Modern Love {A Cinderella Retelling} ✔️

Chapter Ten

Amelia, Petra, and Noah got back to Greensboro, their hearts pounded as they feared that something or someone would be following them. Amelia parked her car in the parking lot and climbed out. The trio looked around. Antsy about what happened. Shaking her head, Amelia walked into the apartment and made her way upstairs. Noah and Petra followed behind her. Amelia felt bad for Brock, she wanted so badly to help him find out the truth but at the moment her main focus was trying to get her book release party active.

"Okay, aside from that SUV, what are we going to do about the party?" Petra asked. "Amelia? Do you have the list?"

Amelia nodded and fished out her list from her leather purse. Petra politely took it and looked through the list until an idea struck her.

"That's it!" Petra exclaimed. "Why don't we make it a masquerade party?"

"Isn't that a little excessive?" Noah questioned. "I mean it's only a book release party,"

"Hey, I wanted to give it a try," Petra responded. "It's something different at least,"

"I'd say we do it!" Amelia exclaimed. "Make sure Brock gets an invitation,"

On cue, her cell phone rang. Amelia pulled it out and saw that Alaric had been calling her. Knowing that she would receive a call from him, Amelia excused herself and walked off.

Petra raised an eyebrow, they'd just got back and already Alaric mysteriously called them? Unlike her friends, Petra wondered if there was more to Alaric than she believed. She glanced at the list and saw Alaric's kids were invited. She rolled her hazel eyes and handed it to Noah.

Noah frowned as his blue eyes read through the list. Even though the two didn't want anything to do with them they set to work and created all the invitations before sending them off to their respective invitees.

A few days later Brock's life became a living hell even worse than before. When he got back to the house the day he got back from the police.

Brock snuck into the house, most of the lights were off aside from the one in the living room. He wanted to get away from his stepfamily and hopefully make it to his own room. He walked toward the back door but paused as his stepfather was sitting there going through a bunch of papers. Brock did his best to avoid Alaric's view when he reached the door, he was about to be home free, or so he thought.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alaric questioned.

"To my room," Brock responded "Duh,"

"Your late," Alaric glared and stood glancing at his watch. Then frowned and crossed his arms. "It's 11:30pm, your curfew is 11:00,"

Brock rolled up his sleeve and showed his watch. "No I'm not,"

Alaric approached him until his back was up against the wall.

"You getting smart with me boy?" Alaric demanded. "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere," Brock said. "I didn't go anywhere,"

"You want to try that again?"

"Why would you care? All you do is sit on your ass and go through your damn letters," Brock said defensively.
That answer received a slap in his face. Brock flinched, as Alaric grabbed his hair and forced his head back to look each other in the eyes.

"Don't you dare lie to me boy, if I discover you went somewhere, then you will regret it,"

Brock pulled himself from his thoughts as he focused on his chores. It was around 2pm when the mail arrived. Brock stopped cleaning the table and made his way outside. The white truck with a blue envelope on the side stopped as the mail man looked around the corner and smiled at him. Brock ignored the man and took the mail. The truck drove off as he began flipping through the new mail until his eyes landed on four brightly colored envelopes. Curious, he set the other letters on the car and opened one that was addressed to him.

Dear Brock,
    You are invited to the book release party of Amelia Dehalia. It will be held in the Barber Park event center located in Greensboro, NC. We hope to see you there. Oh and it's a masquerade party, so make sure you bring your best suit and your best mask!
Sincerely,
    Amelia

Brock expected this much from Amelia. While he was excited, one thing bothered him his step family was invited too and that meant he had to find someway to get around them. Folding his invitation up, he stuffed it in his shoe, gathered up the rest of the letters and made his way inside. The door closed and as Brock turned around his stepfamily walked downstairs.

"Did you get the mail?" Aston said. "Amelia is supposed to send the invitations, and I would love to meet her and she and I could dance!"

"Oh shut up," Stella stated. "You know she barely even knew you existed,"

"Yes, the mail came and so did the invitations," Brock responded and threw them on the table. Immediately, Stella and Aston raced forward and grabbed the letters tearing them open.

"Now kids," Alaric said. "Keep your cool," he continued. "I'm sure all three of us were invited to the party,"

"I'm sure you guys will have so much fun," Brock turned and began making his way toward the back door.

Aston paused and saw something sticking out from Brock's shoe. It looked like a piece of paper of some kind.

"What's that sticking out from your shoe?" Aston asked.

"Nothing," Brock responded and began picking up the pace.

Instantly, Stella stood right in front of him. Brock backed up and turned around only to find Aston standing behind him.

Suddenly, Alaric narrowed his eyes and waited for an answer when none came, Aston took his chance and knocked Brock onto the floor. Brock groaned and fell back as he tried to defend himself but instead of punching and kicking, Aston tore off his shoe and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"What is this?" Aston questioned. He unfolded it and read the letter. Shocked by what he was reading. Aston glared at his stepbrother with his eyes filled with hate.

"How the hell did you get a letter from Amelia?!" Aston demanded.

"You're joking," Stella laughed. "Why would she want to invite you?"

"Give it back!" Brock exclaimed. Got up from h the floor and snatched it from Aston's hands.

Alaric quickly walked over and grabbed the letter. He read through it and frowned turning back toward Brock.

"You've been talking to her without my knowledge,"

"I have not!" Brock exclaimed "She talked to me at least twice but other than that we hadn't spoken since,"

Alaric folded the paper. "Aston, Stella go to your rooms, I need to have a chat with your brother,"

Stella and Aston nodded before making their way upstairs.

Brock knew what was going to happen. He'd never exactly wanted to deal with any fights but the way his stepfather looked at him made him nervous.

"I told you that you were never to speak to Amelia," Alaric said. "And yet here I am learning that you betrayed our trust and went to go and talk to her, now she's invited you to the dance?!"

"Why do you care?!" Brock exclaimed. "All you care about is getting as much money as you can while I'm over here trying to figure out what happened to my mother all those years ago!" He continued "someone murdered her! And you're sitting on your rear end not doing anything about it!"

Not a moment too soon, Alaric laughed sarcastically before shoving Brock on the floor. Brock groaned and tried to stand up but instantly, Alaric kicked him in the stomach knocking the breath out of him.

"Don't you dare talk back to me! You know, you better stay at this house," he continued "You are not allowed to leave, if I catch you sneaking out and going to this dance, I will break not only your spirit but also your guitar. Do you understand me?!"

Brock stayed silent.

"Answer me!" Alaric demanded.

"Yes! Yes I understand!" Brock responded.

Alaric nodded and ordered his kids to get ready. They were heading into Greensboro tonight.