If I Could

{40} - In The Taylor Territory

"Well, you certainly don't belong with Rami either", Freddie smirked slightly, putting his tongue in his cheek.

Belle wanted to give up and admit that she had decided to follow Freddie's advise and visit Roger Taylor. She was about to ask him what she should tell him until his assistant knocked the door.

"Mr. Mercury, Joe Newton has arrived".

Freddie instantly smiled, and turned to the maid.

"Let him in!".

Belle exhaled a soft growl of disappointment. Of course he would show up today of all days, when she was about to ask her father for advise the day after her husband tanned Roger Taylor's hide.

"Hi, Freddie!", Joe took his scarf off and greeted his boyfriend as soon as he saw him, his eyes twinkling as a smile spread across his face.

"Hello!", Freddie hugged him as he eyed the gift box that Joe was holding in his hand.

"Heading to a kid's birthday party after this?", Freddie asked as he pointed out at the present, making Joe laugh.

"No", Joe responded. "This is actually for your granddaughter. I was planning on asking you to give this to Belle on my part but I don't think it will be necessary". Joe walked towards Belle and handed her the gift.

"Thank you", she smiled. As skeptical as Belle was of Joe, she had to admit that what he had done was a lovely gesture.

She opened the pink box, and there were four presents inside: an unicorn plush, and three baby bibs.

"Thank you! I love these", she said in an effusive statement. "You shouldn't have. But I really appreciate it".

"I love your father, and his granddaughter is already very special to him, so Alice deserves these gifts", he said as he made funny faces to the newborn.

"Oh, how lovely, Joe", Freddie grabbed his boyfriend's shoulders. "Please make yourself comfortable. Do you guys want anything to eat?".

"Actually I have to go", Belle rose to her feet, taking Alice's blanket out of a diaper bag. Freddie raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "I told my mom I'd visit her at 12 P.M and well, it's 11:50", she faked a smile as she quickly grabbed her things. She wasn't actually going to visit her mother — she was heading to Taylor Enterprises after leaving Alice with her nannies at home. Her father had embedded the idea of visiting Roger into Belle's mind and it would not get out of it unless she executed it.

"Oh, what a shame, Belle", her father commented, taking a sip of tea. "But I hope you can find Roger at his office".

She nodded, saying goodbye to both Freddie and Joe. Her body urges her to hurry. She doesn't know what for. But something tells her that the earlier she meets with Roger, the better.

One hour later

Belle Bulsara was in the lobby of the Taylor Enterprises headquarters, wearing a long black coat and sunglasses, her hair styled in a bun. There was something about the building that made her shiver everytime she looked at it. The hall was filled with people, and Belle didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. As much as she tried to go incognito, people around her started asking to each other if she was indeed Belle Bulsara, and she had no idea of how they would have guessed.

She stopped at the reception desk, and took a deep sigh as she prepared her words.

"Good afternoon. I'd like to know if Mr. Roger Taylor is in his office right now".

"What's your name?", the receptionist politely asked.

And Belle felt stupid. She didn't understand how the thought of coming up with a name and an occupation worthy to be directly meeting the CEO of the company had not come to her mind before.

"Belle Bulsara!", a teenager who seemed to be around fourteen years old ran to her, and unknowingly cut Belle off as she was about to respond that she was one her father's assistant. Belle unconciously took her glasses off to see who it was, to see if she was anyone she knew, revealing her identity to the receptionist.

"Oh my God, you're so pretty!", the girl exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest as she looked at Belle in awe. "Could you please sign my coat? I saved money for five months to buy it after I saw you wearing it", the teenager said as she took her coat off.

"Oh, thank you", Belle answered with a smile. She could see that the people were gathering around her, screaming for her autograph. "And of course I'd sign it, but I don't have a marker".

"Here", the receptionist said as she handed her a marker. Belle was trying to keep her cool but she was actually feeling too uneasy — she was being the middle of attention at Taylor Enterprises, which was exactly what she did not want. But there was no turning back, and if she was already wreaking havoc, she had to use that for her benefit.

Belle signed the coat and hugged the fan as other people tried to approach her for an autograph but the security team stopped them. Belle turned to the receptionist.

"Well, I'll state the obvious, I'm Belle Bulsara. I need to see Roger Taylor. Call him, I'm sure he will allow me to see him. He knows who I am".

The receptionist frowned, she would normally not even call Roger Taylor's secretary when someone without an appointment but people say celebrities and famous people work in different ways, so she had to do things in a different way as well.

"Hello, Belle Bulsara is here wanting to meet Roger Taylor", she said. "Can we let her in?".

"Roger isn't here today", the CEO's secretary responded. "But Adam Lambert is doing a few of his tasks today, maybe he can help her. Do you want me to ask him if she can see him?".

"Yes, please".

The secretary took a few seconds as she asked Adam if he could receive Belle Bulsara.

"He said yes. Let her in". The receptionist nodded and hung up.

"Roger Taylor didn't come to work today, but you can see Adam Lambert, who is taking his place today".

"Alright, thank you", Belle said before taking the elevator to the office's floor. She felt as if he wanted to throw up. She could see paparazzi gathering outside the building. Everyone would know where she was. That could only mean bad things.

She wondered how paparazzi always managed to know where she was.

But suddenly, she thought of something suspicious and questionable.

The paparazzi always found her at places they would normally never look for her whenever Joe was with her father. It had happened way too many times, and she couldn't believe she had not realised that before. Not only that, private information about them would leak when only Joe and a few other people knew about it.

Joe Newton was betraying Freddie Mercury.