"That's a nice picture," Adriana said to Bruce as she rested her head on his chest and they looked at photos from their wedding and reception. On his phone's screen was a picture the photographer had just sent to him, of him and Alfred standing together and smiling.
"It is," Bruce said. "Alfred never thought he'd see the day that I'd actually get married."
"Well, it's happened," she smiled and gave him a kiss before resting on his chest again.
"This one's nice too," Bruce said. There was a photo of Adriana and Lucius dancing together at the reception.
"Awww, I love it," Adriana said. "Hmm..that reminds me, I need to get my suit from Lucius to see if it still fits the same."
"What suit?" Bruce asked.
She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes.
"Oh..." Bruce said, understanding. "Wait...what? Lucius knew? All this time?"
"Yes," Adriana said. "He's the one who made my suit for me."
"This is absurd," Bruce said. "You two have been in cahoots!"
"Bruce...don't be mad at him," she said. "I asked him to keep it from you. I told him that I would tell you eventually..."
"And you did, once you were blackmailed," he said.
"I'm sorry..." she apologized. She could tell Bruce loved her and didn't want to be angry. But she was revealing more secrets. All she could do was apologize again and again.
"Pffff..." Bruce blew out a lot of air and rubbed his forehead. "It's alright. At least I know now...and we have no more secrets."
"Right..." Adriana said. "No more secrets."
"We have to head out soon.." Bruce said and kissed her forehead.
"Really?" she yawned. "It's five in the morning."
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry, but I had my lawyer get in touch with Mr. Ricard."
"You did?" she asked. "When?"
"When I went out last night," he said.
"Oh..." she said. "So why do we have to leave so early?"
"My lawyer's arranged a meeting," Bruce said. "We'll get him to sign the contract and pay him."
"Okay," she said. "So..the lawyer knows? That I'm Shade?"
"Oh, of course not dear," Bruce said. "From what I hear the contract is the most thorough confidentiality agreement my lawyer has ever written. Thicker than the bible. Basically, Mr. Ricard is not allowed to utter a single word about you to anyone. Any evidence or documentation or anything that he has pertaining to you cannot ever be shared with anyone. He can't even breathe your name, basically. He had a team of twenty lawyers come in and work on it. At this hour in the morning it wasn't cheap, but it's thorough."
"Wow," Adriana said with relief. She only hoped that Damien would not mention the truth that he knew at the meeting. Bruce knew that she was Shade. Damien knew that the Joker and she had been in a relationship and that he was Arsenio's father. Neither one of them knew what the other did. If they both spoke a word about what they knew it would be a nightmare.
Adriana had never felt such stress.
"Yup," Bruce said and massaged her arm.
"We should get ready to go then," Adriana said, wanting to get back to her baby.
"Wait," Bruce said, pulling her back down as she tried to get up.
"Hm?" she said.
"We have about...thirty minutes," Bruce said and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Ah..." she said with a smile knowing what he wanted.
"So.." he murmured and kissed her. "Let's make the most of it...again."
.
.
.
"My baby," Adriana said, almost in tears as she picked up Arsenio. "I missed you so much!"
"He's such a good baby," Aymara said.
"He is," Harri agreed. "And so cute. I want to take him home with me."
"I feel like I missed so much," Adriana said and kissed his cheek. He was quiet and looked around attentively. "It looks like he's gotten bigger since I left yesterday-"
"Adriana, calm down," Harri laughed. "He didn't get any bigger. He slept most of the time you were away."
"My babyyyy..." she said and kissed him again.
"His little cheeks are going to turn red again from you kissing them too much," Bruce finally said and placed his hand on her lower back.
"I knoww," she said. "I can't help it."
"Here," Bruce said and reached out his arms and took the baby. "My little guy. We missed you so much."
"We did," Adriana said.
.
.
.
"There's no way I can read all of this," Damien said and looked at the stack of sheets in front of him. He had one arm in a sling. It was now 10 a.m. and Adriana and Bruce were alert even though they both had barely slept.
"Then don't," Bruce said, from across the large mahogany table they were sitting at. He sat next to Adriana and held her hand under the table. "And just sign it."
"I can't sign something that I haven't read-" Damien protested.
"I'll save you some time," Bruce said and leaned forward to hand him a Victorian wood fountain pen. "Basically, you can never speak a word about Adriana to anyone, ever, for the rest of your life."
Damien took the pen tentatively.
"So...I sign this and you'll give me what I asked for? The money? Fifty million?" he asked.
Bruce looked at Adriana.
"Yes," Bruce said. "We will pay you for your discretion."
Damien was quiet and looked at them both for several seconds.
"Did she tell you? What she's done?" Damien asked.
"I know everything," Bruce said.
Adriana felt her palms going sweaty. If they both revealed what they knew she decided she would run out of the room and never come back. She didn't care if Damien found out that she was Shade. What she cared about what the shock Bruce would feel if he found out about her and the Joker...and the satisfaction Damien would feel for ruining her marriage. She held her breath.
"So..." Damien frowned. "You...still want to be with her? Enough to pay me fifty million?"
"Sign the contract," Bruce said.
Damien pulled his lips in tightly. He had nothing to say. He signed the top sheet with aggression.
"Flip through," Bruce said. "Eight signatures are needed."
Damien glanced up, his eyes fiery with anger. He then looked down and flipped through the endless pages and began muttering.
"You know, she's fucking crazy right?" Damien said and glanced at his wrapped arm. "She messed up my fucking arm. My shoulder is practically torn."
"Well, at least you know now...not to mess with her," Bruce said as Damien kept flipping to look for the next page that required a signature.
Once he was finished signing, Damien shoved the stack of papers in their direction. The lawyer, who had been quiet the entire time, reached across the table and pulled them over to himself. He looked over the pages to make sure everything had been signed and dated where needed. He then nodded to Bruce to let him know that everything was done.
"We appreciate your cooperation and discretion," Bruce said and pulled out a check and slid it across the table to Damien.
Damien looked at it and then back up, his eyes meeting Adriana's. She looked down.
"Good luck," Damien said. "I'm sure one day you'll come to your senses about her. If I can find out her secret, I'm sure someone else could."
"We'll deal with that if it happens," Bruce said. "Nothing for you to be concerned about."
Damien pushed the check into his jacket pocket and looked over at the lawyer.
"Can I leave?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," the lawyer nodded.
Damien looked at Adriana again. She averted his gaze but felt his eyes on her for a while before he turned to leave.
"That was surprisingly easy," the lawyer said when Damien was gone. Adriana let out a sigh of relief. Her secret was safe.
"Yes," Bruce said, sounding relieved too. "Very easy."
"I'll have these all recorded and stored away securely," the lawyer said, regarding the signed contract. "Did you need anything else, Mr. Wayne?"
"No," Bruce said. "Thank you, Lachey."
"Always a pleasure, Mr. Wayne," the lawyer said and then left with the stack of papers.
"Quite easy," Bruce said to Adriana who had been quiet the whole time. He stood up and stretched his legs.
"And expensive..." she said. "I'm sorry about that."
"It's nothing," Bruce said. "I mean..yes, it was costly. Probably my biggest expense this year."
"Yeah..." she murmured.
"But.." he said, putting the tips of his fingers under her chin and tilting her face upwards. "You're worth it."
"I'm glad you think so.." she said.
"I know so," he replied.
"Damien hates me," she said. "Hopefully enough to stay away forever."
"No..." Bruce said and laughed. "He wants you, honey."
"No. Why do you think that?" she asked. "He hates me..."
"It's strange..but I felt like I got a sense of what he was thinking," Bruce said. "I couldn't hear his thoughts but I could tell very clearly what he felt. You're rubbing off on me..."
"And what was he feeling?" Adriana asked nervously.
"Hmm.." Bruce said. "He wanted you..bent over this table."
"Ugh," Adriana huffed. "Well that's specific."
"Hey," Bruce said and gently pulled her to her feet. "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea."
He kissed her softly and deeply, his hands firm on her backside.
"Oh," she said and raised her eyebrows and looked around the room. "You want...again? Here?"
"Mhmm..." he said and fell into another kiss and she felt his erection against her as her backed her against the table.
"Oh..." she said as he buried his face into her neck.
"Damn, you smell amazing," he said.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "What are you wearing?"
"Nothing?" she said. "I didn't even put on lotion."
"Are you sure?" he said, inhaling her skin at the front of her neck and then went down her chest. "You smell so sweet."
"What..." she asked and started to smell her skin and then used her finger to move the front of her shirt away from her skin. "Oh..." she said and laughed. "I mean, I kind of smell like milk."
"That's what it is?" he asked.
"Yes-" she said but he started kissing her again.
"You smell fucking amazing," he told her and began to unbutton her shirt.
"Thanks," she chuckled, tiredly. "So do you."
"Mhm," he said barely hearing her while he lifted her onto the table.
"Are you sure someone won't come in?" she asked.
"I'm sure," he said, breathlessly. "Well...99%."
"Okay," she laughed. "Close enough."