Cinderella

Don Magnate is a fabulously rich property tycoon who likes to show off his money by throwing exclusive parties and making high-profile investments. His provocative assertions and dissolute lifestyle make him a paparazzi favourite, a fact he shamelessly enjoys. Before his first wife died prematurely, she gave him two daughters who feed greedily upon their emotionally poor father who indulges their every whim. Clory and Tissy, the two young ladies, have now reached the age where their extravagant carryings-on and decadent escapades are daily fodder for social media. With countless followers across all platforms, they are successful influencers, much to the delight of their womanizing father. The family counts another daughter, Angie, born out of wedlock from a brief affair the Don had with one of his cleaning ladies. Angie is stunningly beautiful, and this makes her the target of Clory and Tissy’s jealousy, ridicule and mockery. World-renowned beauty advisers, fitness coaches and plastic surgeons busy themselves around the sisters, but Angie’s natural radiance proves out of reach. And yet Angie is deeply unhappy. She suffers from her sisters’ hurtful humiliations and her father’s emotional neglect. The person she misses most is her dear mother, who was forced to give her up and break off contact.

A quiet and shy young woman by nature, Angie sometimes withdraws to her room to cry and dream of a different life. Her thoughts can turn very dark: isn’t death the only possible escape from this lonely fatality? After once carelessly confiding this thought to a kind-hearted governess, the latter went in search of a competent psychiatrist. As is well known, Don Magnate hates this professional group, which he likes to ridicule with cynical jokes. The doctor, as a result, has to be smuggled in by trickery.

Dr Basaglio thus presents himself at the family’s showy domain as an IT specialist. To the despair of the likes-addicted sisters, he has managed to hack their entire Wi-Fi network and promises positively that he will have it fixed in no time. In this way, unnoticed and unsuspected, he gets to know Angie better. Beneath her vulnerability, he discovers an authentic personality, a strong and loving nature, the likes of which he has rarely encountered so movingly in his long career.

Meanwhile, the family’s flashy lifestyle continues, of course. In all his triumphant self-importance, the Don still cherishes one dream, which he wrestles with almost obsessively: to have his family enter the old nobility and thus inject some blue and royal blood into his glorious family tree. Together with his eldest daughters, he hatches a plan: one of them shall marry the crown prince!

The prince of the kingdom has indeed reached a more than marriageable age and the old monarch is increasingly concerned about the future of the royal family. Prince Ramiro is an intelligent, sensitive and rather shy young man who abhors the world of glamour and semblance into which he is sometimes thrown. He prefers to retreat to the palace’s immense library to read and ponder the meaning of life. He hates dance parties and the feigned admiration of the pushy girls vying for his attention. The queen, a loving and concerned mother, once tried to talk to him about this, whereupon the Prince, to her surprise, burst into tears. The queen then sought out an experienced psychiatrist who, acting with the utmost discretion and confidentiality, could assist her son. This is how Dr Basaglio came to visit the palace, too. The conversations between the two men were fascinating and inspiring for both of them. The prince enjoyed the rich exchanges of ideas and gained in self-confidence. The king and queen observed this change with great pleasure.

Nevertheless, a cautious prince Ramiro waits to see what the next big reception will bring. The palace is made ready, and no expense or effort is spared to show off the kingdom in all its splendour. World-famous musicians come to perform, leading chefs prepare exquisite food, and guests travel from around the world to experience the event. Don Magnate’s daughters are also invited, of course. The prince can hardly fail to notice the widespread admiration that the two eldest daughters enjoy throughout the media world. Both are dressed in spectacular outfits by a famous couturier. Cameras flash incessantly upon their arrival; these pictures will be published on the front pages of all the tabloids; it will be impossible to keep track of all the likes and shares and new followers.

But Dr Basaglio has a plan. Don Magnate’s youngest daughter was also invited to the reception of course, politesse oblige. However, she had to be persuaded by the doctor and ready herself to face the scorn and ridicule of her sisters. At the party, she therefore remains in the background at first; she watches as her sisters show off and attract all the attention. But then something special happens. Her watch, a discreet but high-tech device she received from the doctor, lights up at the same time as the prince’s. He pushes his way through the dense crowd of guests, past the eager candidates, to ask Angie to dance. Amazement all around. Who is this special girl, how come no one knows who she is? The sisters are choked with envy – this is something they will never get over. Don Magnate is in a state of utter confusion – a state that, with his inflated sense of self-confidence, he has never experienced before. For the king and queen, this is the happiest day of their lives; they see their son happier than ever before. And the timid Angie? She will blossom into a modest but creative and enterprising princess, a role model for many ordinary girls. Her authenticity, thoughtfulness and natural charisma quickly charm the whole country.

È finita la commedia.

Translated by Patrick Lennon