Page 24 of Four-ever Single

It wasn’t the kind of loving, sit-you-down-and-break-bad-news-to-you kind of conversation you saw on TV. No, it was a sit me down and tell me that they expected I would be the one to inherit her belongings and their expectations of what I would give them if so. I was the only person she was close to and the only one who would actually mourn her passing and not be concerned with what she left me.

I quickly scanned the letter, noticing the dates he had tried to reach me. Without thinking twice, I entered his phone number and pressed send.

“Burt Barnes speaking,” he answered.

“Hi, Burt. This is Bella Sanchez. I received a letter from you regarding my grandmother’s estate.”

“Yes, Bella, thank you for getting in touch. Unfortunately, I’ve had difficulty obtaining your phone number, so I apologize for the delay in reaching out. I was hoping to schedule a time to get together and discuss your grandmother’s trust.”

“Okay,” I said nervously, chewing my lower lip. “I’m free today, but I don’t know if that’s enough time for you to gather everything you need.”

“Today would be fine. The earlier, the better, as there are time-sensitive details we need to discuss. Can you be at my office in an hour?”

I looked down at my watch and sighed heavily.

“Yes. I’ll be there.”

Fifteen

Jones

“Do you want me to get you some water?” I asked as Bella sat beside me, her leg bouncing nervously on the tile floor.

She shook her head but refused to look at me while we waited for Burt to return. I didn’t know much, only that Bella’s grandma had passed a few months ago and that her attorney had been trying to get in touch with Bella for some time now to discuss the estate. She had barely learned about it a month ago when her parents informed her of it while trying to see what they could get from her inheritance.

I had volunteered to drive her but was surprised when she asked me to come in with her. It felt like something a boyfriend would do, but I didn’t allow myself to think too hard about that and be disappointed.

“Sorry for the delay,” Burt said, coming inside and closing the door behind him. He set a stack of files down on his desk and sat down. “First, I would like to extend my condolences, Bella. Margaret was a wonderful woman and admired by many in Beaumont Creek. She will be deeply missed.”

“Thank you.” Bella smiled, but it fell flat on her lips.

“As you may or may not know, your grandmother had a trust in place before she passed. We worked diligently to make sure everything was as she wanted it months before her dementia started to progress. As you can imagine, she was worried there would be animosity amongst the family, and petitions would be initiated to challenge whether she was of sound mind when she finalized the details. I can assure you that we have all of the documentation on file, and as hard as it may be to watch, I have a video she made to address questions about why she chose what she did.”

Bella nodded as I shifted in my seat beside her.

“If you’re ready, I’ll go ahead and start the video.”

We watched as he turned one of his monitors to face us, and a beautiful woman appeared on the screen. She looked like Bella but older, with soft wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, as if she had lived a life filled with laughter and smiles.

Burt moved the mouse and pressed play.

The woman on the screen smiled and nodded before she began speaking.

“My dearest family, if you’re watching this video, then that means my time on earth has come to an end. I wish I could say this was a video to explain in detail what I’ve left for everyone, but it isn’t. Why’s that? Because I didn’t leave anything to anyone except Bella.

I expect that news will be enough to clear the room, and that’s fine. Bella is the only person I need to speak to anyway.”

She paused for a moment and looked away while taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

“My sweet, Bella. You have always been the light of my life and the joy that brought a smile to my face. Even when we were separated by thousands of miles and oceans apart as I moved to Italy, I never stopped thinking about you. I am so proud of the woman you’ve become and that you’re paving your way in a world that’s not ready for someone like you. You’re going to do amazing things, my love, I just know it.

But that brings me to the important part of this video—the trust and your inheritance. You know that your grandfather and I worked hard to build the life that we have. We put in the blood, sweat, and tears to build our empire and to create financial security. We did all of it together, hand in hand, as partners in life and love. Something that I want for you as well.

You also know that our family has been in a constant state of upheaval, with everyone fighting over money after your grandpa passed away. I knew then who was genuinely invested in our family and who just wanted a piece of the monetary pie.

But you, Bella, you’ve never asked for a single thing from me your entire life. You’re the only one who came to visit your grandpa and me after he had his hip replacement. You cleaned the house and cooked meals to make sure we were okay. You spent time with us without asking for anything in exchange.

That’s why it was a no-brainer decision to leave everything to you, Bella.

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