Cinderella Undone

by Nicole Snow

  Oh, God. What's going on? He isn't...offended? No, too unprofessional.

  But I've never seen him shaken in an interview like this. I can't believe it's happening because he's face-to-face with this Royal Prick.

  Prince Silas senses it, too. The tension in his face softens, and he looks at my father, cocking his head ever-so-slightly. “Tom, you're just asking the tough questions, and I appreciate it. That's why I agreed to this interview personally. Let's move on, shall we? You've got plenty of ammo left, I'm sure. Ask me about the latest supermodel I'm bedding, or the hot new custom sports car I've added to my stable. I just broke in one of those things yesterday. We both know how history and politics gets damned boring.”

  Silas has a huge grin on his face. I can't tell if he's joking, trying to ease the tension, or if he's just in a mad rush to deflect more questions about the kingdom's future.

  Dad doesn't give up that easily, even when his subject is getting pissed. I wonder if he'll press on with the same questions, or circle back to them later, after he's probed the bastard Prince a little more.

  For the first time in my life, I'm not sure who'll crack first.

  He doesn't do either. Instead, he grabs the sides of his chair, his hands visibly shaking.

  Jesus. Something's wrong.

  Stiffening in my seat, I watch him lean forward, reaching for something that isn't there. The shadows shift around him, changing the bright light.

  For the first time, I notice he's completely drenched in sweat, the collar around his jacket stained wet.

  Time to panic. Several murmurs run through the crowd.

  The Prince stands up at the same time I do, and he sees me, several rows behind the other journalists. Our eyes lock for one intense second. We share our confusion, dismay, and utter shock before dad rolls out of his chair and goes crashing down on the podium.

  Everybody jumps out of their seat, searching for a better view, chattering away. Cameras snap, hyenas feasting on daddy's suffering. Several swarms of guards flood the stage, surrounding my father and the Prince, one carrying a small white box with a red cross on its side.

  I can't see what's happening. My heart races, and I try to push forward, shuffling through the purple rope separating the media from the interview stage.

  The kingdom's official cameras have got to be off by now. Even if they aren't, it's too late to worry about embarrassing myself or my dad any further, when he's up there seizing up, sick or dying or maybe both.

  I don't bother with the tiny staircase. I move right past it before anybody can notice and haul me away. My hands clench the edge of the podium, and I pull myself up, cursing the skirt I'm wearing for tangling up when my leg finally gets enough leverage.

  Somehow, I manage it, without getting yanked away by the guard. My eyes turn to dad and the little crowd hunched around him, barking orders back and forth in that rich, regal accent that's becoming chalkboard on my ears.

  “Hurry, boys, hoist him up! Get this man the hell out of here. I want an ambulance out front in the next sixty seconds.”

  No, I can't just stare. I have to move.

  One step forward, and my fucking heel catches on the stage's edge, throwing me backward. It's a long enough fall to do some damage if I slip, so I throw my weight forward.

  I don't know what's worse. The fact that my dad is having a stroke or a heart attack right in front of me, or that these stupid, stupid shoes are twisting my ankle, sending me crashing to the floor next to him.

  There's no time to brace for impact. Next thing I know, I'm falling, face first into the podium's hard black surface. I wonder if I'll get to share a room at the hospital with dad when I break something.

  But I don't hit the surface. Something catches me, yanks me back, saving me from hitting the floor.

  Make that two big somethings.

  Hands. Thick, strong, determined, and locked around me.

  Blinking back the dizzying confusion, I open my eyes. Prince Silas' dark blue irises widen when they see my face.

  Like my heart wasn't already beating a hundred miles an hour. I'm lost for words.

  Any words.

  He's holding me in his arms like we've just done the last move in a fiery dance. His fingers press into my skin, tense and surprised, but completely unshaken. In control.

  What the hell does a woman say when she's literally been swept off her feet by one of the most powerful, handsome, and arrogant men in the world? A man I'd scoffed at every time he showed up in the tabloids or in clickbait on the web?

  The Prince, the heir to the throne, who's probably laid the female population of a small country. The Prince, with those ridiculously deep, beautiful blue eyes that are always saying fuck me.

  And right now, they're trained on me.

  Me, Erin Warwick. Intern. Nobody. Damsel in distress.

  She, with the worst heels in the world. Him, with the icy, dominating eyes a woman could lose herself in forever.

  “That's my father!” I stammer, trying to explain, hoping I'm not about to get tasered and thrown to the floor when the royal guards catch up to me.

  “Don't move, love,” he says, never breaking eye contact. “Everything's going to be fine.”

  Easy for you to say, I want to tell him. But I can't find the words.

  Everything starts spinning again. This time, it's got nothing to do with the crappy shoes. I'm on the verge of blacking out.

  “Stay with me,” Prince Silas growls, his fingers pressing harder in my skin.

  Dad groans, several feet away, reminding me why I'm up here, mysteriously thrown into a Prince's arms by my own clumsiness in these God forsaken heels. They're starting to move him.

  Wait, damn it – dad! I have to follow him. I have to –

  I never get a chance to do anything. The guards I've been expecting surround us, but the Prince holds one hand up, telling them to stand down. His hands tighten on me one last time.

  One on my shoulder. One against my lower back, holding me up, helping me back on my feet.

  “See that she has a ride to the Royal hospital, and wherever she'd like to go after that,” Silas snaps, looking away from me at last.

  I'm barely able to stand on my own without collapsing again. Thankfully, I don't have to support my own weight for long.

  “Right this way, madame.”

  Several guards tug sternly, but gently on my arms, leading me down the stairs, right behind the entourage that's ferrying dad away.

  Just a few minutes later, I'm outside the palace, led down the hundred marble steps, and into one of the sleek black sedans below. A man sits next to me in the back. The driver stomps the gas as soon as my seat belt is on, without saying a word.

  I'm grateful for the silence. I hate it, too, because it lets me think. Exactly what I can't afford to do just yet.

  I won't let myself comprehend what a complete disaster this is until I know dad's going to be okay.

  A couple hours go by just waiting. Then, I'm in his room, staring at my father laying feebly in bed. It's a tiny, clean, white chamber. Sterile looking. Maybe just a little more stylish than the bland, depressing places I'd find back home in LA.

  Nobody ever said the kingdom didn't have a great medical system. Its reforms and upgrades were personally encouraged by Her Majesty, whose reign has always turned a lot of attention to her subjects' health and wellness.

  That's what the Wikipedia article says, anyway, something I lazily gloss over while I wait for dad to wake up.

  His hand feels so cold in mine. Whatever they've given him, he's out like a light.

  It's early morning the next day, and I haven't slept a wink. We're both waiting for the initial test results to come in.

  They've checked his heart, done several x-rays, and determined there's no need for immediate surgery. I'm not sure if that's good news, or a sign there's something worse lurking in his system. Something much harder to fix.

  Morning light drifts over us, somber as it is bright. I'm sta
rting to drift off myself, when dad finally groans. He sits up while my grip tightens on his hand, easing him awake.

  “Christ. Feels like I got hit by a damned freight train. How long was I out, Erin?”

  I shrug. “All night. It's early morning now.”

  Dad reaches up, running a shaky hand across his face. About a second later, his eyes stretch huge, and suddenly his fingers tangle around mine.

  “The interview – shit!” He pauses, like it takes the full horror several seconds to set in. “I blew it, didn't I? Jesus Christ.”

  “Don't think about that now, daddy!” I lean in, stroking his fingers, kissing him softly on the forehead. “You need to get some more rest. There'll be plenty of time to sort out what happened later with the palace, I'm sure.”

  I hate having to lie to him.

  He knows damn well nobody gets second chances in this business after a meltdown like that.

  Maybe the Warwick name will salvage his career, carrying him to new prospects. But as far as I'm concerned, we probably won't hear a word from the royals, except when they're going to send us on our merry way with impersonal wishes for good health.

  “Fuck.” Dad slumps back in his bed, pulling his hand from mine. The IV in his arm stretches as he rubs his eyes.

  My heart sinks like a stone. He isn't really...crying...is he?

  Oh, God.

  “Dad, no,” I say gently, wondering if there's any combination of words to ease the dagger cutting through him. “Work doesn't matter. You have to get well. That's the only thing worth worrying about right now. Whatever else is on your mind, forget it. Don't let it take over. Turn it off. You're a smart man. You'll bounce back from this...all of it. You've got more experience and connections than anybody else in this business. The world won't end just because you need a little time off, I promise. Dad, I –“

  “Erin...” he cuts in, a defeated expression turning his face gray. “Shut up.”

  I do.

  Hell, I don't know what else to do. I've never seen him like this.

  His rudeness hurts, but I try not to let it get to me. Standing up, I walk toward the window, staring out into the early sunrise.

  The hospital overlooks a ragged shore, where the wind sends foamy waves crashing against the rocks. My hands become fists at my sides, and the only thing that keeps running through my mind is that I have to forgive him.

  He isn't in his right mind.

  He's hurting.

  We don't even know what's wrong.

  I won't let myself cry – not even when I hear him gently snoring again after a couple minutes pass.

  Holding in tears is worse than anger. They sting my eyes, my soul, make me question everything about why I'm standing in this foreign hospital after watching my father's career self-destruct, waiting to find out how much longer we need to stay here before we jet back to the States, completely humiliated.

  There's a TV in the corner. It's been muted since the moment I stepped in, and now the early morning programs are starting. I see two prim reporters at their desks, smiling, going through the latest news on the continent.

  Another bailout coming in the Eurozone. Something about nuclear security in Belgium, and then a thirty second segment on military drills near the Russian border.

  Then another headline. The one that twists the knot in my belly and the rock in my throat at once without mercy.

  BOMBSHELL INTERVIEW! PRINCE GOES FROM HOT WATER TO HERO!

  Turning nervously to make sure dad's still asleep, I look up at the screen, that anger in my eyes beginning to pour out in hot, salty streams down my cheeks.

  I see it all again.

  The painful look on dad's face before he rolled out of his chair, collapsing in front of the Prince.

  The swarm of security and paramedics. Panic. Commotion.

  A flash of myself jumping onto the stage, my hair a mess, lunging to save myself from toppling off the ledge. I'm less than a foot from planting the ground face first when Prince Silas grabs me, jerks me up, straight into his arms.

  Jesus, it looks even more picture perfect seeing it in the third person, like something from a movie. They didn't bother capturing anything after that, the long, awkward stare between us, how I gazed into his deep blue eyes.

  The footage cuts off. I storm over to the TV, lean up on my tippy toes, careful not to let these overly tight heels screw me over again. I punch the off button, without bothering to give the other dramas and kids shows from Saint Moore and Europe a chance to take the edge off.

  I'm pissed. Hurt. Worried.

  Scared.

  There's another chair in the corner, and that's where I park my unsettled ass for what seems like the next hour. I wish to God I hadn't flipped on that stupid program.

  I should be thinking about dad, brushing off his outburst.

  Instead, I'm thinking about the Prince. The first and last time I'll ever be close to him. The way he held me – firm, but gentle. Almost like a decent man should.

  Sure, the media was eating up the drama, recasting it as a heroic spectacle.

  I wasn't fooled. Even utter bastards can be gentleman in the right time, right place.

  Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Silas drove off the second we were gone, straight to his little mistresses. Maybe that flashy club for royalty and multimillionaires he owns, the one I've read about on the trashy blogs, hosting parties for the most eligible supermodels in Europe.

  His own private hunting grounds for sex.

  My hand reaches for my phone. I'm about to pull it up, and read more gossip about Prince Not-So-Charming for reasons I don't even understand, when the door pops open. The noise wakes dad, and he groans, sitting up in bed while the visitor enters.

  A tall man in a white coat with salt and pepper hair steps in. “Ah, you must be Miss Warwick, I presume. So glad you're here so I can update you both on the news. I'm Doctor Jameson.”

  The physician rounds the bed, standing next to dad, and begins pulling something from a manila folder. I'm studying his face. It isn't hard to notice the complete lack of any pleasantries or warmth.

  He's serious business. And serious is never good when it comes to medicine.

  “Mister Warwick, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it. We've found a shadow near your pancreas in scans.”

  My ears start ringing, and his voice fades out. A shadow? A shadow?! What the hell does that mean?

  “Shadow?” My dad repeats, just as confused as me.

  The doctor holds up three x-rays on a sheet, and begins going through them, pointing at the areas in question.

  “Yes, an unusual growth, of sorts. Not benign. We'll know for certain once your labs come back. Regardless, it's something we'll need to deal with shortly.” The doctor pauses, straightens his spectacles, before he goes on. “Regrettably, it's near a nerve cluster that's likely to cause intense nausea and a shock to the system that stresses the heart. That's why you had the attack yesterday. The good news is, it's fully operable. I'm recommending surgery soon, once you decide whether you'd like to have it done here in Saint Moore, or back home.”

  “Home,” dad says, without a second's hesitation. “Don't want to spend a second longer on this damned island than I really need to.”

  Doctor Jameson's face tightens. Dad gives him a sour look and mutters an apology.

  “It's okay. He's been under a lot of stress,” I say weakly, looking at the physician.

  “Yes, yes, I understand. Well, the two of you ought to talk things over and try your very best to remain calm. We'll have more news for you this evening. Assuming this isn't anything to really be concerned about beyond the surgery, we can have it done in under a week, wherever you choose. The Warwick Report can be back on the air in no time at all.”

  “No, I'm taking time off,” dad snaps, his eyes going dark. “Whatever the outlook here.”

  I want to reach out, squeeze his shoulder, but I know him too well. He's always been so high strun
g, the sort of man who has zero tolerance for failure.

  “And if there's more to worry about?” I ask, fighting to ignore the sickly feeling building deep in my stomach.

  “We'll deal with that scenario when it's on the table.” He collects the x-rays and shoves them back in his folder. “I have some other business to attend to. Rest assured, Miss Warwick, your father is getting the very best care here. Not just because it's our duty, but because His Highness himself has requested extra attention to detail.”

  “The Prince?” I squeak, doing a double take. “Why?”

  “I don't know. He didn't divulge any further details, madame. He's requested nothing but the best to handle your father's case by name. Since I'm at the top of this field available at the royal medical center, well, here I am. Suffice it to say, His Highness cares very greatly about all his guests, and he's deeply sorry for the trouble your father ran into the other day.”

  “Trouble my ass.” Dad snorts, tips his nose up, and rolls over, facing away from both of us. “He can't possibly be more sorry than I am. Believe me.”

  “If you'll excuse me...” Doctor Jameson looks at the door awkwardly.

  I nod, and he's gone without another word.

  As soon as he's out, I take the chair next to the bed. Dad never turns around to face me, drifting off yet again after a few minutes.

  I don't know if I should be grateful he's getting his rest, or worried about his dark attitude.

  Just now, my own exhaustion catches up to me. Turning in the chair, I tuck my head against the back, and close my eyes.

  Prince Silas Bearington, and the fact that he might know me by name, is the last thing on my mind.

  I don't have a clue how long I'm asleep. It seems like evening by the time I'm awakened by a light tap on the shoulder.

  Looking up, I see Doctor Jameson standing over me, his face more grim than before. “Miss Warwick, could I speak to you outside for a moment, please?”

  “Of course,” I say, looking down at dad, still fast asleep in his nest of tubes and bedding.

  I follow him out and watch as he closes the door gently behind us. We're alone in the long corridor, where it's eerily quiet. I take one look at his face and know I'm about to get bombed.