The Cursed King

Loriel looked around the alleyway and then back at Elise. He held her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "How about we go back to the penthouse first? This is no place for a proper conversation."

"A-aah, okay," Elise said. "Yeah.. you are right."

Loriel smiled. "If you still feel comfortable telling me once you've rested a bit, then I'll listen to you." 

"Thank you," Elise muttered. She was not really scared of Tessa and Julian, but she was worried she wouldn't be able to control herself… like the last time. 

They were in a public place just now. People would see what happened and freak out if she lost control and hurt Tessa. So, Elise was glad Loriel left the restaurant and followed her.

"Wait… what about the bill?" she asked worriedly. "We have to go back and settle the bill first."

"No, it's okay. I already gave them my card." Loriel calmed her down.

"Oh, you mean, you asked them to call you to pick up the money?"

The handsome man chuckled. She honestly thought he gave them his business card?

"Yes, something like that," he lied.

"Well... I should have given them my card. I have one too," said Elise. She took out her business card given to her by Alex yesterday. Now that she was a staff in Sanderman Group, she was also given business cards.

"Let's not go back there," said Loriel. He took the girl's hand walked with her to the taxi stand. "Let's go home. You can talk or not, up to you."

Elise obeyed and followed him. Loriel and Elise then soon headed back to the penthouse.

The lights quickly opened to the penthouse and the two of them stepped inside. Loriel led her to the couches to take a seat before he stood up.

"We weren't able to dine properly at the restaurant when those two came in. Would you like something, Elise? I can prepare something quick for us to eat." Loriel offered her.

Elise shook her head. "N-no, I'm not really feeling hungry."

"Alright, I'll get us a drink then, if you'd like?" Loriel asked gently.

"Maybe... hot chocolate again?" Elise said shyly. It was the first drink that the two of them shared when Elise first came into this apartment and it was a comforting one.

"With tiny marshmallows?" Loriel asked.

"With tiny marshmallows."

Loriel soon whipped up the drinks for the two of them and then returned to Elise's side. 

Unlike the last time, Loriel finally sat down beside her and offered the mug to Elise.

Elise accepted the drink and thanked him. She immediately took a sip as the two of them stayed silent for a while.

It was as if the two of them were lost in their own thoughts.

Loriel allowed her to relax for a while and gave her enough time to feel comfortable. As much as he wanted to stay back at the restaurant and confront those two idiots, Loriel prioritized Elise's safety and well-being first.

Elise looked up to Loriel's face and steadied her breathing.

It felt like the last month was a chance for Elise to live a brand new life away from all the troubles she had back at her home. All of the memories, good and bad, played in her mind.

From her meeting Loriel outside of the cafe, their time together in Central Park, and to when Elise started working as Alex's assistant to even her training under Chef Lucy.

Even though Elise faced certain difficulties when she first started out working at Marc's company and it felt like Alex didn't quite like her at first, things were mostly good.

Somehow, even the event of the other employees disliking her and thinking she wasn't fit for the company now seemed silly in the light of all these precious events that happened for the last weeks.

It was as if Madeline York never existed at all and there was only Elise.

And yet her past all came back to her.

Elise sighed softly. She couldn't keep running away like this, couldn't she? 

As much as she wanted to keep herself happy and content, Elise couldn't bring down Loriel with her due to her circumstances.

After one final gulp, Elise finally talked to Loriel and explained the situation surrounding her and her family.

Loriel deserved this much.

"My real name is Madeline York… and I think you're familiar with the news surrounding my family."

Loriel shook his head. "No, I am sorry. I don't follow the news."

"Oh… is that true?" Somehow, Elise felt so glad that this man didn't know who she was from the news. People could write nasty things and deviate from the truth.

"Yeah. Sorry.. should I know about who Madeline York is?" Loriel asked her.

Elise bit her lip, trying to think about how much should she tell this man. They had only known each other for two weeks, but it seemed she had been feeling so comfortable around him like they had known each other for a long time.

"Well.. if you read the news, you will find articles about me missing in Spain, when I was 5 years old." Elise took a deep breath and slowly recounted what happened to her and how she ended up being back with the York family.

"My parents were so devastated, but they never stopped looking for me. Until one day, five years ago, the private investigator they hired found me in Germany. I couldn't remember anything that happened during my disappearance and I could barely speak. My father knew it was me right away because I look so much like my mother when she was young."

Loriel didn't really believe the logic. He had seen how the late Mrs. York looked like when she was young. She didn't really look similar to Elise.

Perhaps, they only shared the same hair color and slightly similar facial features, but surely they didn't look so much alike.

Maybe, in his grief, Daniel York just wanted to tell himself that this was really his long-lost daughter.