You're welcome. And you can do better by actually showing you mean it.

[Ego doesn't say it with anger coloring his voice and turning his face ugly with a mortal's aped expressions. He's too old for that, too experienced.

Ego turns Mantis around so she has no choice but to look him in his face. He's even remembered to tilt his head, lets a frown line crease between his forehead as if he caught her skipping a day at work when he really needed her to do some overtime.

Not actively sabotaging him, pretending that the only reason she's alive is because of him]

I'm interested in your suggestions about how you'd make that happen.