DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended. Additionally, "Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines" belongs to Dylan Thomas. No copyright infringement is intended.

Previously:

She looked so beautiful. The royal blue dress was stunning against her pale skin, and the heels she wore made her legs look a mile long. I thought she was beautiful the first moment I laid eyes on her, but over the last five months she'd changed. She'd been working out, taking self-defense lessons, and the weight she'd gained from finally being fed properly had toned her arms and legs and given her curves in just the right places. As I was enjoying the sight of her, she looked up, her eyes meeting mine. A wide smile spread across her face causing my own to stretch my cheeks.

I shook myself out of my stupor and made my way towards her. She looked slightly nervous when I came inside, her eyes darting back and forth as people passed by. The Country Club was rather exclusive, so there weren't a large number of people here. But everyone was dressed to the nines, and I understood her apprehension. Most of the men she was forced to interact with while captive looked just like the ones walking around the clubhouse – polished, distinguished, normal. I'm sure this was rather unnerving for her.

Once she noticed me, I saw her shoulders relax slightly which pleased me. I wanted her to be comfortable. When I reached where she stood, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to her cheek breathing in her sweet, subtle scent. When she wrapped her arms around my waist, I ensconced her in my own. With the heels on, she fit perfectly against me. I pulled back and held out the flowers for her to take.

"Edward, they're lovely," she said as she lifted them to her nose. Her eyes slid closed as she took a deep breath. Her features smoothed, the crease between her brows disappearing as she appeared so serene, a rare occurrence for her. It was a beautiful sight.

"You are lovely," I told her as I looked her over once more. She bit her lip and looked down. The dress was very flattering. "We have reservations, so why don't we go have a seat. I'll text Jasper where we are. They should arrive soon though."

She nodded and wrapped her hand around my upper arm. I led her toward the dining room and stopped at the maître d' stand. He smiled and greeted me by name offering to lead me to the table. I frequently brought business lunches here due to its close proximity to the office as well as its privacy and excellent food. The Wyndom Room was situated to the side, separated from the main dining room. The windows overlooked the golf course which was lit up at night offering a beautiful backdrop for our evening. Bella walked to the window and looked over the grounds.

"May I bring you something to drink?" the maître d' asked.

"We have two other guests joining us soon, my cousin Jasper Cullen and his wife Alice. Could you show them in once they've arrived?"

"Of course, sir."

"Drinks." I looked over to Bella who was still staring out the windows. "Bella, what would you like to drink?" She turned toward me as if I'd startled her out of thought.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I must have zoned out. What were you saying?"

"He asked what we'd like a drink." She turned to the maître d' and smiled.

"What's your name?" She walked forward.

"I'm Nathaniel, ma'am," he said, the look on his face showing his surprise before he pulled himself together.

"I'm Bella." She held her hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nathaniel." He shook her hand with an affectionate smile. Pride swelled in my as I watched her initiate contact with him. That was new, a big step for her.

"The pleasure is mine, ma'am. May I bring you something to drink?"

"May I have a decaf coffee, black no sugar?"

"Of course. Sir?"

"Water to begin. Do you have a bottle of Petrus Pomerol 1998?" Bella moved to the seat beside me, and I pulled the chair out for her. She thanked me as she took her seat.

"I believe we do, sir. Would you like it now or with the meal?"

"Meal, please." He nodded.

"Ma'am. May I take your flowers and put them in water until you depart?"

"Thank you." She handed them over, and I asked that he'd do the same for Alice's. He took them and left the room. I took my own seat and turned to Bella resting an arm on the back of her chair. "How was it?" She took a deep breath, not needing me to elaborate.

"It was okay." Her tone implied she was surprised. "The island is beautiful, and the houses are something else. There wasn't too much traffic but enough to make me not feel like I was in the middle of nowhere." I took her hand in mine.

"That's not what I was asking about. How was it for you? How did you feel?" She looked over and smiled sadly.

"I could really use a hit right now." My heart dropped. "I'm not going to do it; I'm just feeling overwhelmed." While Bella was under control of those men, they forced her to take drugs. By getting her, and the other girls, addicted, it gave them another measure of control. Bella is not the kind of person that would ever do it on her own, but she'd been given no choice. While she did not want to try them or become addicted, she did. Now she had to learn to live as a recovering addict. She'd been clean since she came home, but it didn't mean it was easy.

"What can I do?" I would do whatever I could to help her.

"Nothing. Well, nothing more than what you're doing. Thank you for caring. That helps." She took a deep breath and shook her head as if to clear it. I hated those men that took her with a passion. They did this to her. She didn't ask for it. She would struggle with this addiction for the rest of her life all because of those – "It was better than I expected," she interrupted my train of thought. "It was scary, don't get me wrong. It was kind of liberating though. Maybe I can live in this world." I squeezed her hand.

"I know you can. I have every faith in you. You're strong and smart and can do anything you put your mind to. You're a force to be reckoned with, Bella Swan."

When she giggled, it lit up her face, and I had to fight to heed my aunt and uncle's advice to take this slow and be patient. I struggled to resist the urge to lean forward and press my lips to hers. I couldn't deny I'd been attracted to Bella since I met her, but these past few months had been eye-opening. She was beautiful, but more than that, she was also intelligent, sweet, kind, caring, and a spit-fire when she got riled up.

"Oh, by the way," she exclaimed, "Sophia brought Sandy the preliminary file on Jameson Wildes." Sophia Vanderfeld was the VP of Client Relations at MC Inc. One day, I saw her come upstairs which caught my attention, because I didn't have an appointment scheduled with her. She sat down with Sandy and Bella moved to observe. It was the first time I saw it, but it definitely wasn't the last. Sophia came to Sandy often. "I've had a chance to look him over, and I think you need to be cautious about moving forward."

"How come?" Nathaniel came in with our drinks and left us quickly.

"There are some holes in her research so far, so take this with a grain of salt. My assessment may not be 100% accurate, since I don't have all the facts." Her comment was meant to be favorable for Sophia, but what concerned me was the fact that she thought there were holes in the research. "His financials are fairly unstable, but I don't think it's due to mismanagement. I think the business is the issue."

"Interesting."

"I would just feel more comfortable if you took a closer look."

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Bella understood people and business better than some of the executives in my company. She'd been to my office one day a few months back for an outing. I'd introduced her to Sandy to whom she immediately took a liking. The next week she asked if she could come in a few times a week to shadow Sandy, to learn from her. I agreed, happy to be able to give her anything I could that would help her gain back her confidence.

She promised not to be a distraction and that she wouldn't get in the way. I assured her she would never be in the way but didn't admit that she would probably be a bit of a distraction. That was my own problem though; I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. I had to force myself to stay in my office when Sandy began noticing I was at her desk more often than usual.

"I'll look it over on Monday," I assured her.

"No. Mr. Diaz is going to come see you on Monday."

"Sandy didn't-"

"He didn't make an appointment, but if I know Mr. Diaz, and I think I do, he's going to show up on Monday."

One day a few weeks ago, I saw Sophia back at Sandy's desk on a day Bella was in the office. I'm not sure what the two were discussing, but they seemed very focused. Mr. Diaz arrived, and Bella left Sandy and Sophia to greet him. I was going to step in so she didn't have to deal with him. If I could do anything to ease her discomfort or apprehension, I would. Seeing my intent to intervene, Sandy shook her head. I was later glad I took her advice when I spoke with Mr. Diaz. I learned that he had come to talk about the patent I'd been trying to purchase from him. However, before he'd made it to me, Bella had convinced him it was in his best interest to sell. In all of fifteen minutes, she'd accomplished what I'd been attempting for the past seven months. She was just amazing. And Mr. Diaz was in love. After that, he wouldn't begin our business discussion until he'd asked after Bella. She'd made a fan.

"What for?"

"He likes to keep you on your toes." She smiled and chuckled at the frustration I was sure was on my face. "Get used to it, Edward. You're in for a real treat with him."

AN 04/03/2019: Can anyone guess how Edward feels about Bella now? Ha! Not so subtle, pretty boy. ;) I think this answers some questions I got last chapter, about whether Edward and Bella are in a relationship. While we, and he, may want that, it just doesn't seem realistic. She's only six months back from being in captivity for three years. He understands he shouldn't push, but man does he want to.

So we meet Alice next. Many of y'all have expressed interest in her and how she reconnects with Bella. Next chapter you'll get a glimpse at their reunion and their relationship now. How do y'all anticipate that will go?

Find me on Facebook (Lena Kay). I'll be posting teasers before each chapter that includes pictures. :)