The Odyssey || 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲

Six | Giving

Trying to do good for a company that literally bled dirty money was a pain in the ass. She wanted to sever all ties with Falcone. What better way to do that than donate all that money to needy organizations?

"Ms. Jefferson, what you're trying to do is...preposterous."

"Mr. Truman, I'm a lawyer. I don't think you knew that. I'm a lawyer with a masters degree in corporate law and an MBA. Hell, I'm working on my Ph.D. I know what I can do with this money."

"When was the last time this company did something good for the city? People are dying out there and we're not doing anything to fix it. JI has the money, plenty of it, so use it." She was beginning to get irritated with everyone's lack of trying. Perhaps they were trying not to get killed, that was a good reason, but she was over it.

"Ms. Jefferson..." he started once again, though taking off his glasses and looking down slightly. "May I trouble you with the number of threats you've been getting?"

She sighed, almost impatiently. "I very seldom get troubled any more, Garfield." She crossed her leg, shaking her head. "Especially in regards to the mob. If they want to kill me, then they'll kill me." She flipped the pages of her financial analysis papers. "Since I've cut off all ties, the money from that loose end has to go somewhere." She looked up. "The new foundation will help support families in the Heights, the East End, and the Narrows because lord knows they need it." She ignored the man's surprised stare as she looked back down at her paper. She was so unfazed by the violence running after her. She really did hate what the company had become. "What would you like to call the foundation ma'am?" And just like that, with his short faith restored into humanity because of her, he wasn't so scared to do the right thing anymore.

She looked up at him, thinking about it.

"The Olivia Dawson Foundation seems appropriate."

He smiled slightly. "More than."

She smiled a little at the thought, looking back down. "Mother always was the giver."

•••

The face she was making was utterly perplexed as the man before her tried not to smile while he was speaking. He was looking at her, more or less glancing, and Bruce could tell by the slow clicking of her pen, she was not happy with this. It might've been the elegant and very business-like white wrap blouse that more or less accidentally emphasized the shape of her breasts. Or it could just as easily have been the knee length dark gray pencil skirt she wore that complimented her curves as she crossed her legs with the utmost lady-likeness. Or perhaps it was because she was a woman. The only woman in attendance in fact who was quite concerned with the junction she was a part of.

A majority of the men surrounding the table began to snicker, save Bruce, who at the head of the table, was a little embarrassed for the gentlemen. Elizabeth, knowing the inside joke seemed to be about her, ceased her slow clicking, creased her brows and glanced over at the only other person she knew in the room. He looked at her apologetically, but she could only tap her soft pink fingernails upon the desk drearily and look back annoyedly.

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth was glancing idly out the window at the rain that was coming down now on the window panes of a Wayne Enterprises boardroom when he spoke to her softly.

She simply shrugged. She didn't care all that much. Sometimes men were just men. "It doesn't matter." She said dismissively, still looking at the window. "It's different from the last time I was here."

He almost snorted. The comment was funny to him. "The last time you were here, you were a high school senior."

She quirked her eyebrows, sitting back in her chair with slight. "Ten years did it justice." She looked at him for the first time and she smiled. "I wish I could thrive as well as you."