Capitolo Dieci

It is wise to remember that not all snakes are legless. Some have two legs and appear in human form. Be extra careful with them. They can strike when you least expect

EPOV

By the time I entered my room, I was tired as fuck—just plain exhausted and done with everything. Bella was lying in the bed, passed out. She didn't even flinch when I flicked the light on. I quickly got changed for bed, turned off the light, and then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

When I crawled into bed, I really wanted to wake up the sleeping girl next to me, but I was very tired, so I just spooned with her, letting her warmth and the feeling of sleeping with someone wash over me until I passed out.

~NDMN~

I woke up the next morning, early as always. I did what I usually did: went downstairs to have some breakfast. I was halfway down the stairs before I realized that I had just left Bella in my room, in bed, alone. When I got back to the room, she was awake and staring at my empty side of the bed with a grumpy expression plastered on her face. She turned and noticed me standing in the doorway.

"Did you even come to bed last night?"

I came closer to my side of the bed. "Yeah. At about midnight."

"Why so late? What were you guys talking about all super secret like?"

"Does it matter?" I deflected. I didn't want to pop the bubble we were in with that news.

She smiled, getting on her knees, and came over to where I was standing. She gripped my t-shirt and pulled me close to her, causing me to fall onto the bed. The fact that I was hungry and that I needed to take a shower to get ready for work left my mind when she pressed her lips to mine, grabbing my hands and placing them under her shorts. All I felt was lace and satin. And hot and wet skin. I pulled her shorts down and caught sight of her lacey pale pink underwear. I had never been fond of pink, but seeing her in the scrap of fabric masquerading as panties, I felt myself suddenly liking the color very much. The material was partially see-through, showcasing her skin. She grabbed my hand and moved it between her folds, guiding me to finger her clit. "It does if it involves you, future husband." Her voice was breathy as she sucked in air.

I smiled, finally catching on to what she was doing. "Are you trying to seduce me, Bella?"

"Depends. Is it working?" she asked, an expression of pure innocence on her face.

I chuckled and stepped away from her, enjoying watching her face melt into a cute pout. "It probably would have if I didn't need to eat breakfast and take a shower so I can get ready for work."

She gave me a suffering sigh and then nodded. She got up and pulled on her shorts, covering her beautiful body from my perusal. "How about I make you breakfast while you take a shower? It'll save you some time."

The fact that she was offering to take care of this for me kind of surprised me. It was a simple thing really, but it meant a lot. I pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the temple. "That would be very helpful. Thank you, Bella."

"No problem. Don't forget to wash behind your ears," she joked, laughing. I laughed along with her, and after I released her from my embrace, I headed to the shower.

BPOV

After Edward walked into the bathroom, I put on a bra and got dressed before I left the room, heading downstairs to make something for Edward. I was sure that Elizabeth had eggs in the fridge and some type of bread that I could use to make toast, and while that was simple, it would be filling and the perfect thing for Edward to start his day. When I walked into the kitchen, I stopped dead in my tracks because sitting there at the kitchen table was none other than Ted. I looked around to see if maybe Rose or Elizabeth were around. Finding no one to save me from being alone with him, I took a deep breath and let it out. Ignoring the feeling of his eyes on my back, I continued to walk to the cupboard to get a pan out, grabbed the eggs from the fridge, put some bread in the toaster, and started to work on mixing the eggs with cream as I heated up the pan.

"Good morning, Bella," Ted said warmly.

It really sucked that Ted showed his true colors and then was able to just switch back to playing the nice guy. What happened in his office the night he asked me to marry Edward was still something that made my skin crawl and creeped me out.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen," I said, my tone clipped. I poured the eggs into the pan.

I heard him chuckle. "I see you're still upset about the other night. Bella, I have to make decisions and do things I really would rather not, but the responsibility of running the family is on my shoulders." The sound of the chair scraping against the kitchen tile followed by heavy footsteps caused a shiver to run down my spine. As I scrambled and drug the spatula through the eggs, he approached the sink, and I remained still, my gaze fixed on the stove, my back to him. I heard the water turn on, followed by the thunk of his coffee mug on the porcelain of the sink, and then the water shut off. "Bella, look at me," he commanded, most of the warmth gone from his tone. It was the same velvety voice Edward had, but something about it made it sound deadly, downright dangerous.

It was out of sheer terror that I obeyed his direction. Something told me failing to do so would not go well for me. Turning to face him, I locked eyes with him. As I stood there, my hands captured in front of me, I felt like the mouse looking into the eyes of the serpent before it struck, ready to devour it whole.

"That night was a test. A test I am happy to report that you passed. I have told you before about Edward dating the wrong women. A fair number of them got close to him, gave him promises of love and whatnot, and then when money was dangled in front of them, they chose it over Edward. That is what I mean by things being different in our world; it is not the same as how you grew up. Your parents left all this for a simpler life and raised you to expect nothing more. So, I wanted to see if you were like all the rest and would do the same to Edward. That when you looked at him and this family, if all you saw was an easy meal ticket and dollar signs."

"So, you hit on a girl you had seen him kissing to what…save him from the pain of being taken advantage of by some gold digger? I'm sorry, Mr. Cullen, but I don't buy it. You don't strike me as the paternal, sentimental type. You're hardcore traditional Italian, a businessman through and through. You took a gamble and you lost. You can tell me it was a test all you want, and maybe that makes you feel better, but we both know the truth. You thought I was some naïve girl that you could have your way with." My hands trembled slightly as I shifted my feet, trying to put more space between us.

He chuckled again and leaned against the counter, getting a kick out of the fact that his near proximity was seemingly making me uncomfortable. "Bella, you are a beautiful girl, but you are a little too innocent, too soft. I would break you too easily, and I like my toys far too much to invest in ones that are damaged quickly."

I scoffed, way too shocked to even reply. Edward was nothing like his father, and thank god, because the man in front of me was vile and disturbing. I wondered why he was so twisted. Again I was gripped with the desire to know how my dad was able to stand to be around him. What was their connection? There was only one way for me to find out. Before I could second guess myself, I blurted, "What is your history with my dad? My parents never talked about you. I didn't even know of your existence until my mom mentioned you the night she died."

"Your dad and I grew up together in Brooklyn. He was my best friend for many years." His tone was biting and even though he was standing right next to me, I was still too worried to look at his face.

The fact that my dad, the cop, the man who was the most kind and genuine person I'd ever known was best friends with this monster was something that was throwing me for a loop. I pulled a plate out of the cupboard and transferred the scrambled eggs to it. Skirting around Ted, I retrieved the toast and buttered it, also putting it on the plate. I heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. Figuring it was Edward, I headed to the breakfast bar, wanting to put space between myself and his father. Suddenly, Ted grabbed my arm tightly, causing me to cry out in pain.

"Dad!" I heard Edward yell. It was a gruff sound, full of fury. "Let her the fuck go!"

Ted's eyes flitted to Edward, and he sighed, reluctantly releasing his grip on me. I rubbed my arm where he'd grabbed me, and Edward gestured for me to walk over to him. Placing the plate on the breakfast bar, I walked over to him. Edward and Ted were glaring daggers at each other and didn't break eye contact until Edward had me in his arms. When he looked down at me, the tenderness in his eyes floored me. He tucked my hair behind my ears, his lips whispering a kiss across my forehead as Ted stomped out of the kitchen.

"You okay?" he whispered.

I nodded and he returned the gesture. Satisfied that I hadn't been seriously harmed, we sat down and ate together, sharing the plate I'd brought over. We didn't talk much; we usually didn't unless either of us had something important to say. The silence stretched as we were both lost in what had just happened. When the plate was empty, I picked it up and took it to the sink. Edward came over to stand by my side, lifting my sleeve to see where his dad had manhandled me. It looked pretty bad, the skin red and starting to get a tinge of that fun bruised color. Edward sighed and dropped my sleeve, bracing his hands on the marble surrounding the sink. He hit the counter in front of him, making me jump. It was with a sense of detachment that I just watched him start pacing. I wasn't a stranger to men with tempers; I had seen my friend Jacob get mad, and my dad and my first boyfriend, Mike, also had been hot under the collar at times, but I had never seen any of them react this way. The only thing that I could deduce was maybe Edward was so angry because he had tried to make concessions to keep me from being with his dad alone, and the minute the moment presented itself, his dad managed to do exactly what he was trying to prevent.

"How much would you fight me if I said you need a bodyguard?" he asked, stopping his pacing to look at me.

"I never go anywhere." I shrugged my shoulders, my voice quiet, because honestly I was shaken.

He shook his head. "No, inside the house. I can't believe it has come to this, but I don't trust my dad around you anymore."

"Okay, I get that and I am totally there with you." I raised my hands to make a stopping motion. "But there is no way for you and me to have a normal life with some muscle-bound man standing in the corner all the time. I'll be more careful and just won't be alone with your dad. Today was a lesson learned, and one I'm not eager to repeat anytime soon."

"In what?" He looked at me, his eyebrows raised in question. "Tiptoeing around here and making sure he isn't hiding around a corner every day. You shouldn't have to live like that."

I shook my head. "I thought that was why we were moving. So that I don't have to deal with that."

"Yes, but that's going to take time."

"Why? Don't you have a real estate lady you can call to look for something?"

"Well we haven't discussed what we want." He looked at his watch. "Shit. Okay, I have to go, but Irina, Demetri's girl, is a real estate agent. I will call her, and she will get with you to see what we are looking for. It is up to you. We just need enough rooms for kids and an office. Anything you have questions on, text me. Okay?"

I nodded and walked over to hug him. He returned the embrace and we kissed. Like every other time our lips met, we started to get carried away, and I had to pull away because he'd be late for work and I didn't want him to get in trouble. Ted came down the stairs and called for Edward as he headed to the front door. Edward rolled his eyes, gave me another quick kiss, then he was gone too, headed outside.

I just looked around the kitchen and into the living room, trying to figure out what to do. This house was too clean. I mean, I knew people lived here, but the only rooms that had some untidiness were the bedrooms. I headed to Edward's room and gathered all the laundry and started sorting through it. I had a feeling if I turned Edward's whites into pinks, he would probably be a little annoyed. As I was heading down the stairs with my first load, I was surprised to see Rose in the kitchen. I waved at her as I headed to the basement. When I was done throwing everything into the washer, I came back upstairs to the kitchen.

"Hey, Bella. Why are you doing laundry?" She looked confused.

I sighed. "Um, well, it needs to be done, and I'm trying to find things to do while Edward is gone."

"What did you do in Washington all day?"

I sat down next to her at the breakfast bar. "I was in college, but I had been taking a year off to figure out what I wanted to do. I was working…when that night happened. Trying to save money and all that."

"Well, luckily, you won't have to do that when you get married to Edward," she said, going back to the magazine she was reading.

"Do what?" I went to get a cup of coffee.

Rose lifted her mug and took a sip. "Go to school, or work."

I poured creamer in my mug and stirred it. "What if I want to?" I was kinda annoyed. Like it was so hard to work.

"Why would you?" She looked genuinely confused by this.

I came back and sat next to her. "Um…" I knew that there were differences between Rose and me. I mean obviously she was raised completely differently than I was, but how could she not want more? "Don't you want to do something for yourself? Something that you can be proud of because you did it without help from anyone else. Something you got based on your own merit and knowledge."

"I don't know. I never really thought about it. All that I was told my whole life was I was expected to be a housewife, have babies, and make some man happy. I always thought it wasn't fair, and it wasn't something that I really wanted to do, but I wasn't given any other options."

I felt really sad for Rose because she still looked really confused but maybe a little hopeful. I knew that the life she was living wasn't what she wanted. It was at that moment I wished that I could fix this for her. Edward had stood up for his sister a little to Ted, but I wondered if he could, or would, do more for her.

"You told me the other night that you wanted Emmett. Were you and him together and you had to break up?"

She inhaled a large breath and blew it out. "Emmett has been best friends with Edward since they were about ten years old. They met one day in elementary school because of our fathers since they were in business together." She rubbed her temples. "They hit it off right away. So, being so much younger than Edward, I was about two when they met. Meaning I grew up with Emmett always there. It wasn't until I got older that I started being attracted to Emmett and began to see him as more than just my annoying brother's best friend." She looked like she was thinking of a memory, and it made her smile, but soon the smile fell as she came back to reality. "He was protective of me, and with an overbearing father, I needed that. Emmett and I started fooling around when I was twenty two, but then my dad let the bomb fall. I was going to marry Royce, and I had no choice in the matter."

I shook my head and groaned. This was all types of fucked-up and just convinced me more that Ted was a misogynistic, chauvinistic, evil, vile asshat of the most epic proportions. I didn't need much of a shove to prove this to me, but it still was another nail in the coffin.

Rose and I sat and talked about things that we wished we could have done if our lives had gone differently. It helped us relate on a different level because she wished she had grown up like me, and while I was happy with the way I was raised, I yearned for my parents to still be alive. I was curious about the differences in our childhoods and would have liked to sit and speak more, but Rose got a phone call and excused herself to her room. I gave her a one-arm hug goodbye and went back to my task of taking care of the laundry.

After I switched my second load over to the dryer, I got a call from an unknown number. Since I didn't recognize it, I answered cautiously, which was a good thing because it was Irina. We talked for a little while, and she asked me a few questions to gauge what we were looking for in terms of our house. I didn't know how many kids Edward wanted, but I had always hated being an only child, so I went for a good middle number. Four seemed like too many, so I told Irina we wanted five bedrooms. That way Edward would have space for an office, and if we had less kids, I could have one as well, or we'd turn it into a guest bedroom. I also wanted three or four bathrooms. The more I thought about it and answered questions, paired with what Edward had told her, it was shaping up that this would be a huge house with hopefully a big yard. Maybe I wouldn't get a job because I would be spending all my time cleaning it.

After Irina finished going through her checklist, she said that she would send what she found to Edward's email, and we would be able to go look at the properties at whatever time worked for us. Before we hung up, I thanked her, and then I continued with my day.

At about 4 PM, Edward called me. I was bored out of my mind and playing a game on my phone. "Hello."

"Hey, principessa, how was your day?"

"Really boring. I seriously don't know how unemployed childless people deal because I did laundry and cleaned your room, all before noon."

"Oh, ragazza, you didn't have to do that," he said, his voice soft.

"No, I did. Didn't you hear me?" I whined.

"We will have to talk about some things then. Irina found a couple properties. How about I come get you? We can go have some dinner and go look at those places."

"That sounds amazing. I will be waiting," I said enthusiastically.

"Okay, I will need to change, but it shouldn't take long."

We got off the phone, and true to his word when he got home, he changed and so did I, which led to some almost sexytimes, but we were both on a mission. We headed out of the house, and I hoped that tonight proved to be productive in terms of us finding somewhere else to live. I don't think I could handle another run-in with Ted, and I didn't like the thought of being a prisoner in my home.

Translation:

Principessa- princess

Ragazza- Girl/ girlfriend

A/N: Well, Ted is showing his true colors more and more. Edward is ready to get Bella out of there. Leave a review and let me know what you think. I love hearing your theories and reading your reviews. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Until later lovelies!