Hello! okay first, thank you for reviewing. I am amazed at your thoughts and suggestions. Please keep giving me your opinion. It is really helping to guide me and help me tweak things along the way.

There is a restaurant mentioned here called Fraunces Tavern. It is less than a mile from the harbor right by Wall Street. It has been there since 1762 and is the Tavern where George Washington bid farewell to his troops after we won the Revolutionary War! I have eaten there, and it's really cool. It is kind of a Beef and ale place. Okay, I know it's Friday and I just talked about History . . . I'm done.

(Edward's POV)

I was dumbfounded.

I stood there in the parlor, helpless, wondering how it could be possible that I was watching Bella walk away from me.

She wouldn't even let me talk to her.

I shouldn't have come…I shouldn't have been here.

This could have been avoided, I fumed. This night didn't have to happen. By the time Bella reached the stairs, I was sure that if a certain tiny, spiky-haired vampire was anywhere within a thousand miles of me, I would have gladly ripped off her head. On instinct, angry venom filled my mouth as the remains of Bella's scent wafted past me. I bit down hard.

"Let's take the back way out of here," Jasper murmured.

Yes. I fumed. Let's get out of here as quickly as possible so I can find your mate and kill her.

Bella's assistant was still staring at me. I had enough of my faculties to read Simmons' mind. He hoped that Bella was going home. He laid out the scene of her apartment building in his thoughts and as soon as I had all the information I needed, Jasper and I were gone.

In a fury, I dialed Alice as soon as our hotel door closed.

"Hey, Edward!" She was using her "I'm so happy that I haven't a care in the world," voice.

I concentrated on not crushing my phone. "Alice, you knew damn well Bella was the woman I was meeting tonight. It would have been nice to have a little warning," I hissed.

"If I'd warned you, there wouldn't have been a meeting," she shot back.

I exhaled sharply. She was right. At least I would like to think I would have been strong enough to stay away.

"This is none of your business, Alice! Do you hear me?"

"Of course it's my business, Edward. This is a family company."

"You and I both know what I'm talking about, Alice! Once again, I must remind you that what happens with Bella is none of your concern!"

"Make up your mind, Edward," she chimed. "Do you want me to warn you of possible meetings with Bella, or do you want me to stay out of it?"

"Alice!" I bellowed.

"Of course it didn't go very well tonight," she said authoritatively. "And do you want to know why? Because everything I told you about Bella and how she was suffering was true. It's time you listened to me for a change. This quarterback is completely smitten by her, but she is stunned at seeing you again. . . . "

"Alice!" I roared. "You listen to me! I don't want to hear anything about Bella's future, or any of the decisions she's going to make. I don't want to hear about this football player she's dating, and most of all, I do NOT want to hear how she feels about me!"

She silently pouted and I gave the phone to Jasper.

I had to calm down for several minutes before I could call Carlisle. At first, he seemed relieved that we were dealing with Bella, but once I explained her reaction to me, I could hear the worry in his voice. I spoke about the upcoming meeting on Monday and assured him I would keep him apprised of all the details.

When I went back into the sitting room, Jasper was still talking to the traitor. I left without a word. There was only one place I wanted to be right now.

I found a park bench across the street from Bella's apartment building and focused my eyes on the top floor. She lived in the Penthouse Suite. I couldn't wrap my mind around that. It was not one of the futures I'd pictured for her. I wondered how these last seven years had played out. I pictured her in college. I had so wanted her to have the human experience of going to college. I hoped that she'd enjoyed it and had great memories of parties and dances…and dates.

I was faintly aware of the cars that passed by and the policeman that kept circling the block and eyeing me suspiciously. I paid him no mind. I would stay here all night. I didn't need one of Alice's visions to tell me that.

My chest burned as I stared at the top floor. Was that Thomas gentleman with her? The thought left me reeling. I listened, but heard no voices or thoughts. My head fell in my hands. She was so close. I could be to her in seconds. I could hold her in my arms and feel her again, but she didn't want me there. I wondered - did she choose the top floor in an effort to keep me from ever coming to her at night?

I couldn't believe how much more beautiful she had become. Those eyes…her face….that figure…

I set my jaw as I remembered the thoughts that all the men in the room had for Bella. Most of them didn't like her, but they all wanted her. It was like high school all over again.

I had mistakenly believed that nothing could touch the pain I felt in the Brazilian slums. I was absolutely wrong. Being this close to her and knowing she didn't want me, was worse than anything I could imagine. Death by the Volturi and a damned soul would be a welcomed bliss compared to what I was feeling. I didn't know how to deal with this. I had nothing to draw from. Bella had always wanted me. She had never turned me away.

I continued to stare up at the only sanctuary I had ever known.

"Good night, Bella," I whispered.

I made myself comfortable on the bench and settled in for another long night, alone.

…The second night, that park bench and I became good friends.

And Sunday night, beginning to feel like some crazed stalker, I forced myself to believe the truth.

Bella didn't love me anymore. Of that I was sure.

The way she'd acted Friday night told me all I needed to know. She had gotten over me. She'd made a new life. She once offered me her soul, but now . . . she called us a high school romance and wouldn't even look me in the face.

For the millionth time, I reminded myself that this was all my doing. The whole reason I'd left her was to reset everything, to make it as if I'd never existed. But seeing her again….well, it just cruelly reminded me how costly that sacrifice would always be.

My marble skin could stand up to the sharpness of any blade, but this pain carved straight through me, burning and scarring as it went. It was said that our venom was the only thing that left its mark on us. I now saw that wasn't exactly true.

I knew that if I wasn't able to fend off this attack from her firm, I was going to have to see her at least once or twice a week for the next two of three months. How should I act towards her? Should I treat her the way I wanted to treat her? Or should I treat her how I would treat an acquaintance, impartial and unaffected?

And now, of course, I had an even bigger problem. Now that I'd seen her again, I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to be wherever she was. I wanted to be in love with her. The thought of going back to Ireland or New Jersey with my family when I knew she was here, was just too much to take. I would give away all my tomorrows just to touch her again.

So, besides forcing me to accept the truth, the last three nights also helped me make a decision.

Now that Bella had grown into this twenty-five year old breathtaking woman, it was unthinkable that she would ever give me a second thought. But there were still some things that she needed to know. Not because my words would change anything, but because the rest of my existence would be bearable if I knew that Bella wasn't going to live the rest of her life believing a lie.

Before this was over, I would confess everything, and then, with one last good-bye, I would wish her a happy life.

Monday morning, Jasper and I had just left the hotel for the meeting. I thought again of Bella's anger, but even with all her hostility, I had a hard time believing that Bella was going to go through with this. I could see her striking out at me, but this would be a blow to the entire family. The Bella I knew didn't have it in her to be this cruel. Of course, the Bella I knew was an eighteen year old child.

It was ridiculous, but I couldn't contain the exhilaration I felt at the promise of seeing her again. I would be in the same room with her. I would see those eyes. I would once again hear her heartbeat.

We were walking to the elevator when Jasper glanced at me.

"How are you doing?" His thoughts asked me.

"Fine," I answered shortly.

He looked straight ahead and did his best to keep his doubts to himself. After all, he could feel my emotions. He knew I was lying.

"Actually, I've made a decision," I announced roughly.

He stopped and turned.

"No matter the outcome, I want Bella to know how much I love her," I whispered.

Jasper's eyebrow lifted sharply. "Are you sure that's wise?"

I nodded. "She needs to know that when I left, it wasn't because I didn't love her. I know it was a long time ago and that her feelings for me have changed, but I gave her a burden that she never should have had to bear. I can't let her go the rest of her life thinking that she wasn't enough for me, that it was easy for me to leave, that I don't cherish her."

Jasper nodded slowly, and then thumped me on the back. "Good luck with that."

We entered the conference room at Whitmore-Hathaway and our lawyer's faces were grim. Simmons was already there, speaking with his several lawyers and assistants. He immediately approached Jasper and I and shook our hands. "Now that we're all here, I'll contact Ms. Swan," he informed us.

My insides turned as I anticipated her arrival. To occupy myself, I decided to get all the knowledge, data, and facts from her team that I could. They had to be a buffet of secrets. But after a few minutes, I sat down bewildered. Her lawyers were amazingly void of information. They seemed to have their thoughts on anything but this buy-out. When I heard one of them singing "Row, row, row, your boat" over and over, I twitched uncomfortably. Bella had prepared her team for me. She was good.

Then, as if in an answer to all my desires and longings, she came breezing into the room. Without ever looking in my direction, she walked swiftly to the head of the table and said, "Good morning. Let's get started."

I didn't hear anything that was said for the next ten minutes. I just closed my eyes and breathed her in. She was wearing her hair down, more the way I remembered her wearing it before. She wore a brown skirt that clung tightly to her thighs and tapered in snug just above her knees. Her blouse was a pale pink color and made of an airy material that flowed when she moved. Her makeup was light and showed off her lovely cheeks and full lips. Her legs, oh man, her legs. She wore really high heels. She used to call them death traps when I knew her, but they made her legs look amazing.

"Keep it together man." Jasper's demands invaded my thoughts and I forced myself to pay attention.

Bella was still speaking. Her demeanor was calm, but her heart was pounding hard. She never looked at me once.

"So, in addition to the documents spelling out how I would like to proceed, I have a first offer on the table. It is all enumerated on page 275 Section 4 of document 7. We believe this offer to be a generous one and hope we can resolve this quickly and move on to other matters."

Harry Banks, my head lawyer, practically jumped out of his seat. His thoughts told me he really hated her. "Ms. Swan, you seem to be under the ridiculous impression that we're just going to lie down and let you steal C- CORP from us."

"I would hardly call 27.5 billion dollars stealing," she icily shot back.

"This company is not for sale!" Harry bellowed.

She seemed completely unfazed by his outburst. "Unfortunately, your opinion is not shared by me, or the numerous businesses that have recently bought shares to all your client's companies and are chomping at the bit for a piece of you."

Throughout the entire morning, I was mesmerized by the new Bella. She was so authoritative, so smooth. Try as hard as I might, I couldn't get over how fantastic she was. Smart, tough, beautiful. I was enthralled.

We had been going at it for several hours when she glanced at her watch and said, "Before we break for lunch, there is one more matter I want to discuss." She set her jaw and continued. "I want to remind the owners of C - CORP that there will be no communicating directly with me. All correspondence must take place between our lawyers. There has to be at least one member of my firm with me if I'm approached in any way by your team, and trust me when I say that I will consider it harassment if you do not follow these rules, and will press charges."

I felt my throat tighten. She was going to have me arrested if I tried to talk to her? From the anger I saw at the party, and from what I witnessed all morning, she would probably actually do it. At some point, I would get her alone. But for now, two could play at this game.

I raised my hand like I was in fourth grade and for the first time all morning, she looked at me. I paused, savoring the moment. Finally, her eyebrow lifted.

"Mr. Cullen, do you have something to say?"

I couldn't help but smile. I was talking to Bella. "I believe, Ms. Swan, that phone calls made from a doctor to a patient are held private under doctor-patient privilege, are they not?"

Her eyes didn't change, but her jaw stiffened. She could see where I was going with this line of questioning. "To what, exactly, are you referring?" she asked flatly.

"I believe that the phone record pulled by your intern last Friday is deemed confidential, and therefore, I believe you have a small matter of "breach of privacy" on your hands."

Bella's eyes narrowed. Simmons looked at me with an incredulous stare, wondering how I could possibly know that an intern had pulled a confidential phone record and traced it to Forks Hospital.

"Just because the call was made by a doctor, doesn't mean the person on the other end was a patient."

Bella was fast.

I was faster.

I pulled a piece of paper from my briefcase and said, "Here is proof that the person contacted in France by one Dr. Carlisle Cullen was not just a business associate, but also a patient. The only way that number could have been traced was through illegal means." I smiled big, just for her.

Bella's lawyers began scrambling and clawing at the paper. My lawyers were completely shocked as they gawked first at me, and then each other. Simmons was trying to explain to his lawyers how his interns got the information and Bella and I, through all the chaos, just stared at each other.

My chest was thumping up and down madly. Her heart was pounding even harder than before. I wanted to leap across the table and grab her in my arms and pull her to me and crush my lips on hers and tell her I would never let her go again. That's what I wanted to do. Instead, I winked at her.

Her face colored immediately and I sighed at the blush in her cheeks. It was one of the things about her that I missed the very most. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. She quickly recovered and the lovely blush was replaced by a wry smile. "Gentlemen," she announced to the room. "I'm sure both sides want to see this resolved quickly. I propose that we all meet for lunch today at Fraunces Tavern." She turned back to me, "Does that work for you, Mr. Cullen?"

Lunch. Great.

"I don't believe that my brother and I . . ."

"Oh, please Mr. Cullen, we very much need you there. You do care about your company, don't you?"

The danged beautiful she-devil.

"We'll be there," I answered dryly.

Her smile was angelic. "We'll see you there in thirty minutes. Until then gentlemen." Without another word, she turned and walked out of the office.

Jasper sneered at me. "Thanks brother, just what I wanted. Lunch."

We were then bombarded by our lawyers. Smiles covered their faces as they demanded to know how I got that information. I played dumb, said I got lucky, and proceeded to follow Jasper out of the conference room.

Then I heard a voice. "Bella did well. Mr. Cullen would never guess how she really feels about him."

My face whipped around the room as I located the voice. It was Simmons. I stared at him and felt my jaw tighten as I strained to get more information from him, but his mind was on to other matters. He looked over at me warily and I heard him again.

Remember what Bella said. Just get the hell out of the room before Bella fires you from the best job you've ever had.

How she really felt about me? Judging from the way she behaved all morning, she detested me. But was that the truth? Simmons seemed to know at least a small portion about the past Bella and I shared so they must have a close working relationship.

I would be paying much more attention to this Simmons from now on.

(Bella's POV)

I angrily tossed my papers on my desk. I had already broken the first rule about dealing with Edward. I had promised myself that the only place I would ever see him was that conference room. Now, on the very first day, I was meeting him and his people for lunch.

That morning in my mirror, I'd pledged that I would treat him like any other adversary. I wouldn't get close to him, and would stay blissfully detached in all our meetings. Edward would see me walk into the room, and he would see me walk out, I would never even have to address him personally, and I would direct all communication through his arrogant head lawyer, Harry Banks.

But Edward had disarmed me in there. I tried not to notice the custom tailored Hugo Boss suit he was wearing that fit him like a glove, or the tie he had on that brought out the gold in his eyes. I should have known he would have heard Simmons telling me at the party about the call Carlisle made from Forks. And he had winked at me. My memory shot back to the time he'd winked at me in the lunchroom. I grabbed a folder off my desk and began fanning myself.

Get a grip, Bella! I yelled internally.

Simmons knocked on my office door and then opened it. "Are you ready?" He asked.

I swallowed hard and began walking with him to the elevators. He seemed deep in thought.

"That Jasper and Edward, they are quite interesting individuals aren't they?" He said.

I grit my teeth and didn't answer.

Irritatingly, Simmons went on. "I mean, aside from them having the coldest hands I've ever shaken in my life, they're extremely intelligent. After you left, I heard Edward on the phone speaking to his companies in Russia and Italy and he spoke the languages fluently. I can't imagine what he was like in High School."

I exhaled angrily. "Yeah…well, he kind of stood out."

Lucky me, Simmons kept right on talking.

"It's really strange how calm I felt in that meeting. It was almost as if I didn't really care about the outcome of the takeover. I just felt so relaxed. Did you feel that way?"

That damned Jasper. We were at the elevators and I hit the button with so much force that I knocked over the plant sitting next to it.

"I guess not," he muttered.

One of the interns was about to follow us on to the elevator, but when he saw my glare, he cowered and ran away. When the doors closed, I sprang at Simmons. "Did you control your thoughts in that room?" I demanded.

He stammered a bit. "I think so," he said meekly.

"You think so?" I yelled. "Well, what about our lawyers? You prepared them too, right?"

He backed up a bit and said with more confidence, "Yes, I did. I did talk to the lawyers, and I did control my thoughts. Don't worry about that, okay?"

We rode down the rest of the way in silence. When we were out of the lobby and on the street, Simmons began talking again.

"You know, that was pretty crafty of Edward. How in the heck he found out about that phone record of Forks Hospital, is beyond me."

"Yeah, he's pretty crafty all right," I muttered.

I waved my hand and hailed a taxi, and was just stepping into the back seat when I heard a velvet voice behind me.

"Mind if we share a cab?"

My heart immediately began pounding in my chest.

"Yes, I mind!" I yelled forcefully.

Simmons stared at me and then at Edward. "I'll sit between you," he gulped.

"To Fraunces Tavern please," I grumbled, once we were all in.

The restaurant was only seven blocks away, but it was taking forever to get there. I angled my neck to see what was causing the traffic jam.

"I'm extending Jasper's regrets at not being able to meet us for lunch," Edward commented, breaking the silence. "He's feeling a little under the weather."

At that moment, as if by divine intervention, the clouds parted and the sun shone bravely through the November sky.

"Driver," I called, "Would you pull over here please?"

"Bella, we're still five blocks from the restaurant," Simmons complained.

"Yes," I replied, "But it's such a nice day and the sun just came out. I haven't seen the sun in so long, and well, I just love the feel of the sun on my skin, don't you?"

Simmons looked at me as if I had three heads.

"Come on Simmons, we're walking," I growled flatly. I got out on my side and dragged Simmons with me. I poked my head back in and said, "Well, aren't you coming, Mr. Cullen?"

His smile couldn't have been more serene. "I think I'll just ride the rest of the way, thank you."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Suit yourself. Oh, and if you don't mind, be sure to pay the fare."

Another extremely polite smile. "Of course."

I shut the door smugly and started walking to the restaurant.

"What the heck was that all about?" Simmons cried.

"Tactics." I snapped.

My feet were killing me by the time we got there. Simmons and I were the last to arrive and as we approached the table, I began to panic. Edward had arranged the seating so that there was an empty seat on each side of him. No matter what, I would have to sit by him. I grabbed a waiter by the arm and yanked him to my side. I asked him to bring the daily special to everyone seated at the table, except for one guest. For him, I ordered something extra delectable and yummy. I took a deep breath and went in smiling.

Edward stood as I walked into the room and ever the gentleman, pulled my chair out for me. When he sat back down, I noticed that he scooted his chair closer to me than it had been before. I used all the faculties at my disposal to keep my heart in check. I did not, under any circumstances, want him thinking he still had any kind of power over me.

I took a deep breath and got down to business. "Gentlemen, my lawyers tell me that this silly phone call business is at best a distraction. It will not change the outcome of our proceedings, but will only serve to act as a delay. It certainly will not prevent the inevitable."

Harry began to spew and foam at the mouth, but Edward put out his hand to get everyone's attention. The table quieted and all eyes turned to him. "We will be filing the motion," he said in that velvet voice of his, "And I can guarantee we will prolong it much longer than a few weeks."

I was furious. I tried to calm down by telling myself that any owner of any company would react this way in an effort to try and save their business. Still, I couldn't let it go.

"I appreciate your tenacity Mr. Cullen," I said acidly. "But I've always felt that when the outcome was inescapable that lengthening the process just causes more pain. I think the best way to handle this is with a clean break." I emphasized the last two words.

He looked at me, and his eyes were so intense. I couldn't tell what he was trying to communicate, but it wasn't anger.

"I no longer agree that that is the best decision," he answered softly.

My heart seemed to swell all the way into my throat. I looked into his eyes and for a moment, I saw everything there that I used to see when he would say he loved me. Our eyes locked in a struggle to understand what the other was thinking, but I broke away first. I couldn't do this to myself. I couldn't sit here next to Edward and actually think that he loved me again.

Under the table, I balled my hands into fists, fighting for a bearing on my emotions. But my heart was betraying me. It was pounding like mad and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew Edward could hear it.

Our appetizers came and Edward declined. He appeared confident, since the waiter hadn't approached him to get his order, but shortly, our meals came out. I was handed a salad and Edward received a plate that looked as if it was filled with half a cow. It was by far the largest steak I had ever seen. It was so massive, in fact, that I actually felt a little guilty.

Edward never looked at me. He muttered something too low for me to hear and then taking a deep breath, he cut into the beast.

I began our talks again and tried to not be preoccupied with watching Edward struggle to eat the steak. But secretly, I was impressed. No one else at the table had any idea that Edward wasn't loving his meal. There was about a ¼ of it left when he announced, "I couldn't eat another bite, but it was delicious!" By then, lunch was winding down and I could tell that Edward was anxious to leave. After all, there was half of a cow sitting in his stomach with no place to go.

I was so aware of him next to me, and I hated myself for not wanting the lunch to end. My hands instinctively went around my middle as I remembered how I felt sitting by him in Biology, especially when the lights went out for the movie. I desperately wanted to reach over and touch him now, just as I did then.

Edward began to say his good byes. I vainly tried to appear that I was interested in what other people around the table were saying. I wanted him to think that I didn't even notice him leaving.

And then, there was a cold hand on my wrist. Instinctively, I turned to him. I hadn't even realized what I'd done until I saw his face just a few inches from my own. A million sensations overtook me. He put his arm on the back of my chair and as he moved even closer, I felt the chill of his body and took in his delicious scent. It swirled around me and I could taste its flavor on my tongue.

"At the risk of being arrested," he purred softly, "I need you to know something." He shook his head slowly and said, "Bella, there is no one waiting for me in Ireland. I am there alone."

I was stunned and dazzled. He was so close. I gripped my chair so that my hands wouldn't come up to touch his cheek. He then excused himself, stood up, and walked swiftly out the door.

And I was left breathless, staring after him.