A/N: Anything Twilight related belongs to SM.
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I hope you enjoy this next installment.
The Cullens and McCartys, though initially shocked, nodded their heads and whispered supportively in agreement with Edward's declaration of his intention to marry Isabella Swan. Arranged marriages were common in their world. Carlisle's and Emmett's own marriages with Esme and Rosalie were arranged, and for similar reasons, to strengthen the ties between Families.
Young Elizabeth Masen, still sitting beside Isabella, reached out and patted her hand. She gave her a smile and whispered to her, "My daddy wants to marry you." Though completely confused Isabella politely smiled at this innocent young girl and stroked her pretty strawberry blond hair.
Isabella blinked slowly, trying to come to terms with what she'd heard Edward declare. She was of course relieved that Edward did not want her death but was in shock that this powerful man wanted her for his bride. He could have anyone. There were so many women of more beauty, accomplishment and higher social standing than herself. Why would the Boss of the Five Families Cartel choose her to be his wife?
Edward spoke again to William, "I realise Isabella is not a blood member of the Black Family, but I also know that she is loved as such. Your wife and daughter-in-law love her as family, so you would never act in such a way as to hurt her, or her future children even though they be of my seed."
Isabella felt her cheeks blush at the suggestion of carrying his children.
Masen turned to Isabella's father, "Charles, Isabella is your only child. I know that by merging our blood lines you will do all in your power to ensure her happiness and success. It will cement your allegiance to me and my family. Now, what say you?"
William whispered to his friend, that this was for the best, that Isabella would be married to the one of the most powerful men in the land and would be taken care of for the rest of her life.
Charles glared at Edward, he knew his reputation. As a businessman he was well-known for his financial acumen, being a ruthless negotiator and brilliant strategist. As the Boss, Edward was known to be fiercely loyal, with zero tolerance for failure; he was also known as cold-hearted killer.
However, Charles knew little of Edward as a man other than he had been married once before and that his wife had died just one year after their daughter had been born.
Charles looked at each of the leaders in the room and realised that Edward had full control of every one of them. Edward's presence exuded strength, control and power. Charles knew in this moment that there was only one answer he could give. Edward wanted his daughter and Charles was compelled to comply.
He stood, cleared his throat and spoke to the whole room while looking only at Edward. "I will give my daughter to you Mr Masen on the condition that here, in front of the leaders of the Five Families, you swear to me that your intention is marriage. That you will honour your marriage vows, care for her and her children, and that you will be faithful to her. If you swear this to me I will give to you my most treasured possession, my Isabella."
Edward stood to answer but this time his deep green eyes met with the rich brown eyes of Isabella. "I swear to you, here in front of these witnesses, that I will marry Isabella as soon as it can be legally arranged, that I will care for her and always remain faithful to her as long as we both shall live."
Charles walked to Isabella who stood to take her father's hand.
Edward watched as Isabella stood before her father who spoke quietly to her. He then watched with pleasure as she gathered her composure, giving a nod of compliance and a sweet comforting smile to her father.
Edward knew at that moment that she was his.
Charles kissed Isabella's forehead softly and then led his daughter directly to Edward who stood keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his prize.
"Edward, I bring you my daughter Isabella who has accepted your offer of marriage. Honour your promises to me, sworn before these witnesses. Take her hand and treat her well." Charles kissed his daughter's temple before placing her hand in Edward's and then returned to his seat.
Edward brought Isabella's hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Still holding her hand in his, he turned to the men around the table to dismiss them. "Gentlemen, thank you for your loyalty. This meeting is now concluded. Let us all move to the next room to celebrate our Cartel's bright and profitable future."
The Black family gathered around Charles, supporting him and speaking positively of this great honour for his family and for Isabella. The mood of the whole group was lifted and they all moved quickly from the conference room into the next room where Isabella had arranged for the post-meeting celebrations, never imagining for a moment that the assembly would also be celebrating her engagement.
Edward turned back to Isabella and they stared at each other silently not even hearing the noise of the others leaving the room.
He sat back in his chair and pulled Isabella close to him, standing her between his legs. His hands softly glided up her arms, his fingers ghosting along her collarbone and then his right hand came to rest between her breasts while his other hand slid gently down her side until he reached her hip. She shivered at his touch which made him smile.
He waited for her to look at him, he wanted to look into her eyes as he pronounced his claim. Finally, she released a whispered sigh then raised her head and looked him squarely in his eyes. They held their gaze until Isabella felt something cold and metallic slide along her finger. Her ring finger.
She looked down to see a beautiful ring now settled on her ring finger. It was magnificent.
Standing, he raised her chin with his hand. His grip wasn't aggressive or painful but it was firm and possessive. He leaned in and placed a soft, barely there, whisper of a kiss on her lips. "You are mine now, Isabella."
One tear rolled down her cheek. She had absolutely no idea how she should feel. Her father had given her to one of the most powerful, dangerous men in America. She was to be his wife. Married. She looked again at the beautiful ring and then to her fiance, testing the word in her mind.
Her life had always been strange but today's events were, at the very least, unexpected; this morning she was the dutiful obedient daughter of a man whose best days were behind him and whose standing within the Family was in decline taking with it her prospect of a worthy marriage. Now she was engaged to be married to the Boss of Five Families. The absurdity of this dramatic turn of events forced a giggle to escape from her.
Edward looked at her with his left brow raised and a smirk on his face. "What a strange little creature you are. Your father has given you to me to be my wife. You've barely spoken a word to me, you wear my ring on your finger, have a tear rolling down your cheek and yet you giggle. What is going on in that lovely head of yours? I can't read you at all and I am very good at reading people."
She gave him a long look, taking in his handsome face, enjoying his deep, velvety voice and succumbing to the firmness of his hold. He said she was his, but in that moment she realised that he was hers too. They were to be married. Her father had agreed and so now it was inevitable.
She gave him a small smile and spoke softly: "Thank you for the beautiful ring."
He smiled, enjoying her sultry voice; he squeezed her hand gently. "Come, we must do our duty and celebrate with the Families. Then we will return to my home in Chicago, tonight. I have business that cannot wait."
She swallowed nervously at the thought of leaving her father and her friends so immediately and so completely.
However, she knew well how things were within the Cartel; she'd been taught since a little girl what to expect. According to the covenant of the Five Families she was in fact already married. He had asked her father publically for her hand; her father then offered her the choice. She had accepted Edward's offer and the moment his ring slid home on her finger she became a Masen. She must go with her husband and his family from that moment forward.
She stopped suddenly with the thought of family; his daughter!
"What is it Isabella? What has you panicked?" He looked at her with real concern, her face had paled and her look was of a frightened kitten.
"Elizabeth, your daughter, what will she think? What if she is unhappy to have me as your wife, should we speak with her to make sure she understands?"
Her obvious concern for his daughter only confirmed to Edward that he had made the right choice. He was right about her. He knew she had a caring heart perfect to mother his children. He smiled and stroked her beautiful, mahogany hair which felt like silk. "She already knows kitten. I prepared her for this and told her all about you being my wife and her mother."
Isabella was confused. "But ... how, you only met me today."
He smirked and pulled her close to his body. He liked the way she felt in his arms; he dropped his head to slowly glide his nose along the length of her neck taking in her natural scent. He whispered in her ear, "I didn't make this decision today. I have been watching you for quite some time. Remember that I had the ring ready, perfectly sized to fit your slender finger. You have no idea how long I've waited for you."
He stood tall once again but kept her close so that he could feel the full length of her body, he placed one hand under her chin to bring her eyes to his. He loved her eyes, they were the window to her emotions, he could read her so much easier looking into her deep brown eyes. His other hand roamed her body slowly.
He nuzzled her neck again and kissed her softly reaching her ear lobe which he bit softly, "I have had eyes on you for some time my kitten. I have waited patiently but now you are mine and I cannot wait to have you, to taste you, to bury myself deep in you and then to explode inside you." He bit her earlobe softly before pulling back to see her face.
He knew he was right about her, that she would be perfect for him. He knew she would respond to him and come alive under him. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were a shade darker, and she was lightly panting. He knew that if he could run his fingers over her sex right now, and he was using a great deal of self-control resisting the urge to do just that, he knew she would be glistening with excitement for him.
"Come," he said gently pulling her hands toward the door to go and join the others. He chuckled to himself knowing that he could in fact make her come for him, right there and then. He wouldn't do that though because he had his seduction of Isabella all planned out. He would get her used to his touch, he would build the heat between them until they were home in Chicago and then he would have for the first time in his bed, just the way he wanted.
Isabella shook her head trying to straighten her thoughts and then followed Edward's lead. She had a feeling that she would always be following this powerful man's lead and if she was going to keep up with him, she needed to steady herself for what lay ahead.
Before he opened the door to the next room he drew her close to him again wrapping his arm around her tiny waist. He delighted in running his fingers softly up and down her spine causing her to shiver. "Now when we enter this room I want to see you keep your chin up, kitten, you're not a shy, reserved, seen-but-not-heard Swan woman anymore. Now you are a Masen woman. Masen women are strong, powerful, and formidable. When we enter that room with my ring on your finger it means that you are not only a Masen woman but the first lady of this Cartel - you are the Boss' wife little one. Now, make me proud."
He flung the door open and they walked into the crowded room side by side, his arm protectively and possessively around her. She was his prize and he wanted them all to know it.
Everyone cheered and applauded as the couple walked in together. Edward and Isabella spent the next hour listening to obsequious congratulations and best wishes.
Every now and again Edward would lean across to shake someone's hand making sure his arm brushed lightly against her breasts. At other times, with his arm around her shoulders, he'd let his fingers trace up and down her neck. After each touch he would hear her breathing hitch and he knew he'd had the desired effect.
Then, after what felt like an interminable session of sycophantic ramblings from all and sundry, Edward stood pulling Isabella up with him.
"Isabella, go say your farewells to your father and the Blacks, you won't see them again until the wedding. It is time to go."
Isabella looked at him in shock, did he mean for her to go with him without any of her things, without her clothes or her books?
He grew impatient with all this ass-licking crap he'd been forced to listen to all afternoon and was on a short fuse. He wanted this done already. "Go Isabella, now."
"But Edward, what about my things, I need to pack before we can leave."
He waved his arm dismissively, "It has been done while we were here, I sent a detail to your home with your father's permission. You are packed and your things are already on the plane. Go now, say your farewells while I gather Elizabeth. I don't want to delay."
She nodded and went sadly to her father, "I have to leave now. Edward wants to go."
Charlie drew her close to him and enveloped her in his embrace trying to comfort his only child, hoping that what he said to her was true. "Now, now daughter. Edward is an honourable man; he's also a powerful man and you will want for nothing as his wife. I am proud that he has chosen you above all others. You have brought honour to our family, Isabella."
He then spoke in a soft whisper only for her ears, "I am only a call away my girl; if you should need anything you know the number to call. No one need know."
Isabella had known the secret number her father spoke of for as long as she could remember. She'd never had to use it and hoped she never would, and though she knew her father was trying to offer her comfort, somehow she didn't think that anything was a secret from Edward Masen.
She wiped the tears from her face while still hidden in her father's embrace, she pulled herself from him and stepped back giving him her best brave smile.
He nodded his approval and then kissed her forehead with genuine tenderness. "There's my brave girl. Now go join your husband."
Husband!
She cleared her head of her fears and once more became the dutiful Isabella. With due courtesy she went around the room wishing her old friends and her new acquaintances farewell, accepting their congratulations with grace and humility.
With her farewells all done she walked to the centre of the room and joined Edward, who, without even looking away from his conversation with Emmett, reached behind him taking her hand in his. As she joined them he kissed the back of her hand gently and continued his discussion.
As she stood trying not to listen to the details of their conversation, Elizabeth joined them. Edward closed his free arm around his daughter so that she was held close to him, and she looked up to her father and smiled at his embrace. Isabella was warmed by their closeness, surely if he was loving and affectionate with his daughter there was hope that despite his power and ruthless reputation that maybe he could also be a kind husband. She closed her eyes in silent prayer that he would be so.
When they finally left the function Isabella was awestruck by their entourage of guards, assistants and drivers. There were four identical cars and Edward randomly selected the one they would travel in, he said it was part of their security measures.
He then swapped out the driver from the one with the selected car to one of the other drivers. Edward guided Elizabeth and Isabella into the car with everyone else spread across the other vehicles. All of this took mere moments, with everyone moving with efficient, well-drilled precision.
Once in the car, Elizabeth sat with Isabella while Edward pulled out his phone talking business with someone.
Isabella was very used to this world of security guards and armoured vehicles, although this was a significant amplification of arrangements to what she was used to with her father. She was also skilled in dutifully ignoring the details of Family business, even when it was discussed all around her. Instead she focussed on young Elizabeth hoping to get to know her a little better.
"How old are you, Elizabeth?"
"I am five now but soon I'll be six."
Isabella smiled and nodded commenting that she was very grown up for five. Isabella was actually more than a little concerned that she was now a wife and mother of a near six year old at the ripe age of twenty-one.
"I am going to be living with you at your home now Elizabeth. How do you feel about that?"
Elizabeth gave her a small smile, "It will be your house too silly. You're going to be Daddy's new wife and my new Mommy."
Isabella glanced at Edward when the young girl said the words wife and mommy; she found that though he was listening to someone on the phone his eyes were on her. She could feel her cheeks pink with blush under the intensity of his gaze. He gave a half smile reaching over to take her hand in his, giving it a little squeeze. She returned a small smile to him before turning her attention back to Elizabeth.
"Tell me about the house then if it will be my home soon too," she laughed, relieved that Elizabeth didn't seem to have any issues with her new 'mommy'.
Elizabeth went on to tell her all about the staircase, the number of bedrooms, the stables and the swimming pool. "But my favourite part of the house is the workshed," the little girl announced.
Thinking this was an extremely odd remark, Isabella wondered if the little girl had her words mixed up. "The workshed? Why is that your favourite?"
"I like to build things. When I grow up I'm going to build engines."
Isabella was stunned, when she was this little girl's age she was already in training to be a dutiful Family wife, being taught the proper way to set a table, how to sew and how to cook. She would never have been allowed to get dirty in a workshed, no mind entertain a career as a grease monkey.
She hadn't noticed that Edward had finished his call and had been watching the interaction between his daughter and his new wife. She gave a little start when he leaned over and moved her hair exposing her neck to him so he could place small kisses there. Her whispered, "Masen women are raised to be leaders, kitten. We don't keep them pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen like the Volturi Families."
She looked at him with wide eyes, as she realised how different her life could have been if she had been born a Masen, a McCarty or a Cullen.
Just then the car arrived at the airport and Edward pulled her gently from the car. Edward's men quickly boarded the private jet, while Edward picked up Elizabeth and carried her towards the pilot who was waiting by the stairs of the plane. Isabella was waiting by the car not really sure whether to board or wait for Edward.
He put Elizabeth down and she boarded hand-in-hand with the pilot. Edward turned and walked back to Isabella with a sexy smile on his face. She watched him as he walked and she couldn't help but admire his physique and manner. He was like a Lion - relaxed in his gait, exuding power and confidence. He was a man confident in himself.
She took a deep breath steadying herself as he approached.
"Do you want me to carry you too?" he said with a smirk and mischief in his eyes.
She blushed, a little embarrassed that she had just stood by the car instead of boarding like the others. He could see that she was a little lost in his world but he knew she'd find her feet quickly. He reached out to her and in one swift move that surprised the air out of her lifting her into his arms bridal style.
"It isn't exactly a threshold but it will do," he laughed, carrying her with ease to the plane and up the stairs as though she weighed nothing at all.
She giggled and lost herself in the crook of his neck, embarrassed by this display but loving it all the same.
As Edward carried her through to a large, luxurious lounge area she noted that his men were nowhere to be seen. He placed her down on her feet and she asked, "Where is everyone?"
"Elizabeth is with the pilot and co-pilot, she likes to sit up front in the cockpit to watch them fly. I think she'll have her pilot's license before she ever learns to drive a car. My men are in their lounge area and I'm sure they're already giving the stewards a hard time. They are off duty until we land and they know how to enjoy themselves."
He curled a lock of her hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her cheek, teasing her with his soft sexy words. "That just leaves us newlyweds all alone; whatever shall we do with ourselves." His hands were gliding up her arms and he started kissing along her jaw.
A/N: So some of your questions answered but not all, not yet anyway. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
