FOUR

Kayla got to the bakery. This time she was the only one in, with the other girl that always insulted her. Her only companions, Alessandro and Lucas were not around.

She quietly got into the kitchen and began to work. The day had a theme of fruit pastries so she planned to make Apple Turnovers, Berry Danish Pastries, Lemon Curd Tartlets, Strawberry Cream Cheese Croissants, and Banana Nutella Turnovers.

It was a lot of work but she got into it. Kayla tied her apron tightly around her waist, rolled up her sleeves, and began setting out the ingredients she needed. The kitchen was quiet except for the faint hum of the refrigerator and the clinking of her utensils. It felt almost peaceful, even if she was dreading the inevitable snide remarks from her coworker.

She started with the apple turnovers, peeling and chopping the apples into neat, even pieces. She worked methodically, letting the soothing routine of baking calm her nerves. As the cinnamon and sugar mixture coated the apples, the comforting scent filled the kitchen.

Next, she moved on to the berry Danish pastries, carefully laying out the puff pastry dough and spooning the sweet, vibrant berries into the center of each square. Her hands worked quickly, folding the edges to perfection before brushing them with egg wash.

As she prepared the lemon curd for the tartlets, she heard a snicker from across the kitchen.

"You're really slow, aren't you?" her coworker sneered. "No wonder you always get stuck with all the grunt work."

Kayla paused for a moment, gripping the whisk tightly before taking a deep breath. She refused to let the words get to her. "I’d rather take my time and do things right," she replied quietly, focusing back on her task.

The girl rolled her eyes but said nothing more, much to Kayla's relief.

By the time Kayla moved on to the strawberry cream cheese croissants, the kitchen was filled with the warm, sweet aroma of the pastries baking in the oven. She piped the cream cheese filling onto the dough with precision, adding a layer of sliced strawberries before rolling each one into a perfect crescent shape.

Finally, she tackled the banana Nutella turnovers, slicing the bananas and layering them with generous dollops of Nutella. As she sealed the edges of each turnover, she couldn’t help but smile slightly. Baking had always been her escape, a way to express herself without words.

The first batch of pastries came out of the oven golden and flaky, and Kayla carefully transferred them to the cooling rack. She glanced at the clock—it had been hours, but she hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed.

Her coworker walked by, casting a disdainful glance at the neatly arranged pastries. "Don’t think this will impress anyone. You’re still just a quiet little mouse."

Kayla didn’t respond, but as she looked at the rows of beautiful pastries she had made, she felt a small spark of pride. Let them underestimate her. She knew her work would speak for itself.

As the front door chimed, signaling the arrival of a customer, Kayla wiped her hands on her apron and headed out to the counter. It was time to share her creations with the world, no matter how small her contributions felt to others.

*Meanwhile, in the King's Office*

"How come it's only the two of you that have her in your classes." Elliot whined to his brothers. "Tough luck, you are the one who decided to choose Business Administration as a course." Alistair told his brother. Victor simply ignored him as he focused on the book he was reading.

"So what do you guys think about her?" Elliott asked them. "She is very shy, but brilliant." Alistair said. "She always seem fidgety and scared, like someone is going to hurt her." Victor added. "True, she was so scared when she bumped into me this morning." Elliot said.

"Might be because of her unique eyes, some people can be very judgemental at times." Victor said. "Have you told Elijah to look up anything he can find about her?" Victor turned to Alistair.

Alistair nodded. "We will get it tonight." "Well, I am hungry." Elliot said. "You are always hungry." Victor remarked. "Let's go out and find out something to eat." Elliot whined. Victor stared at the brother he was older than by fifteen minutes as he whined like a child. "Let's go find something to eat, I'm also hungry." Alistair said and they all stood up and left the office, locking it behind them.

*Back at the Bakery*

Kayla stepped out into the storefront, the bell above the door still jingling from the customer’s arrival. She forced a polite smile, though her heart raced as she saw a group of men enter—tall, confident, and intimidating. She recognized them immediately, The professors from her school,two of them are actually her professors.

The brothers strolled in like they owned the place, their eyes scanning the bakery’s interior before landing on Kayla behind the counter.

“Good afternoon,” Alistair greeted, his voice smooth and commanding.

Kayla swallowed, her nerves kicking in, but she managed to maintain her composure. “Good afternoon. Professor King." She said making sure to address him the way he asked back in class.

Victor’s gaze flicked to the display of pastries behind her. “We heard this place has the best fruit pastries in town. Are they fresh?”

“Yes,” Kayla said quickly."A new batch of everything are already out.". She stepped aside to let them see the array of pastries she had worked so hard on. “We have apple turnovers, berry Danish pastries, lemon curd tartlets, strawberry cream cheese croissants, and banana Nutella turnovers.”

Elliott’s eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. “We’ll take one of each,” he said with a small smile, leaning casually on the counter. “Actually, make that two of each.”

Kayla blinked, surprised. “Two of everything?”

“Yes,” Alistair confirmed, pulling out his wallet. “And we’d like to eat here.”

Kayla nodded and quickly packed their order, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in her chest as she worked. The brothers moved to a nearby table, their presence commanding the entire room without even trying.

When she brought over their order on a tray, Elliott smiled up at her. “Thanks...Kayla, right?”

She froze for a second. Her name sounded so nice coming from him. “Y-Yes,” she stammered, setting the tray down carefully. "Careful, darling." Victor said.

Kayla’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly stepped back. “Enjoy your pastries,” she said softly before retreating to the kitchen, her heart pounding.

“These are incredible,” Elliott said around a mouthful of a berry Danish. “Whoever made these knows what they’re doing.”

“It’s her,” Victor said, his gaze drifting toward the kitchen. “You can tell by the way she handles herself. She’s more skilled than she lets on.”

Alistair leaned back in his chair, thoughtfully biting into an apple turnover. “She’s interesting. Quiet, but there’s something about her.”

“She’s clearly hiding something,” Victor added, his sharp eyes narrowing. “Elijah’s report tonight should tell us more.”

Elliott shrugged, reaching for a lemon curd tartlet. “All I know is, if she keeps baking like this, I’m coming here every day.”

Alistair and Victor rolled at their brother with his love for food. But he was right, the pastries are amazing and they could see themselves coming by regularly.

As they ate, another lady came out from the back and made her way towards them. From her body language and the sly smile on her lips, the brothers knew her motive. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Anything else I can get for you?" She asked.

"Nothing." Victor said, his voice cold and different from when he was speaking to Kayla. "Are you sure?"She tried again. "What's your name?" Elliot asked as he cleaned his fingers with a napkin. "Madeline, sir."She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Well, Medal, how about you do us a favour and get your slutty self away from this table or I will make sure you regret it." He said, his cold eyes drilled into her.

Madeline walked away almost falling as she walked behind the counter and through the door.

After they finished, they walked back to the counter where Kayla had returned, busying herself with rearranging the pastries. She didn’t notice them at first, lost in her task, until Alistair cleared his throat.

Kayla turned abruptly, nearly knocking over a tray of croissants. “Oh! Did you need anything else?” she asked, her voice soft but steady.

Alistair handed her his credit card, his gaze steady. “We’d like to settle the bill. Everything was excellent.”

"And buy some to take." Elliot added. "Okay, what will you like to have?" Kayla asked feeling so exposed under the three pair of eyes.

"Same order as earlier." Elliot said.

Kayla arranged everything and packed it up for them. She collected the card and scanned it before giving it back.