« Is everything alright? » he asked.
« Yes, sir, » replied the housekeeper. « I am simply explaining the rules to the young lady. »
Emily looked up at him — and smiled for the first time that morning. Her gaze said, « I’ll do my best. »
Richard nodded and sat down. A new day was beginning — and a new life too.
Chapter 3. The world of the rich as seen by a street child
Emily’s first day in her new home was a real ordeal.
At breakfast, she didn’t dare touch the food. She looked at the golden rolls and the fragrant omelet as if they were forbidden. She knew the stale bread from the bins, the dry biscuits a passerby sometimes offered her. And then suddenly—immaculate tablecloth, sparkling dishes, steaming plates.
« Eat, » Richard whispered, noticing her hesitation.
Emily carefully picked up the fork and tasted it. The flavor overwhelmed her; tears almost welled up in her eyes. She held them back: one doesn’t cry in front of people.
After the meal, Mrs. Carter showed her around the house. The little girl walked with her hands clasped, her eyes wide open.
« This is the drawing room, » the housekeeper declared, pointing to a large room with a fireplace. « The master receives guests here. No one enters without being invited. »
In the corridors, the walls were covered with paintings and photographs. Emily stopped in front of a portrait: a younger Richard, without grey hair, wearing a helmet, near a building under construction.
« Your mentor twenty years ago, » commented Mrs. Carter. « He built his company through sheer hard work. »
Emily nodded. It was hard to imagine the man in a suit on a construction site, surrounded by concrete.
Upstairs, the housekeeper opened the library. For the little girl, it was a temple: hundreds of books, the smell of paper and leather. She stood motionless on the threshold.
« Can you read? » Mrs. Carter asked abruptly.
« A little, » Emily admitted. « It was my grandma who taught me. She used to say that if you can read, you’re never completely alone. »
For the first time, a slight smile softened the steward’s features.
« You can sit here. But carefully, understand? »
Emily nodded so vigorously that a lock of hair fell onto her forehead.
The day passed. The staff stared at her—sometimes curious, sometimes suspicious. The cooks whispered when Richard asked for dishes adapted for her. The gardener raised his eyebrows as he watched her admire the flowerbeds.
This world seemed foreign to him. Too big, too bright. Frightening and attractive at the same time.
That evening, Richard found her at the library. She was sitting on the rug, a large illustrated book on her lap.
« Do you like it? » he asked, sitting down next to her.
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