A/N: Here's Ch 3, with thanks to our kick ass beta extraordinaire, SunflowerFran! :) Any mistakes are mine.
~.~
The man bent to examine the images, his face impassive. After a moment, his expression darkened. "So it is true," he said. "This is my wife, Sulpicia. She has tried to disguise herself with a cheap wig, but it is clear she has been with this man." His voice dripped so much contempt into the single syllable that Charlie shuddered inwardly. "It is a blot of shame on our family name, one I must remedy at once. No American peasant may be seen sullying a member of our family. It is unthinkable." He stood, and from a hidden pocket in his suit drew out a gun.
Neither man saw the pair of brown eyes widen in shock.
"Where did you say this Cullen was staying?" the noble asked.
Charlie cleared his throat. "Uh, the Ritz Hotel. However, sir, I must advise that you do nothing drastic."
The man looked through him. "My banker will stop by tomorrow to pay your invoice. Thank you for your services." With that, he swept out of the apartment.
Charlie stood looking after him for a moment, and then shrugged. There was nothing he could do in any case. It was clear that his client was used to doing everything his own way.
"Papa, Papa, you must do something!" Bella burst through the door from the kitchen and clutched his lapels, her face contorted with emotion.
"Whatever are you talking about, Bella?" asked Charlie, gently disengaging her fingers from his clothing and returning to his desk.
"That man!" Bella cried. "He's going to shoot Edward Cullen! Didn't you see that gun?"
Charlie frowned. "Were you spying on us?"
"Of course not—" She lowered her eyes. "Well, yes. But it's for a good cause," she cried. "We need to stop him, to prevent a crime!"
"Bella," said Charlie, "no crime has been committed. And you should not spy on me. It's best for you if you stay out of my cases. They are not appropriate for an innocent girl like you."
"But Papa," she said, her eyes wide and beseeching, "he's going to kill him."
"I'm certain that it was only a figure of speech. Besides, I'm sure Cullen will be quite capable of protecting himself."
"But against a gun, Papa, no. You must do something!"
"If I went to the police, they would only say that no crime has been committed. And to go to Cullen would be a breach of client confidentiality, and for what? Nothing. No, Bella," he said, shaking his head in warning. "You must simply forget about this, and get back to practicing your cello. No, I don't want to hear anything more about it," he said sternly as she appeared to be ready to object once more.
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A/N: Great discussion in the reviews from last time! I especially enjoyed the comments on realism and jansails' opinions on character names and the culture clash between American canon and the French setting of this fic.
