Previously on: Can we start over?
"You're up early"
"Well aren't you going to open it?"
"At the end of the letter there is a number that you can contact to get in touch."
Bella strolled down the streets of her home town with ease, her hands stuffed into her pockets as she watched the cars drive past her. She wasn't popular, nor did she really interact with many people in her neighborhood, a side effect of being Renee's daughter. Her time wasn't her own , she had chores, even more than a normal teenager would have. She cooked, cleaned and paid the bills.Her time was Renee's .. she finished her homework at school to ensure she had enough time to do everything that was needed.
To be honest she considered unsavory work before but threw that thought out because her body was different and surely there wouldn't be clientele that would appreciate it.
Sure it was 2005 but not everyone was progressive. The lgbtq community in Phoenix wasn't as big as it could be. The major cities had no problem with embracing change, and adapting but she wondered whether her father would hide or shy way that his daughter different even though Phoenix was not as progressive as the rest of the USA but forks was a smaller town.. much smaller.. and she wondered what he would even say if she told him that she was interested in women or actually one women in particular but she didn't dare think about it.
Her condition so to speak would make it slim pickings for her. Well it wasn't like she was going to seduce Jessica or god forbid Lauren.. just even thinking about it made her gag. She never had a problem with women expressing the sexuality freely but there's a fine line between having a healthy sexual appetite and being the school bicycle. Lauren Mallory was definitely the school bicycle and she didn't need or want a ride on that particular ride.
Her thoughts strayed from her actual issue, how she was going to tell her father she was gay. She clearly couldn't ride into such a small town with a big ass rainbow flag declaring her sexuality for all to see. Although it would be a joyous view watching their faces she mused.
Before she realized it she made it to a convenience store, who had a pay phone not to far from the entrance.
She checked her pockets for change, and found some she popped the coin in and dialed the number on the letter and listened to the phone give off two rings. As she waited she watched her surroundings .. it was nearly 10am but the streets were still pretty empty.. the convenience store hadn't had that much foot traffic either. She wondered whether she could get a job here meanwhile, not that she needed it but it would mean she could spend more time out of the house. She needed to try and get a gym membership too, remembering the words of her great-grandmother was clear that even though she had some enhancements .. she needed to make sure her body could take the strain too.
A gruff but polite voice shook her out of her thoughts " Hello, Matthew Johnson speaking" said the voice on the phone which she now identified as the same person who wrote her the letter.
She cleared her throat before speaking " Hello Mr Johnson, you're speaking to Isabella" she paused she heard some ruffling on the other end and clarified before the man could ask " Isabella Swan, I received your letter earlier today" she added and waited for a response. She heard the man let out a deep breath and a chuckle.
"Hi I'm sorry.. yes Miss Swan" he cleared his own throat, Bella listened to the man mess with some papers on his end before he continued so she waited patiently.
"The letter I sent was a notification so to speak, according to your great grandmothers wishes. I would like us to meet face to face so that we could discuss the details better than over a phone .?" He left the question hanging and she couldn't help but agree with the man , perhaps it was her witchy instincts but she felt like she could trust the man.
"Sure that's fine, there's coffee shop a couple of blocks away from the address you mailed the letter too" she paused and wondered whether this man was even in Phoenix to begin with " hold on, are you in Phoenix?" She asked after a while
Matthew chuckled on his end " Yes I am, I know which coffee shop you're referring too I can be there" he looked to his watch " in 20 minutes is that okay?"
Bella flushed slightly at her own embarrassment but shook it off " yeah .. I can I'll see you then Mr Johnson" she said and effectively ended the call, but waited for the man to confirm before she put the pay phone back on the hook.
She exhaled a deep breath and looked to the sky, she needed to take another walk not that she minded, but calling a cab would be a waste especially since she wasn't too far from the coffee shop..with that in mind she started her brisk walk to the coffee shop and wondered what to expect.
Coffee shop
Bella sat down in the corner of the coffee shop with a soy latte in her hands, she listened to the conversations happening in the shop. She wondered whether this was how the Cullens felt or any vampire really .. being able to hear everything constantly not being able to find some peace.
She knew they couldn't sleep so that meant that they were constantly awake , feeling and hearing everything around them. She sighed and shook her head softly .. trying to concentrate on her own problem. She filtered out the voices slowly like sorting through her favorite books. Soon the conversations because quieter and let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding.
She heard the bell near the door indicating someone coming in, she saw a tall man enter about 6,0' feet tall, his hair was combed to the back , he easily looked like her could pass for his mid thirties, but the greying hairs on the side of his head gave him away. The aging wrinkles near his eyes as well. She wondered whether this was Mr Johnson, he looked like a business man dressed in a nice simple black suit and a briefcase with him in hand.
She watched him scan the coffee shop for something, she lifted her hand and caught the man attention. It was clear that he knew who she was or even clear that he knew who he was looking for.He gave a polite smile and continued to walk over to the teenager.
"Isabella ?" He questioned you make sure, Bella gave him a smile .
"Yes, though if we going to continue working together I must insist you call me Bella" she said with some confidence. Mathew chuckled and smiled a real smile, she looked exactly like her great grandmother.He of course had the information passed onto him and his family working so closely with the supernaturals made them aware of how many other supernaturals lurked in the corners of the world.
"Well Bella" he tested and affirmed with a nod of his own " I would like you to call me Matthew" he said and took a seat opposite the teenager. He put his briefcase on the table and took out some papers that he would explain to the girl. He hoped she chose to keep the swan business with his family not only because of the history but also because he knew exactly how cruel the world was, and if you showed a hint of weakness they would chew you up and spit you back right out.
" I can work with that" she said with a soft smile. Matthew returned it and slid over the papers he prepared for their meeting.
"I know this is sudden, however your great grandmother left explicit instructions the moment you turned 17 and unlocked your powers which would subsequently mean that she would unfortunately no longer roam earth." He paused allowing the girl to process his words. Bella nodded when she was aware that she would be the last enchanted witch and any children she might have with be swans however as long as she lived which would technically be forever .. they wouldn't come into any powers. She gave a grim nod gesturing to Matthew to continue.
"Everything in these papers basically says that you are now the sole heir to the swan fortune." He paused getting the papers in order. Bella stared down at the papers making sense of the legal terms that made her mind dizzy.She looked down to the amount that was circled she looked at the numbers once, rubbed her eyes and then stared again, her mouth partly open as she stared at the amount. Matthew who seemingly enjoyed her surprise gave an amused laugh.
"Yes that's the amount you have in monetary value everything else which isn't included in that amount has been put into real estate, and tied up in investments"
"I'm a billionaire" she breathed unbelievably, she could cry but held back her tears knowing it wasn't appropriate for now.
Matthew smiled at the girl, he hired a personal investigator to do some digging and found that Isabella was the one who made sure the bills were paid, while her mother galavanted around with different boyfriends, leaving her young daughter alone to deal with all the household issues.So her being surprised at the amount was clear that she never thought it was possible but he himself knew from the records of the Swan family, for centuries they've been in the background basically helping America to what it is today.
"You are or you will be when you sign here" he said giving the girl a pen. Bella's hands shook slightly, as she took the offered pen and sighed her name and surname, on the dotted line.
"Alright then. Everything else will be emailed to you" he paused but the girl shook her head
"I don't have a computer nor a phone that's why I called you on a public one" she said softly. Matthew shook his head.
"Well don't worry about that" he said taking out two cards one debit and credit card " these will help you to get what you need. I took the liberty of setting up a main account and few secondary accounts for you, I would suggest you getting your license though, your family has multiple cars in storage. You could use one for your own personal use."
"No, I'll get my license but for now I'll hold back on choosing on of the cars, my mother" she clenched her fist tightly and shook her head clear of her more aggressive thoughts " will question it and I for one will not be answering, she's not the kind of woman I want to know that I'm well rich" she breathed out with a sigh.
"That's okay, you have my number once you make your decision let me know, until you've chosen another estate manager"
"Don't worry your family has worked for mine for generations, I feel no need to upset the balance now" she gave the man a real smile and continued " besides perhaps it's the more witchy side of me so to speak... I know you're trustworthy." She said with a nod.
Matthew let out a sigh of relief, he was happy the girl decided to stay with his family, though there had been incidents in the past but those were quickly stamped out after all there family owes the Swans their life a debt they would never be able to repay.
"Okay then, I'll make sure you get copies of every document when you have the devices necessary. It was a pleasure to meet you Bella and I hope we'll continue to have a very successful relationship" he said holding his hand out.
Bella shook his hand and watched the man pack away all the papers. He looked like he was going to leave she assumed to file everything, and ensure it was in order.
After Bella left the coffee shop , the sun shone a little brighter, she felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders. There's already been some changes to her current timeline which was expected since her great-grandmother gave her a summary on what to expect from her mother and then what lead her to becoming an heiress. She chuckled to herself, she saw a woman look at her like she was crazy but she just smiled politely and went on her way.
Even becoming a billionaire wouldn't change her, she knew the value of money.. the importance of it thanks to Renee and her wasteful lifestyle. It taught her how to spend and when to spend just because she had a fat bank account now didn't mean she was going to go crazy and spend money left right and center. After all she had an eternity to plan for .. she smiled at the thought and her mind flashed her an image of Rosalie's face.
"Yeah right it's not going to be that easy Bella" she chided herself as she slipped her cards in her tiny wallet she had, it looked worn out and definitely saw better days but it was a gift from her father for her 12th birthday. She was sure there was supposed to be money in but her mother just gave her the empty wallet with a shrug and turned on her heel. She felt tears pool in her eyes at the memory, she blinked them away and continued her journey home.
"Time to face the music" she said to herself as she heard her mother curse loudly in the house.