Miss Dorthey

Amayah took a deep breath and approached the moody man. "You didn't have breakfast?"

Amayah was really unsure how to begin a conversation with this enigmatic man, so she said the first thing that came into her mind.

Hearing her question, Nolan just simply replied, without moving an inch, "I didn't like the food."

Amayah was speechless. He threw away the food just because he didn't like it? Does this man know that there are people out there who don't even have the luxury of even having a meal?

Just as Amayah was about to say something, a knock from the door interrupted her. She went to the door and opened it. A maid was standing there with a tray of food in her hands, which she presumed was the lunch for Nolan. The maid handed her the food tray and informed her that her lunch was served at the table.

She carefully placed the tray of food on the coffee table in front of him and informed him. "Your lunch is here, Master Nolan, and hopefully you will not throw it across the room this time and insult it."

Amayah tried a different approach this time when speaking with him because she knew if she spoke to him with intensity, he would flip out. So she addressed him in the same manner as she would a difficult child. She avoided lecturing him because she knew it would irritate him. Instead, she politely laid out her expectations in front of him so that the next time he tried to throw the food, he would remember her words.

With that statement, she quietly went to the door and cleaned up the mess he had created.

Hearing her clean up the mess he'd created, Nolan felt a prick in the corner of his heart.

***

While eating in the dining room, she looked around the big table, but it was all empty. She even tried asking a few servants to join her for a meal, but all of them refused.

Looking at her, Butler Alfred refused politely, "Young miss, it's inappropriate for us servants to join you for a meal at the dining table."

Some servants were standing there in the corner in a neat line ready to serve her. For some reason, Amayah suddenly thought about Nolan, all alone in the darkness of that room. He was the only heir of the Emerson family, yet he probably didn't receive this sort of service from his own servants.

Maybe the reason for his not eating the food was loneliness. Thinking of this, she turned to Butler Alfred. "Is it possible for me to eat tonight's dinner in the room? You could just prepare the same meal for me as Master Nolan's."

Butler Alfred hesitated but eventually agreed since he was no one to refuse her request. "Sure, young miss, if that's what you wish for."

After finishing her lunch, Amayah left for work. Even though the Emerson family promised to cover all of her financial obligations following the marriage, she simply cannot sit at home doing nothing. She had grown accustomed to being self-sufficient since her parents' death. It was enough for the Emersons to help her pay for her education. She could at least cover her personal expenses on her own. And she really enjoyed working in the bakery.

The driver of the Emerson family offered to drop her off at her work, but she politely declined, saying that she would take a metro there.

Just as she entered the bakery, an old voice greeted her, "Amayah sweetie, you've arrived."

"Miss Dorthey, how have you been?"

The bakery was owned by this elderly lady, Miss Dorthey. Ever since her husband's death, she'd opened this bakery to keep herself occupied. She treated Amayah like her own child since she didn't have any of her own.

"I've been doing just fine, young lady." Miss Dorthey said as she shifted her legs a little.

Amayah noticed that and reprimanded her, "Miss Dorthey, why didn't you stay at home when you're having knee pain again!?"

"There's no need, this is nothing, I'm as strong as a horse." Miss Dorthey replied.

Sighing, Amayah stubbornly pulled her to the nearby chair and gently pushed her down by the shoulders, making her sit. "You're not doing any more work today. You can assist me with what to do from there and I'll do it."

Miss Dorthey simply smiled and relented. She was aware that Amayah was obstinate and would not allow her to do any work. She adored this silly young lady with all of her heart.

Smiling Amayah put on her apron and started decorating a cake according to an order.

"I heard from a customer that a few days ago there was a big car here for you outside the bakery." Miss Dorthey asked after a while, worried.

Hearing this, Amayah recalled that the day Old Master Emerson approached her outside the bakery, Miss Dorthey was not present at the bakery, and there was a crowd surrounding the car at the time, so it's no surprise that a customer of the bakery shop recognized her and saw her getting into the car.

"Oh, that was nothing to worry about, Miss Dorthey. It was just an old friend who suddenly saw me when I got off work and recognized me."

After her assurance, Miss Dorthey heaved a sigh of relief.

Amayah could only tell Miss Dorthey a lie because she didn't want to aggravate the old lady by telling her the truth. Amayah knew that if she decided to tell her the truth, she would have to tell her the whole truth. She couldn't possibly tell her only half the truth. Miss Dorthey was a smart woman who would recognize a problem as soon as she said even a hint of what had transpired. And when she found out, she'd be heartbroken that she didn't ask for her help and instead agreed to marry a complete stranger.

Miss Dorthey had already helped Amayah a lot in the past, and now that the old lady's health was deteriorating, she didn't want to bother her anymore with her problems.