"Was the dress not to your liking?"
Startled by the sudden question, Lorena looked back to Zachary and quickly shook her head.
"No, no, it was lovely. I just don't care for dresses, I truly do not feel comfortable in them. Being in more masculine clothing is much more liberating."
Inside his mind, Zachary was surprised. A homeless bum on the streets was so well-spoken?Doubts plagued his mind but he decided to address them later. After a simple background search, he found nothing special about her, so he's just have to conduct a more thorough investigation after this.
The original's story was tragic yet common. Her mother was a prostitute, father was a drunkard, and both died. The little girl, at the tender age of four, was left to fend for herself against this dog eat dog world. She had probably died from starvation when Lorena came to possess her body. Zachary, however, not knowing this, was suspicious and had lots of doubts towards her. Regardless, he had brushed them aside and even invited her into his home.
Maybe because he felt that she was different? Unique one might say?
His gut told him that she was going to become something that would blow people's minds. If she got to that point, then he wanted her by his side, as his subordinate, to be able to use her in the future. If she failed to live up to his expectations or reach that height, he would just throw her away. It was simple enough.
The decision and thought process was decisive, cold, and ruthless, just like Zachary Solace. His childhood had a large contribution to this mentality being born howver. He had been raised in a vindictive environment infested with snakes, so he naturally learned to be one too. More than one person had used all cards available to them to make his life hell out of spite and jealousy, and more than a few had tried to seduce him so as to assure a bright and luxurious future for themselves. His carefree and leisurely attitude was nothing more than a facade. Behind the scenes, he worked harder than anyone else as he laughed at the puppets he played with.
"You're quite well-spoken for someone who was raised in the streets. It makes one, namely me, doubt whether or not you have a special background. You cant tell me that you are merely self taught either."
Lorena reflected on her words and found that they weren't anything a person living on the streets would say, or a 13-year-old kid for that matter. Being a lawyer required one to be silver-tongued and articulate to persuade the jury and bring them to your cause. Tricks such as softening your words and inverting black and white were absoultely necessary skills to have. Words were truly a weapon, one that Lorena liked too and was very good at using.
"What if it was the truth? Adopting mannerisms and expanding your vocabulary is hard, but it is not impossible. I have also been good with words naturally and my learning ability is above average. How else would you expect for me to have survived this long?"
In a way, her words were the truth. She would pick up the conversations of people in business meetings when she ate at restaurants and paid attention to the way they spoke. She developed a persuasive nature which is exactly the reason that got her into an above-average college and a well-known law firm. Being someone born poor as she was would most likely land her on the streets after their parents died. Instead of letting it drag her down, it instead gave her even more confidence. What she had become was what she created with her own two hands. What she earned she earned herself, well with the help of other people of course.
Shame? Could you eat that? No? Sorry then, not interested. When you have goals that are higher than you can achieve, you use other people to get there. Not that she was stepping on people to climb up. She maintained friendly relations with the people she worked for and always made sure to express her gratitude. She was shameless, not a bitch. Though the same couldn't be said about the female lead. She hated the bitch because of it.
Zachary nodded and seemed to have accepted her explanation. A knock sounded through the room and he invited them in. The door opened and revealed an old butler. He bowed and spoke in a steady and strong tone.
"Master wished to see this servant?"
"Yes. From now on, you will train Lorena here. I want her well versed in etiquette and martial arts. I also want her to be educated in mathematics, history, and other subjects I trust you know."
Understanding the unspoken subject the old man seemed to know without being told, and he nodded.
"Yes, master."
The butler then turned to her, nodded his head and left the room. Seeing that she wasn't following he turned and frowned. Lorena then realized she was not wanted in the room anymore and followed the butler. While they walked down the corridors, he spoke.
"My name is Raymond. You will be mentored, monitored, and taken care of by me. Any questions or concerns may be voiced with me if they are of the utmost importance. Otherwise, please refrain from bothering me. I am first and foremost a tool for my master to use, therefore I hope that you will not make me do anything that I would prefer not to do."
The words spoken at the very end were heavier than the others. He was clearly insinuating that if she got any nasty ideas, he would not hesitate to eliminate her. The thought chilled her but wasn't entirely surprising. They were, after all, a highly professional and sought after information organization. They had many allies, but a lot of enemies as well.
Raymond opened a door on the right and revealed a decently sized room. In left corner of the room there was a twin-sized bed along with a nightstand with a drawer and a lamp. To the right was a desk with a lamp. To her left was a dresser with three sets of the same butler outfit she had on.
Small. Comfy. Clean. Lorena was in heaven. She wanted to jump and squeal and explore her room a bit, but she schooled her expression and kept it emotionless. She, like Zachary, didn't like to give people such control or power over her. Instead of hiding it under a mask of leisure, she decided to hide it behind her stone-cold demeanor. Well, at least she tried to.
"This will be where you will be residing as of today. If there are any questions of importance, please ask. Dinner will be served in two hours. In case you are too tired to eat, you may fall asleep. Goodnight."
Lorena flopped on her bed. It was much more comfortable than where she woke up earlier and she quickly fell asleep. She slept straight through dinner and straight into the morning.