I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Gabby and April, thank you for pre-reading, and Fran, thank you for taking your time to edit. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 20

Renée's POV

Someone was going to pay.

I stood in the center of the small cell, refusing to sit on the pitiful board that they dare call a mattress. It was covered in nasty brown stains and smelled as if someone had recently shit on it.

It was bad enough that I was forced into this horrible orange jumpsuit. The cheap material was rough on my delicate skin and giving me a rash. As soon as I was out of here, I was taking a well-deserved week at the spa for some pampering.

I knew why Laurent had been arrested, but I wasn't certain as to why I was. If it were simply because I was with the man that attacked Isabella, then I would be out of here shortly. I could easily say he was blackmailing me or he would kill the brat.

Unless the little pig squealed that I put him up to it.

He had lived out his use to me anyway, and I was getting tired of the fool. He couldn't even complete a simple task that was laid out for him. Instead, he failed me three times; in addition, the third time he was caught by that snotnose pissant, Edward. The irony was that Laurent was to plant the necklace Isabella had been wearing somewhere so that Edward would be implicated in her death.

He had failed me one, too many times.

At least he would rot in jail for awhile and be out of my hair. Against my better judgment, I had met with him. He had been whining that he had to hide out in that revolting motel, and demanded that I was to bring him money to escape to Mexico, or he'd turn me in—so he had to be silenced.

It would be my word against his anyway—and I would triumph. I had the money and the social standing while he had nothing. He was nobody before he met me, and he'll go back to being one with a snap of my fingers.

I had been very careful, patient and smart about every move I made. I learned long ago from my mistakes and have worked too hard for this. That money belonged to me, and I would be damned if I let my little, Bambi-eyed offspring have a penny of it.

I met the idiot, Charles Swan, or Charlie when I was sixteen, and I knew a good opportunity when I saw it. My parents could barely feed and clothe me because they were drinking themselves into an early grave. Charlie was the shy, sweet, yet not too bright boy from the richest family in the state. His grandfather had invented some device for boats or was it subs? Whatever it was, it had made him a very wealthy man.

Charles was the sole heir and was my ticket out of that town. He was easy to seduce, and like the good boy I knew him to be, he offered to marry me once I was pregnant.

Everything was working out perfectly until his nosey bitch of a mother, Marie, butted in. She threw a fit and claimed that I had purposely gotten pregnant and didn't even believe the baby was his.

All it took from me was a few tears, and we moved to Arizona to be away from his mother's reach. However, I was unaware that he didn't have access to his trust fund until he was twenty-five. So he got a job…of all things, a police officer. It paid poorly, but it had its advantages of putting him in the line of fire quite often. As long as he could keep himself alive until we were married, I was golden.

And I do look good in gold.

Marie struck again, when somehow, she discovered that I was only sixteen, and convinced Charlie not to marry me because I had tricked him. And he believed her! And this was after I had given in and allowed Charlie to use Marie as part of our child's name … trying to appease the stuck up bitch.

Of all the nerve.

Perhaps, my second mistake was when I jumped the gun and threatened to press charges of underage rape a bit too soon. But in the end, I worked out a deal with Charlie where he was to pay me a generous, child support allotment and, as even further revenge, Isabella remained in my soul custody without visitation. I even got him to agree that Isabella would get her fair share of a trust fund at age eighteen—for college opportunities, of course.

I grew impatient, but I knew I had to wait if I wanted to achieve my ultimate goal. I knew that bitch couldn't live forever, and Charlie was still a police officer, so I figured it was just a matter of time.

However, I didn't count on Charlie moving back to Forks; the most boring, law-abiding town in the U.S. After enough time had gone by, Charlie's demise needed a helpful push. That was when I met Laurent, who soon became all too willing to help my cause. The one thing…let's say the second thing Laurent was good for was his shadiness and his knowledge of all things concerning automobiles. Within a week of his visit to the Northwest, Charlie had died in a car accident.

My last mistake was not counting on Charlie lack of trust in me. However, I could only assume that it was the bitch's doing. He did leave everything to Isabella, but she wouldn't get a penny until her eighteenth birthday. The kicker was his mother was the trustee and that penny-pinching bitch fought me over every dime. She even had the nerve to stop child support payments.

She had me investigated and found out that I spent most of that money on myself. Claimed I was neglecting my own daughter and that Esme, Donna Reed incarnated, Cullen was a better mother to Isabella. She threatened that if I didn't shape up, she would take Isabella away from me.

I cleaned up my act for awhile, and Laurent faded into the shadows. I knew that Marie couldn't die suspiciously too close to Charlie or fingers could be pointed at me. However, it also had to be done before Isabella's eighteenth birthday. So I waited and seized the opportunity the weekend of Isabella sixteenth birthday when I knew that perfect little Esme would be all to happy to keep my daughter busy. I bought two tickets for the Bahamas, but at my layover, I never got on the second plane. Instead, I drove to Washington State, and with a small propane leak and one single match the old house lit up like a blaze in the night sky while the bitch was asleep.

Since there was no other trustee named, I became the one in charge of not just Charlie's, but also Marie's estate until Isabella was of age. The money rolled in, and we moved on up to a better life. I soon met Philip, and he was putty in my hands from the start. I planned on keeping him around for a while longer since he was still making me more money faster than I could spend it. Once Bella turned eighteen, it was surprisingly easy what a little cash under the table and fake I.D.s could do—and no one was the wiser.

I made sure Isabella lost contact with the Cullens, or so I had thought. The last thing I needed was Carlisle or Esme sniffing around for anything suspicious. Edward was a bright one, and I knew that he was in love with my daughter and was always looking out for her, so he was a threat. I had to break that connection—since Isabella was a good obedient girl, I knew she would listen to me.

That was until this summer.

I never should have given him that job. No matter how good it felt to have a Cullen work for me. He somehow weaseled his way back into my daughter's life.

Isabella had lived out her usefulness and had to die soon. It was getting difficult for me to pass as a twenty-year-old, no matter how many beauty treatments I had. I had been tempted to try to marry her off to that Austin St. Marks, then kill them both to gain even possibly more wealth.

But things didn't work out as planned.

Once again, I blamed that Cullen boy.

I caught sight of an officer outside of my door. "Hey!" I banged on the bars and instantly regretted it. They probably hadn't been washed since the place was built.

He paused and leveled me with a cold stare. "Yes?" he replied curtly.

How dare he speak to me with such a lack of respect. I would have his job as soon as I was out of here.

"I demand a new mattress, that one is stained, and these floors are sticky, they must be washed. I also need to use the ladies room. While I'm in there, this place can be cleaned," I mandated.

He smirked then started to laugh. "This isn't the Ritz. Your bathroom is in there with you. If you used the sheets that you threw on the floor, they would cover the stains. If you want your floor washed, I can get you a bucket of soapy water and a brush, and you can clean it yourself."

"Do you even know who I am? I will not tolerate being treated like this," I hissed.

"I know perfectly well who you are? Do you even remember me?" he challenged.

I glanced at the name tag; Black, and it didn't seem familiar. "I'm an innocent woman, and I insist that I be released."

He held up a finger then called out. "Who here is innocent?"

"I am!" several voices chorused.

"I can be for a price, extra for naughty, Jakey," a voice from one cell over answered.

"Not interested, Jane." He shook his head. "Anything else?" He glanced at me.

"I demand to know what I'm being charged with." I narrowed my eyes.

"Formal charges will be read at your arraignment by the D.A. assigned to your case. You've already refused to speak with the designated officer here without a lawyer." He looked bored.

"Where are my husband and my lawyer, they should be here by now?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"Then let me out so I can call him again," I yelled, losing patience.

"I'll have to check with my boss. You've already used the phone more than your fair share today." He walked away.

The prick.

Where the fucking hell was Philip?

His lazy ass should have arrived by now with a lawyer. Hopefully, he was smart enough to get William, like I told him, or he would have some answering to do if he didn't. It was bad enough that it took forever to get hold of him.

Officer Black came back a moment later. "You're in luck, your husband is here."

"Finally. It took him long enough. Hurry up." I tried to fix my hair the best I could.

"First, I have a lovely accessory to go with your outfit." He dangled a pair of handcuffs.

"I am not putting those on." I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"Then you're not leaving the cell. Rules are rules." He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, but the police commissioner will hear about this." I extended my arms.

"I don't doubt that." He snickered not looking bothered at all as he snapped the horrid metal things on my wrists.

He led me down the hallway and into a stark, white, harshly lit room containing a folding table and a few metal chairs. On one wall was a filthy mirror. I paused a moment to check my appearance and frowned. I looked ghastly! How was I suppose to charm Philp and William looking like this? I will have to try the 'pity me' card, and since Philip was a sucker, it shouldn't be too hard.

"Take a seat and wait here," Officer Black ordered before leaving the room, locking it behind him.

I took the seat with a huff; at least it looked clean. A moment later, the door was opened, and Philp entered. He walked slowly over and took a seat without looking up at me.

Well, this won't do at all. My anger started to boil over the fact that he had left me here to fend for myself.

"Philip, I've been here all day. Why didn't you come here immediately to help me? We are going to talk about this at home," I snapped angrily at him.

"Bail hasn't been set yet, so I'm afraid you'll be here for awhile longer," Philip stated with a lack of emotion.

"What is wrong with you? You could at least show some concern that your wife has been unjustly arrested." I glared at him.

He finally lifted his eyes and stared at me coldly. "Was it unjust? You may be thrilled to know that you were headline news last night and first thing this morning. They have an excellent shot of you and Laurent leaving the hotel."

"How could you assume the worst? That man was blackmailing me. I was only trying to protect my daughter." I teared up, but they seemed to have no effect.

What was wrong with him?

It was like he was prepared for the reaction as he sat there looking back at me with a frown on his face. He glanced away at the mirror then back at me.

"Speaking of Bella, she paid me a visit first thing this morning as I was contemplating how to help you. She informed me of some extremely essential things I may have been missing." His eyes narrowed.

"What could she possibly have told you to treat me like this. I did everything for that girl, and you saw how she repaid me. I only asked her for one thing, and she behaves like a spoiled brat for not getting her way," I complained.

"Renée, you've lied to me. You told me that it was your inheritance. But it was Bella's; she owns everything. Do you even realize how much trouble you're in? You have forged her signature, pretended to be her, and took control of her money as if it was yours. To make matters worse—I'm involved in this mess. All those investments I made with her money under your name can send me to jail too." Philip was now yelling.

"Will you be quiet before someone hears you? How can you even accuse me of this?" I hissed under my breath.

"Bella found everything when getting her birth certificate from the safe. The death certificates, wills, fake I.D.s; need I go on," Philip answered; he shook his head and looked at me with disgust.

I tried to keep my composure as I froze inside. That little bitch. How dare she snoop through my things. All my plans were now in a precarious position, but I refuse to go down. I carefully calculated my next step.

"Everything will work out. Isabella has never cared for money or material things, so she wouldn't even want her inheritance. I am the one who deserves it anyway. I'm the one that had to raise that little brat. I only got myself knocked up by her father because how well off his family was. But his mother never liked me and saw right through my charade. She wouldn't give him a cent while he was with me. So I refused to marry him and made him pay through the nose for child support. He tried to take her from me, but I wasn't going to lose my cash cow. Luckily for me, courts rule in the mother's favor," I argued.

"I thought Charlie didn't want her." Philip sounded even more upset.

"He's the only one that did," I scoffed.

"How can you say that about your own daughter? Don't you even love her?" he asked incredulously, sitting back roughly against the seat.

"Who can love a pebble in their shoe," I replied honestly.

"You're unbelievable. How could I have been so blind?" He scowled.

"Stop being so melodramatic. Did you get hold of William or not?" I was growing tired of this pleasant facade.

"He refused your case," he stated tersely.

"Then talk to Aro. I want to get out of here today. You wouldn't believe the filth they have me staying in."

"Aro has been hired by Bella, so I'm afraid he won't help you. Neither will I. I'm filing for divorce as soon as I leave here. Then I plan to cooperate fully with the FBI. You'll have to make due with a court-appointed attorney since all your accounts have been frozen, and I won't pay for one." He stood.

"The FBI?" I glanced up, feeling the color drain from my face.

"Yes, the charges you're being leveled with fall under their jurisdiction." He headed for the door.

"Wait! Tell Isabella to visit me. I'm sure we can come to an agreement," I pleaded.

He turned and leveled me with a stare. "I'm afraid your days of manipulating that girl have come to end."

He left me sitting alone in the room.

I huffed angrily refusing to give up; I will get Isabella here and convince her that this was all a misunderstanding.

The door reopened, and I glanced up expecting the fool guard but was surprised when Isabella entered. She was pasty pale with stringy hair and no makeup, wearing an over-sized t-shirt and jean shorts. She looked dreadful.

I hid my smile.

This was going to be easier than I thought. I bit back my comments, knowing that I needed her full cooperation. I couldn't help but scowl when the Cullen boy followed her in. He shot me a hateful glare, daring me to say something.

Well, I wasn't that stupid.

"Isabella and Edward, I'm so happy to see you both. Edward, I do apologize for our little mix-up the other night. As her mother, I hope you understand I only wanted what was best for her."

Isabella stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow. Edward rolled his eyes and smirked back at me. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. He then wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to a chair and took a seat beside her.

"Edward, do you think you could give me a moment alone with my daughter." I smiled winningly.

"I asked him to come in, and he stays," Isabella responded defiantly.

"Very well, sweetheart, there seems to be some misunderstanding. If you had come to me first, I could've explained it all to you," I said sweetly.

"I think what I found was pretty cut and dry." Her eyes narrowed.

"You know, you shouldn't have been snooping in my things. I can press charges back for breaking and entering as well as theft," I threatened lightly.

"Since the house is in her name, bought with her money, that would fail in court. As for the safe, you gave her the combination yourself and she only took her own documentation." Edward smiled condescendingly.

"I didn't—"

"You did … At the anniversary party when I asked for it to put your necklace back." Isabella cut me off. "So what could you possibly say to me to stop me from pressing charges?"

"It wasn't my fault. Your father was a cruel man and took advantage of me when I was only sixteen-years-old. He raped me, and I became pregnant with you. He refused child support, and I was surprised when he left that money to you after years of no contact." I let the tears roll down my cheeks.

Edward barked out a laugh as Bella continuously looked at me stupefied.

"How dare you? Isabella, how could you be with someone that treats your mother so horrifically?" I cried.

"Word of advice, Renée," Edward said shortly then pointed across the room,"two-way mirror."

"You've been spying on me," I yelled.

"You didn't tell us anything we didn't already know." Isabella stood abruptly. "We're wasting our time here. See you in court, Renée."

"You will treat me with the respect I deserve. I am your mother, and I know that you love me," I called after her.

She whirled around. "How can anyone love a noose around their neck? I'm not stupid, I know you've been trying to kill me, and so do the police. And respect is earned, and you've done nothing to get mine. My entire life with you has been a lie." She left the room quickly with the boy at her heels.

As the door slammed behind them, it sunk in that I was screwed. But that didn't mean I wasn't going down without a fight. I worked too hard for everything to give it up.

No, this was far from over.

A/N:

So there you go, you've now seen into Renée's evil mind. I hope this answers just about all your questions. Phil knew nothing, he was a victim just as much as Bella. Yes, I know he had his head in the sand, but at least he's trying to do the right thing now.

Two small Easter eggs. Officer in Black is indeed Jacob. He had mowed the lawn before Edward. Renée 'fired' for lumps of grass in the yard. Jane is the hostess from the seafood restaurant that fooled around with Ken.

Thank you for all the love and reviews you have given my story.