Hello! Guess who's back?

Here you have it, ladies and gets: chapter 36. It doesn't give out much but I had to make a bridge for Edward's POV. Next chapter will contain a lot of action, I promise! And chapter 38 will be in EPOV. Anyone excited about that? :D

Sorry for the long wait but I hope that now, when everything is where it's supposed to be, my brain will also go back on schedule. It's hard sticking to a date when all these things keep on happening! Don't lose your faith in me, guys!

To all the guests and everyone else who took the time to review, fave or follow: thank you! Even though I may not reply to each one of you, I DO read each and every word. I swear! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Happy reading!

"I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us."
― Veronica Roth

The thing about secrets is that they always come back and bite you when you least expect it. Of course, it would be normal to expect it, to prepare for that faithful moment when you have to face it but the human mind always comes up with these ideas, with these lies meant to protect itself. We always try to buy more time. We always try to hide from the painful truth.

There are very few people on this Earth how would choose the painful truth over the pretty lie. We sometimes build an entire life around a lie, forcing ourselves to go through the motions just because it's what everyone is expecting.

Let's face it: we love to lie.

We lie to protect ourselves. We lie to protect those around us.

We lie to help. We lie to cause injury.

Bottom line: there's always a lie somewhere along the path that we're currently on. The problem is identifying the lie and the reason behind it. Most of the time, no one wants to admit. As if the truth would just go away like that. As if the truth won't stare back at you in the mirror day after day, for the rest of your life.

It wasn't easy to keep my cool when Edward's father came waltzing into my life, flaunting secrets left and right as if he had any right to speak about them in the first place. And even if he did have the right, talking about the death of my parents as if it were something that shouldn't evoke any emotions out of me didn't make me like him. One thing was certain: taunting me like that wasn't earning him any brownie points. So what was the end point?

I was confused.

"I could tell you everything..." He trailed off and flashed me another smile.

I felt sick to my stomach.

"But you want something in return." I finished the sentence as I continued to stand up to him, arms crossed and narrowed eyes. My voice was low, controlled, and my body poised for defense or attack. I was not going to back down, nor was I going to fall for this method. I'd had enough of people helping me just because they could benefit in the meantime.

"See? I said you were clever. I wasn't wrong."

"I'm clever enough to know that you're offering me a poisoned apple, Mr. Masen." I replied calmly. A little too calm, considering the storm raging inside my head.

"It's up to you to handle it, Isabella. Whether it'll kill you or not won't be my fault. Knowledge is power but it's also dangerous. It's up to you to use it properly."

He was right. The information he was offering to provide would be a tool in my hands. But, on the other hand, it would be a death sentence. I was going to play the Russian roulette. Needless to say, I wasn't in a hurry to give him my answer. I was all for stalling until some could come and save me.

"Aren't you the least curious as to who is after you now that your parents are dead?"

I thought about my answer for a few moments before letting him know I was willing to entertain the idea, even for a little bit.

"Let's say I do want to know. What do you want in return?"

"The content of that safekeeping box."

And there it was. It seemed like no matter how much I tried to run away, no matter how many attempts I made, the past would forever follow me, just one step away.

And, at that particular moment in time, the past came in the form of Edward's father. Full of lies and deceit and secrets.

"Isabella, I'm not sure you can fully grasp the impact of what's happened. People are after you. People want to have what you currently have in your possession. People are out to get you. This is a serious situation."

"No offense, Mr. Masen, but I doubt you're asking for those items solely for my safety." I said with a calm voice as I kept my eyes locked with his, making sure I noted each tensing muscle and each breath that left his lungs. I had to watch him. I had to make sure nothing escaped my attention.

"It doesn't matter what's in for me. What matters is that you get out of this snake pit and away before everything comes apart. I don't think you realize the danger you're in by simply being in this house."

"I'm also in danger if I'm out of this house." I pointed out and shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly as if I wasn't talking about my own life, a life that could have ended in a day, a week, a month...

But, then again, didn't we all have the uncertainty of tomorrow always looming over our heads? When I had to face my parent's death, I also had to face the prospect that Death was following me much closer than I originally thought.

"Your parents were killed because of the contents of that box, Isabella. Would you like to die too? Your parents did their best to keep you away from all this and now you're willingly jumping into this head first? Think about it, that's all I ask."

I bet an offer from the Devil never sounded this good.

"You're offering knowledge on their deaths in exchange for the box. How would that keep me alive?"

Deep down, I knew it was pointless to ask. I wasn't planning on giving him what he wanted. It was too late for that even if I did want to change my mind and do it. But Edward Masen Sr. didn't know that the box was no longer in my possession. He didn't know that whoever sent him was already at the mercy of Carlisle Cullen. And call it intuition or whatever, but I was sure that Carlisle Cullen did not want anyone to know that he had it. Keeping this little detail to myself would prove to be a brownie point in my favor. And I was in dire need of brownie points when it came down to Carlisle Cullen.

"I know who killed them. I know who you should stay away from. My offer is as good as it could ever get."

I expected to feel something as I heard him utter the words. I was expecting some fire to erupt from deep within my being, ready to tear apart anyone who stood between me and their killers. I expected rage and anger and hurt and pain and everything in between to come clawing out of their box.

Surprisingly, nothing happened.

The notion that I could find out left me... empty.

At the end of the day, would that knowledge mean that I'd get my parents back? Sure, I'd get the name of their killers. People who had done their job at shutting up a dirty cop who changed teams not once, but twice. But I'd never get my parents back.

"Good for you."

My voice was hollow even to my own ears. There was no feeling behind my words. No emotion to help the man standing in front of him. For all intents and purposes, I was a soulless creature, unfeeling and unmoved. I was a rock. And being a rock meant that Edward Sr. better bring some explosives or else nothing was going to happen.

"You have a death wish." Mr. Masen breathed out, stunned by my reaction – or lack of. I had yet to decide if his reaction was genuine or he was just that good.

As a response, I shrugged again.

His eyes narrowed.

"What did he promise you?"

I wasn't sure who he was talking about but, just to be safe, I chose to think he was talking about his son.

"He likes me. He likes me enough to bring me into the house of his parents in spite of the fact that his adoptive father wants nothing to do with me." I paused and looked him square in the eyes for the full effect of my words to sink in. "Your son earned my trust." I said, finishing my little speech with a small smile.

"You mean he made you fall for him just so he could get his hands on that box." Edward Sr. sneered. "Make no mistake: I know my son. He's as ruthless and cunning as they come. I would know since he's my flesh and blood."

And, yet, he's not calling you dad. My subconscious replied with a sickly sweet smile on her lips. I mentally agreed with her but kept my mouth shut. There was no need to poke the bear more than it already was.

"I'm taking my chances."

"You're in some deep shit, Isabella. Bow out while you still can. Just give me what I came for and I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Hell, I'll ship you off myself to some God-forsaken place where no one knows who you are. You can live the rest of your days on some remote island, sipping on a cocktail under an umbrella. Be smart. Choose life."

I have to give it to him, he was good. He tried with everything in his power to make me sway, to make me change my mind. At some point during his speech, I almost felt the sincerity behind his words. Almost.

I started screaming for Eleazar before my mind could catch up with my mouth. I had waited enough for him already. And where the fuck was he anyway? I thought this man knew everything that went on in this house. Where the fuck was he when Edward Sr. waltzed in here like he owned the place?

"Calling in reinforcements? Don't you want my help?"

"No."

My reply seemed to echo in the empty room, down the halls where it would be lost. A simple answer. A simple choice. Yes or no. It really was that simple. The words were simple but their consequences spread wider than I would have ever thought. Unknown people were after me. People who probably knew many things about me while I knew nothing about them. It wasn't fair, sitting like a bleeding corpse in the middle of the ocean, waiting for the sharks. It wasn't fair that I ended up paying for the sins of my father. It wasn't fair that the life I wanted and hoped to have would never become reality. Nothing was fair.

But I had to make due. I had to keep on trying to survive. Even if that meant sitting in the Cullen house. Even if it meant being under surveillance 24/7. Even if it meant being under the surveillance of people I knew very little.

To be honest, I was counting on Edward trying to protect me and Esme caring about her son's happiness because, let's face it, Carlisle was unpredictable. He was like the wind... changing tactics like the wind changes its direction. But I gave him what I had and kept my mouth shut about it. I had covered all my bases. I had done everything that was ever asked of me.

I know I wasn't safe in this house. I wasn't safe in my home either. I wasn't safe anywhere. And when one ends up in this situation, they have nothing left to lose. Someone who doesn't have anything to lose is dangerous. And they were staring to realize that. They were starting to realize that I was not going down so easy.

Sure, they all saw me as the weeping daughter. Up to a point, it was true, I won't deny. But I was also a survivor. A survivor who would do just about anything to stay alive just one more day. I made a deal with the devil himself just to stay in this house and I'd do it a thousand times more if it meant that I got a bit of security.

I trusted no one, except Alice and Edward. Everyone else had a hidden agenda. Just like the man standing in front of me. I had the impression that he was risking his hide by being here and, yet, here he was. He was in the house of the man who took his son away from him. That had to say something about how desperate he was to get his hands on the content of that box.

Pandora's box.

"Miss?"

Eleazar voice cut through the mounting tension in the room like a knife through butter. Edward Sr.'s eyes snapped in his direction and I took advantage of that to put a few more feet between me and him. This small change made me a little more brave.

"Eleazar, please lead Mr. Edward Masen to the door." I said with as much confidence I could muster. My voice still shook a little but I could still hold my own. Eleazar paled instantly.

Someone hasn't been doing their job properly. My subconscious tsked in Eleazar's direction, feeling oddly good about the situation.

"We haven't finished our conversation, Miss Swan." Edward Sr.'s voice had an edge to it. Like a threat whispered into the darkness of the night. I took another step back.

"I think we've talked enough. I'm not interested."

He opened his mouth to say something else but the sound of the front door banging on the wall of the hallway made him snap it shut. I jumped back just as Edward entered the room, looking ready to commit murder.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?!"

His voice was eerily calm, a huge contrast to the crazy look in his green eyes – which had turned pitch black in the mean time.

I have to admit, this version of Edward was scaring the shit out of me. It was the calm before the storm, the electricity in the air before the lightning stroke. And I was willing to bet that this strike would do some damage to someone: his father.

Truth be told, I was waiting for Edward Sr. to cover back in fear and run, with his tail between his legs. However, my expectations weren't met. Edward Sr. met the furious gaze in his son's eyes full on, even putting on a small smirk just for the kick of it. Edward, however, didn't fall for it. He sat taller, squared his shoulders and got his body under control.

The two men seized each other like two mortal enemies.

"Glad you could join the party, Edward. Now, please tell Miss Swan here that giving you all that information would be a waste and an incredible stupid move on her part that'll only get her killed."

Edward's jaw flexed but he kept silent, choosing to focus on me first, instead of answering his father.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he did a quick once-over and seemed to breathe easier once he didn't find anything wrong with me. On the outside I was fine. On the inside, though... Let's just say that someone popping into this house whenever they wanted didn't really sit well with me. I was trying really hard to stop thinking about running away from the house in the next hour or so.

"Yes. I shall leave you two to talk. I'll be with Alice." I replied slowly and turned my attention back on the guest. "I wish we met under different circumstances, Mr. Masen." I said with a sad smile.

Quickly, I kissed Edward's cheek before darting out of the room with the speed of light before he or his father could say anything. I wanted to put as much space as possible between me and Edward Sr.

As soon as Alice heard my footsteps as I entered the kitchen, her head snapped up and she ran to greet me.

"Are you OK? I called Edward as soon as I got here but I couldn't find Eleazar or Carmen in the house. They were in the garden, at the end of the backyard."

So that explains Eleazar's late reaction to my shouting. It still didn't explain why security left Edward Masen Sr. to waltz in here but that was not under my control anyway.

As soon as I opened my mouth to reply, we both heard shouting from the living room. I made a move to go back there but Alice grabbed my arm and forced me to stop.

"You are so not going back there. I don't need my intuition telling me that we should stay out of it. That is a family feud you need to stay out of."

Alice's voice and attitude stopped me dead in my tracks. My eyes narrowed as I looked at her.

"What do you know?"

My best friend dragged me to the breakfast island, made me sit down, put a cup of steaming tea in front of me and sat down on the other side of the island.

"You know I searched for information about Edward when we were in Forks and we were scared shitless. That adoption smelled fishy right from the beginning. That's when I decided to check out the other Edward Masen who popped up in the search. Turns out, he was Edward's father. Huge lawyer in Chicago, esteemed member of the Bar. So I asked myself 'Why wouldn't he be allowed custody of his own son?' He had money, he had connections, influence and credibility. He could have kept Edward without anyone even thinking about an adoption. But he didn't want to keep his son."

"How do you know that?"

"There was no fighting back. Carlisle and Esme Cullen adopted Edward and that was the end of it. No one uttered a peep about this strange turn of events."

"What else did you find?"

"The usual. Women flocking to him for money and fame. Nothing out of the ordinary. Unlike his son, who is the talk of the town and people suspect he's defending less than honorable clients, Edward Masen Sr. is immaculate. But immaculate doesn't mean anything in this world, does it?"

I nodded my head and took a mouthful of hot tea, letting it burn my throat as it slid down. This information about Edward Sr. wasn't really news. One could tell by his demeanor that he was dangerous. Just standing in the same room as he was had raised the hairs on the back of my neck. That man was trouble.

The shouting started again. This time, though, both men seemed to participate. I looked over at Alice and she nodded.

We quickly made our way to the living room just as Carlisle and Esme Cullen entered the hallway.

Little did I know, things were about to get very interesting.

So, there you have it, peeps!

It seems like our Bella has finally made her choice. Do you think it's the right one? And what does Carlisle have to say about this incident in his own house? I know I wouldn't be too happy with random people getting in my house...

See you next Tuesday!

Until then, have a great week, everyone!

~V