I don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of the story.
This is the rewritting of On Solid Ground.
Thanks to my Beta MadMooey18 for making this readable.
She watches as everyone leaves through the door. Most don't bother to reach out to her and say goodbye. For people who came to pay respect, a good portion of them have been disrespectful.
It's a no brainer, you can't give back what you lack.
Aro is the last person to leave but not before he gives her a long fierce hug and makes her promise him to call in case anything happens. She nods her head knowing full well that she won't reach out to him. She wants to make it on her own and as much as she appreciates what Aro did for her, it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. It was what she deserves after what she did for him. Anything else he does for her will fall under pity and help when the last thing she needs are those. She needs to stand on her own two feet. There are people dependent on her. She can't be dependent on another in turn.
And taking Charlie's money won't make you dependent on him in turn?
No because as far as I am concerned, I am considering this my payment for what he put me through.
"I want you to make sure that not a thing is out of place before you leave, Seth," she tells him after she closes the door. Bella turns her back to the door and faces him. He nods at her and gets to work. It's 3:30pm. The Blacks are arriving at 5:00 PM. She has enough time for him to finish cleaning up and leave before they arrive.
She doesn't want the Blacks to say anything. She realizes though that they will have a lot to say. She also knows that no amount of cleaning is going to make a difference. Should it help? The last time they were here they threatened her with physical violence. They are here for the reading of her father's will and they will most definitely try to challenge it. What is the point of niceties and fake pleasantries? Nothing. It's about saving face and despite everything, showing that she has her shit together unlike them.
Once the house is cleaned, she locks the door behind Seth and goes to her dad's office to wait for them. Once they arrive, Carmen will let them in. Bella sits in her dad's chair with the gun that Aro got her tucked into the band of her jeans. She made sure to change into a baggier sweater, so the outline of the gun won't be seen. It wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. The last time they saw her, she had her finger on the trigger. She is hiding the gun for Jay's benefit. He doesn't need to know that he is supporting someone with more guts than a delicate flower.
She hears the doorbell ring followed by the heavy footsteps of someone. It's not the Blacks because she doesn't hear the sound of Billy's wheelchair. Jay Jenks comes through her father's office door and she gets off the chair and walks around to greet him. He is her dad's long term friend and lawyer. He is also the man that has been involved alongside Aro in hiding her father's original will and forging a new one, one that includes her. After some idle chit-chat, he apologizes for not being able to make it to the funeral or wake due to his wife's illness. She sits back in silence but not before she makes it clear to him that she is not angry at him for not being at the funeral.
She scrolls through people's comments on her last Instagram post, replies to them and likes others. She isn't a shallow person. She's not so obsessed with what people think of her, at least that is what she keeps telling herself. Social media is part of her job. What's her job you ask? It's kind of complicated.
Before her mum died, she modeled for two years. It's what she saw her mum do and if there is anyone she will eternally idealize, it's her mum. She also truly wanted to model, so when a chance arose for her to strut her stuff through her mum's connection, she wasn't going to pretend that she did it all on her own, she jumped at it.
When she moved in with her dad after her mum died, all of her hopes and aspirations died too. Who's going to think of thriving when they are barely surviving? It wasn't a sudden shift. Things slowly changed. She originally didn't realize the significance of them. They were small shifts, but they built up until they were like hands hell-bent on choking her, metaphorically and literally. When she realized that nothing could sustain her relationship with her dad, it was too late. Whether it was up to her or not, she waited too long and crossed the line of no return.
For the last five months, since things have slowly been shifting positively for her, she has been working on building a social media presence for herself. In no way would she let Charlie's lunacy stop her from picking up her goals and dreams again. She will move back to NYC. She will resume her modeling career. To some it might not sound like much but to her, it's everything she wants and then some.
It's while she is having one of those inner girl power, anthems/ speech/ pep talks that she hears the doorbell ring and spies them through the window waiting for the door to open. It couldn't come at a better time since she is feeling awfully strong and invincible.
"Welcome, gentlemen," she states the moment they arrive at the doorway of the office. She would rather stare at them in silence and not speak to them more than needed but she is playing a game and staying silent isn't the right move.
"Whatever! Let's get started," Jacob mutters while Billy sneers at her.
"As you wish," she tells them smiling while smirking on the inside. They are playing right into her hands. She signals at Jenks to start and he begins by opening his case and taking paperwork out of it.
Jenks clears his throat to speak but before he can Bella does. "Before we begin, I want to make one thing clear. I understand that the last time we saw each other things didn't go very smoothly and I take responsibility for my part in that. Billy, you were a dear friend of my dad and no matter what we find in the will, I hope we can let go of what happened before and call each other friends or at the very least acquaintances."
Jacob and Billy snort and scoff respectively. "I don't care about all of the crap you just said. I want my and my son's part in the inheritance and then you could get hit by a bus for all I care."
Both of them look at her uninterested in what she has to say. She understands that. Any other time, she wouldn't say that but if push comes to shove she will need to play the system and this little act is the ideal maneuver to make.
She nods at Jenks to start. He starts by listing the properties and bank accounts left by Charlie. He left the Forks house, a lake house in Oregon, two apartments in Seattle, a Chevy truck and a Mercedes car, a fishing boat, and two bank accounts, one has 30 thousand dollars, and the other has 50 thousand dollars in it.
"Charlie Swan left Carmen, his sister, the lake house in Oregon as it was something he inherited from his father. He left the 50 thousand dollar bank account to Adam, and the 30 thousand dollars account to Peter,", "Wait a damn minute, those accounts are for my son and me," Billy interrupts.
Jenks raises his eyes from the paper and looks at them as he says, "I am telling you what the will says."
"And we are telling you that the will is supposed to tell you that we inherit the bank accounts," Jacob rebuttals.
Jenks huffs and places his glasses and the papers on the table, "What the heck is that supposed to mean? I was there when the will was crafted. The bank accounts are for the boys. I was there when those trust funds were created. I was the one who overlooked those accounts."
"You are lying. Charlie promised us those things. He wouldn't break a promise," Jacob states. Bella snorts at that. The eyes of the Blacks turn sharply toward her.
"What do you find so funny, bitch?" Jacob demands.
Trying to steady her expression, she covers her laugh with a cough and mutters, "Oh nothing. I wasn't laughing. I was coughing. You must be imagining things."
Jenks decides to take charge of the room, "Can we please continue reading the will?"
"Of course not. We need to discuss the fact that the accounts are for us before we move on," Jacob replies leaning forward and cracking his knuckles.
"With your knuckles? Cause I have no problem doing that, son," Jenks replies, shrugging off his jacket and rolling the sleeves of his button-up.
"Now, now everyone. We don't want any punches thrown. We can civilly solve this. Right, Jay?" Bella asks, getting involved so things won't escalate.
Her inside voice tells her she wants to see Jacob punched. What he doesn't know is that Jay is a retired wrestler. Jenks might not look threatening but he can take him down easily. That said, she would rather appear like the pleasant, sane, and calm person that stops things from escalating.
"I can be civil about this but when my reputation as a lawyer is questioned, I won't sit back and ignore the terrible accusations I have just received," Jenks replies.
Bella turns sharply towards Jacob and states, "If you have any problems you can take the legal route. You will stay quiet till the entire reading of the will is done, okay?"
When neither Billy nor Jacob replies she repeats her question and Billy replies, "We will take the legal route anyways since the bank accounts should be ours," he pauses for a second then turns towards Jacob and continues, "Son lets get through this as quickly as possible so we can go and contact our lawyer."
Jacob nods his head so Jenks resumes the reading of the well, "according to the will, Jacob Black will inherit the Chevy truck Charlie owned alongside a 30 thousand dollars cheque to be used to restore the truck," he pauses to turn to Jacob then continues, "He knew how much you wanted to start your mechanic shop and thought that this would be the first step along the way."
Surprise colors the expression of both of the Blacks because this wasn't part of the deal.
Taking advantage of their silence, Jenks continues, "Furthermore, Billy Black is to inherit the fishing boat alongside 15 thousand dollars to renovate it. Charlie's hope was for you to make it handicap friendly, so that you would continue your fishing trips on your own after his death."
Unlike Jacob and Billy, none of this surprises Bella. All of this was planned meticulously a week ago.
"And you don't want what they did to slide off?" Aro asks rhetorically.
"What do you think?" she replies.
"I think that you didn't get this far to have the rug dragged from under your feet. It doesn't make sense for them to inherit almost everything your dad left behind," he answers.
"Now you are thinking like me. This all is mine. I have earned the right to everything they want to take from me."
"You want to forge the well. I can do it. Jenks is on my payroll and I have other people in my pockets that can make sure that it is as authentic as the original without leaving a paper trail," he replies. She can hear the smirk in voice. Aro lives for the illegal things in life.
"You can make that happen?" she asks.
He chuckles for a bit then replies, "Now, now Bella. Do you want to hurt my feelings? You should know the answer to that dear. After all, I made sure your dad's death looked like an accident."
Bella rolls her eyes at her stupidity and then states, "True, how did that escape my notice?"
"I will consider it a momentary relapse in judgment. Anyways, I will see his will and make sure that everything willed to them ends up yours," Aro promises at the end.
Bella is silent for a moment before she speaks, "Shouldn't they at least get something? I mean if they expect to get everything and end up getting nothing, they will have more incentive to pursue legal actions against me."
"You are right. Let me think," Aro replies, pausing for a minute as he hums then stops, "Do you have any fish left from the last time your dad went fishing with Billy?"
Bella nods her head and then realizes that he can't see her so she voices a yes.
"Then my dear we have found their inheritance," Aro replies.
Bella barks a laugh at the image she gets in her head of both Billy and Jacob's faces turning shades of red and violet in anger.
She finally controls her laughter and replies, "No, that won't do."
"Why? That could be the biggest middle finger for you to give them?" Aro states almost whining. If there is anything Aro loves more than sending traitors to swim with the fishes, it is the theatrics that come with him overpowering and outsmarting his enemies. He loves shoving it in their faces that they aren't on his level.
"Exactly, that would strengthen their case when they pursue legal actions. Why would he leave them such a pathetic thing when they were this close?" Bella replies.
"So you are sure that they will pursue legal action?" Aro asks her.
"And I would rather have them inherit something that would weaken their case. A well thought of last gift from him," she replies.
"Do you have something in mind?" Aro asks her.
"I think I do," she replies, pausing for a minute to turn and twist the idea in her head a couple of times before she launches into an explanation of the gift.
"You think this will work?" Aro sounded deep in thought.
"I think this will make our argument stronger."
"Are there any disagreements with this?" Jenks asks. Bella looks at him and raises an eyebrow but he nods his head discreetly at her. It makes sense. They wouldn't voice their displeasure now unless they want to sound ungrateful.
"Okay, I will continue. According to the will, Isabella Swan, Charlie's daughter is to inherit the Seattle condos and this house," Jenks states.
A hand strikes her father's desk. Billy had wheeled himself to the desk at lightning speed. "You did something to the will. You changed it so that we wouldn't get anything," he says viciously while pointing his finger at her.
"I don't understand," she mutters to herself feigning being shaken.
"Don't play innocent with me. We both know that you made sure that my son and I wouldn't inherit anything so that you and the two bastards upstairs would get everything," Billy roars at her.
"I… I didn't do anything. I don't understand," Bella says in shock. Of course, she isn't shocked. She blinks in the direction of Jenks and he automatically gets involved as this is his sign to.
"Gentlemen, the will has been read. If either of you is unhappy with its content, you can take legal action. Now I have to ask you to leave as you have insulted the host and overstayed your welcome."
"Are you kicking us out of the house we are supposed to inherit?" Billy asks, sounding appalled.
"No, I am kicking you out of the house that Charlie decided to pass down to his daughter," Jenks says firmly as he glares at Jacob who has been silent so far.
After a minute of a staring contest between Jacob and Jenks, Jacob gets up and goes to wheel Billy outside, but not before he turns to Bella and says, "You haven't seen the last of me. If you think things are looking up for you, you are wildly mistaken."
Once she hears the slamming of the door, she relaxes back into the chair she is sitting on and closes her eyes. While she knew everything going into this, she still feels too keyed up around the Blacks.
"Are you okay?" She opens her eyes and finds Jenks staring at her. She nods her head and then shakily runs her fingers through her hair. She puts her hand down quickly and hides them behind her back and holds them in a fist hoping they will stop shaking. If Jenks notices her hands, he doesn't comment on them. He walks towards her and hugs her tightly.
After stepping away from him, she mutters, "I am going to lay in the living room while you talk to Carmen. Once you are done, I will walk you out."
She shrugs her shoulders and walks away from him and towards the living room. She doesn't go to her room because she knows that her feet won't carry her up there. She doesn't understand why she is reacting this way. She isn't afraid of them. So why?
She feels a shiver run down her spine. She sits on the couch and leans back, worried that if she were to lay down she won't get up. She fists and then relaxes her hands a couple of times and then closes her eyes and tries to relax. She starts some breathing exercises. Five seconds breathing in; then hold your breath for five more seconds, then let it all out. Over and over she does that, until the shaking stops and the sense of anxiety gradually fades away.
"Bella," she hears, which prompts her to open her eyes and look behind her. She finds Jenks staring at her.
"I need to go. Can you walk me to the car?" Jenks asks. She nods her head and gets up. She shoves her feet into the heels she just took off and walks toward the door where Jenks is waiting for her in his winter attire.
She shrugs into her winter coat and wraps a scarf around her neck after she zips up her jacket. She opens the door and steps out of it, followed by Jenks. They walk towards his car in silence. Once they reach his car, Jenks takes a folder out of his pocket and hands it to her.
"What's this?" she questions.
"This is a letter your father made me promise to give to you if he died," Jenks replies.
"When did he write it?" she asks not sure if her dad had anything pleasant to say to her.
"A year ago," he replies. She nods her head. It makes sense, but it doesn't make her feel better than if he wrote it a day before his death. It doesn't make a difference. In the first instance, she was unaware of the active role he played in the biggest disaster of her existence. In the latter, she was making him pay for everytime he played her for the fool. In the first one, she doesn't want to hear a word he said. In the second, she knows he doesn't have great words to say.
She turns away from him but he calls her name so she turns around, and he tells her, "This today and everything I have done for you, it's not due to being on Aro's payroll, it's all because I am making Charlie's wishes true. Everything I did is because I know this is what Charlie wanted."
She pauses for a second to look at his face and try to decipher if he is telling the truth or not then she walks back to her house. He told the truth but didn't because what he thinks is the truth, is nothing but wishful thinking.
So tell me your thoughts and questions in the review section.
Until my next update,
Stay Safe