Surprised? Didn't see that coming?
If the necklace had been given to Selina directly by Atreus, she would've just considered him another desperate admirer, like all those lecherous politicians and rich men. She'd accept the gift without a second thought, then turn around and mock his foolishness.
But Atreus never actually offered her the necklace. After all, when they danced, Selina was already wearing one. Giving the same kind of gift wouldn't have been appropriate. The real kicker was that the note in the box was addressed to her by her real name—meaning Atreus knew from the start that she would steal from him. He even predicted Bruce Wayne would take back the necklace she'd swiped, leaving this one as the true gift.
That's seriously terrifying!
The fine hairs on Selina's exposed back stood on end.
Steal? Ha! Atreus clearly didn't care about such a small amount of money.
But what was this gesture? A sign of goodwill? Or something else?
Selina, who always prided herself on toying with her suitors, suddenly felt out of control. The thrill of stealing Bruce Wayne's luxury car earlier in the evening was now completely gone.
In fact, she felt like there was something dirty about this necklace. She didn't even want to touch it anymore.
For a brief moment, she was tempted to throw it out the window.
But she held back.
As a master thief, she never wasted money. If she threw it away, how would she be any different from someone like Bruce Wayne, who burned through cash without a care?
Meanwhile, Mr. Wayne was patting his pockets and fumbling for his valet ticket as he left the charity event. It wasn't until the attendant told him his car had been stolen by Catwoman that Bruce's usual cool composure finally cracked with a twinge of embarrassment.
Just then, Atreus pulled up in a sports car.
"Well, well! Mr. Casanova Wayne, generously giving away a six-figure car to a lady you just met, and planning to call a cab home yourself?"
Atreus's snark finally cracked Bruce's perpetually stoic expression. He held back.
"Young man, you need to learn what it means to be a gentleman."
"I warned you, Mr. Gentleman. Before you cuddle the kitty, make sure to count your fingers. You wouldn't want to realize afterward that you've been playing with a Siberian golden fur and are missing a few digits. Hahaha!"
With that, Atreus hit the gas, and the McLaren roared off, accelerating from zero to sixty in under three seconds.
To top it off, the exhaust blew a plume of smoke right in Bruce Wayne's face.
Watching Atreus speed off into the night, Bruce, for the first time in his life, felt a strong urge to slap him.
Ignoring how Atreus gleefully drove back to the villa gifted by his "wild dad," Bruce waited for Alfred to arrive with the Bentley. As soon as he got in, the old butler greeted him with his usual teasing concern.
"Master Wayne, just you alone? Don't worry, soon enough you'll have your arms full again."
Bruce was visibly annoyed. He changed the subject, "I just saw Atreus. He's figured out Selina Kyle's identity. His insight is far beyond normal. Upgrade his file to a C-class threat."
C-class—many of Gotham's crime bosses were rated at that level. Only Joker, Batman's "true nemesis," and a few others ever made it to A-class.
Alfred frowned, his tone subtly shifting: "Sir, I don't mean to question your judgment, but if something were to happen to you as head of the Wayne family, the only legitimate heir to Wayne Enterprises would be this C-class suspect."
"I'm not planning to leave the company to him."
"Then you should have another child! A legitimate one or a bastard, doesn't matter. This old man from another era just believes in that."
Bruce was uncharacteristically speechless.
He could be cold-hearted with anyone, but not with Alfred, who had served his family for three generations.
It seems, no matter the world, even great heroes can't escape the pressure to marry and have kids.
As they drove in silence for a while, Alfred broke it: "Mr. Fox wants to see you. You'd better go tomorrow."
The next morning, at Wayne Tower.
Bruce met with Lucius Fox—his most trusted employee.
Years ago, when Bruce had left Gotham, Lucius had faced injustice at Wayne Enterprises. When Bruce returned, he saved Lucius's career, and Lucius became his staunchest ally, providing him with all sorts of advanced tech.
Most importantly, Lucius was effectively Bruce's private finance minister.
"Oh, Mr. Wayne, what a rare guest. What woke you from your hibernation?" Lucius joked.
Bruce remained expressionless. "You lost me money."
"Not me—you did."
Bruce threw up his hands.
Lucius continued, "You dumped all our R&D funds into that energy project and then shelved it. How can the company make a profit that way?"
"What do you suggest?"
"You could restart 'the machine.'"
Bruce refused immediately. "No, that's not an option."
As the owner of the machine, Bruce knew it had a major flaw. One wrong move and it could blow up the entire city.
"Then you could do nothing. You're the majority shareholder. Even the second-largest shareholder, Daggett, can't challenge your control over Wayne Enterprises."
"What if I need money?"
"You could partner with Miss Miranda Tate on the energy project. Or… you could accept Mr. Atreus's offer to buy in."
"What did you just say?"
"That rising star on Wall Street, Atreus! He's been buying up Wayne Enterprises stock, offering 20% above market price to small shareholders. Latest reports say he now controls 4% of the company, making him an official board member."
Bruce's mouth twitched. "What does that brat want?"
Lucius shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe another short-selling scheme? Or maybe he's aiming to take over Wayne Enterprises."
"…"
"If it's short-selling, Wayne Enterprises is strong enough to survive. But if he's after control, and he offers Stark Industries shares as part of the deal, no shareholder would refuse."
Bruce finally calmed down, realizing how dire things were.
Lucius leaned in. "Mr. Wayne, I don't want to meddle in your family business. But considering I used to cover Atreus's school fees with some creative accounting, I think you should reconsider this feud. A family stock war would only benefit outsiders. Remember, your cash flow is tight."
Assets and cash are two different things. Plenty of companies with billion-dollar valuations have gone bankrupt due to liquidity issues.
Wayne Enterprises deals in real industries, unlike Atreus, a financial sniper who's all about liquid assets. Atreus is flush with cash.
For the first time in a long while, Bruce felt genuinely angry.
He'd ignored this illegitimate son for years, giving only money, never affection.
Now, Atreus was publicly challenging him.
The choice before Bruce was clear: either acknowledge Atreus as his son, allowing him to take the Wayne name and effectively securing his support. That would make Atreus the Wayne Group's biggest ally, with his Stark Industries stock and billions in cash acting as a financial nuke against anyone threatening Wayne Enterprises.
Or Bruce could deny him, sparking an all-out feud with an angry son who had already proven ruthless enough to bankrupt Oscorp. If that happened, the fallout would be spectacular.
Even if Atreus didn't actively sabotage Wayne Enterprises, as the second-largest shareholder, he'd have the right to scrutinize every cent Bruce spent—cutting off funds for things like Batplanes.
That was something Bruce couldn't tolerate. How could he?
(End of Chapter)