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Chapter Thirty-One
Kaugnay na kabanata
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Two
Two people sat outside the entrance of my apartment looking completely out of place. One was a tall, thin man with stylish silver hair wearing a tweed jacket. A young woman, with the most amazing eyeliner I have ever seen, sat on a large trunk next to him. She wore a simple red dress that fluttered in the early evening breeze.“There she is,” the man said to the woman, his British accent deep and strong. It was similar to the Paradisian accent, but I definitely liked Henry’s better. The man held out his hand. “You must be Aria. The senator sent us.”“I am,” I told him. He squeezed my hand rather than shaking it.“Excellent. I’m Gunner,” the man introduced himself. “This is my associate, Lydia.”“Hi,” the woman said, jumping down from the large trunk. “I’m going to be doing your hair and makeup once Gunner gets you dressed.” She motioned to the trunk behind her and I realized there was a second as well.I stood there blinking for a moment, not quite comprehending what they were saying.
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Three
The limo pulled up alongside one of the older buildings downtown. The building was a private club, so I’d never been inside, although I’d heard of the extravagant parties that were often thrown here.The building took up the entire corner. Rich tan stone with large windows glimmered in the fading light. A red carpet lined the sidewalk on the corner, and the police had the intersection completely blocked off.I took a deep breath and stepped out of the limo and onto the red carpet, clutching my invitation and a small purse with my ID and phone.Act like you belong here, act like you belong here, I whispered to myself. I was positive that one of the police officers was going to call me out. This was a party for high society, not some low-level government employee. They would see right through me.I held my head high as I walked along the red carpet, keeping my eyes open for any sign of Henry. He was supposed to meet me inside, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t run into him outside of the
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Four
We ran through the halls of the club, giggling and laughing as we went. My skirt flew behind me as I followed Henry up a flight of stairs.He checked down the long hallway and, seeing it empty, turned and put his hand to the side of my neck and pressed me against the wall for a kiss. My body melted into his, his hands hot on my skin. His face was smooth with a recent shave. He smelled like clean soap and something masculine and musky.I couldn’t get enough. I loved the way his hands felt on me. I loved the way the uniform fit his broad shoulders and trim waist as he kept me close to him. I loved being pressed into the wall and caught in his arms.I couldn’t stop kissing him. He was the breath in my lungs and the song in my heart.He paused, his smile lighting up the dark hallway.“How did I get so lucky?” he asked, pressing a soft kiss to my jaw. He reached up and carefully took my mask from my face.“I’m the lucky one,” I replied. I took the mask from his face, revealing his bright s
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Five
I ran through the streets of downtown Washington DC ducking cars and twisting between buildings. My beautiful blue dress trailed out behind me like a flag. Tears streamed down my face and I could barely see.How in the world had my wonderful night ended up like this?How was Henry a freaking prince?He loved me and I had to run from him. I had to protect him from me and what my stepmother was forcing me to do. I would ruin him.I ducked around into an alley to try and catch my breath. It had been a few minutes since I’d last heard anyone call my name. I didn’t want Henry to chase me. I would only end up hurting him if he did.I leaned against a brick wall, my chest heaving and hurting. I just wanted to go home and hide. I wished I had never met Henry, because then I wouldn’t have this hurt in my chest. I wouldn’t put him at risk that way. If he had never run into me, I wouldn’t have to worry about him. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him, but I seemed destined to.My feet hurt. Ru
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Six
I woke just before dawn with a dry mouth and itchy eyes. It was never a good idea to fall asleep with a ton of makeup on and without brushing my teeth.I groaned and rolled out of bed. I wasn’t sure if I wanted coffee or a shower more, so I started them both. I took my coffee to the bathroom and I set my cup on the sink so I could reach out and grab a sip while still getting a shower at the same time. There were perks to having a small bathroom.The shower and coffee helped wake me up, but did nothing for the feeling of dark dread that hung around my head.Henry was a prince. A freaking prince.And he loved me.What did that mean for us? Even if I wasn’t going to be convicted of selling secrets, or my stepmother wasn’t making my life a living nightmare, what would we do? I couldn’t just move into the castle with him in Paradisa. My life was here. My dreams were here.I loved him, but I didn’t see how we were going to make it work. He was a prince and I was about as far from royalty as
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Seven
I confessed everything. I confessed to taking the picture, to not telling anyone just how much trouble I was in, and to what my stepmother was expecting of me. I told him all of it without keeping anything back.And while it felt good to tell someone, I felt miserable at the same time. I was giving him this burden in addition to the ones he already carried. If he had fallen in love with just about anyone else, there would be no trouble.Instead, he fell in love with a girl who was going to be convicted for selling secrets because her stepmother would stop at nothing to destroy her.“So, that’s why I ran,” I concluded lamely. “I panicked when you told me who you were. I’m selling your country’s secrets and my stepmother will use you like she uses everyone. You’ll never be safe around me.”I was sure he was going to hate me. I was sure that he was going to sigh, tell me that this was too much, and walk out the door.Henry was silent. I could hear my neighbor’s TV on a commercial and som
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Eight
“There you are, darling. I was beginning to think you might be late,” Audrey purred, holding open the door.She looked resplendent in a boxy-cut tea-length white dress. Her dark hair was up on the top of her head and her green eyes shone from under long lashes. She wore white heels that clicked on the marble floors as she walked to the kitchen.“Take your coat off,” she commanded. I didn’t, keeping it buttoned up. I wasn’t about to take it off.She sighed and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”“I’d like to get this over with.” She just ignored me and walked into the kitchen.“I believe this deserves some champagne to celebrate,” she said. She picked up a bottle from an ice bucket and popped the cork, making me jump. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.“Before I give this information to you, I want to make sure it’s what you really want.” I stepped into the kitchen to face her. “It’s not too late to stop this.”“Stop this?” Audrey laughed. “There’s nothing to stop. This is how it’s
An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Nine
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.I didn’t want to watch the news of my stepmother. Instead, I enjoyed my time off of work and spent it with Henry. For two weeks, we either stayed at my place or with his family. I ate meals with him and his brothers and even managed to make the older one smile a time or two.His mother accepted me like a long lost daughter. For the first time since my father died, I knew what it felt like to have a family around me again.For two weeks, Henry and I did nothing that required us to be regal. We were just a normal couple that went out for dinner and stayed in a nice hotel. There were some perks to him being royal, but we spent many of our evenings holed up in my tiny ap
Pinakabagong kabanata
- An American Cinderella Chapter Forty
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Nine
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Eight
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Seven
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Six
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Five
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Four
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Three
- An American Cinderella Chapter Thirty-Two
