Chapter 2 - The Mother Behind the Billion-Dollar Name
Bella did not believe Eleanor.
Not completely.
She wanted to.
That was worse.
Hope was dangerous.
Especially when it arrived immediately after humiliation.
Eleanor took Bella to a quiet suite at a nearby hotel instead of the mansion where she usually stayed.
No cameras.
No lawyers.
No army of assistants.
Only the two of them.
Bella sat on the couch holding the old photograph.
“I remember this dress.”
Eleanor's heart leapt.
“You do?”
“Not wearing it. Just…”
Bella touched the image.
“The color.”
“It was your fifth birthday.”
“Where?”
“Our house outside Boston.”
Bella looked up.
“I don't remember Boston.”
“You were six when you disappeared.”
“What happened?”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
She had told the story to investigators.
To lawyers.
To journalists.
But never to the daughter herself.
“You were taken from a rest stop.”
Bella frowned.
“What?”
“You were with your father.”
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I never had one.”
“You did.”
“Where is he?”
Eleanor's silence was devastating.
“He died six months after you disappeared.”
Bella looked down.
“Was it an accident?”
“No.”
The room changed.
“What happened?”
“He was investigating someone who had been stealing from my company.”
Bella's eyes narrowed.
“Someone kidnapped me because of your money?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“No. And I've hated myself for that uncertainty for twenty years.”
Bella stood.
“So you think I'm your daughter because of a necklace and a few memories?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Eleanor opened a file.
DNA results.
A private laboratory had conducted the test two weeks earlier using one of Bella's discarded drinking glasses from the flower shop.
Bella stared at the numbers.
99.9998 percent.
Her knees weakened.
She sat again.
“That’s impossible.”
“I wish it were.”
Bella cried.
Not because she was happy.
Not because she was angry.
Because suddenly every unanswered question from childhood had a place to land.
Why she remembered a woman singing.
Why certain perfumes made her dizzy.
Why she hated rain without knowing why.
Why she had nightmares about a black car.
Why she always woke from those nightmares calling someone “Mama.”
Eleanor moved closer.
“I won't ask you to call me anything.”
Bella looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because I lost twenty years of your life. I don't get to demand the title.”
“You're my mother.”
Eleanor broke.
Bella leaned forward and hugged her.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
Then Bella whispered:
“I don't know how to do this.”
“Neither do I.”
“I just got abandoned at my own wedding.”
“I know.”
“And now suddenly I'm a billionaire's daughter?”
Eleanor laughed through her tears.
“That part is unfortunately true.”
Bella smiled.
It was the first genuine smile she had given all day.
But happiness lasted only minutes.
Bella's phone started ringing.
Vincent.
She ignored it.
Then Jessica.
Ignored.
Then Vincent's mother.
Ignored.
Finally, an unknown number.
She answered.
“Bella Hart?”
“Yes.”
“This is Anthony Mercer, Vincent's attorney.”
Bella sighed.
“What does he want?”
“He says there has been a misunderstanding concerning the wedding expenses.”
Bella almost laughed.
“Of course there has.”
“He claims you agreed to cover the costs.”
“I did.”
“And now he believes you're responsible for the remaining cancellation fees.”
Bella stared at Eleanor.
“How much?”
“Approximately twenty-two thousand dollars.”
Bella closed her eyes.
Vincent had drained nearly everything from her account.
The wedding venue had reversed some charges, but other vendors remained.
Eleanor held up a finger.
Bella shook her head.
“No.”
“Bella.”
“I don't want your money.”
“This isn't charity.”
“Then what is it?”
“A mother helping her daughter clean up a mess she didn't make.”
Bella looked at her.
“What if I don't want to be your daughter yet?”
Eleanor's expression softened.
“Then I will still help you as Eleanor.”
Bella accepted the payment.
Not because she wanted to be rescued.
Because she finally understood that accepting help was not the same as surrendering her independence.
The next morning, Vincent appeared at the hotel.
Security stopped him.
He demanded to see Bella.
Eleanor walked into the lobby.
Vincent looked at her.
“Who are you?”
Eleanor answered calmly.
“The woman standing between you and Bella.”
Vincent scoffed.
“This doesn't concern you.”
Eleanor smiled.
“It concerns me more than you understand.”
Vincent's face changed.
“You're Eleanor Vale.”
“Yes.”
His confidence disappeared.
He had read business magazines.
Everyone had.
“You know Bella?”
“I do.”
“She told you lies.”
“I've heard enough from you already.”
Vincent swallowed.
“I love her.”
Eleanor stared at him.
“You announced your affair at her wedding.”
“We were going to tell her.”
“You used her savings.”
“It was going to be a family.”
“You showed her another woman's pregnancy test.”
He had no answer.
Eleanor stepped closer.
“I've spent twenty years searching for my daughter.”
Vincent blinked.
“What?”
Eleanor glanced toward the elevator.
“Her name is Isabella.”
Vincent looked stunned.
“You're saying Bella is…”
“My daughter.”
He went pale.
“I didn't know.”
“I know.”
“Does she know?”
“She does now.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you should stay away from her.”
Vincent's pride returned.
“You can't tell me who I can date.”
“No.”
Eleanor smiled.
“I can simply make certain you never get near her again.”
Vincent left.
Upstairs, Bella stood at the window.
“I heard everything.”
“You should have been asleep.”
“I don't think I can sleep.”
Eleanor joined her.
Bella looked down at the city.
“Why didn't you find me?”
“I never stopped looking.”
“My entire childhood was foster homes.”
“I know.”
“Did you know I changed seven times?”
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
“No.”
“Did you know I was scared of dogs?”
“No.”
“Did you know I learned to make roses from paper because I couldn't afford real ones?”
“No.”
“I know.”
Eleanor's voice broke.
“I don't know any of those things.”
Bella turned.
“Then let's learn them.”
Eleanor smiled.
“Okay.”
They began with breakfast.
Not at a luxury restaurant.
At a small diner.
Bella ordered pancakes.
Eleanor ordered coffee.
Neither cared about etiquette.
For the first time, they talked about ordinary things.
Favorite movies.
Worst jobs.
School memories.
Then Bella asked:
“Why did you come back to Philadelphia now?”
Eleanor froze.
“There was something I needed to confirm.”
“What?”
“A person.”
“Who?”
“Someone connected to the accident.”
Bella's smile disappeared.
“What person?”
Before Eleanor could answer, her security chief walked into the diner.
“We have a problem.”
Eleanor looked up.
“What?”
“Someone broke into the archive.”
“What archive?”
“The archive containing your daughter's original disappearance records.”
Bella felt cold.
“Why would someone break into that?”
May you like
Eleanor stood.
“Because someone doesn't want us to know what happened twenty years ago.”
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