Divination (Joker x Batman x OC)

Chapter 179

Adriana returned to the penthouse feeling like she was in a daze. The words that the Joker had just told her had stunned her. 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 had seen Bruce take it from earlier. Before looking for him, she went to Arsenio's room to find the baby still sound asleep, unaware that anything had even happened. She walked through the hall to 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.

"Just someone that I was doing some business with. Our business is through," he said.

"Definitely doesn't sound like it ended well," Adriana said to him.

"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."

.

.

"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. Bruce had been avoiding him for weeks.

"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 that your morning was interesting?"

"Yes," Bruce said. " I've been doing a lot of thinking. I cannot discuss everything with you right now but what I can say is that I need your help."

"What can I do for you?" Lucius offered.

"I know that we've had many offers over the years. Bids for part 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 refused to even consider. Bruce had always been adamant that he would never sell any parts of his family's company. It had been in his family forever and he would keep it. But now he had changed his mind.

"Making yourself 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. 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."

Bruce could see that she was angry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to her.

" This is small," she said, used to huge envelopes of cash from him.

" Open it."

She opened up the envelope and pulled out the check. For the first time, Bruce watched her gasp.

"2.3 billion," she said. "This makes the total you have given me more than we agreed to."

"I'm aware that it's more than we agreed 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. Fly on the wall, and the dream invasion concoction." 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.

"I need to see the truth," he said. "About something that happened to my wife."

She smiled and fanned herself with her check. 

"You didn't want to pay me," she said. "You wanted to abandon our deal, based on what you said last night, but then you realized you needed more 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.

"Mhm," she said in a sly tone. She did not believe him.

Bruce was quiet and Twyla could see that he was deep in thought.

"You could just try talking to your wife," Twyla said. "If you want to know the truth about her."

"She doesn't understand something that happened to her," Bruce said. "I need to see it...experience what happened to her myself, so that I can help her to understand."

"You believe your wife is confused about her own lived experiences?" Twyla asked. "That girl is...well, from what I have seen, very foolish. But she doesn't seem insane."

"No! I trust her words. 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. 

Twyla sighed.

"There is a 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 300 million 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. "Or foot. Whatever. Some part of your skin must contact the wall, as a fly does. When you release contact with the wall, you will no longer see. You must be in a place with history, where things may have taken place. A closed in area with at least one opening. I've modified it. It wears off after 3 hours. You may visit more than one place in that time."

"And what if I don't know for sure where anything happened?" he asked her.
"Then it is useless," she said. "But I am sure a handsome, resourceful and intelligent man such as yourself can find things out."

" May I ask why you're being so kind?" he asked.

 "I appreciate the payment," she said. He did not believe her. She was up to something, but he had no time to figure it out. " Now, be on your way, handsome."