Capitolo Secondo

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone reading and following. You guys are amazing. I love hearing your theories. Thanks to my team who are amazing and help me so much. To clarify. The name of the chapters is just the number of the chapter in Italian. The quotes are kind of hints to the chapter and overall story. Off we go. Still with Bella on this one.

~Always be careful of where you run to. When the going gets tough, take it easy and slow down, else you venture into the den of lions.~

Since this was a public function, I wasn't taken immediately to talk to Edward Sr. Unfortunately I was forced to sit with Edward Jr. and the blonde girl until the celebration was over. Needless to say, by the time I actually was introduced to the elder Cullen, I was annoyed. Edward Jr. was attractive, but he was a complete stranger and had no desire to try and make small talk. I was basically invisible. The younger blonde turned out to be his sister Rose, and she was actually nice and spoke with me a little throughout the speech and while Mr. Cullen made his rounds.

Once the guests were starting to leave, Edward stood and told me to follow him so that we could meet his parents in their car. I planted my feet, halting my movement, not sure about taking orders from this complete stranger. "Hold up a minute. I left my car in a parking lot. I can't just keep it there."

Edward sighed, obviously frustrated by my reluctance to simply comply, pulled out his cell phone, and had a hurried conversation with someone on the other end. He turned to me and asked in a clipped tone, "What's the address where you left it?"

I told him where the lot was, and he relayed that to the other person on the phone. He put out his hand in a motion for me to give him something, his impatience showing. I pulled the ticket from the garage and my car keys out of my pocket and handed them to him. "It's a green Toyota Rav4 with Washington State plates."

He nodded, turning and signaling to someone behind him. A hulking figure approached him, and Edward gave the keys to him. By the looks of him, he seemed more like a bodyguard than anything else. "Go meet Alec at that address and give him these. Tell him what she just said. I will call you when I know where you can meet us. Now, Bella, get in the car."

I was a little concerned about getting into a limo with people I didn't know from Adam, but I needed to do this so I could find out what was going on and hopefully learn why my parents were killed. Figuring I had nothing left to lose, especially after having traveled all this way, I slid inside the car and sat on the leather seats.

"Papa, this is Bella Swan. She said her mom, Renee Swan, sent her to find you," Edward explained.

The older blonde woman next to Mr. Cullen stiffened and narrowed her eyes at me.

Mr. Cullen gasped again and grabbed my hand gently. "Madonna mia. What has happened to Renee, sweetheart? She wouldn't send you unless it was the last resort."

Trying very hard to keep my emotions in check, I looked down at my lap. Failing to keep the tremble out of my voice, or hide the tears pooling in my eyes, I looked up. "She and my dad were killed three weeks ago while I wasn't there. When I came home from work, my dad was already gone, but my mom held on long enough to tell me to find you. That you could keep me safe." I pulled my hand from Mr. Cullen's, angrily wiping the tears from my eyes, upset that I was crying in front of complete strangers. Four sets of eyes had varying degrees of sadness or sympathy in them, all directed at me. "I trust my parents, and if they thought this was best, then I had to do it. I don't want to live in fear."

The platinum-haired woman was the first to speak. "We will take you home with us, and we will figure out where to go from there. We have more than enough room for you."

"Oh, I can get a hotel room. It's really not a problem, ma'am."

"Call me Elizabeth, and nonsense. You will stay with us, where we can assure your safety."

I smiled at her politely. "Thank you," I murmured. Wanting to believe that I could trust that their intentions were genuine and good, I didn't argue any further, taking the offer of hospitality that she was extending.

The car fell silent on the ride to their home. When Edward and his father started conversing quietly, I turned to watch the scenery through the window. I had never been outside of Washington, and even though I wished I could have done more sightseeing on the way, I was focused on getting here as soon as possible. I turned to Rose after we had been driving for half an hour.

"Where are we going?" I asked her curiously. She was closer to my age than anyone in the car and was the warmest of them all.

"We live on Staten Island. We're about twenty minutes away." She turned to see if anyone was listening. Only Edward was looking in our direction. She faced me again. "So, tell me a little bit more about yourself. Is Bella short for anything?"

"Um, yeah it's short for Isabella, and I'm twenty years old. What about you?"

"My full name is Rosalie, but please don't call me that." She smiled, rolling her eyes. "I'm twenty-four."

I smiled at her and we continued to chat conversationally to pass the time until we arrived. I knew that we were at the Cullens' house when I saw my car parked in the driveway. The driver pulled the car up next to mine. A tall man, dressed in black slacks, a burgundy button down, and a fedora slanted on his head was standing next to my mom's SUV.

When we all got out of the car, his eyes widened comically when they landed on me. He jangled my keys that were swinging from his index finger. "And who might you be, cara mia?"

Edward Jr. sighed and gestured to the guy with my keys. "Alec, this is Isabella Swan. Isabella, this is Alec."

"Actually, I prefer Bella," I said, looking at Edward, then turned my attention to Alec. "Nice to meet you, Alec. I appreciate you driving my car here."

Alec dropped the keys into my outstretched hand and smiled. He took my other hand and kissed the back of it. "It was my pleasure, beautiful Bella."

"Alec!" Mr. Cullen's voice snapped, causing us both to look at him. He seemed a little annoyed. Alec gave me a wink and then walked over to Edward's dad. Edward's mom walked over to us as I pulled my backpack out of my car.

"Come, Bella, I'll show you around, and my husband will talk to you after he has taken care of a few things. Rose, dear, come join us," she said, leaving Edward there by himself as Rose followed us inside. The house from the outside looked huge, and it was a little daunting. Not that our house in Washington was small—my parents made decent money—but it was nothing compared to the stone and glass monstrosity in front of me.

The moment we stepped into the foyer, I knew that I was dealing with a very rich family. The car and nice clothes could be things that someone with moderate amounts of money could pull off, but the marble floors, real wood staircase banisters, and the furniture were some things that only someone with massive amounts of wealth could afford. I followed Elizabeth up a flight of stairs, listening as she pointed out different rooms, adding in tidbits of information about the history behind some of the decorative items. We stopped in one room that was obviously a guest bedroom, and she told me that this was where I would be staying for the time being. I put my backpack on the floor near the bed, and then we were off to tour the rest of the home.

Their house had a swimming pool and jacuzzi, poolhouse, a gym, media room, and down in the basement, they had a pool table, air hockey, a bar, and a sound system. The rich really did live differently. Before I could escape back upstairs, Elizabeth stopped me.

"We go to church on Sunday mornings. You will join us as our guest. It's a tradition. The family has been attending this church for generations, and we have a reputation to uphold," she said, her tone offering no argument.

"Oh. I'm not really religious." A look that was a mix between surprise and disgust crossed Elizabeth's face before she schooled her features. I began to backtrack and changed the subject. "Is there a dress code?" I asked, trying to be polite. I wasn't sure I had brought anything with me that would be considered appropriate for church, but if it wasn't too formal, I might be able to pull something together.

She nodded, eying my outfit warily before pursing her lips and speaking. "A nice dress."

"I don't have anything like that." I shook my head, shrugging.

She turned her attention to Rose. "Rose, take her to see Alice. She will have something appropriate for Isabella. Have her bill it to our account."

"Oh, I appreciate that very much, Elizabeth, but I have money that I can use to buy a dress."

"Nonsense. We invited you, and I don't expect you to spend the little money your parents set aside for you to buy a dress. Alice's shop is very high-end, not like anything you've likely experienced, so it wouldn't be right to expect you to pay. Besides, I'm sure that traveling here made a large dent in that money, better to hold onto what you have just in case."

I nodded, a little embarrassed by the way she was implying that I wasn't cut out for their lavish lifestyle, like I was beneath them somehow. While she hadn't been outright hostile, I could tell that this must have been awkward for her. From the little that I knew from my mother's letter, this was the wife of the man she'd had an affair with. Having me show up here, stirring up all those memories couldn't have been pleasant. Regardless, she had graciously invited me into her home, so I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She didn't seem like someone who appreciated arguments so I agreed. "Yes, ma'am."

She pulled me into her side, giving me a quick squeeze that was just a tad too tight and not at all like the warm hugs I was used to from my parents. "Isabella, no more of this ma'am stuff. You're making me feel old. Charlie and Renee were like family at one point, so that extends to you too." She held my face in her hands, studying me. Her touch while not warm was firm, and in that moment, I missed my mom all the more. "You look so much like her, but you have your dad's eyes." She plastered a sad smile on her face, and I returned it with one of my own, trying to blink back the tears that had started to form. Soon, she released me from her hold, and Rose led me out to her car so that we could go get a dress from this Alice person Elizabeth mentioned.

We headed back to Manhattan, or as Rose called it, 'the city.' "You need to learn to talk like us. I mean people will be able to tell you aren't from around here, but it's best to blend in as much as you can."

"Okay, so Manhattan is the city. What else?"

"If I try to teach you everything now, it would probably fry your brain. We'll take it as it comes, okay? Plus, I'm also part of an Italian-American family and that is a whole new set of slang."

"Just don't let me make a fool of myself, Ro."

She smiled at me and chuckled. "Ro, I like that. I'll have to come up with a nickname for you."

"My parents called me Bells, and my friend back home called me B."

"I like B. We'll go with that."

~NDMN~

Alice was the owner of a fashion boutique in SoHo. She was shorter than me, and I was only five feet tall. She also seemed to vibrate with a hyper energy, talking a million miles a minute, and while that was all completely exhausting, she still had an infectious happiness. When Rose told her I needed something for church, she gave me a studying look.

"Are you more of a dress, or skirt with a separate top girl?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't worn a lot of dresses."

Alice walked over to a rack of clothes and came back with two hangers. One held a blush-colored dress that was longer in the back than in the front and had large flowers printed on it. The other hanger had a long skirt paired with a cute top. I was more partial to the dress, and Rose agreed once I tried it on. Rose helped me pick out some open-toed wedge sandals to go with it, and once Alice charged everything to the Cullens' account and Rose signed the receipt, we were out of the shop and heading back to their house.

"So, what's the story with your brother? He is really quiet and not very warm."

Rose chuckled and nodded. "Oh, did you pick up on that?" She smiled at me and shook her head. "Edward is a bit older than me. It puts most of the responsibility on his shoulders, and he takes it very seriously. Plus, he kind of gave up on women."

"Oh, that's unfortunate. Why?"

"Not to brag, but our family has a lot of money and power. Sometimes that attracts the wrong kind of women." She sneered, obviously remembering some of these women.

"Maybe that's the draw for some women, but I mean, that's not all that matters. Just because a guy may have money, power, and good looks, it doesn't mean he's a loving or good guy. There are those that are, I guess, since they're not mutually exclusive qualities," I explained and Rose nodded. "So, what about you—do you have a guy in your life?"

"I have someone. You'll meet him tomorrow at church. Royce and I are engaged to be married next spring." Her words were positive, but the tone was practiced, prepared, and hollow-sounding. She didn't seem as excited as a young woman who was about to be married should be.

"You don't sound too crazy about the idea," I prodded.

Rose gave me a small sad smile. "Royce is attractive enough, and he's from a family with money too, but I never really had any choice as to whether or not I was with him."

"Like an arranged marriage?" I asked, horrified.

"You'd be surprised how often this is still done. There's no way my dad would let me choose who I had a relationship with on the chance that I chose wrong. I can only marry someone with money and status. Not like Edward, who really could choose whoever he wanted as long as she would be able to bear his kids." She scoffed and shook her head.

I couldn't believe that this was all still a thing. It all just sounded so old fashioned and stifling. "That doesn't seem fair. Sorry, Ro."

"I made peace with it a long time ago."

I really didn't know what to say in a situation like this. I wanted to advise her to tell her family to get bent and date who she wanted, but I didn't know her or her family well enough to start making waves.

While I truly didn't think Mr. Cullen was a mafioso, the words from my mom's letter kept coming back to me. She had called him dangerous, and she used an Italian slang word instead of the regular English word for mistress. It had to mean something, but I just couldn't wrap my head around a concept that I thought wasn't even a thing anymore.

We were silent as we finished the drive home, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I headed upstairs at the first opportunity to put my dress away, and I was surprised to see Mr. Cullen standing in the doorway when I turned around.

I gasped and jumped. "Holy sh—. You scared me, Mr. Cullen."

He smiled at me. "It's a little confusing with two Edwards running around, so you can call me Ted. I was wondering if we could go to my office to talk about what brought you here, other than the unfortunate passing of your parents."

His smile was kind, but it still bothered me that he didn't seem shocked that they were murdered. Maybe he was more familiar with death than I was. I realized he was waiting for an answer, so I nodded and followed him out of the room, heading toward what I assumed was his office. He sat in the chair behind his desk, so I sunk into one that was in front of it. We sat there in silence for a bit. It seemed like he was studying me, sitting forward, his arms resting on his thighs. His hands were steepled in front of him, before he sat back, looking completely relaxed.

"Can you tell me a little more about what happened, Bella? I haven't seen Charlie or Renee for quite some time."

I sucked in a deep breath. I really didn't want to rehash this, but I knew that I had no other choice. My mom said that Edward Sr, or Ted, was the only one who could keep me safe. "I went to work one night—I was taking a year off from college—and when I came back, things were off. The front door was ajar, and there was no noise coming from inside. No TV, talking, or laughing; just silence."

"And that was very unusual?" he asked, his face calm and open.

"Highly. I just could feel like something was wrong. So I went inside and my dad…" I cut off, tears pooling in my eyes. I didn't want to show weakness in front of anyone, especially this virtual stranger, but maybe I hadn't really dealt with the death of my parents. I just kept pushing forward, kept focusing on the next thing I needed to do. I blinked, the tears falling, and I brushed them aside. He grabbed a box of Kleenex and placed it in front of me, then he came around the front of the desk. He sat in the chair next to mine while I grabbed a few tissues.

"I know this is hard. I'm so sorry. He was already gone?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he was already dead. My mom came out of the kitchen, and she had been stabbed in the stomach. I tried to tell her we needed to get her to a doctor. She told me that it was too late. That I needed to leave. I needed to find you so that you could make sure I was safe. I didn't understand what was going on, but she left me a letter. I got it and the clothes I could pack and went to stay with a friend until everything was closed with their estate and then I drove here. When I had my first stop, someone was trying to sneak in my window the next morning, and I booked it out of there."

When I looked over to him, his eyebrows were furrowed, like he was thinking. "What was in the letter?"

"Um, just that you and my dad had history and that she had…relations with you. Then she said that you all were like family once, but they wanted to raise their children in Washington. Then she mentioned something about the past. Look I don't get what all this means. My dad was a cop and my mom worked at our high school. I don't know what they were here, but someone did."

"I'm not sure exactly what happened or who is after you, but you are safe here with us. I will need to contact some associates in Washington to pull some favors so I can get more info about what happened. Don't worry, Bella, but be aware that in our world, kindness comes at a cost. At some point, someone will want to settle your balance."

I wanted to scoff and tell him that was ominous as fuck, but something told me that this man wouldn't tolerate my usual level of snarkiness. I decided being polite was the way to go. "Thank you, Mr…Ted."

"No problem. I will let you know if I find anything noteworthy."

I knew that I was being dismissed, so I nodded and exited his office. On the way up to my room, I ran into Edward. "Careful there, Bella."

"Sorry."

He seemed to be studying me, taking in my puffy eyes and the tissues I was still holding in my hand. "You okay?"

"I was just talking to your dad about what happened with my parents. I'm fine," I murmured, skirting around him so that I could be alone. Climbing the stairs, I went to the room Elizabeth showed me earlier. I rooted around in my backpack for my pajamas. When I left, I managed to grab a few outfits and pjs before traveling cross country, so I only had the stuff I really loved. I pulled on my black Gryffindor sweatpants and a spaghetti strap tank top. Grabbing my bag of toiletries, I headed to the bathroom right by my room to brush my teeth and wash my face.

When that was all done, I climbed into bed, just wanting to have this day be finished and move on with my life.

Translation:

Madonna mia- an exclamation, just like "My God!"

cara mia- my darling

A/N: So, just a regular Italian American family right. Nothing weird here. Let me know what you think and leave a review. Until next time lovelies!