An American Cinderella

“I’ll send you what I have.”

With that, I simply clicked end to the call. I emailed Audrey what I had accomplished so far. It wasn’t complete, but the bones of what I was doing were there. It would be enough to get the senator off Anastasia’s back for a few more hours at least. Then I stuffed the phone back in the baggie. It had been out long enough.

With that done, I went back to work. There was still two days’ worth of work to do and less than twenty-four hours to do it in, but I was determined. I wanted to see Henry at the ball and nothing was going to stop me. Not even my stepmother.

Chapter 21

Saturday morning came far too soon. I was still behind and needed to catch up and I was quickly running out of time. Once again, I hurried into the office as the sun came up.

“Good morning, Aria,” Gus greeted me.

“What are you doing here on a Saturday?” I asked him, surprised to see him in the office on the weekend.

He shrugged. “Overtime. It’s almost Jada’s tenth birthday and she wants this fancy computer thing.”

“You’re a good dad.”

“Pfft. I didn’t say I was working so I could get it for her.” He crossed his arms as he sat at the desk. “I’m here so I don’t have to listen to her ask for it thirty more times.”

I chuckled. I had a sneaking suspicion that Jada would have a shiny new computer on her birthday, simply because Gus loved his daughters with all his heart.

“I hear you have a party tonight,” Gus said, smiling and raising his eyebrows. “What are you doing here?”

“Just getting some last minute work done so I can really enjoy myself. You know me, I don’t like leaving things half done.”

Gus nodded. “You have a good time tonight. And remember, if you need a ride home, you just call me. I’ll come get you. Doesn’t matter where or what time.”

His words wrapped around me like a physical hug. He didn’t have to put his arms around me to know that he cared.

“Thank you, Gus.”

“Any dad would do the same,” he replied.

I ran around the counter and gave him an actual hug before hurrying up to my office to finish everything I could.

Jaqui’s assistance on Friday had nearly finished off the scanning work, so at least I was ahead there. It would be reported as done and my stepmother would have no reason to disbelieve it. The fact that I didn’t have what she wanted would be my problem later, but that was after the ball.

My email chimed after an hour of work with a forwarded email from Audrey. There were more updates to the work for Anastasia. The senator wanted more details and clarification on what I had sent the night before.

I emailed what I had, which wasn’t much. While I was able to do some of the research online, there were some things that needed to be done in person. I couldn’t go to the library or utilize the senator’s other staff. I wasn’t able to call the experts and ask questions, I could only go off of articles and things they’d published.

It wasn’t fair. I was working on a deadline with both my hands tied behind my back. I didn’t have the resources or the time to do this properly. I hated that I was having to work this way and I secretly suspected that my stepmother had done this on purpose. It was an impossible task.

She wanted me to fail, I realized. Not with the documents, but with the research. It was a way to drive me to the breaking point. It was one more way for her to destroy me.

I doubled down, working harder. I wasn’t going to let this stop me, not when I was so close.

Slowly, the boxes thinned as I worked through the last of them, trying to use the few minutes between pages to find the answers the senator was seeking.

I worked through breakfast. I worked through lunch.

With my stomach grumbling for food, I put the last document I needed for the weekend in the scanner. I had two more boxes left, but they could easily be done on Monday without anyone questioning it. I fell back in my chair and sat there for a moment, feeling a little of the weight lift from my shoulders.

One task down, another to go.

I decided just to stay at the office to work on Anastasia’s job. The less time I spent traveling around town, the better. I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee from the break room and buckled down to get this done. I was so close to being able to attend the ball.