There lived a sweet girl in a 5 room flat. She lived with her dad, stepmom and a stepsis. Her dad was a business man and had been posted overseas to clinch a deal. Her stepmom and stepsis treated her unkindly and called her "Cinderella". Everyday after school she had to do the laundry, iron the clothes, clean the house and cook the meals. She was at the beck and call of her stepmom and stepsis. She only had time for herself in the still of night.

One day, she came home feeling very excited. She had received an invitation to a party held by the most eligible bachelor in school. She wanted to tell her stepmom about it but her stepsis beat her to it. Cinderella was not allowed to go to the party. Her stepmom needed her to stay home and mend a pile of clothings. Cinderella felt tears sting her eyes. But she held back those tears coz she vowed never to cry in front of her stepmom or stepsis.

The day of the party came. Cinderella was kept busy preparing for her stepsis who was going to the party. Her stepmom had bought her stepsis a beautiful dress and a pair of shoes to match. At 7pm, her stepsis went off to the party. Her stepmom also left the house to play mahjong. Cinderella was left alone in the house to mend the pile of clothings. As she sat at the sewing machine, tears flowed down her cheek. She buried her face in her arms and cried herself to sleep.

Moments later she was awoken by the sound of the doorbell. She panicked as she hadn't even started on the clothings she was supposed to mend. She looked at the clock. It was only 7.30pm. Her stepmom won't be home so soon. She looked through the peephole. Her dad was home! She swung the door open, searched for the keys and threw herself on him. She was so happy to see him. Her dad laughed and gave her a kiss on the forehead and cheek. It was then that he noticed she had been crying. He asked her what happened. At first Cinderella did not want to tell her dad as she was afraid he would not believe her. But she remembered what he had once told her. He had taught her to say the truth no matter how painful it may seem. So she did. When her dad heard the story, he was furious. He could not believe that his wife would treat his daughter so badly. But he knew his daugter would never tell a lie. He knew what he had to do.

Although he was no fairy godmother, Cinderella was lucky he had bought her a very unique two-piece. She looked absolutely gorgeous in the two-piece. While she went to change, her dad had asked a friend to come over. Her dad ushered her to the carpark where a midnight blue mercedes was waiting. There was a lady in the mercedes. She was dad's schoolmate and she would help Cinderella with her make-up.

When they reached the party, Cinderella was all made up and looked most dazzling. Her dad walked her to the front door. He told her to enjoy herself and advised her not to let anyone look down on her.

As Cinderella entered the room, all eyes were on her. The eligible bachelor who had been keeping to himself all night even came up to her. He held out a hand and she shyly put her hand on his. They went to the middle of the room and started grooving to the music. Cinderella's stepsis watched with jealousy in her eyes. She made a call to her mom. The stepmom came over and literally dragged Cinderella out of the party. The eligible bachelor ran after them but could not catch up with the taxi.

Throughout the ride home, her stepmom slapped and hit her. When they reached home, she was pushed through the front door. Cinderella fell. She begged her stepmom for mercy. Her stepmom did not heed her pleas. She was about to slap Cinderella when she felt a firm grip on her wrist. She looked up and horror filled her eyes. Her husband was home! Cinderella got up and held her dad tight. He would have slapped her stepmom if she had not done that. Her dad told her stepmom and stepsis to pack up their things and leave the house immediately. They quietly did as ordered.

From that day on, Cinderella's dad did not remarry and he never left the country for business without bringing Cinderella along. As for the eligible bachelor, he became Cinderella's steady boyfriend. The last I heard from them, they got engaged and would be getting married after they obtain their degree.

-=Yaney=-