Chapter Three

“Good morning Ma’am.” Employees greeted Isabella left and right as she walked to her office.

“Morning.” She replied with a smile on her face as if nothing had happened just last week. As if her world hadn’t almost ended last week. That was the magic of having breakfast with daddy dearest. 

After her father left, she’d shrugged off the bad mood and got dressed for work then called her driver to bring the car around. The parazzi were still camping out in front of her apartment building as the driver exited the garage and onto the road joining the traffic. They were probably still waiting for her to come out of her hiding place into the real world so they could have something to put down in their freaking gossip magazines and whatnot but the joke was on them because she was out in the real world now and there was nothing to stop her.

Her employees were probably wondering why she looked so happy even though she really wasn’t on the inside. She’d thought that idiot Jencarlos would be the one but fate had proved her wrong and laughed in her face.

She got to her office, walked in and shut the door behind her then walked over to her desk and plopped down on her swivel chair.

A knock sounded on the door and Maddie came in carrying a tray containing her coffee, sugar and creamer. No one else knew how to make her coffee so she did it herself.

“Thanks Mads.” She said.

“Feeling better now?”. Maddie inquired.

“Just a little bit.” She pinched her thumb and forefinger together. “Daddy worked his magic yet again.”

Maddie smiled and took out her planner. “You have a meeting with the supplier for the diamonds you ordered for at 1…”

“Mads.” Bella called, cutting her off.

“Yes ma’am?”.

“Cancel all of my meetings until further notice.”

Maddie blinked. “Um… are you going somewhere ma’am?”.

“Yes. I’m going on a vacation.”

“Do you want me to book you a flight or…”

“Don’t sweat it Mads.” Bella smiled at her. “I’ll take daddy’s jet. I’m going to Africa to visit my mom.”

“That’s on the other side of the world.” Maddie’s eyes widened.

Bella laughed. “Baby needs her mama now.”

Maddie chuckled. “I understand ma’am but uh… why don’t you hold a conference call instead of cancelling all of them?”. She suggested.

“I guess you’re right.” Bella nodded. “Make the necessary arrangements then. I have to call my mom.”

“Yes ma’am.” Maddie nodded and walked out.

Bella took out her phone from her Louis Vuitton bag and turned it on and immediately all the messages and missed calls from her mother started coming in which made her sigh.

“Lo siento Mama.” She whispered as she clicked on her mother’s number and put the phone to her ear.

“Bella!”. Her mother cried when she picked. “Are you okay my dear girl?”.

Bella let out a wistful sigh. She’d missed her dear mother so much. “Yes mother I’m well. I’m really sorry I didn’t answer any of your calls. Daddy gave me a lecture today.”

“Good. I trust Vince.” She said. 

“Are you okay Mom?”.

“No.” Aviva huffed. “I’m sick.”

Bella smiled when she heard that. “Didn’t Paul or Esther make you some soup?”.

“Not that kind of sick my girl.” Aviva tutted. “daughter sick. I miss you my dear girl. Please come and pay your dearest mother a visit even if for a few days.”

“Okay Mom.” Bella acquiesced. Like her father said, Aviva Arroyo would breathe down your neck until you gave in and did what she wanted but then if Aviva was happy, everyone else was.

“Really?!”. She exclaimed excitedly, sounding like a little girl who’d just being given a Barbie doll for Christmas.

“Yes Mom. It’s been years since I last visited Africa.” Bella said. 

“So… when are you coming? Tomorrow?”.

Bella laughed. “Maybe sometime next week Mom. I have to take care of things here first and leave Aviva’s Pearls in capable hands.”

“Okay.” Aviva said. “I’ll be waiting.”

“Gotta go Mom. Talk to you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too baby.” Aviva sent her kisses then hung up.

“Now baby is happy… just a little bit.” Bella thought.

~~~~~

Bella was having lunch with her friends at Spinelli’s which was an Italian restaurant owned by her stepmother’s brother Cosimo Spinelli when the door to the restaurant opened and her ex fiance walked in with his new girlfriend and traitorous best friend Laura.

“How dare she?”. One of her friends Alaina gasped in shock.

“You have to do something Bells.” Her other friend Gaia said. 

“Like what?”.

“Pull out her fake blonde hair for starters.” Alaina replied through gritted teeth as Laura and Jencarlos took a seat in a corner by the window.

“Or you could break that plastic nose of hers.” Gaia chimed in.

“Or I can just leave them alone in peace and move on. I mean I doged a mighty bullet.” Bella reminded them. 

“For the third time.” Alaina nodded sagely. “Maybe you should just uh… forget all about men and swing Gaia’s way.”

“Ina!”. Gaia nudged her in the side. “What a crude thing to say.”

Bella laughed. “Truer words have never been spoken Gaia.” She told her. “I could do that but my very traditional mother would rather see me dead than a lesbian. She expects me to get married to a man… probably wealthy and give her lots of grandkids.” She rolled her eyes. “I hope to have one with an option of two.”

“So is she still living alone or she’s found someone else too like your dad?”. Gaia asked.

“Solo. She’s a godmother to almost everyone in town now.” Bella said. “I think she loves my dad so much that she can’t find anyone else to replace him.”

“They were so good together. I once wished to have a life like them.” Alaina pouted. “Guess Love is never enough.”

“Yeah they were…”, Bella’s voice trailed off as she noticed Laura coming towards them. “Talk about a mood spoiler.”

“Hey guys.” Laura greeted with a smile on her face and purposely waved at them with her left hand which had a huge diamond ring sitting on her ring finger.

“The nerve of this bitch.” Alaina growled.

“What do you want Laura?”. Bella inquired. Surprisingly the anger she was feeling a few days earlier had disappeared and all she felt was indifference now.

“To give you this.” She fished an invitation card from her clutch bag and handed it to her. “Jen and I are getting married at the end of this month.”

“He knocked you up already?”. Gaia snorted. “Smooth.”

Laura glared at Gaia but didn’t reply and faced Bella. “I’d really like it if you’d be my maid of honor Bella.”

“That’s it!”. Alaina shot up from her seat, grabbed her wine glass and threw it in Laura’s face. “How dare you ask that of her after everything you did?!”.

“Laina!”. Bella chided and paled when she noticed people already with their phones out recording the whole thing. It would go viral on the internet within the freaking hour. This was what she’d been trying to avoid.

“Like you didn’t do the same to your sister’s boyfriend back in school bitch!”. Laura snarled. “Second year in college remember?”.

“That happened a few weeks before they met but unlike you… you had no respect for her.” Alaina retorted. She picked up the IV and tore it to pieces. “Get the fuck out of my face puttana.”

“Just go Laura.” Bella was suddenly exhausted. “You’ve done enough already. Don’t take me for a fool because I did nothing, I just think it’s best I let it go. I hope you’re happy and it lasts.”

Laura glared venomously at Alaina and flounced off.

“Everything okay Bells?”. Cosimo Spinelli came out to meet her dressed in his chef uniform.

“Yes. Mi dispiace per il disturbo. Abbiamo finito di mangiare quindi ce ne andiamo.” Bella apologized.

“Va bene.” Cosimo said. “Do take care of yourself.”

“You as well.” She smiled. “Let’s go girls.” She picked up her bag and hurriedly left the restaurant with her friends behind her.

“That was epic.” Gaia commented when they were in the car and the driver drove off.

“That was disturbing.” Bella objected. “Exactly what I wanted to avoid but it happened anyway.” She sighed. “Anyhoo… thanks for standing up for me Laina.”

“Anytime girlfriend.” Alaina grinned.

“I’m going on a vacation to Africa. Mom wants me home for awhile.” She smiled when she remembered her mother’s words. “She’s daughter sick.”

“When are you leaving?”.

“Next week or I could surprise my mom and go at the end of this week.” 

“You should surprise her.” Gaia agreed. “Aunt Avi loves surprises.”

“I’ll miss you.” Alaina sniffed and threw her arms around Bella. “Can I have your Manolo Blahnik crystal buckle pumps?”. She batted her eyelashes at Bella.

“Hey I called dibs on that first!”. Gaia protested.

“I have three pairs of those. I’ll give one to Maddie then you two can have the rest.”

“You’re such a darling.” Gaia air kissed her.

“Thanks babe.” 

“You’re both welcome.”

“So do you need help packing?”. Gaia inquired.

“You know I do.” Bella grinned.