Cinderella's Dead

Six

In the spur of the moment and taking one of those split second decisions that every character in every horror movie later regretted, Cindy decided that she’s in need of a drink and she will go to the bar downstairs to get it. For the amount of money this place cost her father, she might as well take advantage of the amenities even though she rarely comes here.

One might ask why she didn’t sell the place, yet not even Cindy would have an answer to that. She offered the place to her friend, Maria, on more than one occasion, but the latter only came here to clean and make sure the house is ready in case Cindy or someone else decides to spend the night. Maria made it very clear that despite their close friendship, she would never take advantage of Cindy’s goodwill, not like that.

Andrew himself once told Cindy that she should take advantage of the good market and get rid of the apartment. Like Cindy needed the money. But in order to get him off her back, she insisted that it was there in case Maria ever changes her mind. Though in retrospect, that might have contributed to Andrew’s dislike of the cleaner. A lot of things look a like a bad idea, in retrospect, Cindy thought. She would take this second chance she got to change more than her own life. Of course, in order to do any of that, she must ensure she remains among the living.

Cindy shook her head as she opened the doors to the walk in closet. Although impressive both in size and in the array of clothing, shoes and accessories it contained, Cindy cringed slightly upon seeing all those things she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing at this point in her life and career.

Knowing that it’s either something from the wardrobe of a young heiress that is barely figuring out her style or the clothes she had been in all day, sweating because of the shitty and confusing situation she found herself in, Cindy eventually decided with a groan.

“Yoga pants and a chunky sweater it is, then.” Cindy muttered, pulling at the pants that should have been a size up, despite the generous amount of stretch the fabric provided. She paired the questionable outfit with a pair of thigh high leather boots, in an attempt to make herself look more elegant. As far as she could remember, the speakeasy had a dress code and she was praying she fits the bill enough to go in and get hammered before it closes for the night.

Cindy had arrived at the apartment in the middle of the day, therefore she knew Kristoff wouldn’t be around. The guy was just as much of a workaholic as she was, that she knew. But in the quiet of the night, Cindy crept around like a cat burglar, earning herself a questioning look from the doorman.

“I’m just… I’m just popping out for a quick drink.” She smiles sheepishly.

“Of course, Miss Coleman. Enjoy your evening.” The man replied, holding the door open for Cindy. She never felt more like a high end escort in her life. A high end escort with a drinking problem, apparently.

Cindy scurried around the building, walking on her tiptoes to avoid the noise of her heels on the pavement. It was at times like these that she hated a quiet area. She limped and jumped like a drunk monkey until she found the door she was looking for, hidden between two dumpsters. She rolled her eyes at the silliness of the situation. She never understood why the owner insisted on having the access door on the outside of the building, when it would have been so much more comfortable to gain access from the inside. And as a bonus, you don’t have smelly dumpsters inside, do you? But of course, when the owner is a peculiar, nasty and downright infuriating creature like Kristoff Benton, one could expect nothing less than eccentricities like an entry to a bar located between two damn dumpsters.

It wasn’t until the bouncer allowed her in and escorted her to the bar, that Cindy’s heart dropped to her stomach like a heavy rock. It occurred to her that the doorman, although not the same as earlier when she arrived, knew her name. She never saw the man in her life, yet he knew who she was.

The silver fox of a barman distracted Cindy from her mini mental breakdown by asking what she would like to drink. With the biggest and most sincere smile, she looked at the man in his eyes, startling him for a brief second with the intimate look.

“Bourbon. Neat. Please.” She smiled even wider, feeling free, like she’d done something bad and got away with it.

What are the odds that he knows I’m here? She thought to herself and then shook her head. Surprisingly, the man she was trying to avoid at all costs was not Andrew, but rather Kristoff. The last thing Cindy needed was for her nemesis to see her at this low, confusing time in her life. The jackall would take advantage in an instant, she was convinced of that.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself, you just cost Kenny his job.” Cindy froze as she heard the deep, baritone voice. It was the voice of her nightmares, at least before the whole being murdered and resurrected, thing.

Taking a much needed breath, Cindy closed her eyes and counted to ten before slowly turning around of the barstool to face the source of the voice. Kristoff was there, waiting patiently for her to make eye contact. She couldn’t help but notice how well put together the monster was, even at the impossible hours they found themself in the bar.

Who wears a tie past midnight? Cindy wondered. The raised eyebrow and cocky smirk on Kristoff’s face told her that her private thought might not have been so private after all.

“Someone who wanted poor Kenny to keep his job.” Kristoff answers in a gruff voice.

Cindy’s only thought was who the f**k is Kenny, but her eyes darted to the door and locked with the terrified ones of the bouncer. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the man was Kenny, and presumably, her outfit was not quite up to the dress code even though Kenny did her a solid and let her in.

She was thinking about where she could place Kenny within her company, not wanting for the man to be unemployed and especially because he was being nice in acknowledging a woman that really needed a drink and allowed her entry when Kristoff moved from his position and slid into the barstool next to her.

The hairs on Cindy’s neck rose at the close proximity, something that had been happening since the first time she saw him.

Kristoff not only owned the building Cindy was currently drinking in, but he also owned the land, which wouldn’t have been the end of the world, export for the low level pettiness he showed years ago when she first moved in. The bastard, probably learning that Cindy’s father acquired an apartment in his building, had the audacity to move into the penthouse just a few days after Cindy moved in. Not to mention that when Cindy’s father enquired, that penthouse had been sold already. The second Cindy saw her new neighbor, she knew that had been a lie. Kristoff probably left it vacant so no one would have it, in case he needed it to move in and annoy the crap out of the other residents.

Fortunately for Cindy, her family didn’t lack funds, and she was out of there before the devil could make her life hell as he did when they were in school and following that in every single business setting they happened to both be in.

“Listen, Benton, I’ve had the worst 24 hours of my life. Believe me when I say that not even you can top what happened. So with the risk of you gloating upon seeing me miserable and possibly thinking that I look defeated, I’m going to enjoy my drink. Hell, maybe I’ll ask good old Kenny to join me. He’s off the clock from what I’ve heard. If I approve of the drink he orders, maybe I’ll offer him a job.” Cindy leaned closer to Kristoff, causing the man’s amused expression to falter, his whole body stiffening. “Rumour has it that his last boss was a dick.” She whispered the last part before putting some distance between them and taking a huge gulp of her drink.

Kristoff was staring at the woman next to him in complete disbelief. She looked like Cindy Coleman, though her outfit might have been a little questionable, but that wasn't the Cindy he was used to interacting with.

When he learned that Cindy was in the building, he immediately rushed home in the hopes that they would cross paths. She had always been his obsession, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why, but Cindy had always been the only person that made him feel alive. After losing his parents in such a traumatic way, Kristoff closed all his emotions off. When the Bentons took him in, he could see the love the couple showered him with, and he was always grateful, striving to be a good son and thanking them for the chance at a better life, but he could never show them any real emotion. Therapist after therapist failed to make young Kristoff open up and allow himself to feel… something, and his adoptive parents gave up forcing him to attend the sessions when they realised the boy was smart and focused, and they understood they have the heir they always wanted. They just had to accept they will never have the son they dreamed of too.

But Cindy… Cindy had sparked something in Kristoff from the second they met. Inside him, there was always this raging fire that was betting to extend to her. So Kristoff always found an excuse to fight with Cindy. As they grew older and childish fighting was no longer an option, Kristoff started competing with Cindy, becoming her biggest rival in everything. He was convinced she loved every second of it, though she would never admit it.

There was even a point when Kristoff hoped their childish fighting and unhealthy rivalry would turn into something more on the romantic side, but that never happened, and Kristoff has never been the man to show that much vulnerability. So he buried himself in his work and meaningless women, preferring the company of ladies that charge by the hour, since they never dared to think that he could offer them more than that.

Seeing Cindy return to his building, seeing her in the speakeasy so late at night, and hearing her words that almost translate to calling a truce for the night, made the anger in him flare up. The only thing that came to Kristoff’s mind was that Andrew Lutz, that weasel had hurt Cindy somehow. Last he heard, Lutz was shopping for engagement rings with money from Cindy’s dad. And because he lost his sense of self control or tact, he went in. Hard.

“What? Was the rock not big enough?” Kristoff huffed.

“Excuse me?” Cindy raised her head from the glass she was nurturing and looked at Kristoff with furrowed eyebrows.

“The ring. Was it not up to par or something?” He eyed her left hand, noting the absence of any rings.

“The ri… what ring, what the hell are you talking about Benton?” The woman suddenly seemed like a cornered animal.

“The engagement ring.” As soon as he saw the shock on Cindy's face, the colour drained from Kristoff’s own cheeks. s**t, what if the reason why Cindy is here has nothing to do with Lutz? He thought to himself, feeling stupid all of a sudden. Sure, he loved ruffling Cindy’s feathers, but ruining her engagement, although appealing, might be a little too low for him to stoop to.

He didn’t miss the way Cindy looked around the now empty bar, looking like she was afraid for her life. Abandoning his own drink, Kristoff put a hand over Cindy, wanting nothing more than to see her stop shaking. Whatever he just sparked with his mention of an engagement, it’s no joke. The woman was genuinely terrified.

A dormant part of Kristoff's heart woke up as soon as he registered the distress on Cindy’s face. In his sick mind, he saw this as an opportunity to change her opinion of him. As f****d up as it may be, Kristoff was glad that Cindy had someone that she was more terrified of than him. Though if that someone turned out to be Lutz, Kristoff would be disappointed, for he always enjoyed a challenge. The harder, the better, hence his obsession with Cindy.

“How do you know about that?” Cindy whispered as she was afraid someone might hear them. “How do you kno… What do you know about that?” She hissed, like a cornered cat.

And before Kristoff got a chance to say anything, he watched as the woman’s eyes grew even bigger and pure fear shone from within her soul.

Cindy nearly fell trying to get off the barstool. The only thing going through her mind was that she had been stupid. Utterly stupid. She never even considered the possibility of Kristoff wanting her dead. Not really. But since crazy things are happening around her, she can’t afford to rule out the possibility that Andrew might not work alone. And God knows Kristoff’s life would be so much easier if Cindy would disappear. And not just professionally.

Cindy had always been a thorn in Kristoff’s backside and had provoked many of the arguments the two have had over the years. She remembers vividly how she cost Kristoff a huge contract almost a year back, by outing him in front of the man he was hoping to impress and get him to rent his land. Sometimes it paid that the two rivals were in the same business circles.

The man was looking to use land at the edge of Orlando to plant crops of peanuts. He was offering a contract for 10 years and since he was looking at the outskirts of the city, Kristoff had competition. Cindy may or may not have tipped the fat cat about Kristoff paying escorts to accompany him to events and afterparties. Needless to say, the man, happily married for over 20 years and never missing church on Sunday, was not impressed. Neither was Kristoff when Cindy sent a gift basket full of peanuts in all forms to his office, and a note saying ‘sorry you got busted’.

And now he’s finally had enough of me, that he wants me dead. Cindy thought, feeling the icy chills run through her back. She knew she had to get away from Kristoff as soon as possible, but the idea of heading out into the dark night was not appealing either. With her luck, Andrew would be waiting behind one of those dumpsters, ready to whack her on the head with something.

She could feel her heart racing furiously, but no adrenaline was cursing through her veins. She was too tired, too scared, and too cornered to act properly. Her body betrayed her, and Cindy thought for a second that indeed, she had been whacked over the head with something, because her vision briefly became spotty before it all went black and she felt she was falling, which only made her body go into shock due to the trauma she was carrying from her fall into the sea. The last thought in Cindy's mind was that she had been given a second chance and she blew it in less than a day. But worse, Kristoff f*****g won!