The Glass Slipper (Cinderella 3)

“My money wasn’t good enough? He wanted to fuck with my love life too?”

“You don’t love her,” Meredith scoffs.

I swear to fuck this woman is going to make me insane. “Why does he care?”

“Because! Before that little girl came into the picture, you were numb. A damn zombie. So focused on making money that you never paid attention to anything around you. But then she showed up and grabbed your interest out of nowhere. You started spending your money so fast you had to go and get Harold involved which made Nate nervous, especially since he lost access to those accounts. Ash is a nosy bitch, too. She was always around. Asking too many questions. Nate was paranoid she was going to find something out and tell you. He’d even tried to distract you by hooking you up with Layla, but that didn’t work either. I told him to back off because you would start to notice, but he wouldn’t listen.”

The elevator opens on the sixteenth floor and I rush out, hauling ass to Nate’s apartment. I can hear Meredith running to keep up with me. When I reach Nate’s door, I twist the knob and push it open.

Red.

Blood-red fury clouds my vision.

Nate, someone I considered to be a brother, holds Ash against his chest, a sharp kitchen knife at her throat. I want to murder him with my own two hands. Right now, all I can focus on is the way the point of the blade pokes against the bruised flesh on her neck. He hurt her. He fucking hurt her while I was taking a goddamn stroll down memory lane with Meredith. And now, Ash is unconscious, her head lolled to the side. Blood is smeared over her lips and her jeans are unzipped.

Slowly, I approach him, hoping like fuck he doesn’t completely lose his mind and cut her throat.

“Nate!” Meredith cries out behind me as she clacks her way into the apartment. “What are you doing? Oh my God!”

Nate’s features contort into a pained expression. “Hey, baby.”

“Let her go,” she shrieks. “You’ll go to jail for this.”

“Jail?” He laughs. “No one’s going to jail. Right, Win?”

“Right,” I agree, my tone smooth and cool. “Put Ash down. She’s hurt, man.”

“I thought you liked to make her cry,” Nate snaps back. “Kind of sick if you ask me. Who makes bitches cry and gets off on it?”

I clench my jaw, holding in a slew of insults. “Put Ash down. Walk out of here. Both you and Meredith can leave. I won’t follow you. I’ll even give you the passwords to those accounts you dumped money into.”

“Nate,” Meredith begs. “Please don’t do this. You’re messing everything up.”

He glares at her. “Me? Everything I’ve done is for us, baby. Everything. What have you been doing besides trying to get back into his pants?”

Ash blinks her eyes open slowly. Hazel eyes meet mine and she smiles. Happy for one second. That is, until she realizes where she’s at and what’s happening. Terror morphs her features and she lets out a strained mewl, fresh tears streaking down her messy face. Always so beautiful, especially when wrecked.

I’m going to rescue you, Cinderelliott. I can be a prince some of the time.

“Put the knife down,” I urge Nate. “Put it down, take your bitch, and walk out of here.”

“You won’t let me get to the end of the block,” Nate snaps. “I’ll be arrested before I can even take my next breath. I’m not falling for your bullshit.”

“What do you want?” I demand. “We can come to an agreement. You want money? Name your price. You want to leave the country? I’ll give you a fucking jet. Just hand Ash over to me. Please.”

“So you can shoot me? Fuck off, Win.” Nate nods his chin at Meredith. “Grab his Glock, baby.”

“W-what? No, Nate. What are you going to do?”

“So help me, take his fucking gun or I will cut this bitch’s throat,” Nate growls. “Now, baby. Take the gun.”

Ash whimpers when the knife digs into her neck. I don’t wait for Meredith to take it from me and instead nearly knock her over when I shove it against her chest. She awkwardly takes the gun from me.

“There,” I say in a calm tone. “You can walk out of here.”

Nate’s manic stare darts back and forth between me and Meredith. “She said she’d leave her husband for you, didn’t she?” He glowers at Meredith. “Didn’t you? Same bullshit line you told me?”

“You’re unhinged,” Meredith hisses. “Why would I ever choose you if this was how you’d end up?”

“Mer,” I grind out. “Stop.”

She bristles at my tone. “Just saying—”

“Don’t.”

Nate’s nostrils flare with fury. “You still love him. Fucking bitch. You used me. All these years you used me to get to him. Fucked me and had me do your and Manda’s legwork. I was the one who got us the money. Me. Not you or Manda. Me. And when it came time to fix things, it wasn’t you sneaking into his apartment, it was me. I put everything on the line. You couldn’t even bother to divorce your loser husband.”