Chapter 193: Revenge Is Sweet Part 2

Having received the name he came for, Arias soon released his hold on Lois, allowing her to slump down against the wall, her gaze still fierce.

"I'll let myself out." 

Arias turned to leave, but Lois glared at him and gave some final words. "You really do remind me of Lex, and just like him, your brilliant plans will come crashing down."

Arias paused by the elevator doors and looked back with a smile on his face, resisting the urge to chuckle at Lois. 

"Oh? Is that what you think? That your mighty Metropolis hero will prevail and your fantasy will play out? I'm sorry to say that reality isn't so straightforward, Miss Lane. If I were you, I'd place my hopes elsewhere, or better yet, abandon them entirely."

Saying nothing more, Arias gave one final glance at Lois before entering the elevator, leaving her both angry and confused. 

*'What the hell did he mean?'* 

Arias left many lingering thoughts in Lois's mind, most of which filled her with great regret for the impact she may have caused. However, she still held great hope that she was on the right side. Without hesitation, she quickly reached for the handbag she had dropped and took out her phone, calling an unnamed contact.

It rang only briefly before connecting, at which point Lois didn't hesitate to speak. 

"Hello? You said to contact you if I'm ever in any problems, right? Yeah, well, there's a really big one right now..." 

…

Meanwhile, Arias had casually left the building without sparking much attention. He soon entered his vehicle, where a calm Cheshire was relaxing with her legs slightly raised.

Seeing Arias, she showed a curious gaze as she turned to face him and leaned slightly closer. 

"Well, boss? Did you kill her? Screw her? Or both?"

Arias nonchalantly took his seat and met Cheshire's gaze, soon leaning in to match her closeness before he asked, "I can't tell if you're naturally this eager or just probing for information. One, I don't mind, the other… well, it ends with you as just another corpse."

This visible threat was received with a smile by Cheshire, who grinned widely before shrugging her shoulders. 

"Well, considering I'll be hunted by both the League and you if I fail my job, I'd say it's the first."

"And what is your job really?" Arias asked, never one to be moved by words alone.

Once again, Cheshire remained unmoved by fear, her smile prevailing as she replied, "Whatever you want it to be, boss, that's the best part. I could be your most ruthless of killers, or the sexiest of women. You name it, I do it."

Despite her playful nature, Cheshire's words carried a seriousness that Arias found hard to doubt. Seeing no faults in her body language, he could only turn away, leaning back into his seat before deciding.

"Alright then, let's put your skills to the test."

Hearing this, Cheshire felt only excitement, even going as far as to bite her lip provocatively, staying true to her teasing nature.

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

…

While Arias was dealing with this, another plot against him was being launched in Markovia. It was already the early hours of the morning, but due to the recent events that took place, the country remained on high alert, especially against the "Human Supremacy Group."

Despite having served their purpose, remnants of the organization remained—loyal followers of the false philosophy Arias had created. With the core members already apprehended during many operations by the League, the group was reaching its end. 

However, numerous followers remained, eager still to join the declining group. Arias didn't oppose this, instead wanting them to grow much more, causing minor terror to both the world and the League so they could once again be used as nothing more than a tool toward his rise.

This time, though, the ones scheming were none other than the Light. Due to the desperate situation the world thought Markovia to be in, it showed eagerness to any outside help or alliances. 

Because of this, Terra, the future queen, often found herself meeting with important dignitaries alongside her uncle, Fredrick. This time was no different.

Despite the late hour, Terra, wearing traditional Markovian royal attire, walked the lone halls of her palace with a grand escort as she approached a large balcony. There, she found her uncle seated under an open seating arrangement with an unfamiliar man.

Seeing Terra, her uncle quickly stood from his seat and smiled at her. 

"Tara, my dear, wonderful of you to join us. This here is a very important guest of ours. You may address him as Mr. Savage."

Terra didn't show much of a reaction and simply displayed formal pleasantries while extending a hand to greet the unfamiliar man. 

Vandal Savage also stood up to greet Terra, holding her gloved hand gently and giving it a subtle kiss as he introduced himself.

"You may simply address me as Vandal, Princess Tara. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Terra smiled on the surface but was inwardly disgusted by the gesture, as she often was by people who acted differently around her. Despite this feeling, she replied curtly, nodding lightly and showing a polite smile. 

"As it is to make yours, Mr... sorry, excuse me—Vandal, I mean. May I ask the intent of this visit?"

Vandal smiled at her reply and glanced at Fredrick Delamb, who cleared his throat slightly before showing a forced smile.

"As you know, Tara, our nation has a large void to fill with the loss of so many of our family. To rise up once again, we'd need external help. Mr. Savage here is willing to extend a marriage proposal to us, one that would guarantee the rise of—"

Before Fredrick could explain further, Terra interrupted. 

"Is my father aware of this?"

Fredrick chuckled awkwardly at her question, shifting his gaze toward Vandal Savage, who replied in his stead.

"Your father and I work closely together. This is of equal benefit to him, as it is to you and me."

Terra showed hesitation, maintaining a rather confused expression. She could only keep her composure and reply, 

"This is rather abrupt. I shall need some time to think about it."

Fredrick was about to protest, but was stopped by Vandal, who gave a nod.

"That's only natural. Take as much time as you need, but know that my offer doesn't last forever."

Saying nothing more, Vandal Savage left, escorted by Fredrick, while Terra remained frowning. Once the two left, she was escorted back to her room, where she took out her satellite phone and directly called Arias.

…

Arias, who was now on a plane leaving Metropolis, received the call and frowned upon learning of what was transpiring in Markovia.

[So… what should I do?] Terra could only ask this, already prepared to follow whatever instruction Arias gave.

"Nothing, I'll handle this personally."

Contrary to what Terra was expecting, Arias gave a vague answer before cutting the call himself, his expression now visibly annoyed.

Cheshire, who sat across from him, turned her attention away from the tablet she was holding and directed it toward him. 

"Something the matter?"

Arias shook his head, but his expression remained vexed. 

"No, not for long at least."