"I'm very pleased to see you all here," the man said. "I don't think I need much introduction. You should all have heard of me and my family. But I do need to introduce the beautiful lady beside me—Talia al Ghul."
The woman in a green spaghetti-strap gown possessed a cool, austere air beneath her stunning beauty. She gently tucked her black hair behind her ear, then smiled and nodded at the crowd, looking noble and elegant.
"Thank you all very much for attending tonight's banquet." Her voice was exceptionally pleasant, and she showed no trace of stage fright before the dignitaries and reporters holding microphones. Smiling, she said, "This building marks a new beginning for Wayne Enterprises. Naturally, we could not have completed such a landmark structure without the help of our excellent partners. Thomas, could you introduce them for me?"
The man called Thomas smiled and nodded. He wrapped an arm around Talia's waist, reached out with his other hand to draw a young figure at his side closer, and said, "This is Jason Todd, the newly appointed president of Gotham Defense Group's Red Line."
Then he warmly waved to someone in the crowd. "And how could we forget our old friends? The benevolent and impartial District Attorney Harvey Dent. Of course, there is also the renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Oswald Cobblepot. They are all my closest friends, as well as pillars of Gotham's security and economy..."
Just as he said that, a blast of cold wind swept in from behind. Then, with a bang, the golden doors that had just been carefully opened were violently smashed apart. Police officers flooded in, led by an unfamiliar face no one had ever seen before.
"Good evening, Mr. Thomas Elliot. Jack Napier, operations officer of the Gotham Police Department Joint