Page 111 of Cinderella Is Faking It

Was Cordelia okay?Letmeworry about Cordelia.

The day I was released from the hospital, he helped me into the backseat of Cordelia’s town car, only to take me back to her place. I’d figured the whole ruse was over now, considering they’d checked me into the hospital under my own name, but apparently, I was still a resident of the Montgomery mansion.

Victor wordlessly stemmed most of my weight as I struggled up the stairs to my room and brought me a bottle of orange juice and a fresh cream cheese bagel on a tray, as if he was still just running around and doing chores. But I figured if I asked him about it, he’d tell me not to worry.

So, I forced myself to worry about the one thing that seemed within my control. I tucked myself into bed, ripped open the large envelope from Truman Academy, and spilled its contents onto the blanket. I was going back to being Delilah Edwards full-time. No more launch parties, just the teacher’s lounge. No more small talk about private islands with the upper-class, just discussing Treasure Island in a classroom.

Once I had the onboarding package sorted into categories, I heaved my backpack onto my bed, got out my highlighters and page flags, and got to work.

* * *

“I’ve been thinking.”Cordelia sat down at the foot of my bed that night and smoothed her skirt out. No matter how unwrinkled her clothes, the crescent indents on her cheeks betrayed how hard she’d been thinking. Still following her like a shadow, Fitzwilliam launched his thick, gray body up onto the bed as well, curling into the space between my feet and Cordelia’s thighs.

“About what?” I asked.

“You see, I think it would be cruel to make Fitzi move again, now that he’s gotten used to such a large house.”

I blinked. We’d been caught in some hostile takeover scheme. She had been held at gunpoint. Victor had shot a man. And Cordelia was thinking about my cat? Then again, I couldn’t fault her, when I’d spent the afternoon doing everythingnotto think about all of that.

“You want to keep my cat?” It wasn’t an outlandish request, considering she was the only person in the world allowed to pet him without getting half her arm torn off.

“I wouldn’t expect you to give up your cat, silly.” She looked up from her skirt smoothing. “It would only be logical for you to stay, too.”

“Cordelia Montgomery, are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Maybe? Yes.”

“I’m not going to be your employee anymore. You know that, right? I’m done pretending to be you.”

“I was thinking more of a roommate situation.” She pulled her shoulders up. “My house comes with many perks. Number one, it’s rent-free. Number two, excellent on-premise security staff with great cooking skills. Number three, discreet housekeeping.”

I opened and closed my mouth again, trying to puzzle out the catch. “What about visitors?”

“My proposal is, Defne, Tabitha and any serious romantic partners can come and go as you please. Further visitors must be discussed two weeks in advance, so Victor can vet them, and I can make arrangements to stay upstairs if need be.”

“Does that mean no spontaneous Tinder hookups?”

She cringed. “I’m open to letting you have the house to yourself every first weekend of the month, so you can have multiple people over, throw a party or do whatever else you might have need for.”

“And where will you go? There won’t be any more Montgomery hotel VIP suites.”

“I can stay with Victor,” she said as nonchalantly as if that didn’t put a million more questions in my head. Starting with:

“Victor has his own place?”

“Of course. I bought him the house next door for his birthday a few years ago.”

“You bought- you- next door- the whole house?”

“Yes. Anyway, no rush, you can think about it.”

“Of course, I’m moving in,” I said although I had some more questions about Victor’s living arrangements, because he was here when I woke up and he usually went upstairs with Cordelia at night. I’d figured he had a room right across the hall from her.

“Are you serious?”

I reached for her hand, and she placed it in my palm, lips quivering into an exhausted smile. “You had me atit would belogical.”

“Delilah, when I said you’re my employee…”