Sorry for missing last weeks update. There's been a big change at work and I've been getting prepared for a new student. Please enjoy!
Chapter Forty
The dining room was just as immaculate as the rest of the house. It was big and beautiful. Everyone had a spot, which apparently the twins did not like.
"How come she gets to sit at the adult table?" Alec asked his father, pointing at me.
Demetri sighed, "Because Bella is an adult."
Alec stomped off, shooting me a glare as he retreated to another room. I tried to smile at him, but he just sneered before disappearing.
"Bella I am so sorry for my children's behavior," Demetri said.
"They're usually very sweet," Heidi said.
"Well, their anger is justified, don't you think Demetri?" Caius said. "I mean, Aro has seemed to replace them."
"Caius, that is not true," Aro said. "I love Alec and Jane very much and they know this. I will talk to them later. And I will talk to you later."
"I don't need a talking to, as if I'm some sort of child," Caius said finally looking at me. "I am not going to pretend that—."
"Bella do you prefer chicken, turkey, or ham?" Sulpicia said quickly, cutting Caius off. "I fixed a variety of stuff. I was not sure what you would like."
"Um, chicken is fine. I actually don't like ham." I smiled at her, doing my best to keep my composure.
"Perfect," She smiled before looking at the older woman. "Diana, would you please get Bella some of the chicken?"
"Of course, Mrs. Volturi."
"Oh I can get it," I said, making a move to stand.
They all laughed, making me feel uncomfortable.
"Bella, that is why Diana is here." Aro said. "She's our evening maid."
"An evening maid?"
"Yes, I cannot take care of this big old house myself," Sulpicia chuckled. "Plus, managing the house staff gives me something to do besides shopping."
"Oh boo who," Heidi chuckled. "Bella does not want to hear about your first world problems."
Sulpicia rolled her eyes at Heidi. "They are serious problems. Bella has a job that I'm sure is so fulfilling. Right Bella?"
"Uh, yeah it is." I nodded as Diana returned with a plate. I thanked her when she placed it in front of me.
"You're a nurse right?" Sulpicia asked. "And you're in school?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"Why are you in school?" Caius asked, snatching a piece of bread from the basket.
"I'm studying to become a nurse practitioner." I answered.
"I wasn't asking what you were studying, I was asking why are you in school."
"Oh," I said, completely caught off guard. "Um, I love being a nurse and I want to better myself. I've always loved to learn… I'm not sure how else to answer that."
"Caius," Aro said in warning. "Please, we're not going to bombard her with our family's traditions."
"And why not?" He demanded. "You're forcing us to welcome this illegitimate child with open arms into our family. Her father is—,"
"Do not talk about my father," I snapped at him. He paused, slowly looking at me with a glare. I met his. "Do. Not. Talk. About. Him."
"No one is talking about your father," Aro said quickly. "Charlie is a wonderful man. I've met him before."
My head now snapped to Aro. "You've met my dad?"
"Yes, before you were born." He said. "It's somewhat of a nasty story, but all was handled and it's in the past."
"Well, I'd like to hear this story." I said.
"Please eat first," Sulpicia sighed. "I spent all day cooking this food."
I sighed but grabbed my fork. As much as I wanted to hear the story, I didn't want to disrespect Sulpicia. She worked hard to cook everything and so far, she'd been so nice to me.
"Bella, do you have your Halloween costume for the party?" Tanya asked.
"Yeah," I said, "Are you coming?"
"I am. I got my invitation last week. A little short notice, but I'm excited. And I can't wait to see the Cullens again. It's been awhile."
Felix smiled slowly. "Yes, it will be nice seeing my old friend again. We have a lot of catching up to do. I've been meaning to take him out to celebrate his newfound freedom."
"Hmm, maybe you two could go out and celebrate your recent business in Thailand." I answered back, meeting his stare. "How was it over there? I've never been to Thailand before. What exactly did you do over there?"
Felix's cheeks reddened and his eyes flashed towards Aro, who was shaking slightly with silent laughter. Aro wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin.
"I told you; she has the Volturi fire." He beamed proudly at me, "It makes me proud."
"I get it from my mom," I said as I looked down at my plate.
Dinner proceeded on without any more issues. There were various chats about a variety of things. It was a little boring and it irritated me when they'd throw a conversation my way to get to know me. All I really wanted to know was how my dad knew Aro.
"Thank you," I said to Sulpicia, "It was so delicious."
"Well thank you," She smiled widely. "Would you like leftovers? I made so much food."
"Leftovers would be great," I smiled. "You're an amazing cook."
"Well sweetheart anytime you'd like a homecooked meal you are more than welcome to come over," She smiled widely at me before looking at the others at the table. "I want you all to take notice that Bella was the only one to thank me for dinner and to tell me how delicious it was."
"What? We thank you all the time." Demetri said.
"You do not," Sulpicia said, waving her finger at him. "It's fine though. Don't worry about it."
"It was delicious, darling," Aro smiled, kissing her hand. "Thank you."
"Don't try to earn brownie points," She whispered jokingly. "Dessert will be ready in about an hour. Heidi, Dora, come help me please."
The three women got up from the table and retreated into the kitchen. I looked to Aro.
"You've met my dad before?" I asked.
"Yes," He nodded, "Why don't you and I go into my office? We can talk there."
"Are you planning on telling the girl things you don't want us to hear, Aro?" Caius sneered.
"No, if you feel you need to monitor our conversation you can come." Aro said as he stood.
I quickly stood and followed him out of the room. Jasper hung back with Demetri and Felix. I was worried he'd be nervous, but he was as calm as he could be. I couldn't even tell if he was nervous.
Caius did end up following us. As did Marcus. It was a little strange, but I didn't question it. This entire situation was strange. As we were walking to Aro's office, my phone vibrated.
Hey babe, I hope it's going well. I miss you. I wish I could be there for you. – Edward
I smiled and replied.
I miss you to. And I wish you were here, but it's probably better you're not. Tanya and Felix are both here. And Felix has been an asshole, so you're not missing much. Please come to my apartment later, I want to see you. – Bella
Aro's office was very nice. It was huge, like Edward's, but the theme favored darker colors. I think the most disturbing piece of the room was the extremely large painting of a vultures ripping apart a deer. I wasn't usually squeamish, but this picture was disturbing.
"Sorry for the painting," Aro chuckled as he followed my gaze. "It was my father's most prized possession. It's been in the family for many generations. Sulpicia doesn't like it, so I have to keep it in this room."
"No, it's fine," I said as I suppressed a shuddered.
Aro chuckled again as he reach into his desk and dug around. After a moment, he pulled out a lockbox and opened it with his key. He retrieved something out of it and held his arm out to me.
It was a picture. I grabbed it from his hand and smiled widely. It was a picture of my father, very young, holding a pink bundle which was me. Aro was standing beside him, smiling proudly.
"He looks so young here," I chuckled. "I've never seen any pictures of me as a baby."
"Really?" Aro asked, "I have a ton of them. Your father didn't keep extras?"
"No," I said, looking up. "Did he send you pictures of me?"
"It was part of the agreement."
"Agreement?"
Aro sighed softly. "I am embarrassed to have to… well, it's just a very embarrassing time for me. I regret the stipulations I put on your father."
I slowly sat down in the chair across from him. "What did you do to my dad?"
"Nothing, I swear. Your father and I have had a very professional relationship," Aro said. "But, when you were born, I… well, I did try to take custody of you."
My eyes widened and I jumped out of my seat, "You—!"
"Please let me explain before your temper flares up," Aro said quickly. I took a deep breath and slowly sat back down. He nodded once when I realized I was calm enough for him to explain.
"When you were born, I was beyond excited. I wanted custody of you and looking at the situation between your mother and father, I, at the time, felt it was best to have custody. Your father lived in a studio apartment; he was working in a diner making next to nothing. I had plenty of money and I knew I could give you the life you deserved. However, when we went to court, your father fought viciously for you. We decided to meet outside of the courtroom. I thought I would be the one to give him the ultimatums, but he was a lot more vicious than I thought. The agreement we settled upon was that he would send me pictures of you every month and would allow me visitation when you were older. Of course, by then, Renee stepped in and put her foot down. I had only gotten to see you until you were two, then we had to cut contact, so she didn't fly off the handle and do something regrettable. Your father continued to send me pictures and updates. I even got to sneak in and see a few of your school performances when your mother wasn't going to be there. I continued to pay for everything you'd need. I was even going to buy your father a better house, however, you paternal grandparents died and then your father inherited their house, so that worked out."
I stared at the picture of my father as he explained all of this to me. His explanation didn't make me angry, I mean, I was angry at my mother, however.
"Why does my mother not like you?" I bluntly asked.
Aro's smile dropped. "I've explained before, your mother did not want to conform to this lifestyle, so she ran off. I only saw her in the hospital after you were born. I haven't seen her since."
"She is a traitor," Caius snarled.
My head snapped over to him, my temper reaching its boiling point. "Do you have a problem?"
Caius looked shocked for a moment, then that shock turned to anger.
"Yes, I do have a problem," He snapped, "You are an illegitimate child, a bastard, born out of wedlock to a deadbeat father and a whore of a mother. You have absolutely no right to the Volturi fortune. You haven't even lived the same life the women in our family have. So yes, I do have a problem with you. I think the best thing for everyone is if you leave and never return."
"Whoa," A deep voice from the doorway said. "That's no way to talk to a lady, Caius."
To my surprise, Edward was walking through the door. He was dressed in a nice suit, looking as handsome as ever. However, I was not to happy he was here because I explicitly told him not to come. It made me wonder if he had seen Felix. If Felix messed with Edward, I wouldn't restrain myself from punching him in the mouth.
"Edward, I did not think you'd be here." Aro said with tight lips.
"My meeting ended early, so I wanted to surprise Bella," He walked over and kissed me on the top of the head. "And it seems like I walked in at the perfect time because it sounded like you were disrespecting my girlfriend."
"Your girlfriend is a bastard child of a traitor. She has earned the disrespect." Caius said.
"Still bitter that the Volturi fortune, name, respect, title, and everything else skipped over you and to your younger brother I see." Edward said. "I mean, are you really angry at Bella? Or are you angry at your father for seeing your true worth."
Caius's face turned a bright red. He looked like he was about to explode, both with anger and embarrassment at Edward's lecture. However, for me, the stern voice and the power behind the words did something for me. Little butterflies fluttered in my lower stomach, and I knew I'd probably need a change of underwear because mine were now wet.
"I heard my childhood friend was here," Felix said as he burst into the room. He was grinning like a madman.
"Felix," Edward said cooly. "Nice to see you here."
Felix walked in and pulled Edward into a tight, friendly hug. I felt myself tense up, ready to jump on Felix if he did anything.
"It's been too long," Felix said, clapping him on the back.
"Yes, too long." Edward said with a nod. "We will have to catch up some other time."
"Absolutely," Felix grinned as he walked across the room and sat in the chair. "Sorry to interrupt. Please continue."
"Oh we weren't discussing anything important," Aro sighed softly. "I believe we were finishing up. Everyone's said their piece and—,"
"No I haven't," I said, pulling away from Edward and turning on Caius. "For your information, I don't want Aro's money. I don't need it. I don't want anything from him except a normal relationship, but if it's too much for you and everyone else, then fine. I can go back to the way things were and just not see Aro."
"That is probably for the best." Caius said with a sneer.
"Caius leave," Aro said, staring blankly at the wall as he licked his teeth.
"What?" Caius asked in surprise.
"Leave. Now." Aro repeated slowly.
Caius was clearly in shock, but he stood on somewhat shaky legs, and exited. I wasn't sure where he went, if he stayed somewhere else in the house or if he left, but I didn't see him anymore after that.