The Cinderella Project: A Betrayal, A Fortune

The Cinderella Project: A Betrayal, A Fortune

Gavin

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I was just a diligent sales associate, trying to make ends meet in a luxury boutique on Rodeo Drive. After refusing a notoriously cruel socialite's outrageous demands, I was unexpectedly offered a breathtaking new life by charming billionaire Ethan Vanderbilt. No more retail hell, just endless luxury. I accepted, clinging to it as a desperate chance for my family to escape East LA's struggles. But then, a chilling message flashed on his unlocked phone: "How's our little Cinderella project coming along, E? Is she suitably dazzled yet? Can't wait for the one-year mark. Payback's a bitch. ;)" My heart seized. The "fairy tale" wasn't a rescue; it was a cruel, elaborate game orchestrated by the very socialite I'd defied. I was the unwitting star of their 'Cinderella project,' a pawn meant to be adorned, built up, then publicly crushed. Every lavish gift, every forced laugh at their condescending jokes, every demeaning glance from their elite circle felt like a tightening chain. I was just their entertainment, watched by snickering socialites on a private 'countdown' account, cheering for my inevitable downfall. They thought I was easily manipulated, a poor girl blinded by glitz and glamor. How could they be so callously cruel, playing with someone's entire future? But beneath the shock, a fierce defiance ignited. This wasn't just their bet; it was my fight for survival. A cold, determined smile touched my lips. Okay, Vanderbilts and Van der Woodsens. Let's play. I would use their money, their arrogance, their connections against them. By the time they realized what was happening, I wouldn't just survive their game; I'd build an empire on its ashes. My empire. My rules.

Introduction

I was just a diligent sales associate, trying to make ends meet in a luxury boutique on Rodeo Drive.

After refusing a notoriously cruel socialite's outrageous demands, I was unexpectedly offered a breathtaking new life by charming billionaire Ethan Vanderbilt.

No more retail hell, just endless luxury.

I accepted, clinging to it as a desperate chance for my family to escape East LA's struggles.

But then, a chilling message flashed on his unlocked phone: "How's our little Cinderella project coming along, E? Is she suitably dazzled yet? Can't wait for the one-year mark. Payback's a bitch. ;)"

My heart seized.

The "fairy tale" wasn't a rescue; it was a cruel, elaborate game orchestrated by the very socialite I'd defied.

I was the unwitting star of their 'Cinderella project,' a pawn meant to be adorned, built up, then publicly crushed.

Every lavish gift, every forced laugh at their condescending jokes, every demeaning glance from their elite circle felt like a tightening chain.

I was just their entertainment, watched by snickering socialites on a private 'countdown' account, cheering for my inevitable downfall.

They thought I was easily manipulated, a poor girl blinded by glitz and glamor.

How could they be so callously cruel, playing with someone's entire future?

But beneath the shock, a fierce defiance ignited.

This wasn't just their bet; it was my fight for survival.

A cold, determined smile touched my lips.

Okay, Vanderbilts and Van der Woodsens.

Let's play.

I would use their money, their arrogance, their connections against them.

By the time they realized what was happening, I wouldn't just survive their game; I'd build an empire on its ashes.

My empire.

My rules.

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My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.

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