Invasion. An unwelcome intrusion into another's domain. That was the definition, according to most of the dictionaries. One synonym they all seemed to have left out was Bella Ledford. A doctor. A neurosurgeon. More specifically, the new Head of Neur...
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Christmas was just another one of those holidays that did not interest Bella Ledford at all. Growing up, they had been fun—she always waited for Santa, then woke up overjoyed when she opened her presents, followed by the lovely meals her grandparents have prepared for the family get togethers—but now that she was a grown ass woman, she did not care for it. All she saw these occasions for were a hassle, and effort that she very rarely had. She didn't bother with decorations; she didn't bother with fancy meals. She didn't bother with presents—she just did not care.
This meant she never had anything to do but sit at home and watch a movie or read a book. Both of those things were some of her favourite past times so it truly didn't bother her to just wind down and have some quality alone time. However, it also meant she was able to attend whatever party or event others dragged her to on occasion.
Especially whilst she lived in London, her parents would always make her go to the company's annual Christmas Gala. Perhaps that on its own also played into why she never cared for the holidays. As the business grew, the quality family time thinned into practically nothing. Bella would always spend her breaks at her grandparents' house but then she grew too old to hide away, and so Jessica and Christian thought it be a lovely idea to drag her around.
Nothing sells as good as a happy family image, right?
The last time she attended one of these things, she was twenty-six. She moved away from home just before she could've made it to the Gala in 2007. The thought of it sent her head crazy—worse. It sent her mind into a frenzy because all the while she was making her way through life, she wasn't doing well. Not mentally. She did everything she could to make it out so now, as she stood in her brother's house, ready to leave for the night, she couldn't help but feel like she was drowning.
No one held a gun to her head and forced her to go. Jackson certainly didn't seem hellbent on attending. In fact, Bella knew he would've been fine skipping the entire event to spend it in bed with her. She had given him enough of an idea last night about what they could do for hours, and hours on end.
But she was dressed. In red. The one colour that truly made her mother's blood boil. Red had always been Bella's colour. She looked good as hell in anything of the shade, and she frequently opted for it purely because of the confidence it had given her. So, if not for anything else than pissing off her mother for wearing such a vibrant colour, then for feeling good in the mid-thigh length piece that zipped up on the front of her body, she would go.
To hell with anything else. Her mental health had always been in shambles, what was one night going to do to it, right?
... No doubt worsen everything but she didn't care for the moment. It was Future Bella's problem.
![[BELLA LEDFORD]London, England](https://img.wattpad.com/4e68bda22428eae768db9775a33a5acad284a12a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f2d6b745274493035514259556b773d3d2d313132343538313334312e313661346363366532336438656235373734363836353539363032342e676966?s=fit&w=720&h=720)
