DC: I am Bruce Wayne

Chapter 85: Navigating Moral Gray

---

"Love, passion, why do we get caught up by such troublesome feelings? The mind can't ever get things straight, and you lose control to know what is sensible. Deep down it's all so vexing."

– Usui Takumi, (Maid Sama!)

---

<(Bruce Wayne POV)>

"Bruce, it's afternoon already. I think you should wake up soon or Alfred would probably call the doctor." Cortana's voice came from speakers in my room, trying to wake me up.

"A few minutes more Cortana. I didn't get any sleep the entire night, I need this." I said with a mumble as I tried to return to the world of slumber.

"No, you don't. You can go weeks without any sleep." She ruthlessly denied my request, countering me with a fact. "Now, get up or I am telling Alfred that you had not been partying last night like you told him but actually beating up criminals." She threatened.

"... Damn you. I should have made you more submissive and obedient." I complained, trying to throw a pillow at her but stopping after I remembered that she didn't have a physical body and her speakers were embedded in the walls of the entire mansion. The worst I could do from here was try to damage her cameras but again that would just be me damaging my own property.

But this reminds me, I do need to come clean to Alfred about my Batman persona. I don't want the old man complaining later on about me not trusting him enough. That is if he already doesn't know about everything.

"Then, you would have had an obedient bitch on your hands but not the loyal and capable me." Her proud voice retorted.

"Haha, very funny. I guess you finally entered your rebellious phase. What next? Are you going to fall in love with an emo broody boy covered in tattoos?" I teased with a smirk.

"Aren't you just describing yourself?"

"..." She was right. I doubt there would be anyone more emo and broody than Batman. Plus, I have quite several unique tattoos and patterns on my upper body to protect myself from stuff like possessions, curses, and other supernatural shit. So, I was basically describing myself with that statement.

"Any updates on Falcone? Did any of your drones manage to get a picture of his crying face?" I joked, trying to change the topic to avoid embarrassment.

I had spent more than ten hours last night destroying most of his storage houses and illegal factories in the city. With the amount of his drug shipments, money, weapons, and other resources I had destroyed, I was sure that his empire would have been half gone by now.

"No, but I did get some shots of him destroying his living room in anger, I will show them to you later. But jokes aside, he is still far from being absolutely ruined. His legal establishments like hotels and pubs along with the cash he stores in his primary hideout would save him from running out of resources real soon. Also, we still haven't begun addressing the Goham Renewal fund, which is his biggest source of power, the backbone of his criminal empire. We expose that, and half of the corrupt politicians and gangsters of the city would be exposed." Cortana advised, going back to her serious tone.

"... I need some time to think about it. Exposing that would smudge the name of the Wayne family forever, I don't know if the company can afford that. Plus there is also the matter of my public image as well..."
"Are you sure it's not because you are just afraid to taint the name of... your parents? Exposing the Gotham renewal fund wouldn't really affect your or the deceased Wayne couple's reputation that much, well at least not to the point that some PR stunts won't fix. But, it might bring to light some other facts like... Mrs. Wayne's and her family's history with mental illness as well as the mysterious death of the reporter who was investigating it. That might raise questions about Mr. Wayne's involvement in the death of the reporter." Cortana gently asked, it was almost like she was trying to be my psychologist.