I've been late with this update, I'm sorry. Being ill and having a writer's block is not a good combination.

This is chapter fifty-one of Cinderella Who
...

"You're prohibited from speaking to your captor, Ms. Peaksons." Detective Trianne firmly stated, crossing her arms in a stern manner.

I shifted uncomfortably in the office chair under her stern gaze. She just looked abrupt and stiff in hers, giving off a don't-screw-with-me vibe to everyone that decided to foolishly approach her. Not that anyone was interested in approaching her anyway.

I needed to talk to Anna. I needed to prove her wrong. Asher couldn't be someone very despicable, because it was a whole load of crap she's saying. But, I had to make sure. I tried again, "Please, just give me five minutes. I'm begging you."

Someone bumped me harshly, making me spin slightly in shock. He malicious gaze didn't falter into a startled pair of eyes, but she was in fact emotionless and perhaps, motionless. It must'd been a busy workplace, considering her poker-faced attitude. Now, who's the guy that bumped me...

"What's your intention here?" She asked me. "We've already had your statement and the verdict will be decided soon. Why do you wish to meet her?"

"I need to know why she's doing this. I deserve to know after being held captive." I demanded to know. It was partly true, aside from wanting to show her that Asher wasn't that kind of person to be hated, despised, or even not worth speaking of.

The stern woman knitted her eyebrows together, yet she didn't give me an answer. She might be considering, but that hard-headed woman was hard to penetrate through. I added again, "Please, I don't want to visit the prison like this just to ask her. I need to know now."

"I'm sorry, but–" I cut her words. "Three minutes."

"No–"

"Two and a half minutes."

"Fine, you have two and a half minutes." I nearly leapt in joy as those words flew out of her chapped lips, even I nearly squeezed her in a hug full of infatuation.

She rose from her chair and cracked her knuckles. She murmured, "Follow me."

I followed her from behind like a stray dog, because she looked so intimidating from behind and she held the key to life. But, the cheery mood I had didn't last for long.

The door formed in front of me. Feeling the anxiety seeping in, I stared at the intimidating door. She was right behind that door, a non-Taylor-Asher shipper. I knew I was weird.

We both came into a halt, but we both totally had different auras. The detective looked expressionless and somehow strict, while I had probably looked like a helpless damsel in distress. She whipped her gaze around to me and said, "Two and a half minutes, I'm counting."

I simply nodded, flooded with worrying thoughts and majorly nervousness. She stepped away and twisted the door handle open. Letting the door swing open with a long creak, she was on standby right in front of the room. I caught a glimpse of blonde hair that cascaded down roughly and orange—orange was the new black indeed. I slowly strode into the room and the door shut quietly.

Not a single glance from the blonde girl who sat in the cold room with her hands shackled.

I could hear everything more clearly, much more than anything else. It's because of the tensed atmosphere and the silence that surrounded us.

Still nothing.

I pulled out the chair across from her and sat uncomfortably in front of her.

STILL NOTHING.

"Okay, lemme ask you a simple question to start our little chit chat." I said, fiddling with my fingers out of nervousness.

She merely gave me a long, stern stare and I took that as a yes. "How would you like me to call you, Penelope or Anna?"

I was baffled at the mild smirk that formed on her face. "Anna it is." I concluded, clearing my throat.

She wasn't meeting my eyes, but she eyed downwards and snickered slightly. Not in a stable state, huh.

"What do you want?" She finally asked me, looking up at me with a scowl.

She was gone, the bright and positive girl that I had gone around New York with. It was a mere facade, hiding away her true self. I couldn't believe it.

"Why...did you do all this?" I uttered in confusion, finding it all hard to believe in.

It was outrageous, even if it were a traumatic event. She had taken it too far. A curt glance was all I could get. I resumed, "What do you want from him?"

She had even murdered someone in front of me. It was an image that would never get lost in my memories.

"Why? Why? Why DID YOU TAKE IT THIS FAR?!" I shrieked out loud, letting the tears escape my eyes and trickled down my cheeks.

Blood. Gunshot. Death. It's all because of her. I had to go through this because of her.

I'd had enough. I had enough of the burning sensation on both of my cheeks, like fire on the trail of my tears. I had enough of her nonsense and insanity. Did loving Asher mean signing up for these kinds of things?

I found myself frozen when she laughed hysterically after what I had shrieked. What was so funny about this?

"Because...you're just like me, Taylor." She answered me with a smirk playing on her lips, jiggling the handcuffs that bounded her.

I remained silent, speechless of what she had just said to me. I wasn't like her at all. She's the one who didn't realize. He had proven that he loved me all along, even with the breakups.

"You must not think so, because you just need to be enlightened."

I clenched my tiny fists. "I don't need anything from you."

"I'm not here to give you anything," Anna told me, leaning back, and crossed her legs. "I'm going to tell you a story of mine."

Cracking my jaw incessantly, I couldn't even bear her saying once upon a time and listening to her badmouthing Asher for a retarded reason. If she had loved him, she would've stayed with him and kept her romantic feelings for him—not run off to his best friend and indulge in an affair.

"Once there was a girl who met a dreamy boy and everything happened exactly like they both wanted."

How straightforward. It's sickening.

"He always did the sweetest things for her. She always felt that he did it for her with all his heart. It was the perfect life anyone could've wanted."

I bit my lower lip, giving in to my agony. I allowed a tear escape my eye again.

"But, he was always doubtful of his own feelings. When life got in the way, he would stop. When a concept was lifted, he would stop. When he's not sure, he would stop everything he started."

"You're freaking wrong." I retorted firmly, narrowing my eyes at her. I could only maintain a tough exterior, because crying only showed that I was weaker than her.

"Can't swear...princess?" I felt goosebumps forming all over my skin, stiffening at her words.

"What–what a-are you getting at?" I stuttered, feeling my eyes water again. I didn't know why I was afraid, but the fear was an eerie chill down my spine.

She tilted her chin up, almost in an ignorant manner, and pulled the corners of her lips up into a spooky grin. A crystal bead stuck onto the corner of her eye, dying to trickle down her high cheekbone. "It's the same between you and me, dear Taylor. He will only give us false hope and a series of heartbreaks."

The lingering tear finally dropped, leaving a trail on her cheek. Her frightening grin disappeared into thin air. Her blue orbs enlarged into doll eyes, yet they glimmered as more tears formed. I had never seen her cry, yet it wasn't long after we met, and seeing her cry because of Asher's wrongdoings make me doubt him. As psychotic she could be, she was once a normal girl—another girl just like me. I couldn't just believe that he's the one who ruined her, who turned her into a monster.

But, he saved me. And that's not something a heartbreaker would do. That's something someone in love would do.

"He's not a monster, Anna. You're wrong. I don't know what he did in the past, but certainly he loves me now." I stated firmly, sitting up straighter and pulling the chair closer to the table. "He saved me, risking his life for me. You think that he's selfish, well saving me is quite selfless of him."

"I know." I cocked an eyebrow, hearing what she had just told me. She knew? I didn't know. What?

She merely fumbled in her cuffs and sighed as she couldn't do anything. She leaned forward, making me back away slightly. She's still a murderer.

"But, your sheer luck will only last shortly. It still doesn't change that I'm destroyed because of him." She hissed under her breath and smiled slightly before leaning back.

As on queue, the detective swung open the door and said, "Time's up."

The next thing I knew, she mouthed, "Good luck, princess."

***

(A/N: Asher's POV)
One week later at 23:56

What did I do wrong now?

It couldn't be me. I had only spent my whole time in the hospital bed healing from my severe knife wound.

I couldn't go back either, I was in New York while she wasn't.

I fumbled for my cellphone, dialing her number. Goddamn voicemail. She's making me go crazy. Indeed, wearing this plain outfit and sleeping the whole day weren't productive. Lovesick I was, maybe so did she.

The sharp, deafening bells woke me up to a whole new level. Who had changed my ringtone?

I answered it, "Hello?"

Techno music and loud crowds blared in the background. "I neeeeeed to pee, w-wheeeere's the bathrooooom?"

"Taylor?" I asked for confirmation.

She didn't respond, yet I heard glass clinking loudly over the phone call. She must be drinking. I said, "Princess, where are you?"

"Ha, ha," I heard a hiccup. "I-I'm noooot even a paaaaart of the Royals."

"Princess–Taylor, tell me where you are." I told her again.

It's not safe for her to be walking around alone while being drunk. Especially her.

"I aaaamm...hmm...I dunno wheere." I sighed at her answer, but it was somehow cute and typical of her.

I hid my chuckles and said, "Can you see anything around you? Any signs?"

"Hmm..." I could just fall asleep listening to her serenading hum, it was sweet. "Ah, the Faauult in ooouuur Stars is plaaaaying heeere?!"

I cocked an eyebrow. The Fault in our Stars? Was it near the movie theaters?

"Yippee! Gus! Gus! Gus!" I chuckled at her excited squeals, yet she seemed to be worshipping another guy. I needed to stop chuckling and think instead.

I needed to find her, again.

(A/N: Taylor's POV)

I stumbled across a huge poster sticking on the brick walls. The Fault in our Stars. I had wanted to watch this movie, but I never had the time. I had free time now, but I figured I was drunk.

The law didn't really state that drunkards aren't allowed to buy tickets to a movie.

Staggering around the dark building, I finally met the familiar front of the theater. Lighted with a few lights, it was dim and secluded. I paid a ticket to the movie and entered the designated theater discreetly with popcorn.

I shifted in my seat for the whole movie, making myself comfortable which was impossible to do. It seemed awful, but I hadn't even included the other things I had done. I had squealed in the middle of the making love scene, "They're sixteen–I meeeeann, Hazel's sixteeeeen a-and I haaaven't even haaad mineeee." I had even cried during the whole movie like a dying dog when Gus . . . But, I felt pity for my popcorn instead. Used to be slathered with rich butter, the popcorns were now covered with salty tears and not crunchy at all.

Huh? Where were all the audience? I was alone?

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I whipped my head around, giving a half-awake gaze. "Wheeere is everyoooone?"

The usher in a red uniform just gave me an apologetic smile and said, "The movie's over an hour ago. Do you need me to call a cab for you?"

"That won't be necessary." I looked at the person who answered for me, P-Peter?

H-How did he know I w-was here?

Warm in his knee-length coat, he smiled at me and said, "Let's take you home."

It was only rational that I followed him and he took me home as well, complaining about how Asher always told him to do work or errands for him. But I could see the grin he settled with in the end.

I dropped dead on my bed, knowing I would be facing a hell of a hangover and a very hot-tempered jade-eyed guy.

The end of this chapter, thus let me ask you a couple of questions. Hit me with your thoughts!

Is Anna right?

Or is Taylor right?

Are you disappointed that it's not Asher who picked her up?

Thanks for reading. Bye-bye