Chương 18: SEVENTEEN

continuing from last chapter...

"What, what do you mean by cheating on you?" I ask Circe while rapidly putting on my pyjamas.

"What do I not mean by that. I sat in your room all day, waiting for you to come back from work so I give your day a happy ending. But what do I see when you return?, another woman sucking your lips off." What the fuck, since when did our relationship become so serious. I thought I was just a longterm booty call to her.

"Well that was what you were at first, but there has been a growth in my emotional attachment to you Raymond." She said.

Wait, how the fuck did she know what I was... that bitch.

"I thought I told you not to read my thoughts, that is so fucked up." I screamed at her, my anger clouding my danger sense.

"Don't you fucking raise your voice at me boy!" She screamed right back and the entire building shook at it's foundation. As shit, I've incurred the wrath of the goddess of sorcery. But I can't back down now, so I didn't cower and beg, no I instead shut the fuck up.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, huh?" She asks, her still burning green eyes centred on me. With a long sigh, I reply the only way I can,

"Nothing my lady, I have nothing to say for myself. Whatever I have to say, you obviously will not care to reason with." I watch as her eyes cool down and then steel up with determination set in them.

"There will be punishment for this. And we will talk later, you know when I'm more receptive to your explanations." With that said she vanished right before my eyes.

I release another sigh and walk towards my bed before dropping onto it feeling very mentally exhausted. I hear a shuffling of feet in the room, and upon inspection I see Sandra standing in a corner staring at me. She had put on one of my shirts and shorts.

Seeing that I am now aware of her existence once again, she gives a shrug and walks to join me in the bed. Still tired, I slam my head back down into the bed again.

...

Two weeks later, Merchant Tower, Gotham City.

I have put the mild threat of Circe out of my mind, after all she made it in a moment of anger and jealousy. My current problem is waiting for me outside my office right now.

Said problem is none other than the Intergang. This guys have been bothering me to join them or form some type of business partnership. Now, usually I would brush them away and tell them to fuck off, but intergang is such a really powerful group that even the justice league have not been able to put an end to their existence. I alone cannot deal with them, so I plan on working with Batman and the justice league to take them down. Unfortunately, after smashing Bruce's face in they've become quite adverse to working with me. Cowards.

Anyway, let's get this nasty business over with. I push a button on the intercom and tell Stella to allow them in. My office door slides open, and two well dressed men walk in with dumb smirks on their face. I sight Stella's disgusted face and know that one of them must have hit on her.

I gesture towards the two chairs facing me for them to sit in. They take their seats and one of the idiots drops his briefcase on my table. Big mistake. I reach forward, grab the briefcase and smash it into his nose. The nose explodes into a mess of flesh and blood.

The now noseless gangster holds onto the river fall of blood that was once his nose and shouts out in pain, before fainting from it. I rearrange my sitting position and a drone flies over to the downed gangster before cauterising the injury. I look at the other gangster who was seated and watching his fallen partner with apprehension. I bring his attention back to me by saying,

"Sorry about that, I just hate it when people stain my table. It costs a lot money you know." He gives a shaky nod and replies,

"Of course I understand Mr. Pearson, sir. And I assure you it will never happen again." I smirk, knowing my dominance has been made clear and proceed to say,

"Thank you, your assurances mean a lot to me. Anyway back to the reason you came to pay me a visit." The gangster remains staring at me for a while after I said that, until snap my finger and bring him out of his deep thoughts. The man sharply gathers his thoughts and proceeds to tell me about the proposed partnership and all I would benefit from accepting to join them. He wisely did not mention what they would do if I rejected the proposal. At the end of his extensive presentation, I concisely replied with a word,

"NO." I say looking into his eyes.

He raises both his brows in surprise and reiterates my answer as a question, like he wasn't sure what he had just heard.

"NO?" He asks, I nod to emphasise and repeat my answer,

"NO." His eyes widen this time and he tries to come up with words with no success. Finally, he regains his composure and says,

"Uhmm I'm not sure what to say. May I know why sir?" I sigh, get up from my seat, walk to my glass wall and look out towards the city for a few seconds. I turn back to the man and give him my answer,

"Why not. That is my answer, why not." He stays still, obviously confused by my words, so I continue saying,

"I'm rich, powerful and have connections. While intergang has more of those than I do, and can definitely help increase mine, the benefits to me are way too minuscule in comparison to the detriments that the alliance could cause me. I'm more than satisfied with what I have right now, if you feel like you can provide an absolute shield from the justice league and no stain to my rep partnering with you guys, then sure."(Raymond doesn't fear the Justice league, he would just rather not deal with them if he does not have to. He still has the court of owls at the back of his mind you know)

The gangster nods his head in understanding and says,

"I will inform my boss of your decision, have a goodnight sir." I nod in return and watch as he picks up his partner and carries him out my office. I swivel my chair so that I'm facing my offices wall and overlook Old Gotham's night life. I have just one thought going through my mind now, 'I hope I have not forged an enmity between I and the intergang'.

...

(General POV)

Somewhere in Gotham.

In a barely lit room, several dark figures are sitting around a table discussing about none other than our MC 'Raymond Pearson'.

"We've finally gained success in infiltrating the home of Raymond Pearson also known as the green goblin." One of the figures says.

"Hmmm, then it's time for us to move to the next phase then." Another one replied.

"Yes, but shall we send the invitation via a talon or is a member ready to expose themselves to invite him." An aged voice says.

"We have a volunteer in the form of the Powers family. Apparently one of Maria's granddaughter was a classmate of Mr. Pearson in middle school." Another figure replied. The aged voice now obviously a leader amongst them then says

"Good tell them they are granted permission. And if he doesn't accept our invitation, we would send a talon to show our insistence." As if sensing the affirmation of the other figures, the aged leader continues, "May the court control its reign over Gotham."

"Long live the court of owls."