She Had to Be Up to No Good

To salvage his dignity in front of Ririko, Jason looked Oswald up and down again.

He noticed the obsidian watch on his brother's wrist, the elegant diamond brooch on his chest, and even the tiny diamonds set into his umbrella handle...

All of it rubbed him the wrong way.

Dressed like that, Oswald was no different from the aristocrats who had grown up in the Upper East End and never had to worry about money.

Even a beauty like Ririko, who practically screamed "expensive," was happy to stay by his side.

In the end, he reached one conclusion: Oswald was rich now.

But he had left home penniless. His money couldn't have fallen from the sky. It had to come from somewhere.

If he could get Oswald back into the Cobblepot family and reconnect him with them, he could invoke "we're family" to gradually pry out how he made his money.

And then there was Ririko.

She was like a docile cat at Oswald's side, but cats had one particular trait-

They weren't loyal. They only stayed with whoever could give them the best things.

If he could show Ririko that he had a bigger house, a more prestigious position, and a more respectable reputation than Oswald...

Would she still lean against Oswald's shoulder like this?

A plan quickly took shape in his mind.

"Brother," Jason said, his voice softening a little. William and Ellie both glanced at him. "You've been away so long, you probably don't know... Father passed away."

His gaze drifted instinctively to Ririko's face. "He was thinking about you right up until he died. He wanted you to come back to the Cobblepot family and live with us."

The corners of Ririko's eyes curved slightly. He had finally taken the bait.

Oswald wasn't surprised by his father's death. He just hadn't expected to hear about it in circumstances like these.

A muscle in the side of his neck twitched almost imperceptibly. No one but Ririko could have known how stirred up he was inside.

"So..." Oswald's gaze swept over the dining table. "You're here celebrating inheriting Father's estate, is that it?"

Jason's smile froze.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His voice rose half a pitch. "Are you accusing us of taking all the money for ourselves?"

Oswald tilted his head. "By rights, I should have a share of the Cobblepot family's estate too. Why haven't I received a letter from the lawyer?"

Jason's expression changed.

Oswald was indeed entitled to a share of the Cobblepot family's estate.

As long as he could prove that he was old Cobblepot's biological son, he had a right to a piece of it.

And after their father died, the three of them-Jason, William, and Ellie-hadn't even deigned to look for their older brother. They hadn't considered him worthy of sitting at the same table.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Jason could only back down for now:

"This isn't the place to discuss family matters. Why don't we go home and sit down together as siblings to talk it through?"

His gaze shifted unobtrusively to Ririko's face. "You can bring this beautiful young lady too."

Seeing Jason still staring brazenly at Ririko's face, Oswald tightened his grip on the umbrella handle until his knuckles turned white.

Beside him, Ririko piped up, "Sure. We'll be there."

Oswald glared at her. Could you stop making decisions for me?

Ririko caught his look.

Her lips close to his earlobe, she murmured, "Don't you want to go home and have a nice reunion with your 'family'?"

Oswald turned his head, hastily dodging her warm breath.

"I know what I'm doing," he said.

Of course Oswald knew they were scheming against him.

The only reason he hadn't "cleaned house" was that running for mayor required a background.

Gotham's voters wouldn't vote for someone who had appeared out of nowhere. He needed a reasonably respectable surname and a story that could go into a campaign brochure without making voters hesitate when their fingertips reached the touchscreen.

While old Cobblepot was alive, he had still carried some weight in Gotham's shipping circles.

But old Cobblepot was gone now.

Jason, William, and Ellie were the "remnants" left behind by that woman named Miranda.

Keeping them alive would add a line to his campaign brochure.

Getting rid of them wouldn't cost that line a single letter.

With that thought, Oswald told Jason, "Then let's arrange a time to sit down and discuss family matters."

Before the three could respond, Ririko had already linked her arm through Oswald's.

"I'm so glad you can all reunite. Little Oz, let's go dance."

Then she told Jason, "Enjoy yourselves."

Oswald hadn't expected her to drag him toward the dance floor.

"I don't dance," he said, trying to invoke his authority as her boss to refuse the invitation. "Ever."

"You can today." Ririko paid no heed to his distress. "I'll lead."

At the sight of Penguin actually stepping onto the dance floor, a waiter's tray-bearing hand began to tremble, and the musicians' bows stopped in midair.

They all knew their boss hated dancing more than anything. His bad leg couldn't manage elegant steps. Dancing meant making a fool of himself under the spotlight, with everyone watching.

Everyone swiftly looked away in unspoken agreement, afraid of becoming the target of their boss's anger.

The lights dimmed, and the music shifted from jazz to a slower blues melody.

The men and women on the dance floor paired off, slipping into each other's arms.

"I don't dance," Oswald repeated, preparing to leave this ridiculous dance floor once and for all.

Ririko wrapped her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers behind it.

"Don't be nervous. Follow my lead."

Her body pressed against his, and she circled slowly and steadily around him, using his left leg as the pivot.

He didn't need to step to the beat, shift his weight, or do anything that would expose his limp.

Throughout the dance, all anyone saw was a dreamlike beauty in a champagne-colored dress slowly circling a man.

Oswald rested his hand on her waist, his fingers tightening slightly without his noticing.

"What exactly are you scheming?" he asked through gritted teeth.

She must have already heard those "amusing stories" about him from Jason.

In his mind, Ririko was the sort of person who would rub salt into his wounds and then tell him, "Salt disinfects." She had to be up to no good.

With her lips against the rim of his ear, Ririko said, "Shooting them dead wouldn't satisfy your need for revenge... Otherwise, you would have done it already."

Her fingertips brushed the short, fine hairs along his hairline, as though soothing a sparrow with its feathers ruffled.

Oswald said nothing.

She was right.

Jason, William, and Ellie weren't alive because he valued family ties. They were alive because putting a bullet in each of them would bring him no satisfaction.

The hatred he had spent more than a decade accumulating wouldn't even have time to erupt before they fell.

As Ririko turned, her gaze passed over his shoulder and settled on the three of them.

"Look at their eyes."

Oswald followed her gaze.

Jason's face was flushed with anger, his eyes burning with jealousy...

William's greedy gaze was fixed firmly on Ririko...

Ellie was watching Ririko too, like someone standing outside a shop window, staring at an expensive diamond ornament she could never afford...

A faint smile spread across Oswald's lips.

Those expressions were far more satisfying than simply putting a bullet in each of them.

He turned back, about to ask Ririko what she had in mind, only to find her face right in front of his, their lips less than an inch apart.

Oswald's eyes instantly widened. Under the lights, the tips of his ears turned so red they looked ready to bleed.

Panic fluttered inside him, and he hurriedly pulled free of her encircling arms.

Taking her hand, he led her off the dance floor without allowing any argument. He moved far faster than usual, so fast that even his bad leg was forced into a little jog.