Be arrogant

Raymond's words were final and thus, Ariel got discharged right away.

"What are those?" Raymond asked the bodyguard walking behind White.

"These are given by the doctor." Ariel answered, showing her presence which had been hidden behind the bulky guard.

"For what?"

"Well, there's the lotion and shampoo for my hair growth and also... " She seemed a bit uncomfortable but said it anyway. "There are a few scars on my body. He gave me a cream to apply on them to make them fade." She answered and went quiet.

Raymond was also silent.

'Scars.' He thought and turned. "Let's go."

Ariel followed steadily behind White and the guards. She didn't want to be seen as a nuisance, nor did she want to be seen as getting ahead of herself so she decided to follow them from behind.

From his side eyes, Raymond was able to see Ariel's pathetic walking stance and sighed. His guts told him this was going to be more tiring than it appeared on the surface.

'I hope I don't end up regretting it.'

Ariel was asked to get in the same car as Raymond and she did so, only to piss him off by sitting at the extreme end like someone who was trying to avoid a virus. But in truth, she was worried that he'd get irritated by the smell of disinfectant that was all over her.

She changed clothes but she didn't think that would be enough.

"What are you doing?" Raymond finally asked and she flinched.

"Oh, I just thought you wouldn't be comfortable sharing a space with someone. So I..."

"So you decided to marry the door?" He asked, showing no expression on his face. "Do you think I would've asked you to join me if I was going to kick you out for feeling uncomfortable?"

"Oh, I just thought... "

"Listen." His cold voice suddenly hit her ear drums like winter itself. "The character I'm going to create for you is not some considerate and kind lady. It's not a naive and timid one either so let's get this straight," he turned his gaze to finally meet hers. "To be useful to me, you'll need to be arrogant, confident, filled with pride and nonchalant to what people say. Understand?"

Ariel couldn't blink, neither could she respond to his words. She simply stared fixated at his cold demeanor and his commanding eyes.

"I... Understand." She said and he tore his gaze away from her. "But, there is no way I can act arrogant in front of you."

"Because I'm your master?"

"Yes."

"Get one thing straight." He folded his arms. "The only way to keep this 'master' interested is by being all what I've just listed. But honestly," he grinned. "... I'd like to see how far you can go being arrogant. You better beat my expectations."

Those final words were like a command key and Ariel nodded. She knew what she must do now to keep her master's interest in her from fading till all was done.

'Be arrogant.' She reminded herself. 'He wants to know how far I can go being arrogant, right? I think I'll research more on this with my... Ah, my phone. I need to get my phone.'

Just then, as if reading her thoughts, Raymond spoke up.

"By the way, you shouldn't think about returning to that run down apartment, it's already gone." He started, catching her attention.

"What?"

"That bastard vacated there for a better place as soon as he got the insurance money from your 'death'." He explained but Ariel's expression showed that she was confused. How was she tagged dead when she was still alive?

Understanding Ariel's expression, he proceeded to explain further.

"That bastard waited 'patiently' for two weeks to pass in order to know if you had somehow survived or if you would return but seeing you did not return and his confidence at how he left you to bleed to death, he concluded your body was stolen by organ traffickers and immediately held a fake funeral." He had a wicked and amused grin. "You should've seen that bastard wailing at 'your' funeral."

Ariel's nails dug on her knees as she tried to hold the anger that was gradually boiling in her.

'Ah, this sight is marvelous.' Raymond thought as he secretly watched her anger burn through her skin. 'The anger brews sweetly.'

Ariel was mad at the thought of Marco using her supposed death to get insurance money. He was insane.

"And do you know, your family came to your funeral. Just your sisters though, your step mother and father couldn't be bothered with something like this. They wailed so pathetically that anyone would believe you had been the best of friends. It was hilarious."

Unable to keep in the anger from burning her own skin, Ariel bit on her lip almost to the point of ripping it.

"Now, now." Raymond caught her chin and moved her gaze to meet his. "You're only hurting yourself by doing that."

"Why...?" Ariel asked. She looked like she was hurting from the truth. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Don't you know?" He moved closer to her. "The fire burns hotter when the wood is fresh. So also does revenge. The best time to fuel your desire for it is when the wound caused by betrayal is still fresh."

He let go of her chin and resumed his sitting position, closing his eyes as he recalled a few things to tell.

"Anyway, just know that he's living well and at the peak of his life. It's been two months since he stabbed you. At least, he did not feel your absence one bit." He said and a sudden devious grin played on his lips. "And right now," he opened his right eye to glance at the trembling Ariel. "... he's even engaged to one of your sisters and will be married in a month."