Intoxicating Desires | T. Al Ghul ✔

[15]

Talia had always been intrigued to visit the renowned city of crime. She wanted to see what kept the city thriving despite it being such a hub of chaos and turmoil due to all the criminals who kept causing havoc.

As she had come to Gotham herself, it didn't take her long to figure out the reason why the city was still intact.

And that reason was Batman; a vigilante who had sworn to protect his city and stood as an undefeatable force against crime and injustice.

The fact that just one Batman was able to keep defending his city against all those criminals on his own was quite a remarkable feat to Talia. And it made her curious to meet him in person and see if he really was worth all the praise attached to his name.

But being in Gotham as a foreign visitor meant that she had to put up a facade, in order to keep her real identity a secret. And the safest option so far was to pretend to be another potential member of the high society, so that it wouldn't attract any attention to her background tasks of keeping the League's stronghold in the city in check.

Thus at the moment, she was attending a formal event organized by the Crown family in honor of the alliance between their family's business and Wayne Enterprises.

In the few days Talia had been in Gotham, she had assessed that two names had almost an equal influence over the city. One was Batman, the vigilante who kept the crime world in control. And the other was Bruce Wayne as he was the resident billionaire of Gotham and controlled the market forces of the city.

She had yet to meet Batman but at that event, there was plenty of opportunity for her to meet Bruce Wayne.

Dressed in a deep red gown that contrasted with her emerald eyes, Talia was no doubt the most striking out of all the women invited. She was confident that whether or not Bruce Wayne caught her attention, she would most definitely catch his.

And in her opinion, it was always fruitful to keep people of influence close. So if that Bruce Wayne she had heard so much about was able to strike up her curiosity, she might as well get some benefit out of it.

The event was opened with a piano performance, a young boy striking a soft melody as his fingers glided upon the keys. He had sky-blue eyes and soft but dazzling features, making him stand out from the rest of the guests.

But he was far too young to be the esteemed guest everyone was waiting for. True, all eyes were on him but the guest of honor for that event was yet to arrive.

She turned to the woman on her right, "who's this boy playing the piano?"

"Oh, him? He's Richard Grayson," she told him, "he's Mister Wayne's ward."

"Ward?"

"Yes, his parents died when he was around eleven or twelve years old so Mister Wayne took him in. He's a real charmer, isn't he? Unlike the other one who's quite a menace, to be honest, I forgot his name again."

Seemed to her that Bruce Wayne had a habit of adopting orphans, perhaps it was something he did as an act of conscience. From all she had briefly researched on him, she knew his parents had been murdered when he was very young too. So it wasn't surprising to her that he had taken in those boys. 

She hummed in reply, "and where's this Mister Wayne you talk about?"

"Oh, he's not here yet," she remarked, "but you'll know when he shows up, trust me."

Talia chose not to talk further about it, waiting for Gotham's billionaire to arrive.

And soon enough, he arrived, not long after the piano performance had ended in applause. Talia stayed in the background, observing him closely.

At first glance, he was just like any other wealthy businessman with his expensive suit and formal demeanor. She couldn't deny that he was handsome but surrounded by the press and young women of the gathering, there was nothing else that impressive about him.

Just another wealthy man who could flaunt his wealth and power over the society merely by being present at an event. 

His ward on the other hand was a social butterfly, navigating through the crowds with ease and not failing to catch everyone's attention and admiration. An interesting case, she thought, turning her attention back to the not so interesting Mister Wayne.

His eyes had connected with hers, a very light shade of blue, and for the briefest second, she felt as if something had changed in those expressionless irises. She might not be that good at reading people but she felt as if he knew who she was.

There was no other explanation she could give for that slight change of his expression towards her. At that moment, it felt as if she wasn't the only one keeping up an appearance.

Perhaps he had a lot to hide too.

And if that was the case then his facade of being just another wealthy businessman was quite an impressive feat. A smile flickered upon her lips as she raised her eyebrow skeptically, noticing that he too had held her gaze.

He dropped the gaze immediately, turning to answer an interviewer's question. 

Talia had the feeling that it wouldn't be long before Bruce Wayne would excuse himself from the press and the other guests and come to find her. Someone did find her though but it wasn't who she was hoping for.

"Good evening Ma'am," a cheerful voice shook her out of her judgment and she turned to see the sociable ward of Bruce Wayne.

"Good evening," she replied, "the piano you played was excellent."

His cheeks flushed and his smile widened at the compliment, "thank you. I hope you don't mind me asking but are you new to Gotham?"

"I am. Is it that easy to tell?"

"I haven't seen you in any of the previous Galas I attended," he remarked, "so I took a guess. I am Richard, by the way, it's nice to meet you."

She shook the offered hand, "Talia. The pleasure is all mine."

Richard was extremely easy to talk to and without even asking, he gave her a little tour of Gotham's society in less than ten minutes. Not only was the boy well-versed in formal etiquette but he was also very considerate.

He figured that she was new there so she would be unfamiliar with most of the gathering. Therefore, he took it upon himself to be of help to her, telling her about the important people attending.

She didn't stop him either, intending to use him as a source of information for a little longer. But Bruce showed up not long after, his hand gently resting on Richard's shoulder.

"Oh, Bruce, this is Miss Talia," Richard eagerly gave the introductions, "she's new to Gotham. And Miss Talia, this is Bruce, my guardian. Now I would have called him Dad but it might lessen his chances of being the most eligible bachelor in town so..."

Bruce's grip on his shoulder tightened very slightly in a warning, while Talia laughed lightly at the joke Richard had made. It was no wonder that the boy was so well-liked.

"I apologize if my son was bothering you with his chatter," Bruce smiled as well, cracking that emotionless exterior for only a brief second.

She shook her head, "oh no, he's delightful. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mister Wayne."

"I am honored as well, Miss..."

"Al Ghul," she remarked, observing that slight change of expression in his eyes again, "Talia Al Ghul."

That confirmed it for her, Bruce Wayne definitely knew about the League of Assassins. And if anything, it made her curiosity for him increase a bit more than it was earlier.

***