Chapter 2 My Days In The Orphanage

• "What are you saying?" Rachel said. "I love you, Daniel."
• "But I don't," he replied. "You are my best friend's wife. You were just a fling, understand? Your place is with him."
• "You damn bastard!" Rachel exclaimed. "You will pay for this!"
• "Calm down, Rachel!" Daniel said. "Let's talk like civilized people. We had a lot of fun during these months, but it's all over now."
• "Not for me," Rachel said. "I love you, Daniel."
• "You're confused!" Daniel said.
• Rachel walked into the house, and Daniel thought she had understood. He decided to go back to his house and explain everything to Hafid, and if possible, apologize on his knees.
• As he was about to leave the house, Rachel came out and called him.
• "Daniel!"
• He turned around, and Rachel fired the gun she had been aiming at his head. She shot again and hit him in the chest. Another shot hit him in the stomach. Then, seeing him covered in blood, she put the gun in her own mouth and shot herself, committing suicide.
• The nanny, who had come out of the room upon hearing the shots, screamed. The entire domestic staff had also come out.
• Upon seeing the gruesome scene, they immediately called the owner of the house. It was a harsh blow for this man, who couldn't believe his house had become a scene of a crime of passion.
• The nanny explained what had happened to the police and also to Hafid. After the funeral, he had told the woman that she would stay to take care of the children until they found a new nanny.
• A year had passed, and he was still waiting. He had to travel constantly and didn't want this woman to stay with his children. So he came up with the idea of offering a millionaire salary to a woman who would not only take care of them but also marry him.
• That way, she could be the mother of his children. He wasn't interested in sleeping with her; his heart was dead to love. Hafid was only filled with bitterness and hatred.
• Sylvia Smith had been raised in an orphanage. She was always shy, although she had a sharp tongue when attacked. Otherwise, she was calm, introverted, and very organized. She always walked alone, although deep down she longed for companionship.
• She grew up under the care of the sisters who ran the orphanage, dreaming that one day she would be placed in a family, but she was never chosen.
• Now, at eighteen years old, she had to go out and make a life outside the orphanage. She had no one, at least as far as she knew. Sister Aurora had promised to give her savings.
• On the day she left, Sister Aurora gave her a small amount.
• "You need it more than I do," the nun said. "I have a roof over my head and food. Besides, I'm old, and death is what I'm waiting for."
• Although she didn't agree, Sylvia took the money, promising to pay it back as soon as she could. That amount had allowed her to rent a room, buy some clothes, and also get food while she looked for a job.
• She managed to find work at a restaurant that only served breakfast, from six in the morning until four in the afternoon. This was her schedule, with one day off per week.
• Every week, she went to the orphanage to gradually pay off her debt to Sister Aurora. After a short time, she had paid off the entire debt to the sister. However, something unexpected happened - she lost her job.
• Days went by and she couldn't find another job. As her rent debt accumulated, she needed to solve her situation quickly, or she would end up on the streets.
• She decided to turn to Sister Aurora again, as she had no one else to ask for help. She arrived at the orphanage to talk to the sister, but found her very sick. She only gave her some money to buy food.
• More than two months had passed and she was still unemployed. The landlady had become hostile towards her, reminding her every day that she had to pay off her debt.
• That morning, she went out again to look for a job. By mid-morning, she was hungry and hadn't achieved anything yet.
• She sat on a bench in a random park, and then an elderly man sat on the other end of the bench, holding a newspaper.
• Because she didn't know him, she didn't try to start a conversation with him. But once the old man had finished reading the entire newspaper, he stood up and left it there.
• She watched as the man walked away, leaving his newspaper behind. She approached and picked it up, starting to flip through it. There was only one thing that interested her - the job section.
• She searched before the old man returned to retrieve his newspaper, eagerly reading each classified ad. There was one that caught her attention.
• The ad said: "Young woman needed to take care of two children; requirements: no family, willing to travel, good salary."
• There was an address and a time to receive potential candidates. The interview would take place in an hour, so she took the newspaper and headed to the address without wasting any more time.
• When she arrived at the interview location, a long line of women dressed modestly and with not a hair out of place were waiting.
• Apparently, Sylvia was the last in line, and her hopes were minimal. She was about to leave several times.
• A girl came out with chocolate and cookies and gave them to the job candidates. Sylvia took the opportunity to give her stomach a little sustenance.
• Two hours later, she entered a spacious office with an elegant wooden desk. A very formal man sat in a comfortable chair and gestured for her to sit down.
• "Tell me about yourself, Miss Smith," said the formal man.
• She looked at him for a few seconds and then straightened up in her chair and said, "I am Sylvia Smith, I am nineteen years old. I grew up in an orphanage and left a year ago. I am unemployed, homeless, and I don't have any known family," the girl said confidently.
• - Understood; the job consists of taking care of two children, a one and a half year old girl and boy, - said the man, stretching - the payment will be twelve thousand dollars per month, and you will be traveling most of the time.
• Sylvia's eyes widened when she heard the salary and then said:
• - I don't have a passport - Sylvia's voice was pleasant.
• The man nodded and said:
• - That's fine, do you have a number where I can reach you?
• She provided the landlady's number, hoping that if they called, she wouldn't be in a bad mood and could answer.
• She left with her hopes shattered, it was best to keep looking elsewhere, she checked the time, it was better to go home to eat and rest, she felt exhausted.
• When she arrived, the landlady looked at her with a stern face, Sylvia said:
• - Give them this number, if they call, please let me know.
• The landlady grunted, a sound the girl didn't understand, she had no choice but to smile sadly, she didn't even believe that they would call.
• Around five in the afternoon, someone knocked on her door, it was the landlady, when she opened it, she patiently waited for a string of scolding, but the landlady only said:
• - You have a call.
• Sylvia couldn't believe it, she immediately went out and picked up the phone and answered:
• - Hello! Yes, she's speaking, at nine in the morning? Yes, sir, I'll be there.
• She hung up the call and thought for a few seconds, she had a new interview, perhaps there were several filters she had to pass to select the right person.
• It was a very good salary, not everyone paid twelve thousand dollars to take care of children, and these were two, this time she would go with the best attitude.
• One had to be endowed with patience to take care of two little ones who had just stopped breastfeeding.
• The next morning, she looked for a skirt that had seen better days, a soft muslin blouse that had also had better moments, but at least she looked more decent.
• When she arrived at the interview location again, she expected to see many others waiting, but there was no one else there, just her.