If Cinderella was a Badass

Chapter 5

I stood up from my crouched position and lifted my head to face his.

“Um…hi,” I said tentatively.

His face morphed into an expression of sadness. I was very surprised at the show of emotion on his normally stone-hard face.

“How much did you hear?” He whispered.

“A lot,” I admitted. Lord Saxon then did something that left the room in stunned silence; he slid down, his back against the wall, and made a choking sound in the back of his throat. It was almost frightening to see him in pain; he had been someone I thought of as indestructible, yet here he was, looking like his mask had crumbled. His sadness seemed so true that I leaned forward and brushed his cheek, feeling the stubble that grew.

He body went tense and he looked up. His vulnerable face went back to its normal expression, yet a trace of vulnerability lingered in his eyes. He whipped his hand upward, knocking my hand off. I was surprised by the sudden motion and fell onto the cold dusty floor, most likely dirtying the bottom of the dress.

“Never, ever tell anyone about this, ever!” I’ve never seen rage so pure in all my life. His body shook, his face had hardened. The only thing close to his rage was my stepfather, on the worst of the drunken nights. For a second, I was terrified. I couldn’t move and I felt the usual suffocating fear consuming and paralyzing my body. Then it passed, and adrenaline coursed through my body as I stood up.

“You think you’ve felt pain? I’ve…” But I trailed off and as quickly as it came, the adrenaline wore off and I realized in that moment, I had almost revealed a secret that would destroy me and my badass reputation even more than the secret of my identity being exposed.

“What? Your fuck buddy didn’t show up to one of your sessions? Or, you lost your favourite shoe?” He sneered. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to even make it seem like I knew not pain. I wanted to retort, but I held my tongue, not wanting to betray my one true vulnerability.

“I’m going to leave now.” I said quietly, not wanting to provoke him further. As I left his quarters, I brushed past the forgotten Julius who was waiting by the door. Making my way to the stables I grabbed my horse and rode off towards the rising sun.

Lord Saxons POV

I can’t believe I told her. I revealed vulnerability; something I swore not to ever do. No more falling in love. Yet this girl was already tugging at my heartstrings, and unraveling my protective net that separates the vulnerable me, and the asshole me. I turned towards my brother, but I found he was already gone, most likely slinking away to consume another alcoholic beverage. I allowed myself a few minutes of gathering my thoughts, before heading to the stable to find my horse. When I walked into the stable I saw one of the useless servants who tended to the horses business. He slowly walked towards me, his posture giving away the fear of being close to me. He looked towards the floor, showing me his hat before saying;

“Congr...r...ad…ulations m...m…my Lord on…the…the win,” he sounded nervous, just the way it was supposed to be.

It still hurt me to see so many people who showed fear at the sight of me, but I buried the thought deep down. To be feared holds a lot less pain than to be loved. I walked towards my horse, her glossy brown coat reflecting the obvious hard work of the stable boy.

Paying no more attention to him, I rode out into the dark night, towards the house of my one and only bastard of a father.

Arriving at the house, I handed the reins of my horse to a girl, who greeted me by bending down low in hope to impress me with the moonlight glinting off her cleavage. I resisted the urge to snort in disgust at her attempt to impress me. I had used her many times in the past to satisfy my needs, and despite her disgusting desperation, tonight would be another night I might use her to get my mind off both girls who seemed to constantly linger in my mind tonight.

When I walked inside, I found my father in his study, as usual.

“Father,” I said, announcing my presence.

He turned to look at me, and I saw the usual disappointed look in his eyes.

“Son,” he responded, his voice matching the cold tone of mine.

“I received your letter,” I said curtly.

He raised an eyebrow. “And you wished to tell me this for what reason? Why not just send your stable boy with an indifferent reply? That is what you normally do, anyway.”

I ignored him and spoke up.

“To say I have done what you asked. Lady Cinderella Maria Renaldo is to be my wife.”

He tilted his head and gave me a long look, before laughing aloud.

“My son must be sick! He has actually done something I asked! Never thought I’d live to see the day.” He said, sarcasm oozing out of his every word.

“Would you dare think that this is because I even care for anything you say? Hah! You’re more foolish then I thought, and that’s saying something!” I chuckled, before once again making my face into a mask of stone. I leaned in close enough to smell his putrid breath and grabbed the collar of his perfectly ironed shirt, before whispering, “Listen here, old man, the only reason I even talk to you is because of your money. In fact I might as well kill you so that the inheritance could be mine, without having to deal with you.”

He responded calmly, “Then why don’t you?”

I laughed heartlessly. “Because I would not let my soul rot in hell for all of eternity for the sake of killing the likes of you.” I let go of his shirt and pushed him back at the same time. “Asshole” I spat, before turning and leaving. As I pushed open the door, I heard him speak.

“I wonder why that girl Maria didn’t stick with you? Oh, right, because she preferred fucking your brother. If I remember correctly, I had a few…pleasurable…experiences with her as well.”

Quick as lightning, I turned back towards him and hit him hard enough to knock him out. Then I left him with blood squirting out of his nose, seething in anger at a father that had never known how to love.