Slowly walking through the door to the penthouse where her new boss lived. It was the most beautiful apartment that Bella had ever seen. It was done in dark reds and blacks; it was very pretty, but at the same time very cold feeling. Like you did not feel welcome. Mr. Swan clasped Bella's hands with his and smiled at her. She was hoping like hell he could not see that she had been crying for the past couple hours; she could not have her new boss seeing her cry like that. She was wearing so much make-up to cover-up her red puffy eyes. She was dressed in a cute black dress with cap-sleeves and scoopneck; it was form fitting. Along with her nice pair black of 2" heels and a black jacket with a satin-trim.
"Isabella dear." Mr. Swan said while putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her through the penthouse. It was so big and spacey, but also very old fashion, like it belonged in the 20's.
"Hello, Mr. Swan."
"Please call me Nathaniel…I feel like I already know you…were is your fiancé dear." He said smiling.
"He could not make it…he had a photo shoot he had to get to in Fiji…he is a big time photographer." She said smiling, trying to forget what had just happened.
"Well I would have loved to have met him." He said smiling at her, thanking his lucky stars that the young Mackenzie did not make it. "Bridgette darling…come meet the new intern!" Mr. Swan yelled into the other room. A woman shorter than Bella at 5ft 3inches, with pale skin that you would think she was dead, came walking into the room. She looked like a model with her curly, honey blonde hair and ice blue eyes. She looked to be around the age of 35 and she was drop dead gorgeous. To make matters worse, Bella could not stop staring at her, because she felt so underdressed and out of place with her standing in the room. She kept looking everywhere for somewhere to hide. Bridgette was wearing a simple black straight-line cocktail dress that was a sleeveless crew neck. Scallop borders and lace highlighted the dress. She was also wearing a pair of black open toe pumps with satin trim and lace bow on the toe area. Her hair was done up in a French twist and she looked like she was going to meet the queen.
"You must be Isabella." The girl said, her voice sounded like angels singing. Bella wanted to hide in her black dress and heels. "My name is Bridgette, but you can call me Bridge…everyone does." She said smiling. The way she talked was like any socialite, very polite, but also at any moment will turn on you.
"Yes that is me…but please call me Bella." Bella squeaked. "Its nice to meet you." Bella said while shaking Bridgette's hand, has she just kept smiling at her. Bridgette's skin felt ice cold.
"Very cute dress." Bridgette said while sipping the drink she hand in her hand.
"Oh thanks…but your dress is a lot cuter." Bridgett just smiled like she knew it.
"Bridge where is that husband of yours?" Mr. Swan asked in annoyed tone.
"Helping Cliff with his tie!" Bridgette said laughing, but it sounded like music if anyone was to hear her. "They should be here any minute now." She said smiling sweetly at her father.
"Good…I told them a certain time and your husband is waning my patience!" Right when Mr. Swan said that, Mr. Parker and a younger boy about the age of eleven or so walked into the room. The young boy was the spitting image of Bridgette.
"Good you are finally here, maybe next time you will be on time…instead of making us all wait." Mr. Swan said in a little bit of an upset tone. He was annoyed at his daughter's husband. "Isabella dear…this is my darling daughter's husband…Francis." Bella shook hands with Mr. Parker. His hands felt ice cold to her, remembering back, all their hands felt cold to her, how was that possible, she thought.
"Its nice to meet you again Isabella." He said in a heavy British accent.
"Its nice to meet you Mr. Parker." Bella said smiling.
"Please call me Francis." Mr. Parker said smiling.
"Then please call me Bella…I have always found Isabella to be too long."
"Okay Bella." Francis said smiling. "This is our son, Radcliff." He said clapping the young boy behind him on the shoulder. Mr. Parker was dressed in a nice grey pin stripped Armani suit, while Mr. Swan was dressed in all black Armani suit, along with the young boy who dressed like his father.
"Hello." Bella said to the young boy, but he just stared at her.
"Radcliff…say hello." Bridgette all but screamed at her son.
"Hello Bella…my name…like my father said is Radcliff…but I would rather be called Cliff." Radcliff said smiling as he stuck out his hand for Bella to shake.
"Its nice to meet you Cliff." Bella said while shaking his hand.
"Good…we all know each other now…lets have dinner." Mr. Swan said while showing them towards the dinning room. It was like something out of the medieval period. In the middle of the room stood a huge oak table that looked like King Arthur's round table. The only lighting for the room was coming from the candle placed around the room.
"Wow." Bella said in a whisper. Everyone began to laugh at the comment.
"Everyone says that." Francis said laughing, Bella just looked at him weirdly. "How did they hear me," Bella thought.
"My wife designed the whole house…but this happened to be her favorite room…saying something about this is where the whole family will becoming together."
"She did a great job." Bella said as she set down.
"She did…didn't she." Mr. Swan said smiling as he took his seat at the head of the table, if you can call it that for it was round.
"So tell me Bella…where are you from?"
"I am from Wescott…a small town in Ohio, you probably have never heard of it." Bella said while smiling as she took a sip of her drink, it tasted coppery.
"You know what…I think I have." Mr. Swan said smiling.
"Really!" Bella said a little surprised.
"Yes." Bella just smiled at the four of them, there was something off about them, but she could not figure out what.
"So are you all from here in New York?" Bella asked.
"Yes dear Bella we are…I have been raised in New York since the day I was born…my mother was from Virginia, she had been the daughter of a farmer and the youngest out of 12 brothers and sisters…and father he grew up in England and moved to America when he was just 18 and fell in love with my mother and they moved up here…me and my wife raised our son and daughter here also…now my darling daughter is raising her son here." Mr. Swan said smiling. "But my wife well…she was from a village right outside of London, England…she always said that New York was much different than what she was use to." Bella smiled at him.
"Now lets not say that everyone in this room is from here!" Mr. Parker said laughing. "I was raised in Seaton Carew, in Durham, England. Its far up north in England…a little seaside town." Mr. Parker said smiling, his British accent ever present. "Now Cliff here…in September will be going to my old school in Durham." Bella just smiled at them.
"How did you come to be in New York…if you lived in England all your life…if you don't mind me asking."
"I was due to marry Bridge here…since birth we were meant to marry each other…so I came to America to get to know her better and make friendly with her family. You see her old man here." He said while pointing to Mr. Swan. "He graduated from Yale…it was planned for me to become a lawyer because this what her father did." Francis said smiling at Bella. "So to make her father happy…I went to his school."
"Ah…now I understand…if you don't mind me asking…where is your son at Mr. Swan?"
"Dear please call me Nathaniel…and he is running the London office…remember I think I told you that…he was troublemaker when he was younger and was shipped off to Scotland, there's an all boys school there…he was suppose to go to Eton College…my school but… of course he had to screw that up too…so we sent him to the next best thing." Mr. Swan said smiling. "After he graduated from there…he just stayed in Europe and then took over the London office...that was suppose to go to Francis, but things change." Bella just smiled at Mr. Swan.
"He sounds like my mother." Bella said laughing.
"How so dear?" Mr. Swan asked.
"Well…my mother got pregnant with me at the age of fourteen and married my father before she was fifteen."
"Ah…Bridge what was your brother's girlfriends name…didn't she come from Wescott." Mr. Swan asked.
"Oh wasn't Ren that girls name that Charlie dated that one year…she came up here for art school and then left." Bridgette said while staring at Bella.
"Yes…I do believe that was her name." Mr. Swan said while smiling. "So tell me Bella…do you know any Ren's…she always said she hated Wescott that there was nothing to do there."
"Well I agree with her." Bella said laughing. "But the only Ren I know is my mother…but she doesn't go by that…dad just calls her sweetie and her sisters call her Renie…and then her parents call her Renée…but she refuses to be called Ren… and I don't know any other Ren's…but there is probably other people called that or it could also be just a nickname."
"Probably is…but Bridgette wasn't her full name Renée…but Charles just called her Ren.
"Yes…father." Bridgette replied while never taking her eyes off of Bella.
"So tell me about your family?" Mr. Swan said smiling.
"Not much to tell about my family…we are the founding families and were into doing things as a family, like family reunion's and stuff…there is my mother and father, and then aunt Esme, she is my mom's older sister and interior designer, she is a big hit in Tennessee, while her husband, uncle Carlisle is a doctor...they are like my second parents." She said smiling. "And then they only have one child...my cousin Emmett...he is one of my best friends, him and his wife Rosalie own a gym and have a little boy." She smiled reminding the picture Emmett had sent her of Henri. He definitely looked like his father. "Then there is my mom's other, older sister Sofia who also lives in Wescott, she is a stay at home mom...and her husband Ethan is the local high school football coach and high school math teacher...and they have two daughters and a son, Tanya and Alice and then their son...Joey... I am more friends with Alice, she actually works at a museum has a restorer...while her husband Jasper is off in the military, they have a little girl." Bella smiled remembering a picture of Alice holding her daughter after she had been born. "And Tanya can be kind of mean...and Joey is still in high school, so I don't really have much in common with him." She laughed, which got a few at the table to laugh with her. "Then there is my mom's other older sister Madison...she is a fifth grade teacher and her husband Antonio...is a Neurologist in Akron, Ohio...they have two kids...Chris and Amelia...I talk to Chris more than Amelia...she is kind of like Tanya...actually they get along great."Bella laughed again. "Chris is married to his wife Jennifer and they have two beautiful kids and even Amelia is married to Carlos...he is a Count from Spain." Bella rambled, she was feeling embarrassed. "My father's mother lives with my parents since grandpa passed away a few years ago...and then my mother's parents still live in Wescott and are still very much involved in everything the town puts on…but yeah that's my family."
"Ah…a family that loves to spend time together…the world is starting to lack that." Mr. Swan said smilling.
"You know dad…I was just thinking that Ren girl also said she was from one of the founding families." Bridgette said smiling at Bella, which kind of scared her.
"Do you know any of the founding families with the name Ren?" Mr. Swan asked.
"Excuse me…what is up with you guys wanting to know about this Ren person." They just stared at her. "Sorry…there is only three founding families and my family happens to belong to all three. I am a Lockhart by mother's side and Wescott and Dwyer by my father's side and the only Ren I can think of…would be my mother…and she said she would never step foot in New York…so the girl you are talking about must have told you wrong…I know everyone in my family...its like a must to know your family history and the members of the family –" Before she could finish, Bridgette cut her off.
"You know…your right father…she does look like brother…its like brother is looking back at me in a dress." Bridgette said while making Bella jump a bit because she did not know that Bridgette was that close. Bridgette kneeled in front of her and grabbed Bella's face, rubbing her thump up and down's Bella's right cheek. "I can't believe my brother fell for your mother…she was so plain…country trash." Bridgette hissed as Bella tried to pull away, but Bridgette was stronger, she just held on tighter to the point it felt like she was going to break Bella's cheekbone. Bridgette's nails were beginning to dig into Bella smooth fair skin.
"Please let me go." Bella begged. "I have no idea what your talking about…I look my father."
"Yes dear you do." Mr. Swan said while standing and coming closer to Bella.
"You know my father…why didn't you just say that." Bella asked, a little confused.
"Yes I know your father…my idiot of a son." Mr. Swan said spitting in rage.
"Your son." Bella said crying. "Your mistaken…my fathers name is Phillip Dwyer…he goes by Phil." Bella said, hoping they would go back to acting normal.
"You mean the poor man that your mother fooled into believing you were his child." Bridgette said laughing. "Your mother was one of hell of an actress."
"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, more tears running down her face.
"Bella dear…the man you believed to be your father...isn't…its my stupid ass son and again…I have to clean up his messes. I thought I had taken care of the problem 24 years ago…but my darling wife…lied to me." Mr. Swan seethed while he got up and moved towards Bella. Bridgette finally let go of Bella's face and moved out of her fathers away. Bella tried to move but Mr. Swan was quicker, grabbing her by her wrist and slamming them on the table in front of her. "Quit…you are an abomination…half breed that deserves to die." Mr. Swan said yelling.
"What are you talking about…half breed?" Bella said crying more. "Oh I am going to die right here and now," Bella thought. Mr. Swan smiled at Bella, showing off his fangs. "Oh dear God…please let that just me something he put in, like he is a freak for vampires. You never know with the whole The Vampire Diaries crazy, there as been a craze for them, he could be another fan." Bella thought, while she stared at his fangs. Looking around the room, she stared at each and every one of them. Bridgette and Mr. Parker were smiling back at her with fangs; even the little boy that showed now signs of fangs was smiling creepily at her. It unnerved her to no end.
"Dear…I am the King of All Vampires and you are a half breed…that is going to die." Mr. Swan said while pulling Bella back to her feet in a quick motion.
"Your lying…vampires are not real." Bella said crying harder, making her words harder to understand. "I bettt thos faaanngss arrre faaake…yourrr jussst…vvvvampirrre…ffans." They all just began to laugh at her, which caused her to shake in fear.
"You would like to believe that." Bridgette said standing beside her father.
"Francis take her and kill her...cannot being having a half breed take the throne…she should have died before she was even born…but my Elena…wouldn't have it that way." Mr. Swan said while grabbing Bella by the throat and pushing her towards Mr. Parker. " I guess…I should have taken care of it myself."
"Yes sir." Mr. Parker said while taking Bella by the arm roughly and leading her out of the penthouse and towards the stairs because people were coming towards them. Making it to the next floor, Mr. Parker found his way to the elevator, pulling Bella into it. Bella just stood there, thinking of some way to get away from these crazy people.
Too Be Continued...