THE BLACK CINDERELLA

PROLOGUE

Prologue.

For every daring woman
Is born with the strangest of minds.

London. UK.

2021

It was my birthday.

Ahh... Birthdays,
Usually people say it's just a day like every other day.

But no.

Mine was different

It was the day I would test and be tested.
The most absurd birthday in history

Or maybe not.

The day I turn twenty-one.

The day all my dreams would come to full fulfilment.

The day my wishes get the best of me.

Or rather, the day I get the best of my wishes.

Works for me anyway.

I was going to ask for a gift.

A gift that someone in my position could easily get.

The gift itself wasn't really anything special. Weird maybe.
But definitely not special. Some people might even call it boring.

The gift wasn't the issue; the reason behind the gift was.
The ego(Money) behind it.

World domination, nah. Not really better than that, but some thing interesting.

I stared at my beautiful red slim fitted dress. The golden shoes. The blond, curly hair I had on. My face. Plastered with everything that "Makes up" the face.

I fiddled with my fingers as one of my nannies walked in.

Yes.

I had a nanny at age twenty-one.

Weird, right?

You're probably thinking, "a nanny ke?".
I didn't like it either, but what could I do about it?

It's probably one of the many quirks that comes with having an eccentric billionaire for a dad.

My nanny beamed as she stood behind me, staring at the mirror too, staring at my face.

"Adaeze" she complimented in her language.

"Her" language.

It seems funny to just say that.

Especially knowing that it was also MY language.

My life's story would really be Pulitzer material.

The stuff of Nobels. If I told it.

If.

I'm just kidding.

"Adaeze" meant the daughter of a king.

But in this case, I was the daughter of an Eccentric and innovative Billionaire Londoner and Italian.

I would explain all about him later and how I got from being a Nigerian to living under his roof as his daughter.

My nanny Gracious smiled.
She was my favorite and closest cause she was also Nigerian.

"Come on outside, Everyone is awaiting the Celebrant"

It was time.
As I walked out of my room and got to the dance hall, where my supposed celebration was held. I spotted close to five hundred faces or Maybe more, I stared at my brother then at my Father. He was looking at me like I was his Heavenly Angel, His pride.

Sometimes it freaks me out. You see, That Man loved me too much, I don't even know if Someone loved their real daughter that way. It was so different so surreal.

I was grateful to have someone like him, I was grateful that he was my typical father figure, I was grateful that he really cared about me.

But I was going to use that love now, I know that I might probably regret it, I just might.

I was literally feeling like that princess in the bible that asked her father to give her John the Baptist's head as a birthday gift.

What made her birthday different was that she asked for a person's head at her age.

The Crowd was probably asking questions like, is this girl normal?, What would she use his head to do? Etc. That's how I know this crowd would react.

After the whole cutting of
the cake thing and gifts from people, my Father as expected was a bit drunk and began bragging about how much he loved me and how intelligent I was and other added accomplishments a parent would be happy that a daughter had achieved.

Then the big moment arrived as he asked me what I wanted as a birthday gift.
I stared at my brother who stood between some thirsty women enduring them.

I breathed in and gave a speech, I mean requests like this always started with a speech, Speeches, funny or sad ones usually move the crowd.

When I was done, he was giving me that Angel look again.

I cleared my throat.

"I need you to hire five best Archeologists for me."

My father's eyes was piercing me now, but he knew very well that he would not be able to get in, he couldn't read my mind no matter what. So he should quit piercing.

A woman at that party shouted.

"Could you tell us why you want them as a gift."
she said want them like they were toys.

I hesitated, if I said the reason, this low minds would never understand and I wasn't going to give a presentation of explanation on my birthday.

They started coaxing me to spit the reason out of my small lips.

My father laughed at their pleas as it got even louder.
I forgot that if I told him to tell them to keep quiet he would do so.

But out of the pressure I blurted it out confidently and casually, like it was something people said more often.

"On a quest to finding Cinderella's sandals!"

The entire crowd immediately became quiet now, their silence was so deep that if a needle was to fall on the ground it would make a loud bang.

Oh no, they all think I am a mad person now.

Maybe if I just laugh and say it's a lie, I won't get to be called a crazy person or something.
Cause their silence was worse than murmurings.

"Ha ha ha" I started the fake laughter from a low to a high tempo and everyone joined now.
Phew thank God they thought it was a joke.

"Its actually a surprise, you all will know when I get back"
I lied.

Everyone was laughing now some of my Father's friends standing close to him tapped his shoulders telling him that he had a very funny daughter, how I almost got them and other things.

My Father and brother kept looking at me as I exchanged handshakes with so many people and at the same time feeling like a zoo keeper. They were wandering what I was thinking. I knew they knew I was lying.

I breathed in, getting ready for their own questions which I knew I couldn't it- was- a -joke- it out, from.