Having settled things with Terra, Arias and Slade returned to Gotham City with her, ready to set the plans for a country takeover into motion. Slade had assumed Arias only wanted to treat Terra kindly and have her fall for him the same way she had grown infatuated with Slade just for saving her. But Arias planned to go a step further.
Upon arriving at the Markovic Residential Tower, everything seemed normal to both Slade and Terra. Slade's island was quite lavish, so the luxuriousness of Arias's place didn't attract her attention all that much. She looked more excited to be in a city, but at the same time, anxious because of her memory loss.
Once the trio entered the lobby, though, they found two women in formal attire waiting near the reception area. Slade didn't know who they were, so he cast a curious glance at Arias but couldn't read what he was planning.
Upon approaching the two women, Arias showed a charming smile and exchanged handshakes as they gave their greetings.
"I hope we didn't keep you ladies waiting," Arias charmingly spoke, causing the women to smile while shaking their heads.
"Not at all, Mr. Markovic, we understand you're a busy man."
After the brief exchange, the two women looked at Terra and spoke. "So this must be Terra, what a sweet-looking thing. You're one lucky child." They complimented her, bringing confusion to both Slade and Terra.
"Uh, thanks?" Terra awkwardly replied, looking at Slade as if asking what was going on.
Slade just shrugged his shoulders slightly, still trying to understand the situation himself.
Before either of them could ask any questions, one of the women handed Arias a folder with documents before saying, "Everything was processed without a problem. Her identity card and passport will be sent over tomorrow. But here's a print copy and all the other necessary documents finalizing everything."
Some understanding finally flashed across Terra's face as she realized that Arias was giving her a new identity. Her expression looked less anxious, and Slade also thought he was overthinking—until Arias passed over the print copy of her ID, which read, **"Terra Markovic."**
Surprise flashed across both Slade and Terra's faces. Terra's surprise was understandable, while Slade's came from the realization that he understood what Arias was thinking. When the time came to reveal her true identity, Arias would technically be her father and would have likely established some sort of bond or control over her.
At that time, Arias would have the perfect piece to control that nation in his stead.
To think Arias was willing to go this far and use this girl to such a degree—even Slade, who had plans to turn her into a killer, felt humbled by this level of psychological play and deep forward planning. It was just far too well thought out. Slade now wondered if the entire meeting with the Bedlam Syndicate was within Arias's plans.
"What do you think?" Arias asked Terra in a charming tone while gazing into her eyes. She could barely meet his gaze—not because of shyness, as she was a very upfront girl, but because of the intensity in his eyes.
He was a domineering figure who, despite looking kind and charming, appeared scary and capable of a lot. The fact that Slade worked for him was enough to tell her he wasn't simple at all. She didn't immediately answer and looked at Slade, as if asking him what she should say.
Slade looked at her with a frown and scolded, "Well, don't look at me. Thank him properly. He's basically given you an entirely new life after saving you from your first one. You also don't have to play babysitter anymore, but the money was worth it."
Like that one wingman, Slade understood the assignment and played his role well. For Terra to fully fall into Arias's grasp, she needed to know that everything Slade did was just for money and that Arias was the real figure behind everything good in her life. It might pain her to know that the person she admired most didn't care for her and even saw her as a burden, but she would heal with time.
Terra looked visibly hurt by what Slade said, but she tried her best not to show it. The two women present just smiled awkwardly through the entire exchange. She soon turned to Arias and gave her thanks.
"Thanks, uh, uhm... Mr... well, Dad," she said in a very awkward tone.
At the same time, it did bring her a slight feeling of happiness deep down to finally have a family. She didn't realize just how big of a figure Arias was and what it meant to be his daughter, even if adopted.
Making sure she was adopted was very easy given the amount of connections he held within Gotham—or rather, the amount of people he had under him.
Arias nodded at her and said nothing. He didn't want to oversell his position of wanting her as a daughter, after all, as it would show that he had ulterior motives down the line. The true test of Arias's planning would be how he played the role of an adoptive father to such an extent that few would suspect he had ulterior motives.
This meant Terra would be a long-term project who needed at least a year under Arias's guidance.
"Thanks for everything. I'll ensure your firm is compensated accordingly," Arias said to the women, who left with bright smiles on their faces.
He then turned his attention to Terra and gave her a slight nod. "Well, Slade and I have some other things to attend to, but let me first show you to your room and introduce you to the two other residents living here."
"Only two other people live here?" she asked, a bit perplexed that a building that large only housed two people. She had even thought it was a hotel at first glance.
"Well, yes, this entire building is my house, and I'm even getting many floors renovated accordingly. I'll properly show you around the city tomorrow when I take time off work."
Terra was amazed by what she was hearing. She couldn't help but lower her head and ask, "Why are you doing all this for me?"
Having seen a world where no actions were done out of good faith, Terra was skeptical of everything.
"You remind me a bit of myself. But the real reason is, I see potential in you. As for what that is, I'll leave that for you to figure out." Arias was vague enough to not have her doubt his words while saying enough for her to be content.
She would have been far more suspicious if he had said it was out of sheer goodwill.
"Right… well. Thanks again, for everything, I mean it. I'll do my best at being your daughter… I mean, well, I don't know how to put it."
Arias could see she was struggling to settle into the role, so he decided to help her relax a bit by cracking a smirk and replying, "Don't worry, it's my first time being a father too, so I get what you mean. We'll just figure things out as we go, okay?"
She smiled back, feeling less pressure, and nodded.
"Okay, Dad."