Chapter 80: Trails of Gotham Part 4

After giving Selina an ultimatum, Arias immediately left the Gotham PD. As for Selina herself, she was returned to a holding cell and left to her thoughts.

The cell she stayed in was quite poor in quality. Although Arias was bringing about change to Gotham, many buildings were still in a state of disrepair. With so many corrupt leaders having enjoyed the city's money as they pleased in the past, many areas of development were ignored.

But even in such a smelly and cold cell, Selina's focus lay elsewhere. She sat cross-legged on the thin mattress located on a metallic frame and leaned against the wall with a self-mocking expression.

"Look what you got yourself into, Selina. The brooding prince hasn't even tried to help you… yet you're rotting in here because you don't want his identity exposed. What a fucking dead end."

Selina, being a notorious thief, had her fair share of dangerous and somewhat hopeless situations, so her circumstances weren't really what bothered her. Instead, it was her foolish choice to help Bruce, and this wasn't the first time.

The two had clashed before, and he had once saved her from a tough spot, even going as far as to let her go. Ever since then, they had a sort of unspoken and strange relationship.

Whenever they encountered one another, she would tease and flirt with him, while he would tell her to use her life better and stop committing crimes. But the reality of the situation was that she loved stealing. It was almost like a form of art to her, something she wouldn't just give up for any man… no matter how smitten she was herself.

Things became a bit more serious once both knew each other's identities as they went as far as going on a few dates. It was then that Selina realized she was in love with the brooding and justice-bound Batman… not the lavish and charming Bruce Wayne.

Although they were the same person, to her, they felt like two completely different people. So, she returned to her thieving ways and enjoyed her few encounters with the Batman—being chased, teasing him, having him scold her, and so on.

It wasn't strange for her to feel this way. She was in the peak years of her life, enjoying it to the fullest and living on the edge, something she wanted to keep doing, something she felt Batman could give her… but not Bruce Wayne.

So as she sat there thinking, she dug into her sleeve and removed a small pin. She twirled it playfully while glancing at the keyhole of her cell before sighing.

"You win some, you lose some, girl. You don't owe him anything," she muttered before flipping the pin up and catching it in her right hand as she stood up.

…

At around the same time in Washington, Lex Luthor was pacing around his office with a smug grin on his face while on a phone call.

"Good, see to it that they get it done. I'll give you a bonus the more thorough they are."

"Don't worry, Lex, I've got a way with words. Just see to it that you keep your end of the bargain," a familiar feminine voice replied on the other side of the call in a somewhat doubtful tone.

Lex, though, continued to smile just as Mercy walked into the room. He only gave her a partial glance before choosing to wrap up the call.

"You have nothing to worry about, Roulette. Just continue to prove useful, and I in turn will continue to guarantee your protection and pay. Have a lovely evening now, dear."

After saying that, Lex cut the call and turned to face Mercy once again, only this time she seemed upset—at least more than she usually did, and that was a lot.

"I don't see how some wanted slut is useful. What is it that she's done that's got you grinning wider than usual?"

Despite Mercy's harsh tone, the ever-charismatic Lex beamed a smile and took the opportunity to tell her about the brilliance of his plan.

"She, Mercy my dear, is acting as my instigator. I've asked her to hire some dangerous individuals for me to cause some chaos in Gotham. Take a few lives, destroy some property, and prove that Markovic's ways aren't perfect."

"Worst case scenario, they get stopped before doing too much by Wonder Woman or whoever else and spill the beans. But even then, they'll think it was Roulette who hired them—someone who is already wanted. At the end of the day, win or lose, everything works in my favor. Brilliant, isn't it?"

He put his hands behind his back and stuck out his chest while raising his head in a very proud manner. Mercy just clicked her tongue at him and rolled her eyes, largely unimpressed.

"Is that why you cooped yourself in here all day? To think of that?"

"Of course not. A man as brilliant as me needs only a few seconds to construct such a plan. Anyway, have you done what I asked?"

"Yeah, your stupid flight has been prepped."

"Good, now while Gotham deals with its troubles, I'll make Metropolis the most eye-catching city in the world."