A Kryptonian's Fixation

Clark: Unsure

Bruce's heart rate slowed down as his voice gotten quieter. His eyes glistened with tears. I felt guilt eating at me for asking about such a thing. Yet, it was one of the prepared questions Perry wanted us to ask.

"Can you... Can you elaborate on that?" I felt my own tone soften, my grip on my paper tightening. Was I pushing?

"My parents... They died in front of me too." I winced a little, focusing completely on him. He had his head bowed, his heart skipping some as his breathing became a little irregular. "I was alone after that; I only had my Butler to take care of me, and there was only so much he could do. I didn't want Dick to go through what I went through. I... I wanted him to know that someone understood what he was going through... Maybe in hopes that he won't go seeking out danger or become a playboy like me."

I nodded to him, scribbling down what he said. I felt like shit though, writing something so very personal to him. I know Perry would want to run this, he'd probably say something along the lines of "It makes him human, and people love eating that shit up."

'Disgusting.'

Out the corner of my eye, I see Lois opening her mouth, we did have more questions. Yet, I placed a hand on her knee, smiling up at the billionaire.

"Do you want us to continue? The last question... It was far too personal." I stated, looking him directly in the eyes, listening to his heart.

It was returning to normal, his eyes no longer glistening. He gave a soft, somewhat bitter laugh, waving his hand some.

"It's alright. Some people say it's therapeutic to talk about events like that. I don't mind continuing." His heart was calm, he was calm, but I knew he was lying. I didn't say anything about it though.

Throughout the rest of our visit, he either lied or use flattery and a good story hooker on our questions. I don't know how I know he was lying or trying to throw us something else to pursue, I just did. I guess I'm doing what Batman and Lois have always asked me to do. Use my head and intuition.

"Thank you for the interview, Bruce~ I do hope you don't mind us talking with some employees and partners about you and the company, do you?" Lois held a sweet smile, but I knew what she was doing. She was trying to get to know this billionaire well. Maybe she also felt something was off with him?

I quickly reverted my eyes from her and over to him, watching his expressions and heart. His heart was calm, and his expressions were just soothing and him pulling a handsome smile on his face. He looked amused, if he's being honest about that.

"Of course! I'll let them know that Ms. Lois Lane and Mr. Clark Kent are allowed back in to conduct some interviews. I only request that it doesn't hurt their work ethic." His smile softened to an almost pleading one.

I doubt a few hours of us talking with employees would really hurt his stocks, but I rather not deal with any possible backlash from Perry. The guy would definitely have our heads for that.

"Yes, yes! Thank you so much, Bruce. Till we talk again~?" Lois fluttered her eyes a bit, making me frown.

I was never fond of her using her charms like this. It always made me feel uncomfortable and at one point jealous. Of course, being the playboy that he was, Bruce laughed and nodded, wishing both of us luck. I doubt he meant that. Not in the fullest extent anyway.

On our way to the elevator, I looked through both of our notes. Some of his answers felt off. He was lying about something, or at the very least trying to hide something. The way he answered the questions made him seem spoiled and flirtatious... The only real bit that I saw was when he was talking about Dick and his parents. Maybe he didn't want to show everyone how weak he really felt? Or how much his parents' deaths had shaped him?

As much as I wanted to look into his lies and all that was genuinely related to him, Lois was already contacting Mr. Whiteman about what Mr. Wayne had said. She was probably going to tell him about some of the other story catchers as well. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. We were going to be here much longer now, and that also meant I won't be able to investigate his answers anymore. How exhausting.