Forced Marriage To The Psychotic Billionaire ( Book 2)

Chapter 5: The Meeting

As early as 7 am, Lorena rose from her bed. She looked around her tiny room, compared to the rooms she was used to, and managed a weak smile. She had spent the last two days bawling her eyes out. Life didn't seem fair to her at all. When she thought she was fine going to be with the man she loved, her father strikes again.

She felt a sting of tears at the corner of her eyes and inhaled deeply to stop it. "Not today," She whispered to herself. "The children need their cheerful, bubbly Lorena back."

She didn't have a big mirror in her room, so she couldn't precisely Guage the extent of the damage she had done to herself. Sighing, she made her way to the even smaller bathroom. She couldn't complain, though.

Signora Pallas had accepted her with open arms was enough for her. She took a quick bath because of the cold water and was out in no time. She quickly put on a free shirt and pants her sister had gotten for her, then tied her hair into a messy bun. She decided to trust her instinct that she looked okay. Stepping into her slides, she stroked out of her room and went straight to the kitchen.

"Good morning, my lady." The kitchen workers who were already up and about greeted her as she walked past each of them.

"Good morning, everyone." She returned with a smile on her face.

"Good to see you up again. The madam said you've been sick." Mr. Bean, the assistant cook who always had a smile on his face, despite his missing front tooth, waved.

"Oh?" A look of confusion flashed past her face but was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Of course. Your soup did wonders." She said, realizing Signora Pallas must have told them she was sick. If only they knew the pain was to her heart. Her poor heart.

"I'm glad we could help." Madam Isabella, the head chef, said behind her.

"I just wanted to know if the children's water is getting heated. The temperature today is way too cold." She said and shivered a bit, emphasizing her point.

"Did you bathe with cold water, my lady?" Isabella was quickly by her side, with her hands all over Lorena's face, checking her temperature. The workers all stopped what they were doing and turned to look with a worried frown.

Lorena chuckled. "I did, but it's nothing. Don't worry yourself."

"Really?" She insisted.

"Really," Lorena nodded. "You should all go back to work. I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure of the water thing. I'll see you all for breakfast." She waved and turned around to walk away.

The next stop for Lorena was the children's halls. She stopped by the girl's halls first and started from room one. Every day, the orphanage was expanding. She could still vividly remember when they had barely twenty children. Now they were dealing with a lot of children.

"Good morning, my lady," The matron in the first girls' room bowed but stopped midway and raised her head slowly. "Sorry." She apologized with a smile.

"It's okay," Lorena waved.

"With time, you'll learn to be more free with me. How are the children, though?" She asked, looking around. They were all still fast asleep, and it brought a smile to her face. The school was out of session now, so they didn't have to be up early.

"They're all doing great. They've missed you these past two days." Lorena's hands went to her heart, and she pouted.

"My poor babies," She clenched her chest tightly. "I'll come to get them when they're up. I already instructed the kitchen staff to heat some water for them." She checked around again to ensure the kids were all properly dressed for the cold and that they were also well covered.