Authors Note: Sorry this chapter took long, I had so many things to do.

Second thing I hope you guys had a tremendous Christmas and a happy New Year, 2010!

I want to give a shout out to ashiana, vampiregurl, barbiedoll123 and Flora73 your comments inspire me =) as do all the other ones. 100 now ;D!

And finally (this is kind of a long a/n) I must remind you that in the stories description/summary it said Bella would become a Cullen bride willingly or not, and in this not.

P/S I really wanted to make this chapter like really long but I decided it's better if I split the thing into two so that's why it's short but on the up side that means the next chapter will be on very soon.

With love (and lots of it),

EC!0x

oxox

Bella studied Edward's spacious office. The cold and hard furniture reflected him well.

"Mr Cullen will be with you shortly," his assistant said to her.

She tried unsuccessfully to give the young female a smile for her hospitality but her circumstances for being here wouldn't allow her. She was relived that Edward was in a meeting because it gave her time to compose herself before they had to face each other.

She replayed his proposal – she minutely contemplated her issues with that word – in her mind. She just couldn't put it together in her head. After her parent's marriage had started falling apart she'd cringed at the idea of marriage, her maternal wants for a father figure were the only reason she'd continued dating.

But no man could make her feel the way Edward did, and sometimes still did –

Bella fought against the tears of frustration threatening to spill out. She couldn't think about Edward that way.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she knew that if it had been any man who'd proposed, it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't have spent a sleepless contemplating whether she was making the right choice or not, but it wasn't any man. It was the man who'd been her first love, her only love. The father of her daughter. It was Edward.

She clenched her fists tight. Edward always put her in the most frustrating of situations. But she knew despite all that, she was still going to turn him down.

***

Edward watched Bella sitting at his desk from the doorway.

She sat with her back rigid with tension. Her petite body a contrast with his masculine office. As Edward walked towards her, he couldn't help but notice how the sun played with her hair, making it look amber.

She didn't meet his gaze until he had sat down opposite her. She looked at him anxiously, waiting for him to say something, anything.

He hadn't planned on what to say; every time he'd thought to do so he'd pushed it aside, trying to avoid the inevitable. Now he didn't know what to say. I have to marry you to save my family business wasn't going to gain her favor.

"Bella," was the only thing he could seem to say. He was beginning to feel aggravated with himself. It was unusual for him to have a loss of words; he had to get it together.

"Our situation is… complicated. And I know we don't exactly see eye to eye."

She broke her silence, "What do you mean?"

"I mean –"

"Edward, what are you trying to say?"

"Would you let me explain? You are not making this easier, Bella. What I am trying to say is that," he said his voice taking a softer tone as he leaned in towards her. "Despite everything, I am sure you know what I mean when I say everything, I need you to be my wife."

He was so close to her that his intoxicating scent momentarily caught of her of guard as she took in his words.

"You need me to be your wi– wife?" she asked.

Edward could see the perplexity her naive eyes. "It's only temporally."

She moved away from him, the confusion growing from her eyes to the whole of her face. "I don't understand."

He cussed. He hadn't meant to let that out. It was those doe eyes, working on him. The man inside of him knew that not letting her know was not right. He sighed, "Bella, try to understand, okay?"

She didn't say anything.

"I need to marry you to save the company."

Edward looked at her, so transfixed by shock that she was unable to move. He didn't know what to do so he continued talking.

"In return, I would sponsor you're interior business. And your father would receive a large amount of money, enough to pay his loans and rebuild his business."

She didn't say anything for a long while. Shock was replaced by disgust and abhorrence. "Why me? What, you couldn't find a whore?"

"You're a Swan," he simply said.

"And Reneesme? Did she once enter through your selfish head?" She spat at him.

"Bella," he said remaining his calm. "She's the second person I though of, after you."

She shook her head disbelievingly. "After what you've done to me, how can you ask of me something like this?"

"Sometimes Bella, I think you forget who's done what to whom. The first thing you need to remember is that you left me. And the second thing is that you didn't bother to tell me that I had a child, yet you act as though I chose to not be there for her!" He said, his anger now matching her own.

a/n: what would you guys like to see happen next? Your views are very important. =)

oxox