The Penguin's Heart (Oswald Cobblepot fanfic* orig charac)

Baiting the Court

Evy/Red P.O.V

The dinner with Ozy was wonderful. It helped me sit through the same old lecture from Alfred. I remained respectful as he was still my guardian. He knew enough about my double life to get me locked up. I didn't want to be a resident of Arkham or Blackgate at any time. Given the importance of tomorrow morning, he kept it light. We needed all the rest we could get.

The following morning we woke up early since the board was expecting us at 9 o'clock sharp. We woke up at 7am to get ready & leave before 8 o'clock. I didn't take too long as I had set everything aside last night. After a quick shower, I was ready.

I had to dress like a sweet innocent girl. But, I still looked a little menacing with the pantsuit. It showed maturity which would get them scared. But, I kept my hair & makeup innocent enough to fool them. They would have no idea of who they were letting in. 

I headed down to the kitchen, expecting to find them eating. But, Bruce couldn't eat. I had a nibble of toast since he wanted to leave soon. Luckily, he let me brush my teeth before leaving. Alfred drove us into the city. 

I played with Ozy's penguin necklace in my clutch. The only jewellery from him I was wearing was my ring. It was discreet enough to wear as they would be focused on my face. 

We arrived at the tower 10 minutes early which was just enough time to get to the board. I quickly put my necklace back & closed my bag as we pulled up to the security gate. They checked the car & our IDs before letting us pass. We headed into the garage & parked in Dad's spot.  I held back tears as it hurt to see his name. 

This whole place made my skin crawl as we headed up. I couldn't stop thinking about how these people who smiled at him, ended up handing him over. I couldn't wait to get my proper revenge. It didn't matter how long it would take. The receptionist greeted us & had us wait in a sitting area just outside the glass board room. Now, we had to wait for them to call us.

"Did you hear them rats last night going around in the attic? Driving me bloody bonkers. Now, what's the point of having caretaker if they can't take care of nothing, eh?" Alfred said, trying to ease the obvious fear in our faces

"You alright Master B & Mistress E?" He asked, knowing the answer

"Hungry. Should've ate." Bruce replied as we couldn't say much in here

"Excuse me, gentlemen. The board is ready for you." The receptionist gently called out

"I do this. There's no turning back." Bruce realised as we lingered

"No. You say your peace & I'll see about getting your proper breakfast. Alright?" He consoled us

With that encouragement, we could head in. Bruce & I put on our masks as we calmly walked in. We took our seats at the head as the board watched. Alfred stood behind us ready for anything. I scanned the room to memorise their faces & spot any troublemakers. I could already see 1, a blond guy to my left not paying attention.

"1st, I'd like to thank the board for their time on behalf of both of us. You'll come as no surprise we'd like to talk about Indian Hill." Bruce opened

"I know preliminary investigations have concluded Hugo Strange acted alone. We reject this conclusion." Bruce stated

"While trapped in Indian Hill, we were led to believe an unnamed group had taken control of our company. And it was they who hired Hugo Strange." I shared as the trouble maker disrespectfully fooled around