Bruce walked into Lucius’ office on the top floor of Wayne Plaza’s office blocks.
“Tell me about this woman you hired to be manage the Wayne Foundation,” Bruce asked.
“Here is the file our people put together,” Lucius pulled a manila folder and slide it across the desk then grabbed an external hard drive, “And here is the material Oracle put together.”
“And?” Bruce picked up the folder.
“Her family changed names a few times,” Lucius said, “But she is clean.”
“Oh?” Bruce started thumbing the records.
*
Anastasia leaned over the desk looking over the spread sheets of Foundation spending. She lifted one foot and rotated her ankle causing the pump to fall off. She bent and the waist and reached down to grab the shoe.
“Hello? Oh, Ah is this a bad time?”
Anastasia looked back and saw Bruce Wayne staring at her butt. That might mean things will go faster or it could just be an act.
“Bruce Wayne,” He held out his hand, “Nice to meet you.”
“Anastasia Cisnarova,” She held out her hand, “Thank you for this opportunity.”
“Yes,” Bruce waved to a pair of leather couches in the meeting room, “Let’s have a seat and talk. I should know you but for some reason I don’t.”
“Yes,” Baroness strutted over and took a seat on the couch next to Bruce and straightened her knee skirt, “We almost met a few times. Every time the famous American Bruce Wayne showed up all of the girls at the school made sure to tuck away me and the other undesirables away. I almost got the opportunity once when you escorted my roommate back to her room after a few too many drinks. Her friends made sure to get to the room first and toss me out before you opened her door.”
“Why leave the Europe?” Bruce asked.
“While my family is still nobility and commands some privileges of titles,” Ana made her voice sad, “My family is not welcome.”
“I promise not to judge,” Bruce smiled and then pointed at a painting of four men on the wall, “Let me tell about some of the skeletons in the Wayne family closet. That painting was done in August of eighteen sixty, it was a present for Aunt Mary Kane. The painting is of Uncle Eustice, her father Edwin, her younger brother Michael, and her husband Major Isaac Kane. Well Lieutenant Kane in that painting. The story goes that after the civil war started Uncle Eustice stole the letters Major Kane sent his wife and was turning them over to Confederate Spies. He was arrested and charged with treason and espionage. The day before his trial he was found dead in the jail with a gunshot.”
“If you must know,” Ana amped up the anxiety in her voice, “Great Grandfather was an early and eager supporter of wearing red arm bands before it became mandatory. He supported the German’s annexation of our country and profited from his dealings with some of the worst criminals in history. While the Americans and Soviet De-nazification groups cleared the family, and the Austrian government restored our hereditary titles there is still prejudice among Europeans against collaborators. I hate my Great Grandfather for the shame he forced upon us, I hate him even more for his crimes.”
“Well Ana,” Bruce smiled, “You don’t mind if I call you Ana do you? You don’t have anything to fear here. At the Wayne Family we judge everyone on their own merits. That is a very nice perfume… Anyways I just wanted to say hi, I will be spending most of my work hours here at the foundation.”
“Pleasure to meet you Mister Wayne,” Ana smiled.
Ana watched him rise to leave and steal a look back at her. She would enjoy breaking him.