Cindy: The Cinderella and The Belle

II

I have to ask for an extension. I thought to myself.

I left my office and headed to the CEO's room. The door stood ajar, I was about to knock when I heard the CEO's voice.

"That shoe is driving you crazy, Prince!" I heard him yell.

"But dad, please I really need to find her," Prince argued.

"Why are you even so eager to know that girl? She might just be a gate crasher who went to the party for fun without an invitation", the CEO argued back.

"I knew her. I could feel it. I just can't wrap my fingers around it but I know I knew her somewhere.. and she's close", Prince replied. "I felt something when we talked and danced that night.. Something that I've never felt before".

There was a long silence.

Then the CEO sighed. "I will give you three days, if you still haven't found her, you are going to marry Audrey".

Looks like we both have the same deadline.

The moment I heard Prince's footsteps, I immediately ran to the emergency stairs. I went down two floors and switched to an elevator for the rest of the floor to my office.

Well.. about the shoe.. I think I should fill you in.

It was the company's thirty-fifth anniversary and the theme of the party was masquerade ball. I'm not the kind of fancy girl or anything, just a plain one-shade of lipstick girl. But that night, my best friend, Anna, went all out with her makeup-ing skills. She does my hair and everything from head to toe. I was also surprised that I was actually that pretty with all those girly fancy stuff.

During the party, I never thought Prince would notice me. He invited me for a dance and he actually only talked and danced with me the entire night. He didn't even pay attention to his "supposedly" fiancé, Audrey. I actually felt bad for that mean b*tch. But I think she deserved that.

The first time I met Prince, I hated him so much. I think I could've been able to cook five hard boiled eggs in just a minute when my blood boils whenever I see his face. He's so arrogant, mean, short-tempered and everything bad you could ever imagine! (I'm overreacting here, but I really do hate him.) He's a beast and everyone is scared of him. (Except for me, I think. I once punched him in the gut and I nearly got fired.)

But I actually didn't know what happened but he suddenly changed. It was just a three week business trip in Cebu and I'm going to be honest, I kinda fell in love with him there. He acts tough but he's actually a softie.

Back to where I was telling you, so at the party, I was about to remove my mask to answer his question about my identity when suddenly the fire alarm rang. (BOO! What a cliché.) So I ran for the emergency exit and left one of my shoes or should I call it heels. (I felt like an idiot there, really. Well.. you can't blame me, I was running for my life that time so I didn't bother about the other pair of my heels.)

When the next day came, I heard Prince got the shoes and he was looking for the owner of it.

I don't really know if my story was like the story of  Cinderella or the story of Beauty and the Beast but I have this feeling that it was a combination of both. Except, we're not going to end up together. Why? Hello? He is the prince of this company I'm working in and I'm just an ordinary person. This is not a fairytale. People like him (rich people) are also for people like him (rich people). You get what I'm saying? He's better off with that Audrey.

The last day of my three days came, and still I'm stuck in an empty piece of paper. My garbage bin is already overflowing with crumpled paper. This is definitely the end of my dream.

I quit!

I threw my pencil in the garbage together with my drawing materials. I brought them to the rooftop and I took kerosene from the cleaning supply room.

I think this is it, goodbye my precious.

I was about to pour the entire gallon of kerosene to my drawing materials when suddenly Anna snatched it from me.