I told myself I wouldn't update again. I know you guys are loving it, but I'm going to lose my five chapter cushion! So I'm going to start posting on Sundays only. I'm going to be firm about this ha-ha! Anyways, I'm so happy you guys really like this story. I literally just wrote it while I was recovering from surgery. It makes me feel good that you guys are loving it so much, I've been having such a tough time mentally from the surgery I got, so this has really helped me recover. Thank you so much. Welp, I'm finished. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and you have a great day!
Chapter Nine (Edward's POV)
As I drove across town to Swan's Bakery, my phone rang. It was Alice, probably calling to go over another wedding detail with me.
"Hello?"
"Hey Edward, are you headed over to Swan's Bakery?" She asked.
"Yep, I'm almost there. How was everything?"
"It was amazing. I ended up settling on 43 desserts. They're all going to be delicious." She said.
"Great. Did you guys tip her good? How many desserts did she make? Was everyone nice to her? You guys weren't too demanding were you?"
"She made 60 desserts, we left about six hundred dollars in tips, and everyone was fine. We had a really great time," Alice said, "She's so nice. I can see why you like her."
I choked on my Starbucks, "Excuse me? I don't like her."
"You're such a liar," She said, "I can always tell when you're lying. You get so defensive."
"Well, I don't like her. She's just a good baker."
"Mm hm. Well, it's just funny that a business on Bloor street isn't paying for protection security and that you asked Jasper to do more research on Bella Swan."
"You can tell Jasper that he can work the docks at three with Laurent for the next three weeks." I snarled.
She laughed, "Oh calm down, I won't tell anyone about your infatuation with Bella. I just wanted to make sure that you don't do anything that'll make her back out of baking for my wedding. So please, if you sleep with her, be nice."
I rolled my eyes, "I have to go now Alice."
I hung up before she could say anything else. Jesus she was such an annoying shit. It's like she had a sixth sense to annoy the hell out of me. And also find out shit I didn't want anyone knowing.
I parked in front of Bella's bakery and checked myself in the mirror. I made sure my hair and my suit looked nice before walking in. It was weird, usually I didn't really care about my appearance, but I felt somewhat flustered and wanting to look nice before walking in.
I opened the door and waited at the counter, but no one came out. There wasn't a bell I could ring on the counter. I sighed and called out, but no one came. I decided to just walk back into the kitchen, hoping someone was back there.
Bella was in front of the sink, washing dishes. Seeing her standing there washing made me want to hire a dishwasher to do that; she shouldn't be washing dishes.
She noticed me move out of the corner of her eye and jumped, her face turning a ghostly white. She placed her hand over her chest and took her headphone out of her ear.
"I'm sorry, you scared me," She said, her voice high, "I was just washing dishes and got really caught up in it. I shouldn't be listening to music while I wash dishes. Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it, it's totally my fault," I said, "I'm here to pay for the tasting today."
"Of course," She said, wiping off her hands.
"How was it today?"
"I thought it was excellent. I think your sister was really happy. Today's tasting made me realize that there are things that need to get done sooner rather than later." She chuckled.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" I asked her as I followed her to the main room.
"Well, I need business cards for sure. I need some shirts that say the bakery's name. And I definitely need to finish that back room in there for a tasting area. I was kind of embarrassed that they had to taste everything in the kitchen. I'm sure that wasn't anyone's idea of fancy."
"Don't worry about that. I talked to my sister and she had an amazing time. She's really excited." I said as I pulled my checkbook out. I could pay with my card, but I felt as though she was charging me too little. So, I planned on paying her very well.
"Alight, that'll be five hundred for the day." She smiled.
I wrote down five thousand on the check. She took it and looked down then widened her eyes.
"Oh, no you misheard me. It's five hundred, not five thousand."
"No, I heard you correctly," I said, putting my checkbook back into my pocket.
She looked at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes while she bit her full lip. The face made her look like an innocent glass doll.
"I can't accept this," She said, handing it back.
"No, you deserve it," I told her, "You make amazing desserts and you're so kind and accommodating. And you're definitely not charging enough. We rented out the whole bakery for the day, that's at least two or three thousand right there. And you made a bunch of desserts and served them to a group of demanding women. That's at least another two or three thousand there." I told her.
She slowly shook her head, "I don't know… this is so much money, I just—,"
"Take it," I said, "The Cullens pay their people very well."
She snorted, "So, does that make me the official baker for the Cullens?"
"Yes," I said, very seriously.
She looked a little shocked by that, "Erm, thank you. And seriously, five thousand is a lot. You're already paying me for the wedding and the cake tasting."
"I don't want to hear anymore about it. Take it. And don't sell your services short." I winked at her, "You're way to good for that."
She licked her lip, then smiled slightly, "Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"Of course," I said, "Maybe you can do some of those things you mentioned. Business cards, shirts, redoing that back room?"
She nodded, "I'll put it to good use."
"Good," I said. My phone started ringing obnoxiously. I looked at the caller I.D. and I sighed heavily.
"Go ahead and take it. I'm about to shut everything down and go to bed." She smiled.
I smiled widely at her, "Well, again, thank you for today."
She nodded, "Thank you for this. I appreciate it."
The ringing stopped as I walked out of her bakery, wishing I could just stay a minute longer. I had planned to ask her to dinner, or present it as a thank you for today, but for some reason I lost my nerve. Usually I just jumped at the opportunity to ask a woman out, it never scared me, because none of them had ever said no. But the thought of asking Bella absolutely terrified me.
I hated this feeling. I felt as though my confidence was gone, and usually it was unshakeable. I sighed and grabbed my door handle when Bella's bakery door opened.
"Hey, Edward!" She said, running out with a large box.
"Yes?" I said, excited she said my name and that she chased after me.
"Here," She said, thrusting the box at me, "I had a ton of desserts left over. I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. So, please take them."
I took the box and smiled, "Well thank you so much."
She smiled back, "Have a nice night." She turned and walked back into her bakery. I wanted so much to grab her and press my lips against hers.
I got in my car, setting her box of treats on the passenger seat beside me. I had never really been much of a sweets person, but I couldn't wait to get home and try what she had made. She was so talented.
I got to my apartment about forty or so minutes later. I lived in a townhome in Upper Manhattan, which was a ways away from Bloor street. I bought the townhome a year ago so I could be closer to the city. That's where most of our businesses were. Sometimes I missed my apartment because the townhome was so big, and it was only me. I was hardly there, but the times I was there, it was kind of lonely.
As I pulled into the garage, my phone started ringing again. I looked at the caller I.D. and sighed heavily.
"What do you want James?"
"I want to know what's been done about that little bitch!" He snapped, "The fucking doctor told me that my leg won't be the same anymore! This is fucking bullshit! I want her to suffer!"
"Now, now James, how would hurting Miss Swan help your leg?" I felt a surge of heat scold my spine when he mentioned hurting Bella. But I couldn't show him that kind of side to me.
"Well, what the fuck are you planning to do about this?" He demanded.
"James, I've offered you a generous amount of money to go live the rest of your life in leisure. Your leg won't be the same again, you can't run the streets like you once did. It's just better for everyone if you take the money, buy yourself a nice little house on the beach, and shack up with some beautiful island women. Doesn't that sound like a great trade off?"
"No, it doesn't," He snapped, "My life is fucking gone. My way of making money is fucking gone. All because of that little cunt. So help me god, if you don't let me go over there and show that little bitch a thing or two, I will go straight to Caius."
"Don't you threaten me," I snarled, "Don't forget, it's my family who created this fucking life you're gripping about losing. If it wasn't for my father, you would still be that little gutter thief stealing to survive. You were nothing before us, and you're nothing without us. You know what we can do. You cross me and run your bitch ass to Caius, and so help me god, that bullet wound in your leg will be the least of your concerns. Understood?"
He huffed, "Look, I want revenge for my leg. If it were Emmett or Jasper, you wouldn't hesitant to fuck that bitch up. I've served your well and I've been loyal."
"Look, I'll add an additional fifty thousand to your severance pay. How does that sound? Will that pacify your whining?"
He was silent for a few minutes, "Fine. But I expect the money to be wired into my account by tomorrow night."
"Don't worry, it'll be in there. In the meantime, why don't you research islands to move to."
He snorted then hung up the phone. His bitching made me nervous. If James thought he wasn't receiving the revenge he deserved, I knew he'd eventually blow and do something himself. James wasn't as concerned with money as my other associates, but his pride was something he took seriously. And being embarrassed like this, I knew he wasn't taking it well.
I needed to take some precautions to make sure Bella was okay. I couldn't leave her unprotected. She had a gun, but James knew that. He would wait until she was vulnerable.
I sat in my car for a few minutes before dialing a number that made me feel strange. Our families had squashed the issues a long time ago, but it was still weird to ask them for a favor.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end said.
"Hi, is this Aro?" I said.
"This is he," He said hesitantly, "May I ask who's calling?"
"This is Edward Cullen, Carlisle's son."
"Oh Edward," He said, "I haven't seen you since you were a boy. You sound so masculine now. How is everything?"
"Everything is good," I said, "I was wondering if there were any possible way I could get a favor?"
"I'm a little busy at the moment, but perhaps we go to lunch tomorrow and discuss your little favor." He said.
I knew the game he was playing. Asking for a favor seemed so simple, but in reality, I needed to schmooze him a little.
"Of course," I said, "How about we do lunch at Elizabeth's? My treat."
"Sounds good," He said, "I do look forward to seeing you Edward."
"Same to you," I said before signing off.
I felt strange talking to Aro, and I knew it was more than our families once hating one another. And that reason, was extremely ridiculous I had to chastise myself.
From what I've heard, Aro prefers the company of other men. Of course he had a wife and children, but rumors flew around and spread like wildfire. My father has talked about Aro's preference, but he's made sure that it's clear that if Aro does in fact swing that way it doesn't mean he's any less of a man who deserves respect.
The asshole part of me felt like we were going on a date, but I knew it was just a formality. If I wanted my favor, then I'd have to get in good graces with Aro. Plus, I knew he was a very valuable ally, and since I had taken over for my father, I had yet to really introduce myself as the head of the family properly.
I got out of my car and walked into the house, tossing my keys on the little side table beside the garage door. My mother had decorated the entire house herself. I was content with the minimal, but she wouldn't have it.
I walked into the kitchen, eager to dig into the box Bella gave me. But, to my surprise, I wasn't alone. I jumped when I spotted Tanya, sitting at my counter.
"T-Tanya, what are you doing here?" I asked, my had over my chest, "You scared the crap out of me."
"I want to talk," She said, standing, "And I don't want you to keep running from me. We need to talk."
So, this chapter was full of drama! I hope it'll placid you until Sunday, because that's when I'll be updating again. I'm so excited for you guys to see how this story unfolds! I have so many ideas in my head! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it, leave me a little review to let me know!