By the following morning, Arias had long since returned to Gotham, as if he hadn't left at all.
Despite having obtained the na he sought, he was in no rush to pursue the matter. With so many eyes on him, he had to tread carefully. At the sa ti, he wanted to set a firm example with Green Arrow, and to do that, he needed to leave a lasting impression.
No other thoughts lingered in Arias's mind as he lay in his bed, back against the fra, his gaze focused on the screen of his tablet.
On it was information upon information about the man known as Oliver Queen—family, background, personality, relationships, and anything else of interest.
Breezing through the content, Arias found few points of attack, but such was expected from a billionaire doubling as a hero. It was nowhere near as imnse as the security Bruce Wayne had set up for himself, but it was far from simple either.
His public life was glamorous but rather dull, involving many on-and-off relationships that Arias could write off as simple flings.
Outside of those, Oliver Queen barely had a life beyond his work. But to Arias, it was clear. He simply turned off the tablet and ca to a conclusion.
*'It seems, just like Bruce, his life as a vigilante hero takes precedence over his life as a billionaire.'*
A small smile appeared on Arias's face as he tossed the tablet aside and walked out of his bedroom, heading toward the living area.
There, he found Cheshire lounging on a sofa, casually juggling a kunai in one hand.
Upon seeing Arias, she paused her action and showed a mischievous smile.
"Good morning, boss.~"
Arias t Cheshire's gaze and returned her smile, surprisingly unsettling her enough to make her stop smiling completely.
"What? You seem flustered," Arias mocked as he descended the spiral staircase leading to the living room.
Cheshire quickly tried to play off her sudden reaction by speaking more boldly.
"Well, what can I say? I didn't expect to see my boss looking so... edible this early in the morning."
As she spoke, Cheshire let her gaze wander over Arias's body, focusing on his exposed upper half, as he wore only loose sleep pants and nothing else.
Arias narrowed his gaze and approached Cheshire, his eyes roaming up and down her body. Unlike her, he gave no complints and simply shifted the topic.
"Interesting. Your morning appetite aside, I have a task for you. It's ti you show whether or not you're more than just a pretty face."
Arias revealed this as he stepped away from Cheshire and walked toward a nearby sofa.
Cheshire wasn't fazed by the change in atmosphere and kept her smile visible.
"I wouldn't mind being just a pretty face, but if it ans making my handso boss happy, I'm willing to do far more..."
Never one to shy away from provocativeness, Cheshire rested a hand on her hip and made sure to show off her wide hips and plump ass.
"Good, then be ready to leave by tonight. I'll have rcy make the necessary arrangents for you."
Arias replied bluntly, but Cheshire had expected as much, finding his reluctance to take her bait quite arousing.
Cheshire gave an obvious fake pout and tilted her head in disappointnt.
"Aww, you're not coming with ? And here I was, looking forward to showing just what else I'm willing to do for you, boss~"
...
anwhile, just a few floors below Arias's private level, Raven sat in the room she had been placed in, perched at the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
Her gaze shifted between her hands and the door handle, unsure whether to leave or not. She repeated this action as the minutes ticked by, the sequence broken only when the door clicked and automatically swung open.
Her body jerked up, and she looked at the door nervously, relaxing only when she saw Arias's casually dressed figure walk through.
"Oh, did I startle you?" Arias asked with a small, warm smile, noticing her rather jumpy deanor.
Raven hesitated but shook her head, replying rather monotonously, "No."
"I see. Well, I just ca to invite you for breakfast in the main lounge area. Given the uniqueness of your situation, I think it will be best if you stay here for so ti."
As if unsurprised by this sudden revelation, Raven gave a nod.
"Oh, I'm not really hungry. And I understand."
She was far less talkative than Arias had assud, speaking only what was necessary, her words devoid of emotion.
Given her unique background, Arias was unsure of how to handle Raven. She seed both emotionally detached and emotionally unstable at the sa ti.
What little history was known about her ntioned that she was subject to emotional outbursts, but the version of her now showed no hint of instability. Instead, there was a pure coldness toward everything and everyone.
Since emotion didn't seem to move her, Arias imdiately chose to try the route that seed to affect her the most: fear.
"I insist. You're doing no one any favors by starving yourself. Co along."
Arias left no room for discussion, choosing to treat her like a moody teen rather than a ticking ti bomb.
Why? Because from his understanding of people, Arias knew that those who've suffered trauma don't respond well to false kindness. They often overanalyze everything.
Just looking at Raven, Arias was sure many people had shown her kindness before... yet her very existence led to their deaths. So even shunned her in the end.
Such experiences likely caused Raven to build nurous walls around herself—unwilling to let people in, untrusting, and scared of events repeating.
The only real way to get her out of her shell was a balance of force and kindness.
The previous night, he had shown her kindness, so now, he needed to show her a more "stern" side.
Unable to refuse, Raven silently stood up and followed behind him in short steps. Hearing the soft footsteps behind him, Arias sighed inwardly, concluding to himself.
*'In the end, she's still just a girl scared of her father. That should change once she learns there are things far more terrifying...'*
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