Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, This is just a rewrite of my story since I think 4 chapters without Edward is a little too long. Since there are smartphones in Origins, I think the story takes place around the year 2006. I don't own any characters besides Esme.

28th November 2006, Approximately 12.00 AM

Church St, Manchester, M4 flat, top floor

United Kingdom

At this time of night normal people would've been out going to some bars for fun but to Esmeralda Elizabeth Gray-Maroni, or 'Esme' by those who are close to her is currently sitting on her desk looking at her laptop. Using her skill as a computer hacker, she easily hacked into one of the security camera of Black Dog Ballroom nightclub's exclusive VIP room looking where some of the socialites of Manchester unwind and danced wildly. As Esme watched the room from her laptop, she spotted a girl who recently made news for her 18th birthday, dancing sensually with a man who is slightly older than her.

"Well, well, well what do we have here? Celebrating your 18th birthday with an older guy in a club, what would your Lord Mayor of a father think of this?" Esme mused. "I can't believe some tabloids like the Daily Mail would waste their paper on her birthday"

Esme decided to capture and download the video, already planning to give it to some paparazzi waiting for a good story. Nothing is more value and important that secrets. Secrets that could humiliate and destroy someone lives and spoiled rich girls like the mayor's daughter deserve such mortification.

'It might also involve the Lord Mayor but it's not my concern.' Esme thought 'What better way to make headlines than having your deepest and darkest secrets known to everyone.'

As soon as the video finished downloading, an instrumental music of the 'Love theme from Godfather' began to play from Esme's phone on the right side of her desk.

She reached for it and noticed the first number is 1, a US phone number unlike the usual UK code number which is 44. Hesitant but also curious, she answered "Yes?"

"Hello, nipote" the one on the other end answered.

"Zio Sal, why did call me? It's been awhile!" Esme replied.

"Yeah I'm fine but I had some bad news. Listen, there's a vigilante that calls himself the Bat-Man. That figlio di puttana ruined our business and put me in a slammer!" Her paternal uncle Sal said with a slightly angry tone when mentioning the Bat-Man and the business. He was Esme's father's older brother and current head of the Maroni mafia family. She was fully aware of the family's 'business' since she was young and back when she lived in Gotham when her parents are still alive.

"I'm sorry to hear that Zio but with some bribes, you managed to get out right?" Esme asked.

"I tried but with the Commissioner on Black Mask's payroll, it was a little harder than I thought. I managed to get out by making a deal with him" Sal answered.

"What kind of deal?"

"I helped his plan about getting rid of that Bat-Man"

"I see. Is there anything else Zio?"

"Well, I maybe should tell you this but I told him I brought you in as part of our deal"

"What!?" Esme exclaimed. "Were you really that desperate to get out of jail that you involved me in your deal!? Behind my back!?"

"Look I'm sorry but I'll make it up to you later" Sal said, trying to calm his niece down.

Esme let out some profanities before answering back, "Fine whatever, what's done is done. I'll book a flight to Gotham after this, but Zio, si prega di non farlo di nuovo, ciao" And with that, she clicked the red button on her phone harshly and slammed the device on the desk when her eyes landed on her bed on the right side of the dimly-lighted room.

'I'm tired; I need to sleep before I book a flight. Let Zio Sal and his deal wait. She sighed internally.As soon as her head landed on her soft pillow, her eyes slowly fluttered shut and soon she fell asleep.

8 hours later…

Esme yawned and stretched her arms after being woken up by an alarm clock from her sleep. She went to her desk checking her phone to see whether her uncle had made attempts to call her back. The screen on her phone stated that she had 5 missed calls. 'Well, I did kind of hang up on him,' she thought. She pressed the 'Call' button and waited for her uncle to pick up.

"Hello, who is this?" Sal responded with a gruff voice.

'Someone's not in a very good mood or maybe it's because I call him at midnight, Gotham time' Esme thought sheepishly "Zio Sal! I'm sorry I hung up on you. I'm just mad that you decided to make decisions behind my back. Is there something you need to say since you tried to call me 5 times?"

"Sides from saying I'm sorry, yeah there is. You'll be working with some guy named Edward Nashton. Black Mask sometimes hired him to get some extortion data for blackmail and recently Sionis put him in the GCPD Cybercrimes Unit." Sal answered.

"Sionis? I assume that was Black Mask's real name?" Esme asked.

"Ah, forgot to tell ya that. Yeah, he's real name is Roman Sionis and not everyone knows about it 'cept a few people"

"I see. Is there anything else you want to tell me Zio?"

"Umm… Oh! There's one more thing. Do you know someone named Oswald Cobblepot? He was called the Penguin and used to live in London?"

"Mr. Cobblepot?! I used to work for him when I was doing my degree for extra cash. Since in padre's will I can only had access to my trust until I'm 18 so I had to hack some banks as my monthly allowance and Mr Cobblepot hired me for some jobs until we lost contact during my Masters" Esme replied.

"Wait a minute! I gotta ask; how old are you when you do your degree? I remember Tony sent you to some prep school when you were 8" Sal asked, thinking about his brother's strict parenting towards Esme.

"Well let's see...'O' Levels at ten and then 'A' Levels two years later..." Esme lost in thought "Ah! When I was around 13"

"Whoa! Okay...aren't you a little too-"

"High school is easy so I skipped a few years and just because I'm 13 it doesn't mean I'm not qualified!" Esme almost shouted as she had enough of people telling her she's too young. She took a deep breath before returning to her uncle. "I'm sorry Zio, I'll see you in December"

After hanging up on Sal, Esme took a few moments to calm herself with before headed to the bathroom for a shower.

"I can't believe I lose my temper with Zio Sal but after having so many people telling me off because of my age, gender and sometimes my Italian heritage not because of what I can do, I couldn't help it. So December huh? I better booked a flight, pack some clothes and inform some of my relatives that I'll be spending Christmas and the New Year in Gotham with my paternal relatives who I rarely make contact. Well, at least I already applied for a one month holiday leave from Gray Genetics." Esme said to herself as she made headed to the bathroom for a shower. Then she sighed "What a hassle"

A/N: Things to know: 1) She's related to Sal Maroni through her father, Antonio 'Tony' Maroni, younger brother of Sal and former consigliere for the mob. 2) Her mother's name is Elizabeth Margaret Gray, daughter of an upper class family in Oxford 3) Her parents died in a plane accident when she was 10 and lived with her maternal relatives ever since. The translation of some Italian words in here are:

Nipote = Niece in this case. The word can also mean nephew, grandchild,, grandson and granddaughter

Zio = Uncle

Figlio di puttana = SOB. You know what it means

si prega di non farlo di nuovo, ciao = please don't do this again, bye

padre = father (formally)