Prologue- Will

16 years ago

Bethany's (Bella's mother) Pov

I looked across the table at my husbands hard gaze with a tightness in my chest. Soon I would be free. That was the only positive thing about this moment. I could escape him even if it meant giving him half of everything. He would finally agree to a divorce. I knew he only refused to get a divorce because my father refused to put anything in my name. If we would have got a divorce before my father died he would have gotten nothing.

That's what I wish would've happened. I wish my father could've lived longer. I wish that my father would've inherited the gene that my mother had. The gene that made it impossible to kill my husband and say it was an accident. The gene that the elite were suppose to have but he didn't.

My father created his empire from the ground up and was not lucky enough to be born like me but somehow my husband was. I grit my teeth as the thought of the past made me want to scream again. All the lies that led up to this moment.

Had I know that my husbands genetics weren't altered because he was part of the elite I might have been able to withstand his charm . Had he told me the truth and I'd know he was the son of a maid I would not be here right now and if I was, it would've been because he loves me not because he wanted money and power.

My husbands eyes lowered and a small smirk formed which gave me butterflies that weren't pleasant. I was no longer young and naive. His false charm no longer worked on me like it did all them years ago.

His hazel eyes that use to hold warmth in them and his smile that use to not be cruel would have caused me to blush if I was still the same naive student. Had I not been so young and inexperience maybe I would've seen the cruel intent hidden within his smile.

"You know you could pretend like you love to look at me. Especially since I will be taking over the company completely." He wryly stated.

I opened my mouth to speak but a small gurgle had me forcing myself to look away from his Hazel eyes and down at my daughter. My chest tightened even more as I looked down at my daughter who was now awake and staring at me with wide eyes. Her blue eyes were bright and her small smile had me looking away quickly.

I willed the tears not to fall. I had failed her and I couldn't stand to look at her without feeling guilty. I had one job and that was to make sure she had a better fate than me but of course my father lived longer than I thought he would and he ended up wanting to see her. All of my hard work was thrown away.

My father would never give Bella the company. He didn't believe woman were meant to lift a finger unless it was to keep up with the household chores and take care of the children. He wanted his grandson to take over the company not his granddaughter. My mother loved that about him and wanted me to be just like her but I wasn’t.

I looked around the room at all my family members and back at the door. I knew my mother wouldn't come. Especially since my father had vowed that she would receive nothing from him since he caught her cheating with a younger man. She had pleaded with him to understand that it was hard for her since he aged like a normal human but of course how could he understand that. He had loved her and spoiled her and in return she couldn't wait until he was gone to be with another. I knew she loved him but it wasn't enough to fill the void as she liked to call it.

"How long is this going to take?" My cousin groaned causing me to narrow my eyes. He couldn't have possibly thought my father would leave him anything. He may have been close to most people in this room but that did not mean he would leave them anything.

"You can." I started to say right as the door to the conference room opened and Danny my fathers lawyer walked in with a grim look on his face.

It looked like he hadn't slept in days. He had bags under his eyes and his brown hair made it look like he just got out of bed. The messiness of it didn’t look natural but more like he hadn’t brushed it in days.

"Perfect timing. Thomas was just starting to complain." Vicky my fathers sister sighed. I grit my teeth and willed myself to not react. My father had promised me while I was pregnant that he was not giving anything to his sister or my cousins but it seemed like everything had changed. I could only assume it was because I lied.

"I really wish we were not meeting under these circumstances." Danny said with a soft sigh as he sat down causing my chest to tighten even more. I knew I was in pain but I could only imagine the pain he was in. His best friend had passed away and he could do nothing but watch as he his best friend got sicker by the day.

Danny set a briefcase onto the table with a tight lipped smiled as the door to the conference room was opened and an old looking tv was pushed to the right side of the room by his assistant.

She scurried around moving cords around and pushing buttons that seemed to do nothing. I had to wonder if the tv would even work.

"Thank you. I'll call you if I need anything else." Danny said as he waved his hand to gesture for her to leave. His assistance was quick to give an okay and leave out without a word. The only noise to follow was the soft click of the door.

Danny gave a slight nod to me and a forced smile that I tried to not react to. "So I guess we can get started right away than, no point in dragging out the inevitable." He said as he turned towards the tv and turned it on.

My hand flew to my mouth as tears formed and a choked sob forced its way through my lips as I stared at my father who was holding Bella in his hands.