If Cinderella was a Badass

Chapter 3

Hey, I finally posted! Sorry for the wait. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. This one is more low-key but it clears up some stuff. Here it is:

As I exited the office, I was greeted with a long, dark hallway. Only two doors were visible in the dim light. One of the two doors was a rather familiar heavy-set silver door made out of metal. It was the entrance to Fox’s quarters from inside the arena, and was absolutely forbidden to all fighters. No one dared go near it.

That was partly to blame on the rumours that circulate, for example tales of mythical creatures guarding on the inside, or of the spirits of Fox’s ancestors swooping down and cursing the poor soul who dared enter. Personally I didn’t believe them as they were all completely ridiculous; save for the rumour that Fox’s rage would be unleashed upon the person who walks in uninvited. He was known for his temper and a home intrusion would definitely rekindle that fury.

That’s why I found it strange, walking down the hall towards the mahogany door of Fox’s sleeping quarters, but in honesty despite the situation, I felt smug that it was me who made it to the top and have the chance to explore the unknown. This would make a good story to tell my fellow fighters, if I ever broke free of this goddamn agreement. It almost made up for my secret being out and my loss in the rink. Almost.

As I walked towards it, I had to ignore my instincts, which were screaming at me to turn the other way. A little part of me, despite his permission, still did not want to risk his wrath. Another part of my mind was thinking about how on the other side of that door I would be left completely alone with Fox in a few minutes. When I reached the door, I cautiously grasped the golden handle and pulled.

I entered his house and was surprised to see how shabby it was. Of course, it wasn’t his real house; just the one he used when he needed a place to stay while attending to his more illegal practices. He couldn’t exactly call a bunch of servants from his mansion and say, “Why don’t you come to my top-secret, illegal fighting rink to clean through my personal possessions?” Servants do gossip among themselves, leaving a large risk of exposure. Looking around his quarters, it betrayed Fox’s true personality; he was a temper-mental slob. There were plates all over the counter, a few of them carelessly thrown in the sink. One of them looked like it had been flung across the room in one of his angry fits.

A narrow hallway led to 3 more doors. I walked down it and opened one of them. It led outside to a back alleyway, in which there was a car. I mentally recorded the fact that there was an escape route in case a speedy getaway was needed. The next door was the bathroom. It was slightly covered in dust, aside from the bathtub, which looked too expensive to belong in such a shoddy bathroom. I guess Fox enjoyed his baths. I turned one of the knobs, and let the hot water flow into it, before leaving the room. The final door was locked, but that was to be expected, seeing as Fox was known to neither depend nor trust anyone. I wasn’t completely useless in terms of break-ins and I was certainly pretty good at being sneaky because of all my years of practice; I used one of my hairpins to pick the lock before entering.

It was dark so I treaded carefully into the room until I found a kerosene lamp and I opened up the valve to release gas. The small light filled the room with surprising warmth, and I looked around. It was a very cramped, windowless room. Only 2 articles of furniture were crammed into the room: an unmade four-poster king bed and a desk. I approached the desk and found it covered with papers. Turning around to check that no one was watching me, I began sifting through the papers.

It all seemed very ordinary; they were only records of what had passed on a monthly basis here at the ring. Stepping back to leave the room before getting caught, I stepped on something. I bent over and picked it up. It was a crumpled ball of paper. Only one piece of paper looked out of place; it was crumpled in a ball and strewn across the empty, dusty room. I walked over, gingerly avoiding the papers on the floor. I un-crumpled the paper and saw that written in black ink, was a message bearing the signature of his father. It read:

Saxon Aaron Renard,

  It is my duty to inform you of a decision I have made, regarding your choice in lifestyle. Though in society you appear to be respected, though it doesn’t escape me that there are many rumours that threaten to bring shame to the family’s name, including the rumour of the many women you have taken in your bed. Your carelessness and selfishness about your desires have pushed me to make a decision; if you do not settle down then you will no longer be considered one of the Renard family and I will publicly disinherit you.

Your Father and Lord

Aaron Benjamin Renard 

I guess there was no more need to be curious of why he needed a fiancée. He had to please his father by choosing someone, and he had chosen me, not knowing that I had no fortune. I was sure that when I told him of my situation he would leave me be; it wouldn’t make sense to continue with this madness when I wasn’t even rich.

I re-crumpled the letter, put it back in its place on the floor and blew out the lamp, before retreating from the room. The sound of gushing made me come to the realization that I had left the tap on much too long. I quickly entered the bathroom and in horror found that the water was seeping out of the tub onto the floor.

I turned off the tap and quickly got on my knees. Not wanting to risk Fox’s displeasure and anger, I pulled off my top, leaving me in naught but a cloth wrapped around my chest. Then I started to sop up the water with my top. I didn’t care about it getting dirty as it was already covered in grime from the fight. Footsteps coming from the open door made me rethink my actions. Now I would be in front of him with no top! I pulled it on quickly, and groaning at my error. A voice from behind me made me jump and swallow.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” asked the rough voice of Lord Saxon.

I was going to be in so much trouble.