Chapter 775 Deadly Joke (2) (Patreon)

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"Hollywood?" Bruce raised his voice, asking, "Why are you going to Hollywood?"

"Mind your own business," Selena turned around to pack her things. Bruce sighed, stepped over the messy pile in front of the door, walked in, and then hugged Selena from behind.

In the past, at this moment, Selena would turn around, stare at him with big eyes, then turn around and hug his waist, pressing her face against his chest.

But this time, Selena pulled away from his hands, took a few steps forward, and then turned around, saying, "Bruce, let's break up."

Bruce's hands were still not withdrawn and froze in place. He asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

Selena shook off his hand and said, "No reason. I've had my fun, and now I find you annoying. You've been dumped, got it?!"

Saying that, she walked past Bruce, continuing to organize her suitcase. Bruce turned around and said, "Selena, what's going on? Why all of a sudden..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, I've been a bit busy lately, neglected you, ignored your feelings, but now I have time, and I came to see you as soon as I could..."

Bruce checked his watch and said, "I booked a table at your favorite restaurant. If we go now, we can still make it for the sunset."

Selena stood still, then slowly squatted down, staying in place, saying, "My favorite restaurant... yes, the French restaurant in the city center, on the most prosperous commercial street, with the best location, professional service, the most expensive ingredients, and the best chef..."

She stood up, touched her own arm, and said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have enjoyed such things in my life. I should be grateful, right?"

"Selena, what's really going on?" Bruce approached, looking down at Selena's face. She still looked beautiful but seemed a bit worn out.

Bruce sensed something and said, "Have you encountered something recently? Has someone told you something? Or have you faced some danger?"

Taking a deep breath, he said, "You're angry, right? But I actually..."

"No, it's not about you," Selena turned her head aside. "It's just that recently, I've thought about a lot of things, so I've decided to leave this city for a while."

"What's going on, exactly?" Bruce asked again.

Selena took a deep breath, looked out the window, recalling what happened at the police station.

At that time, Leon approached her, explaining his intentions, basically wanting Selena to obediently help them connect with the West Coast elites to further the Great King's cause.

The unruly Catwoman could not possibly obey him. Standing in the interrogation room, Catwoman attacked Leon with sharp dirty words, accusing him of daydreaming and ordering him to get lost immediately.

Leon persisted and tried to get closer to Catwoman but ended up getting scratched by her.

The pain stimulated Leon, making him start cursing loudly. At first, he attacked Catwoman's appearance, but that was baseless slander. Catwoman's beauty was undeniable, and no matter how critical one could be, there were hardly any flaws.

So, Leon's insults became dirtier, delving into baseless speculations, involving Catwoman's parents and her background.

If Catwoman, who was usually fearless, had any weakness, it was her mother.

It's unclear which words triggered Catwoman, unleashing the violent side of her personality. She pried open the interrogation room door, almost stabbing Leon in the chest with a knife.

Fortunately, Gordon arrived in time and stopped Catwoman. However, his reaction further irritated Selena. His first instinct was not to console her but to send someone to find Bruce.

Gordon's reaction was correct, considering Catwoman, though a thief, was one of the most dangerous ones in Gotham. If she lost control and ran outside, ordinary police couldn't handle her; they needed Batman.

Also, even though it was unclear why Catwoman lost control, Batman was, after all, her boyfriend, so bringing him in could comfort her.

But this only aggravated Catwoman. She directly broke free from the police's restraint, ran out of Gotham Police Department, and sprinted through the high-rise buildings in Gotham.

That day, Gotham's fierce winds and rains never ceased. Exhausted and on the verge of unconsciousness, Catwoman, who had spent all her energy, arrived at Maggie's new residence.

When Maggie saw her, she was stunned. Catwoman's uniform was covered in mud, the face mask was torn, revealing wet hair plastered against her face.

Selena's face was pale, lips almost devoid of color. When Maggie grabbed her hand, she found her limbs ice-cold.

Maggie quickly pulled her inside, poured a cup of hot water, made her drink it, then refilled the cup, letting Selena hold it. She wiped off the water on Selena, covered her with a warm and dry blanket.

Seeing Selena shivering, Maggie felt heartbroken. She said, "What happened? Why did you run out in such a big typhoon?"

Selena remained silent, but Maggie actually understood her good friend. She said, "Did you lose control again? Who provoked you?"

Selena remained silent. Maggie sat beside her and said, "Even if no one wants to listen to you, I'm willing to listen, just like when we first met..."

"She'd rather talk to cats..." Selena's eyes glazed as she stared ahead. "I would sit next to her, eagerly watching, but she just held the cat, saying it was her precious..."

"The meaning of my existence is to work, earn money, and after that, buy food for her and the cat," Selena's face was pale, but only her eye sockets were red. She looked like she was about to cry, but there were no tears.

Like every Gothamite, Selena held onto the unyielding bottom line of not showing weakness. But she was even more determined than others because the cat was always proud.

"Since I can remember, I've always been an accessory, and no one's attention is ever focused on me first. It's always been like this..." Selena kept murmuring softly. She said, "At home, my mother treated me as part of the cat. When I was a thief, my mom treated me as part of a jewelry necklace. And now, I've become a part of Bruce Wayne..."

With the sound of rain outside, a rain line descended from above, falling into a dark alley. A black-haired little girl struggled to drag a bag of cat food into the door.

A woman rushed out from the bedroom, screaming in delight, "Oh, my little Selena! You've brought food for my baby again! You're always my favorite child!"

Little Selena put down the cat food, looked up at her mother, and asked, "Really? Do you love me the most?"

"Of course! Without you, my little darlings would starve!" The woman picked up the bag of cat food, walked into the bedroom without looking back. In the dark living room, Selena saw through the door crack the shining cat eyes, one after another.

In there, she saw wildness, terrifying indifference, and unfounded pride.

Standing still, little Selena wondered why cats could be so presumptuous. Why did they firmly believe that everyone liked them? Why could they act according to their own will, not swayed by others? Why could they attract people's love?

If she turned into a cat, would she be prioritized?

Selena didn't know. She only knew that on that rainy night, she curled up in a corner of the living room, dreaming of becoming a carefree cat.

Her mother lifted her for the first time, kissed her forehead, and said, "You're my favorite, Selena."

Navigating through several rain lines in the Gotham sky, like wind through a dense forest, a small figure jumped between the steel jungle. Agilely descending from a rooftop, she jumped onto a balcony, opened the door, and lifted a gem necklace in her hand, saying:

"Mom! Look! I just stole this!"

"Oh, my goodness!" A scream echoed as a chubby woman staggered in. She snatched the pearl necklace from Selena's hand, saying, "My little Selena! You're the cutest child in the world. I love you so much!"

In the rain curtain on the balcony, a thoroughly wet little Selena stared wide-eyed, asking, "Really? Do you love me the most?"

The chubby woman stared at the pearl necklace without blinking, kissed it, then turned around, moving her obese body. She muttered, "I must put this little darling deep in my safe. I mustn't let others find it..."

Selena saw, as the slowly closing door crack, the luster of the gem, like cat eyes, always extinguished last in the darkness.

She thought, shining things always attract attention. When placed with everything else, they will be noticed first.

Back in the dark and cramped room, little Selena curled up. She thought, if she could turn into a beloved piece of jewelry, people would cherish and prioritize her.

In the dream, she saw countless pieces of jewelry forming a grand castle in the Steel Jungle. It was the most eye-catching presence.

"I don't want Bruce to love me, but I hope he loves me the most. If he doesn't love me the most, then stay away from me," Selena wiped away raindrops on her temple. "Maggie, I told you before, I yearn for freedom, but it's because, apart from freedom, I can't get anything else..."

"No one puts me first. They never see me as a complete person. If they don't care about me, then I won't care about them. I say I yearn for freedom because I can't beg them..."

Selena's eyebrows wrinkled, but tears still didn't come out of her eyes. She whispered, "Because I've tried, no matter how I plead, it won't bring more love."

"So, I say I don't need, at least to maintain some dignity. If someone makes me want to beg them, I will immediately run away..." Selena's lips moved. "...Do I sound like a lunatic?"

Maggie hugged her and said, "Don't say that, Selena. It's not your fault at all. During this time, Bruce might just be too busy. He doesn't not care about you; he might just genuinely not have the time..."

Selena stopped talking. No matter how Maggie comforted her, it was always like this. Maggie knew Selena had lost control like this not for the first time. Even though Maggie didn't understand psychiatry and psychology very well, she knew this situation wasn't normal. However, she had no idea how to deal with it, so she could only accompany Selena through the night.

Until the wind stopped and the rain ceased, Selena suddenly returned to normal, then left as usual.

And now, standing in the room, Bruce realized he couldn't read Selena's emotions from her body language. He felt she was as unpredictable as a cat, impossible to understand.

"Why did you choose Hollywood?" Bruce asked.

Selena's movements paused, then her mouth lifted slightly. She smiled and said, lowering her head, "Maybe I can play the lead role there?"

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