The Cursed King

Loriel then added, "You can learn from Chef Lucy all about muffins and cupcakes, and then practice at home. Once you are confident with the results, you can open for business."

The man suddenly thought about something. He looked at Elise intently. "By the way, do you want to open your own bakery?"

Elise, who was sipping her tea, slowly lowered her cup and put it on the table. She looked up and stared at Loriel. "Opening my own bakery?"

She loved pastries and that was the main reason why she wanted to study pastries from Chef Lucy.

However, did she want to open her own bakery?

"I don't have the money to open a real bakery," she said with a low voice. 

"If you really want it, I am sure I can help you make it happen," said Loriel smugly. That's right. He could make whatever she wanted to happen. She just needed to say the word.

"You're too kind," said Elise with a smile. "I don't know. Maybe someday. Let's not talk about it now."

"Okay, but please remember that I can help you if you really, really, really want to open your own bakery. I am here."

"I know," Elise reached out her hand and touched Loriel's cheek and then smiled, looking grateful. "Thank you."

Loriel would rather see Elise open a bakery than walking the runway on fashion shows or getting photographed as a model in magazines.

No, he was a selfish man. He would not want to share his Elise with other men out there.

***

Several days soon passed by from the time that Tessa and Julian ruined Elise's dinner treat to Loriel. While it was something that bothered Elise, she returned to work the next day after and before she knew it, it was as if the day never actually happened.

Alex gave Elise a task to distribute some files to her co-workers on the second floor of the building and so she went there with an eagerness to prove herself capable.

Elise greeted them with a smile. "Good morning guys, Alex asked me to give you something. Here are some folders that are named according to each member of this department. A specific set of new tasks were assigned to all of you."

"Oh great, more work." One of the guys groaned but then happily accepted the folder from Elise. 

When the delivery person of work was someone as beautiful as Elise, it wasn't actually hard to look forward to it.

Although it may have been mostly the guys who were happy to see her. A good number of people, in general, weren't eager for new responsibilities.

"I swear, Alex is a workaholic trying to work us to the bone though." A girl said as she looked at the new tasks they received. "Elise why don't you ask her to be a little nicer to us?"

Words like those were said in simple jest, but it held a hint of what lay in their hearts.

Elise smiled and shook her head. "I think it's just because she trusts you guys a lot. I don't think she'd push these tasks in this department if she didn't think that you guys were capable."

"Aww…" One of them tried to wipe a tear and loudly sniffed much to the amusement of everyone. "When you say it that way, I can't help but feel energized to prove Alex right."

"Elise really is an angel."

"I think that's a bit too much, but thank you for the compliment."

"You are good with words and now you make us want to do more work," one of them raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Sanderman should have raised your salary."

"He should, shouldn't he?" Elise replied with a smile.

It was so easy to pretend that what happened with Julian and Tessa was nothing but a small disruption in her new life. Loriel never brought it up again. Even though he now knew that she was Madeline York, Loriel still thought of her as Elise. 

The people in the office also helped her focus on just work.

All was well again in the world.

But perhaps Elise spoke too soon. 

Right before Elise could leave the department and head towards Alex's office, a loud racket sounded in the hallways of the building. Tessa was pushing past some people trying to stop her with Julian following them in tow.

"I demand to see Madeline York! What floor is she, Julian?"

"The top floor based on what I gathered."

Elise froze in her tracks. The sight of them made her realize that the two of them would not stop at anything to get her back home. It was a little too naive of Elise to think that they'd give up so easily.

"Ohno." Elise whispered underneath her breath. She didn't want these people to drag down the company at all. 

Here they were right now… probably hiring a professional investigator to track her down. Now they were about to ruin everything that Elise managed to achieve and accomplish for the past weeks.

Behind Elise were the whispers of the people in the department. Even within this office, they could hear the noise of both Julian and Tessa as well as take note of their appearances.

"Who the heck is that woman? So unprofessional." 

"Does anyone know a person by that name?"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"I know a Madeline from HR, but I don't think that's who the woman is looking for."

Without waiting for anything else, Elise ran out of the hallway and called out to the two of them. "Tessa, stop. I'm right here."

Tessa and Julian whirled around to see her.

Tessa looked completely the same as last time, but Julian himself looked injured. He had numerous gauzes wrapped around his face for some reason.

"You—so you've been here all along, Madeline… or should I call you Elise now?" Tessa eyed her up and down with a dismissive look. "Do these people know who you are? That you've been hiding so long under a new identity? Tch... they don't seem to know that you are a fraud, do they?"

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