Abducted

CHAPTER 10

The Heartland's mansion was the envy of many socialites.
Thirteen rooms and fourteen feet ceiling, three fireplaces, which although huge, showed tiny illuminations, which casted shadows over the the huge Egyptian rug.
The flames curled and swayed, flickering in the inviting, warm cosy atmosphere.
Quite a contrast to the raging fire of pain which were consuming the senior Mrs. Hartland.
The death of her son Geraldo, was overwhelmingly shocking and too painful to absorb.
Unable to function, all the funeral arrangements were left up to the other twin and his brother's widow.
Isabella kept her distance feigning constant headaches and inconsolable grief. Although everyone expected it, for she never went anywhere near anything, which would require hard work.
Isabella was quite upset, that she had to be the dutiful sister-in-law in mourning, when all she wanted was to be at the club.
Isabella was not naive. She understood that to be part of the Hartland clan, she had to portray herself the way they expected. That she did like a pro.
Isabella had every intention of playing by the rules and playing with her husband's pockets.
After all, she was a Hartland and deserving of all the financial bliss, like they all were.
Reflecting on her childhood days, she grimaced.
Isabella had grown up with her mother. Struggling between three jobs, her mom was hardly ever at home. Isabella was left with the neighbour, or babysitters for most of her childhood years. Never knowing her dad had left a huge space, which no man could have ever filled. The only information which her mom divulged, was that he was a gentleman, from a very rich family. That did nothing to appease Isabella, as she watched her mom struggle to put food on the table, day after day, night after night.
Isabella was 11 years old, when all her mom's hard work took it's toll.
She had succumbed to an attack of pneumonia.
With no family to fall back on, Isabella was thrust into the unwilling arms of Social Workers.
She soon found herself adopted in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pearson.
They were the gentlest souls.
Their moderate three bedroom house was always neat and quite comfortable.  The couple never had a child of their own and treated Isabella like a Princess.
They even gave her their surname, Isabella Pearson. All traces of her mother's surname was wiped away.
The Pearson's ensured that she was well educated. They even sent her to etiquette schools. Yet Isabella was never satisfied.
Thoughts of her mysterious father, kept infiltrating her mind.
She was at a total loss because her mom had never given her a name to contend with.
When her mom had died, Isabella had retrieved most of her letters and important documents.
On the afternoon of her fourteenth birthday, Isabella was rummaging through her mother's memorabilia, when something caught her eyes.
It was an envelope addressed to her. Confused, Isabella easily tore open the almost dry rotted envelope.
What she read changed her world forever.
For along with the letter, which disclosed the identity of her father, there was an almost faded, newspaper clipping, showing a happily smiling, wedded couple, waving at the cameras, in all their marital bliss.
Their names were written as bold as brass below the picture.
Isabella had cried herself to sleep that night.
She would never forget how humiliated she has felt, upon realising that her father was a rich man, while her mother had to suffer the consequences of hard work.
Returning to the present, Isabella swiped her palms across her cheeks, to remove a stray tear. Isabella regarded herself in the mirror. Forcing a look of sheer sorrow on her features, she left her room and descended the stairs, daintily. On her way to greet her loving husband and his family of mourners.