“Hey Alfred, I know it’s late, but can you still come to the office?” Lawrence asked his lawyer.
The person at the other end of the call immediately agreed. Minutes later, he arrived at Williams Corporation, still confused as to what he was calling him for, this late in the evening.
“Did something happen?” Alfred Cooper asked as soon as he sat down.
“I want to rewrite my will.”
The lawyer immediately lifted his head, brows furrowed at Lawrence. “Sure, we can do that,” he told him, still wondering as to what happened.
Lawrence reached out into his pocket and handed Alfred a paper. Upon looking at it, Alfred immediately understood the reason why Lawrence suddenly wanted to rewrite his will.
“She’s not dead?” he asked, brows knitted.
Goosebumps crept all over him as he read what was written on the paper. No matter how he looks at it, he still can’t believe that Yssabelle is still alive.
Lawrence and Alfred have been friends since college. He was aware of everything that had happened to Lawrence’s daughter before.
That was why he was also surprised to learn that his long-lost daughter, who everyone thought to be dead, turned out to be alive. Yssabelle Williams is alive.
“Imagine the years I’ve never seen her,” Lawrence immediately wiped the tear that escaped his eye. “I wonder what kind of life she’s lived in Dale.”
“You have your chance now, Lawrence. Now that she’s back, try to make it up to her.” Alfred suggested, lightly squeezing his friend’s shoulder for comfort.
“You know what?” he asked, Alfred, creased his forehead at him. “I suddenly want to find out who called the police that day.”
Alfred suddenly remembered that if the police didn’t show up, there wouldn’t be a crossfire. Belle won’t be shot and she won’t fall into the sea. Lawrence wouldn’t have lost her.
At that moment, all he was feeling was pity for both father and daughter. If none of those happened, Lawrence wouldn’t have lost his wife and father.
Rose wouldn’t have taken her own life and Philip wouldn’t have suffered from a heart attack. At the same time, Belle would have lived a very comfortable life with her parents.
Alfred was feeling happy for his friend despite everything. At least, she still found her, she was still alive. “What do you want to be written on your new will?” he asked.
“I want to leave 75% of everything to Yssabelle,” he told him right away. Alfred wasn’t even surprised, Yssabelle, now Belle is the rightful owner of everything he has anyway.
Lawrence and Alfred shared a couple of drinks in the office. While rewriting his will, Lawrence kept recalling the past, everything about Belle before the incident.
Alfred listened attentively. He too has a fair share of moments with Belle as well. He recalled how Belle, as a child, had always been sweet and cheerful.
Whenever he visited the villa, Alfred would always bring her favorite snack, gummy bears. Belle would thank him and kiss him nonstop when she received it.
If he had a son, he would’ve wanted Belle for him. He was gifted with two lovely girls though, so there was no chance.
When everything was finalized, both men headed home. Lawrence was welcomed by Esme with arms wide open.
He went straight to the living room and sat on the couch. “Where is your daughter?” he asked, referring to Vernice.
“She’s upstairs, she just got home after shopping,” Esme then sat next to her husband. She reached out for his hand and started massaging it. “Why are you late? You look so tired.”
“I got things to do in the office,” he heaved a sigh. “Tell Vernice not to go anywhere tomorrow night and have dinner prepared. I want us all to have dinner tomorrow.”
Before Esme could ask anything, Lawrence stood up immediately and went straight to their bedroom. He will tell them everything tomorrow once Belle is there, everything.
The next day, Belle tried her best to get out of bed. Her head felt heavy and her body was aching. This was the result of them partying hard last night.
She can’t even recall what time she went home. Heck, she can’t even remember how she was able to go home.
She glanced at the clock on her wall, it was already past seven in the morning. She immediately got out of bed, grabbed her towel, and proceeded to the bathroom.
Today, she was planning to move to the house Tristan gifted her. She only has a couple of personal stuff to bring with her so it will all be easy.
The furniture she has in her apartment belongs to the owner, so she can’t take it with her. She only has her clothes, some important documents, and herself.
Belle was planning to shop for her furniture once she saw what the place looked like. After that, she’d come back to her apartment to bake the cake for Frederick and drop it off at the De Clarion Villa.
Belle had her day planned out. Unfortunately, she suddenly had to reschedule going to her new house as he received a call from Lawrence after taking a bath.
She was in a trance for several seconds or even minutes after her call with Lawrence. She couldn’t think of anything important that he needed to talk about with her, ‘Why does he suddenly want to see me?’
She started preparing the cake as soon as she gathered her thoughts. It didn’t take her that long to finish baking, as she was already used to it. It only took her almost three hours this time.
After placing the cake in a box, she returned to her room to dress up. In less than thirty minutes, she’s already on her way to the villa to visit the old De Clarion.
“Nice car!” John exclaimed as he opened the door for her.
Belle grinned at him, “Thanks, John! How are you?”
“I’m doing great little girl,” the middle-aged man responded, smiling. “Go ahead, the old man’s already waiting. I’ll just have mango juice prepared for you,” he chuckled as he gestured toward the living room.
John feels delighted whenever he sees Belle. She’s like a breath of fresh air, as she’s very cheerful. As if she’s not worried about anything in the world.
Frederick and John got used to calling her ‘little girl’ as she is the only woman they are close with so far. They are not even close to Joyce, though they always see her.
John lost his wife after giving birth to Jacob. It was the same for Frederick after Tristan’s father was born. After that, they haven’t really been this close to anyone of the opposite sex.
‘If only Tristan didn’t like her, she would be great for my Jacob,’ he would always think.
“Good morning Mr. De Clarion!” Belle greeted him cheerfully as soon as she saw Frederick, lounging on the couch.
Frederick smiled almost immediately. It’s as if he just saw the love of his life. However, his eyes weren’t looking at Belle, they were directed at the box she had in her hand.
“I know you’re not happy to see me. You’re happy to see this,” referring to the box of cake, Belle faked a frown but the old man just giggled at her.
He still can’t believe how this girl, who’s practically a stranger, knows him better than his grandson. Frederick considers her part of the family.
That is actually one of the reasons why he was feeling dejected about their divorce. ‘I didn’t even get to call her my granddaughter-in-law, tsk.’ The old man would sometimes think.
“Here,” Belle placed the box right in front of him. “Do you want tea with it?” she asked and as soon as he nodded, Belle turned towards the kitchen to ask John for tea. When John and Belle returned from the kitchen, they caught Frederick licking a finger. “You can’t even wait for it to be sliced!” Belle scolded him like a child while shaking her head.
“It’s yum!” he exclaimed.
John started cutting the cake as Frederick seemed like he couldn’t wait any longer to have a taste of it. The butler served him a slice and as soon as he handed it over to Frederick, he started devouring it.
When Frederick was done eating, he didn’t forget to tell John to keep the leftovers in a safe place. He then faced Belle on the couch.
“How are you little girl?” he asked, though he knew she was not doing okay.
Belle smiled at him lazily, “I’m fine.”
Frederick nodded at her. He could detect the sadness in her voice and he couldn’t help but feel sad as well.
“I called you here today because I have something for you,” he started. Belle turned her attention to the old man. John handed him a bank card and he passed it on to Belle.
She furrowed her brows, eyeing Frederick and John alternately. “What is this now?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“This card has one billion dollars in it. Make use of it however you want. Take this as a gift for being my granddaughter-in-law on paper,” he told her bitterly.
Belle frowned, and this time, it was real. She does feel sad after hearing what Frederick just told her.
‘It would have been great if you became my real grandfather,’ she thought to herself, but didn’t bother voicing it out.
She stayed at the villa longer than she planned. She even had lunch with Frederick, insisting that John should join them at the table, as it doesn’t happen often.
While eating, the three of them engaged in random conversations. Laughter could be heard from the dining room and it was a first after a long time.
“Make sure to visit me again,” Frederick reminded her. “Don’t abandon me just because my stupid grandson divorced you!”
Belle couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t worry Grandpa, I love you more than that asshole,” she stated bluntly, making both men laugh.