Chapter 257: A Not So Loyal Servant Part 3

"What manner of sorcery is this? Release me this instant!" The woman, still angry, struggled to try and break free from Arias's power, but it was futile. No matter how much she struggled, she found it impossible to break away, and soon her angry gaze was now focused on Arias.

But it soon dwindled as she recognized his face. "I know you. You are the rich man from Gotham City. What do you want from Tala? Why do you protect that dog?" she said.

Arias extended his hand and placed it across Tala's cheek, caressing it quite fondly—an action that took both Slade and Tala aback.

Slade couldn't help but think to himself, "I guess the boss likes them magical. Who am I to judge?"

Tala, on the other hand, was a bit unsettled. "What are you doing?! Release me this instant!"

Arias shook his head. "I won't be doing that. After all, I went to great lengths to capture you."

Tala looked more scared now as her gaze wavered. "Capture me? For what?" She moved her head around uncomfortably and tried to get out of Arias's hold, but Arias had studied her profile extensively.

He knew that although she struggled like this and showed resistance, she was most attracted to power. He knew this not from the information Slade provided, but from the information he got from Lex Luthor's stolen memories. Within Lex's memories, Arias could see that Lex Luthor had attracted Tala's attention because of his immense power and influence. Arias assumed to do the same, although he didn't have the luxury of waiting.

"Didn't you hear me? I said you belong to me now. I could use someone with your knowledge of sorcery in my organization, so I'm here to take you." Hearing this, Tala showed an incredible look of concern.

Most cunning women by now would have relented to their fate or pretended to, so as to avoid an even more unfortunate fate. Tala, however, stood by her principle; although on the surface Arias, like Lex, wasn't bad-looking and had wealth, she wouldn't relent to him.

To Tala, physical appearance meant nothing; it was all about power and influence. She would only serve a strong master, a master that appreciated her. In this case, she already had such an image in mind.

"I'd be careful if I were you. Tala is the servant of Lex Luthor. If you dare lay a hand on me, he will know, and you will pay…" Hearing this, Arias couldn't help but chuckle, and even Slade, who was in the back, couldn't help but start laughing.

Tala had clearly been held within the facility for quite some time and had been isolated from outside news. It was also clear that she had great faith in Lex and was likely a double agent between Lex and Waller, showing more loyalty to the former while trying to escape the latter.

Tala frowned when she saw both of them laugh as she said Lex Luthor's name, as if they were disrespecting him. "You dare laugh at my master?"

"Your master is dead, Tala. And you're looking at the man who killed him," Slade interjected, crossing his arms as a grin appeared on his face.

He also knew that Tala's loyalty was always toward those of power, and so to him, seeing her once confident expression turn ashen as she realized who she was in front of was priceless.

"But… how?"

"Like I said, I take what I want. Amanda Waller had some things I wanted, so I killed her to take them. Lex Luthor had some things I wanted, so I killed him to take them. You included." Being as ancient as Tala, this wasn't at all an uncommon situation to experience.

Long had she seen men conquer kingdoms and lay claim to the property of others. It was the traditional way she believed in, and she only ever dreamed of serving a powerful and influential master who cared for her and treated her right.

And in her mind, that was Lex, when in actuality, he was doing nothing more than leading her on with false words, much like he did already with Mercy. Arias still wasn't doing anything much different, after all, if a formula worked, why change it?

The only real difference was Arias wouldn't be killed like Lex, and so he had no reason to tread carefully around Tala, unlike Lex, who needed to because he knew all too well how volatile magic could be.

Tala found the new information hard to digest and quickly denied, "You lie. Master Lex cannot be dead. It's impossible."

"You'd be shocked how many 'impossible' things the boss here makes possible," Slade, acting like a generational wingman, continued to throw in lines of praise toward Arias.

Arias drew closer to Tala and held her both firmly by the cheeks. "What you believe or not is really irrelevant. This is your only chance: either accept that you belong to me, or you can stay here, waiting for your so-called master who's already six feet under."

Tala's eyes shimmered in disbelief; however, she quickly composed herself. "If what you say is true, then I shall accept you as my master." Inwardly, Tala still didn't believe Arias's words, and she wasn't, in fact, going to stick to her word.

What she thought Arias wanted her for was to be a trophy. Tala's loyalty came with her passion and her willingness to serve. If she didn't have both, she wouldn't stay, no matter how dangerous the circumstances.

Arias still didn't need to worry about this fact and simply nodded.

"Good. I think you'll come to find I'm far more generous than your previous master ever was."

Arias was about to end here, but Slade once again made sure to add, "Don't forget richer too and with a hairline."