C1 A Cinderella story

"Just a little more... There you are!" Annie muttered as a flicker of emotion pass through her beautiful face, staring at the poor kitten she had been kind enough to rescued Annie knew she ought to hide it from both her father and his wife. Hell would break loose if they found her feeding a cat from the food which was hardly enough for them—Thanks to her father, Lord Melton.

Only when the cat begins to hungrily lap the milk did she straighten up with a smile on her full lips, gathering her skirt about her, Annie was on the point of leaving the storeroom when she heard footsteps. She froze in shock.

"Annie! Where is that wenched girl!" Screamed Lady Joanne as she walked down the hall, knowing she couldn't let her stepmother find her in the storeroom, Annie hurried to meet her halfway.

"I am here step mother," She said suddenly taking a great fascination at the faded footwear she was wearing, this is what she had been thought by her father and stepmom—Never to look them in the eyes.

"Where have you been? Who is supposed to cook breakfast? And why haven't you cooked breakfast" Lady Joanne demanded glaring at her, she just wished she could snap that tiny neck of hers, keeping her temper under control, she waited for Annie to give her a reasonable explanation?

"I..." Annie swallowed then cleared her voice wondering how she was going to break the news to her.

"Cat got your tongue!" Came a loud yell from Lady Joanne which made Annie flinched inwardly, she could sense what was coming next.

"I did not make any breakfast.... because we have no food" She blurted out.

"No what!" Lady Joanne asked incredibly. "This is all your fault! I can't believe my children are going to starve just because of you. Why don't you do us all a favor and get married? Oh right! You're too ugly to attract any gentlemen and I am afraid I will have to put up with you forever!" She taunted staring back at Annie with open hatred.

Annie said nothing, just kept her head down, and listened to her stepmother blame her for every single thing that goes wrong in the house.

"You must go out and look for food, I do not care how you go about it but my children and I must eat! You're just as useless as your father!"

With tears in her eyes, Annie finally looked up at her stepmother. "But I do not have any money" Annie argued which was a bad idea cause immediately she said that the palm of Lady Joanne connected hard on her cheek.

"How dare you argue with me? You ungrateful wretch! You are only still staying here under my roof because I have not to figure out what to do with you. And once I do be sure I will have you remove from our lives! Your drunken father promised to treat me like a queen when he came to marry me, but yet I am kept here and if that is not bad enough I have to put up with his ugly miserable daughter!. You cannot be a liability to me. Now go out and get food, if you have to bide your virginity to get that, do it. I do not care! But do not come back to this house without any food" With that Lady Joanne spun around and walk off muttering under her breath about how unfortunate her life had become.

Crying was useless Annie knew that so she hurried to her room and grabbed her straw hat, pulling it over her red hair she paused just outside her father's study.

Annie knew going to him for help was useless, Lord Melton–her father would rather spend all his money on gambling than taking care of his family, the Melton family was torn apart, all the servants left because her father could not keep up with their payment and she's the only one left—working as a servant.

"Father?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper as she slowly tiptoes into the room, like she expected he was passed out on his desk with his mouth hanging wide open and a half-empty liquor beside him.

"You need to stop drinking and gambling father, it is not good for your health, can't you see your family is falling apart?" Annie whispered as a tear slide down her cheek.

Deciding she needs to get out of the house and look for means to get food, she was on the point of leaving when she sights some banknotes lying carelessly on the desk, no doubt her father had drank so hard and left the money there.

Taking all of it cause it was not that much, Annie hurried out of the house and towards the market hoping her father would not notice the missing money.

The money was only able to buy few things, two loaves of bread, jams, strawberries, fresh meat, honey, and some flour.

Hopefully, that would do, if there was anything Annie loved doing was cooking, her mother had thought her all about cooking from a young age, the memories of her mother were enough to bring a smile to her face as she went about her cooking.

"Joanne! Joanne!! Who took my money!" Annie paused when she heard her father growled just as she finished making the meal.

Quickly cleaning her hands, Annie raced towards the salon only to see both her stepmother and father arguing about the missing money.

"I took it," She said after a while.

They both stopped and stared at her, Annie twisted her finger nervously knowing her father would once again hit her.

"You did what!" Lord Melton exploded staring at his daughter.

"The nerve of you to steal from my husband you ungrateful wrench! I told you, James, I said she is up to no good. I told you to marry her off but you would not listen now look! You accused your loving wife of stealing when in fact your daughter is the real thief!" Lady Joanne started to cry, Annie knew it was fake tears to get her in more trouble.

"This is not you Annie, why did you take my damn money!" Lord Melton hissed.

"There was not any food in the house so step—" Lady Joanne interrupted her.

"See? She is going to lie to me! James, I could not believe you're letting you're wenched of a daughter accuse your loving wife! I gave you everything James, I tried being a good mother to her and all I get in return is this?" Lady Joanne asked still glaring at Annie.

Her father moved so fast Annie did not realize it until he yanks her hair hard causing her to wince.

"Father please!" Annie cried.

"Did you think about it before stealing from me? You stupid whore! You are not even good enough to attract a wealthy gentleman and yet I let you stay in my house and you go and do this? I will teach you a lesson!" Lord Melton growled.

Annie could do nothing. She could only cry and plead.

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TBC.