DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 98: Hope: the Wayne Legacy

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"Great men are not born great, they grow great."

- Mario Puzo, (The Godfather)

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<{In front of the Martha Wayne Memorial Hospital, Gotham}>

<(Omniscient POV)>

In the open air in front of the Martha Wayne Memorial Hospital of Gotham, where hundreds of Gothamites including normal citizens of Gotham and the press from various Gotham News agencies had formed a buzzing crowd, Bruce Wayne, the ever-enigmatic billionaire, calmly exited the biggest hospital of the city and walked up to the podium, his gaze sweeping across the sea of faces. The entire city block buzzed with anticipation and curiosity as everyone wondered about the 'big news' that the prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne was himself supposed to give today.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bruce's resonating voice commanded attention. "Sorry for making you wait so long and thank you all for joining me today. We gather here today, not merely to celebrate World Heath Day, but to confront a heavily sour truth that has been haunting our city for far too long."

He had already gotten everyone's attention as every reporter in the area pointed their cameras directly at him, determined not to miss even a single second of his speech and the juicy news of the sour truth he was going to reveal.

Bruce continued, "My parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne had envisioned a Gotham where every child had a chance—a future. They wanted a Gotham without any misled youth. That was why they came up with the Gotham Renewal Fund which was supposed to be a beacon of hope for the downtrodden and needy. It was supposed to make the lives of every orphan in the city much easier... but unfortunately, that dream project of theirs was a massive failure.

The very funds meant to uplift the needy were pillaged by those corrupted with power. They emptied the coffers of the Fund by various illegal means and instead of using it for doing good, they used it to spread their terror and crime all over the city. They used it for their own selfish gains, destroying and rotting the city from the inside for all these years."

Bruce paused as memories of his parents' tragic end flashed before his eyes, memories that were almost foreign to him and yet at the same time belonged to him now.

"Politicians and criminals alike have feasted on this fund's resources, leaving our orphanages destitute. Children suffer while greed flourishes and men like Falcon use this greed to rule from the shadows, details of which were published online a few days, courtesy of an anonymous benefactor of this city who calls himself the Dark Knight."

The crowd leaned in, their curiosity piqued at the mention of the former kingpin of Gotham City and the new urban legend that everyone was quickly coming to believe in.

Everyone held their breath as Bruce's jaw tightened with resolution. "But, that ends today. Tonight, I declare a new era. I have had a talk with the current mayor of Gotham and some responsible and still honest politicians and it has been decided that the Gotham Renewal Fund will no longer be continued..." His words echoed off the stunned silence among the people.

"From my own fortune, I am going to establish the Wayne Hope Foundation. This fund unlike the older one will be transparent, accountable, and unwavering in its mission which is to ensure that every orphanage in Gotham thrives and no young citizen has to suffer. It will operate as a charity and accept donations as well. This fund will also have its own board to manage it, with me as its head chairman. At the end of each quarter, it will even publish each and every expenditure it makes or every penny it earns from donations on its own website to maximize transparency." He revealed.