Adriana returned to the penthouse feeling like she was in a daze. The words that the Joker had just told her were circulating around and around in her mind. They were both still in love with each other, and could barely admit it.
She put the flashlight that she was holding into the drawer that she has seen Bruce take it from earlier. Before looking for him, she went to Arsenio's room to find him still sound asleep, unaware that anything had even happened. She walks through the hall two words Bruce's office but then heard his voice is slightly raised.
"You got all you are going to get from me," she heard him say. "Do not contact me again."
Adriana saw Bruce sit his phone down on his desk, looking quite tense. He turned around when he heard her come through the doorway.
"Who was that?" she asked him.
"Oh.. Just someone that I was doing some business with. Our business is through," he said.
"Definitely doesn't sound like it ended well," Adriana
"That's the way things go sometimes," he said. "Were you able to reset the breakers downstairs?"
" Yes," she told him. " I told you I could do it."
An hour later they were both in bed, laying still and resting but both unable to sleep.
"What are you thinking about?" Adriana is Bruce when she saw him looking up at the ceiling.
" You," he answered.
Bruce was thinking of Adriana. He was thinking of Sidi's words. He was wondering if he was making a mistake. Both of the options presented to him were unacceptable.
He did not want to pay Twyla another dime. But the alternatives seemed awful as well. Whatever Twyla had in plan for him was going to compromise his judgment and integrity. He knew he was not going to be getting any sleep tonight.
" I was thinking about you too," she said to him.
They looked at each other for a few seconds before embracing in a kiss.
.
.
"Good morning, Lucius," Bruce said as he went into Lucius ' office the next morning.
Lucius raised his eyebrows, admittedly surprised at Bruce had come into his office unannounced.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Lucius asked.
"I've had an interesting morning," Bruce said and closed the door behind him. " I hope you are doing well."
"I have been. And I hope you have been as well," Lucius said, still surprised that Bruce was speaking to him again in such a friendly manner.
"Would you mind if I sat down?" Bruce asked Lucius.
"Of course not," Lucius replied. "So you said your morning was interesting?"
"Yes," Bruce said. " I've been doing a lot of thinking. I cannot discuss it all with you right now but what I can say is that I need your help."
"What can I do for you?"
" I know that we've had many offers over the years. Bids for ownership," Bruce said.
"Oh yes," Lucius said. "Many."
"I also know that out of everyone working for this company you are the one that knows who those bids are from. You know the best offers we've been given. You know the buyers that would be an asset to Wayne Enterprises," Bruce said to Lucius.
"Bruce," Lucius said trying to understand. "Are you saying that you would like me to examine these offers? Are you saying that you would like to sell part ownership of Wayne Enterprises?"
"That is precisely what I'm saying," Bruce answered.
Lucius was trying to understand Bruce's body language. His energy was calm, neutral, nothing out of the ordinary. But he was talking about such a drastic decision that he had always neglected to or refused to even consider.
"Making yourself more of a fractional owner?" Lucius said trying to make sure he understood fully.
"I need you to accept an offer," Bruce said. " For a quarter fractional ownership. I will be selling my own personal share. Please do me a favor and select someone that you know we can trust. And someone that is willing to pay immediately."
.
"Well well. I must say I'm surprised to see you here. After that phone call last night," Twyla said to Bruce is he came into her shop.
"You should be surprised to see anyone here. You barely have customers," Bruce said to her.
Twyla laughed. "So you're here to antagonize me even further. Not to worry , I have a lot in store for you."
" I know," Bruce said. "Which is why..."
Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to her.
" This is small," she said.
" Open it."
She opened up the envelope and pulled out the check. For the first time Bruce watched her gasp.
"3 billion," she said. "This is more than we agreed to. Check made out by Merrick. I don't know who that is but thank him for me."
"I'm aware that it's more than we agree to," Bruce said and retrieved the two bottles of potions that he had given her from his pocket and set them on her glass display place. " I don't need these."
"So why are you paying me extra and returning things I have given you?" she wanted to know.
Bruce removed his sunglasses and looked Twyla in the eyes.
"Because I need something from you," Bruce said
"And what is that?" she asked.
" Tell me what you were going to do to me," Bruce said. "Sidi told me that you were going to try to ruin my life. By exposing things to me about my wife, and making me cheat on her."
" I can't make you do anything. But I can give you a reason to do things," Twyla said. " I was just going to give you a nice mixture to expose you to the thing in life that you want to see the least. We are all in some degree of denial, and typically that is all that it takes to unravel one's life. What are you in denial about Bruce Wayne? Something regarding Mrs. Wayne?"
"None of that is your concern," Bruce told her.
She smiled and fanned herself with her check. "Then what do you want from me?"
" I'm paying you because I keep my word, and it would be indecent of me to have agreed to pay you a sum of money and to disregard you without following through," he said.
" Aren't we noble?" Twyla said and looked at her check again with a smile. " Now you've come to change the future again, by paying me."
"How would it have been? Whatever it was that you would have cursed me with?" he asked her
"Oh well now it sounds like you're interested in what I was going to put on you?" she remarked.
"Whatever you were going to do to me with going to come as a shock. Shocking me enough to impact my faithfulness to my wife. And I refuse to let that happen," he said.
"There is nothing like a man willing to admit his weaknesses. Bruce Wayne admitting his weaknesses for women though, not so impressive. Everyone knows that. But well done anyway," she said. " But you are right, the blend that I was going to use on you was going to be pretty graphic, unpleasant, unsettling. And you may I ask why do I create such things? Well because I do not like being double-crossed."
Bruce was quiet and Twyla could see that he was deep in thought.
"Awww," she said as if she was speaking to a child. "Now I understand why you're here. There's something about your wife that you know you need to see. You want to see it , you want to see the truth."
"I'm beginning to understand the truth," Bruce said. " I am trying to. But no matter how hard I try I just... Can't. I cannot imagine it. I cannot see it. I cannot fathom it."
" Perhaps maybe my services are not what you need? Perhaps you just need to talk to your wife? Ever thought of that?" Twyla asked. " I am intend to keep the entire sum of the check though."
"We have talked," Bruce said. "She has...If I'm to believe it.. told me the truth?"
"So her words alone are not enough. I see."
"I trust her words. I love my wife and I know that she would not lie to me, but in this case... I know there must be more to it that she is not understanding. She has her own experience but I know that I could see through lies and manipulation," Bruce said. "So whatever it is that you were going to do to me, I still need you to do it. But this time it will be in my control. My choice."
" To be honest, what I was going to give to you would not give you control. It would affect the way you see your wife because every time you would look at her you would not see her. You would see graphic representations of the past. Whoever it is that holds the key to the realities that you do not want to see, and the ones that would stun and traumatize you the most, that is the person that you will no longer see."
"But I would still see her, she's my wife."
"No. I would have come to your penthouse. I do ,after all , own the building now after you decided to transfer ownership to me. I would have come to your door, I would have poured a very fine dust into the palm of my hand and I would have simply blown it into your face and walked away. All that is needed is a few particles to penetrate your eyes. It would have been a formula just for you, to work only on you. It would have affected the way that you see your wife. Whenever you would look into her eyes it would show you what you never wanted to see. And it would never wear off. Even if you could find some... Loophole or excuse for whatever past actions your wife has taken, you still would continue to see would gradually distance yourself from her because it would become so unpleasant."
Bruce was shocked that she would even concoct such a thing.
" So, Mr. Wayne. Do you still want to use it? Within your own control?" She said.
Bruce looked away. "I do not."
"That's what I thought."
"And there's no other way?" Bruce asked.
"There's a much more pleasant and temporary way," she said. She reached forward and picked up the bottle that he had returned. Fly on the wall.
"The potion? Fly-on-the-wall?" He asked.
"I can modify it," she said, "The least I could do for the extra millions you've given me."
She then reached into her bra and pulled out a small vial full of fine white powder. She picked up the bottle of fly-on-the-wall potion and walked away leaving him alone and her shop. Bruce waited as she disappeared into the back room. She returned a few minutes later with a tiny bottle containing only a few drops of fluid sealed with a miniature cork.
" There you go," said when she came back into the room and handed him the bottle.
Bruce looked at the one inch tall bottle in between his fingers.
" How do I use this?" he asked.
" Drink it. Place your hand on the wall," she said. " You must be in a place with historical value, where things may have taken place. "
"And what if I don't know for sure where anything happened?" he asked her.
" You will figure it out. I have a feeling this is the last time we will see each other. Such a shame, youre very easy on the eyes," Twyla said. "I have created this blend to be as gentle as possible. I can't guarantee what you will see will be pleasant but it will be as mild as I can make it."
" May I ask why you're being so kind?" he asked.
" I appreciate the payment," she said. " Now, be on your way, handsome."