Chapter Four:

Bella race home to change out of her business clothes and got dressed for dinner with Edward. When Liz told her where Edward wanted to meet she knew she would need to dress a little more refined. It was only one of the best restaurants in Seattle. She still wasn't sure if this deal was a wise one. She had so many questions. Of course, talking to Jacob in private was also a necessity before she made her final decision.

On one hand, it would be a great investment. She already ran Cullen Publishing like it was her own. The employees already saw her as the boss so it wouldn't be hard for them to adjust to her being the actual owner. She loved her job. She once wanted to be a writer but she didn't have the commitment it took or the attention span to complete a book. She loved reading and she was good at picking out potential award-winning authors. She had high expectations from her writers and they respected her wisdom, despite the fact that she wasn't a writer herself.

Stepping out of the cab she shivered from the unexpected chill this evening. She was wearing a long sleeve navy dress that clung to her hips. The top went up to her neck but the back dip down, exposing almost all of her backside. She liked this dress because it was classy with a touch of seduction. The hem reaches the top of her knees so her muscular calves were exposed and the cute little black heels she matches with it were only two inches high to prevent her from being her usual clumsy self. Walking into the restaurant she felt the apprehension growing. She just hopes that Edward would understand why she didn't want to rush into this without more answers.

Something warns her that this ex might be more of a threat that he was leading her to believe. If he required Jacob as a bodyguard then Edward must feel in grave danger. Why would she want to put herself in the direct line of this psychotic bitch? No money in the world was worth dying over. However, if Edward felt that this was a sure way to get her off of his back then marrying Edward, even if temporary, could be beneficial to both parties.

Edward was at the door and greeted her at once. The hostess sets them down in a private room. Bella tried to keep a smile on her face but she was shaking like a leaf inside. This wasn't her world. No amount of money could make her feel like she belongs among the rich. She was a simple small town girl at heart.

"You look amazing." Edward cooed as his eyes lit up, displaying his honest approval of her attire.

"Thank you," Bella mumbled under her breath. She licks her ruby color lips and forces her smile to widen.

"I think I need to see you out of the office more." Edward flirted.

Bella was taken back by his unusual charisma. Normally Mr. Cullen lacks any signs of life. He was cold and direct. She wonders if this was his way of just trying to charm her into agreeing to his deal.

"I ...maybe." Bella wasn't sure how to respond. She wasn't good at flirting. It was one of the many reasons she didn't date. She lacks the social skills most women were born with.

"I took the liberty of ordering dinner for us already. The Chef said it should be ready very soon." Edward informs her.

Bella nodded her head in agreement.

She wonder why he did that? How would he know if she would like the food he chose? What about food allergies? She hopes he wouldn't be like this if she agreed to the marriage. She savors her independence. She wouldn't let him or anyone take it away from her. She didn't need a man in order to feel complete. The break up with Jacob taught her that lesson.

"So how were things at work today?" Edward questions, trying to make small talk.

"It was fine. I had a few meetings with the art department and talk to the accounting department about the changes you wanted to be made." Bella answer.

"Good. Oh here is the wine." Edward smiles politely to the waiter as he approaches the table with the expensive red wine. Edward hopes she like his choice. He didn't enjoy alcohol. It took a lot of alcohol to get a vampire wasted and that only lasted for a short while. One of the negative perks of being immortal.

"Thank you." Bella accepted her glass and took a small taste, giving the waiter a nod of approval.

After he left Bella decided to make her move and ask some questions of her own.

"Where is Jacob tonight?" Bella notices he wasn't in the room and she didn't see him outside of the restaurant either.

"He is close by," Edward admitted.

"Oh. Well, speaking of Jacob I was wondering what sort of threat did this ex make that you feel requires a bodyguard?" Bella blared away.

"Victoria. That's her name. Victoria has a crazy bad temper. In our time together she would ….well...she threw things and hit me when we had disagreements."

"Could you not prevent her from doing that?"

"I tried. Trust me I tried. Victoria was spoiled. She is used to getting what she wants when she wants it. She is fearless. It was an attractive quality when we first met but over time I saw that it was also lethal. She doesn't know when to quit. When to let go. She is like a dog with a bone. I wish she would just ….move on." Edward found himself sharing something so personal. He didn't even talk to his family about Victoria. Victoria had managed to push them away while they were together and now he regretted the damage that was irreparable.

"So she thinks by trying to sue you and taking your wealth will somehow ease her pain or perhaps make you suffer enough that you will run back to her." Bella was truly confused about this woman's motivation. Victoria sounded like she needed to be locked up in a padded room.

"You know at first I thought she was doing it to hurt me. To punish me. But now I think she has just gone insane." Edward confess.

" I don't know if I can be a party to that. I mean, I truly want to help you and the offer you made was a dream come true but I fear this woman and I haven't even met her." Bella confided.

"I know. I completely understand that. Your a rational young woman and that is one of the things I admire about you. You are not reckless. You look at the problem and you try to see all the potential outcomes before you make a decision. I know me asking this of you is putting you in a difficult situation. I am….well...at the point where I don't know what else to do." Edward looks sadly at her.

Bella saw the waiter approaching their table and decided to remain silent until they were alone once again. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he has chosen her something she actually likes. It was sweet and yet scary as hell. Was he having her investigated? How else would he know so much about her?

"Did I make a good choice?" Edward asks, watching her face intently to see her true reaction.

The scintillating smell of the lamb salad with fregola was mouth watering. There was no way in hell he could have possibly known it was one of her favorites. She enjoys cooking and recently she experimented with this exact recipe but it didn't turn out as well as it should.

"How? Are you having someone following me?" Bella looks stunned. She stared at him with disbelief. She knew the answer already but she wanted to see if he would tell her the truth.

"Yes. I did." Edward admitted to his crime.

"Why?" Bella gasp.

"First of all, you run my business. I need to know if you are someone I can trust. Secondly, when I was contemplating asking you for your assistance I felt I needed to get to know who you really were. I needed to know everything I could about your past and your present before I handed over my company to you and give you complete access to my entire wealth." Edward pointed out all the important reasons a man like himself would do such a thorough background on one of his employees. He knew she felt like he had invaded her privacy. It felt a slight stalkerish but it was a necessary evil.

"You know you could have asked me." Bella rolled her eyes and bit down on the corner of her lip. She was embarrassed. How much exactly did he know?

"Did you know about my connection with Jacob before you hired him?" Bella ask.

"Yes." Edward again decided to be somewhat honest. Of course, he knew who Jacob was before he met Bella but if he told her that Jacob was the main reason he hired her to begin with she might be insulted and then her temper would flare up. They weren't really in the right location for him to confess everything to her.

"Does Jacob know about our arrangement?" Bella held her breath in anticipation for this answer. So far, Edward had been completely honest with her. He was gaining her trust up til now but would he pass this final test?

At last, the question Edward hope she wouldn't ask was out in the open. He wanted to answer her honestly but he really needed her to agree to this arrangement. It was important that they capture Victoria and kill her. The longer she remains unseen, the more bodies that would pile up.

"He knows I need you to help me." Edward answers cautiously.

"But does he know you want me to marry you?" Bella push. She had a gut-wrenching feeling he didn't.

"No. He thinks I'm just asking you to sign over everything with no strings attached." Edward sigh.

"I see." Bella remains quiet while she ate her salad. It was heavenly. She noted that Edward was barely touching his food and he had taken only one sip of his wine. She finishes her glass and pushes her plate aside. She knew he was hoping she might give him an answer before the end of the evening.

Discovering that Jacob was unaware of the marriage proposal made her feel a tinge of enjoyment. Much like this Victoria she wanted to hurt the man who hurt her so deeply. It would serve Jacob right, learning his employer married his ex-lover. How would he react? Could he handle being her bodyguard? Why did she care? It was selfish and petty to think such things but ever since she saw Jacob she felt this incredible urge to lash out at him.

"Do you think this would affect Jacob's employment to you?" Bella wonders out loud.

"I...not sure." Edward knew it would piss him off but he also knew Jacob was motivated to find Victoria and to kill her with his own bare hands if he could.

"Will I be provided with a bodyguard of my own? Or will Jacob be protecting me too?" Bella wiped her moist lips with the soft napkin and placed it on the table.

"Which would suit you?" Edward asks curiously.

"I don't care. I just figure if Victoria is a threat to you she isn't actually going to be too keen about me." Bella noted.

"I guess Jacob would be suitable if you are sure you are okay with it."

Edward wonder how this would affect Jacob? He knew Jacob hated this plan and when he discovers that Edward married Bella he was definitely going to be angry as hell with him. However, marrying Bella would be the key to really pissing Victoria off. She would want Bella dead. Edward could count on her to come out hiding for sure. Then they could kill her and he would follow through with his promise and divorce Bella. Once that was accomplished then Jacob would perhaps be able to forgive him for his treachery.

"It's not a problem for me." Bella shrugs her shoulders, trying to act like Jacob was insignificant.

But she wasn't fooling Edward, he could hear the pitter patter of her heartbeat whenever Jacob was mention. He just hopes that Bella didn't try to convince Jacob to be a part of her life again. Edward stops his negative thoughts. He reminded himself that Bella knew nothing of Jacob's world and if she did, there was no doubt in his mind she would run away, far away from it.

"However, I would like an opportunity to talk to him. Privately." Bella locks eyes with Edward. She wasn't going to reveal the marriage proposal but she wanted to see if Jacob could stand being in the same room with her and if he was willing to protect her from the crazy, Victoria.

"I can make that arrangement." Edward agrees. His stomach knotted up. He wonder if she was going to spill the news about his marriage proposal?

"Good. I guess that's my cue to go now." Bella smiles warmly and stood up.

Edward enjoys being around her. Their conversations were calming for the most part. There was no extra chatter, no voices in her head, so it felt like just two normal people having a casual conversation. Being around Bella made him feel almost human.

"Good night." Edward flash her a genuine smile that lit up his eyes.

Bella forces her legs to move forward and leave the restaurant with her head held high. She didn't fear Edward as she had in the past but she was still aware that Mr. Cullen was hiding something from her and hopefully Jacob might be able to shed some light or give her a clue to solve the mystery of her odd but handsome employer.

Jacob stood across the street watching the Restaurant's entrance in a private spot while Bella and Edward discuss his sordid deal. He hated that Edward insisted that it had to be Bella who brought Victoria out of hiding. It was hard enough being near the Vampire's world and adding Bella to the mix was only making things harder and not to mention more dangerous for all of those involved. Jacob's wolf wanted to protect Bella more than killing Victoria. Even with the distance between them at the moment, his wolf was already clawing and anxious wanting to be with her. He refuses to let his dark side come out to play. Not now.

No, he could never let Bella see the other side of the man he had become. He wanted her to remember the boy she fell in love with and sadly the same one who broke her heart. It killed him then and it was killing him now. He could feel her pain and disappointment. She would want answers. Answers he could never honestly give her. He made a vow to protect his pack and their legends.

Taking a deep, long sniff he smelled the scent of another vampire nearby. It was a smell you couldn't miss. It was so sweet it was sickening. It made his wolf angry. He understood the animals need to fight, to protect and kill anything that was a threat to those he loves. But right now they were in a heavy populated area and if he let it loose then his secret would be exposed and he would have to deal with something far more dangerous than Victoria. Carlisle had already revealed to him about the Volturi and the threat they would be to his people if it was ever learned that they truly existed. Not to mention they prided themselves in keeping all supernatural beings hidden from the rest of the world.

Sniffing again, he looks toward where the scent was coming from and thought he spied a red-headed female walking down the street but he knew now wasn't the time to go after her. No. He had to be patient. He would need a lot of help taking a vampire as old as Victoria down. She had already proven twice now that she was smart and fast.

Suddenly a new titillating scent replaces the gross sweet one. It was from Bella. He saw her walk out of the restaurant. She looks gorgeous. She also looks determine. What was going on with her and Edward? Something, perhaps his instincts, was warning him not to let his guard down when it came to Edward and his purpose for using Bella to draw out their mutual enemy. When it came to Vampires, no matter if they had a sign a truce with his ancestors, you should never trust them. Especially not this one. His love or obsession for Victoria nearly destroy the family who he had been with since he died and became immortal. In fact, it was his own family that warns Jacob if he chose to help Edward to be cautious and always alert.

Bella rode away in a cab and a second later his phone rang. It was from Edward.

"Hello." Jacob answer.

"I think she is willing to agree but she wants to meet with you first." Edward informs him.

"When?" Jacob closed his eyes. His heart hammer anxiously. He wanted to see her but he had to face the reality that the more they were around one another the higher the risk to make a mistake and reveal too much.

"It's up to you but I think you should do it soon before she changes her mind." Edward advised him.

"Okay." Jacob hung up the phone and look up at the star-filled sky.

He knew what his mission was about and whose life hung in the balance if he didn't go along with this. Still, it didn't make any of this easy or less painful. Knowing he had to lie and convince her that Edward was a decent man she could trust made him want to vomit. If the situation didn't involve rescuing someone very special to him and whom he vowed to protect with his own life, he would tell Bella to run like hell and never look back because Edward Cullen was not a wealthy businessman like they had her believing, no he was the demon, pure evil in the disguise of an angel.

Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews! They keep me motivated! I hope you are enjoying the story. I promise this will start to pick up real fast. This won't be a long thought out storyline. LOL. Again, it's been fun writing after all this time. Xoxo August