An American Cinderella

Audrey turned and scrolled through the documents, her eyes dancing with delight. She waved her hand at me. “Yes, yes. You can go. I’m done with you, for now.”

I took two steps to the door. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Audrey.” I stopped and looked at her. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

Her cold green eyes slowly came to mine. “Dear, this is exactly how it has to be. I own you just as I owned your father. You will dance to my tune. The world will dance to my tune. It is my destiny and you are just a worthless little pawn.”

I sighed. She was beyond saving.

“Good bye, Audrey.” I turned and left her house. Outside the sun had painted the sky into a glorious shade of red. I stopped to let it warm my face. I didn’t need a jacket anymore, so I took it off and folded it over my arm.

I walked to the bus station and found my bus. The bus then left without me on it. Instead, I got into the backseat of a waiting black town-car with tinted windows.

“It’s done,” I said, closing the door behind me.

Henry kissed me, wrapping his arm around me. I handed my coat to the man in the passenger seat.

“She thought I had a recording device. She never suspected it was video,” I told him. “She said she didn’t take it, but it’s very clear that she did on the tape.”

“Excellent.” The man took the top button from my coat and pulled out the tiny video camera inside it. I’d gotten everything on film. “That is exactly what we need.”

I nodded. The man was a detective working with me and the Paradisian government.

Henry hugged me. “You okay?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “I’m still shaking.”

Henry took my hands in his. His warmth radiated through me and I felt stronger.

I still couldn’t believe I had pulled it off.

“What’s going to happen next?” I asked the man in the front seat.

The detective carefully put the camera into a case before putting it away. “Tomorrow, she’ll go to sell that data. We’ll follow her to her buyers. There, we’ll capture all of them and prosecute them for their crimes.”

I knew that the data she had was fake. Henry’s “knights” had spent the last ten hours creating hundreds of documents that had absolutely no information but looked like they did. Everything she had was made up. It wouldn’t be worth a dime, but she would try and sell it tomorrow anyway.

“You aren’t guilty of anything,” Henry said. “I made public the photo she has that you took. It’s public information now. She can’t use it against you. You don’t have to worry.” He gave me a gentle squeeze.

“I know, and I really appreciate it,” I told him. I looked at the direction of her house and sighed. “I just... I feel guilty about setting her up.”

“Whatever for?” the detective asked. “She did far worse to you.”

“Yes, but...” I shrugged. “She’s still my stepmother. As terrible as she is, Audrey is still the closest thing I have to family.”

Henry reached up and put his hand to my cheek, turning me to him. “And that’s why I love you,” he said with a smile. “You never give up on people. You always see the best in them. Even dragons.”

I tried to smile at the compliment, but I still felt guilty. Not super guilty, but the idea that the woman my father married would be spending the rest of her life in jail because of what I did was a little bit of a downer.

“I will ask them to be merciful,” Henry told me. He smiled. “Would that make you happier?”

I looked up into his beautiful kind eyes. “You’d do that?”

“I’d do anything for you, my princess,” he replied. “Even show mercy to the dragon.”

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

My prince. My hero. My love.

Chapter 30

I didn’t watch the news for the next week. I was told that my stepmother was on quite frequently. Well, the video of her being arrested was on quite frequently. They didn’t show much more than that as my name was to be kept out of the press entirely. I was absolved of all wrong doing as my stepmother obviously coerced me.