Twenty

I knew how these meetings worked; we disguised them as charity events so everyone there had a legitimate alibi if a hit went down on the outside. The men would head to the lounge, drinking and smoking while they argued and worked out all the issues that had arisen between the families throughout the year. The women gathered in the dining hall, sipping cocktails and pretending they weren't hungry.

I'd been the only woman in an all-boys' club, or so I'd thought. It still made my blood boil that I hadn't known something that should have been so obvious. I was angry that I'd been kept in the dark by so many of my father's men. Over the last few weeks, I realized that maybe even my father himself had kept quiet. I hated to suspect him of such a thing—he'd never led me wrong my entire life—but I no longer knew who I could trust aside from Edward. For now, until I knew the truth, I'd play this little game.

I hadn't mingled with the wives, girlfriends, and mistresses since I'd been a teenager. My mother always knew I'd step in for my father when he retired, but she'd been adamant that I conduct myself as a proper lady. She made sure I had the best etiquette training money could buy. I could walk gracefully, talk properly, and throw a formal dinner party so well that Martha Stewart should have asked me for advice. I'd just chosen to not use those skills, as they would have gotten me nowhere. Men in this business didn't respect someone because they knew how to set a table or which fork to use. They respected someone who stood tall and argued their point.

For me, it was even better if they feared me and speculated that I had the blood of their men on my hands.

As I walked through the doors and into the dining hall where the wives were chatting and mingling amongst one another, the room fell silent. I squared my shoulders, standing straight and remembering the words Edward had spoken to me once before; I brought men to their knees. If I could do that, I could surely handle a room full of catty women.

There were a few women in attendance that I knew personally, such as Emmett's wife, Rosalie, and Jasper's wife, Alice, and a handful of my mother's friends. I used the term friends loosely, as they'd stab each other in the back on a moment's notice. The rest of the women I knew, but only minimally. I knew their names and who they were married to, but that was as far as my knowledge of them reached.

Heidi was the first woman to approach me. She and my mother had been friends for as long as I could remember. Her two daughters, Tanya and Irina, followed behind her. Irina was married to one of my capos, Laurent, while I knew that Tanya had eyes for Edward ever since she'd met him at this exact event a year ago.

"Bella! I have to say, it was such a surprise when we heard the news about you and Edward. It's wonderful to have you here where you belong." Heidi embraced me, kissing my cheek.

I seethed internally at her jab. I knew exactly what she was saying; as a woman, I had no place in the male-dominated side of the business. I gave her a tight smile. "It's so nice to see you, Heidi."

Tanya smirked. "Edward will be a great improvement at heading the family, not that you weren't doing a fine job. These things just run better with a man in control. Oh." She glanced at my hand, a slight frown on her lips. "Is that your ring?" She took my hand, pulling it closer so she could exam it. "I would have expected it to be larger, but I suppose not every family can be as well off as ours."

"I don't feel the need to be ostentatious." I slipped my hand from her grasp.

"Of course not. It's a beautiful ring, Bella," Heidi interjected. "You'll sit with us, right? Siobhan and her daughter, Maggie, will join us at the table. That won't be a problem, will it?"

I shook my head. "No, why would that be a problem?"

She gave a wave of her hand. "Oh, I just know there was always bad blood between your father and the Walsh family. I wasn't sure if it carried over when you stepped in. I know how these things work sometimes."

I linked my arm with Heidi's. "I've only ever had business dealings with her husband. I'm sure she's a lovely woman," I lied through my teeth. I'd like nothing more than to wrap my hands around Maggie's throat and watch as the light left her eyes, but that would have to wait for another day.

For now, I just had to keep up my facade.

::BW::

"Isabella, was it?"

I was standing in the ladies' room checking my makeup when I heard someone call my name. I glanced in the mirror, finding Maggie's mother, Siobhan, behind me.

"Yes. Siobhan, correct?"

She looked me up and down, and I quickly took inventory of every weapon I had stashed on my body. I could handle myself, but as an added security I also had a wire attached to me. I only had to say one word and my security would storm this bathroom.

She took a step closer to me. "M-hm. You're not fooling anyone, you know that, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "And what exactly do you mean?"

"This whole... obedient mob-wife act. You're not fooling anyone. The Black Widow just rolling over?" she scoffed.

I turned around, smiling. "You know nothing about me."

"Oh please. Everyone knows everything about you, Bella."

My eyes darted toward the door as Maggie slipped into the room, letting Siobhan leave before locking the door behind her.