~Infamous Broken Beauty~
Chapter One: The Beginning
Have you ever loved someone so much that you would do anything for them? I did. Well, I thought I did but that all changed in a matter of minutes on the day that went from one of amazingly great to one of disastrously awful.
My story was one that was known over the world – I was Isabella Dwyer, the multi-award winning, international super star; I could sing, act and I had the looks. Did I have the happiness though? I thought I did, but really, after being awoken to reality I knew I had nothing to what happiness could be. For the past year I have been living a lie. I suppose fame does that to you, after coming into the spotlight as a naïve teenager.
It all started when I was eight years old, I suppose. My mother died one night from an excruciating disease. Someone like me would have commented how they hardly remember it, they were too young to remember the specifics, but I remembered it all. I remembered every specifics of that night.
I could tell you the date, June 10th 1995; I could tell you the exact time I was awoken by my mothers cries of pain and my fathers cries of panic, 11:45pm; I could tell you the exact time the ambulance arrived, 11:50pm; and I could tell you the exact time and date of my mothers death, June 11th 1995 10:12pm – twenty-three hours, thirty minutes and eight seconds of agonizing waiting in the stuffy waiting room, both my father and I unwilling to speak.
That night I lost my mother… and my father.
My father was never the same again, broken and suffering, as I had to watch for five years until he finally followed my mother. Liver failure. It seemed the five years of wasting himself in booze finally gave him the wish he wanted – to be with his love.
On September 13th 1999, 7pm exactly was the day and time the last living member of my family died, the day and time I became an orphan and the day I turned 13 years old. That day sucked.
Ever since then life in care wasn't exactly living the dream. I spent most of my time moving from care-home to care-home after families dumping me, claiming they didn't want a broken child who was too severe to be fixed – they wanted a happy, chirpy kid with a bright smile and sweet personality – and I couldn't blame them. I was too damaged from repair.
The day I turned eighteen was the day I couldn't have been happier to say goodbye to 'Phoenix Home for Orphans' and set foot into the adulthood world.
Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and happiness; I had to take double-shifts and take up random jobs to keep the apartment and myself going but I got myself through. It was always better than the care-homes that were for sure.
It wasn't until I was nineteen years old, a year into adulthood that things changed. I was running low on cash, a lot more so than normal, and was finding myself stuck for finding any job with just the qualifications I gained after graduating high school.
It was when I was reading through a jobs paper when I saw an advertisement for auditioning of a small role in a movie they were filming in Phoenix. After millions of interviews and turn-downs, this seemed my last chance to pay the rent for my apartment and finally find some food I could live off – for the past couple of weeks I had been fending myself with cheap cans of beans or some other sort of canned food that barely cost a dollar.
Who would have known that this one audition I had narrowed down as my last chance to pay the bills would change my life for forever? Not me that's who!
I had never accounted myself as an actress or a singer for the matter of fact nor did I see myself as any superstar-beauty potential, but Tanya Dwyer did.
Tanya was a 'hot-shot' agent who was agent of the main-star of the film I had auditioned for. She saw some hidden potential in me and before I knew it, I was signing a contract that would soon make me world-famous. Something I didn't expect to happen in my lifetime, that's for certain.
Tanya was a good agent, and a good friend too; she knew about my past and understood that, even at the brink of becoming famous, that I didn't want my story to be told over the world. So, thankfully, Tanya had some forger called J. Jenks have records forged for me. A month later, I turned from Isabella Swan to Izzy Dwyer – Tanya's half-sister and daughter of Phil Dwyer, Tanya's father, and famous baseball player.
Phil was great, he took me in like his own daughter, and like Tanya understood everything I went through. He seemed completely accepting in the whole ordeal Tanya had set up for me. He even gave in a few ideas and pointers that Tanya and I could use to help convince the world of my fake life story.
It was all sucked up like a plague; everyone believed it, amazingly, meaning Tanya had done her job well and I was soon finding myself ranked into 2006's Actresses of the Year.
Which now brings us to my more current problem.
Tanya succeeded highly into making me into a number one star. I was in current appearances in magazines, I was asked for photo shoots in top named magazines around the world, asked to star in films, TV shows and chat shows alike – they all wanted gossip on Izzy Dwyer.
It was at one appearance at an award event in Miami when I finally met him – Jacob Black.
Jacob Black was a world-wide famous actor and the continuous winner of 'Hottest Men of the Year' with his jaw-dropping white smile, groomed ebony black hair and dark, mysterious eyes. And not forgetting his mouth-watering body of a weight-lifter. Seriously, you could crack glass on the abs he had…
Tanya had forced me to go to the award ceremony as I had been nominated for Youngest Successful Actress of 2007 which unfortunately, I ended up winning.
As much as I enjoyed acting and singing, I did not enjoy getting up on stage in fancy gowns and killer heels that Tanya had forcefully pulled onto me then having to give a 'heart-melting' thank you speech. The other side of it which I suppose, back then, I would have considered as the better part of the night – though now I see it as the worse, I'd rather get up on that stage million and one more times than relive it again – was that I was placed on the red-clothed table with Jacob Black, dressed in his dashing black suit and his face looking a million times better than on glossy magazine covers and internet pictures (fan sites and Google images).
Throughout the night, Jacob only made short talk with me but occasionally I would find him looking at me which would set my cheeks aflame and my heart racing. And when he smiled at me… I felt I had been smacked with a baseball bat in the stomach, making me gasp for breath. Man, did he have a smile.
After that night I didn't see Jacob Black for another month or so. Tanya had gotten me another audition for an action/romance movie which I was auditioning as for the main female role as an undercover Russian spy. I got the part but, little did I know, that twenty-four hours later Jacob Black was given the role as the main-male role who would, in script, fall in love with me and me him.
I found it a little ironic that a month into working on the film I really did fall in love with Jacob and, what I thought, he me. He was charming, just as they described in interviews or on TV.
He was my first love and, back then, I thought he would be my only love. I loved him with every beat of my living heart. He had me and every one else in the world fooled to really loving me.
Until the day of my 21st birthday…
"Tanya, you've got to be kidding me," I said in disbelief as I pulled the dress out of the black cover. My wide eyes wracked over the short, too short, silver sequined one shoulder dress that I was sure showed too much skin for the eyes to see.
I switched the phone to the opposite ear as I ran my hands across the rough material of the sequins, my nose scrunching up.
I heard Tanya sigh on the other end of the phone, "Don't you dare start going all stubborn on me, Bell – I'll just hang up before you can even start." She warned in her usual strong tone with a hint of Russian accent.
Tanya had grown up in eastern Russia with her mother, Sasha, before moving to America when she was seventeen years old to live with her father after her mother gave up on her and resorted to drugs and partying. She moved to Phoenix, where back then, her father was only just getting into the celebrity field of baseball.
Phil was ecstatic to have Tanya in his life again since they only contacted via email or phone every month or more. Accordingly Phil was determined to build a bond between Tanya and him – like a proper father-daughter relationship – and it was successful. Tanya loves her father very much and even now, in adulthood, they still have their father-daughter bonding time.
I sighed as I looked at the dress again. "It's just not…me. You know my style, Tan, and it's defiantly not sequins shiny and… revealing." I said in slight disgust as I picked at the dress while I looked it over again.
"I know what your type is Bell and it's boring. This is your only chance to celebrate your birthday-and don't you dare start telling me how you don't like parties, miss's!" Tanya cut her self of with a warning, as if seeing what I was about to do, as I opened my mouth to protest having my 21st birthday which I, now grudgingly, let Tanya and Jessica, my PA, organize.
I was now regretting it, as I looked at the dress. Knowing Jess and Tanya they would have gone completely overboard – overboard in my head but in theirs they would see it as a normal celebration - and the night could have a potential of being disastrous with my bad luck.
"You're going to wear this dress even if I have to come over there and force it into you myself, and don't think I won't because I will!" Tanya continued down the phone with a threatening promise.
Tanya was definitely a girl who kept her promises, without a doubt. So, I knew, this promise would be kept and I better do what she says because there was nothing like a raging Tanya knocking down your door.
I huffed out a sigh of defeat. "Fine… but I'm wearing black tights with it. It'll probably give me a little bit of decency when I walk into the room wearing this eye-soar."
"Uh, uh, I don't think so Bell. Dress or nothing at all. I'm serious. If you'd be happier going into the room wearing just your underwear, by all means – I'm not going to stop you." She smugly said knowing she had me there and then.
"Fine," I said, irritated, down the phone. "I'll wear it." I continued through gritted teeth. "But don't think I'll enjoy a moment of it."
"I don't expect to," Tanya chirpily said through the phone. "Ta-tah dear sister of mine – we'll be speaking very soon." She said before the ending of call tone replaced Tanya's voice.
I huffed, pulling the phone from my ear and pressing the red button before throwing it down on the bed as I stood, alone, in the bedroom. I threw the dress down beside my phone and I glanced at the photo in the white photograph-frame faced towards the bed on the bedside table.
It was a picture of Jake and me. It was just before Jake proposes; our ninth month of being in a relationship and even now, three months on, our relationship was still going strong. I glanced down at the sparkling engagement ring as proof on my ring finger – it was a silver band ring with a humongous diamond ring that stuck out like a soar thumb around the other, smaller, diamonds around the large one.
I sighed, running my finger of the engagement ring before looking back at the photograph.
Jake and I had large smiles on our faces as he hugged me from behind, our hands clasped, and our eyes sparkling as we happily looked at the camera – we were on a beach, Miami Beach to be precise. It was Jake's home-town as a kid with his father, Billy, and two sisters Rachel and Rebecca. His mother, whom he never officially met since she died shortly after his birth, was never in his life so he had a tough struggle along with his sisters growing up. Then his father, Billy Black who is a hot-shot producer, had been recently placed in a wheelchair making him Jake's number one priority from now on – even when Billy tries to convince Jake he's fine.
Jake was currently visiting Billy now. He promised he would be back for my party, since Billy's place was only a couple of minutes away, but he had to help Billy out because Billy's carer, Whitney, was currently visiting her sister in Ohio.
As I pulled myself back to reality, I looked around the room and my eyes immediately closed in on Jake's phone on the cream and white chaise longue. I quickly began to panic and rushed towards it.
Jake needed his phone. His manager, Sam, had told Jake he'd call sometime today confirming whether he had gotten the role in a movie Jake had been dying to have – he was convinced it was the part for him. Jake would be distraught for not finding out the news directly from him.
I looked at the clock, seeing it was another couple of hours before Tanya would arrive, I thought I might just pop round to Billy's, give Jake his phone and perhaps give the both of them some food since neither of them could cook for toffee.
Rushing through Jake and my penthouse in Miami, I went straight to the kitchen and started on some fish fry with lemon and boiled potatoes. It never took long to cook it – an hour at the most – since I had done it so many times when it was Jake and me or when Billy was round. They both loved it and always insisted in having it.
After placing it all in a plastic container and put some cans of beers beside it, I quickly ran back to the bedroom and changed out of my sweats into jeans then put on some sneakers, jacket and ran back out again, picking up the food and my car keys. After double checking to make sure I had everything, I set of to Billy's.
Billy's place was pretty impressive, that's for sure. It had been made by his father and, when his father passed, was inherited from him. Jake had grown up all his life in this mansion of a house and, in the back of my mind, I wondered whether Jake and I would move into this place together – bring up our own family here.
I shook the thought out of my head and quickly parked the car outside. I smiled when I saw Jake's flashy, black BMW outside before getting out and closing the door, picking up all the stuff from the back seat of my Audi and locking the car before walking up the graveled drive and up the stone steps.
I didn't bother knocking on the door, since Billy had insisted to just let myself in whenever I was round, so I quickly pulled a key out from my pocket and opened door a bit clumsily from the containers in my hands.
Once inside, I quickly wiped my feet on the mat and walked in and headed into the living room where I suspected they might be. Though I was only to be surprised that the living room was deserted, making my eyebrow furrow. The only clue that suggested that they had been here was the empty beer cans on the glass coffee table and a baseball game still playing on the TV.
I picked up the controller and switched it off, before walking towards the kitchen – the next possible destination. When I found the kitchen empty I was growing more worried and suspicious until I heard the soft murmuring of voices coming from down the hall – from the direction of Billy's office.
The closer I got, the louder the sounds become and I could now, only several feet from the closed office door distinguish the names of the voices; Jake was there, along with Billy – their voices were the first I recognized then, shortly afterwards, Sam's voice was recognized.
I sighed in relief, knowing that the trip to give Jake his phone didn't matter anymore – Sam was there. I turned and was about the walk back to the kitchen to leave the food there and leave them a note when what I heard made me freeze.
"So I just have to go through with it? I have to marry her?" Jake's muffled voice through the door was coated with disbelief and slight irritation.
"Yes, Jacob, stop acting like a child – it's for the best." Billy's stern voice shortly followed. "If you didn't want to go through with this in the first place, then you shouldn't have volunteered."
"If you're too scared, Black junior, we could always replace you." Another, unfamiliar, voice with an Italian accent said in an arrogant and mocking sneer. "This means, technically, you wouldn't get anything from it. If your letting your reputation get ahead of you then you might as well say goodbye to the eighty million dollars reward now, Black."
I heard a squeak through the door that, unmistakably, sounded like Jake – I had never heard him so frightened before.
"No one will be backing out of anything," Billy's firm voice said. I could almost imagine Billy's dark eyes staring intensely at Jacob. "Bella has been hiding her secret for too long – she must be punished." My heart stopped as he spoke my name… my real name. A name only Phil and Tanya have ever called me – no one knew of my secret.
"And how are we going to do that?" Sam's deep voice asked with curiosity.
My heart was racing and my breathing had lost it's steadiness that I had to slap a hand to my mouth to stop myself from breathing to loudly. I slowly, turned back around, and stepped forward as quietly as I could, leaning forward to get closer.
Then, when Billy, spoke again I felt every hopefulness that what I was hearing was nothing to worry of, disappear. "Jacob shall marry Isabella, keep her and the public fooled with his love for her. Then, a few months later, we expose her for who she really is – a ford." I heard the chuckles of the men in the office, even Jake's familiar deep chuckle that seemed deeper, darker than before that it brought chills down my spine and moisture to my eyes as I listening to them gather and plan their schemes to ruin Izzy Dwyer… to ruin me.
I knew I had heard enough. I had to get out, with or without giving Jake his phone. I didn't care anymore and how can I? I had heard their voices loud and clear with my own voice. They knew of me… they knew everything about me and they were planning on ruining every good thing I had.
I get out as quickly I could from the house that once seemed so beautiful to be true to a living omen. I got into the car, not caring what noise I made and reversed out of the driveway as quick as possible as tears began to leak down my cheeks and my lips began to tremble as I drove away from Billy's house. My supposedly future father-in-law, something I was so joyful about – having the possibility of a father – but now… I wasn't so sure.
Tanya walked through the house, three hours later, with several shoe boxes, a large bag and black covered garments hanging from a clothes hanger slung over her arms; her strawberry blonde-curls were curled in their natural tight curls that resembled Taylor Swift's hair and her pale eyes was coated in fresh make-up.
"Oh Bella!" Tanya called happily through the apartment as her heels clicked along the laminate floor, awaking the silent house to her entry. She heard no answer. Tanya sighed. "You better not be hiding Isabella Dwyer or I am going to find you and kick your ass." She threatened as she walked through into the bedroom.
She looked around the room and her eyes narrowed on the large lump under the covers. "If your sleeping I swear to God…" her sentence trailed off as she heard sniffles coming from under the shaking quilt.
She stopped dead and her face softened. She walked forward, threw everything onto the chaise longue and walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. She slowly pulled the quilt away with her newly manicured nails and her face turned into worry and concern as she saw her best friend who seemed more like her sister than a friend.
"Oh Bella…" she repeated, only this time it was in soft worry as she put a hand through Bella's hair and brushed it away from her face, revealing her red-blotched face, blood-shot eyes and bright red nose and tear-stained cheeks. "What's the matter?" she asked softly.
Bella opened her mouth to release a loud hipping breath. "J-Jak-e-e." she gasped through her heaving breaths and tears.
Tanya immediately worried that Bella and Jake had had their first fight. She wondered when it was coming – the two of them seemed to high in the clouds, she wondered when they were both going to have their first argument over something or other.
"Honey, what happened?" she asked, her fingers still threading through her hair.
"H-He-" she hiccupped. "-h-has be-een l-lying to m-me." She hiccupped again, more tears streaming down her face.
Tanya sighed and moved herself to lie down next to Bella, wrapping her arms around her waist and hugged Bella to her. "What did he lie about?" she asked carefully as she pulled her hand up again to brush away another strand hair that hung in front of her eye.
"H-h-he d-doe-sn't l-love me." She gasped out.
"I'm sure he does, honey, he probably just said that in the moment." She told her as she watched Bella continue to wrack out ugly, heart-breaking sobs. She instantly felt protective of her friend and tightened her arms around her. Jacob was definitely getting a smack for what he did to her friend/sister.
"N-No, h-he doesn't." she almost stubbornly said.
"Don't be silly, of course he does – he's head over heels for you. If he doesn't, why did he propose to you then?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"B-Bec-ause he was t-told to." She released a loud hiccup at the end.
Tanya's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
"He d-doesn't really l-love me. It's a-all an s-s-scam." Bella whispered through gasped of breaths. Tanya didn't say anything and Bella continued. "It w-was a scam all a-along. He never l-loved me. H-he was doing it for t-the m-money."
"What money?" Tanya asked.
"T-The m-money they were gi-giving him t-to m-marry me and re-reveal the t-true me-me."
Tanya froze where she lay and shot up, her curls flying around her face and she turned to stare down at Bella who stared down at the pillows below her, intently. "What!" she shrieked in horror. Bella didn't answer soon enough and Tanya pulled her chin lightly so that Bella would look at her. Tanya attempt to keep a calm face on but it was failing miserably. "Is this true?" Bella's lips quivered as she shakily nodded.
Tanya released her chin and ran the hand which had been holding her chin through her hair. "Oh God…" she whispered as her eyes raced around the room as thoughts ran around her head like a continuous wheel.
Bella shakily pulled herself up on her elbows and looked, brokenly, at Tanya. "What am I going to do, Tan?" she whispered.
Tanya looked at her, as she took in her broken sister/friend. Sure, Bella had always been broken and which, even with money and friends, had never been able to repair but now… repair could never be an option. She made her older self look like a minor illness and her current self look like a cureless plague.
"No, Bella, what are we going to do." She said before pulling out her phone and began dialing. "And we're calling in back-up."
A/N: Hello and welcome to my new story 'Infamous Broken Beauty'. It's something I've been dying to do about and now I finally get the chance, yay! It's been on my mind for a while and now I finally got it down onto Word I felt so much better :) I hoped you like it, please comment and tell me. I have a link to my blog on my profile but, at the moment, I don't have anything on it apart from some of my photography work which your more than welcome to check out, by the way. Anyway, when I do get it working I'll tell you guys on a chapter update or something like it.
For those who having been reading my 'Move of A Lifetime' and 'A Sing Sensation' I apologise but I decided that I won't carry on with both of them - I don't think I got either of them right just yet and I'm going to start on other stories before I go back to them. I promise to go back to them though, don't worry :)
Anyway, please review.
Until next update,
VioletRose1234.
