An American Cinderella

I beat the entire staff to the office. Gus wasn’t even on duty yet, so I had to check in with the nighttime security staff. It felt strange to be in the building without the usual hum of phone calls and chatter.

I went to my office to find it just as I had left it. I turned on the computer and scanner and got to work. I didn’t take any pictures, even though I knew my stepmother would want me to. I still didn’t know what to do about that.

She would know if I wasn’t working on the scans, though. Someone was watching me and counting my boxes. I had to do the work in order to have any time to think of a plan. If she found out I wasn’t working at a breakneck pace, she would release what she had on me right now. Then there would really be no ball.

I mulled over what to do next. If I didn’t take the pictures, Audrey was going to go full scorched earth on me. My father’s legacy would be ruined, but so would mine. If she released that photo to the right people, it wasn’t a stretch to say I could end up being prosecuted. My political career would be over before it ever began, along with any other career I might want.

Yet, if I did take the pictures of the files, she might still turn on me. She had blackmail on me and if I’d learned anything about her business, it was that blackmail never went away. You just paid to keep it quiet a little longer. If I did what she asked, she would stay quiet until the next time it suited her, only she’d have dozens of files I’d given her instead of just the one. She would have me stealing information for her for the rest of my life.

I thought about going to Jaqui and confessing everything, but my stepmother would just release the photo I’d taken. Jaqui wouldn’t be able to protect me. No one short of the Paradisian trade delegation could.

I was in a heck of a pickle.

So, I tried to think as I scanned and did research on the side. I’d managed to get most of our conversation at the dress shop on my phone, but there was nothing that a good lawyer couldn’t get thrown out. I needed more. I just didn’t know how to get it, and then, who to go to once I had it.

I had to hope my meeting with the lawyer on Monday would be able to help me. It didn’t feel like it would be enough, but it was all I had going at the moment.

Suddenly Jaqui poked her head in. “I see you got the memo that you have to go back to your original job. I can’t believe they want it done as soon as possible. It’s not even that important a thing,” She had dark circles under her eyes and a beaten expression.

“Are you okay?” I asked, standing up from my desk. She looked like she’d been crying.

Jaqui shrugged. “I got a verbal dress-down for the record books. I’m officially under review for misappropriating personnel. I don’t even know if that’s a thing, but my boss is furious.”

“I’m so sorry, Jaqui.” I sat down hard and put my head in my hands. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you.” Jaqui came and put both her hands on the desk in front of me. “You didn’t do this.”

But I felt like I did. It was all my fault. I just kept staring at my desk.

“Did you get the dress?” she asked, trying to change the subject to something happier for both of us. “It looked great. At least that’s something we can both look forward to. I’m going to live vicariously through you. I can’t wait to hear all about it. And all about Henry. I bet he looks good in a suit. The two of you will be the talk of the party.”

I nodded, but kept my glum expression. “I pick it up tomorrow.”

“So why the long face?” Jaqui asked.

I sighed. “How am I going to get this done in time?” I motioned to the boxes all around me. “ASAP means I don’t get to stop my work and go to the ball.”

“Or does it?” Jaqui asked. “I’ve been taken off the delegation task list. Which means, I don’t have a ton of work to do right now.”

My head slowly came up. “Are you serious?”

Jaqui grinned. “You just got a helper. It’ll be like old times.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Aria, you’d do it for me in a heartbeat. You did do it for me,” she replied. “I’m going to go set my stuff down and then I’ll steal the scanner from the copy room. We’ll have this done in no time. I’m turning this bad thing into a positive.”