After reluctantly helping Axel change clothes, Selina pulled on her jeans and a fitted T-shirt.
Following him, she asked casually, "Let's get this straight. My home's already blown up. Besides the church's relief center, I have nowhere else to go. If you're thinking of crashing at my place tonight, forget it. I don't have any other safe houses—not that I need them, and I don't have much money either."
Axel smirked. "Heh, not having money is the main reason, isn't it? Aren't you supposed to be a master thief? Where did all the stuff you stole go?"
Selina spread her hands innocently. "Ninety-nine percent of so-called treasures are only valuable for auction house show-offs. Most aren't really worth much, especially on the black market. Sure, some things are genuinely valuable—cutting-edge tech or rare global materials—but I wouldn't touch those. Way too dangerous. Too many people would come after me."
"So you're so damn poor you can only rent a place? Even street thieves live better than that," Axel said, raising an eyebrow.
Selina's fists twitched. "I also support three orphanages! Damn it, I'm not as terrible as you say. I just don't like showing off my kindness. Kindness may be useless, but I like it. And for the things I care about, I don't care how I live!" She poked Axel's ribs playfully.
"I heard a rumor—you snuck into the Kane Hotel, tied up two guests, and even slept in their bed. So, which guests are we tying up tonight?"
"Are you an idiot?" Axel flipped her the middle finger. "Did your brain fry from all those high Cs, making you forget what I told you? I have a manor. We're going there, Selina!"
Selina froze, pulling on his sleeve. "Wait… you weren't joking? You actually have a manor? Like a real British manor, with a castle and a butler?"
"Bullshit," Axel replied, shaking his head. "Where would I get time to lie to you?"
"Damn it! You snuck into Gotham… are you some kind of noble?"
"What a joke, you and your family smuggled yourselves in."
Selina groaned. "But… you could've told me you had a butler and a manor earlier. I could've dressed better."
"Prim? Haha! I know your personality; that's not your style."
"But I can be!"
Rolling her eyes, Selina walked to the motorcycle. "I don't want to ride alone. Give me a lift."
"Alright." Axel nodded, checking the fuel with a shake of the bike. Satisfied, he grabbed the handlebars.
In the distance, a thug swallowed hard, pointing. "Wait… is he about to ride… my motorcycle?"
"What? That's Axel's bike now!" his friend slapped him and waved from afar.
Axel looked back. "Idiots, throw me the key!"
"Oh… I've ridden Brenda for six years…"
"Key!" Axel barked.
"Here…" The thug tossed it, and Axel started the engine.
Selina wrapped an arm around his waist, laughing as they rode off. "That's his beloved Brenda! How could you just take it?"
"Ridiculous!" Axel replied, steering with ease. "He loves a bike, so I can't ride it? What about money, women, power, status—should I hand all that over too?"
As they sped past the East District, gunfire cracked around them. Selina pouted. "They're fighting hard, but no ambulance. Maroni's faking it."
"Bullets and grenades are real!" Axel swerved sharply to avoid a flying grenade, then accelerated.
"Don't lean so suddenly! I almost fell!" Selina warned, patting his stomach.
"You? A woman who climbs walls and runs rooftops almost fell?" Axel laughed, slapping her wrist lightly and guiding the bike toward the suburbs.
Looking at the sprawling estate, Selina's eyes widened. "Wait… Downton Manor? This is Wayne Manor!"
"Sure, it was inhabited by Waynes for hundreds of years, but I took it back," Axel said, stopping at the gate.
The gate wouldn't open. Selina kicked it with her heels. "No one even opens the door for you?"
"There will be." Axel honked the motorcycle horn.
Within twenty seconds, the barber who had cut Axel's hair appeared at the security gate, holding a silver pistol. The gate slowly opened as he ran toward them.
"Sir, the new security crew isn't familiar with you yet. I've instructed them. Mr. Pennyworth had to leave for urgent matters, so I'm keeping an eye on the gate," he explained.
"Understood." Axel waved, leading Selina toward the castle.
Selina's eyes roamed greedily over the manor's art and carpets. Paintings, carpets, priceless artifacts—she gasped repeatedly.
"Is that… a genuine Mona Lisa? Or a master replica? A Bohemia Workshop No. 3 carpet costing $180,000 per square meter? Candlesticks from the King of Italy's family, a shotgun collection, gems bigger than the Queen's crown? Damn, the Waynes lived like gods! This should all be in a museum!"
Turning to Axel, she asked, "Did you really take over the Wayne estate? Even Falcone never did something this crazy. But where's your butler? It's late, raining—he shouldn't leave."
Axel shrugged, walking into the kitchen. "Probably delivering materials to Bruce Wayne. Once, I had a haircut at home—those hairs are important to them."
Selina froze. "Wait… you didn't steal the butler and the manor together, did you? How dare you live here? Aren't you afraid someone will shove a gun up your ass while you sleep?!"
___
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