Secret Cinderella (The House of Morgan Book 16)
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Secret Cinderella
Victoria Pinder
Secret Cinderella
Copyright©2020
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemble to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
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Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.
Published in the United States of America.
Copyright © 2020 Victoria Pinder Love in a Book
All rights reserved.
This book is dedicated to the Three Rivers Romance Writers. When I moved to Pittsburgh, they graciously introduced me to some cool things about the city. So any references are thanks to the women of the Pittsburgh RWA chapter.
The House of Morgan Family Tree
Mitch Morgan married Isabelle Marshall
Their children: Peter, Victoria, John, Luke, Elizabeth, Matthew
Mitch Morgan had an affair with Fiona Dupree
Their children: Mitch, Damien, Galen, Axel, Catherine (also called Jess)
Mitch Morgan had an affair with Maria in Italy and they had five children, Bartolomeo, Giorgio, Anthony, Aurelia and Lorenzo.
Mitch’s brother Todd married and moved to Los Angeles and his five children are Camila, Christopher, Andrew, David and Jonathan.
Miami Branch
Peter married Belle Jordan in Secret Bet.
No children.
Victoria married Colt Collins in Secret Baby
Their children: Clara.
John married Alice Collins in Secret Crush
They have one child, unnamed.
Luke is engaged to Caro Soliz in Secret Wish
No children. Luke and Caro get married in Secret Romeo
Elizabeth married Rafe Soliz in Secret Dad
Their children: Brandon.
Matthew married Ashley Romero in Secret Mistress.
French Branch
Mitch Morgan married Tess Taylor in Secret Heir
No children.
Damien married Serenity Hanscom in Secret Tryst Expecting Twins.
Galen marries Natalie Parker in Secret Date
Axel is in love with Emily Wilson in Secret Bridesmaid.
Catherine Morgan aka Jess Taylor married Maverick Appleton in Secret Cowboy.
Italian Branch
Bartolomeo married Rebecca James Secret Admirer.
Giorgio marries Kiwi Washington in Secret Match.
Anthony is in love with Jennifer Gonzales but my find true love later.
Aurelia is single.
Lorenzo is currently not married.
Pittsburgh Branch
Finn is currently single.
William is currently single.
Jack found true love with Charlotte in Secret Cinderella.
Max is currently single.
Lucy is currently single.
Los Angeles Branch
Todd Morgan, Mitch Morgan’s brother, married Andrea Garcia in Secret Caress.
Todd adopted Camila who is currently an adult and single.
Christopher married Jennifer in a 24 hour marriage and divorce in a day, so he’s single.
Andrew is currently single.
David is currently single.
Jonathan is currently single.
Soliz Family served the Morgans for 30 years.
Pilar and Samuel re-connected after 25 years apart in Secret Romeo.
Pilar and Samuel had two children, Rafe (Secret Dad) and Caro (Secret Heir). Samuel had a third child Valentina during his years of amnesia.
Valentina is currently single.
Contents
Join Victoria Pinder
Series Information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Also by Victoria Pinder
About the Author
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Series Information
Please check out the entire House of Morgan Series and get caught up.
The House of Morgan
Secret Crush
Secret Baby
Secret Bet
Secret Wish
Secret Dad
Secret Heir
Secret Tryst
Secret Date
Secret Romeo
Secret Caress
Secret Match
Secret Bridesmaid
Secret Admirer
Secret Cowboy
Secret Mistress
Secret Cinderella
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 1-3
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 4-6
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 7-9
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 10-12
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 13-15
Chapter 1
“Charlotte, move the boxes.” Her stepmother's announcement echoed overhead on the speaker. Thankfully there were no customers in the store yet while Charlotte choked down her morning oatmeal in the employee break room.
She hopped up fast, always ready to work. This superstore had once been her father’s pride and joy. Now it was her prison, but maybe one day she’d own it like he’d intended for her.
Tossing half of her breakfast in the trash, she nodded at her stepmother, Nancy, whose black eyes seemed like evil incarnate. Her black eyeliner and black outfit added to the effect. Nancy watched Charlotte grab the red pull cart that held the new deliveries with an expression of malicious joy.
One day, Charlotte hoped those witchy eyes would stop staring into her soul as she imagined Nancy always nearby, ready to pounce on any mistake. That would be great.
As she moved the first box in the stack to the aisle to restock the rice boxes, she shook her head. Her father in heaven wouldn’t want her to turn mean, not like her stepmother and stepsisters.
She wished that all three of them would marry rich men and leave her and this store alone.
Maybe then she’d add bigger windows. The cement-entombed store only let light in through the glass up front, a place she rarely saw.
They had to move on some day and then their mistreatment would just be a distant memory.
Dark haired and always sweet Jack, who’d grown so muscular that all the girls who'd ignored them in high
school, and now only ignored her, joined her next to the boxes. “Charlotte, I saw the schedule in the break room when I clocked in. You haven’t had a day off in months.”
Her stepsisters, who worked in management, most often ‘supervised’ the cashiers…when they even showed up. She shrugged. “Linda needed to get her hair done.”
Jack scoffed, his blue eyes narrowed. “And the day before?”
The slightly nicer stepsister used her pretend management skills to party plan and thought her job was just to bring the birthday cake and balloons to work on special days. But at least Mickey had never pulled her hair or laughed when Charlotte had cried. “Mickey had a doctor’s appointment.”
Jack towered over her like he’d protect her from her family as his lips thinned. “Charlotte, you need to quit. It was one thing in high school to work here, but now it’s sixty hours or more a week and you’re not even getting paid overtime.”
Her best friend had gone from gangly to buff, and was smart too. She knew he was right. He’d stayed beside her even while he finished his college degree. “I’ll be fine.”
He motioned with his head toward her stepmother, who never laughed or smiled, at least toward her. When Nancy had first come home as her father’s new wife, she hadn’t been completely horrible. Charlotte was glad that Nancy hadn’t kicked her out after he’d died.
“No, you’re not her slave," Jack said dismissively. "You need to just walk out the door and toss your blue vest at her feet.”
The image of tossing the vest played in her mind, but what would happen out there? She’d end up in another store, working for someone else. At least here she had hope, a place to sleep, and one day soon… this would be her store. Nancy, Linda, and Mickey were not made for manual labor, something they said every night.
Charlotte continued to unpack a container of rice pilaf boxes.
Maybe it would be nice to start her own store, somewhere far away, possibly near a beach. But then she’d never see her father’s grave again. She turned toward Jack, who had already emptied one cardboard box of rice pilaf. “I can’t… my father built this place. One day they will all be gone and this store will be mine.”
He let out a small chuckle. “You’re dreaming.”
His comment made it seem like her plans were impossible when it was the opposite. One day this would be all hers again. She lifted her chin. “My father promised me.”
Jack slowly opened the next large box. “My father promised to pay for college but then he disappeared, never to be seen again, not that I ever saw him much before then. You can’t live based on promises from childhood that won’t happen.”
From what she'd inferred, his father had walked out on his mother and never called any of them again. She and Jack had different stories. “My father’s will was black and white. I will get this store.”
“The will hasn’t been found for you to trust that.”
“I have my memories,” she said. “I believe my father.”
“Fair enough.” He met her gaze and spoke like this was a conspiracy to escape class to go talk somewhere as he said, “If they leave… And they aren’t going anywhere.”
Mickey shuffled past the aisle with a cake and balloons in her hand, clearly heading to the break room to celebrate a part-timers birthday to make them feel special.
Linda’s laugh was in the background as Barbara, the full-time customer service agent, announced a sale on towels.
The click of heels sounded on the laminate floor behind her. She glanced around and met Nancy’s impossibly black eyes that never showed expression. “Charlotte, clean up on aisle nine.”
Nancy walked away.
Charlotte let out a sigh and wished she could have finished her breakfast as she said to Jack, “It’s not even seven in the morning. They normally don’t wake up till ten.”
He nodded, his scruffy jaw enhancing his strong frame, and shook a package of rice. “I’ll finish stocking these.”
"Thanks." Aisle nine was the cereal section. She grabbed a yellow hazard sign from the supply closet on her way. When she saw the aisle, her stomach churned.
The boxes had been torn, with cereal and throw-up from a child in the middle of the aisle.
She left the yellow sign, gathered the cleaning supplies, and returned to the scene of the crime.
Shoppers filed past her as she finished, sweat on her brow.
Sometimes Jack bought coffees for them from the café and she hoped that today might be one of those days. She put the cleaning cart back and the idea of a minute’s rest with coffee played like a dream. But the second she turned around, Nancy was staring at her again—her cold expression sent a shiver through her. “Charlotte, you’re going slow this morning.”
She tensed. “I’ll pick up the pace.”
Once Nancy passed the end of the aisle, Charlotte dropped her shoulders, thinking she was home free, but as she made the center aisle to go back, Nancy stood right in her way.
Why hadn’t she left? Goosebumps rose on Charlotte's arms. Her stepmother said, “I need you to sign off in the delivery area for the produce in the truck.”
Charlotte pointed toward the back. “On my way.”
This time Nancy’s heels clicked in the other direction of Charlotte’s tennis shoes--the hole in her sole meant she’d need a new pair soon. As she made it to the loading dock, she grabbed a work jacket to avoid the nip in the autumn air along with the order sheet and relaxed. Produce. Apples. Perfect. She smiled as she greeted the driver, Paul.
“Charlotte, you’re looking good. Are you ready to drive away with me yet?”
The trees around the store were full with leaves. Pittsburgh was rural enough to where deer, coyotes, or wild turkeys still roamed. Any day now the leaves would change color and fall. She zipped up her jacket. Paul was twice her age and missing his two front teeth, but kind. Charlotte retrieved the gift she’d wrapped for his daughter from the work desk. “And what would your wife and children do without you, Bob? Here...”
He refused to take the bag and said, “You don’t have to."
She'd bought the adorable outfit yesterday, and pressed the silver box tied with pink ribbon into his hands in exchange for the delivery sheet. “I do. A first birthday is special.”
Bob checked inside and said, “Thank you.” He set the box on the passenger seat of his truck to bring home.
Charlotte inspected the apples and signed off that the order matched.
Bob left and Charlotte filed the paperwork, motioning for the delivery to be added to blue carts so they could be brought into the store.
As she came inside to breathe warmer air, Nancy waited for her. She stopped at the water cooler to fill a paper cup and sipped. “Flirting with married men again, Charlotte?”
She lowered her head to avoid a confrontation. Arguing with Nancy never worked out in her favor. “It’s nothing.”
Nancy pointed to the departing truck. “That outfit comes out of your paycheck.”
Charlotte’s cheeks heated despite the cold air. “No need. I have the receipt. I paid Mickey cash yesterday.”
Nancy didn’t even blink as she stared at Charlotte. Her insides had little tremors until Nancy said, “Very well. Don’t you have boxes to unpack?”
Today Charlotte needed a clear reminder of her goals. She lifted her chin and asked, “Did you have any luck last night at the casino?”
Nancy had gone to the river casino to see if there was a man she wanted to gamble on herself, though she'd called it ‘slumming.’ A few years ago, Nancy wouldn’t have been caught dead in a place like that. “No, there were no men of quality… like your father.”
Charlotte smiled at that. Everyone, even Nancy, had the same memory of Rob Masters. Her smile fled. Nancy was no closer to leaving the store to her than yesterday. “I see. Well, I have to go.”
She turned so fast that her sneakers squeaked on the floor but Nancy’s voice cut right through the skin when she said, “Tonight’s dinner better be
good.”
“I made stew in the slow cooker.”
“I have guests coming so I expect you to wear your… uniform.”
Finally. Guests. The maid uniform meant Nancy wanted to impress and the staff for the house was long gone, except the maid’s outfit fit her. Hopefully this was a romantic prospect that took her stepmother and her daughters out of Charlotte’s life forever. “I’m on it.”
She headed to the produce section and met Jack, who was unpacking the apples that had just arrived. She pitched in, opening a crate. He said, “You need serious help. None of this is okay.”
Her sister Linda giggled with her phone in her hand, clearly not working as she stood in the center of the store aisle. Charlotte stayed in the side aisle, dug into the box, and moved the apples faster while she said, “Jack, it’s not forever and I’ll beat her in the end.”
Jack tapped her arm, reminding her without words to slow down. “How?”
Mickey sashayed out of the break room and met Linda like they had no worries in the world, and they both laughed at whatever Linda pointed to on her phone. Charlotte stacked the apples. “Because she won’t make me abandon my inheritance.”
Jack stopped and glanced at the drafty back delivery door, where a shaft of light drifted into the dark shadows. “There is a world outside these walls. You can live your own dreams.”
She didn’t know about that, but her only hope was if she stayed and outlasted the others. Unlike her stepsisters, she didn’t bank on something artificial, like good looks. And in the end, she’d win. Charlotte held her head high. “Look, in high school the guidance counselor met with me weekly to talk me out of my plans. Ms. Pitts urged me to go to college.”