The Iceberg Lounge232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75DWoMs4H3
It wasn’t one of Gotham’s high-end hotels—it was an underground hub for intel trading and black-market dealings. Low-key. Cold. A silent undercurrent beneath melting ice. This wasn’t the kind of place regular citizens stumbled into by mistake.
But today’s exception had the whole hotel on edge.
On the security feed, there she was—232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXsj152AYT
A young woman in a simple, elegant long coat, holding a handwritten note.
“Hello. I’m looking for someone named Red Hood. My surname is Drake.”
The moment that note appeared, the receptionist’s expression shifted from boredom to pure panic.
A few minutes later, the note was passed into the hands of the manager. He stood frozen by the elevator, nervously fidgeting with the paper before dialing a private channel. His fingers trembled.
“Boss… we’ve got a guest,” he stammered.
Red Hood was in the middle of negotiating with a mid-level gang thug. He didn’t even look up.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7Xx6anCG5
“What is it? Someone here to cause trouble? Or looking for credit?”
“No… it’s a young woman.”
That made Red Hood pause.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NPuDdNqn2
Something was off.
The manager swallowed hard.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwbGJVb6Y0
“She… she can’t speak. She wrote a note. Says her surname is Drake.”
Red Hood froze completely.
There was a beat of silence on his end. Then he said just four words—
“I’m coming back now.”
His voice was steady—too steady. But beneath it, something simmered, sharp and volatile.
Everyone nearby felt the shift in air pressure. The thugs shut up. No one dared move.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWtBE7X2e3
Red Hood pulled out his earpiece, yanked up the collar of his coat, and strode toward his motorcycle.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3mQ2vAm2p
Each step landed like a fuse sparking its way toward an explosion.
He didn’t know why she was here.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡregoH5SNFr
But he knew one thing—
She wasn’t supposed to be in this place.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCmfE92iaR
Not here. Never here.
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The lighting inside the Iceberg Lounge was low and moody. The scent of spiced liquor and leather lingered in the air, mingling with the tense silence.
Following Red Hood’s orders, the manager had seated the young woman at the table closest to the stage. There was no performance tonight—so it felt like the entire setting existed for her alone.
The dark red velvet tablecloth gleamed under flickering candlelight. The wine in her glass glowed a deep, fragrant red. Cutlery was arranged with impeccable precision. A plate of hors d’oeuvres sat untouched in front of her.
She sat with one hand resting on her lap, posture poised and straight-backed.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvIBrJphdi
That bearing made the manager too intimidated to speak.
There was a quiet elegance to her—refined, musician-like, but with a sharpness that could only come from Gotham.
When he poured the wine, she nodded in gratitude. Her eyes were polite—perfectly so—but cool.
She stared at the candle flame for a long time, gaze steady, as if trying to read something in the way the light flickered. Reflections danced in her eyes—cold, but also tender. Like something inside her was barely being held back.
She didn’t know if he would come.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MpTH9lIlr
But she came anyway.
This was the step she chose to take—for their relationship.
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In the parking lot behind the Iceberg Lounge, Red Hood moved slower than usual.
His fingers hovered over the helmet strap—one second, then another.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF87XAq1xA
This wasn’t like handling intel or gunfights or deals.
This wasn’t a war.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhugsnerg4h
This was a question he couldn’t win.
“Which version of me should walk in?”232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVbbzuCO4k
“What will she see?”232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnguLnk0crW
“Will she ask nothing—or will she already know everything?”
He took a deep breath.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacUDKTLQ2v
Removed his helmet.
He threw on his black-and-red jacket, pulled the hood low—232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWaAiyEhzY
A silent reminder: Right now, he was Red Hood.
And Red Hood could face anything.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBwxjSswAS
Even if what waited inside was the girl who made his heart feel like it might tear apart.
He stepped inside.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTTAVz3Ob0
Boots hitting marble with the weight of a war drum.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfkcouHXQk
The atmosphere shifted. The entire lounge seemed to exhale in tension.
He stopped near the private booths.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYA6yp8U3G
There she was.
Still seated in front of the candle. Calm expression.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN12PWMD1yZ
Like she was waiting for a verdict from fate.
She didn’t look at him.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl08NxyTX68
But somehow, he knew—232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0taDfoyDQH
She had sensed him the moment he stepped in.
The seat beside her was slightly pulled out. Waiting.
Her silence was an invitation.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5JR8awYA2
Or maybe… a challenge.
Red Hood looked at her figure and felt a burn rise in his chest.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiFHru0cKJ
Not anger.
Fear.
The kind of fear that asked: If you knew the truth—would you still choose me?
His throat tightened.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRFuBSSk82
But he stepped forward anyway.
He would face her—232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvfG2euSsp
No matter what came next.
Be it fire.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYEjYyNFaq
Be it tears.232Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGidAnrLxdS
Or worse—
Silence.
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and then Add to home screen.