Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Perfect
Claudia POV
Ray didn’t give a direct answer to my request. He contemplated in silence for a good while.
I thought Ray would immediately reject the idea, since spending time with me wouldn’t be part of his priorities in any way.
Even if he was technically free today, he still had other things to do. I knew how busy he was based on the amount of work he brought home and based on Jane’s words.
All I wanted was to test the waters, and since this one failed, I realized I had to downplay my request even more—maybe doing stuff inside this penthouse first.
"You know what, forget it. I’m a little tired after last night—"
"—We can go," he cut me short.
"Huh? Are you... sure?"
"I told you that night when you signed the contract that you can leave when I want to bring you outside. Now’s the time, since I have nothing to do today," Ray stated firmly. "Just tell me where you want to go, and don’t forget to empty that bowl."
I actually had no idea where to go. Los Angeles was big and full of entertainment for those with money, time, and friends to hang out with.
Unfortunately, I had neither of those right now, and I was never big on going to parties or crowded places.
But I had one place that Aurora and I often visited.
"Let’s go to the park. Having a small picnic at Echo Park Lake would be nice."
"Hm," Ray nodded, then walked to his room. "We’ll go in an hour. You should get ready after you eat."
"Alright, it’s settled then!" I said happily as I watched Ray enter his bedroom.
Though, if I could be honest, it felt a little strange that Ray agreed too easily. Was he planning a scheme against me? Or was he just being nice?
Was it even possible for him to just be nice?
Nevertheless, I was looking forward to it, since I had been trapped inside this penthouse for a while. Though I liked the view from my room, it would get boring if that was all you saw every day.
And the balcony wasn’t the best either, because it was either too hot or too cold, with no in-between. So staying indoors was the best option for me.
I could only finish half of the corn chowder, just as I promised, before going back to my room.
The weather was warm since it was still early autumn, so it would be better to wear something breezy, like a tank top.
But of course, I couldn’t do that, because I had plenty of permanent scars on my body that would look too grotesque for anyone to see, including Ray.
Miles was the only one who knew about my scars, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
Thus, I decided to wear a dark green midi dress with long sleeves to cover the scar on my arm. The dress I had covered my chest properly, so nobody would notice the scar on the lower half of my breasts.
Though, I disliked how most dresses were a bit tight around my chest, because my breasts were too big and forced me to always wear a bra, or else I’d get back pain by the end of the day.
I checked myself in the mirror, making sure that Ray wouldn’t notice a single scar that I had, or else I would have to cover up even more.
"Alright, this should do," I said.
I rarely wore makeup when going out, unless I was attending an event. Even when I was still working at the clinics, I only applied thin makeup here and there just to hide the exhaustion.
And well, I would do the same right now.
All I focused on was covering the puffiness and the eye bags. I made sure that nobody could see the exhaustion and sadness after too many tears had been shed.
Just as I said before: nobody should see me at my lowest. Because it would always end badly—Miles betrayed me in the end, and Ray bound me with his insane idea of a pet contract, all because I was desperate.
Once I was done, I went out of my room and stumbled upon Ray, who was wearing a dark green shirt with a similar tone to my dress and form-fitting trousers that made his legs look long.
He was already tall, and his outfit accentuated his height even more.
Ray and I stared at each other, our eyes scanning from head to toe. I grew slightly nervous, hoping none of my scars were visible.
"So, h-how is it? Do I look decent enough to go with you?" I asked while secretly studying his expression.
"More than decent," he said. "You should wear dresses more often instead of those baggy cardigans and old shirts."
"T-that’s just daily clothes I wear at home," I replied. "Oh, but before we leave, let me change my dress to something else."
"Why?" he asked.
"You already look..."
Ray paused for a while. I noticed his Adam’s apple bob before he added,
"...perfect."
That single word made my heart skip a beat.
It sounded so sincere, like the quiet confession of a man who truly admired the woman standing before him.
A faint heat crept onto my cheeks as the realization struck me. It had been a long time since anyone complimented my appearance. After I gave birth to Aurora, Miles had stopped saying things like that entirely. Instead, he only found faults in me, belittling me whenever he had the chance.
And I rarely went out after I resigned from my job, and thus dressing up for an event was probably a once-in-a-year event for me.
My body fidgeted unconsciously as I grew strangely nervous over such a small compliment. It was ridiculous... and yet, I couldn’t deny how good it felt to be seen as beautiful again.
Even if Ray might have only said it to be polite.
Not wanting him to notice how flustered I had become over his small comment, I quickly brushed the moment aside with a small, awkward laugh.
"No need to lie, Ray. With your position, you must’ve seen so many models and actresses in real life. It’s a little disingenuous when you compliment me like that."
