I told you that no matter what you did I'd be by your side. 'Cause I'ma ride or die, whether you fail or fly. Well shit, at least you tried. But when you walked out the door a piece of me died. I told you I wanted more, that's not what I had in mind. I just want it like before, we were dancing all night. Then they took you away, stole you out of my life. You just need to remember, I will love you 'til the end of time. ~ Lana Del Rey, Blue Jeans
…Dark…
EPOV
"We're going to have to deal with Viktor soon," Emmett mumbled. We, the men of the family, were circled together off to the side of the party. Maggie was having a graduation party, so nearly everyone from her school was currently in Alice and Jasper's backyard. Maggie always seemed very quiet and shy when I was around her, which admittedly wasn't very often, but she was much more carefree with her friends. It was nice, I guessed.
The party would be fun if you were a recent high school graduate. There was cake and food and the actress of their generation mingling with them. Alice had warned Bella beforehand that many of Maggie's friends often asked about her. Bella took it all in stride and put on a pleasant smile for all of the teenagers. Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and I spent a good ten minutes mingling before we branched off. No one approached us since.
"What else has he done?" Carlisle asked.
Just last night Emmett walked into my office to tell me about Viktor, Luka Petrov's oldest son. He had crossed a line that we didn't let anyone cross. We all had illegal dealings, but even we had morals sometimes. There were certain things we liked to keep out of Chicago, for our benefit and even for the average citizen's safety. Human trafficking, child pornography, things like that crossed a line even for us.
People often tried to branch into those businesses, but we quickly shut them down. Whether we took them out ourselves or we handed them over to the police, they got out of our town. Usually they were novices who couldn't have kept the gig running long anyway.
"He's got his own sex trafficking business that has picked up steam," I said. Viktor had the money and ability to make his businesses lasting, but I wasn't going to do anything with my information yet. "We're keeping an eye on it."
"I still think we should take him down now before it gets too big," Jasper interjected.
"Petrov is up to something. I want as much dirt on him as possible, just in case," I replied, to which everyone nodded. Surprisingly, Carlisle seemed to agree. We never had similar leading styles. Carlisle micromanaged everything, while I trusted my men to get shit done. Maybe it was the tumor, but Carlisle was much more amenable these days. He trusted my decisions and didn't fight me as much.
Not that he really had a say. He was only included in conversations like these because I allowed it. I had the final say on everything.
A tiny hand slid through my arm and my drink was plucked from my other hand. "Whatever this is, I want in," Bella said, downing the rest of my scotch.
"You want in?" I asked, taking the empty glass from her.
"Yeah, this whole 'super intimidating circle that no one will dare approach' thing. I've got the tattoo, I want in."
Everyone in the supposed super intimidating circle that no one will dare approach barked out a laugh at her description. It was an apt description of what we had. We had gone through a few minutes of pleasantries, but we were too busy to spend the afternoon doing nothing but listening to high schoolers talk about their last four years together.
"So, what are we talking about?" Bella asked, looking around at everyone.
"A sex trafficking ring," I answered honestly. Emmett and Jasper shrugged it off, but Carlisle looked sufficiently uncomfortable. "What, do you think she's going to go to the cops?"
"It's just… a new way of doing things, I suppose," Carlisle replied. He had been very accepting of Bella since the trial, and I knew he respected her more than his wife did. It was a new way of doing things, so I couldn't fault him for his hesitation.
No one else in this family would openly admit any part of our business to their wives. They simply turned a blind eye to everything. Rosalie would never walk up to us and ask us what we were talking about, or joke about a tattoo on her back that marked her a killer. You're one of a kind, baby.
The sex trafficking comment threw Bella for a moment. She stiffened, maybe not expecting me to be so honest with her. "Not… not yours, right?"
"No, we don't do that. Viktor Petrov's."
"Huh," Bella mumbled, nodding to herself. Her lips were puckered as she thought, and I had to restrain myself from leaning over to bite them. "So, my choices are high school drama or sex trafficking ring?"
"Bella?" Maggie's soft voice came from a few yards behind us. Everyone quieted and turned to face her. "Um, Jared brought down his guitar and everyone thought maybe…" Maggie held out the guitar toward Bella.
Jared. It had been a couple weeks since Bella talked with him in the police precinct. She left him in the basement, locked in what used to be her cell. Jasper left him in there for the night. As far as I knew, Jared hadn't gotten arrested since, but only time would tell if he actually listened to anything Bella said.
Bella had been upset after that afternoon, but she wasn't as distraught as I thought she would be. Maybe it was good for her, like she said. Still, I wanted to strangle Jasper after he first brought it up to me.
Jared had stayed as far away from Bella as he could the few times we saw him since. It was comical to me that anyone could be scared of the woman next to me, especially after the incident last night.
I had been working in my office at home when I heard Bella scream. "Fuck! Edward!" I jumped at the sound of her shouting and grabbed the gun I had in my waistband.
With the weapon raised I ran into our bedroom. I scanned the room quickly, but the only person in it was Bella. She was standing in the center of the bed, eyes wide.
"What the fuck happened?" I grunted, lowering my arms.
"Well, shit, you didn't need to come in with a gun," Bella mumbled, her cheeks turning pink.
"Why did you scream?" I asked, looking around the room. Everything seemed perfectly fine to me.
"It's going to seem stupid now."
"Just tell me, Bella."
"There's a, um, spider on the bathroom counter."
"A spider?" I left Bella standing on the bed and went to the bathroom. There, obvious against the white marble of the counter, was a black spider about the size of a quarter. Grabbing a tissue, I quickly got rid of the bug.
"Is it gone?" Bella shouted from the other room.
When I got back to our bedroom, Bella was still standing in the middle of the bed. She was in only a t-shirt, and I could see black lace peeking out underneath it. Her hair was piled on top of her head and she looked equal parts scared and embarrassed.
"Yes, it's gone," I told her, reaching a hand up to help her off the bed. "Since when are you so scared of spiders?"
"Since forever. I hate the little fuckers, that's why I religiously have the house sprayed for bugs every three months." Once she was off of the bed, Bella wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my shoulder. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. But, maybe we should work on a better way to let me know if there's a spider instead of screaming. It might reduce my risk of having a heart attack."
The woman had a million bigger things to be scared of, but a spider about sent her over the edge. The spider incident was amusing after I calmed down. Bella had made me promise not to tell anyone about her spider fear. God only knew what Emmett would do with that kind of information.
It still blew my mind that anyone could be scared of Bella. But, whatever she said to Jared that afternoon must have struck a chord with him.
Leaning down to Bella, I whispered in her ear. "At least high schoolers are less scary than spiders." She punched me in the arm, but it was worth it.
"This group is not as fun as I thought it would be," Bella mumbled, going over to Maggie and grabbing the guitar from her hands.
I tuned out the conversation between the men around me and focused on Bella. She walked toward the middle of the yard and took a seat on an open stool. A soft smile covered her face as she started strumming along the guitar and talking to the people around her. She played snippets of her songs, answering questions from the kids around her as they asked. I noticed the bright smile on Maggie's face, and knew that was the only reason Bella was doing any of that.
A familiar pang in my gut hit me as I watched. The same one I got at the Tainted reunion Bella organized a while ago. There was a nagging voice inside my head saying I shouldn't let her do this. She should be doing what she wanted, whether that be acting or singing, or anything else she could come up with.
The one thing I knew was she shouldn't be performing at a graduation party for a hundred people, not after everything she had accomplished. My mind wandered from Bella to her career to the idea that maybe I was holding her back for the rest of the day. By the time we got home, I knew I couldn't put off the conversation anymore.
"Are you happy?" I asked her as we walked into the house. It wasn't the smoothest transition, but it worked.
Bella spun around and eyed me like I was insane. "What?"
"Are you happy?"
"Of course, I'm happy. What makes you think I'm not?"
"You perform at the Super Bowl, not for a backyard full of teenagers. I don't want to hold you back."
"You're not holding me back, Edward. I love our life here. It's about as quiet and normal life has been in a long time."
"But do you want quiet and normal? You shouldn't waste your time planning charity events."
"You think I'm wasting my time?" Bella asked, a mixture of confusion and hurt on her face. Fuck.
"I think you're the most talented woman I've ever met," I admitted. "You shouldn't have to use that talent to get donations for an event. You should use it for what you've always want to."
I remembered the way Bella always talked about acting over the years. She loved it, plain and simple. That love didn't just go away because of everything she had been through. Her face would light up whenever I asked about it, and she would go into a lecture about the process behind filmmaking.
"Can we just… drop this subject, please?" Bella asked, retreating toward the stairs. Her entire body language was off. She was never one to back down or just try to change the subject. Bella valued honesty, and she always preferred to talk things out rather than let them hang over our heads.
I followed her silently to our bedroom. She said nothing as she changed into one of my t-shirts and sat on the edge of the bed. Her fingers were fidgeting in her lap.
Walking over to her, I knelt at her feet, my hands caressing her thighs. "What is it?"
"I'm scared," she said simply.
"Of what?"
"I'm scared that I'll put a target on us again." Oh, Bella.
"That's not for you to worry about, Bella. That's my job, not yours," I told her honestly. Her safety was my number one priority on any given day. There was a reason I assigned Ben and Eric to her from the beginning; they were the best. She was never alone, even when she might think she was. Whether she was shopping or working, someone was always around to keep her safe. "I'll always make sure you're safe, no matter what."
Bella nodded and gave me a sad smile. One of her hands reached out and ran through my hair. "It's not so much my safety I'm worried about."
I grabbed her hand as she pressed it to my cheek. "We're both safe, I promise."
"You can't control everything, Edward."
"No, but I'm good at my job. No one is going to come after either of us." Technically, people came after us all the time. I received credible threats on a daily basis, but most were dealt with in a timely manner. Bella received threats all of the time; from people in Chicago and around the world because of her notoriety. Ninety percent of hers were fake, but I took care of the other ten percent immediately.
The Cullen's had a few rocky years where people thought they could get the best of us. This was all part of our new image; anyone who tried to mess with us ended up dead. It was as simple as that.
I couldn't tell Bella any of this, of course. She didn't need to worry about these kinds of things.
"What if…" Bella hesitated. Sad, brown eyes met mine. "What if I'm not good anymore? Maybe I peaked and I should stop while I was ahead."
To me, that idea was laughable. Ludicrous. Absurd. Almost blasphemous. Bella may not have acted professionally in a few years, but she had to put on an act every day. Today, she had to smile for everyone and do her best to ignore Esme for the duration of the party. Whenever we went to events she played the perfect mob wife, excusing herself when men approached me and wanted to talk business, or pretending to be just as vain as the wives that surrounded her.
"You're a phenomenal actress and musician. You'll excel at whatever you do, Bella."
"I'll think about it," Bella whispered eventually.
"If you don't want to act again, that's fine. But if you're avoiding it because you're scared, you don't have to be," I told her, standing and giving her a kiss. I knew she wanted to, though. She just needed a little push.
…Dark…
The next night I met Bella for dinner before I had to work through the night. She seemed to be in better spirits as we ate, if not a little contemplative. We were waiting for our food to arrive when Anthony visited us. He owned the restaurant years ago but it had been failing fast. He came to me for an investment, and I gave it to him. He's been running it ever since.
"Mr. Cullen, I hope you're enjoying your night?"
"Yes, thank you. Anthony, this is my wife, Bella. Bella, this is Anthony Watson," I said. At the mention of his name, Bella nearly choked on her water.
"Can I get you anything, Mrs. Cullen?" Anthony said, looking at her with worried eyes.
"No, no, I'm fine," Bella said, her voice a little gruff. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Watson."
Anthony got called away for some emergency in the kitchen a moment later.
"Oh, my God," Bella mumbled, dropping her head in her hands.
"What?"
"He was the man you were meeting with when we… in your office!" Bella's eyes were wide and scandalized. It was adorable. Of course, I remembered that afternoon in my office. It was, by far, the best meeting of my entire life. I didn't expect Bella to remember the name, though.
"Mmm. Fantastic meeting," I said, taking a sip of my own water and smiling at her through the glass. Our dinner progressed smoothly. Bella blushed every time she saw Anthony around the restaurant, and memories from that afternoon in my office flooded my mind.
As we were standing to leave, I heard my name being called. Turning around, I groaned internally as I saw Luka approaching with his daughter, Katrina. She was tall, blonde, and looked to be made simply of skin and bone. If I remembered correctly, she was in her early to mid-twenties.
"Edward, Isabella, wonderful to see you," Luka said, fake happiness in his voice. "We saw you leaving and my Katrina just had to come meet you, Isabella."
"It's so nice to meet you, Isabella," Katrina said, her voice high pitched and nasally. How anyone could stand to talk to her on a regular basis was beyond me.
"I've heard a lot about you from your father," Bella said, holding her hand out to Katrina.
"I've heard a lot about you as well, especially from Jacob and everyone on Unknown. I've been working with them a lot lately," Katrina said, her back straightened and she held her head higher. It was a challenge.
"Congratulations on the show. It was a great stepping stone for me," Bella said, her voice hard and cold. I tried to suppress my smirk. My girl could handle herself.
"It will be for Katrina, as well. She was just described as the next you, Isabella," Luka said. It made my blood boil. I could feel the tension grow in Bella as I rubbed a hand along her back.
"We should get going," I interjected. That would be the last straw for Bella. She was proud of her career, and the insinuation that Katrina would replace her would be the greatest insult to her.
With a hand still on Bella's back, I led her away from the table and the Petrov's. She was fuming, her tiny hands in fists at her sides. Maneuvering us through the restaurant as quick as possible, I helped Bella into the car and quickly started on the way home.
Bella was quiet as I drove, but I could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. Ever since I had known her, it had been common knowledge that Bella was the best. Always referred to as being on top of Hollywood, always selling more records than anyone. It wasn't cockiness, it was numbers.
It had been close to two years since her last tour ended. Nearly three years since her last film came out. That was a long time to be off the grid for Hollywood, I supposed.
My desire for her to get back to work had nothing to do with Luka or his plans. I wanted my wife happy and fulfilled, and I knew the only way that would happen was if she was following her passion. What capacity she got back into didn't matter; she could write music or act or direct.
But, I knew she wanted to be on the top. That was one of the things I loved about her; her desire to be the best actress and musician on the scene matched my desire to be on top of Chicago.
Neither of us had said a word by the time we got home. I shut off the car and looked over at Bella. She stared back at me looking frustrated, hurt, and determined all at once.
"Fuck this," she grumbled before getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her. I followed, watching as her fingers quickly moved over her phone. Sneaking a look over her shoulder, I saw the message she was typing.
Overnight me the 50 best scripts you have.
"Hold on," I said, taking the phone from her hands.
"What?"
"You should know something before you send that." Grabbing her hand, I led her over to the couch. I sat her down and sat across from her on the coffee table. "Petrov is working on infiltrating Hollywood."
"Infiltrating Hollywood?" Bella ask, a slight chuckle in her voice. "He's not a spy."
With a sigh, I sat back and tried to think of the best way to explain it to her. She deserved to know why he said all of those things about her before she made a big life decision about it.
"Hollywood and the mafia have never mixed well. People have tried, but they usually end up in prison. The Hollywood connections usually get scared and go to the cops. A few months ago, Petrov came to me and said he was using Katrina to try and use the industry to his advantage."
"But –"
"Let me finish," I told her. "He was baiting you because I refused his offer to join him on that particular business endeavor. What he said was more about me than you. It's your choice if you want to get back into acting or not. Don't let him make that decision for you."
Bella was silent for a minute, staring at me with an odd expression. She wasn't shocked, and she didn't look worried. She seemed… confused. "Can I ask you a question now?"
"Yes."
"Why haven't you tried that?" Well, shit. That wasn't what I expected. "You turned him down because you don't like being second to anyone, right?" I nodded. "If it's such a lucrative business, why haven't you tried?"
"Because I don't have any Hollywood connections," I said carefully. This was dangerous territory.
"Well, I'm offended," Bella said bluntly. She sat back against the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Bella, I can't ask you to do something like that," I told her, shaking my head. "You've already done too much for me."
Bella looked at me, her eyes quizzical. It was surprisingly nerve-wracking. Was she upset I hadn't told her about Petrov sooner? No, she knew there were business dealings I couldn't tell her about. Maybe she truly was offended I told her I didn't have Hollywood connections. Bella wasn't a connection to use, though, she was my wife.
"I always thought you'd ask me, eventually. You're in the business of making money, and Hollywood is basically an endless pit of money."
"Bella – "
"I don't have a business degree or anything like that, but I know how Hollywood works better than anyone. Definitely better than Katrina." Bella sighed. "Do you not think I can handle it?"
"You are a… conundrum, Isabella Cullen." You would think after being married for so long I would stop underestimating her. It was still conflicting, though. While I wanted to get into Hollywood, best Petrov at his own game, it was still a risk to involve Bella. It went against every instinct I had to let her in and not keep her as far away from this as possible.
"You're very protective, which is probably why you never asked me. Or you thought I would be mad considering the whole jail thing. But, I can help if you want," she said with a shrug. Bella left a kiss on my cheek and started heading toward the stairs.
"I'm still asking for the scripts," she shouted as she got upstairs. "The new me? Fuck that. I'm not dead."
An hour later, after saying goodnight to Bella I went back to work. A quick call to the right person on my drive to the office and I had my plan in motion. As I waited in my office I picked up the golden statue that Bella placed on one of the shelves. It was surprisingly heavy, and I stared down at the nameplate.
ACADEMY AWARD
TO
"REPUTATION"
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Ten years ago, I would have shrugged the statue off as nothing more than a byproduct of popular culture that was of no importance to me. Today, I understood how much work went into getting one. How many people longed to see their name on it. How valuable it was.
Despite her willingness in our conversation earlier, I was still conflicted on the whole thing. Bella helping in any capacity would make her an accessory to any crimes committed. She didn't seem fazed by that at all, which was surprising. There was part of me that longed to keep her as far away from anything that could get her in trouble, and another part that couldn't help but imagine how brilliant we would work together.
The door to my office opened and Luka walked in.
"Twice in one night," Luka said, an unpleasant smirk on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"This won't take long," I told him, setting the statue down carefully. Luka stood across from me, and I saw his eyes take in the two statues beside me. "Insult my wife again and I'll put a bullet between your eyes."
"Despite what you may think, Edward, you don't have a monopoly on Hollywood. Your wife can only do so much for you."
"My wife has –"
"Your wife hasn't done anything in nearly two years. Katrina is about to start filming Savage and take over as the new Hollywood starlet and get us access to one of the most profitable industries in the country."
Do not shoot him yet. Do not shoot him yet. "This meeting was merely a courtesy to you. Consider all of our dealings and agreements void. Now, get the fuck out."
A/N: So, I know I had said this would focus more on the mafia side of things and less on the Hollywood. I had an original first chapter that had a whole different set up for the story, but it just didn't fit this Bella. I've got a plan that I think combines both aspects of their lives, so I hope you still enjoy it!
As always, I'd love to hear what you think!
