as her eyes widened and she realized her act had slipped.
"Fuck," she muttered under her breath. "Anyway, you didn't tell me what you want from me."
"Hmmm, a trade. In exchange for your friendship, I will help you with your problems."
"You can't fool me, Bruce Wayne. Yeah, I know who you are since your annoying face is all over Gotham. But don't think that just because I'm a child, I don't know how the world works. Unlike you, I spend every day on the streets fighting for my life, trying to find food, and running from scums. That's something someone like you would never understand."
"You are right, I can never know how people on the streets live, but I can change that. Starting with you, I'm offering my help with all of your problems, and all I want is your friendship. What more can you lose? Just take my hand and leave this awful life behind," I said, extending my hand for a shake.
"Master Bruce, the car is here," Alfred whispered to me.
"You are already gambling with your life every day for nothing. Why not take one last risk for a better life, take my hand before it's too late, Selina," I said with a smile while probably looking like a devil tricking an innocent child.
Selina glanced at my hand, then at my face, and back to my hand before shaking it.
"You won't regret it, I promise,"I said, pulling her into a hug.
'Ding! Ding! Congratulations! You have acquired 'Selina Kyle', one of the best thieves in DC,' I made a game notification sound in my head.
Selina got stiff and let me hug her before she slowly brought her hand up and returned the hug while also stealing my wallet again.
"Wait for me in the car. I'm gonna go and tell my wife that we're using the car," I said, breaking the hug and moving towards Teleute, who was watching us.
"Your wife..." Selina just looked at me with a confused face. "Ah, right. Bruce Wayne is indeed married," she said as if she just remembered it.
"Tricking a little girl like that is bad, my love," Teleute teased, as she extended her hand to me.
"Nah, I know some of her life from my previous life. It's better for her to be tricked by me now than live the life she would live," I replied, taking her hand and kissed her palm as we walked to the car.
***
"Hello, I'm Teleute Wayne, Bruce's wife." Teleute greeted Selina with a smile as we sat in the backseat.
"Hi, Selina Kyle. Nice to meet you, and you are really pretty," Selina greeted her back with a smile.
"She is the most beautiful there was,there is and will ever be, but thank you," I said, gazing into Teleute's eyes while holding her hand.
I know what I am feeling right now is not love but obsession, born from the genuine care and love she showed me, something I never received in my entire life before.
"We have a guest, darling," Teleute said, gently stroking my cheek.
"Right, right," I said, turning to Selina. "So, tell me, why do you steal?"
But she remained silent, staring out at the dark, gloomy Gotham through the window.
"It's alright, sweetie. We won't judge you or make fun of you," Teleute said softly, giving Selina a gentle pat on the head.
Selina looked at Teleute and me, then let out a heavy sigh. "A few years back, my mom ended her life because she couldn't take our dad's drinking and abuse anymore. I was the one who found my mom's body in a bathtub with her wrists cut... Seeing my mom's dead body nearly broke me, but I held myself together for my sister's sake. After that, I tried my best to look after my little sister Maggie as much as I could, since our dad was never around." Selina said as her eyes began to get wet, but she held her tears back.
"Sweetheart, it's okay to cry. You are safe with us," Teleute said gently, nodding at me to comfort Selina.
'Hell nah, I'm reading all that shit.' I thought as I wrapped my hand around Selina's shoulder and pulled her closer while her words entered from one ear and left through the other.
Selina wiped her tears, trying to stay strong. "I stole food from neighbors and shops, while I tried my best to keep Maggie away from all of that. But everything changed a year later when I found Dad dead on the couch with a bottle in his hand. They said it was an overdose. While he wasn't a good father or husband, he at least gave us a roof over our heads. When he died, they took our home and tried to send us to an orphanage. But we ran away because I was terrified. For a few months, Maggie and I lived on the streets until I found an abandoned house where we've been staying since."
"You are among friends, Selina. It's okay, just let it out," Teleute said as she offered a comforting smile to her.
While I was wondering, does God actually exist as an omniscient being? Or is he just like the writers who create stories? Like, could a writer's story become real, creating another world in the universe or an entirely different universe, making them gods without them even knowing? Since they can control everything in their stories, does that mean God is just another human? Hmm...
"Thank you, both of you. It's just that I went through so much last year that I don't even remember how many times I almost got caught or died while stealing to look after my sister. I'm just tired," Selina said as she put her head on my chest, bringing me out of my dilemma.
"Let's go to my home. You can take a hot shower and have a meal while I find a safe home for you and your sister, where you won't have to worry about food or anything else," I told Selina, gently patting her shoulder.
"Thank you," Selina replied before drifting off to sleep.