Beauty and the Grinch

Cleo

Cleo Forbes was just a toddler when she was left on the doorstep of the Home of Love Orphanage. She had nothing but a small name tag with her name on it. The nuns who ran the orphanage took her in and cared for her as one of their own.

Sister Mary, a kind-hearted nun with a warm smile, became Cleo's primary caregiver. She fed her, bathed her, and sang her to sleep every night. As Cleo grew up, Sister Mary became like a mother to her.

At the orphanage, Cleo met her best friend, Sophie. Sophie was a year older than Cleo and had been at the orphanage for as long as anyone could remember. The two girls became inseparable, sharing secrets, dreams, and laughter. They were each other's rock, supporting and encouraging each other through thick and thin.

Despite never being adopted, Cleo grew into a happy and compassionate young girl. She loved helping the nuns with their daily chores and playing with Sophie and the other kids at the orphanage. But deep down, Cleo couldn't shake off the feeling of being unwanted and wondered why her own mother wouldn't want her.

One day sister Mary took Cleo out for a walk to help her understand, she took her to a home for the homeless and explained to her some people aren't fortunate enough to have big houses and can't afford to take care of little children. She later took her to a free clinic and found children waiting for their sick mother's to be treated. Sister Mary knelt on one knee and said ''you see letting your child go isn't easy but if they love you just enough they can for you to have a better life, maybe your mother was ill and she couldn't take care of you any more Cleo and besides you wouldn't have met me or Sophie don't you like spending time with us?'' she asked. Cleo saw things from a different perspective and no longer had hatred for her birth but still had questions she hopped to get answers to.

When Cleo turned 18, she had to leave the orphanage. Sister Mary was heartbroken to see her go, but she knew Cleo had to start her own life. Cleo found a job at a small coffee shop in town and worked hard to make a name for herself. Sophie, who had left the orphanage a year earlier, was already working at the coffee shop and was thrilled to have Cleo join her.

The townspeople loved Cleo's warm smile and kind heart. She always loved Christmas as it gave her hope, she hoped for a Christmas miracle.She always volunteered at the orphanages .annual Christmas play as they knew they'd go perform at the Jenson's ball every year. when she was older she later became head of the Christmas committee with Sophie always by her side, helping with the planning and execution. The Jenson's Enterprise, a wealthy company, provided a generous fund for the celebration and for the running smooth of the orphanage.

But when Cleo turned 25, the funding suddenly stopped. Cleo was devastated. the orphanage had grown to rely on the fund and make the Christmas celebration special for the ball, she later found out that the orphanage no longer attended the ball from the fundraiser. Sister Mary told her a lot had changed since she left the orphanage. She wondered if it was because of the tragic loss of Mr. and Mrs. Jenson, the owners of the company.And that the new owner have just forgotten about the orphanage.She worried about where the funds would come from. Sophie tried to comfort her, but even she couldn't ease Cleo's disappointment.

Little did Cleo know, the truth was far more painful. Rowan Jenson, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jenson, had taken over the company. He was a cold and calculating businessman who cared little for the charity work his parents had supported. He had callously cancelled the charity fund, including the one for the Christmas celebration, simply because it reminded him of his parents.