"So, they took you back to the United States?" Loriel asked. "Where are your parents now?"

"Yeah, they took me in five years ago. My mother, sadly, had passed away years earlier, but my father is very devoted to me. He helped me navigate life back home, even though I have lost my memory and.. I couldn't really speak English. He had some nanny and teachers to help me."

She looked down dejectedly when she continued her words and talked about her father. "My father got sick three months ago. He is now being treated in a long-term care facility. I wanted to visit him, but my uncle, his brother, and their family forbade me to go."

"Why? Isn't he your father?" Loriel asked gently. "They have no rights to keep you from seeing your father."

Elise cupped her face with both hands and cried. "They said.. I am just an impostor... They secretly did a DNA test and found out I am not blood-related to my father. They wanted to send me to jail for fraud."

"No fucking way! Why would they do that?" Loriel was furious to hear what happened.

Elise wiped the tears from her eyes. "They said since I am not really my father's daughter, I have no right over his property."

"As the only daughter of my father, I am the one who is set to inherit everything under his name and Tessa's family couldn't accept it. Even when my father was hospitalized, they refused to acknowledge it."

Loriel stayed silent and listened to her. A silent urging to continue.

"However, they couldn't do anything to me because, even if I am not my father's daughter, he already transferred the deed to all his property under my name and named me his heir in his will."

"Oh.." Loriel felt glad that Daniel York was thinking ahead to ensure Elise was taken care of should anything happened to him.

Elise continued her words. "It seems they couldn't sue me for fraud because they are not the people who are directly affected by my 'crime'. They want my father to wake up so they could tell him I am not really his daughter and he could change his will."

Loriel really wanted to pull Elise to his embrace and consoled her. She looked so sad when she was talking about her father.

"So.. that's why they don't allow you to visit your father in the hospital?" Loriel asked again."They don't want you to tell your father about their crime."

Elise nodded tearfully. "Yeah.. I am so sad that they deny me access to see my own father. I don't even care about the wealth."

Loriel suddenly remembered the man who claimed to be Elise's fiance. Was she really engaged to the asshole?

"The man called you his fiancee," Loriel asked her gently. "Was he lying?"

Elise nodded. "Yeah. His name is Julian Berkshire. His father is our family lawyer. He and his father are evil. They work together with my uncle's family."

She continued her words, "I overheard them talking that they plan to marry me off to Julian so he could be the legal guardian. Then, as my husband, he would get me admitted to a mental asylum and take over my family's wealth."

"Fucking hell!" Loriel was so furious to hear that, he rose from his seat in anger.

"I was so scared. That was why I immediately run away from home. I don't want to end up in a mental asylum. I am not crazy." Elise cried harder.

Loriel's brows furrowed as things started to connect in his mind.

The reason as to why Elise ran away from home in a rush and why she came here to NYC to find work and far away from Connecticut.

Oh my god.. this was inhumane, heinous, and very low. Loriel could really imagine the scenario now.

Elise arrived in modern times, unable to speak the language, and didn't know how life worked in the modern world. So, she would be suspected of having mental retardation or autism, like the real Madeline.

It would be very easy for Tessa and Julian to make their claims that Elise needed to be sent to a mental asylum.

This would make her unable to access her parents' wealth.

Elise sighed and glanced at the streets. "Julian is actually Tessa's boyfriend. She asked him to do this for her and he agreed. I hate them so much. I hate those golddiggers."

"I see.." Loriel wanted to talk but he felt like he needed to stop himself from talking or else scare Elise with how red his eyes had become.

"Thank you for listening to me, Loriel," Elise said as she glanced at her mug. It was still far from fully being emptied at all.

But at least Elise managed to explain the situation to him. Elise was completely unaware of the thoughts that flowed in Loriel's mind.

Every inch of him wished to go out and seek those two. Loriel's blood boiled with fury.

It was similar to the time when Loriel's own father died and his half-sisters wanted to take the throne for their husbands even when he was the rightful heir to it.

This was a situation Loriel was unfortunately familiar with and to hear that it was happening to Elise infuriated him.

Loriel's blood simmered as he glanced at Elise's face. While her tears were gone and dried, the image was still in his mind. He immediately reached for his phone and contacted Marc.

He needed to pay those two a visit.historical

Loriel wished to call Marc and demand the location of Tessa and Julian.. but he didn't want to scare Elise or have her try to stop him. He was always aware of how soft-hearted she could be.

Instead, he texted Marc for the details and where he could find those two. Loriel already visualized Julian's face and he how wanted to beat the hell out of it. What a pair of conniving snakes.

People like them were the lowest of the low and deserved no ounce of mercy.