Lavina did not just spend the entire day with Bruce's parents. She stayed overnight and persuaded Bruce not to overwork himself as usual and come to bed early.
She could see he had been a lot stressed as her fingers gently caressed his throbbing temples, "Bruce, what is bothering you?"
"Nothing..." He replied, managing a smile for her as he leaned in to kiss her, "I just have a very important meeting tomorrow with Drake Corporate. I heard Jack's son filled in for the CEO's post and I am just uncertain of how things would go."
"Are you sure?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically, "I know you. You don't get stressed like this over business matters. As for Jack's son being a CEO, isn't he just fourteen? There's nothing to worry about."
He took in a deep breath, marveling at how she could always know exactly what he was thinking such that he couldn't hide it behind any facade, "yeah... You're right."
"I am always right, sweetheart," she chuckled, dark irises melting into his pale blue ones, "including my assumption that you're worried about something else altogether and used this as a feeble cover-up. Because there is absolutely no way Bruce Wayne would feel competition from a kid..."
A slight smile tugged up on his face to see that playful gleam in her eyes, "I guess."
"Talk to me," she coaxed, turning over so that her head was resting on her palm and she was looking sideways at him, "tell me what's wrong."
The way she looked at him with those eager eyes and gentle smile made him want to open up and tell her everything. She was always a very good listener and she had helped him out of a lot of problems earlier as well.
It wouldn't hurt to tell her what he thought. But maybe it would hurt, considering that the way he was thinking to deal with the situation might tear them apart.
"I'm worried that my parents would get attacked again," it took him a while to voice that out.
"And why do you think that?"
"I mean, Father is the Mayor and he would have a lot of people wanting to kill him already. With the whole hype going on about taxes and new policies that were effective this month, he has faced a lot of opposition."
She was listening closely, "and?"
"And even I have been caught up a lot with all that Wayne Tech is pursuing. Both me and Father have enemies who won't stop at anything to get rid of us. And in the midst of it all, Mother and you would get endangered too."
Lavina knew exactly where he was heading with the conversation, "please don't tell me you're going to call off the alliance and the engagement."
His face whitened, "I... Uh..."
"Bruce, look here," her eyes seemed to actually flicker with genuine emotion as she leaned closer, "if what I said was right then you should know it's also stupid... Don't do that."
"I... I love you, Lavina," he breathed, his hand cupping her cheek tenderly, "and I care a lot for you as well as my family. That's why I don't want you to get invo..."
She silenced him as she connected their lips together in a kiss, stealing his breath away. She had pushed him down, her hands clasping his wrists and holding him firmly as she deepened the moment.
Bruce felt all his walls crumble just like he was always with her; he could never resist and she made sure of that.
"I didn't just say yes to marrying you to stay away from your problems," she breathed as she pulled apart briefly, "I'm a part of your family now and I can handle a lot more than you think, Bruce. Don't assume that I would be safer away from you."
Though deep down, she had decided that Lincoln March's time was up.
She could not let him mess with the only other people than Richard who she had started to envision as a family.
***
She was the first to arrive at the meeting, unlike her last time.
That night, she was ready to pay all that was due to the obnoxious Head of the Court who had no right misusing the power which came with his title.
"You've messed up with enough people, Lincoln. I won't let you mess up with more," her voice was a barely audible whisper as she paced the room, waiting for the others to arrive.
Soon enough, the room began to fill up, members entering and bowing their heads slightly to her before settling down. Ever since that incident in which she had taken out her dagger at the Head, the others had started to be a lot more respectful towards her.
Though she knew they were not fully trustworthy and she would always have to keep watching her back.
They were after all a group of very dangerous people who were all well-connected and from Gotham's oldest and finest families. Backstabbing was nothing new to them nor were other crimes such as murder.
Their daggers were tainted with blood; some of it deserving, some of it innocent.
But human blood nonetheless, for which all of them could be imprisoned, to say the least.
The door opened at last and Lincoln March stepped in, wearing the robes that signified his status as the Head. He walked up to his chair and sat down, eyes flickering towards the masked woman hovering close by.
"Welcome Mister March," her tone was venomous, "I hope you remember that the time I gave you to think is up now. I need your answer."
He stiffened in his seat, "the audacity of you to talk like that to the Head and even after you stole my dagger..."
"Your dagger?" She laughed, the weapon emerging in her hands again, "say that again and it will slice through you."
"Why are none of you restraining her?" He looked back at all the rest of the members who seemed confused about what to do, "did you not hear what I said? She stole my dagger..."
"The audacity of you to lie like that," right next moment, the blade was pointed at him threateningly, "I think this is your way of telling me that you won't cooperate."
"No. I won't bow down to a woman who just joined the Court and has no idea what it takes to be a part of this."
She shook her head, "oh dear, Mister March, I have no idea? Are you sure about that?"
"Stop calling me that," he seethed.
"But isn't that your name? Lincoln March, CEO of March Ventures. Isn't that who you are?" She watched him seethe in fury and shrugged, "let's keep it even then. I told your identity to the rest of them, it will only be fair if you and all the rest of the Court know who I am too. Maybe that will confirm who has the right to take on the status of the Head."
The unnerving silence in the room indicated that all of the members were fixated on the two and watching the events unfold with eagerness.
Her finger reached up to the mask which she peeled off from her face and a mixture of shocked gasps escaped the audience.
"Romilda..."
"It's Lavina," she corrected him, edging closer such that her knife was against his throat, "and just so you all don't try anything stupid, I know every single person underneath their masks. It doesn't make a difference to me if you wear your masks or not in front of me. I know who you are and I can expose you too if you don't cooperate."
The silence turned heavy at that remark.
"All I want is cooperation but if the Head refuses to behave, what will the others do? Surely they wouldn't want to follow in his footsteps," her lips had turned up in a threatening smirk, one that made even Lincoln's blood turn cold though he had heartlessly killed several people by those very hands that felt useless at the moment.
It seemed as if she had cast a spell on them all, binding them to be unable to do anything but stare at her in shock.
The members were all frozen in their seats, unable to react though their Head's eyes were urging them to get her away from him.
But she was a Vikander. Her family founded the Court and she was the rightful Head while the current Head had only stolen the rank from her.
They couldn't afford to go against her because she also knew their identities.
They could see she hadn't been bluffing when she said that as the firmness of her tone and the glint in her eyes confirmed that.
"So what's your answer?" She asked one last time, "do you accept my offer or do you accept to perish?"
"Miss Vikander, we all accept you as our Head. Please let him go," one of the members spoke up and the others nodded their heads in agreement.
"Ah but I don't want to be the Head. I clearly said he could keep his position," her voice was sickly sweet as she withdrew the dagger, "isn't that right, Lincoln?"
"I won't be your puppet," he muttered through gritted teeth, eyes ablaze with fury.
"Such a pity," she shook her head, that smile turning even more menacing, "would you perhaps like to be a doll? All packed up in your pretty little coffin..."
He felt that wave of unease wash over him again as if just like a puppet master, she held an unbreakable control over him already.
"You have been abusing the power of the Court for so long, it's time you get a taste of your own medicine, isn't it?" Her smile pierced through him just like the dagger that went straight through his heart.
He choked and the rest of the members looked at the scene in horror as blood spurted out of his mouth, red tainting the white owl mask he wore.
She took the dagger out as Lincoln drew in a sharp last breath, blood pooling down to his robes.
"Clean the mess," she ordered, wiping off the dagger from the dying man's robes, "and keep in mind that if any of you dare to abuse the power of the Court or misuse it for your own reasons, I will find out and you will meet an even painful end. Now get this wretched corpse out of my sight!"
Two of the closest seated members sprang into action to take the bloodied corpse away. Lavina eyed the rest of them and though she couldn't see their features due to the mask, she had been right in stating that it didn't make any difference to her.
She could see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes and that was exactly what she expected from them.
Finally, the status of the Head had come back to its rightful owner to reclaim.
The only problem was that she did not intend to directly take leadership of the court.
"You," she pointed to the man sitting on the left of the Head's chair, "how long have you been serving the Court?"
"Ever since I was nineteen, Ma'am."
She thought for a while then nodded, her hand resting on the chair Lincoln's dead body had been just a few minutes earlier, "this is your seat from now on. Any objections?"
"Not at all," he gulped and though the mask hid it, she knew exactly what was going on in his mind.
"Good. Don't be stupid like Lincoln though. I wouldn't want to take another life," her remark was offhanded but pierced through all of the members present.
They could see right then that she was ruthless and getting in her bad books could only bring more harm than any good to them.
***