Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne had no idea that the underground powers of Gotham City had already set their malicious sights on him. As the head of Gotham City's most powerful family and a billionaire, he'd been surrounded by praise and envy since childhood. As an adult, he'd become the star and center of attention at every major media event, cocktail party, and charity gala.

And wouldn't you know it? That day, this pampered prince crossed paths with a perfect couple at an upscale French restaurant.

"Hey, isn't that Criminal's Nemesis, Prosecutor Harvey Dent? It's an honor to meet you. I'm Bruce Wayne," Bruce said deliberately.

The couple looked slightly taken aback. "Hey, how are you?" The handsome blond, blue-eyed man shot his girlfriend a questioning glance. She merely shrugged helplessly, and he smiled. "I'm Harvey Dent." He stood and offered his hand politely.

Bruce Wayne shook his "rival's" hand with a trace of complicated feelings. "I hope I'm not interrupting. A friend and I came here to eat, and I happened to see you two..." He smiled warmly at the handsome man's girlfriend. "Rachel and I go way back..."

Rachel Dawes shared a helpless smile with her boyfriend, then said to her former schoolmate, "Bruce, it's great to see you again. I always thought you'd gone abroad..."

The billionaire playboy flashed a charming smile. "If you mean traveling around the world, then yes. I just got back from the Republic of the Congo..."

"Oh, right~" He introduced the woman beside him. "This is Natasha Romanoff. Natasha, this is Rachel."

With red hair, green eyes, and a high nose, Bruce Wayne's date looked surprisingly like Rachel at first glance. Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Natasha?"

The young CEO of Wayne Enterprises snapped his fingers. "If you don't mind, why don't we join you? Since everyone's curious..."

"I'm not sure it's that simple. This restaurant..."

"It's fine. I own the place!"

Everyone watched the young tycoon flaunt his wealth in silence. Bruce's style was on a much higher level than that Stark fellow's.

Once everyone had taken their seats again, Natasha Romanoff smiled and said, "I'm the Moscow Ballet's principal dancer." She looked at Rachel. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Rachel Dawes, assistant district attorney." The woman across from her held out her hand, every bit her equal.

Bruce cleared his throat and awkwardly reminded them, "Um, if you don't mind, could we order first? Natasha and I haven't eaten yet. The ballet troupe has been performing all day, you know..."

"Of course. Do as you please~" Rachel finally let go of Natasha's hand. "Harvey's planning to take me to see the ballet next week, too..."

Harvey Dent raised an eyebrow. "Of course, madam. Your wish is my command!" He kissed his girlfriend's hand.

Bruce Wayne: "..."

"Hey, folks." Even as a bystander, Natasha could sense the thick jealousy radiating from the billionaire beside her. Amused, she changed the subject. "What's the point of talking about such boring things? Let's talk about something in the news lately! Has everyone heard of Iron Man? Wow, when I first heard about him, my friends and I in Moscow were stunned. You Americans sure know how to have fun!"

Bruce finally stopped giving Harvey those laser-like looks of envy and jealousy, and forced a smile. "If you mean Tony, then I'm sorry to say he's an arrogant, conceited playboy. He's a little handsome, of course—not as handsome as me." The billionaire joked.

The men and women at the table chuckled.

"Yes, I know him. He's the Stark family heir, a playboy, Tony Stark—the so-called Iron Man," Bruce said dismissively.

"Really?" Even Rachel looked at him in surprise. "You know Tony Stark..." The assistant district attorney's eyes held a trace of admiration. "A superhero?"

"Him?" Bruce was jealous. "A hero? Come on. Tony might fit the labels of genius, billionaire, philanthropist, and playboy, but a hero..." He curled his lip.

"That's one thing he'll never be!"

Natasha covered her mouth. "Can I take that as jealousy, Bruce, darling?" Her voice was a little seductive, a little alluring, and nine parts teasing. "Are you jealous of another boy's caprice and vanity?"

Bruce took the bait. "Jealous of him? Hell, even if everyone else in the world died, I still wouldn't envy him! Whatever the Stark family has, I have too. And what they don't have, Wayne Enterprises is just as much an industry leader in! He's a billionaire, and so am I! If I felt like throwing money around, I could buy the Empire State Building and smash it for fun in minutes. Believe me, madam!"

The ballerina wrapped an arm around Bruce's and purred, "Of course, my king! You're the best in the world~" She licked Bruce Wayne's earlobe.

"..." The women who'd been planning to show off their own romances awkwardly cleared their throats.

"Ahem," Harvey said. "Putting that aside, Mr. Wayne, I didn't know Wayne Enterprises did business with Stark Industries. Hasn't Wayne Enterprises always focused on Gotham City and the global aviation and transportation industries? How did you end up involved with Stark Industries, which mainly produces military equipment...?"

Bruce Wayne slipped back into his playboy persona and replied with effortless elegance, "Is that so strange? Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries are both among the top capital enterprises in this great country of ours. Isn't it only natural that we'd do business together? Especially in this age of globalization..."

Harvey was at a loss for words. Rachel couldn't stand seeing her boyfriend put on the spot, so she spoke up for him. "But I'd never heard that you knew Tony Stark..."

Her words made Bruce feel a pang in his heart. He'd always had a crush on her, and now he spoke with quiet dejection. "That's because we haven't gotten along since we were kids, so... Sorry, could we not talk about him?"

Everyone understood. It made sense. They were both pampered princes and billionaires, and even their personalities were alike: proud, conceited, and so arrogant they thought the world revolved around them. It was no wonder they didn't get along.

A gleam flashed in Natasha Romanoff's green eyes, but she quickly concealed it by lowering her head. She wiped her mouth without drawing attention to it, then continued to coax him. "Then what do you think about Stark's recent announcement that he's Iron Man, Bruce...?"

"Do you think the public needs a masked vigilante..." she said pointedly, "so they can walk the streets openly, and buy groceries and other necessities without worrying about being robbed or extorted? Do they need a so-called hero?"

A gleam flashed in Bruce's eyes. The woman's words struck a chord.

"Does a country really need some so-called superhero just to dare to say no to all its criminals... Isn't that a tragedy for the country?"