Charming: A Cinderella Billionaire Story

by Sophie Brooks

  Garrett had been pale before, but now his face turned red. “This is all because of her,” he snarled, pointing at Autumn. “Her and her crook of a father. What does it matter the exact amount he stole? He still took money from us. And look at her. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She’s a whore. Making men come. Encouraging them to do immoral things. That’s the very definition of a whore whether it’s on the phone or in person. She’s a whore, and you shouldn’t be listening to her.”

  That was it. The last shred of respect I’d had for this man, my father’s best friend, was gone. I let go of Autumn’s hand and rounded on Garrett, my fist raised. “Take that back. Right now.”

  “You think what she does is rocket science?” the older man shouted, stumbling backwards. “Your father did. You should have heard how he talked about it. Bragged about it. How his son bought that sleazy company and turned it around. Made it profitable. Gave those sluts benefits. Like it’s an accomplishment to sell sex. People have been jerking off for millennia. Why on earth should you get credit for making money off of it?”

  I stared at him in stunned disbelief. My father had known about Sultry Sirens? It didn’t seem possible—but if it was true, it changed everything. Everything.

  Slowly, I lowered my fist. “Get out. You have one hour.” I turned my back on him as I went back to Autumn. I gathered her in my arms and held her tight as I heard my office door open and close behind me.

  “Are you okay?” I murmured in her ear.

  “I’m fine,” she said, though her body was still trembling. “I’m not going to listen to what an angry old man has to say about my work choices. But I’m worried about you. I know he meant a lot to your dad—and to you.”

  “He used to,” I said. “But that was just because I thought he was a connection to my dad. I used to think that if I couldn’t prove myself to my father, then I could at least prove myself to his right-hand man.”

  Autumn stroked my back, her head against my chest. “I’m sorry. That’s an awful feeling—that it’s too late to change anything.”

  I smiled as I looked down at her. “Didn’t you listen to what that dickhead had to say? I always assumed that my dad died thinking I was a screw-up. A hard-partying playboy who would never amount to anything. I thought he felt he had no choice but to leave me the company and hope that it would do okay in spite of me. But he knew, Autumn. He knew about Sultry Sirens. He knew how I turned the company around, and he was proud of me! Maybe he didn’t leave me the company as a last resort. Maybe he knew I was the right man for the job.”

  It was like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I thought I’d missed my chance to make my dad proud, but as it turned out, I already had. Now I could truly take full control of Davenport Industries as my dad had apparently intended. And I had so many ideas. Now that Garrett was out, now that I wasn’t trying to live up to a ghost, I could implement new programs. Delve into new fields. Make this corporation one of the best in the nation once again.

  But first, I owed something to the woman in front of me. The woman I loved. The woman whose lips were pressed against mine. I’d gotten my closure with the past, but she hadn’t. Not yet.

  “Thank you for coming today,” I said, scanning the room full of journalists. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in my company’s pressroom, but this was the first of several statements I planned to make in the near future.

  “Much has been said in the news lately about Davenport Industries. Its stocks. Its CEO. A lot of it is speculation, and a little of it is based on half-truths. Davenport Industry is a corporation with a rich history in California and in the United States. But a corporation is made of people, and today I wanted to tell you about some of the people important to my corporation. Starting with a man called Sean Andrews, the father of my colleague, Autumn Andrews.” I nodded to Autumn where she stood in a beautiful new peach-colored suit.

  “Five years ago, Sean was in a tough place. His wife was dying of cancer. His daughters were struggling with caregiving and school. And Sean, as the sole breadwinner, was struggling to make ends meet. The medical bills were piling up, far more than he could pay. He and his family had health insurance and still, the bills came in. So Sean made a bad choice. At the time, he thought it was his only choice, but it was the wrong one nonetheless.

  “But Sean wasn’t the only one making bad choices. He’d been a loyal employee of Davenport Industries for over ten years, and his company let him down. By not having employee assistance programs. By not offering a safety net when times got rough. And that’s going to change. Systems are already being put into place. It’s too late for Sean, but Davenport Industries is making sure he gets the proper legal representation he never had the first time around to deal with his parole hearing.

  “The other person I want to talk to you about today is his daughter Autumn.” I winked at her and she smiled back, looking poised even though I knew she was nervous. That was her theater training. “Autumn is a model employee at Montgomery Media, an excellent company run by my friend Heidi Montgomery.” I indicated Heidi who was standing next to Autumn. “Autumn didn’t even know that I was the CEO of Davenport Industries until she started working for Heidi. She just thought she’d met a cute guy named Ford.”

  The reporters laughed, and I continued on, ignoring the ones who looked like they were about to shout out a question. “At no time was she sent on a mission to spy on me. Or seduce me. If there’s one thing the press has gotten right, it’s that I’m the one who usually does the seducing. Autumn is an honorable woman.” I gestured to her, and she walked over to stand by the podium next to me. “She’s a talented woman. And once she’s worked for Heidi for a while, I’m going to do my level best to get her to jump ship to Davenport Industries. We’re a corporation made up of people, and we need good people like her. I’ll take a few questions now.”

  Autumn stood tall and strong by my side as I fielded questions about our stock, about Garrett’s recent resignation, and a couple about her and her father.

  “One last question,” I said when the circus had gone on long enough.

  A voice called out from the back of the room. “So… are you two still together?”

  I looked over at Autumn. Her shy smile was adorable. I moved in, put my arm around her back, and dipped her low, my lips meeting hers, my arms supporting her body. She clung to me but met my kiss with a fierceness of her own. Our tongues danced, our lips smashed together. Dimly, in the background I could hear cheering and whistles. And even through my closed eyelids, I could see flashes of light from the cameras.

  Finally, I straightened, pulling her up with me, holding onto her until she was steady again. She looked dazed. Stunned. And happy.

  “No comment,” I told the assembled crowd.

  And then I led the woman I loved out of the pressroom and into the next phase of our lives.

  Epilogue

  Autumn

  I was determined I wouldn’t cry. I’d spent most of the other two performances of Cara’s play dabbing tears out of the corners of my eyes. But not tonight. Now it was time for the second half of the final performance, and I didn’t want to miss a thing from my seat in the front row.

  That thought alone was already testing my no-tears rule. Months ago, when Cara had first told me she’d been chosen to write and star in the end-of-the-semester student performance, I’d imagined sitting here by myself, cheering her on. But things were a lot different now. I wasn’t alone anymore. Ford was sitting next to me, holding my hand. And on the other side of him, Jason was video-taping the performance for my dad. He was up for parole in just three weeks, and the lawyers Ford had hired thought he had a good chance of getting it.

  The lights dimmed; intermission was over. In the first act, Ella, the heroine played by Cara, had had a fight with the prince. The second act was my favorite. Even though I knew the play backwards and forwards, I loved watching how the two leads worked to get their love back on track. And th
e absolute best part was the final scene, the grand ball.

  The high school performers, both cast and crew, had gone all out for the finale. Cara’s ball gown was a thing of beauty and had been carefully crafted by the home economics students with a great deal of help from Mrs. Hagen. The male actors wore resplendent jackets of rich fabrics. Watching the actors last night, I felt like I’d been transported back to another time in another land. A fairy-tale land where good people were rewarded and lived happily ever after.

  Above all, I wanted to hear Cara’s big speech. After a few nerves for the first performance, she’d done an amazing job last night, bringing yet another wave of tears to my eyes. I couldn’t wait to see it again, when all the lights on stage dimmed and she was in the spotlight, looking so young and vital in her floaty blue ball gown. As she spoke from her heart to the prince, the man she loved. She’d written, rewritten, and practiced that speech so much that I knew it by heart, too.

  And now it was almost time. Ford squeezed my hand, and whispered to me in a scolding voice to calm down. I guess I’d been bouncing a little in my seat, so eager to see Cara’s big moment. The lights dimmed as the penultimate scene ended, and I watched the faint outline of students on the stage crew changing the set.

  When the lights came back on, the stage was set for the ballroom scene, but none of the actors were on stage yet. That was odd. Cara and the prince were supposed to be there as well as all of their ladies-in-waiting and assorted dukes and earls.

  Movement caught my eye, and then Mrs. Hagen walked onto the stage, blinking in the bright lights. “Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies, but we’re experiencing some technical difficulties. We’ll take a ten minute intermission and then finish the play. Again, my apologies for the inconvenience.”

  There was immediate murmurs in the crowd. Some people got up, but most just pulled out their phones. I turned to Ford, exchanging a worried glance with him. I couldn’t imagine what had gone wrong, but I knew Cara must be devastated. She’d wanted everything to go perfectly for this final performance.

  “Autumn?”

  I turned back to see Mrs. Hagen standing over me. “Yes?”

  “Could you come backstage, please? Cara wants to see you.”

  Oh no. That didn’t sound good. I hoped everything was okay. If anything ruined this performance, Cara would be inconsolable. With one last glance at Ford, I followed Mrs. Hagen backstage

  Cara was sitting on a chair at the back of the room, and I hurried over to her. Her face was red and there were tear tracks across her cheeks. “What’s the matter?”

  “I twisted my ankle,” Cara said, pain in her voice. “Scott left his big shoes right in the middle of the room.” Now she glared at a tall young man who played the prince’s brother. He was standing a few feet away holding a bag of ice and watching Cara anxiously.

  “Do you need to go to a doctor?” I said, bending down and examining her ankle. It was only then that I noticed she was wearing jeans. “Where’s your dress?”

  “I took it off. I can't go out on stage like this. It hurts too much to think straight.”

  “Oh Cara,” I said, heart-broken on her behalf. “I’m so sorry. I know you wanted this last performance to be magical.” I hugged her, being careful not to bump against her foot.

  “I still do. You know what they say. The show must go on.”

  That was more like the Cara I knew. Pain or no pain, she’d find a way. “Ford can carry you out there. The audience won’t mind, and that way you’ll still get to do your big speech.”

  “I’m not going to do it. I told you, it hurts so much I can barely think straight. I can’t do it,” she said, her voice breaking. “So you have to.”

  “What?” Surely she wasn’t serious.

  “You have to, Autumn. You’ve heard me give the speech so many times you’ve got it memorized. And we’re the same size, so you’ll fit in the dress. You can do it. All you have to do is give the speech, and then Mike will guide you through the last part.”

  Stunned, I glanced over to see Mrs. Hagen talking rapidly to Mike, who played the prince. He was nodding and looking at me.

  “Please Autumn?”

  “But—but I should take you to the doctor.”

  “We can do that after. Please do this… for me?”

  It would have taken a far stronger person than me to withstand the pleading look in her eyes. This was probably going to turn to be a disaster, but I had to do it for my sister. “I’ll do my very best.”

  After that, there was a whirlwind of activity as Mrs. Hagen and some of the crew helped me get into the dress, fix my hair, and apply makeup. My old drama teacher gave me lots of last minute instructions, and before I knew it, I was being escorted onstage by a high school boy who was supposed to be the man of my dreams. My Prince Charming.

  But Cara was right, Mike was competent. He walked me to my mark, gave me a smile for luck, and then went over to stand with the students playing the royal family. I only had a brief glimpse of the audience before the lights faded all over the theater except for the spotlight on me. It was disappointing that I hadn't had a chance to locate Ford or Jason. It would have been fun to see their shocked faces as they saw me up here.

  The rest of the theater was completely dark, and I knew it was time. I promised Cara to do my best, so I took a deep breath. Ignoring the soft rustling sound from the audience and the other actors, I directed my attention to the front of the stage where the prince waited for me. Except I couldn’t give a speech about love and longing to a seventeen-year-old boy I barely knew. If I were going to declare my love to anyone, it would be Ford. So it was him I imagined in the gold coat and white britches that Mike was wearing.

  “My prince,” I began, the words coming haltingly at first. “I never wanted to be rescued. I never wanted to be a damsel in distress. Before you came along, I was content. Satisfied with what I had. Because I didn't know what I was missing.

  “You entered my life, and suddenly my ordinary life became extraordinary. What was black and white became color. What was soft and muted became vivid and loud. But it wasn't just because of you. It was because of us. Because we’re better together than we are apart. Because being with you doesn't mean losing myself—it means gaining my other half. My best friend.” A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about how true that was for Ford and me. My life had been okay without him, but it was a million times better with him in it.

  “At first, I didn’t want the trappings that surrounded you. The castle. The royal title. The responsibility to the people. But now I want those things because they are a part of who you are. And a part of our future. A future that I can’t imagine spending with anyone but you. I love you, my prince. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to love you and be true to you and to rescue you whenever you need it. If you promise to do the same for me. For the rest of our lives.”

  Relieved, I stepped back. I’d given Cara’s speech, and now it was up to the rest of the cast to wrap up the play. The stage lights came on again, and I blinked rapidly, trying to get my vision to adjust to the sudden brightness.

  The prince walked toward me, and I frowned. I'd been imagining Ford’s face instead of the young high school boy’s so much that now I was seeing things. Because it looked very much like it was actually Ford walking toward me, dressed in the royal finery that Mike was supposed to be wearing. What on earth was going on?

  And then Ford smiled at me, and time stopped. The audience faded away, the other actors ceased to exist, all I could see was the man I loved. Standing in front of me. And then dropping to one knee.

  Oh.

  My.

  God.

  “M’lady,” he said, smiling up into my shocked eyes with a twinkle in his. “I never thought I’d meet someone who made me believe in love. In family. In two people who become one. And in happily ever after. But I’ve found all that and more with you. My best friend. My soul mate. My lover. And, I hope… my wife. Autumn Andrews,
will you marry me?”

  Tears flooded my eyes so that I could barely see the diamond ring he held up. It looked beautiful, but why would I want to look anywhere except into his piercing gray-green eyes as they stared at me. Loving me. Imploring me to spend my life with him.

  It was the easiest answer of my entire life. “Yes,” I said, and he leaped to his feet, grabbed me, and spun me around as the audience cheered. Cell phone cameras emerged from everywhere, and Jason was still recording video footage. When Ford finally set me down, Cara flew up to me, all traces of her ‘injured’ ankle gone. She kissed me, she kissed Ford, and then she ran off to celebrate with her friends, including the boy who’d supposedly made her trip. He responded to her excited hug and then kept his arm around her as he smiled down at her—a fact that made my tears threaten to flow again.

  But not yet. There was something I had to say first. “I love you,” I whispered, looking into Ford’s eyes. “My Prince Charming.”

  “I love you too, my strong, talented, and beautiful Cinderella,” he said, a gleam in his eyes. And then his lips met mine, and the audience started cheering again. My heart soared at the thought of a lifetime with Ford by my side. Of the children we might have. Of how Cara would always be a huge part of our lives.

  I couldn’t imagine a better happily-ever-after ending.

  Even in a fairy tale.

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