Chapter 12: She's Really Obsessed with Desserts
With an upcoming exam at the tutoring center, Jason used it as an excuse to persuade the girl to stay home. He simply didn't want her out late at night participating in whatever he was doing, even though she hadn't actually figured out what his main activities were.
Stephanie even suspected he was just wandering around at night, getting into fights and getting beaten up. Was Jason really that shameless?
"But I'll study," Stephanie protested. Did turning into a bird mean she couldn't go out tonight?
Jason smiled, "No, even if you could, you can't go out tonight. Stay home and review what you've learned. If you don't do well on the test, I'll..."
He paused, seeing Stephanie's puzzled expression, then continued to smile, "You won't get to eat sweets for a week."
Stephanie: !!!
Due to her young age, Jason had already restricted her sugar intake to three pieces maximum per day, with dessert allowed every three days, and she had to brush her teeth on time, or else he'd deduct her candy.
Stephanie didn't object, she was just shocked by the conditions Jason had set. "Reward?"
Jason raised an eyebrow, "You'll get one if you do well."
Her eyes sparkled, but he didn't specify what the reward would be.
In the following days, Stephanie naturally refrained from going out in bird form to maintain a good exam preparation state. The allure of an unknown reward was immense for a child.
Stephanie had initially worried about what might happen to Jason when she wasn't around, but when he returned, although there was some blood on him, it wasn't his, so she truly relaxed.
"Great job."
As he returned, the girl approached him solemnly, sniffing him like a little puppy, then earnestly praised him. Who was the adult in this house?
Jason crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "You sure like to meddle."
Stephanie looked up at him, unfazed, "So what?"
"Okay, okay, whatever you say." Jason skillfully placated the child, urging, "Since I'm back, you can go to bed now, okay?"
Stephanie nodded, yawning as she walked towards her room.
Jason chuckled. He didn't know where she learned the habit, but she always waited for him to come back before going to bed. If he didn't come back one night, would she stay awake all night? Where did she get that perseverance from? She was such a stubborn little brat.
The tutoring center's exam was just an assessment of what the students had recently learned, a measure of their knowledge. Jason was well aware that for a girl like Stephanie, these exams were a breeze.
When he dropped her off at the tutoring center, he patted her head and said, "Good luck."
Stephanie looked as if she had been inspired, her eyes determined. She nodded firmly, "Yeah!"
Jason chuckled. She was still just a child.
In the evening, when Jason came to pick her up, Stephanie walked up to him, pride evident in her eyes. Jason, intrigued, asked, "How did you do?"
Jason actually didn't care about her grades. The main purpose of sending her to this tutoring center was not for her to learn English; the grades were naturally not important.
Stephanie proudly produced a piece of paper with an A+ written in red in the top right corner. Jason raised an eyebrow in approval, "Very good. Let's go home. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."
Stephanie's eyes lit up even more. She opened her mouth, and Jason immediately added, "Desserts can be a reward, but they can't be the main course."
She instantly closed her mouth, her eyes showing a hint of resentment. But when she heard that there would still be dessert, she said, "Oh."
Jason looked pleased, "If you don't have anything particular in mind, I'll decide."
"Okay," she didn't object.
Jason didn't immediately take Stephanie home; instead, he took her to pick out her reward first.
The clean and tidy dessert shop was filled with a sweet aroma. Stephanie was overwhelmed; she looked at one dessert after another, unable to decide which one she wanted.
Jason sat in a nearby chair, his long legs crossed, looking helpless as he watched her. He wasn't sure if other girls liked desserts, but his girl loved them to the core. If it weren't for his rule limiting her intake, she might eat desserts three times a day. In that case, her teeth probably wouldn't last.
"Can't I have them all?" Stephanie turned back, still unwilling to give up, trying to be cute to soften Jason's heart.
But who could soften him with cuteness when he was expressionless? Jason joked, acknowledging her cuteness, but she always had the same unchanged expression. He felt he still had a long way to go.
"No, we agreed on just one," Jason teased, lips curling.
Stephanie immediately turned her head in disappointment, staring at the beautiful desserts exuding a sweet aroma, looking greedy as if she wanted to eat them all. The shop assistants chuckled at her behavior; they had seen many children like her who wanted everything just for a bite.
In the end, Stephanie chose a fruit tart. She looked eagerly at the shop assistant as Jason paid, then he grabbed her by the back of her collar and led her away.
Jason even suspected that all the lunch money he gave her before was spent on desserts, which was why she didn't gain any weight. He didn't want to admit that it was his fault for not raising her properly.
Back at the safe house, Jason placed the small cake on the top shelf of the fridge, a place Stephanie couldn't reach without standing on a chair. The fridge, filled with food and drinks, gave the house a lively atmosphere, and there was even plenty of room for milk.
Of course, the milk wasn't for Jason; he didn't like the taste. It was for the undernourished girl, to supplement her nutrition. Originally, he thought he'd make her drink it even if she didn't like it, but she wasn't picky; she ate and drank whatever was available.
While Jason was busy in the kitchen, Stephanie did her homework outside at the table, studying new knowledge. As time passed, the aroma of food gradually filled the small, cozy safe house, making it feel more alive.
"Go wash your hands; dinner's ready," Jason called out from the kitchen.
Stephanie immediately tidied up the scattered textbooks and notebooks on the table, as well as her phone. "Okay."
Batman was led to the location, where, in addition to Talia, there was a child.
"Father, you're much shorter than I imagined," the child, dressed in League of Assassins attire, stood before Batman, tilting his face up with a serious yet defiant expression.
Batman furrowed his brow. He thought this was a conspiracy, but the child did indeed resemble him; that was an undeniable fact.
A child from the League of Assassins, closely related to Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul, and possibly even to him.
Batman took him back to the Batcave for a DNA test, which confirmed their biological relationship—father and son without a doubt.
Having adopted several children, he never thought he would have a biological son, especially one born through his mother's unethical methods.
Looking at the arrogant, disdainful child in the Batcave, he even showed disrespect towards Alfred. Bruce knew what he wanted at that moment: he couldn't let him go, and he couldn't send this stubborn child, raised in the League of Assassins, back.
Initially, Bruce thought these were enough to prove that Damian needed education, but other events made him realize that he must strictly discipline Damian.
Tim, returning from outside, was shocked to learn that Batman had a biological son, but he quickly accepted the fact. A little boy— he believed they would get along just fine.
But Tim overlooked the fact that Damian was a child raised in the League of Assassins; he wasn't a typical empathetic child.
During a fight, Tim was seriously injured. If Batman hadn't returned in time, he might have died.
Damian almost killed Tim; he didn't even feel the slightest hint of guilt. The League of Assassins' education had deeply ingrained itself in Damian's heart. If left unchecked, he would undoubtedly become a ruthless criminal.
Bruce wouldn't allow that to happen. Regardless of the circumstances, he would steer Damian back on the right path.
In the evening, due to the recent matters Jason was dealing with, he forbade Stephanie from going out to find him again. He expected Stephanie to throw a tantrum, but she looked at him for a moment and then nodded.
Contrary to Jason's expectations of a fuss, he found her compliance quite pleasing. Yet, the fact that the girl didn't insist on going out with him still felt off to him. However, recalling her recent behavior, he couldn't pinpoint anything particularly strange about it, so he set aside his suspicions. He had to deal with some issues at the Iceberg Lounge, which he had recently taken over from the Penguin. Trouble was piling up, and it was best if Stephanie stayed away from it.
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