Chapter 43 – Get a Grip, Miss

The voice of a stranger quickly drove away sleep.

“What, did you actually spend the night here?”

Startled, Eloise’s eyes snapped open. Morning had already broken, and a long shadow stretched from the rectangular entrance of the warehouse, casting over Eloise’s face.

Though the sunlight behind the man dazzled her eyes, making it hard to see his face clearly, it was easy to tell he was a middle-aged gentleman dressed in a silk hat and coat.

“Who are you to be hiding in my factory’s shed?”

The gentleman, with a slightly hoarse voice, asked incredulously.

Realizing that he was the owner of the Old Bridge Bead Factory, Eloise hurriedly tidied her hair and clothes. She was just about to explain why she had no choice but to spend the night there.

“If you wanted my sympathy, you should have sneaked into the mansion instead.”

The factory owner, after carefully scrutinizing the woman sitting before him in a disheveled and defenseless state, muttered under his breath.

“There are too many eyes here.”

“…Oh!”

At that moment, a chubby-cheeked face popped out from behind the factory owner.

It was Mrs. Dunn, the factory’s financial manager who had received Eloise’s application. Without giving Eloise a chance to greet her, she spoke up.

“This is the woman I mentioned to you before, Sir!”

“Before? What was it about?”

“The troublemaker. There was already a lot of talk about her attendance issues, and in the end, she disrupted the workshop atmosphere with her unauthorized absence.”

Fixing a sharp gaze on the woman before her, Mrs. Dunn quickly reported.

At the word “troublemaker,” Eloise felt a sudden sense of injustice. During her time at the factory, she might have been a bit clumsy, but she was a diligent and hardworking worker.

But in her current situation, she couldn’t easily refute the claim.

The stark contrast between the two people standing neatly dressed and looking down at her, and her own appearance, like a mouse hiding in the shed, made Eloise’s face burn like freshly baked bread.

“Isn’t that right, Miss Taylor? If you have a mouth, why don’t you answer?”

“…”

Eloise hesitated, unsure of what to say first.

Meeting the owner, whom she had never encountered before, at such a moment was ironically unfortunate.

But regardless, an apology was in order.

“I’m really sorry. And… my name is Bailey, not Taylor.”

“Ha, is that important right now?”

Embarrassed to be corrected in front of the factory owner, Mrs. Dunn raised her voice abruptly.

Meanwhile, Eloise quickly wiped her face with her hands. Of course, there was nothing she could do about her disheveled hair and wrinkled clothes.

As Eloise staggered to her feet to face the two, Mrs. Dunn spoke in a cold tone.

“I won’t listen to any excuses. Miss Bailey, you’re fired. To be precise, your position was given to someone else on the third day of your unauthorized absence.”

“I… what?”

Eloise staggered slightly at the sudden notice. The sentences floating in her mind scattered like white ash.

“But ma’am…”

“When was the last time you came to the factory? I can’t even remember! Isn’t it already inexcusable to be absent for over a month without permission?”

At the sharp reprimand, Eloise’s fine wheat-colored eyebrows drooped.

Eloise opened her mouth, thinking she should say something, but all that came out was a helpless sigh.

‘I came to the capital to forget my sister’s fiancé, whom I loved, but he disrupted my family’s future marriage and came here to confess his love to me. So I had no choice but to return home immediately…’

Obviously, she couldn’t answer like that.

Mrs. Dunn’s pointed voice continued in Eloise’s ears as she wrung her dress in distress.

“I already told you, didn’t I? There are people lining up to get in here. You were given a golden opportunity, but you coaxed the manager to gain undue benefits…”

“Ma’am, I’m truly sorry, but I never coaxed Mr. Woodley…”

There was a hint of strength in Eloise’s eyes. 

Coaxed the manager? 

Eloise had never made any effort to win his favor.

Of course, it was true that he had shown her some leniency a few times, so someone might have exaggerated things in her absence…

But since it would inevitably lead to an embarrassing discussion, Eloise decided to hold her tongue.

Seeing the factory owner’s eyebrows twitch with interest solidified that decision.

Then Mrs. Dunn waved her hand dismissively.

“No, never mind. It’s a clear fact that the sudden vacancy caused a loss in production. You’ve been officially dismissed, so you need to leave.”

“Loss in production? Wasn’t the vacancy filled quickly as usual?”

The factory owner quietly interjected, causing Mrs. Dunn to frown deeply.

“Oh, Sir!”

“It seems she has some unfortunate circumstances…”

“Have you forgotten that the mayor is keeping an eye on our factory? How many times have you been involved in troublesome incidents by showing kindness to young female workers?”

At the sharp look from Mrs. Dunn, the factory owner cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

“We can’t keep such a delinquent girl around. We need to nip it in the bud.”

“…”

Eloise, the second daughter of the Bailey family, had grown up surrounded by abundant love all her life.

From birth, she had been surrounded by people as warm as sunshine. Naturally, she was carefree and had no immunity to misunderstandings or harsh words.

But after coming to the capital, there were countless moments when her heart felt like it was crumbling like sand.

Each time, she had endured by comforting herself, and she had managed to adapt to the city’s ways, even at the cost of her own sparkle.

But no matter how much she adapted, she couldn’t remain calm in the face of being coldly cast out.

‘It’s been less than a day since I was kicked out of Mrs. Mullich’s house…’

If she was expelled from here as well, Eloise would have nowhere left to go.

She had no confidence to immediately find a new job and adapt in such a mess. Realizing that, her heart pounded desperately again.

“…I’m truly sorry.”

Eloise urgently bowed her head.

“I left the village of Maybury on my own. I started working with a firm resolve to do well on my own, but I had to return to my family due to unavoidable circumstances. I can assure you this won’t happen again. If you give me just one more chance, I promise there won’t be such irresponsible behavior ever again…”

“Why should we?”

The cold voice that cut off her words pierced her tender heart painfully.

“Get a grip, Miss. This isn’t a fairy tale world.”

“…”

When she lifted her trembling gaze, she saw Mrs. Dunn looking down at her with a disdainful expression, arms crossed.

The factory owner, upon meeting her eyes, whistled and immediately averted his gaze.

“Hmph, just wasted my time. You should check the payroll records.”

“Oh, right. I should.”

That was the end of it. The two turned away as if nothing had happened.

Then, as was typical of people in the capital, they walked away briskly, disappearing from sight.

Feeling wretched, Eloise trembled as she tightly closed her eyes and shouted.

“Wait a moment!”

“Ha, what is it?”

Mrs. Dunn turned back with a face full of annoyance. Her fierce gaze held a hint of contempt.

“If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll call someone, Miss Bailey.”

“Pay me for the work I’ve done.”

“What did you say?”

“I haven’t…”

For a moment, her throat felt hot, as if she had swallowed fire.

Feeling something rise in her chest, Eloise answered in the calmest voice she could muster.

“I haven’t received my pay yet. I’m sorry, but please pay me for the work I’ve done.”

“Ha, this is unbelievable.”

“…I’m in a desperate situation right now. Please, I’m asking you.”

However, she couldn’t hide the desperation in her eyes.

* * *

After passing through the familiar workshop, Eloise went to Mrs. Dunn’s office to check the records of her attendance and daily work output.

She had started working shortly after arriving in Brightnum, and she had come and gone almost daily since then, but her working days totaled less than a month.

Nevertheless, her records showed a generally decent work output.

Initially, it was minimal, but around the middle of the month, it was not much different from the fastest worker in the factory.

However, the amount of money Eloise received was only half of what was recorded.

When she immediately asked for the reason, she was told it was the amount considering the damage caused to the factory.

With Mrs. Dunn glaring at her, threatening to call the police if she wasted any more time, Eloise had nothing more to say.

With less money than expected, Eloise put it into a small pouch and reluctantly left the factory.

She had no place left to go, but she couldn’t just stand in front of the factory, so she walked aimlessly.

Her whole body ached as if it were in pieces, likely from sleeping crumpled in the cold corner of the shed.

But what truly hurt was her heart.

If one could see her wounded heart, it would surely be filled with red scars.

Out of habit, Eloise arrived at the central square and trudged over to an empty bench on one side.

Every step she took sent pigeons flapping noisily into the air, but Eloise didn’t have the energy to scream.

“Whew…”

Eloise, who felt as if she were carrying a heavy burden like a punishment, placed her suitcase on the bench and let out a deep sigh.

Extreme fatigue and a sense of hopelessness mixed together, leaving her feeling utterly unreal.

With her heart feeling empty, Eloise slumped down next to her worn suitcase with a vacant expression.

It felt like a pitiful fall. She almost wished she could just disappear like this.