Chapter 29: A Brutal Lesson Part 1

Early the next day, Arias was once again the subject of headlines, as had been the case in the past few days. His interview with Vicki Vale regarding his hiring of criminals was the hottest news in Gotham, receiving both positive and negative reviews from the public. Arias expected this, so he wasn't at all surprised. It would have been more amazing if he wasn't criticized. Only those Arias had dirt on chose to stay neutral or be positive on the matter. Mayor Gregor, however, had chosen to be negative.

Despite multiple attempts on Arias, Gregor had yet to receive any open threats or visits from him. This made the prideful man think that Arias needed him in office, giving him a sense of advantage. However, as Arias watched the news that morning, his eyes showed a look of great displeasure.

"I ignored him because he wasn't worth the effort, but he's really starting to become unruly," he spoke aloud. 

In the next moment, the Infinity's voice resounded in his mind, sharing its opinion.

*[I still feel the fool is better off leaving this world,]* the soft voice commented in a cold manner. 

This made Arias show a small smile.

"Don't worry, some fates are far worse than death. This will be a good opportunity to see what those recruits Roulette brought can do."

After saying those words, Arias took out his phone and made a call to Roulette using a secure line. The phone only rang for a brief moment before she picked up.

*[Miss me already, Boss? Or are you feeling generous?]* Roulette asked in a sultry manner immediately after the call connected. 

Arias wasn't moved by her attempts and just got to the point.

"Neither. When you're done formally registering everyone and finished with the legal side of things, tell Shade I have a mission for him. Here's what I want him to do…"

Arias provided detailed instructions on what he wanted Shade to accomplish, and Roulette took mental note of every little detail.

*[Simple enough, even I could do it. Don't underestimate your new employees, Boss; they're more useful than you think. Anyway, I'll get it done.]*

"That's what I like to hear."

Without saying another word, Arias ended the call.

…

Later that night at the mayor's residence, inside a lovely and dimly lit bedroom…

"Gregor… should you really be saying all those things? What if he comes back?" Cynthia, the mayor's lover, asked with a worried expression on her face as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Gregor stood in front of a large wardrobe, currently taking off his suit after a long day at the office, feeling quite proud and confident.

"His threats were nothing but empty; he's just scared of the criminal families. That's why in these past few days, I've been delivering information to them, saying he's the sole reason they got caught. A bunch of the other people he's blackmailing supported my claims, so it's all but certain he'll die a dog's death."

Gregor smiled brilliantly and tossed his tie to the side while stripping off the rest of his clothes.

"Are you sure, Gregor?" Cynthia asked once more, but Gregor remained confident.

In his eyes, Arias was just a normal man who happened to get a little lucky. But with so many enemies after his life, he had no chance, especially since he lacked connections.

"Very much. He messed with the wrong people. The only way he got to us last time was because of that ungrateful son of mine. Now, with this level of security and 24/7 surveillance all around, he can't simply sneak in like last time. I'm untouchable! He'll regret putting me in this position."

Gregor grinned at his own brilliance and quickly grabbed a towel to go bathe.

"Okay, love, I'm not feeling too well, so I'll get some rest," Cynthia, who hadn't been sleeping well the past few days, felt some relief at Gregor's words and thought she could finally rest.

"Go ahead. I'm just going to shower and make some important calls. Goodnight, baby."

With a winning smile and a proud look, Gregor left the bedroom and went into the bathroom. Inside, he was happily humming to himself when suddenly a dark circle appeared right in front of him. Gregor was stunned, but before he could even register his confusion, a pair of hands in fine black gloves reached out and pulled him in.

"Whaa-!!"

His shout didn't even register as he soon vanished, and so did the circle, along with him.

"Ooof!"

Gregor suddenly felt himself land against a cold, hard surface, confusion filling his eyes.

"What the!?"

He looked around in a panicked manner, but it was far too dark to see anything.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" he yelled out, but no answer came. Just as he was beginning to panic more…

Bah~

A bunch of lights lit up above him, revealing that he was in a large storage place of sorts, like a warehouse. There were only a plethora of crates around him, but no one aside from him.

'What the hell is going on here? Where am I? Shit!'

Gregor was still confused, but every fiber of his body told him to get away from there. So in an attempt to do just that, he stood up but soon felt a sharp pain on the back of his leg.

"Now where might you be going? The boss asked that I deliver you. Though I must say, it's not every day one gets to kidnap the mayor."

Gregor hurriedly turned and saw Shade, who had been hidden in the shadows behind him. The sharp pain he felt was from being struck by Shade's cane on the ankle.

"Boss? What… Arias."

It took a moment for Gregor to remember that Shade was present in the interview Arias had done with Vicki, immediately linking the two.

"Do you think you'll get away with this? Your boss will be a dead man come next week. Whatever he's paying you, I'll double it—no, triple it. In fact, with so many people wanting him dead, if you did it yourself, we'd pay you a huge sum of money. Plus, a connection to the mayor will do you some good."

Gregor didn't lose his confidence, still feeling the only thing Arias had going for him was money and blackmail material, which he couldn't use forever.

Shade just smiled and pointed to the top of the stairs leading down to the storage room. There, Arias could be seen with Harley and Roulette, slowly descending the steps.