Chapter 52 – Please Give Me A Chance

As she frequently asked for directions and hurried along, she finally came upon a familiar path.

It was a road she used to travel every morning and evening. Of course, the last time she walked this path, her mood was miserable.

She was treated like a beggar and a troublemaker, and right before her eyes, she was notified of her dismissal.

Not only that, but the salary she received was ridiculously less than expected.

The profound despair she felt then was still vividly on the tip of her tongue.

Perhaps that’s why, when she suddenly saw the bright orange exterior of Old Bridge factory, she felt a bitter taste spread in her mouth, as if by illusion.

“It’s okay.”

I’m not weak. 

Eloise repeated to herself internally.

Having unexpectedly ended up staying at Ansel Blaine’s mansion, she couldn’t afford to sit idly by, sucking her thumbs.

She needed to establish a foundation to stand on her own as soon as possible. By any means necessary.

“I had a good feeling from the morning today.”

Muttering quietly as she entered the factory, a sudden cold wind fiercely whipped through Eloise’s hair and clothes.

The wind was strong enough to make her bonnet-holding hand tremble, yet she did not stop walking.

It was about time for the morning work to slowly wrap up before lunch break.

Eloise planned to meet Mr. Woodley, the manager, who would come out for lunch.

It was a pitiful sight, hiding behind a wall like a scared cat, though she hadn’t committed any crime.

If she happened to run into Mrs. Dunn, another commotion was bound to erupt.

‘I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of my old colleagues.’

She wanted to meet Mr. Woodley to explain her situation and ask for another chance.

Although she was treated like a nuisance in front of Mrs. Dunn and the factory owner, the supervisor who checked the workers’ attendance daily knew how diligently she had worked.

‘Mrs. Dunn said I seduced him to gain unfair advantages.’

The fact that this was untrue was something Mr. Woodley would also know.

So, if he felt any sympathy or a bit of guilt, he might give her another chance.

It was often the case in this factory that positions suddenly became available, just like when she first started working here.

Just as she reached that thought, she heard Mr. Woodley’s voice announcing lunchtime.

His voice was so robust that it clearly reached the wall where Eloise was crouching, making it seem as though she had been threading beads inside the factory until just moments ago.

‘……Oh.’

Then, she saw Mrs. Dunn exit the factory building before anyone else.

Dressed in a deep purple dress with a brown pelisse robe fluttering around her, she exited the main gate with an imposing air.

Only then could Eloise breathe a little easier.

Even if someone saw her hiding here, as long as it wasn’t Mrs. Dunn, she had avoided the worst.

‘But why isn’t Mr. Woodley coming out?’

As her legs began to numb from crouching like a punished child, female workers started to leave the factory in small groups.

Watching their backs with tense eyes, Eloise peeked cautiously towards the factory building.

At that moment, a voice came from above her head.

“Miss Bailey?”

“Ah!”

Startled, Eloise fell to the ground. Looking up awkwardly, there was a female worker with whom she had exchanged greetings a few times when she worked at the factory.

Was her name Natalie?  ]

Though we had never had a proper conversation, a clear sense of friendliness was in her olive-colored eyes.

While Eloise found this quite puzzling, she inadvertently recalled a man with similar eye color.

Of course, his were a bit lighter, more transparent, like smooth light green satin…

“What are you doing here?”

Then Natalie’s lively voice pulled Eloise out of her reverie.

“I was so disappointed when you suddenly quit, really! Where have you been? Are you coming back?”

Even as she asked, the woman looked puzzled.

If Eloise had planned to return, there would be no reason for her to be hiding in such a suspicious manner.

“Well, I had some family matters to attend to. It seems my position was terminated because I couldn’t notify the factory in advance, but I’m trying to talk to Mr. Woodley.”

“Why are you hiding here?”

“Oh, I was trying to avoid Mrs. Dunn…”

“Mrs. Dunn left a while ago! She must have been the first to leave, you know?”

Natalie laughed heartily as if it all made sense.

“Mr. Woodley should be in the supervisor’s office. I just had a meeting with him; he’s skipping lunch today because of a severe hangover.”

At that, Eloise nodded awkwardly, and the female worker flashed a grin.

“I hope your talk goes well. Honestly, I’ve wanted to be friends with you for a while now.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

Eloise, who inadvertently widened her eyes, replied, and Natalie turned with a sprightly step and walked away towards the main road.

‘She wanted to be friends.’

Somehow, her heart felt ticklish.

With that thought, Eloise stood up, feeling a bit stiff.

She had sung about wanting to make friends in the capital, yet she hadn’t thought to approach anyone first, suddenly feeling foolish.

‘If I get to work here again, I’ll definitely make friends.’

With that determined aspiration, Eloise stretched as if to firm up her resolve.

Today, the factory was unusually quiet, perhaps because no one had skipped their meal to work.

With a resolute heart, Eloise strode towards the supervisor’s office.

Creak, as she pushed open the heavy wooden door, what caught her eye was Mr. Woodley, sprawled over a desk piled with documents.

His hangover must have been as bad as they said, skipping meals because of his condition.

But since he came to work, that must mean he was still capable of handling his duties.

Eloise decided to believe that. After all, she hadn’t come all this way to return without accomplishing anything.

“Mr. Woodley.”

“Uh…”

Approaching the disheveled Mr. Woodley, who looked like a bird had nested in his hair, she called his name cautiously, and he shuddered, groaning in pain.

Feeling as if she had done something terrible, Eloise stepped back just as the supervisor sat up.

“Be…?”

He couldn’t continue his sentence and repeatedly rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Eloise, with her hands neatly clasped, responded calmly.

“Yes, it’s me, Mr. Woodley.”

“Oh, Miss Bailey…”

A mix of confusion and relief floated in the tired eyes of the supervisor.

Eloise, who had been inwardly anxious that he might not recognize her and ignore her, also felt a wave of relief wash over her face.

It didn’t seem like he would insult her as Mrs. Dunn had.

“I’m embarrassed to be seen like this. Are you feeling better?”

“Feeling better?”

“Didn’t you take time off because you were unwell? I was worried because you didn’t come back afterward!”

“Oh…”

Eloise finally remembered that she had left work early the last day she was at the factory due to feeling unwell.

She had taken a day off the next day thanks to the supervisor’s consideration, but she herself hadn’t known she would leave the capital altogether.

‘That night he came. On that rainy night…’

She pondered the memory, which felt incredibly distant, and responded in a calm tone.

“I’m fine now. Thanks to you.”

“That’s good to hear. Then, your visit today is…”

Mr. Woodley, scratching his stubbly chin, asked.

“…to blame me?”

A faint sense of guilt tinged his question.

Having somewhat anticipated this from what Mrs. Dunn had said, it was clear that his kindness had left a bad impression.

It wasn’t surprising that he felt guilty, given that such issues wouldn’t have arisen if he had been more careful in his behavior.

“No, Mr. Woodley. I wanted to apologize for disappearing so suddenly before. Due to a family emergency, I had no choice but to leave the capital abruptly.”

“A family emergency? Is everything alright now?”

“Yes, for now. Anyway, I’ve been bothered that I couldn’t explain and just missed work. It might be too late to say this now but…”

Seeing that there was no resentment in Eloise’s eyes, the supervisor’s expression relaxed.

He belatedly smoothed his thinning brown hair and opened his mouth.

“If it’s pointless but you still came, then…”

“Mr. Woodley, I know it’s really shameless to ask, but could you possibly give me another chance to work here? You know I was a diligent employee. You once said that although I’m a novice, you could feel my enthusiasm and had high hopes for my future.”

“…”

“I’ve even been accused by Mrs. Dunn of coaxing the manager to gain unfair benefits. Please give me a chance to prove that’s not true through my actions. I’m begging you.”

Mr. Woodley stared intently at Eloise.

The woman before him was distinctly different from the one in his memory.

Her lovely face remained the same, but she seemed to have matured significantly in just a few months.

Her voice was desperate, and indeed, he felt pity knowing she had been spoken ill of by Mrs. Dunn.

However, even as he thought this, Mr. Woodley shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t grant that request, Miss Bailey.”