I am actually here to see those said scars

With the help of Betty and Allison, Ariel was able to take a relaxing bath. Being in the hospital for so long, her body had a lingering smell of disinfectant and it was unpleasant.

'How can he say he's not uncomfortable when he has to sit close to someone that smells like they've been dipped in a pool of disinfectant?' She wondered with her eyes closed as she soaked in a strawberry scented bathtub.

Betty washed her hair while Allison aided in scrubbing her body. This was entirely new to Ariel. She had never been served like this before and she had definitely never bathed in such a wide bathtub with expensive scents.

'I must do my best.' She told herself. 'So I have to get used to this quickly.'

Allison looked at the scars on Ariel's body as she scrubbed. They were in bits but it was clear that they had been quite painful when they were being inflicted for them to leave marks so visibly.

Plus, they were in places that could not be seen with clothes on. It was cruel. She sneakily raised her gaze to look at Ariel whose eyes remained closed.

'Who is she?' Was the question that came to mind.

As soon as Ariel finished taking a bath and stepped out with a bathrobe, she found Raymond sitting on her bed, his eyes locked on her figure.

'That almost scared me.' Ariel thought as she tried to calm her fast beating heart. 'What is he doing here?'

"You two can leave." Raymond suddenly said. The maids immediately obeyed, bowed their heads and left without a single hesitation.

Once they were gone, Raymond's unshifting gaze on Ariel scanned her from head to toe.

"Come here." He said and as if ordered by a remote, Ariel obeyed and stood in front of him. "Strip."

That simple and demanding order made Ariel freeze. She didn't expect it. She wasn't prepared. And her body... It wasn't exactly pleasing to look at at the moment.

She clutched on the robe. What could she do? She didn't want him to lose interest after looking at her body.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Raymond asked, his eyes scowling at her.

"Can I... Turn off the lights?" She suddenly asked and his eyebrow shifted up.

"What for?" He asked her.

"I... " Her hands trembled, still clutching on the robe.

Raymond saw this and finally understood.

"You might be misunderstanding something. I'm not here to have sex with you." He said and she looked up, surprised.

"You're not?"

"Let's say I am." He began. "Where's the confidence you had when offering yourself as a sex slave? I don't believe sex slaves have the time to feel shy and worry about their appearance."

"That's... " She lowered her head. "It's because of the scars." She muttered.

"I am actually here to see those said scars." He said and she raised her head.

Raymond got up from the bed and slowly approached her. He stopped right in front of her and put his hands in his pockets.

"Now, I am even more curious as to how hideous the scars are for you to act this way." He said and leaned his head closer, towards her ear. "Go on, strip."

Ariel slowly untied her robe. His eyes watching her every movement, made her feel uncomfortable.

She finally untied her robe and let it fall, exposing her bare body.

Raymond's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes beheld the multiple scars that covered her beautiful skin. He walked round her, observing carefully while Ariel tried not to tremble.

She felt so embarrassed having her body looked at and observed by someone that was very much close to a stranger to her. But as far as her mind went, this was the sacrifice she was willing to pay.

Raymond was displeased by the scars. But what was even more displeasing was the way she trembled. No matter how much she tried to hide it, there was no way he wouldn't notice it.

He stopped at her back and stared at the place she was stabbed twice. The stitches healed along with her skin, leaving a scar that would never fade no matter what.

But other than that, something else caught his attention.

He placed his right index finger in-between the sexy pelvic dimples just above her buttocks and she shuddered.

"Why did you make such a bold offering if you can't handle this much?" He asked and she pursed her lips. "I wasn't planning to use you for anything more than what I planned but seeing you bare..." He suddenly dropped his head on her shoulder, startling her. "...I realized that your body is quite my type."

A low and steady swallow sound was heard from Ariel's throat.

"Where is your confidence now?" He asked, his low and gruff voice making her suddenly feel sensitive.

No matter how she looked at it, he was trying to intimidate her into begging her way out of it but she couldn't be swayed.

"I... I can do it." She said,

"Oh?" He put his hands on her slim waist and once again she shuddered. "Are you faking your confidence? Because, your body seems to be more honest. You can't do it."

"I can, really." She answered, more boldly this time.

Raymond went silent. This made Ariel wonder what he was going to do now.

"Ariel." He called her name and his grip around her waist suddenly tightened and she flinched. "It's dangerous to have blind confidence." He said and planted his lips on her shoulder and she flinched. "You flinch too easily. Are you just riding on the thought that since you've done it a lot with that bastard, you'll be able to handle it with someone else?"

"I never thought that." She immediately answered, rather more calmly than he expected.

"Then what did you have in mind when you offered yourself as a sex slave to a 'stranger'?" He asked, his hand sliding up from her waist towards her upper body.

He took hold of her right breast but this time, she did not flinch. That is, until he started kneading it.

"First, you're not just a stranger. You're my savior." She declared and he paused. "You're the reason I'm still alive."

"Oh?"

"And I... I have no value and nothing to give as repayment for you saving my life. So, I offered the only thing I possessed. The only thing I have to offer." She answered smartly. "To me, it didn't matter if I would get hurt during the process or if I could not handle the pressure, all I cared about was paying you for the new life you had given me." She turned her head, meeting his gaze. "And at the same time..." Her lips seemed to reach up to his and almost grazed his own lips. "...prove that I had some worth."