Ariel went pale as she watched Marco pick up the recording device.
As soon as Marco saw what it was, his face turned red with furry.
"You were recording our conversation?" He asked through his teeth and giving no room to Ariel to refute, he played it.
Hearing their conversation replay from the recorder, his anger blew through the roof.
"So, what did you plan to do with this?" He asked as he glared at her. "Did you plan to take it to the station? You planned to take me to jail?" His dark countenance scared her. She had to get away from him so she tried to get up but he kicked her hard towards the corner. "You want to get away?" He grabbed her leg. "I'm going to make it so you can't run away."
Ariel's eyes flashed and her whole body was filled with pain as he twisted her ankle.
"Ahh, ah!" She screamed in pain. "Ahh, what did you...?" Her eyes beheld her broken ankle and she screamed. "Ahhh!"
"In fact, I'm going to make it so you can't get away from me for the rest of your life. But first," He smashed the recorder into pieces and then picked up a knife. "You want to run, right? Let's see how you manage with a real knife stuck in your back."
Ariel's eyes widened as she watched him approach her with the knife. He wouldn't, right? He wouldn't do such a thing.
"Stay... Stay away from me."
"Come here, Ariel. You need to prove your worth to me." He said, slowly approaching as she pushed herself to crawl. "I figured you would end up dead by the hands of your family so I bought you life insurance just in case. I can't have you dying for nothing after all I've done for you." He said.
This man was crazy. He planned to kill her all along. And he even got her life insurance? How... Just how did she end up with a demon like him?
"I'm going to be rich once you're gone. Think of it as the last goodwill you'll do for me."
"Don't... Don't... " Marco raised the knife and stabbed her in the back.
He took out the knife but wasn't satisfied.
"Just to be sure you bleed to death." Once again, he shoved the knife in her back and took it out.
Then, he took the pieces of the recorder, as well as the knife he wrapped in a cloth and headed for the door.
"I'll make sure to use the money your sacrifice will produce to good use." He said and Ariel caught his leg. "What, are you going to miss me?" He spat on her and took back his leg forcefully. "Too bad cause I won't miss you."
With her fading vision, she watched the door close. What, in her life, did she do to deserve this?
She wasn't greedy. She wasn't demanding. She wasn't a wicked being. She never hated them for what they did to her and she was never vengeful. She lived a quiet life yet here she was, suffering the fate of an unjust betrayal.
All her life, she lived the life of a sinner. She was bullied, beaten, and neglected. Was it too much to ask to be loved? Maybe it was and that was why she never begged for it. But since it came naturally to her, she felt glad and now she…
'I put too much hope in love.' She thought. 'This love that I haven't experienced clearly, I don't think I want to experience it. It's bitter.'
In the pool of her own blood, she regretted having taken the hand that had reached out to her in the time of desperation. She regrets having given her heart out to that person she considered her savior.
What she wanted right now was nothing more than to see him go on his knees and beg for forgiveness. But... That was impossible since she was going to die anyway.
Then, her door opened and a figure majestically walked in.
"He is one heartless scumbag." Came the very voice that had saved her the previous day.
Twice in a row, was it her luck or was it misfortune?
Raymond grimaced at the sight of Ariel in the pool of her own blood. Her ankle was broken and her face was bruised. That last part was to be expected. But to think he'd actually stab her. He was one sick bastard.
Not minding how bloody her body was, he swept her off the ground and into his arms.
"You're still alive, right?" He asked and she flinched. She couldn't feel the pain because her entire body was already dying but she was still alive. "To think I'd meet you like this, dear savior."
'Who is he?' Ariel wondered, staring with her hazy vision.
"You save me, I save you. It was supposed to be a tie. But here I am, saving you again. Now, what will you give me in return?" He asked and her consciousness faded.
Raymond took one good look at the house and then started walking out.
White, in the company of three guards, stood outside the door and as Raymond walked out, they stared in shock.
What they were actually shocked about was not the fact that Ariel had been stabbed but rather because Raymond took the liberty of carrying her on his own.
"White, attach a tail to that sick bastard. I want to know every single thing he's doing. And gather as much dirt as possible." He ordered and kept walking.
"Yes, sir." He bowed. "To the hospital?"
"No, her condition is too severe and I hate answering annoying questions so let's go to Steve's place."
"Yes, sir."