Disclaimer: As much as I would love to have the swimming pool of money that is Twilight, I do not. All rights remain with respective parties. Don't sure me over an AU crackfic, please? :(

A/N: Hey, everyone! I finished the next chapter, but, I didn't edit it. I'm actually falling asleep. if this is REALLY bad, let me know and I'll edit it! Also, let me know what you want to see next!

Reviews = Quotes from the next chapter, plus, you help develop the story! Hopefully talk to all of you soon!

Chapter Four

"You're sure you can't come, Miss Bella?" Nessie is bouncing off the wall with energy. She refused to let me help with her hair and her dress. She picked out her very own dress, a bright blue taffetta, once again expanding into a giant petticoat. When I attempted to help her with her curls, she refused and, instead, asked Edward to do her banana curls.

Yes, Edward Cullen does his daughter's hair. And he does it well.

Edward laughs as I reach to adjust Nessie's giant bow. Jasper insisted that they needed to eat before they left, but, Nessie has barely touched her food. She's too excited that Edward is going to take her to see Wicked. And, I can't really blame her. I love the musical, too. In fact, Edward had invited me to go with them.

But, as it was, I was having a difficult time juggling my last paycheck between savings and the two student loan payments I had due. I did the "adult" thing and determined that my savings was not worth that box seat...

I smile at Nessie and shake my head. "Sadly, I have other things I have to do tonight, Nessie, but, you have to have fun for me and tell me all about it, alright?"
Nessie nods, determined. "Daddy?" She tugs on Edward's pants leg. "Can we at least bring Miss Bella a t-shirt?" She is adorable. I wish she were easier to say no to. She wouldn't have the magic of guilt on her side.

Edward smiles and nods at her, ruffling her hair. I purse my lips, hoping he doesn't screw up her curls. "Of course we can," he says, his gaze moving from her to me. His face becomes more serious. "I have an extra ticket. Are you absolutely positive that you don't want to come?" I smile and resolutely shake my head again. "This isn't about the money, is it? This wouldn't cost you anything. It's my treat," he emphasizes. Nessie looks between the two of us, a sweetly confused look crossing her face. But, even still, she doesn't say anything.

I wave off the concern and shake my head for what feels like the millionth time. "No, no! It's nothing like that! Don't worry about me! The two of you should go and have fun!" I smile at them both, though I hear Jasper clear his throat, as if trying to break something up.

Edward still looks concerned as he picks up Nessie's purse. "Everything ready, Jasper?"

Jasper nods and walks into the kitchen. "Absolutely, Mr. Cullen," Edward tried to correct him, but, Jasper plows right on. I'm pretty sure that Jasper is just teasting him. "Car's pulled up outside. I've got the parking situation already arranged for the theater, also," he said, straightening his leather jacket. He looks at me and winks. "How do I look, Bella?"

I giggle. "Dashing, Jasper. Very dashing," I say, inspecting him. His jeans, his perfect sweater, his shades...he looks the typical badboy. And, from what he was saying, it sounded like he had been, once. And, to a certain extent, he was still a heartbreaker.

He walks straight up to me and takes my hand. "Ah, Bella, I can always count on you when I need a compliment. Don't fret, sweetheart. You know you are the only woman for me," he teases me, kissing my hand.

He glances at Edward, as if there is some joke between them. I see Edward trying to look less than annoyed and failing. Maybe I should apologize for the lack of professionalism...

Jasper winks at me. "See ya, Bella," he says, walking out first.

Nessie rushes up to me and grabs my legs. "Bye, Miss Bella!" She motions for me to bend down, even though I'm trying not to giggle. I bend down. "Don't worry," she whispers, "I left Mr. Fuzzy in your bedroom. Just in case you got lonely. He likes to eat ice cream late at night. But, don't let him! He's on a diet. It's bad for his teeth!"

I chuckle and lean in closer to whisper in her ear. "Secret is safe with me," I say, patting her head as she scampers off to meet Jasper at the door.

Edward is the last one in the kitchen with me. He looks like he wants to say something, but, he stops. He can't seem to find the words. "I-" he tries to talk, but he closes his mouth quickly. "If you're sure," he says, offering his hand to me. He looks...nervous.

I smile at him. It's almost like he's a nervous schoolboy, trying to ask me on a date. Too bad I know that's not the case. "Absolutely," I say, crossing my arms and looking around the kitchen. "I'll just try to finish the book you gave me. I'm almost done and you did say you wanted someone to discuss it with," I say, sweetly. I reach for the copy of the book that is sitting on the kitchen island, only to find Edward's hand there when I lay mine down.

Electric shock would have been preferable to what I feel when I touch his hand. It's like fire and ice. I want to run away, but, I want to kiss him senseless. Stupid puppy crush…I wish I could hate him for being kind and gorgeous at the same time…but, I can't.

It didn't help that we had so casually discussed Shakespeare and it had now turned into a nightly rendezvous to discuss books and plays, movies, TV shows…Overanalyzing and picking apart details that the author themselves probably doesn't even know is there…And, as our friendship seemed to blossom, he had begun to insist that I call him "Edward" and not "Mr. Cullen." He had begun to treat me as though we were equals.

And, as I thought more and more about what this might mean, I was honestly just beginning to feel more and more comfortable with the man who signed my paychecks.

I withdrew my hand, feeling my face go red. "Sorry!" I bite my lip and look anywhere but at Edward. "I'm really fine! I would really like to stay in tonight. I actually have a story I'm working on, too, and, the silence is really the best atmosphere to write in!" I laugh, nervously.

Edward picks up the book and begins to say something, but, Jasper's voice resonates through the foyer. "Stop flirting, you two!" I hear him bellow. "We're going to be late!"

Edward grimaces and smacks the book against his other hand before he hands it back to me. "As long as you're sure everything is alright…" he hands me the book, gently. "And…if you need anything…"

I pout. "You all assume that something bad is going to happen to me just because I'm the only girl living here, don't you?"

Edward purses his lips. "Ms. Swan, in the three weeks you have worked for me you have jammed your wrist teaching Nessie to be a cartwheel, burnt yourself on the stove, broken a glass on your foot, and, this morning, you managed to trip over your hair dryer," he lists off, matter-of-factly.

I snort, a very unladylike reaction. "It could happen to anyone!"

"Bella…the hairdryer was on the counter…" He said, trying to tell me why he was concerned.

I roll my eyes. "So, I'm accident prone. Get out of here!" I wave him away. "You're going to be late! And, I think Jasper will kill you if you are!" I shove his shoulder. "I'll see you all tonight!"

Edward starts to say something…but, he's cut off again. "She has our cell phone numbers! We're going to miss the overture!" Jasper yells. Edward makes a sound of annoyance and turns on his heels away. I hear the elevator ding and I hear them all loading on, Nessie clearly excited. I hold my breath until I hear the second bell and then I sigh.

I pull the book away from my chest. "Well…looks like it's just you and I, book…"

"So, you've been working for these people for three weeks and you have yet to google them?" Alice's voice is practically a screech on the other line. I have dragged my laptop from my bedroom into the living room, along with Nessie's stuffed bear and I am trying to have a normal conversation with Alice, but, Alice is more concerned with other things…

I just wanted to ask about things back home, since she had actually been able to take a break from travelling for her work. She had seen my dad and she had, apparently, run into Jacob, my ex, but, she didn't speak to him and she glazed over all the details from when she had dinner with Charlie. I just sigh and listen to her questioning about my new job.

"Alice," I say, trying to gain her attention back. I'm struggling to juggle the phone between my ear and shoulder as I type in my password. My tank top isn't easy to juggle my phone on, but, I'm in my pajamas! This is comfortable…"Why is googling them so important? I've been working here for three weeks, I've been paid well, I'm alive…They're good people. I don't know what else google could possibly tell me!" I joke with her. She reminds me of Jasper, a bit, always meddling and always knowing everyone's business. Except, unlike Jasper, Alice sometimes knows everyone's business before they know their own business.

Alice sighs, as if to say I am ridiculously ignorant. "Because, Bella!" I hear Alice typing away on her end, as if she is trying to do this "research" for me already. "In this day and age, everyone has a digital footprint! Especially when the person in question owns a multi-million dollar business." I hear a very loudly punctuated keystroke, at which I roll my eyes. "Ah! Here we are!"

I blink. Apparently, Alice has found something already? "You found something?" I ask, shocked.

Alice scoffs. "Google, Bella. Google: the poor man's background check." I'm still staring at the empty search bar. I'm not sure what this is going to tell me that I don't already know. Alice is silent for a moment before I interrupt her thoughts.

"Alice, I don't…"

"Sh!" Alice shushes me and continues to mull over what she was reading…or…whatever she was doing. I hear her pop her lips. "Oh, my God…" Alice's voice is a whisper. I feel myself tense. I'm a nosy person by nature. I prefer to think of it as curiosity, but, most people think I'm nosy. Now…I have to ask.

"What? What is it?" I'm tempted to type "Edward Cullen" into the search bar myself just to see what I get.

Alice sighs. "Bella…you have to go read about this guy. I know you think that you know this guy and you seem to think he's a great guy, and, he seems to be from what I'm reading…but, the amount of money this guy has!"

I roll my eyes. Guess it isn't as earth shattering as I thought. "I told you he didn't have any skeletons hiding in his closet." I mutter. Despite my beliefs, I decide it can't hurt to type the name into the search engine.

If you have a really good friend, you can hear when their face changes. I can hear Alice purse her lips. "Have you met his wife?"

I nearly jump out of my seat on the couch. "Excuse me?" I quickly peruse the articles on the search engine.

"Tanya Denali, the Serbian supermodel?" I blink at the comment. I don't have the slightest idea who she is talking about…Alice sighs, exasperated. "You have no idea who that is? Bella…do you not watch the news? Read the paper? Anything?"

I smile sheepishly as I look through the articles. "Well…sometimes…"

Alice shakes her head. We are both going through the articles now. But, Alice seems to be much more on point than I am. "Alright…so, what I'm gathering is that Edward Anthony Masen Cullen- sheesh, that's a name…- is thirty-two years old. At the age of twenty-four, upon graduating with an MBA, he began Masen, Inc, a software firm which now creates software for about thirty different products of repute and then some. His business took off because, believe it or not, he actually founded a social networking site which rivaled Facebook. Eesh…" She pauses for breath before she continues on. "Apparently, it didn't have the longevity of facebook and it's more a blogging community so, despite still being a running site, it is still an underground community…oh, and, it was bought for almost ten million dollars." She sighs. I hear her put me on speaker phone so she can talk to me. "Ok…so, it looks like he married Tanya Denali shortly after he was bought out - and he was making huge windfalls at this point, mind you. So, they're married for three years, right? Well two…they separated when he was twenty-six. Then, a year later, they officially get divorced…there are a few mentions of his daughter…but…Tanya, hot damn! That woman is linked with every multi-millionaire in every country I've ever heard of!" I purse my lips and start to look at the article blurb about Edward's life. "So…do you think that Nessie is Tanya's daughter?"

I try to look through the articles and ignore her speculation. "I don't know, Alice," I sigh, still reading on. After the divorce, I see several interviews where they ask Edward about Tanya. He always declines to answer the questions, always brushing them off. I see him listed on People's most eligible bachelor list. As time goes on, he stops talking about Tanya and reporters just ask him about a new woman in his life. "Aw…Alice!" I read a quote from him that I have to read to Alice. "Did you see the quote about how his life revolves around his daughter?"

Alice laughs. "Clearly, you have a soft spot for this man's daughter."

I roll my eyes. "You haven't met her. If you meet her, you'll understand."

Alice snorts. I wonder if I picked that up from her… "I'm supposed to come to New York next month for business. Think your oh-so-amazing boss would let me stay with you guys?"

"Yeah…if you were coming here for anything other than to flirt with him, I might even think of asking him if you could stay for a few days!" I sarcastically tell her. She doesn't respond.

I am still perusing the articles when Alice yawns on the other end of the phone. "Bella…I'm still living on London time," she whines. I can tell she is rubbing her eyes. I glance at the clock. It's nearly eleven o'clock. I feel like my band of merry fellows should be home by now… I rub my eyes and blink away the moisture forming in my eyes from staring at the screen for so long.

"I feel your pain," I murmur, sharing a yawn. "I think I'm actually going to call it a night, too," I sigh, ready to close all my tabs. I've been staring at Tanya Denali's fake breasts for too long…

Alice yawns again. "Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow…but, if you do any more research, let me know!" She says. "Also," she begins. Her voice is suggestive and wince. "Let me know if your sexy boss has any need for a petite brunette. I'm sure my job will let me relocate. I travel too much, anyway!" She teased. I just shook my head. She was a weird one…Much as I loved her.

"Good night, Alice," I yawn at her.

"Night," she says. I hear the click before I can even reach for my phone. I think she was more exhausted than she was letting on.

I start reading through the article again about Tanya Denali. She, unlike Edward, seems perfectly capable of running through the nitty-gritty details of her marriage to Edward Cullen. She doesn't even seem to care that the majority of what she is saying might be considered slander and libel. She tells everyone how he is a cheapskate, how he is a useless lover and how he was abusive. I bite my lips. That doesn't sound anything like the man I am living with.

One thing that bothers me, though, is that Tanya says nothing about a daughter. And, in Edward's interviews, mentions of a daughter simply just started appearing. I knew that it was none of my business, but…Nessie was only six and she asked about her mother often. Now, I was curious. Was Tanya Denali Nessie's mother? If so, why was she so…uninvolved?

I sighed, falling asleep at my computer already. I needed to stay awake, just long enough to make sure everyone got home safely.

I close down my web browser. My job was turning into more questions than I ever had answers…I lay on the couch. Edward Cullen did have something he was hiding, though, it wasn't nefarious or worrisome. I was beginning to think that he was trying to protect Nessie from something.

I spread out on the couch. Snuggling into the pillows, I grab onto Nessie's teddy bear and sigh, closing my eyes. Just a little while and I will be alright…

I must have fallen asleep with all the thoughts spinning through my head. The next thing I remember was waking up in my own bed, Mr. Fluffy still cuddled next to me, and a blanket tucked securely around me. How had I gotten here? I throw myself against the pillows and stare at the ceiling. I try to throw away all of the thoughts from the night before…but, what if…?

No! Edward Cullen signed my paycheck. That is all I need to remember.

Except, what was Edward Cullen hiding from me?

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Reviews= quotes from the next chapter! I'm working on the next chapter, so, hopefully, you'll get two updates this week! I hope to hear feedback from you all! :D