"The Court of Owls?"

By the surprise and confusion on Bruce's features, Richard could guess that the man knew nothing about it. Of course, he hadn't expected him to be aware as he believed people like Bruce were always so wrapped up in their own lives and accomplishments that they seldom noticed things happening around them.

He considered whether or not to explain to him but decided that Bruce had been living an unaware life for too long. It was time he found out the conspiracies woven within Gotham, most of which fell responsible directly to Lavina.

He briefly explained how the Court had started as a body to monitor Gotham city but later gotten corrupted. "One of their Talons attacked your parents as well. Now I'm not sure if Lavina sent that Talon or not but the two of them stem from a common root."

All that information was too much to absorb in such a short time and connecting it to Lavina, who he had seen a very different side of, was taking both time and effort.

Richard didn't halt just then, he proceeded to tell Bruce how the Court had made his life hell and Lavina had a lot to do with that.  

"She came to my house and wrecked the entire place, tortured my girlfriend, hurt my brother and best friend. She also happens to be the reason another close friend of mine, Timothy Drake, committed suicide. And after all that she has done, you still want me to feel sorry for her? I'm sorry, that's impossible."

The doorbell rang and Richard's eyes flickered towards the clock, knowing that once it would be Barbara for sure.

He stood up to go and answer the door, "you don't believe me yet, Mister Wayne? Then why don't you ask Barbara what happened? You know her, don't you, and you know she wouldn't lie to you. She happens to be right outside, I'll bring her in."

Bruce felt that he had gotten stuck in a catch 22 situation. It was difficult to believe that Lavina had done so much under the pretense of her being just an overachieving and ambitious businesswoman.

And even if he could suspect that Grayson was lying to him, if Barbara confirmed everything then he would have to accept it.

Shortly after, Richard had returned with Barbara who was just as surprised to see Bruce there. But it seemed as if he had briefly cleared up why Bruce had come to visit and those forest green irises were almost sympathetic as she looked at him.

It was almost a confirmation for all Bruce had heard and he could see Barbara knew it had been a lot for him to take in.

"Barbara, is he telling the truth?"

She nodded and that confirmation shook him. Believing that he was one of the very people who had known her for long and were close enough to see the real side of her, it came as a blow that the entire perception he had of Lavina Vikander was nothing but a beautiful mask that was slowly crumbling.

And if the face hidden behind that mask was as cruel as what Richard had just told him, then he would probably never want that mask to come off.

"Bruce, I know it's a lot for you to take in," she spoke in a soft comforting voice, "and it must have come as a shock. But Richard didn't lie about anything. Even though I can't say for certain what intentions Lavina had in doing all of this, she isn't entirely innocent. Richard might not be right about her having a hand in Tim's suicide as we don't have any proof, but that time she came to his house, hurt him as well as me, I have been witness to that."

Silence gripped the man as he was weighing out all that he had heard. Every perception he had had of the woman was shattering one by one.

But the awful part was that he still loved her. He could see it was a crippling weakness but after seeing her in that deteriorated state, he couldn't bring himself to leave her by herself.

The only decision he could reach at that moment was to confront Lavina himself and see if she told him everything truthfully. 

If she didn't, then he would have to leave her to her own devices and back off since it would be a clear answer that she didn't want him to get involved further. But he didn't know what he would do if she told him the truth either.

He was at a loss of what to believe and what not to.

"Bruce, I'm sorry you have to go through this," Barbara could understand the pain he was going through but Richard looked at him indifferently.

"One last question, Mister Wayne. I hope you will give me an honest answer," he spoke up when he saw the shock lessening from Bruce's features as if he was almost coming to accept it all.

He looked up, pale blue irises meeting with the icy blue of Richard's eyes.

"You must remember the meeting held between Wayne Enterprises and Drake Corporate. It was the last meeting Tim attended and Lavina was there too. Could you honestly tell me how was Lavina's behavior towards him," his voice was lowered but the eyes had gotten dark with an unseen wave of anger that he was trying his best to suppress, "did she do anything that would have bothered Tim that much into actually considering suicide?"

Bruce knew that Richard's assumption was right. Lavina had been quite cold towards Tim back then, making him believe that his ideal theories couldn't work out and Drake Corporate would eventually fail under an impractical authority figure like him.

He also recalled the conversation he and Lavina had had back then right after Tim's suicide as Bruce had been worried that the boy just have gotten hurt by Lavina's coldness to an extreme level. He didn't know whether he should tell Richard that because judging how he looked so tense and radiating with anger, he could see that he might erupt.

And there was a high chance he would get even against Lavina.

"There was no such thing," he spoke up, dreading the outcomes, "Lavina wasn't exactly affectionate towards him but we were there for a professional reason. She opposed the collaboration between Drake Corporate and Vikander Associates and gave him reasons why it wouldn't work out. But it couldn't be labeled as something that would urge him to take his life."

Richard looked at him very closely as if judging whether or not he was telling the truth. Barbara could see that he had intentionally covered up some aspects of his reply but she knew the reason he had for that.

She felt that Bruce was in a sense protecting Lavina from Richard's wrath. And though she could have pointed that out, she didn't because after a long time Richard had started to get stable.

She didn't want him to spiral out of control due to his anger again.

Richard didn't look convinced with his answer and glanced at Barbara as if to ask her judgment. She nodded and that seemed to make him relent.

If Bruce was protecting Lavina by not being completely honest to Richard about the meeting, in the same way, Barbara was protecting Richard from walking into his own destruction.

***