Chapter 3: Bruce Wayne, the Richest Man in Town

1998 A.D.

LONDON
SEPTEMBER 12, 08:45 GMT

The time packing before heading to the airport gave Bruce time to get into the suit and tie his father had worn on his business trips. When looked over by Alfred, it was quite a welcome sight to see that Bruce filled the suit as well as his father before him. Now Bruce only hoped that he would be able to carry on the good work that commanded such respect from the people.

The seven-hour flight from London to the United States was a quiet one, but only because Bruce was thinking of how much Gotham City had changed in the time he had been gone, and if it had gotten any worse, he would have to put in the highest amount of effort to change that. Little did he know that thanks to Alfred contacting those in Gotham who knew Thomas and Martha Wayne best, he would have the most welcome reception possible.

When the plane touched down in Gotham International Airport, Bruce was escorted by Alfred through the terminal and baggage claim as if nothing had changed in Gotham, but on exiting the airport, he got a remarkable surprise. Thousands of Gotham's citizens had gathered to welcome him home, and many among them had been childhood friends or family friends, he noticed. As he walked through the crowd, many people approached to shake his hand as if he had been elected President of the United States. Dozens of reporters had arrived to welcome Bruce home to Gotham City after spending seven years overseas, but one of them caught his eye. Standing at the front of the group of reporters was a young woman with long red hair and blue eyes, her yellow dress and brown overcoat contrasting heavily with Bruce's black suit and red tie.

The young woman immediately had her microphone to her lips as Bruce approached and she said, "Mr. Wayne. Vicki Vale, Gotham TV News. Do you have any words of greeting for the viewers at home who are welcoming your safe return?"

Bruce was amazed that the journalist addressing him was his childhood friend Vicki Vale, but he managed to rein in the excitement and gladness he felt at seeing her again and he said, "Let's just say that after a long time of self-reflection and preparations for the future, I'm back to carry on what my father began: making Gotham City a better place to live."

Vicki caught the quote on tape and then faced her cameraman, saying, "And there you have it, folks. Gotham City's wealthiest civilian seals his return with a promise of benefit. Will it be upheld? Only time will tell."

GOTHAM CITY
SEPTEMBER 12, 10:25 EDT

Bruce returned to Wayne Manor to find his home still as pristine as it had been in his childhood. The windows were clear and the brass polished to a fine gleam, every chandelier crystal gleamed like a pure diamond, and the carpets and couches were dust-free. Added to that, the master bedroom had been cleaned and renovated as Bruce was now the master of his family's home.

"How did this place stay so fresh without me living at home for the last seven years, Alfred?" wondered Bruce as he looked around in amazement. "It's like I never left Gotham at all."

"As it turns out, Master Bruce, I took the liberty of hiring extra hands to handle your housekeeping in preparation for your homecoming," replied Alfred with a smile. "I trust you will be satisfied with their service."

Bruce nodded and said, "I'm certain that I will. But I won't have much time to enjoy my family's home and treasures, Alfred. There's a lot of hard work to get done if Gotham is going to be the safe city people need it to be."

Alfred gave a worried look and asked, "You're not thinking about attempting to fight the lawbreakers of Gotham City at this moment, are you, Master Bruce?"

"No. But I have to start somewhere where I can help the public through more benefits than merely safety. I think it's time to put my business inheritance to work."

…

The day Bruce Wayne walked through the gilded front doors of Wayne Enterprises was a day of shocking relief for the employees of the business. Though the business had been built on the foundations of his parents with his father's branch handling medical science and his mother's branch for the arts and for social justice, there were a number of unscrupulous individuals who had wanted to turn the company's missions from social benefits to accruing personal wealth, the most greedy and cruel of whom was one John Daggett. Fortunately, the bickering among the money-grubbing office heads had caused a lot of friction among the heads and employees in the time that Bruce had been away, and with all the legal work taken care of with the aid of business administrator Lucius Fox, it was time for Bruce to steer Wayne Enterprises in the right direction.

When Bruce walked into the lobby of Wayne Enterprises with his hands clasped behind his back, the employees there immediately looked up from their work or dropped their cups of coffee in surprise and some of the men and women there even stood up and saluted as he passed. Bruce smiled at each employee and saluted in response to those who had, and then continued to the express elevator.

When he reached the sixtieth floor, Bruce entered the board room where he found John Daggett sitting with a number of executives who were looking quite tired of the arrogant smirk Daggett wore as he droned on about making Wayne Enterprises profit at the cost of what it was built on. When Bruce walked into the room, the board members stood up and applauded, But John Daggett rose up in shock.

"Bruce Wayne?" he gaped.

"In the flesh, Daggett," Bruce responded. "And I know you're about to ask why I'm here, so I'll get straight to the point. I'm here to bring my family's business back into the light for the benefit of the people."

Daggett sneered, "Look, Wayne. I'm in charge here. I'm making Wayne Enterprises profit more than your folks ever did and the only way a man profits is by keeping the wage slaves in their place. Now run along out of my boardroom."

That's when Lucius Fox entered the boardroom, and having heard the conversation, he took the opportunity to drop the hammer on the greedy John Daggett. "Except he's not in your boardroom, Daggett. You are in his."

Lucius proceeded to present every legal document concerning the lawful ownership of the company, including Thomas Wayne's will. The board members noted that everything was made with careful legality, and with the notary signatures properly verified, there was no doubt that Wayne Enterprises was going to continue bearing the name of Wayne. Daggett looked like his Christmas list had been revoked, and he began spluttering in protest.

"But I got control of Wayne Enterprises the moment you left Gotham! I'm in charge here!"

"I procured evidence months ago confirming you bribed executives here to rise to the top and offered money to shareholders if they voted you to the top of the board," answered Lucius on Bruce's behalf. "And we were lucky enough to find business administrators and lawyers who abide by the law. So your claim to Wayne Enterprises has been dubbed a hostile takeover."

John Daggett stood up and snapped, "This job is mine and no one else's!"

"Do not make me send for the police, Daggett," warned Bruce with a cold grimace. "I know enough law-abiding officers to keep you from weaseling your way out of the trouble you're getting into."

John Daggett expected the board of directors to call security and have Bruce and Lucius removed from the building, but as their families had received a number of charitable benefits from Bruce's mother and father before they were murdered by the mugger in Crime Alley, they crowded around Bruce and would not return to their seats. Thoroughly humiliated, Daggett stormed out of the board room, and Lucius escorted Bruce to the chief executive's chair amid a thunder of applause.

...

March came in like a lion on the hunt, bringing its chilling bluster and the occasional rainstorm. In Gotham City, crime was still dangerously rampant, but there was more that the people had to be thankful for due to the efforts of Bruce Wayne to make Gotham a better place to live. After John Daggett had been sacked and his hostile takeover compatriots were paying the bribes back to Wayne Enterprises, Bruce had gotten to work with his benefit plans. He set up dozens of charities for the suffering families and homeless citizens of Gotham, he began work on numerous projects in the fields of agriculture, alternative energy, medical science, and transportation.

On Wednesday the tenth, Bruce had the courage to invite Vicki Vale to a high-class restaurant for a dinner interview. The two had kept in touch while Bruce had been training in martial arts in Asia and during his business school days in Europe, and after the first few months home, they had spent time together long enough to know that they were developing feelings for each other.

Bruce and Vicki were seated at a table beside a window overlooking the skyline of Gotham City, and Vicki had been receiving explanations with only a few questions asked. At the moment, Bruce was saying, "Wayne Enterprises has been dedicated to benefitting people throughout the world. Since my mother and father's deaths, people like John Daggett have been misusing the goals of the industry for personal gain, but now I'm obligating the company to return to its course. And it has to start here in Gotham, where the people have been hurting a lot because of crime, injustice, and poverty."

"You certainly sound like you know what you're doing, Bruce," smiled Vicki as she deactivated her recording device. "And with Daggett paying you the money he made during his hostile takeover scam, you'll make half the billionaires in the state alone look like paupers."

Bruce chuckled and said, "Well, I prefer to think I'm in it for the people my parents were helping. It's the only way I can really live up to our legacy."

"You're certainly making a lot of folks in Gotham happy again, that's for sure," replied Vicki.

"Now I have a question for you, Vicki."

"Fire away."

"Where's your cameraman?"

Vicki felt the blush fill her cheeks as she replied, "Oh, I gave him the day off. Figured that way, a little inside probing would help Gotham City get to know Bruce Wayne under the man with the money."

Bruce gave a clever grin and said, "Gotham City or just Vicki Vale?"

For the first time, he saw that Vicki was chuckling as she responded, "Well, I had no idea I'd be sharing this interview over a fine dinner with a beautiful view."

Bruce gave her a warm smile and then said, "You know, Vicki, I've been planning an expo at the mansion this weekend for Wayne Enterprises' latest project in microbiology. You'd be welcome to come."

"But my story airs tomorrow morning," she replied.

"I meant it as my date."

Vicki Vale just smiled warmly. She had never really pegged Bruce for a romantic, but knowing that he had invited her on a date at his private mansion was enough to make her mentally say "Absolutely."

A/N: How was the return of Bruce Wayne to his home city? Next chapter, we'll see how Bruce's evening at the mansion goes and how well his efforts to fight crime start off. Plus, the reminder of what he learned on the night his parents died: the crippling power of fear!