Why do you want to help me?

Ariel was speechless. Why the sudden talk of revenge?

"It would've seemed like the reason you held on so much even when you were dying was because you wanted to get back at them." Raymond said. "But if that was not the case then, why did you hang on so desperately? To become someone's sex slave? Are you serious? Do you even know what that means?"

He shook his head. She was quite a handful.

Ariel was still speechless, dwelling on the word 'revenge' and looking past every other thing he said.

"You're a smart and kind girl, Ariel." Raymond said. "But I don't want to believe that you plan on forgiving those bastards for what they've done to you until now."

"Mister." Ariel began, clutching on the sheet as her hands slightly trembled. "Can I really do that?" She asked.

"What exactly are you asking me?"

"Can I really...?" She raised her head, showing her greedy and bloodthirsty eyes. "Can I really get my revenge?"

This expression on her made Raymond think that he had picked up quite a fine piece to be on his chessboard. Those eyes, they were the eyes of someone who was thirsty for revenge and wouldn't quit till they were satisfied.

"Ha, this is interesting." He muttered. "Of course you can. All you need is the right support and that's where I come in handy."

Ariel suddenly snapped out of that state and looked at him with clear blue eyes. Her pupils were rather dull but one could tell that they used to glow with vigor.

"Why do you want to help me?" She asked him. "In this world, there's no such thing as a free cake."

"You're right. And as you said, your life is in my hands since I saved you and your only worth is your body, so I'll use your 'body' as much as I please. As it turns out, I, too, find your body to be quite useful." He said.

Ariel misinterpreted his words as him accepting to take her as a sex slave and he suspected that but he did not bother to explain further.

"Alright." She answered. "I will do anything and be anything you want. Just as long as I get my revenge, nothing matters. My life...is yours."

"That's the spirit." He got up from his seat and stood in front of her. "I feel like you and I are going to get along just fine." He said with a proud smirk. "But first things first," he suddenly leaned his head forward to her face, their eyes meeting with a distance of exactly four inches.

His face so close to hers made Ariel's heart jump and she subconsciously held her breath

"...you have to focus on recovering. Once you're strong and healthy, we'll get down to it." He said and resumed his standing position, giving room for her to breathe.

Ariel gulped down the lump that seemed to be stuck in her throat and nodded.

"One more thing, from now on, don't give your name out to anyone. It's important." He warned and she nodded. With that, he started heading for the door.

"Mister..."

"Don't call me that." He said and paused.

"Then, master." She changed her mode of address and Raymond still wanted to correct her but for some reason, he let her call him that.

"What is it?"

"How long... Have I been unconscious?" She asked and he thought on this before answering.

"A couple of weeks. Approximately two months." He answered and walked out the door.

'He knows how long I've been unconscious. That means he paid close attention to me.' Ariel thought. 'Who, really, is he?' As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she immediately shook her head. 'No, he is my master now. I am nothing more than a sex slave. As long as he helps me with my problem, I won't ask for more.'

She twiddled her thumbs. One of her many anxiety habits.

'He was dressed really well but will he really be able to go against my family? No, can I even call them my family?'

Her gaze went outside the window and she watched the birds chirp towards an unknown rhythm.

'They were always so mean to me and so loving to Clara.' She accidentally scraped her left thumb with her right thumb nail and it bled. 'I should stop doing this.' She put her thumb in her mouth and just then, the doctor returned with a nurse carrying some bandage supplies.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, seeing her suck on her thumb. "Well, it's understandable since you haven't really eaten anything in two months."

Ariel took her thumb out of her mouth but it was still bleeding so it stained her clothes.

"How come your thumb is bleeding? Did you tear it with your teeth?" He asked but Ariel did not respond.

Seeing her so unresponsive, he gave up and just treated her thumb along with changing her wound's dressing.

Once that was done, another nurse came in with a tray of food. Soup, to be precise.

"Here, eat up." He said to her and she looked at the food as if it were a foreign species. "It's chicken soup."

"Thank you." She said and he gave out a sigh.

This was the first normal thing she was saying to him after waking up, aside from when he asked how her body felt.

"By the way, my name is Steve." The doctor finally introduced himself but Ariel did not respond likewise since she wasn't supposed to give out her name to anyone. "I know your name is Ariel." He suddenly said and she paused but continued eating like nothing happened. "Anyway, did you get the answer you were looking for?"

"Yes." She answered. "And now, I'm glad I did not die and held on well."

"Why? What did Raymond say to you?"

"Raymond?"

"The guy you just talked with. His name is Raymond." Steve said and Ariel nodded, making him realize something. "Wait, did he not tell you his name?"

"I didn't ask." Ariel simply said, drank the soup from the bowl and dropped it back on the tray. "Doctor, when can I get discharged?" She suddenly asked.