THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS
xviii. IT'S ONLY BUSINESS, DARLING
❝LET'S TAKE A VOTE?❞

EVERY SINGLE NIGHT SINCE THE MASSACRE AT THE DEBATE had been filled with nightmares for Anastasia, but when the rays of the morning sun caused her vision to erupt into a burning orange, she realized she had a dreamless night. Still, exhaustion engulfed the woman's mind as she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the sun. She was grateful to be free from the nightmares, even if it was only for the night. But, that didn't mean her sleep had been restful. Her limbs ached in ways that reminded her of when she had woken up in the hospital, forcing her to relive the pain. There was a dull pain in her neck and her shoulder blade, causing a soft wince to leave her lips as she adjusted her position to face away from the open balcony. She opened her eyes, looking around the bedroom before her eyes landed on Bruce. He was awake, back turned as he typed away at his laptop. The clicking echoed throughout the quiet room, but it hadn't been the noise to wake her. For a moment, she stared at his back as he took deep breaths. His shoulders were tense, making her wonder what was on his mind. Bruce... He worked too hard, always on the run, always having to disappear to some meeting. It made Anastasia feel sad for him, knowing it was taking a toll on him. After all, Bruce was only one man.

His phone began to ring. It caused Anastasia to flinch as her heart began to race, feeling the peace be broken by whoever was on the other end of the line. Bruce moved quickly, picking his phone off the nightstand. He looked to see who was calling first, letting out a heavy sigh. Anastasia immediately closed her eyes, pretending she was still asleep. Though, she knew there was no fooling Bruce.

"Hello?" Bruce spoke softly, barely above a whisper as he stood from the bed. She could tell he had set his laptop down, taking a few steps away to leave her as uninterrupted as possible.

She could hear a woman's voice on the other end of the line. Her words didn't please Bruce, considering Anastasia could hear him pacing around the room. It made her wonder who was bothering him so early in the morning.

"It's seven in the morning, Mrs. Zellerbach," Bruce muttered, disdain lingered in his voice but it was masked by the cordial tone he reserved for the general public. But, it did not surprise Anastasia that Regina had been the one to call. After a few moments of quiet, Bruce spoke again. "What happened to later this week?"

Regina continued to speak, to scold. It made Anastasia frown, considering she could hear the anger in her voice despite Bruce standing across the room. Her anger seemed unjustified, considering nothing new had happened as far as Anastasia knew... or remembered. Still, she could feel the dread start to build deep within herself. Her nails dug into her palms, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself as Regina continued to yell at Bruce. He, on the other hand, had stopped pacing. Bruce was silent, unmoving and if it wasn't for the phone, Anastasia would not be able to pin him down.

Eventually, Bruce sighed.

"Fine," he said. Silence on Bruce's end, listening to Regina speak. Then, Bruce spoke again. "I understand you want the both of us there, but it'll just have to be me at the meeting. Ana... She..." He trailed off.

She could tell she was being watched. It made her tense, holding the blanket closer to herself as she tried to feign sleep. But, Bruce had known she was awake before the phone call had broken their silence. His footsteps approached, earning a sigh from her lips. He placed a gentle hand against her forehead and then her cheek, making her feel like a child again. She distinctly remembered her mother doing the same thing when she stayed in bed for too long. But, it made her wonder why Bruce was checking for a fever. She opened her eyes, staring up at him.

His eyes softened, taking a seat at the edge of the bed as he lightly stroked her hair. "Ana's not feeling well," Bruce spoke into the phone, continuing to stare at her. Perhaps, it was the truth. As she became more lucid, the pain demanded to be felt. It made her nauseous, feeling sweat bead on her skin as she returned Bruce's gaze. "If she needs to be there, then can we postpone?"

"What's going on?" She asked softly, wondering why Regina was so hellbent on having a meeting. Stealing a glance at the clock, it was a few minutes after seven o'clock in the morning. It was too early, even the birds hadn't begun to sing yet.

Bruce didn't get the chance to answer her question. Regina had begun to argue, causing him to roll his eyes. She slowly sat up with his help, feeling pain shoot through back. It caused a hiss to leave her lips, something Bruce noticed as he began to rub her back where the pain was. It caused a soft sigh to leave her lips, leaning against his shoulder as she closed her eyes. She could feel herself being lulled back to sleep by Bruce's gentle touch.

"Regina, please try to understand," Bruce snapped, forcing Anastasia to open her eyes as she readjusted herself to look up at him. His expression contorted into one of anger, eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed into a straight line. Being inches away from the phone, Anastasia could hear Regina clearly.

"Bruce, I need both of you here," Regina said, tone laced with frustration. Anastasia could see her scrunched-up expression and clenched fists, something common for the older woman. "If not, the board will be forced to take action against the both of you for not cooperating."

"Okay, fine," Bruce muttered, letting out a defeated sigh. He realized it would be futile to argue with Regina any further. Instead, he continued to hold Anastasia close to him. He faced her, placing a gentle kiss against the side of her forehead. "We'll be there soon."

He didn't give Regina the chance to respond, disconnecting the call.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he said softly, running his fingers through her hair. It wasn't pinned up anymore, but Anastasia could still feel the loose bobby pins deep within the tangles.

"You didn't," Anastasia reassured, reaching into her own hair to take out the bobby pins. It helped relieve some of the tension in her scalp, feeling it tug at a few strands of her blonde hair. "The sun did."

Bruce held out his hand, collecting the bobby pins as she took them out. When she finished, there were eight bobby pins in his hands and he placed them all on the nightstand. It was where his laptop and phone were sitting now too. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine..." Anastasia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. She avoided his gaze, knowing she would only see pity in them. Something had happened last night, but her memory was foggy as she tried her best to remember. "What happened last night? It's all such a blur?"

A frown appeared upon his lips. "What do you remember?"

"Not much," she confessed, focusing on the fabric of her dress. A glance in the mirror showed how terrible she looked with makeup smeared against her cheeks, hair tangled into knots, and the dress shifted awkwardly. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, turning away from Bruce to stand instead. She swayed for a moment, causing Bruce to move into action to prevent her from falling. However, she steadied herself before he could reach her. "I remember speaking to Clarice for a few moments. Then, it was Oswald. He said... He said some not so nice things."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing important," Anastasia lied, not wanting to recount how Oswald had threatened to kill the both of them. He couldn't be so bold enough to try again, especially when they knew to look out for him. She wrapped her arms around herself. "The last thing I remember is talking to you, Bruce, and telling you to make Oswald leave."

For a few moments, Bruce was quiet. He debated with himself, eyebrows furrowed as he remained in thought. "Ana..." He started off slowly, making her wonder if she was going to get scolded for drinking. However, his tone was gentle as he met her gaze. "Someone drugged you last night."

What? It wasn't something Anastasia was expecting to hear, causing a wave of nausea to wash over her. "I... I don't understand," Anastasia stammered, shaking her head. "I had my drink in my hand all night?"

"They didn't taint your drink. Instead, I found two injection sites," Bruce informed, speaking in a quiet and calm tone. He walked over to her, gently brushing the tips of his fingers against her neck and her shoulder blade. There was a sting of pain that made itself known, but it was bearable. "Does it still hurt?"

"A little, but nothing I can't handle," Anastasia mumbled, knowing the surgery, lung damage, and three broken ribs was much worse than this. Her jaw clenched, feeling the teeth grind against each other as she narrowed her eyes. It must have been Cobblepot's doing no doubt, considering he was associated with the Children of Arkham. "So, it was the same drug found at the GCPD and the debate?"

Bruce nodded, confirming her suspicions. Sergeant Renee Montoya had murdered Carmine Falcone while under the influence of the drug. Hamilton Hill and Harvey Dent had confessed all their secrets when they had been drugged. She wondered what she had done, trying her best to remember. But, it came back to her in glimpses ━━ almost like a set of blurry photographs.

She smoothed out her dress, letting out a humorless laugh. "So, who did I kill last night?"

"No one," Bruce replied, ignoring her attempt to lighten the mood. His expression was somber, trying his best to figure out the mystery. But, it all pointed to the Children of Arkham. They had already proven they had a vendetta against the Wayne family. "Do you remember anything at all, Ana?"

Anastasia tried to picture what had happened, but her mind kept drawing a blank as it tried to rebuild the scene. She felt a hand curl around her shoulder, remembering the woman's voice that echoed in her ear. "I remember a voice..." she mentioned, shrugging her shoulders. "I think it was a woman... She sounded a lot like my mom."

"Charlotte?" Bruce asked, raising a brow. It was similar to what Sergeant Montoya had said, recalling the attacker's command as a mother guiding a child.

"Yeah..." Anastasia sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed her temples. She could feel a headache set in, making her want to go back to sleep. "Look, I really don't remember anything else, Bruce. My head hurts."

"Let me get your medicine," Bruce said softly, standing to his feet as he opened the drawer to reveal bottles of medication. Most of them, Anastasia didn't need anymore. He began to prepare her morning medication, making sure to pick out the right ones. Usually, Alfred was the one who had everything ready before she woke up. If it was up to Anastasia, she wouldn't take them at all.

Anastasia looked around the room before her eyes settled on her vanity table, noticing that Laura had returned the necklace. She picked up the diamond necklace, looking over it for a brief moment before tossing it into the drawer. Then, Anastasia realized what was missing. She began to push aside her things, trying to look for the flash drive. When she didn't find it, she began to pull open the drawers as she searched through them. But, the flash drive was nowhere to be found.

"Ana?" Bruce called out, earning her attention for a brief moment. "Your medicine?"

She ignored his words, asking a question of her own. "Has anyone been in this room?"

"No? We were the only ones in here," Bruce reassured, still holding the glass of water and the small plastic cup of pills. He noticed the distress written upon her features as she continued to shuffle through the vanity table. "What are you looking for?"

"I left something here, Bruce! Right on top of the table!" Anastasia snapped, pausing her search as she turned to face him. Her jaw clenched as her hands trembled, trying not to think of the possibility that someone had come into their room and stolen it. She let out a shaky breath. "It's not here anymore."

Bruce set the glass of water down on the nightstand, along with the cup of medication. "If you'd tell me what you're looking for, I can help you find it?"

She hesitated, staring at him for a few moments as she debated whether she should tell him or not. A heavy sigh left her lips as she shrugged, looking back at the vanity table in hopes it had magically appeared. "It... It was a flashdrive," Anastasia mumbled, facing Bruce again. "But, it's not here anymore. Have you seen it?"

Bruce frowned. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the flash drive she was looking for.

A sigh of relief left her lips, rushing over as she snatched it out of his hands. "Oh, thank God," she breathed out, holding the flash drive close to her chest. Her hand tightened around the drive, refusing to let it out of her sight again. After everything they had gone through for the documents, it would have been unfortunate if she had lost it. Or if it had fallen into the wrong hands.

Her husband stared. His expression was calm, unchanging as he continued to silently study her. It made her tense, trying to act as if she hadn't overreacted to it being missing. Yet, there was no tricking Bruce. "What's on that drive, Ana?"

"Nothing," she immediately answered, holding it close to her as she took deep breaths to calm herself down. Her hand continued to tremble. She wondered if Bruce had seen what was on it, stealing a glance at his laptop. Is that what he had been doing? The screen had timed out to black, so she couldn't confirm her suspicions. She faced him, narrowing her eyes. "You had no right to go through my things, Bruce."

"I didn't go through it," Bruce reassured. He turned his back to her, picking up the glass of water and medication again. Bruce held it out. "Take your medicine."

She set the flash drive down on the vanity table, taking the glass from him instead. She took her medication, gulping it down with the water. Bruce watched her carefully, taking the glass from her when she was done. Her guilt was starting to make its presence known, making her chew the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry," she blurted out, causing Bruce to spare a glance back in her direction. "I didn't mean to say that. I... I just lost control of my emotions for a moment, Bruce. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," he reassured, accepting her apology. Bruce had turned to look at her, offering her a kind smile. It tugged at her heart, making her feel even more guilty of all the lies she had been telling him. But, it was for his own safety. It was too dangerous to involve him, especially since she didn't fully understand what was going on. "It's okay, Ana, really," he said, walking over to her to take her hands. "You had a long day yesterday and it's too early in the morning. Having a moment of frustration is okay."

"I still shouldn't have raised my voice," Anastasia whispered, watching her vision blur with unshed tears. She had always been yelled at when she was younger, knowing the effects it could have on a relationship. She didn't want to tarnish her relationship with Bruce, not when he was the most important person to her.

Bruce chuckled, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "You don't need to apologize," he reassured, tilting his head to get a better look at her expression hidden behind strands of her hair. "Hey, darling, come here."

Anastasia sniffled, walking over to him. She tried to find any hints of deception, trying to figure out whether Bruce was upset or not underneath his smile. But, she couldn't find a trace. A soft sigh left her lips, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss against his forehead. "I swear, there's nothing on that drive except some documents," Anastasia confessed, shrugging her shoulders. "It's more of a secret diary, if anything."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close. "A diary, huh? Now, I'm more tempted to look through it."

"What happened to boundaries?" Anastasia chuckled, resting her forehead against his. It earned a smile from him, warming Anastasia's heart. "Well, if you want to read through thousands of pages of random rambles, then be my guest."

Bruce hummed, helping her take a seat on his lap. He held her close, slowly rubbing her lower back as his eyes focused on the hardwood floor. It was quiet between them for some time, allowing both of them to share a moment of peace. "Ana, you'd tell me if you were in trouble, right?" His question had been strange, off-putting. He tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, focusing his attention on her. "I want you to know I'm always here for you, no matter what happens. You will always have me."

"I know, Bruce," Anastasia said, nodding her head. She had one arm wrapped around his shoulders, keeping herself steady despite his hands on her waist. She decided to change the topic, not wanting to talk about herself anymore. Her cold fingers trailed the skin underneath his eyes. "Did you sleep?"

"I did."

"You're a liar," Anastasia scoffed playfully, shaking her head at him. She rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she focused on his breathing instead. He held her close, tracing shapes against her exposed thigh. She still wore her dress from last night, able to pinpoint the separate scents of her perfume, Bruce's cologne, and the whiskey. "On a scale from one to ten, how much of a mess was I last night?"

Bruce smiled. "Is hot mess a valid answer?"

"I'll accept it," Anastasia smiled, placing a kiss against his cheek. His stubble tickled her skin, but she didn't mind as snuggled her face into his. It earned another smile from Bruce.

He let out a small sigh. "Last night was stressful, especially with Oswald's unexpected appearance."

"We need to hire better security," Anastasia mumbled, wondering how Oswald had been able to sneak inside with people checking everyone in at the door. She met his eyes. "I'm sorry if I did anything stupid. I wish I remembered."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Bruce reassured, causing another sigh to leave her lips. His avoidance of the topic meant she had done something embarrassing, meaning it would come up in conversation later with someone else. Probably Regina. "I wouldn't worry about it. All the media is talking about is how entitled and rude Bruce Wayne is."

"You were rude?" Anastasia asked, raising a brow as she stared at his sheepish expression. "I've never seen you be mean to our guests before."

"I can be mean."

She snorted. "I don't think so."

Bruce chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as if he shared an inside joke with himself.

"So," Anastasia started, "Regina's called us for an emergency board meeting?"

He nodded, a grimace appearing upon his features as he remembered his conversation with Regina. "She can be a bit too much sometimes."

She hummed, running a finger against his jaw. "Well..." she said softly, giving him a playful grin. "How about we keep them waiting for a little while longer?"

"Oh?"

"I need a shower and I need to brush my teeth," Anastasia added, running a hand through Bruce's dry hair. It earned a hum from him, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he focused on her hand massaging his scalp. "Would you like to join me?"

Bruce caught on to what she was implying, giving her a playful smile. "Are you sure? We don't want to risk ripping any stitches."

"It's just a shower," Anastasia grinned, kissing the corner of his mouth. The stitches had mostly healed, leaving scars in their wake now. She stood to her feet, holding out her hand for him to take. "Don't get your hopes up."

Bruce returned her grin, taking her hand. "If you say so."

━━ ━━ ━━

THE TWO OF THEM WERE GIVEN DISAPPROVING GLARES as they entered the building, making her uncomfortable as they passed by all the employees. Most of their glares were directed at Bruce, but he didn't seem bothered as they continued to walk hand-in-hand. They took the elevators to the upper floor, reaching their offices. Bruce headed into his own, saying he needed a quick word with Lucius. Anastasia ducked into her own, greeting the girls with warm smiles. Monique waved back, returning her smile. She was seated at her desk, working on a report. Anya's desk was empty, having the day off. She easily made her way over to Laura, grateful she didn't need the oxygen tank all the time anymore.

"Keep this safe," Anastasia said softly, placing the flash drive on Laura's desk. She spared a glance at Monique from the corner of her eyes, making sure she wasn't listening into their conversation. Monique off in her own world, typing away as she listened to music through her earbuds. "I don't trust anyone else."

"Of course," Laura whispered, taking the flash drive and tucking it into the inside pocket of her jacket. She met Anastasia's green eyes. "Don't forget, we're heading to Arkham Asylum today. We have an appointment with Doctor Arthur Radcliffe."

Anastasia nodded. "I didn't forget," she reassured. "The board members wanted to hold an emergency meeting, but we can head out afterward."

Laura frowned. "Do you know what it's about?"

"Well, it's probably about them wanting to replace the CEO," Anastasia muttered, pointing to herself. She wasn't sure when Regina had created this vendetta against her, but it was starting to hold some threat.

"Are you okay?" Laura asked quietly, tilting her head. "It was intense at the party last night."

Anastasia sighed, shrugging her shoulders. She leaned against Laura's desk, trying to think back to the night before. There was more she remembered from that morning, but the night was still blurred. "I don't remember it too well, if I'm being honest."

"Were you drunk?"

"I didn't drink enough to get me drunk," Anastasia said, shaking her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Laura what happened, not wanting to worry the woman. But, the two of them had promised to have no secrets between them. "Bruce told me I was drugged," she confessed, moving her scarf ever so slightly to show the injection site. "I have a similar spot on my back."

"Someone drugged you?!" Laura gasped, eyes wide as she stared up at Anastasia.

Anastasia nodded. "It's the same drug found at the GCPD, the debate, and now, in my home."

"The Children of Arkham were at the party... in your home... and we were none the wiser," Laura whispered, letting out a heavy sigh as she ran a hand over her face. Guilt written across her features as she shook her head, avoiding Anastasia's gaze. "I should have paid more attention, been by your side. But, I was distracted with the donations, then Regina, and then... Selina and I talked all night."

Oh? Anastasia tilted her head, giving her a smile as she suddenly forgot about everything else. "You and Selina?"

"Yeah," Laura smiled, cheeks reddening as she looked down at her hands. "We kind of got a drink together after Bruce kicked everyone out."

"Aw, that's really sweet," Anastasia cooed, nodding her head. She wasn't sure how she felt about Selina, considering she and Bruce had some sort of secret between the two of them. But, perhaps that had all been in her head. Seeing the smile on Laura's face and faint blush underneath her golden skin, it made Anastasia very happy for her. "Well, I hope you two had a lot of fun."

"We did!" Laura exclaimed, smiling as she clasped her hands together. "Hopefully, we'll still be seeing each other again this weekend. Just catching another drink at one of her favorite bars."

Anastasia grinned, excited for Laura. "Well, give me all the details. I want to know."

"Will do," Laura giggled, nodding her head.

"Mrs. Wayne?" Monique called out, causing Anastasia to look back. Her smile faded, noticing that Monique held a phone to her ear. She offered an apologetic smile. "You're wanted for the meeting."

Anastasia returned Monique's smile, nodding her head. "Thanks, Monique."

"I'll see you later," Laura whispered, nodding her head. She gave a thumbs-up. "Good luck."

Stepping out of the office, she noticed Bruce and Lucius come out of his. They continued to speak in quiet tones, conversation disappearing when they noticed her in the hall. She smiled, nodding her head. "Morning, Lucius," she said, giving him a wave. "How are you?"

Lucius returned the smile, both him and Bruce approaching. "I'm doing fine, Anastasia," he said, nodding his head. "And, yourself?"

"Fine," Anastasia answered, clasping her hands together. She tried not to show how nervous she felt, but it was as if her legs were made out of gelatin. "Just about to sit through a meeting with the board members, so I guess that about sums it up."

"Bruce was telling me about that," Lucius hummed, shaking his head. He turned to Bruce, noticing the tense expression on the man's face. He placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "I hope it goes well. Do let me know if any big decisions are made."

"Will do, Lucius. Thanks," Bruce said, nodding his head.

Once Lucius had disappeared down the hall, Anastasia looked up at Bruce. "So, us against the board, huh? Are you ready?"

"No," Bruce said honestly, letting out a heavy sigh as he took her hand. "But, I'm glad you're here. You've always been better at talking to them."

"Yeah, right. They only ever listen to you, Bruce," Anastasia muttered, knowing that the board had always looked at Bruce for major decisions. Despite her being appointed CEO for the past few years of both Wayne Enterprises and Lovejoy Corp, they treated her more as if she was an assistant to Bruce. It was difficult to earn their respect, but Anastasia kept trying. She sighed. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting any longer."

The two of them took the elevator down two floors where the meeting rooms were located, along with Regina's main office. She was usually in charge of keeping track of Wayne Enterprises' revenue, along with managing a few other subsidiaries of the company. They headed to the meeting room all the way down the hall, seeing it was the only one with the lights on. Bruce opened the door, allowing Anastasia to enter the room first. There were five members on the Wayne Enterprises board of Directors, Regina Zellerbach at the top of the list as she made sure the company was always in good graces. Then, there was Sarah Astor who was the Director of Communications. The other three, people Anastasia rarely interacted with, were directors in other parts of the company such as Wayne Medical, Wayne Shipping, and Wayne Foods. Wayne Tech was the biggest division of the company, being monitored by only Bruce and Lucius. Everything else in the company and Lovejoy Corp, it fell on Anastasia. These meetings didn't happen often in the past since everyone was too busy, but these days, there seemed to be one every other week.

"Nice of the two of you to finally join us," Regina greeted, gesturing to their empty seats. All of the board members were already present, sipping on their bitter cups of coffee and snacking on plain bagels.

Anastasia and Bruce took their seats, watching the older woman carefully. The monitors behind Regina showed off the Wayne logo, being controlled by Regina's assistant in the corner. He sat at a private desk, situated in front of a laptop as he sipped on his own coffee. His glasses reflected off the screen, showing a long list that she couldn't make out from her seat. Regina didn't waste any time beginning the meeting, gesturing for her assistant to begin the presentation. The screens changed to multiple news articles, all of them painting the Wayne family and its company in a negative light. It made a sigh leave Anastasia's lips, knowing what was coming.

"As we all are aware, the two of you have not had a good run-in with the media," Regina began, standing tall as her eyes remained focused on Anastasia and Bruce. Her eyes flickered to the judging eyes of Thomas and Martha Wayne, their painting on display. Behind her, Anastasia knew there was a similar painting but of her and Bruce. It was meant to show the generations of the Wayne name in the company, but it felt awkward now. "Public Relations is doing its best to keep things at a shimmer, but it keeps getting worse and worse with the two of you. Especially with what had happened at the party last night."

Anastasia turned to Bruce, noticing his grim expression. He had his hands folded together, staring at articles displayed on the monitors. It made Anastasia pay more attention to the articles, noticing that most of them were about Bruce. She was mentioned as a brief cliffnote, but there wasn't much about her otherwise.

"I had too much to drink," Bruce shrugged, leaning back in his seat. He remained unbothered, regarding Regina with cold eyes. Still, Anastasia could feel the tension that radiated off him. He couldn't hide his true feelings from her, but he seemed to have Regina and the other board members fooled. They looked annoyed with his response. "It happens, Regina. Plenty of people have let loose at a party before. I'm sure the media will forget by the next time there's a gala held at Wayne Manor."

"It wasn't just any other party, Mr. Wayne," Regina pointed out, crossing her arms at his 'playboy' response. It was something Regina was used to, knowing that Bruce tended to act like he was still in his early twenties at times. "It was a charity ball, meant to raise the Waynes' reputation. No one talked about the millions of dollars raised for Gotham, but they all talked about the rude behavior and baseless accusations thrown out."

"Regina━━"

"And, you're not the only one to blame, Bruce," Regina snapped, immediately causing Bruce to quiet down. Her attention turned to Anastasia, narrowing her eyes. "You, Anastasia, accusing the Wayne family of human experimentation did not help."

Anastasia paled, clearing her throat. She didn't know why she would have revealed something like that, considering she didn't have all the facts yet. And, even then, she wasn't sure if she wanted that information to be public. After all, she was married to Bruce and was considered to be a Wayne by law. If anything happened to his family, it would happen to her. She tried to think of an excuse, saying it was all a lie and she was willing to tell the media that. But, Sarah Astor decided to speak instead.

"Regina is right," Mrs. Astor pointed out, nodding her head. She pushed across a few documents for both Bruce and Anastasia to look over. It was reports from their communications' department, mentioning how angry their customers were after all the negative press. "Gotham is still reeling back from the news that Thomas and Martha Wayne were involved with Carmine Falcone. And then, the video of Thomas Wayne played at the debate? It has destroyed the Wayne name."

"But, those are the actions of Thomas Wayne," Anastasia pointed out, defending her husband. She knew what they were all thinking, what Gotham thought. "Bruce is nothing like his father. He has only ever wanted the best for Gotham."

"Mrs. Wayne, let's not get started on your history," Regina stopped her from continuing, shaking her head. Her face had turned a shade of red, burning with anger. "With you being CEO, it has already put the company in a negative light. Gotham still publishes stories about the Lovejoy being parasites."

As if to prove her point, Regina's assistant in the corner pulled up an article saying exactly that. Anastasia, the latest leech of the Lovejoy Empire. And, there was another article on the side that listed all the reasons she didn't deserve Gotham's Prince, Bruce Wayne.

It only made Anastasia roll her eyes, feeling her own anger start to rise. "Is having the article there really necessary?" She spat out. Her eyes narrowed on the assistant who ducked behind his computer.

"It's an example of the bad press you two have been getting," Regina defended, stepping in between the sight line of Anastasia and the assistant. It only caused her to direct her anger toward the correct person, Regina. "My point here is, there should never be any articles like that. It's not a personal attack, Anastasia."

"It's a tabloid article, Regina," Anastasia gritted out, clenching her fists. "What do you expect from a gossip magazine?"

"Exactly," Bruce nodded, taking Anastasia's side. He found it distasteful for Regina to put the news articles on display, causing a bias to form between the other board members against them. He placed a hand on top of Anastasia's, giving it a small squeeze. "We shouldn't focus on petty news. We have been seeing articles like this for years, but that hasn't changed the hard work Anastasia has put into this company. We've seen our stock prices rise after the merger with Lovejoy Corp. We're the best we've ever been."

"And, all that will start going downhill if this wave of bad news continues," Regina retorted, unaffected by Bruce's words of praise. "And, it's not just the press. The GCPD has raided your home and they have raided Wayne Enterprises in search of evidence for the allegations."

"I took care of the latter," Anastasia said, knowing her chat with Mayor Harvey Dent had caused the GCPD to return their things. "We don't need to worry about the raid."

"I wonder how you convinced them to overturn that," one of the other board members commented, looking down at his paperwork. Calvin Andrews was a callous man, being in charge of Wayne Shipping. His comment earned a glare from both Anastasia and Bruce, but it especially hurt Anastasia. She had dealt with accusations of her sleeping her way to the top of the company, being designed to undermine the hard work she had put in. "Aren't you close friends with the Mayor?"

"Harvey Dent is no friend of ours," Bruce said, keeping his stern gaze on the man. His jaw clenched as his intense glare made the board member uncomfortable.

"Keep the comments to a minimum, Mr. Andrews," Regina warned, shaking her head at the older man. Every one in the room used to work with Thomas and Martha Wayne, knowing them personally. Perhaps, it was why they were so hesitant to work with Anastasia and Bruce.

"So, what's the action moving forward?" Anastasia asked, wanting to know where Regina was taking this meeting. She didn't want to waste anymore of her time or anyone else's time.

"We need to focus all our efforts on improving Wayne Enterprises' reputation," Regina said, clasping her hands together as she forced a smile to her lips. "It is the only way to stay in Gotham's good graces."

"Okay," Bruce frowned. "How do we do that?"

For a moment, Regina was quiet as she spared glances in the direction of the other board members. It made Anastasia tense, knowing they have been meeting behind their backs. "Well, the board is considering replacing the two of you for now," she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "Say that the two of you need time away from the company to think about your actions."

"But, we've done nothing wrong," Anastasia snapped, slamming a hand on the table. It caused her hand to burn, but she was able to easily ignore the pain.

Bruce nodded. "You can't just do something like that, Regina. It's our company. We own it."

"We're not taking anything," Regina said, expecting their angry responses. "But, we will be removing Anastasia as CEO. You two still have ownership, but we'll look at an interim CEO."

"Of course, you fucking do this," Anastasia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she shook her head at Regina.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Watch your language, Anastasia."

"No, I won't," Anastasia snapped, leaning forward as she pointed an accusing finger in the older woman's direction. Everyone in the room stared at her, shocked by her angry outburst. "Again and again, you go out of your way to punish me for something that isn't even my fault!"

"Bruce..." Regina said, looking at him instead.

Again, they all turned to Bruce. It only made Anastasia more angry, clenching her jaw as her teeth grinded together. "Regina, like it or not, but I'm your boss. Not him. So, I want you to speak to me."

Regina sighed, unbothered by Anastasia's words. She remained calm, meeting the eyes of the other board members. It was as if they shared a silent conversation. "Anastasia, do you not see the way you're behaving?" Regina asked, making her frown. "This is exactly what you did at the party last night, too."

"Regina, enough," Bruce warned. But, he was unheard.

"I think after the debate..." Regina continued, keeping her eyes focused on Anastasia. It made her take deep breaths, trying not to remember what had happened at the debate. She didn't want to think about it. She wanted it to fade into the past, something that would never be brought up again. "You aren't exactly yourself anymore, Anastasia."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're distracted," Regina corrected herself, noticing the unshed tears that welled in Anastasia's eyes. There was pity in Regina's expression, causing a heavy sigh to lip her lips. "And, I don't blame you for it, Ana. You almost died. I think it's best if you take a break."

Anastasia scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm fine!"

It wasn't the response Regina was hoping for. She cleared her throat, looking at the other board members as she ignored both Anastasia and Bruce. "Let's take a vote then," Regina suggested, taking a seat at her chair. She opened her file, getting ready to write down everyone's responses. "Just so you know, it will be five against two."

Bruce frowned. "Regina, I appointed Ana as CEO," he reminded, tone edging on irritation. "You can not remove her like that."

"We're removing both of you," Regina corrected, sharp eyes meeting Bruce's. She wasn't going to back down, holding the pen in her hands. "It's not forever, only till this bad press dies down."

Anastasia stood to her feet, unwilling to hear anymore.

Regina narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. "Where are you going, Anastasia?"

"I'm leaving," Anastasia spat out, glaring at the woman across the table. She shook her head, frantic eyes meeting Bruce's calm ones. He tried to reach out, but she stayed out of his grasp. "There won't be any kind of hostile takeover. I won't stand for this."

She left the room, slamming the door behind her before she headed toward the elevators. The floor was quiet otherwise, bright until the lights began to flicker. Then, all at once, the lights went out. The windows outside didn't show the sun, making her squeeze her eyes shut. It was another hallucination. She was under a lot of stress, nothing else.

Calm down, Anastasia.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

She kept repeating over and over again.

When she opened her eyes again, the hallway had returned to normal. It caused her to let out a breath, pressing the button for the elevator. She took it upstairs, stepping onto the familiar floor where their offices were. It made her sad to think the board could easily overthrow her and Bruce, considering her own life had become their job. She didn't know who she was when she wasn't CEO of the company. She didn't remember any other life. It was all she remembered.

She pushed open the door to her office, facing Laura and Monique. She cleared her throat, giving the girls a smile as she tried to pretend like nothing was wrong. But, it was written all over her face. "Monique, you're in charge," Anastasia said, nodding at the woman. "Laura and I have some off property business to take care of."

Monique nodded. "Yeah, it's no problem. There's just some reports that I need to get finished."

"That's great," Anastasia said, nodding her head. Monique was always a perfect worker, getting all her work done without question. "After you're done here, feel free to go home. Take the day to yourself, okay?"

Her words put a bright smile on Monique's face as she nodded. "Sounds good, I'll see you two another time then."

Monique went back to doing her work, not giving them much more attention as she typed away at her computer. Anastasia looked at Laura, forcing another smile to her face. "We're leaving now."

Laura nodded, locking her computer before she grabbed her things and her car keys. They said goodbye to Monique before heading out of the office. For a moment, Anastasia checked Bruce's office to make sure he wasn't in there. It was empty, meaning he was still in the middle with the board members. Anastasia turned her phone off, not wanting to deal with Bruce's phone calls when he realized she was gone. Then, the two of them left the building. They got into Laura's car parked in the parking garage.

"I know it's not as fancy as your car," Laura chuckled, putting her seat belt on as she turned on the car. It was a nice car, Anastasia had to admit. Sure, it wasn't anything like the cars Bruce collected and built. But, there was a charm to Laura's car from the scratches in the dashboard to the stickers on the center console. She turned on the car, rock music blasting through the speakers before she turned it down. "I built this car with my dad during my teenage years and I've had it ever since. Call me sentimental."

"No, I love it," Anastasia reassured, smiling as she ran her hands over the leather seats. There wasn't a scratch on the seats, though. They looked new, making her wonder if Laura had put them in recently. She pulled out of the parking garage, driving down the street toward Arkham Asylum. "So, you don't mention your parents often?"

"Well, my dad died a few years ago," Laura confessed, shrugging her shoulders. Sadness lingered in her tone, but she didn't dwell on it. "And, my mom lives in Seattle with my younger sister."

"You're all alone out here?"

"I am," Laura hummed, keeping her eyes on the road. There was music playing through the speakers, quiet rock music that was from one of the local bands ━━ Diamonds Eight. "I never got along with my mom, so I moved out the first chance I had and got an apartment on the other side of the country."

"I see..." Anastasia whispered, giving Laura a sad smile.

"So, what happened at the meeting?" Laura asked quietly, sparing her a glance.

"Regina wants to replace me," Anastasia shrugged, staring out the window as they stopped at a red light. Most of Gotham was awake now, edging close to the afternoon. "She wants the bad press to die down before Bruce and I will be welcomed back by the company."

"What bullshit," Laura grumbled, shaking her head. "I can't believe they can just do something like that. It isn't fair."

"All to protect the company," Anastasia muttered, leaning back in the seat as she crossed her arms over her chest. It still irritated Anastasia how Regina had been able to go behind their backs and take such a hostile action. "I don't want to focus on it, especially if there's nothing we can do about it."

Laura nodded. "Okay, then we'll focus on this appointment with Doctor Radcliffe. It's all that matters right now."

Arkham Asylum was on the outskirts of the city, but a ferry was required to reach it on Arkham Island. It was out of the way, but it wouldn't be too difficult to get in. After all, Laura had scheduled an official appointment with one of the doctors. And, Wayne Enterprises had donated a lot of money to get a new hospital built out there. If it was still being built, considering Thomas and Martha Wayne were no longer adored in the public eye.

"So, in the back seat, there should be some clothes," Laura started, sparing a glance back.

Anastasia hummed, seeing outfits peeking out of black plastic bags. "I see them, yeah."

"I should have our wigs back there too," Laura added, a smile appearing upon her lips.

"Wigs?" Anastasia asked, raising a brow.

"Well, Anastasia Lovejoy-Wayne and Laura Moretti don't have appointments with Doctor Radcliffe," Laura hummed, giving her a sheepish look. "They are actually under the impression that we're grad students doing our final thesis on the long-term effects of being institutionalized."

Anastasia chuckled, shaking her head. "So, what are our names?"

Laura seemed pleased Anastasia had asked, pointing to the center console. "I have our college IDs in there."

She opened the console upward, picking up the IDs that sat on top. Looking closer, she was able to make out the names. She chuckled, facing Laura. "Remy and Amara, huh?"

"I thought it was fitting," Laura smiled, shrugging her shoulders. "I wasn't sure what names to pick, but then I remembered the books you recommended. So, I copied the author's names."

"Hopefully, the employees don't have the same taste in books as me," Anastasia said, looking over the IDs again. They looked so real, making her wonder where Laura had them made. It said they attended Gotham University, saying they were seniors with their major being psychology.

"I'm Amara," Laura said, grinning as she looked at Anastasia. "You're Remy."

"It's perfect," Anastasia said, looking back at their outfits as she became curious what Laura had picked out. From what she could see, they were clothing pieces she could only describe as academic. "Playing dress up for the day is exactly what I need."

"Sometimes, we just need to pretend to be other people," Laura added, nodding her head as she agreed. "Now, everything just needs to go according to plan."

♡

I KNOW I SAID THIS WILL BE A LAURA / ANA CENTRIC CHAPTER, but I decided to leave that till the next chapter! It was supposed to be in this one, but the chapter was getting too long so I cut it in half. I have a rough draft finished of the next chapter, so I just need to go in and fluff it up! I wanted to focus on Arkham Asylum in its own chapter! So, this one is more centered around the company and it became much longer than I would have expected. But, it is still short compared to my other chapters. But, I would rather split it up so I can give the next chapter much more love and attention.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We saw a much different side of Anastasia than we're used to seeing if I am being honest! We only saw her like this back in chapter eight where she threatened to kill Falcone! But, honestly, Anastasia is under so much stress and she is getting ready to blow up very soon. But, we still have a little bit till that happens. If you guys have played the game, then you know the next scene is the company takeover scene but that won't happen for a while! I need to get a lot further in Anastasia's plot before we can jump back into the game's plot. But, hopefully we'll get there soon!

I am excited to explore Arkham Asylum in the next chapter! I have taken inspiration mostly from Batman: Arkham Asylum in how it looks like and a little bit from Telltale. I think the Arkham games do a really good job at showing how dark and dangerous Gotham truly is. I am currently playing City and then, I plan to replay Knight again! Hopefully, my fic that centers around those fics will be out soon! But, who knows! I don't think I will focus on any other Bruce Wayne fics till I finish this one! I am too focused on this one at the moment and I am okay with that. No shame I used mine and samwnchesters's names as Ana and Laura's fake names, hehe.

Also, I was looking at faceclaims and Amanda Seyfried could play Anastasia so well. I was so tempted to change it, but we're so deep into the book. I think we should stick with Lucy Boynton since she portrays Anastasia so well too. But, I was conflicted for most of the day while editing this chapter. But, Lucy fits Anastasia too well.

Anyways, I do apologize for the shorter chapter! Hopefully, the next chapter will be out ASAP!

AMARA.
[ PUBLISH DATE ━━ 10.07.2022 ]