17 A DEAL

"Go ahead, it's not like I have anything to lose," Selina shrugged her shoulders indifferently. She doesn't believe Bruce would actually help her get out of street life. No one would do that─ they all have selfish motives.

Bruce nodded, "Do you wish to leave the streets?"

She rolled her eyes, "Of course! Who wants to live like this?"

He ignored her sarcasm, continuing his questions, "If given the chance, what would you want to become?"

Selina pursed her lips, thinking hard. No one has ever asked her such a question─ usually, people only cared about beating her after catching her stealing their stuff. She pondered for a moment, "I don't know. Too busy surviving out here to think about the future."

Bruce tilted his head slightly, "You have any family?"

"Dead," She replied curtly, averting her eyes. Memories of her parents flashed through her mind─ her alcoholic father used to hit her mother often. Selina hated her father for hurting her mom and resented her mother for not standing up for herself. One night, her mother cut her wrist and bled to death in the bathtub. Her father died due to excessive drinking in the following month.

Bruce sensed her pain and nodded sympathetically, "What about Maggie?" He asked about her sister who was adopted by a nearby church.

Selina's expression darkened, "Who told you about Maggie? Did you spy on me?" She glared at Bruce angrily, clenching her fists.

"I am the one asking questions here," Bruce remained calm despite her hostility. "Tell me, do you wish to meet Maggie?"

She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before nodding silently. She misses Maggie─ she used to take care of her when they were small, always protecting her from their abusive father. When Maggie got adopted, Selina ran away from the orphanage. She couldn't bear to part with her sister.

Bruce smiled, sensing her honesty, "Work for me, Selina Kyle. I will help you get back on your feet and make sure to help you reunite with your sister. You will never have to steal or run. I will take care of you and your sister. All I ask you in return is your help..."

"My help?!" She raised an eyebrow skeptically. Bruce is a billionaire─ what help does he need from her?

"Yes," He continued. "You have skills. Pickpocketing, lock-picking, climbing walls, and rooftops─ these are useful skills. But I will polish them and sharpen them to perfection. I will provide you with proper education and training─ you will learn martial arts and become proficient with weapons. You will learn stealth, espionage, and infiltration techniques. I will also teach you hacking and technology..."

Selina blinked in confusion, overwhelmed by his offer.

"Wow... wow! Wait a minute!" She interrupted Bruce. "You are offering me a lot─ education, training, even helping me reunite with Maggie. But why do you need my help? What do you want me to do? Are you trying to kill someone?"

Bruce burst out laughing, "Hahahaha... Kill someone? Nope. All you need to know now is that I need your skills for my future plans..."

"Future plans?" Selina scratched her head in bewilderment. "I don't understand..."

"All in due time. You have much to learn first," He assured her. "You accept my offer?"

Selina stared at Bruce uncertainly─ his offer was tempting, but she didn't trust him yet. She needs to know more about him before deciding whether to accept or reject his proposal. However, his offer was too good to decline. A chance like this may never come again─ Selina decided to take a leap of faith and agreed to Bruce's proposal.

'As long as Maggie is taken care of, I don't care what he makes me do...' She reasoned internally. 'I will kill if that's what it takes to get a good life for Maggie. And considering his way of talking, I don't think he is like those other rich kids. I can tell he isn't after my body... Even though my top is a bit torn and my chest is popping out... He hasn't even glanced at my cleavage...'

"I will take the deal. But I want my sister safe first," Selina declared boldly, staring straight into Bruce's eyes. She hopes Maggie is happy and healthy─ years of abuse and neglect have left her emotionally scarred. She blamed herself for Maggie getting adopted─ maybe if she stopped their father from drinking, he would have changed his ways. "I want her to live a good life─ happy, safe, and healthy... Can you promise me that?"

Bruce extended his hand toward Selina with a confident smile, "Deal."

She took his hand firmly, sealing their agreement.

Bruce then took off his jacket and put it around her shoulder─ Selina blushed, feeling warm and cozy wearing Bruce's jacket.

"Thanks," She mumbled clenching the warm jacket. It was cold outside─ winter was approaching Gotham City.

"Well," He touched her head and used his teleportation skill. A bright flash of blue lightning covered Selina─ Bruce disappeared alongside her.

They reappeared in the alley near the Wayne manor.

"Bleehhh!" Selina fell on her knees and vomited─ teleporting for the first time made her nauseous. Bruce chuckled and helped her stand up. "What did you do? What was that?"

"That would be our little secret," He winked mysteriously as he waited for her to recover. Then they made their way toward the manor.

Selina, with a mischievous glint in her eye, spoke, "So, is this the life of a billionaire? You can just teleport out whenever you want? Is that new tech?"

Bruce laughed, "No, not exactly. It's just a little trick I have. Maybe I will tell you more about it in the future."

Alfred, looking relieved to see Bruce safe, hurried over to them. 

As they approached the gate, he saw Alfred rushing out with the guards.

"Ahh!" He smiled awkwardly.

"Did something happen?" She asked noticing the rush.

"Well, I sneaked out to the city alone without informing them... They must have freaked out..."

"Master Bruce, you gave us quite a scare! I trust you've had a satisfactory excursion?" Alfred asked with a stern expression.

"Haha... Sorry about that. I just couldn't take it anymore and slipped out," He gave Alfred an awkward grin, rubbing his head.

Alfred sighed, "No matter, what matters is your safety." He then glanced at the girl following Bruce, "And who might be this young lady?"

"Introduce yourself." Bruce smiled, urging her to step forward.

"Selina Kyle," She gave him a sheepish grin while introducing herself, hiding behind his back as if feeling shy. This was her first time seeing so many bodyguards and she is about to enter a huge ass mansion. If anyone told her she was going to live in the Wayne manor with her sister yesterday, she would laugh in their face and kick them between their legs.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Kyle." Alfred nodded at her, not giving her a weird look, but a warm welcome instead, "Please come inside. You two must be cold and tired."

Bruce thanked Alfred and urged Selina to follow him. As they entered the Wayne manor, Selina gasped in awe, everything looked shiny, sparkling, and luxurious. The interior design was grand golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, exquisite paintings decorated the walls, marble floors, and crystal lights, everything looked elegant and majestic. Bruce noticed her reaction and smiled, "Welcome home."

"Home..." Selina mumbled softly, tears welling up in her eyes, blurring her vision. "This is a freaking palace..."

Bruce chuckled. He understood how she felt. He looked toward Alfred and gave a tiny nod. Alfred immediately understood Bruce's signal. He ordered the maids to prepare Selina a bath and find some suitable clothes for her.

"Go on. No need to be afraid. I know it's hard to trust anyone after everything. So, let's earn each other's trust first. Just relax and freshen up, the maids will help you. I will talk to my dad about Maggie," Bruce encouraged Selina. He could tell she was uncomfortable being surrounded by strangers.

Selina hesitated for a moment before finally leaving with the maids.

'I don't know what to make of this situation...' She thought inwardly as she followed the maids to the bathroom. 'Is Bruce really trustworthy? Or is this all a prank? Rich bastards love playing cruel pranks on homeless kids─ humiliating and abusing us... No, no, no, Bruce is somewhat... Unique. Just don't screw this up, Selina... Maggie depends on you...'

"So," Alfred turned toward Bruce with a stern gaze, crossing his arms.

"She will become my assistant. She has potential, raw talents, and skills that need polishing," Bruce explained briefly.

"I see. You must be thinking of the future..." Alfred nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes. Dad has his trusted people and I need mine to make my dreams come true," Bruce confirmed Alfred's speculation. He needs loyal followers who will help him cleanse Gotham later. Selina is the first person he recruited.

"Very well. I shall inform Master Thomas about Miss Kyle," He said respectfully.

"Oh, you haven't told him that I sneaked out, have you?" Bruce asked cautiously. He knew his father would ground him if he found out that he sneaked out of the house without any bodyguards just when he was recovering.

"Just this once," The butler smirked playfully.

"Thank you, Alfred," He grinned.

"Now, now, you better get changed before your parents arrive. They will be home any minute now," Alfred shooed Bruce upstairs toward his room.

"Alright, alright..."

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