Ms. CEO

Chapter 9

(Not Edited)

"Ms. Alessia, please come play with us," little Lucy urged impatiently. Her pink dressed bounced in sync with her body as she jumped up and down.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," I said and smiled.

Lucy took me into a room full of toys and kid stuff. It looked like a room for a kindergarten classroom. The rug was colorful with the letters of the alphabet. There was a long, wide bookcase filled with books and arts and crafts supplies. There were five easels standing at the far back and a table that was being used by some of the kids playing a board game.

I was here in an orphanage where I supported and donated thousands of dollars. This became my happy place when I had first entered the building. The kids here were always respectful and adorable.

The first time I came here was two years ago. I wanted to donate money to charity, but I didn't know where to start. I was driving home from the office when I passed by Ms. Harrison's House for Kids. I became curious about it and entered the brick building. Right away, kids came running towards me and started asking me if I was going to adopt them.

I've always felt sympathy for the children who had no parents and had to stay in this building. I've always wanted to help them, and now I have. They give me a sense of joy and adventure when I would come here because you can never expect what these children have up in their sleeves. This was why I came here, to relax and forget about my mother's death even if it was for a little while. These kids gave off a positive vibe and I needed it.

I sat down in a circle along with five little girls with matching bows in their hair. Lucy handed me a cute little doll.

"Okay, you can play with Lexi," she said. I gently laughed and started moving the doll around as if she was walking. Honestly, I didn't know how to play dolls. The last time I had played with dolls was when I was five.

We played for a couple of minutes, but I didn't know exactly for how long.. I kept getting distracted because I saw a little girl looking at us. She was standing in the corner while sucking her thumb. She looked to be around five years old with long, curly brown hair that reached to her waist. She was beautiful to say the least. Her porcelain skin made her look like a cute doll and her long eyelashes framed her doll-like face.

I stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty when she made eye contact. Her eyes shot open wide, but then they went back to normal. I sent her a small smile and stood up from where I was sitting.

"Girls, I'll be back. Okay?" I asked. I heard a chorus of 'okays' and made my way to the little girl.

"Hi. What's your name sweetie?" I kindly asked her so I wouldn't scare her away.

She looked at me with her big, brown eyes and continued sucking her thumb.

"Rosalie," she whispered after a while.

"Why don't you come play with us?" I gestured towards the girls who were still playing with their dolls. I looked back at Rosalie who was now shaking her head.

"No, they don't like me," she said and her eyes started to water. It looked like she was about to cry, and my motherly instinct kicked in (even though I don't have kids). I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her.

"Why not?" I whispered. Seeing this little angel cry was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen. I soothed her hair and patted her back.

"I don't know. They don't let me play with them," she mumbled quietly. I continued to pat her back and glanced at the girls. They looked too nice, but I guess looks can be deceiving. This was like high school all over again.