After spending a few moments reflecting on his victory, Arias left his office and approached Mercy, who was seated at her desk right outside. She seemed absorbed in her secretarial duties, which was odd given the circumstances. He was sure she knew Lex had been arrested, as it was all anyone talked about that day. He was also sure the two had spoken, so he could only assume her attitude was her attempt to avoid suspicion.
Since she wanted to play the game this way, Arias smirked and played along, acting as he usually did when about to leave.
"I'm going to call it a day. The markets are in chaos because of Lex's arrest. Now, I have to worry about getting investigated since I did mention that he and I might start a partnership." Arias sighed, shaking his head as if the situation had also negatively impacted him.
If only Lex could see how easily this man lied after everything he'd done.
Mercy was clearly jumpy about the topic concerning Lex, though her attitude remained as feisty as ever.
"I don't care about your rich-boy problems. Maybe just don't get caught next time," she replied with her usual sarcasm.
Her attitude always entertained Arias; there was something so satisfying about putting hardened people in their place. With her, though, his approach was even more calculated. The target he was going for was her heart.
Whether it was words or actions, Arias knew enough about her personality to know exactly how to react and treat her, leaving little room for error. Whether she liked it or not, she would eventually find herself infatuated with him and his overall character.
He leaned slightly against her desk, casually placing his blazer over her monitor, obstructing her view and causing her to frown.
"Well, if I'm in trouble, who's going to pay you?" Arias asked.
Mercy quickly removed his blazer from her monitor, placing it back on the desk angrily as she glared at him.
"I don't care about your money," she snapped.
Arias smiled at her reply, picking up his blazer and turning to leave.
"I know you don't, which is why I chose to keep you for myself rather than give you back to Lex. As annoying and unrefined as you are, you're still valuable to me," he said mildly before walking away, leaving Mercy's thoughts in disarray.
Though it was far from a romantic compliment, it was essentially the equivalent of one for someone like her.
The reason he used money as a topic was simple. Arias knew that each time Lex got arrested, he left his assets in Mercy's name. Every time he got out, she handed them back without fail. Such loyalty was remarkable, even unexpected, but the facts didn't lie. She could have easily taken over his company and refused to hand it back, risking making him an enemy, but that didn't faze her. By accepting Lex's assets, she knew many would try to go after her life.
The way her mind operated was truly a mystery. Arias wondered if she did all this out of love for Lex or if she simply enjoyed her life of stability and wealth. It wasn't as if she was underpaid.
*What an interesting bunch of people I have around me,* Arias thought as his figure disappeared into the elevator.
He knew it wouldn't be long before news broke of the plane crash, and Luthor's death would be announced. As for Lex's assets and wealth, Arias had already stolen much of Luthor's knowledge. One crucial precaution he anticipated had been confirmed: Lex's will stated that if he were to die, Mercy would inherit everything.
Thankfully, all of Lex's assets and wealth were now in Mercy's name. Otherwise, the revelation that Lex had planned to leave everything to her might have shaken her spirits. The last thing Arias needed was for her to get overly emotional.
But, as a precaution, Arias took out his phone and logged into Lex's personal network. Upon confirmation of his death, Lex's will was automatically set to be released to the law firm that handled many of his dealings. To ensure that Mercy had no love left for Lex, Arias edited the document to state that all of Lex's wealth was to go to the many children he secretly fathered—a lie, of course, but one no one could prove. Best of all, this lie would make Mercy despise him.
With the funds in Mercy's name, even if lawyers attempted to retrieve them, they'd have no case. And best of all, Arias knew for a fact that Mercy would sooner die than give the money to women Lex had casually slept with. As for whether the will could be identified as edited—no, it couldn't. Lex's paranoia had made him safeguard it closely, and his lawyers were aware of that.
All in all, it was foolproof. In case of failure, Arias could still access all of Lex's codes. If things started going south, he could quickly transfer as many funds as possible to offshore accounts. From top to bottom, Arias's strategy ensured that he wouldn't walk away from this without some gain.
…
Like clockwork, just as the elevator reached the bottom floor and its doors opened, Arias's phone buzzed with a notification that read, *Breaking News.* He smiled, knowing what it meant, and tucked his phone away as he walked out, his blazer coolly hanging off his shoulder.
"Onto other matters."