Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.
Thanks to MeteorOnAMoonlessNight for being my beta and Sara aka Nikki Black and Sukiethree for pre-reading!
oOo
"You got a job at a fashion magazine? You're joking, right?" Jake, my boyfriend of the past five years, asked me.
I glared at him. "Is it really all that hard to believe?" I asked. What was with all these people insulting me lately?
"Don't get me wrong, Bella, you know I think you're gorgeous. It's just that I know you think there are more important things to worry about than how someone is dressed." He shrugged.
I couldn't fault him there since he was right. I had never been one to obsess over how I looked. It just wasn't me. "You're right." I sighed. "But this is going to open so many doors for me. People who have worked at Soigné for just a year have gone on to lead amazing journalism careers. I can't pass this up."
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "If you say so."
I knew he thought I was crazy, but at least I had his support for now.
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My alarm blared at six a.m. on Monday. The weekend had gone way too quickly, and now my stomach was just a mess of nerves. I knew there was nothing in my closet that could compete with any of the other girls I had seen on Friday. I was supposed to have coffee waiting for my boss, but I had never been told from where. Just black coffee, or a specialty coffee? I had no clue. I hoped that I would be given some leeway on my first day, but for some reason, I highly doubted it.
I hopped out of the shower and dried off quickly. I threw on my best pair of black slacks topped with a cream-colored button-down shirt. It would have to do for now. I let my hair air dry while I slipped on a pair of comfortable shoes before heading out the door to Starbucks. I only had about forty-five minutes before I was due at work.
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I walked into the building with ten minutes to spare and quickly made my way into the office to place the coffee on his desk. I audibly gasped and almost dropped the coffee into his lap when I saw him already sitting in his chair.
"You're late, Isabella," he said coolly, his eyes scanning and disapproving of my outfit quickly.
"I'm sorry, I thought—" I began, only to be cut off.
"You will be here no later than eight-thirty in the morning. Once again, my coffee will be black and be searing hot. You will answer the phone every time it rings, no matter what. You will sit in on any meetings that I ask you to, accompany me to any functions that I require of you. Now, the list is longer than that, but you said you're a fast learner, didn't you? Hopefully, you'll catch on quickly." He dismissed me.
The day was a constant flurry of activity, and more than once I wondered to myself what I had gotten myself into. The phone rang all day, which was also a reminder of how out of place I was here fielding calls from different fashion designers and companies that I had never in my life heard of before. I felt like I was drowning.
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It was just after seven-thirty at night when I finally got the okay to begin packing up my things for the day. As I was rounding my desk to get my coat, I heard Edward's raised voice from his office. I had no intention of eavesdropping, but I couldn't help it.
"I can't understand how you don't have the time for this, Andy! You know how important this is to her!" he barked. "You always had the same excuse while we were married. I understand that your career is important. You act as if mine isn't as well, yet I at least attempt to make time for our daughter. You do whatever you feel is right, Andy, but I'm not explaining it to her yet again!" He slammed down the phone.
I knew I wasn't supposed to know much about his personal life, but I had just learned a few key points. First, Edward had a daughter who obviously meant the world to him, and second, Edward Cullen had previously been married, to a man named Andy. I didn't want to stereotype him, but it all made so much sense. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, he was more into fashion than most women I knew—which I guess didn't say much—and, well, he seemed to be a bit of a diva.
"Isabella!" he called for me, and I hurried into his office. It seemed that I wasn't done for the day after all.
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"This is insane, Bella! He can't keep you until nine-thirty every night! You're working thirteen to fourteen hour days, you're killing yourself!" Jake was shouting at me, telling me things that I already knew.
I flopped down on the couch with a huge sigh. "Look, he told me from the beginning that my personal life wouldn't exist anymore. Plus, it's just the first week. I've had so much to learn that I'm sure I'm slowing everything down a bit, and—"
"I just don't want to see you so stressed out, baby," he said, pulling me close to him. I knew that there was more to this than just the fact that I was working long hours. Jake had the tendency to be jealous, and the fact that I was spending such long hours with my boss, who just happened to be a man, wasn't helping. I knew that Edward was gay, Jake didn't, and it was going to stay that way. Edward had never himself told me he was gay, and I didn't want to betray him in any way.
"It's just for this year," I told him.
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The second week was harder than the first, which I thought to be impossible. I had the answering of the phones down and the coffee; all of the simple tasks were like second nature. It was when I was called into meetings, where the difference between two items that were basically the same was discussed as if they were as different as day and night, or which pattern looked better, that it all became ridiculous to me. The few times that I was acknowledged by Edward, the looks that I received were either that of disgust or pity. Except for one woman, her name was Alice, and she always had a bright smile for me. It was oddly comforting, knowing that maybe someone saw past my clothes and that I was an actual person.
It was Wednesday, and after another pointless meeting, where almost the entire layout for the next issue was scrapped, Alice approached me.
"Hi! I'm Alice, and you're Isabella, right?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, but I prefer Bella, though it seems that point was lost on Edward." I glared towards his closed office door as Alice giggled.
"A lot of things are lost on Edward these days, ever since he and Andy split, but I probably shouldn't talk about that. Anyway, would you want to have lunch with me today?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, yeah, that actually sounds great. Just let me tell Edward and get my things, then we can head out."
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I was sitting across from Alice while we ate when suddenly she just blurted out. "Edward is my brother, you know."
"Oh! I had no clue," I said sheepishly. "You have different last names, so…"
She nodded. "I got married around the same time that Edward was getting divorced. It was a tricky time. I could help you, you know."
I raised my eyebrows at her. "Help me?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. I know how hard it is to fit in around here if you don't dress the part. Honestly, fashion isn't my thing, I deal more with the articles in the magazine. But Edward has ingrained everything he knows into me. I could help you."
I stared at her for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Yes. Please."