Chapter 49: Feline Troubles Part 3

"Argh…"

A groggy Catwoman released a pained moan and moved her head from side to side as her eyes slowly began to open. Her blurred vision scanned the surroundings, and she found herself in a familiar place. "My apartment?"

She was a bit unsure because the last thing she remembered was being attacked, which made her wonder how she got there.

The answer soon revealed itself when she tried to move but found she couldn't—she was tied up, worse still, stripped down to her underwear with her costume nowhere in sight.

"Mornin~ sleepyhead," a lively greeting from the corner of the room had Catwoman dart her eyes in that direction immediately. There she saw a smiling Harley, who looked vastly different without her usual makeup and dyed hair.

Catwoman frowned upon seeing Harley in her apartment, but it was then that she remembered hearing another set of footsteps just before she lost consciousness.

She began looking around the living room but saw no one in sight—until moments later when Arias came out of the bedroom with a laptop in hand.

"Nice of you to finally wake up, Catwoman. Or do you prefer I call you Selina?"

Selina's frown became more apparent, but it soon fizzled away and was replaced by her usual seductive smile.

"I'd prefer you untie me. I like being tied up as much as the next gal, but you didn't even buy me a drink first. Men these days."

Selina got as comfortable as she could on the sofa and spoke in a more relaxed tone.

"Ou, me, me! I'm the next gal she's talking about," Harley promptly replied from her corner, but was ignored by both Arias and Selina, who seemed focused solely on each other.

Arias casually placed the laptop on the table nearby along with a phone before turning to face Selina with his arms crossed.

"Let's skip the useless banter. Why did you steal from me?"

Although Selina liked to joke even in serious situations, Arias wanted to know the reason behind her theft and whether or not someone had sent her.

"I'm a thief, darling. It's what I do," Selina said, far too relaxed given the current situation. Arias decided to start chipping away at that confidence of hers.

"Oh? And would Bruce approve of these little escapades of yours? I had my suspicions about him, but I was still pleasantly surprised. Your devices aren't as secure as you thought."

Selina's seductive smile was replaced with a frown, and she immediately jerked up despite being tied. She launched a kick towards Arias with lightning-fast reflexes and agility, but it wasn't enough to catch him by surprise.

His eyes gave off a gray glow, and her entire body was enveloped in a thin layer of the same light, causing her movements to come to an abrupt halt.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Arias smiled briefly before sending her body flying toward the wall.

"Argh!"

Selina gritted her teeth and braced herself for the impact, but even she couldn't react fast enough, resulting in a painful crash.

"You can't prove anything," she muttered, glaring angrily at Arias.

"True, there's no outright proof, but anyone with enough knowledge on the matter can put the pieces together. Unfortunately for you, I happen to have that knowledge, and your reaction only solidified my suspicions."

Selina, still tied up and in pain, couldn't even stand up straight. Despite this, she tried to maintain a confident demeanor and not fall for Arias's provocation.

"Well, that's got nothing to do with me. I was holding onto that for my own sake. Just what is it you want from me? Your jewelry? Long gone. I don't waste time finding buyers," she taunted, trying to provoke him, but Arias only chuckled and shook his head.

"I couldn't care less about the jewels. I've already gained far more than I assumed I would from you. I'd ask more, but it's clear you're the stubborn type. I could force you, but I doubt you know much in the first place, so our conversation ends here."

Arias turned and walked away, gesturing for Harley to follow. As he did so, the sound of sirens in the distance echoed through the apartment, causing an already tense Selina to show even more worry.

"It seems the police were tipped off about your little thieves' den. Don't give me that look; I've already wiped most of the information on your devices. After all, it's of little use to me if it's made public."

Aside from evidence linking Catwoman to various thefts and connections to black market sites and dealers, the information on her devices was wiped.

…

By the time Arias returned to his penthouse with Harley in tow, news had already spread of Selina's arrest and her identity as Catwoman revealed to the public in a grand fashion.

Not many took the news deeply or showed much interest—criminals were arrested daily, and she wasn't considered particularly dangerous.

"Geez, what a waste, Boss. You could've at least let me have some fun with her, y'know," Harley commented while lounging on Arias's sofa upside down, her legs kicking the air.

Arias was seated a bit further away, going through the information Selina had on her devices, not paying much mind to the news.

"From what I can see here, she has a lot of dirt that many big names wouldn't want getting out. She's smart, so I doubt she'll even get sentenced with cards like these in her deck. Unfortunately, there's nothing on Luthor—a shame."

Arias closed his laptop and sighed before standing up and leaving the room. Seeing this, Harley got up from her seat and tried to follow him into his room, but he shut the door before she could enter.

"Boss, I think you forgot about me," she knocked on the door while peeking through the keyhole.

"I didn't. You have your own apartment in this building, so use it. You're getting too comfortable here."

"Oh, c'mon, boss, just five minutes… you don't even gotta do anything. It'll just be me and your cock."

Hearing no reply, Harley banged on the door louder.

"Bosssss, I'm suffering from orgasm withdrawal. Is this how you treat hardworking employees? I'll take my abuse to the labor union, to the press, Congress, PETA—oh c'mon. Just one nut…"

"If you weren't gonna give me more, then why'd you let me have a taste? That's just cruel. Fine, don't go blaming Harley when you get raped."

"Boss… open the door…"

*Click~*