a/n: heeey guyys =)

thaanks foor the reviews theey meaan aloot to mee

here is thee second chaapter;; i thoot i shouldd go baack a bit beforre movinng on with thee stoory...so thiss chapteer is set at Edwards graduation party where he firsst meets Bella

EC!0x

Four and half years ago:

Edward Cullen, by anyone's standards, was someone who had it all. His father Carlisle had won three back-to-back Hotels of the year awards and with Edward straight out of college he was most likely to win this year's award.

Both Cullen hotels were tied with three other hotels for the Hotels of the year wins, but this year Edward would win.

He had no doubt that he would do it. He'd never failed at anything he put his mind to, and this would be no different.

His brother, Emmett, was sitting in the seat next to him, drinking and talking to Rosalie Hale, a Sports Illustrated cover model. Emmett looked as if he had the world in his hands. All Edward could think was that there should be more to life than hotels, winning and partying.

"Edward?" Emmett asked.

"Yes?"

"Rose asked if Tanya was meeting you here later," Emmett said.

"No. We're not together anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rosalie said.

A few minutes later, Emmett and Rosalie left the table to go dance and Edward sat back against the leather seat and watched the crowd. This party was as much for him as it was for the jet set that followed the luxurious life of hotels. He saw other boys his age mixed in with the sea of beautiful girls, but he made no move to join anyone.

Tanya and he had drifted apart during their holiday away together. It was as if she wanted him only when he was in the spotlight. A part of him craved the quiet life. He couldn't give up the glamour that came with hoteling, but sometimes when he was alone he wanted someone with whom he could share the quiet times of his life.

He glanced around the room. None of the gorgeous girls stood out—they all were too beautiful for words, but he'd never find a girl here who wanted that type of lifestyle.

What was wrong with him?

His breath caught as he noticed a girl across the room. She had russet brown hair. Her skin was pale, like moonlight on the Mediterranean. Her eyes…well, it was too far for him to be certain, but they seemed deep and limitless as he gazed at her across the room.

She wore a subtly sexy dress, in the same sky-blue color he favored. Her hair was caught up and a few curls hung down, framing her face.

Edward slid around the booth to stand up. He was used to letting girl throw themselves at him, but he needed to meet this girl. He had to find out who she was.

As he stood up and took two steps toward her, she turned away, disappearing into the crowd. His heart raced as he started after her. But a hand on his arm stopped him.

He turned to see his brother, Jasper.

"Not now," Edward said intent on finding the mystery girl.

"Yes, now. It's urgent. we need to talk."

"Can't it wait?"

"It won't take long."

Edward glanced back to where the girl had been, but there was no trace of her. She was gone. Maybe he'd imagined her. He wouldn't be surprised.

Edward let out a sigh. "What's up?"

"Let's go to the VIP section to talk. I don't trust this crowd."

Edward wasn't surprised. His brothers took no chances when it came to the Cullen hotels.

Edward and Jasper made their way through the crowd to the velvet-rope section of the room. Edward was stopped many times by well-wishers congratulating him on graduating but he kept looking for that dark-haired girl. He didn't find her.

They reached the VIP section and found a quiet area toward the back of the room. It was walled in on three sides and had a curtain for privacy.

Emmett was already waiting there for them. "Took you long enough."

"Everyone wants a piece of Edward tonight," Jasper said.

"What's the problem?" Edward asked, not interested in having one of their brotherly discussions that led nowhere.

"The problem is the Swan family is adamant that we can't use their name on the new production suites."

The Swan was the Cullen hotels' signature suites and had been out of production since the sixties. Bringing them back was Em's plan to firmly reestablish their dominance in the marketplace.

"How can I help?" Edward asked.

"I'm not sure. Their lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to us."

"We need to get to the Swan family and convince them to let us use the name," Em said.

"What do we know about them?" Edward asked, his interest in the dark-haired girl momentarily subsided. He knew how important it was that they go ahead with their plans.

"That Charles Swan hates Carlisle and is probably jumping for joy at the thought that he has something we need," Jasper said.

"I think they'd say no just to prove they can," Em said.

"Well, then, I will have to offer them something they can't refuse," Jasper said.

"Like what?" Edward asked.

"I'll figure it out," Jasper said. "Leave this one to me."

"We can't let this derail us," Em said.

"We won't," Jasper said.

Isabella Swan had had a moment's panic when Edward left his seat and started walking toward her. She knew enough about him to realize that he liked his girls interested, but not obvious. So she turned away hoping…oh, hell, she had turned away due to panic.

(a/n: thee Italy thinng I jusst put inn cuz i loveee itaaaly =)

Sicily, Italy, was humid in March— something that she had anticipated before she'd left her home in Phoenix. In fact, she'd planned every detail of this trip with excruciating precision, knowing that timing was everything.

It totally ticked her off that she had panicked after coming this far. She was putting into action the plan she'd been thinking about since Edward's family had over-thrown her father in the market.

She wiped her damp hands on her classic Chanel gown. She was going to have to try to find Edward again—find him and charm him without giving away her plan. The key was to be vague. She had to be anonymous.

She stepped out of the crowded room and onto the terrace that overlooked downtown Sicily.

Tonight, standing on this terrace looking out at the black sky dotted with stars, she felt like she was on the edge of starting something new. She looked up at the moon shining brightly down on her and took strength from it.

"It's a beautiful night."

Bella wasn't surprised when she turned her head and saw Edward Cullen standing there.

The panic she'd felt inside the party didn't return. Instead, as she looked over her shoulder at him, she felt a sense of power come over her.

"Yes it is," she said.

"May I join you?"

She nodded.

"I'm Edward Cullen."

"I know," she said. "Congratulations on graduating today."

"Thank you, mi'angela" he said, grinning at her. (a/n: i haad to add in someee itaaalian too)

"I'm not your angel," she said, thanking God she'd taken the time to learn Italian.

"Then tell me your name."

"Isabella," she said, very aware that her last name would give her away. So she kept it to herself.

"Bella …very pretty. What are you doing here in Sicily?"

"Watching you graduate," she said.

He laughed out loud, the sound washing over her senses like the warm breeze that stirred around them.

"Will you join me for a drink?"

"Only if we can stay out here," she said. She didn't want to go back into the craziness of the party. Out here, she felt in control and better able to concentrate. "Certainly," he said. He signaled one of the uniformed waiters and they placed their drink orders.