Sadly not mine, Stephenie Meyer is the lucky duckSpecial thanks to Aisha the best beta that ever lived
For those who are unaware Del Cisne is Spanish for Swan
Translations at the bottom

Chapter One

May -Phoenix, AZ

Bella POV

Finally the last day of school. Only 2 weeks until I'm in Cancun basking in the sun while enjoying some beyond delicious Ceviche and forgetting that I teach very obnoxious high school kids English literature and Spanish. Majority of the time I wonder why I don't move down to Mexico permanently, then I remember I can stand Mexican politics and media for only so long before I feel like pulling my own hair out. How my Nanita (¡Qué Diós la tenga en su Gloria!) ever survived, I'll never know.

Summers with here were always...interesting. Even though she was in her mid90's, she knew how to live. It was like growing up next to Betty White. Lord knows I miss her. Life on the del Cisne estate will never be the same. I made a vow, though, to keep the memories going and to visit as often as possible. I mean to keep it.

Making my way home I receive a text from my dad, Charlie, or Carlos I should say, asking me to come over for dinner. I'll never understand why he prefers Charlie to his actual name. He says it's for business purposes. I just smile and nod while choosing to believe its total bull hockey. I text him back letting him know I'll meet him at 6 at his place. Since I graduated college and become a teacher my dad and I get don't get to spend a lot of time together. Granted, we didn't spend a lot of time together before that either, but now we really don't have an excuse other than we lead our own lives. My dad owns the biggest export company on the west coast, Swan Exports LLC. Working all over Mexico and most of South America, he spends most of his time away from home. He's home today though and I owed him a visit either way. On my way home, I notice a weird car driving down my street. It is a late model black Range Rover with all tinted windows. I live in a middle class neighborhood where the newest vehicle on the street is a used minivan. I don't think anything of it though, one strange car doesn't mean much (although I didn't feel comfortable not being able to see through the windows).

Eh.

After showering and getting dressed I head over to my dad's place. Heading into Scottsdale, I notice the same Range Rover not too far behind. It's a little strange…and eerie…and I hope it's just my imagination and that I'm not being followed.

I make it to my dad's place and notice a few SUV's in the driveway. The only thing I can figure is that dad is finishing up business before dinner.

Typical.

I make my way inside the house to see it filled with men. Lots of men. Lots of white men. Now there's a reason my dad works with Mexico and South America, he says he can't stand to work with gringos. Another reason why I can't understand why he prefers Charlie to Carlos. The man is just weird.

"'Apa ¿dónde estás?" I ask making my way through the house.

"¡En el comedor!" He yells.

I make my way through the house, trying not to stare at all the men eye balling me. God only knows what they're thinking. I find my dad in the dining room at the head of the table sitting with two men on one side. I notice they're both very handsome. No, handsome isn't the word, beautifully gorgeous is more like it. The blond one is broad shouldered with blue eyes and a flawless grin on his face. I can see that he's older, but I can also see the years have been kind to him.

Sitting next to the blond man is a younger man with reddish-copper, slightly disheveled hair. He peeks a glance at me and other than noticing he's pretty damn tall and also broad shouldered like his father, I see these amazing green eyes that I swear sparkled when they see me. It's almost like looking at two emeralds.

"Come here, mija." my dad says. I'm a little startled when he calls me, but make my way over to him and give a hug. His eyes tell me there's something wrong so I take a seat next to my father, opposite Blond Hair and Emerald Sparkly Eyes.

"Isabella I need to talk to you about something rather important, and I'm afraid as to how you're going to react, but believe me, I have no other choice."

Alright I'm a little worried; usually my dad is so carefree, never serious.

"As you know your Nana and Tata left you the del Cisne Estate once your Nanita passed earlier this year." I nod. The estate is one of the largest properties in Mexico and provides a lot of business and work for the locals. It's one of the privately owned organizations that provide work for the locals, and other than the tourism it helps keep Cancun less impoverished than the rest of Mexico. And as far as I know, it's been in the family since before the war? in the 1800's. It was the main reason I was heading back this summer. The papers had been finalized for me to sign the deed. I grew more and more anxious at the days passed.

"Yeah, what about it?" I ask.

"It's been brought to my attention that there is a clause in the will that we were unaware of which we must comply with. Otherwise, we lose the estate."

My eyes go wide, there's no way we could ever lose the estate. The del Cisne estate had been a part of the family for so long it was unthinkable not to have it in our family. It was our home.

"Pa, what are you talking about? I've gone over that will. I helped Nanita revise it before she passed."

"This isn't your Nana's portion of the will…it's your Tata's. Remember, he was sole owner of the estate and everything that came with it." I nod and let him continue, because it was true, Tata did own everything on that estate. Including Nanita.

"I was recently contacted by Jason Jenks, the estate attorney, and he made me aware of this additional clause. Your Nana had no idea about this; otherwise I'm sure she would've kicked your Tata's ass. The clause, or rather the entail clause, no estoy seguro de lo que diablos se llama."

I smirk.

"Well…" His voice gets shaky and he begins to loosen his collar on his shirt. "It specifies who will inherit the property, and the assets that go with it. In this case your tata specified that if his grandson, who is me, is not able to produce a male heir by age 50 the female heir will have to produce a husband by age 25. The female heir then must produce a child with the family name. Otherwise the estate goes on the market, and there would be nothing we can do about it."

My eyes almost bug out of my face and all the air leaves my lungs. There's no way this can be true. My birthday is less than 4 months away. There's no way I can get married.

"Dad there has to be some kind of mistake!"

"I'm afraid this is no mistake Isabella." Says the blond haired man.

Tears are beginning to stream down my face, my vision is blurred, but I can see that he is somewhat sorrowful. The man next to him though, the man with emerald eyes, doesn't seem to care.

"Mija, this is an associate of mine Carlise Cullen from Chicago and his son Edward. Edward recently took over for Jenks, whom is retiring. He'll…also…be…your husband in the next few months."

He says with A LOT of hesitation.

I didn't think they could but eyes go even wider as I look back to my father. I'm unable to push words out of my mouth at this point.

"In the clause it states that I have the right to choose your husband if you do not already have one picked within six months of your birthday. And since the deadline is only a few months away, we don't have much choice."

"Isabella," the blond haired man begins to speak. "Charlie and I have been business partners for a long time; Jenks was also my family attorney, that's how your father and I met. He told me of this problem, the entail clause. We both agreed that you and my son would be goodtogether."

I look over the man with the emerald eyes, he looks like has no emotion. Almost as if he has no soul behind his eyes.

"My son has had a very rough year, having gone through his own tragedy and is sadly losing his way. Your father has told me about the way you fought your own demons after your mother passed and that is what my son needs."

I look at him in bewilderment and finally find my voice. "You want me to save your son? You want me to bind myself to him forever and save a man whom I've never laid eyes on until moments ago. You have to be the dumbest person alive."

"Isabella!" My dad yells.

"¡Nó, Papá! You can't be serious about this. This is a mistake; this has to be a mistake! You can't just expect me to marry a man I've never seen before in my life or force me to give up our family home! This can't be happening!"

"Well it is! And if we want to keep the estate, and everything that goes with it, we don't have much choice. You're not the only one who would be losing something too, Isabella." I glare back at my father.

"¡Y dígame lo que vas a estar perdiendo!" I scream. "That place means nothing to you, but it means everything to me! You can't expect me to give up my life to save it."

"I'm sorry, mija. There's no other way." I look away from my father to stare at the men in front of me. The man with the green eyes didn't have any reaction to what just happened. He doesn't even care. To him this seems like any other day. This man is supposed to be my husband and he doesn't show not one bit of emotion.

"Isabella, your father has informed me that you will be leaving for your family estate within the next week to sign the documents for the deed of the estate. My son will be accompanying you to make sure everything is in order. This will also give you two an opportunity to get to know each other before the wedding."

Refusing to listen to another word, I storm out of the house without a backward glance.

Edward POV

Well that went well.

Not that I give a shit. I just want to leave this hell hole and get back to Chicago, but being the new attorney to the del Cisne Estate, going home wouldn't be happening for a while. It wasn't a gig I wanted, but seeing as how Jenks left his entire practice to me, including the estate, I really didn't get much say in the matter. Plus, dad said it would be good opportunity for meet to meet my future wife.

Wife.

Doesn't he remember what I did to my last fiancé. Of course, the bitch deserved it. Thinking she could do me dirty with some broad. Well it's too late for her now to apologize. I still can't figure out why dad wants me to marry this new broad. Other than saving our investment with this del Cisne guy, why the hell does he care about who this broad marries? And why the fuck does it have to be me? He mentioned something about her saving me. Ha! That's laughable. I'm fucking perfect! No way in hell do I need to be saved. The only reason I agreed to this marriage is because in exchange, dad is giving me my own law firm. Of course in reality it's going to be a front for all the illegal activity, but never the less it'll be all mine.

Apparently, it needs to be soon. The clause in the will states if this Isabella broad isn't married by her 25th birthday the estate is put on the market. Unfortunately, her 25th birthday is only months away. I would be marrying this woman much sooner than I would like. As long as I don't kill her, everything would be fucking peachy.

My dad and del Cisne talk for a while longer, discussing what needs to be done. I tune out and tell them I'm heading back to the hotel. Walking into the miserable Arizona heat, I try to figure out how these people can stand this hell. Then again, I guess it's better than having to endure blizzards in November. I hope this Isabella broad is prepared though, no way in hell I'm moving into hell. I do notice though their sunsets are pretty though. Like it matters.

I notice a black Range Rover following me to the hotel. The same rover followed me earlier after leaving the airport. I have no idea who the hell it is, nor do I give a fuck. As long as they leave me alone I could care less. I know it isn't the feds, all our dealings are done in Chicago or out of the country, and lately everything has been quiet. Plus we were only in this hell for del Cisne, we had no other business going on. Whoever was behind the wheel of the Rover was wasting their time; I'll kill them before they could even try to get me. Sometimes enjoying the kill is a lot like being a drug addict, you live for that high and you can't wait to get your next fix.

After I killed my whore of a fiancé I went on my own little spree and killed anyone who did my father's organization wrong. Anyone who denied my father anything he desired or needed found a bullet between their eyes. Six months ago my father took away my gun and kept me away from business deals unless I was needed. He said he could only cover for me so long before a hit was placed on my head. I just smiled. I already know there's no hope for me, might as well have some fun.

As I make my way into the hotel, I notice the Rover is long gone. I text my dad letting him know to watch his back on the way back to hotel. Not really worried, I head up to my room. Considering the outburst my "future wife" had at del Cisne's place, dinner was completely forgotten and I'm fucking starving. Thinking about room service I then remember what's south of the border. If there's one thing I love more than corned beef and cabbage is Mexican food. Growing up in Illinois, I always thought Mexican food was crap. It wasn't until I took a class trip in high school to Mexico City that I discovered the chefs in Chicago suck, not the food. Making my way back to my car, I use the GPS on my phone to look for a good place. This place Filiberto's sounds good.

Driving to the restaurant, I remember back to Mexico City and this shrimp cocktail I couldn't get enough of. I remember it had baby shrimp, tomatoes and cucumbers. Other than pussy it was the best thing that I've put in my mouth. I can't for the life of me remember what it's called but I do know it'll be a happy day when I have it again. I find the restaurant and notice it looks like a cheap fast food joint. Huh, this can't be good. I check my phone and see the place is given 4 out of 5 stars. Eh, I'll give it a shot. The place is packed so I guess it isn't too bad. I order a steak burrito with extra hot sauce. Few minutes later they give me my burrito and fuck me is it huge. It's a good thing I'm starving.

Looking for a place to sit, I see none other than my future wife staring down at here food, emotionless. Normally, I would care less about this but seeing as how I would be marrying this broad in the coming months I decided to make nice. I sit down in front of her, she doesn't flinch, doesn't even notice I'm here. I look at her food and see she's also eating a burrito, well supposed to be. Her food is untouched. I see she stopped crying, but her face is still flushed. I take a moment to actually look at her.

Back at her dad's place I didn't bother to take the time, I was more focused on getting the whole ordeal over with. Taking a moment I notice that her eyes are like chocolate, her skin is very fair and creamy but has an olive tone. Her hair flows below her shoulders almost like waves. I can only imagine how she looks when she smiles.

Wait…

I'm not supposed to feel that.

I'm not supposed to give a fuck!

Brushing dangerous issues aside I focus back on my food and take a bite of my burrito. Unwillingly, I groan because of what I just put in my mouth. The meat is so tender and hardly chewy. It was also peppery and spicy at the same time and the beans are fried, greasy and perfect. It was all wrapped in a deliciously thin flour tortilla, I was literally having an orgasm in my mouth.

"What is wrong with you?" She speaks. Good to know she's paying attention. "What? It's fucking delicious." I continue to eat, more like devour my burrito, and it's so damn good. I probably look like a damn Neanderthal but I don't fucking care.

"You look like a Neanderthal, slow down." She says.

Girl has spunk. Her spirit hasn't lifted though, she's still bitter. Can't really blame her though.

"Sorry, but it's impossible to get a semi decent burrito in Chicago. This is amazing."

"No it isn't." Huh?

"Huh?"

"This food isn't amazing. It's mediocre at best and it's just a burrito." She says in a flat tone.

She's not even looking at me, but at my food, like it's diseased or something.

"There meat is too chewy, they don't use enough salt, beans don't have enough lard, and the tortilla is paper thin." I stare at her rather dumbfounded.

This food is fucking amazing. Taking another bite I ask, "So what are you eating, then? Its looks like the same thing I'm eating." She grabs her plate and puts on my tray.

"Take a bite" she whispers.

Her food still hasn't been touched. I'm a little confused but I do as she says. I look at her burrito and see it's a little fatter and has a reddish tint. I put my food down and grab hers taking a bite. I have no idea what I just put in my mouth, but it beats my steak burrito. I'm tasting spice, I think ground pork or sausage, and egg wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. The pork is so tender and spicy and melts like butter in my mouth. The eggs are scrambled and are flavored with the pork's juices. It's so damn fucking good, I think I have a boner. I need to know what the fuck this is.

"What is this? It's fucking amazing." I say.

"Chorizo con huevo." What?

"What?" She finally looks at me. Her eyes seem faint and sad. I somehow feel the need to comfort her, although I don't know how.

"Chorizo con huevo." She says again.

"Sorry, I'm a white lawyer from Chicago where the only good food we possess is pizza and hot dogs." She seems to want to smirk but just isn't able to. I'm amusing her, but being so overwhelmed by today's events she's not able to really show it. Can't blame her though, I'm not happy about it either.

"Its ground sausage simmered in Chili pepper mixed with scrambled eggs. It's great comfort food…most of time-"

Tears begin to stream down her face, she begins to sob again.

"You alright?" I ask.

"How did you find me? Why are you here?" She's starting to breathe heavily, her chest's heaving.

"Isabella…"

"I don't know who you are…how can he expect me to marry you." She's getting pretty hysterical at this point. I'm sure she's having a panic attack.

"Isabella…"

"He…He…he can't expect me…to give…to give my life up? No puedo…" Her body goes limp and her eyes glaze over, before her body collapses to the ground. Before I realize what I'm doing I'm at her side trying to wake her up. I pick her up and take her to my car, driving to nearest hospital. The GPS on my phone says there a hospital 4 miles away.

While driving, I suddenly begin to feel something I haven't felt in 4 years. I begin to feel panic and fear. Why though? If nothing happened and no one died, then why am I so afraid?

Translations:

Que dios la tenga en su gloria: may god bless her sourl

Gringos: white men/people

Apa, donde estas: dad where are you

En el comedor: in the dining room

Mija: endearment for daughter

Nana: grandma/granny

tata: grandpa/grand daddy

no estoy seguro do lo que diablos se llama: i'm not sure what the devil it's call

No papa: No dad

Y digame lo que vas a estar perdiendo: and tell me what you would be losing

No Puedo: i can't