Espera | R. Grayson ✔

[40]

The atmosphere around Richard and Lavina was tense even though the latter looked as composed as if she had been cordially invited to a tea party.

Seeing her so calm and unfrazzled was increasing his anger and she was well aware of it as she spoke, "sit down, Richard."

"Stop ordering me about," he fumed and came to the topic without any delay, "what the hell did you say to Tim?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as if she had no idea what he meant, "what are you implying by that?"

"You can't fool me, Lavina," his voice was bitter as he spoke and just like earlier when he said her name without the former respect in it, that sparked something close to anger in her too, "when I asked you to stay out of my life and stop messing with the people I held close, I had meant it. I had also meant it that you would suffer consequences if you didn't leave me be."

She shook her head, the meaningful smile on her face widening, "oh come on, I think you have had a misunderstanding. Or maybe the title of Gotham's protector has gone to your head and messed you up."

He knew she was as always steering the conversation away to a topic where she could manipulate him. But that night, he wasn't going to easily fall in her trap.

His friend Timothy died due to her and he couldn't let her get away with it.

"Did he come to your place in the last few days?"

"Now what does that have to do..."

He interrupted her, eyes threateningly cold, "did he or did he not!"

"He did," her jaw clenched slightly, eyes focusing on his hand that was behind him.

It was almost as if she could sense that he was holding a weapon.

"And you took the perfect opportunity to treat him like shit just so it would drive him to his suicidal thoughts. Isn't that what you did?"

She shrugged, "what would I get from his death? He was just a fourteen year old and the entirety of Drake Corporate as well as his family's fortune isn't worth even half of the profit my company makes. Why would I kill him?"

"Because he was close to me," his voice shook with anger as he laid forward his conclusion regarding what would have happened and honestly, that assumption wasn't far from the truth, "you saw him as a pawn to forfeit, didn't you? If Tim died, I would start believing that it was my fault that I couldn't save him and I would eventually start doubting my own decision. You knew very well how one loss can shape things your way, you used to do it earlier too... All the fucking time! You've controlled me like a puppet but I won't allow it anymore. And especially not if you're going to use my own people against me as targets."

Her eyes sparked in amusement, though she had to admit to herself that he had worked out the actual reason to what she had done very well by then. But she was not going to give in easily either as she shrugged in nonchalance, "I have no idea what you're saying and why you've gotten so against me..."

However, out of nowhere a dagger came straight at her and if she hadn't reacted on time, it would have impaled through her neck. That made her realize that Richard was in no mood for playing around, his patience had evaporated or else he would never have done that.

She also knew that his rage was beyond control and he was quite dangerous when angered as such.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about so you better stop playing innocent."

"I don't want to fight you, Richard," she had caught the dagger he had thrown at her in her bare hand, palm closing around it despite the slice it had made through her skin, "don't make me."