Chapter 138: Grand Opening Part 1

Arias's private jet landed in Gotham less than an hour later, and it was then that Mercy made a shocking decision. 

She waited for Arias to come out of his cabin and looked him dead in the eye before showing him a piece of paper. 

He gave her a curious look and took the paper from her hands, quickly skimming through its contents. Once done, he showed her a smirk as if mocking her. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked, making it clear that once this decision was made, there was no going back. 

A steel-eyed Mercy nodded and began walking off. "I don't know what I want anymore, okay? Just... just sign the damn thing."

Arias watched the fiery Mercy carry her suitcase and leave the plane while he glossed over the title on the paper once more, which read: 

**[Asset Transfer Agreement]**

This document was basically Mercy giving away all her newfound wealth to Arias, under some conditions, of course. She couldn't be fired or moved to another position. Her residence had to be on the same piece of property as the receiver. And no baby mamas... without prior notice. 

Anyone who saw this would think they were looking at some kind of joke. But there it was, a document that would grant Arias a net worth of over 90 billion dollars total if he just signed it. 

'Funny how a little while back I wouldn't have hesitated to agree for even a small portion of this,' he thought while weighing the few pros and cons before him. 

Mercy was a loyal dog without an owner, and that was putting it kindly. Whether she liked it or not, it was now her nature—or rather, her own comfortable space. 

And now, it seemed she was willing to give up everything to maintain that life she so cherished. Living dangerously, under an even more dangerous and arrogant man. To her, this was happiness. 

Arias cracked a smile and reached for a pen in his pocket before signing the piece of paper. 

At around the same time, a yawning Slade came out of his cabin and saw Arias smiling at the piece of paper. 

"I haven't seen someone this happy looking at a piece of paper since that time I saw my own divorce papers," he commented while retrieving what little luggage he had—mostly weapons. 

Arias looked at Slade and shook his head. "It's something far better. By the way, how'd you like a raise?" 

Hearing this, Slade returned the smile. "I take back what I said. There are some papers that make me happier."

…

The following day, once Mercy handed in her agreement with Arias to the firm that managed the legal settlements involving her assets, the financial market was in chaos, with headlines reading:

**[The Biggest Acquisition In History?]**

The catchy headline led to a story that detailed the transfer of Mercy Graves's assets, worth around 85 billion dollars, over to Arias Markovic, making his new net worth 94.6 billion dollars. 

The details of the transfer weren't revealed to the public. Given how boisterous they were, the firm insisted that it was best. 

Instead, Mercy had to give a statement saying: 

**[Lex Luthor had always worked toward making humanity better and that he saw Arias as a rival and the only man who could achieve the things he could.]**

She further explained that, **[Her switch to working for Arias was Lex's choice, not hers, and that perhaps he foresaw his own demise coming. That's just how great Lex Luthor was at planning. She hopes that Luthor's dream of humanity becoming a cosmic civilization will be achieved.]**

This article was met with mixed reviews, most coming from angry investors and shareholders in LexCorp who detested the idea of having someone like Arias take over. 

His spending habits were even more notorious than those of Bruce Wayne and Lex, worse, he spent without even thinking of profits or losses. 

Regardless, LexCorp as a whole, and all its subsidiaries, saw a major dip in stock value, with many market analysts predicting that Arias would bring the company to ruin within the next ten years. 

All the news and speculation didn't mean anything to Arias. He saw it as just a formality and even used this opportunity to completely buy out the company and its subsidiaries, making LexCorp one of the few megacorporations owned by a single individual. 

This was only finalized after a week of negotiations and blackmail. Following the finalization, LexCorp was officially renamed **Markovic Inc.**

Along with its new name, since most, if not all, analysts predicted it would fall, its value plummeted, making Arias's new net worth 74.8 billion after taxes. 

Once again, he wasn't fazed. Where normal people saw enough money to live out their crazy fantasies, he saw numbers that would help him approach his goals faster.

Come Sunday of the new week, Arias was still a hot topic but largely kept to himself. With the new wealth and assets at his disposal, he didn't hesitate to sell what he felt was unnecessary and purchase what he deemed useful. 

The biggest sales came from him selling the majority of Lex's assets and even handing over the illegal substances Luthor had stashed in some properties to the authorities. 

Essentially, his goal wasn't to gain meaningless wealth but to use it in order to become an admired public figure who the younger generation looked up to and parents used as an example... emphasis on the young. 

All the profits made from the sales were either directed towards his schools or various charities under his name. 

It reached a point where his fan base became one of the most dangerous, with its majority composed of metas and aliens who were outcast by society but given homes and new lives by him. 

Arias's plan to secure the majority of talent from the younger generation was quickly reaching its peak. And he had to cash out before his intentions became clear. 

So that same day, he called for a press conference in front of Markovic Tower. This would be his first time making an official statement in a long time, so many people streamed and watched the live broadcast. 

Arias stood at the podium, looking confident. An alert Slade stood at his side like the professional guard he was acting to be. 

Cameras flashed as Arias gazed around the crowd, taking in the atmosphere as a smile crept upon his face as he spoke. 

"I've never been one for the public eye, but it's necessary for me to address the public every now and then. I called today's press conference not to answer questions concerning my wealth or what I plan to do with it, as that should be plainly obvious." 

"What I did come to announce, though, was that the two institutions under me will be open in the coming week. So, to those who haven't already applied..." 

"...there's still time to be a part of history."