On the way back, Raymond turned to look at Ariel as she stared out the window, her mind drifting far.
For some reason, he couldn't help but stare at her. His heart felt a bit warm when she defended him earlier. He couldn't tell if it was a feeling of satisfaction, gladness or appreciation.
No one... There has never been anyone who stood up for him the way she did. If he had told her to act at the charity gala and make the headlines again, he'd feel nothing since she would be doing all that at his command but he didn't tell her to do that.
His simple command was for her to stick close to him yet she went off to fight off a few girls talking bad about him. It was comical and he found himself smiling. She was truly something.