ENTRY 11
ON HER WAY TO THE TOP

Standing by the pool of her newly purchased home, sipping champagne and admiring the lights of LA, thirty-one-year-old Bella Swan reflected on the road that had brought her here.

"What has you thinking so hard, love?" Edward asked, hugging Bella to his side with a kiss.

"I was thinking about my journey," Bella replied. "Hard work, determination, a few lucky breaks, and wonderful friends who helped me along the way."

A bullied loner in high school, she'd spent her weekends playing video games while her peers partied. It was at college that she became interested in electronic dance music and started working for a well-known EDM blog. Her work there led to an introduction to Carlisle Cullen, an LA talent manager whose client roster read like a Who's Who of A-list celebrities. When she'd expressed her interest in pursuing a career in music management, he'd told her to move to LA and get experience. Within a couple weeks, she'd packed her bags, moved to LA, and found an intern position at a boutique management company.

Two years of work resulted in six months of unemployment when her position was eliminated. In a town known for its nepotism, she found it nearly impossible to get an interview. Finally, she decided to call Carlisle for his advice. "Hello, Carlisle, thank you for taking my call."

"You're welcome, Bella, how have you been?"

"A little frustrated. I took your advice and moved to LA. I found a wonderful job but was laid off after two years. Now I'm finding it difficult to get a response to the more than fifty job applications I've filled out. I thought perhaps you might have more good advice for me."

"I have an agent friend at the Masen Agency. Let me call Julie."

And that was how Bella landed a coveted spot in Music Central at Masen where she worked her way up from the music mailroom to project manager in gaming and Esports, combining her passion of music and gaming booking talent for charity gaming events.

After five years with Masen, Jasper Hale, whom she had met through the gaming events, hired her to cast talent for Twitch TV. As Senior VP, she used her connections to acquire talent for shows and build out the channel. After 11 months, Jasper retired and recommended that she become the new CEO. Bella was amazed that she was now not only being mentored by Edward Cullen, top executive in the music world, but was his girlfriend.

"Friends are waiting inside to toast your success," Edward said, bringing Bella back to the present with a kiss. They walked back into the house where her friends were waiting.

"I want to thank you for helping me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I cherish the friendships we have built over the years," Bella tearfully stated.

Behind her, the night sky lit up in a dazzling display of Independence Day fireworks, but Bella knew they were for her, too.

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