Marvel's Princess - Chapter 63

“Come on, we’re just going to have a look. Everyone’s friends here, if we can help, we should. Don’t overthink it!” Bella tugged Charlie toward her parked pickup truck.

To a traffic cop, this truck was a bit over the top with its modifications, but she had an Indian Reservation license plate. Try to pull her over, and she’d cry racism!

“No! Wait, wait, let me think! Let me think!” Charlie protested repeatedly, but then he realized his daughter’s strength was astonishing. As a grown man, he was dragged over ten meters without any resistance. She could probably drag a bear with that strength!

Charlie got into the pickup with a complicated expression, unable to resist letting out a ‘huh’. He had thought she’d just repainted the exterior, but it was completely different inside.

It was July, and the temperature was high even in the northern state of Washington. But Bella’s truck was cool, without any hint of heat.

“Your air conditioning is great, did you get it retrofitted?” Charlie asked.

This was the second person to ask her about the truck’s air conditioning, and she was getting used to it.

“Yes, it was done by an elder from the Oklahoma Reservation. What do you think of my truck?”

Charlie nodded, “It’s really nice.”

Bella secretly rolled her eyes. If it were Jacob, he’d say something like, ‘The truck is great, but you’re even greater.’ Her dad still lacked that level of enthusiasm. He was too narrow-minded.

Charlie had a good impression of Indians and had always tried to match Bella with Jacob. Mentioning the Indian elder quickly shifted his attention.

The elder did exist, a distant relative from the Sapulpa tribe in the canyon. His grandfather’s grandfather had once had brief contact with the Sapulpa tribe. Bella had spoken with this elder, but retrofitting trucks wasn’t his expertise. He was nearly ninety and had probably only ever retrofitted wagons.

The pickup left Forks, and Bella suddenly remembered something, pulling out a large stack of manuscripts from her backpack.

“Take this. I asked Natasha, and that rich guy seems to be a strong competitor. We don’t have a mine, but we can work on common interests. Samantha is very interested in many cases. I’ve compiled a few for you to use.”

They completely ignored the previous plan of just looking around outside the town.

To increase Charlie and Samantha’s common language, Bella had racked her brains over the past few days, organizing famous cases like the Moonlight Sonata Murder Case, the Luxury Liner Murder Case, and the Bizarre Bungalow Bandage Man Murder Case.

With America’s level of crime-solving, these cases were classics. Any one of them could be discussed for an entire evening, enough for Charlie to use as a conversation starter.

Bella was very concerned about her own matters. After arriving in Phoenix, she dropped Charlie off at a hotel to study fictional cases. She went to the bank to withdraw money and began shopping.

The next day, at dawn, she started her fitness routine.

She jogged around the block, slowly stretching her body.

Then she returned to the hotel for a shower and skincare routine—cleanser, toner, lotion, and sunscreen. These commonly used beauty products were good and certainly not harmful.

Breakfast had to be balanced. She ate three fried eggs, twelve bagels, a large sandwich, and two glasses of milk.

It seemed like a lot to Charlie, but Bella felt it was just right.

After breakfast, Bella changed into her new look. This time, she was determined to make Natasha admit that she was even prettier! She then took Charlie, whose hair and beard were neatly trimmed, to Prosperity Town.

Upon reaching Prosperity Town, Bella was stunned: “This is Prosperity Town? Where’s the prosperity?”

Prosperity Town was not prosperous. It was named Prosperity because there was once a fairly rich gold mine. After the gold was exhausted and the prospectors left, the remaining residents’ lives returned to normal.

Not rich, but not poor either. It’s just an average southern town, similar to Charlie’s Forks in all but climate.

Bella’s knowledge of American small-town history was just beginning, so the state of Prosperity Town surprised her.

Having called ahead, Natasha and her daughter were waiting for them outside the town.

“Hi, Charlie!”

“Hi, Samantha.”

“Are you here on official business?”

Charlie looked around curiously. At the moment, Samantha was in her police uniform, accompanied by her bald deputy, seemingly investigating something.

“Perfect timing, go ahead!” Bella pushed Charlie out. After all, he was a sheriff, he should use his expertise.

“A barrel of waste has polluted the water source. We’re investigating.” Samantha didn’t refuse the help of a familiar face. In small towns like theirs, sheriffs didn’t have jurisdiction in other places. Charlie was no different from a civilian in Prosperity Town and vice versa.

The mention of a waste barrel caught Bella’s attention, but Natasha interrupted her thoughts.

“Are you okay? Why are you dressed like that?”

Bella’s outfit today was chic—a black sleeveless top, pleated skirt, and stiletto heels that made her look tall and slender. A silver necklace highlighted her jade-like skin, glistening with a faint glow.

Women with curvier figures couldn’t wear such long necklaces that reached the navel—they’d all bunch up. But Bella’s look was just right.

“Don’t I look beautiful? This is the latest summer collection from Saint Laurent. And my shoes? Christian Louboutin’s new women’s shoes!”

To impress Natasha and get an honest compliment, Bella had spent a lot of time putting together this look. Now she was decked out in high fashion. Anyone who didn’t find her beautiful must be blind.

In contrast, Natasha was at home and barely dressed up.

With a bare face, she wore an ordinary short-sleeved vest and shirt, knee-length shorts, and tennis shoes with cute bear patterns on her socks.

“You’re so flashy!” Natasha rolled her eyes, feeling rather annoyed. Her cheeks puffed slightly, highlighting the collagen in her face.

“Not bad. This necklace suits you!” Natasha’s keen fashion sense quickly spotted the highlight of Bella’s outfit. However, what was a highlight to some could be a downside to others.

Bella glared at her indignantly. How dare she imply she was small!

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