Lorena really did commit to her vow. She served Zachary to the best of her ability, but in exchange, she was increasingly distant with him. She did it as an attempt to prevent him from finding out about her feelings for him, but it just made him increasingly agitated.
She was distancing herself. Shit. That was the last thing Zachary wanted to happen. He had waited too long, he had been too patient, for her to run away now. Nine years. Nine whole fucking years he had waited for her to be a proper young lady fit to be his. The minute he saw her, he knew she had to be his.
Her courage, her wits, her knowledge, the way she viewed the world, it all amazed him. She was his only light in this dark world. This world was too filthy, too dirty, for her. But to protect her, he bathed her with the dirt. Yet still, she shined. How was it possible? Lorena always had a way of making the impossible possible though.
He sighed to himself. She would have to come back eventually, right? He swirled in his chair and faced the window overlooking the city. The buildings were neat, clean, and sturdy. Every single one of them. One could even call the view beautiful. But to Zachary, it was all filthy.
Zachary got up from his seat and drew the curtains closed in a swift, aggressive motion.
Lorena was nervous. It was always like this. Sweating bullets on the inside, but keeping her usual calm facade on the out. She was going with Zachary to a business meeting. Again. She didn't know why, but it seemed like he was using every single excuse to have her over. Dinner parties, business meetings, reports, even getting his coffee. She could feel her resolve crumbling, bit by bit, each meeting.
It was her job to attend these things with him, but he had never enforced them. In fact, he seemed to prefer she didn't come with him. The thought was always baffling to her, but being the good subordinate she was, she didn't ask any questions.
Lorena walked up the stairs, through the maze of hallways, and to Zachary's door. She gave three swift, yet sturdy knocks, and entered. Who she saw inside made her halt. It was her. The bitch. The woman she saw sitting on Zachary's lap.
Her first instinct was to choke her. Skin her alive and explain to her that her boss was not to be touched. Not by anyone, especially vermin who didn't know their place. The aggressive thought threw Lorena for a loop, but she quickly suppressed her killing intent. It showed for a second, easily invisible to the average person, but Zachary caught it. Not showing his true emotions, he nodded for her to go to her spot.
Lorena quickly and elegantly walked over to Zachary's side and grabbed a notebook and pen from lord knows where. She stood, ready to write and the epitome of the perfect subordinate. Zachary nodded in satisfaction and proceeded with the talks.
The more Lorena listened, the worse her mood became. She had a premonition. A very bad one. The woman was gorgeous. She had shinning red hair and beautiful blue eyes. She had a perfect hourglass shape and was blessed, to say the least. She knew she was beautiful, and she flaunted it. But that was to be expected, right? After all, she is the female lead.
It took a while to figure out, but Lorena did. This scene hadn't happened in the novel, but Lorena had long accepted the fact that her appearance in this world had changed it. She couldn't rely on her knowledge of the events in the novel, but she could rely on the other information it gave. People's secrets, their weaknesses, what's really going on behind the scenes. She knows it all.
She also knows the female lead well. Well enough to know that she has her sights on Zachary.
Well sorry, bitch. That ain't gonna happen.
Lorena knew that Maria, the female lead, intended to have two of the most powerful and influential men wrapped around her pretty finger. But guess what? Lorena was going to take that manicured finger and snap it in two. Her boss? Wrapped around a hot-tempered bitch's finger? Ha. Ha.
The female lead was now trying to seduce and trying to secure a business deal all in one. She wanted to tap into Zachary's information network and she was going to give him all he needed to expand to the neighboring country, Brynes. The female lead was still too stupid. She snuck out of her house by bribing the guards to get here. She had nothing to her name. Her father owned all of the power and possessions, and currently, they were at odds with each other. Lorena asked very seriously...
"Where do you get your confidence from?"
Maria was surprised. She was jealous of the woman the second she entered the door. She was beautiful. She had long, shiny white hair that flowed to the small of her back. She had crystal blue eyes that made you feel warm or cold when they looked at you, and she had a shapely figure. Not comparable to hers, of course, but still what men would consider pretty. She walked into the room with confidence and grace that seemed to have been instilled into her bones. She, an Earl's daughter, didn't have that. It was probably because she was Zachary's right-hand woman.
"This is a meeting between me and Zachary, this is not something a subordinate can interfere with. Especially with such stupid questions."
Lorena frowned at the open hostility the bitch was showing her and how she referred to her boss by the first name. They couldn't be that close. She had only caught them two months ago for christ's sake! She glanced at Zachary, but he seemed to not care. Staring off into space. She felt that one percent of reason vanish into nothing. Nice subordinate time was over.
"I am his right-hand woman and confidant. I have the right to be in this room, therefore I have the right to participate in this discussion. I don't think it's very professional of us to entertain a little girl such as yourself. If this got out, we would probably be a laughing stock to the underworld. Now, I think it's high time you made your way out. Make sure to close the door behind you."
The room dropped a few degrees during her rant. Maria's face was flushed and she looked humiliated. She glared at Lorena and gave puppy dog eyes to Zachary. The room dropped another degree. Maria noticed she wasn't getting anywhere with this and decided to retreat for now. She stomped over to the door and slammed it shut behind her.
The room instantly rose a few degrees and Lorena heard a deep voice behind her speak.
"Would you care to explain, Ms. White?"