NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: 8
When Tony heard her he dropped his glass only for Cortana to catch it without spilling a drop. It seemed that he never expected that kind of answer even though he created many fantastic inventions but this seemed more like science fiction. Yet there she was right before his eyes.
It was understandable that a man like Tony Stark would be so enamored by this technology. He even offered to buy it several times but was denied by Julian. Eventually with much reluctance, Tony decided to head home but not without a promise from Julian to talk about the technology of his universe.
With this ordeal with Tony finally over I was hoping to take some time to myself but unfortunately, that didn't seem possible. As yet another billionaire playboy decided to grace me with his presence fifteen minutes after Tony Stark left conveniently. As this wasn't someone I could just ignore and forget about even if I didn't want to meet I knew that it would be better to do so here than outside.
"Cortana let Bruce Wayne in but don't be very polite he doesn't have an appointment"
Cortana: Understood sir
Bruce Wayne entered while playing up the playboy enthusiasm as an excuse to better examine Cortana and the rest of the mansion. He made seemed like he was leering but in fact, he was trying to discern whether if she was a real person or just AI as she claimed. Bruce made a show of being enthralled which Cortana saw through it but chose not to comment before forcefully making Bruce acknowledge my presence.
Cortana: Your uninvited guest is here sir
Bruce: That's a bit harsh I wanted to introduce myself to the newest addition to our neighborhood I'm Bruce Wayne
"Yet you came empty-handed... Tell me Bruce do people in this universe not have manners?"
Bruce: What is that supposed to mean (somewhat annoyed)
"You came uninvited instead of scheduling a meeting, then you rudely began observing my AI assistant, on top of that you completely ignored my presence when you claimed that you came to meet me finally you showed up empty-handed I could go on but I don't have all day"
To say that Bruce Wayne was shocked would be an understatement. It could be said that while not everyone liked his playboy persona no one would dare to insult him or call him out the Julian Black had. Most would go to great lengths to avoid it in general. Although he doesn't like such treatment he couldn't retort the facts laid out. So Bruce decided to take a different approach as he didn't want to be kicked out leaving such an unknown in his city.
Bruce: You're right I'm sorry I have been extremely rude how about I invite you to this week's gala event that I am hosting to make it up to you
I could say no but I doubt that paranoid vigilante will just let this go if I do. I could but I wouldn't be surprised if the justice league would get involved if I did. Just because I work with Shield doesn't mean that other heroes are friends. The reality is quite the opposite because the justice league's no-killing policy has caused the two factions to be at odds with one another. So with Fury settling me in Gotham, it was like Fury giving the middle finger to the justice league.
"I can't say I'm not interested... I've never been anywhere outside of a Shield base for socializing since I got to this dimension"
Bruce: So I guess you're from way out of town and overdue for some relaxation I'm not sure how you might like this event but I hope you will enjoy it