Disclaimer - I don't own twilight or any of its character. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N I just wanted to thank people for their support so far. It has given me the confidence to carry on. Also, I want to apologise if there are any mistakes in my writing. I edit my chapters several times before I post them, but somehow I keep managing to miss a few things. I don't have a beta but if there is anyone out there who would be interested in pre-reading my chapters and helping me out please let me know. Finally, in regards to a posting schedule, from now on I'm hoping to post a new chapter once a week on a Tuesday.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Three
Bella
"Buzz, buzz, buzzzzz"
"That must be your daddy Daisy." She gives me a look of apprehension as she places her paintbrush down beside the canvas. I push myself up off of the floor and slowly make my way over to the door. I'm desperately trying to suppress my raging desire to fling open the window and shimmy down the fire escape. To say I'm nervous about meeting Daddy Cullen would be the understatement of the year, and Daisy's obvious worry about his arrival is doing nothing to curb my fears.
Bella, you're a strong independent woman. You can do this. Buzz him in. Open the door. Return his child. It's quite straightforward really.
I just don't feel right about this whole situation. I don't want to see Daisy go without getting a better idea of what I'm sending her sending her back too. She doesn't seem to be very well cared for. I wonder where her mother is?
We have been painting together for just over a hour in total and I feel like I have learnt so much about her. The most prominent thing being that she isn't happy. I feel an almost sickly dread in the pit of my stomach at letting her leave with this man who is masquerading as a doting father, behind an obviously failing and preoccupied nanny. I know that I can't let him just walk out with her without saying my piece. I have rehearsed my speech over and over in my head since I got off the phone with him. I know what I want to say, but I'm sure that my somewhat uncontrollable emotions will stop me from saying it all right. I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm emotional and the last thing I need is for there to be any more misunderstandings.
If there is one thing I do know about Dr Cullen it's that when he is in 'Papa Bear' mode he's vicious, and I definitely do not want to cross him again if it can be helped.
Somehow I manage to hold my shaking hand steady enough to push the intercom and whisper a pathetic sounding, "Come on up."
I open the door and stand in the entrance waiting. Daisy flanks me on the right and slides her clammy palm into mine. I take a quick glance down at myself to make sure I don't look too awful and try to smooth my hair down with my free hand. My hair is a bit wild at the best of times, but add in a bit of rainwater and its completely uncontrollable. What must I look like?
I have little time to dwell on this thought though as he is up the four flights of stairs leading to my apartment and outside my door literally within seconds.
Tiny beads of sweat are clinging to his forehead and beginning to slowly trail down the side of his face. I look him up and down and I can't stop the small gasp that escapes my lips as I finally make eye contact. He has the same startling green eyes as his daughter. Such a rare and pure colour. They sparkle like little emeralds in the light, and hide absolutely nothing. They're like stain glass windows to his soul. They tell me everything I need to know.
He's furious.
At what or whom I don't know but his emotions are as clear as day. His gaze is stern and hard and firmly fixes on me before moving down to the cowering small girl at my side.
"Daisy are you hurt? Did this woman hurt you? Would you please let go of her so I can see her properly, Miss Swan." His voice reflects everything that I have seen in his eyes. He steps over the threshold and starts stalking towards us.
Daisy doesn't say anything. She only grips my hand harder and we both take a few steps backwards. Something rumbles deep within me and I snap. My urge to protect and fight back is powerful and overwhelming. So much for not being confrontational? What is this man doing to me?
"You hang on a minute now. I have been nothing but kind and caring to your daughter. She would probably still be out in the rain if it weren't for me. I would even go as far as saying that I have shown her more kindness and compassion in the last hour than that….that Witch you employ ever has! How dare you barge your way in here and insult me? How dare you?" I am positively seething. My heart is beating ten to the dozen and my adrenaline is pumping.
To give him some credit, he has the decency to back up a bit and marginal tone down his piercing glare.
"Please forgive me Miss Swan. It has been an incredibly trying day. You have to understand I am merely concerned for my daughter's safety like any father would be. I know nothing about what has happened today, or about you or the type of person you are." His voice is stern and I feel like I'm being reprimanded.
"I hope I haven't offended you in any way. Although I doubt I have. You certainly seem like a tough women."
A tough women! What does he mean by that? Is that even a good thing?
His apology does nothing for me. In fact, I don't actually think it is an apology at all.
It is perhaps one of the most contrived and arrogant things anyone has ever said to me. He most certainly doesn't look sorry, just bored. I rack my brains trying to think of a time when I have actually been more offended than I am now. Nothing comes to mind.
I take a minute to glance at his appearance and to try and calm myself down a bit before I literally explode with anger.
He is wearing a fitted blue shirt, black trousers and a black jacket. The whole outfit screams money and perfection right down to his highly polished designer shoes. His posture is rigid and hard. He looks uncomfortable and uptight. He seems so fake, and strangely enough I'm disappointed in him.
His hair does stand out though and it gives me hope that somewhere under all the layers of pretension lies the real Dr Cullen. It's somewhat striking and completely out of character compared to the rest of his sleek image. It's a tangled and messy disarray of hairs, the same colouring as Daisy's. I think its best described as auburn, a mixture of soft browns and reds. I try to burn a picture of the colour into my brain so that I can attempt to recreate it later in paints.
I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts and get back on track. I note Dr Cullen is just impassively staring at me. I get the distinct impression that he is not impressed in the slightest.
Two can play at this game you conceited arse.
"No offence taken Dr Cullen. Your right I am a strong woman. I appreciate that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Nobody is perfect. What's important is that we learn from our mistakes. People who jump to conclusions very rarely get it right. Consider you apology accepted." I smile wide, showing all my teeth, and look him straight in the eyes. I fake sincerity the best I can.
His mouth lifts into a small smirk as he stares straight back. I see a flash of something in his eyes, a new and unknown emotion, but its gone as fast as it comes. I find myself wondering what he thinks of me.
"Touché Miss Swan." He replies.
It seems we have reached an impasse.
Daisy obviously senses that something has changed between us and take this moment to intervene.
"Daddy, its not Bella's fault. Its all me daddy. Its all me. I runned away from the park and I got losted and I didn't know how to get home. And then it started raining and I didn't have my umbrella so I wented by Bella's stairs outside. She saved me daddy." By the time she reaches this point in her outburst she is bordering on hysterical, and throws herself on the floor at her dad's feet in fits of sobs.
I reach out to comfort her but he beats me to it. He scoops her up off the floor and paces further into my apartment before settling down on the sofa. He is cuddling her tightly to his chest and stoking her hair. As her crying start to subside I can hear him making soothing sounds. His attentiveness to her needs shocks me, but as I look more closely I see that pain is clearly etched upon his face.
Swan, you need to take your own advice about jumping to conclusion; you know better than to judge a book my its cover.
Dr Cullen cares about his daughter. He adores her that much is clear.
She is completely silent now, focusing entirely on him. His hand is still buried in her hair and he's quietly whispering in her ear. She's actually suppressing a grin. All of a sudden I feel like I'm intruding on a private moment. The whole scene looks so right. They fit together. He no longer looks like a pretentious and cold business man, but like a loving father caring for his daughter.
Just as I am about to leave the room and give them some space, Dr Cullen's eyes start to search the room before connecting with mine.
"Miss Swan, may I speak with you privately." He catches me of guard.
"Of course…come through to the kitchen." I reply and walk off trying to gather myself.
He follows closely behind me and turns to close the door. The minute the door clicks shut, I feel trapped. The room feels impossibly small and is humming with an invisible energy. It's intense and bewildering, but also strangely invigorating. My heart beat is rising and I feel flustered. I'm not sure where to look or what to say. Does he feel this strange energy too?
My body starts to tingle and I look up to see him staring down at me curiously. I feel like a bug under a microscope; he's studying me wondering what I'm going to do next. I chance a look at his face but I don't know him well enough to be able to tell what he's thinking. He's too confusing.
He speaks breaking the silence, "Firstly, allow me to properly introduce myself, my name is Edward Cullen. You may call me Edward, any derivatives of my name are unacceptable and I won't respond to them."
"You are Isabella Swan."
"Yes. Please call me Bella. I prefer it."
"Well…Bella, put most simply, Daisy is my world. She is all I care about and I can't even think about what I would do, how I would go on, if anything were to happen to her. I may have come across as rude and abrupt today…"
"Yes you have." I rudely interrupt. There's really no point holding back now and I want him to know that I'm hurt by his treatment.
He looks down at the floor and pauses his speech. When he is sure I have finished he continues on as if I hadn't spoke at all. "…as I was saying, I may have come across as rude and abrupt today but that is by no means who I am. I don't want us to part ways today under any misconceptions about each other. You are obviously a kind and capable young woman and I am grateful for all you have done."
I think this is the closest I'm going to get to a heartfelt apology, and his inadvertent compliment makes me blush. I glance up at him through my eyelashes and offer him a shy smile.
"Your welcome Edward."
He smiles back, the first genuine smile I have seen, and I can't help but notice the way his eyes light up. He squints slightly and I can see the tiny wrinkles around his eyes and a slight stubble across his jaw. I note for the first time the extent of his attractiveness. He's definitely all man and pretty damn close to perfection. Please don't let me be drooling right now.
My thoughts steadily begin to drift into the realm of inappropriateness when Edward makes a statement reminding me why we are even here in the first place.
"Daisy is quite taken by you."
"As I am with her."
"I want you to know that I am going to be dealing with Tanya as soon as I get home. What happened today is unacceptable. I put my trust in her and she has broken that trust. This won't happen again." I think this is a rare moment of clarity and honesty for Edward and I find myself beginning to trust him. He's is the complete opposite of the man he was when he walked in.
"Good. That's good. Daisy deserves someone who loves her and wants to look after her. I don't think Tanya is that person. I'm glad that you have brought this up actually. I know its not really my place to get involved but Daisy has made several remarks this afternoon that have worried me. I think Tanya has been making her really unhappy through her selfish and impatient behaviour. Daisy deserves more."
I fear that I have overstepped the mark and hold my breathe waiting for him to snap back with some biting and anger induced retort.
A retort than never comes.
He's just standing looking out of the window, deep in thought. I'm startled by the change in direction this afternoon has taken. Who knew that the Dr Cullen I spoke to on the phone was going to turn out to be so reasonable and understanding.
"Daddy, come see my painting." The sound of Daisy's voice causes us both to jump.
Edward quickly turns around and throws the door open, like he desperate to escape.
By the time I catch up, he is stood peering down at the canvas we painted. The once white board is now covered in a range of different colours, shapes and patterns. Daisy is beaming with pride and looking up at her Daddy expectantly. Our work looks good and we had so much fun doing it.
"What is it suppose to be?" He asks after a couple of minutes.
"It's for Bella's school work daddy. It's fun style art. We got the paintbrushes and splatted the paint on. Want me to show ya?"
"That's not necessary Daisy. I can see what you did."
She is still waiting patiently for him to say more but he just continues to stare blankly.
His silence is beginning to become uncomfortable and I feel my anger levels rising. He better not say anything nasty.
"It's definitely different."
That's all he says. I frown and so does Daisy. I'm just about to jump in and say something when he announces that its time for them to leave, because they have plans for this evening. Daisy's face falls but I can't be sure whether this is more to do with the fact that she has to leave or because Edward didn't really appreciated her efforts. Obviously he's not a fan of abstract work, but that is no excuse for not giving adequate praise to his only child. Even if he hated it, one little white lie wouldn't have mattered if it made her happy. She needs to have her confidence built back up not knocked down further. My inner fighter is telling me that I can't just let him get away with this so easily, but I let it go for now.
"Ok then. Let me just get Daisy's stuff together, her wet clothes and what not." I state.
I go to the bathroom and gather up her wet clothes and stuff them into a bag. I walk back into the lounge area and hand them to Edward. He's already helped Daisy put her shoes on.
"When will I see you 'gain Bella?" She questions me.
I don't know how to respond and Edward's provides no help, not even bothering to look at me.
"I'm not sure sweetie. We'll have to see." I decide to keep it vague.
"Will it be soon? Daddy can I see Bella soon please?" The tone of her voice tells me she's on the verge of begging.
He looks at me for the first time since leaving the kitchen and his expression is the same blank one he came in with, except now his eyes are blank as well. His fury is gone and apparently has left an empty, emotionless void behind.
"Like Bella said Daisy, we'll have to see."
I feel like he's dismissing me but really what more did I expect. It was clear from the beginning that he isn't a nice person, what happened in the kitchen must have been a ridiculous rare occurrence. He clearly doesn't approve of me. Why would he want me seeing his daughter? I'm just a stranger who did a good deed. My reward is seeing Daisy back where she belongs safe and sound. I must admit though that even in such a short space of time I have grown attached to her. I guess I was hoping that I could see her again. Its not my place to make decisions like that though and I don't want to make promises to Daisy that I can't keep.
However, I can't help but feel that Edward is being a bit heartless and insensitive.
My inner fighter jumps into gear and I can't resist taking a last stab back at him.
"Wait guys…" I walk back into the centre of the lounge and grab the over sized canvas that we worked on, "…I want you to take this. You can hang in on the wall at home. Maybe in your kitchen or lounge. Your worked so hard on it and I really think it should be displayed so all your family and friends can see."
"Don't you need it for school Bella? Won't ya get into trouble?" She is so adorable.
"Don't worry, I can paint another one tomorrow. I want you and your Daddy to have this one."
"Oh thank you so much Bella. Daddy, can we put it on the wall please? In my bedroom? Or maybe next to the TV in the lounge? Or in the kitchen? I bet grandpa's gonna love it. Can you hold it Daddy? Its real heavy."
Edward knows that he has no choice but to leave with painting and he accepts it from me with a scowl and a huff. How ungracious!
"See you soon Bella. Love you." She waves one last time before skipping after Edward who has stalked off.
He left without even saying goodbye, which I'm going to count as a victory to me. I managed to wind him up as much as he wound me up, and now he is going to have a constant reminder of this encounter and of me hanging on his wall.
Who ever came up with the saying "don't get mad, get even" was a genius.