Thank you all for the warm welcome back, I know it has been very long since updating and many things have happened which unfortunately, left me no time to work on my passion for writing. As many of you who had read this story from my previous account know, this is a repost however I have noticed a few required changes to the storyline that needed to be done, which I'm assuming you've noticed already (specifically, the previous chapter's interaction with Jacob). I'm trying to update as often as I can so please bear with me.

I also know that in the past, I would send you all little sneak peeks at the next chapter when you review, which would allow me to reply back. If you'd like a sneak peek, please let me know and I'd be happy to share.

Now, for this chapter, which holds a moment which I'm sure many of you have been awaiting... :)

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight.

BPOV

I sent my last email for the evening and put my iPhone back in my clutch, sitting back in my seat and enjoying the last few minutes of silence before heading into one of the biggest nights of my life. That was, until a loud smack broke me out of it.

"Ow! What the fuck, Rose?" Jasper yelped, clutching the side of his head in pain. "What the hell was that for?"

Rosalie was glaring at Jasper and I couldn't help but chuckle quietly to myself.

"You almost made us late, jackass." Rosalie seethed, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at his face. "You're lucky that's all you got. And fix your tie, it's crooked."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep me from laughing again, their sibling rivalry giving me the entertainment I needed to calm any last minute nerves before the night began. It was funny how they could be so similar, both extremely intelligent and career-driven, yet so different at the same time. While Rosalie acted like the uptown New York career woman, Jasper could never get rid of his Southern roots.

I was always weirdly amused by their bickering, maybe because I never had a sibling of my own but deep down it was possibly also because it reminded me of specific siblings I used to watch when I was younger. There would always be the slight pain of the memory, but it was one that I found I wanted to remember. Those were the happy memories, memories of innocent children and real love. Jasper and Rosalie became my family away from my family, and that was what I really needed in this city. New York was a ruthless city, one that you could lose yourself in in an instant. The seduction of sex and drugs, manipulation and fraud, and just going on the wrong life road were strong at times. There were really more ways to fuck yourself up, even ones that you wouldn't even realize you were doing. But the two of them kept me grounded, even if sometimes the bickering would become a bit too much.

"Alright, alright, let's get serious for a second you two," I clasped my hands together in my lap and looked at them both. "We've worked too hard on tonight, time to focus."

They both turned away from glaring at each other and sat back in their seats of our stretch limo, looking at me with their business faces back on. They both also looked like a million bucks tonight and I made a mental note to ensure all of our glam teams were given an extra holiday bonus this year.

Rosalie always had impeccable taste – if it was expensive, she wanted it. Tonight's gala was another opportunity for her to showcase another designer and also herself. And Rosalie definitely didn't hold back. The floor-length, blood red gown clung to her curves in all of the right places. The front was completely covered until you saw the back, which was completely bare until her waist. Two thin red and sparkling silver straps crisscrossed near her lower back and that was it. Rose always liked to leave a little to imagination but also give a little peak to what was really hiding under there. I swear, if I were a man, there would be no amount of courage that I'd have to approach Rosalie. She was the living version of Aphrodite. And Rosalie ate that shit up.

Nothing helped fluff up Rosalie's ego than some good, healthy envy.

Jasper would have to fend off many ladies of his own tonight as he definitely looked like he had gotten ready to meet his soulmate tonight. His hair was perfectly smoothed back but his hair team had left a couple of strands loose, making it look effortlessly natural. Wearing a dark, navy blue two-piece suit with a crisp white dress shirt underneath, it only showcased his bright blue eyes that almost looked like they were glowing. No woman would be safe tonight, especially if his Southern charm came to play.

Our limo began to slow down before coming to a full stop and the flashes of cameras started outside of our windows. Tonight drew many industry leaders and celebrities, and therefore a whole lot of paparazzi. And the paparazzi sure loved us three. Sometimes we felt as if we were celebrities ourselves based on how they were always trailing us to get some story to sell to the highest bidder. The three of us had to always stay on our toes, that meant no sibling bickering, no cussing, and definitely no episodes of anger.

That one was toughest for me.

"Great, the rats are in full force tonight," Rosalie remarked, rolling her eyes. "We probably should get a move on, before they start coming up with reasons why we took so long to get out."

"Ugh, don't remind me," I shuddered. "Remember the story where they said we were in some screwed up threesome?"

Jasper scrunched up his face in disgust before raising his hands to accent the headline. "Incest, not always as bad as it looks!"

"Ugh!" we all exclaimed before bursting out into laughter and I signaled to the driver that we were ready to enter.

The door opened and the flashes were blinding, as usual, but over time we accustomed ourselves to it. Walk out, a few smiles here, handful of questions there, it was almost mechanical to us now. But as I stood there, standing in the blinding light standing beside my closest friends, I took it in like it was an entirely new experience.

This was me, what I had worked so hard for. This was worth it all. I wasn't the insecure, inexperienced girl that haunted my past. I was so much more than that, finally becoming the woman that I dreamed of being. One with no one to bring her down, envious of nothing, and feeling like I had the world at my fingertips.

My smile widened as I felt more like myself than I had in the longest time which cued the photographers to snap even more pictures. I could hear them all around me, calling my name and trying to get my attention from different angles, wanting to get that picture perfect shot.

A normal person would've been overwhelmed, but I felt entirely comforted.

"Miss Swan? We should head in now." Angela said in my ear and I nodded my head, turning to look for Rosalie and Jasper before we all headed inside together. No matter the event, we all walked in together which was another showcase to our attendees, sponsors and allies that the three of us together were as strong as our company. It was what made us even more unique and irreplaceable.

There was no other comparison.

I could already feel the eyes on us as we walked into the main reception hall of the The Pierre which was in the Upper East Side of the city. It was already full of New York City's elite and the most prestigious global industry leaders. Many would dream to step foot in a gala held by Swan Enterprises, especially those within the business and political world. It was the one place where the world's biggest influencers would all get into one room and the opportunities were truly endless. You were surrounded by the best of the best as well as those making positive changes in the world.

However, this year was a little bit different. Aside from raising funds for our global charity, we were unveiling our new project which we were the most proud of. Rosalie and Jasper, aside from our R&D department directors, were the only ones who knew the full details. Other than that, confidentiality was at its utmost importance for this project. We couldn't risk anything leaking to the media or especially to our competitors. This was going to be a game changer for the world and I wouldn't any amount of failure for it.

Those who were invited knew that there was something very special that was going to be unveiled but the details of that weren't shared. The secrecy brought another piece of excitement to the gala and we couldn't wait to share it with our attendees.

Angela quickly flocked to my side and gave me a run through of where everything was and that things were running smoothly. I expected nothing less, she was phenomenal at her job and made me at ease knowing that she had never left a request of mine unfulfilled.

The lights flickered, signaling our attendees to begin entering the grand ballroom.

"Okay Miss Swan, we're on track with our schedule so your speech will be in exactly 20 minutes," Angela informed me, listening in to the venue coordinators on her headset. "Would you like me to bring you to our VIP guests before we settle in?"

I looked around at the full reception hall, smiling and nodding when some of our guests caught my eye and acknowledged my arrival.

"Let's do our top five, Angela," I advised, realizing that twenty minutes wasn't that much time. "I don't to cut into the scheduled itinerary.

Angela nodded and directed me towards our first VIP guest, who was expected to be New York City's next mayor. If things went well, our relationship was going to be extremely important for our plans for the future. We continued to quickly make our rounds and finished ahead of schedule, where Angela went to find Rosalie and Jasper before we walked in. A waiter walked by me, offering champagne which I happily accepted. That was until a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

"Well, don't you look absolutely edible, Isabella," his voice practically sang in my ear as his slight Italian accent was laced in his words.

Well, there goes my good mood.

I plastered on a fake smile, conscious of the many eyes around me and turned to face Demetri Volturi and my God did he look good this evening. Demetri's body was crafted like an Olympic swimmer, with the perfect broad shoulders that you just wanted to grip onto which narrowed slightly at the waste, giving it that v-shape that you'd see in the magazines. Usually he opted to go more casual, giving off the vibe that he couldn't be bothered, but he went really out of his way tonight. Wearing a full black two-piece suit and a black dress shirt underneath but losing the tie and instead leaving the top two buttons undone, he looked like he had just finished fulfilling his need with a woman. Which I couldn't have doubted, knowing him. No one could say no to that body and his perfectly chiseled face and blueish grey eyes.

Well, except me of course. So far, anyways.

Unfortunately for him, under all of that lay a complete assholes. And I had dealt with enough handsome yet completely lacking in the brain men in my lifetime.

Since the first time I had met Demetri, he had pulled every single line in the book to try to get me in bed. I could still remember the shocked look on his face the first time I told him no and showed absolutely no interest in him. Little did I know, that only made him want me more. To Demetri, it was like a game. The more I resisted, the harder he tried and the more annoying he got. Somehow, he'd always weasel his way into getting into an event either held by Swan Enterprises or one that I was attending. How, sometimes I couldn't figure it out but he'd always be able to track me, no matter where I was.

To make matters even worse, Demetri Volturi was the son of the very well-known Aro-Volturi, CEO of Volterra Corp. They were my only considerable competition that I had to worry about, and the only company that had tried whatever was humanly possible in order to get their hands on my work. After catching a couple of their spies at work, I had to ramp up my security especially on our research and development floor to ensure that no one could go in or out without authorization, aside from Rosalie, Jasper. Aro didn't like that, and I could not have cared any less.

So, sure, Demetri Volture was this unbelievably delectable man who practically served himself to me on a platter. And sure, maybe I was always curious of how good he'd be in bed. But, and this was a big but, the fact that he was a giant asshole and the son of another giant asshole kind of spoiled it for me.

"Subtle, Demetri," I laughed and turned my face away from him as I looked for Angela. "Keep it in your pants tonight, hmm?"

"Say the word and we can change that." His eyes darkened as I caught him taking in my body from head to toe from the corner of my eye. "Bellissima, are you sure we can't mix a little pleasure with our business?"

As much as I enjoyed the flattery, he was gazing at me with a little too much intensity tonight and I did not enjoy the fact that he would have put on a show for the guests unless I shut him down. There was a time and place, and tonight was not that.

"I do, actually." I turned to look at him and grinned when I saw his eyes light up with excitement, keeping the smile on my face and sweetness in my voice in case any photographs were being taken. "I take pleasure in watching you deflate with rejection, which you're going to do again right now. Find some cheap floozy to stick your dick in, Demetri. I'm not interested. Now, I have an event to run. You should find your seat, if you even have one."

Demetri's face contorted into a mix of rejection and anger, an expression that I had grown to know all too well, before taking a deep breath and giving me a tight lipped smile. "Yes, we'll have to do this again soon. Ciao, bella."

He didn't know the hidden meaning behind that nickname, but I did. As he turned, I felt the shiver creep up my spine as an immediate flashback of one of the last men aside from my father and Jasper who called me that nickname came to my mind. Thankfully Angela finally came back to my side in that moment, saving me from my traitorous memories and she began to scan her sheet for the last VIP guest I was to meet.

"Okay, this is a new one, Miss Swan," She said and I gazed towards her to see her brows knitted in frustration. "I'm so sorry, I only have a last name here and not a first name. Oh, and he's right there. This is Mr. Cullen."

I almost felt the champagne flute slip out of my fingertips before Angela whipped her hand up quickly to steady it. I fought the urge to run and could feel my breathing speed towards the hints of an anxiety attack.

No, please God no. Not here, not now.

I could hear Angela's muffled voice calling my name, asking me if I was alright. I felt like the room was spinning as everything inside of me was screaming in pain.

"Bella?" I heard familiar voice call my name, but it wasn't the one that I dreaded the most.

I opened my eyes and whipped my head towards the voice, finding myself looking straight at the familiar blonde-haired man from my past.

"Carlisle," I said softly, standing completely frozen because at that point, I had no idea what to do or how to act. Angela had taken the glass out of my hands and whispered that she had to attend something quickly and would come back, probably realizing that guest was different than our last few.

Not keeping in touch with Alice was hard enough over the years, having lost my best friend. But I couldn't, no matter how much I had wanted to just have a piece of my past. Everything reminded me of him, and I couldn't have that in my life. But right then, looking at Carlisle and the familiar features he had passed onto his son, my heart, for the first time in a long time, truly ached for the past I had lost.

All of those emotions I constantly pushed down threatened to spring free and I instinctively pushed them back down. I had worked too hard and couldn't risk everything falling apart now.

"Bella, he said again, smiling this time and walking a few steps closer towards me. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you."

I smiled softly, wanting so badly to wrap my arms around him and instead nodded slightly. "It's been too long, Carlisle."

He must have sensed my hesitation and watched my actions closely as he closed the gap between us and put his arms around me in a warm, fatherly hug. I had forgotten how many years Carlisle and I had known each other, and how he had watched me grow. He knew me almost as well as Charlie had, given that when Edward and I were together, I was at their home almost more than my own.

Almost mechanically, I returned his embrace and placed my cheek on his chest as I felt him take a deep shaky breath and let it out slightly, tightening his grip on me ever so slightly like I would break. A second or so later, I pulled back and composed myself, thankfully noticing that many of the attendees had already gone inside so we didn't have much of an audience.

"I didn't know you were attending the gala, Carlisle. How is everyone, is Esme here?"

Carlisle frowned slightly and shook his head. "No, it's just myself, Alice and –"

"Bella?" I heard another familiar voice call my name although it was filled with much more nerves than Carlisle's did. "Is it really you?"

Carlisle's presence brought a sense of warmth however the next voice brought mixed feelings, as I looked behind Carlisle's shoulder to see my old closest friend walking towards me.

I lost the earlier smile I had from seeing Carlisle as I felt that familiar sadness seep into my veins.

"Alice." I whispered, standing back in my frozen state but this time, not moving in fear of the anger she may retaliate with given that anger was an emotion I could easily read off of her face.

When Alice didn't have much to say, it was usually due to her being upset or genuinely angry. And I think in that moment, she was both.

Her exquisite taste for fashion had only enhanced over the years, as she wore a strapless, sweetheart neckline black gown which was embellished with beautiful sequins and pearls. It hugged her petite body and ended to just above her knees, with the black of her dress matching her shoulder length, jet black a-line bob.

"Father didn't tell us you'd be here," she replied, her voice full of ice as she looked towards Carlisle. "You said we were attending a charity gala."

Carlisle's face betrayed him as he was caught, although I couldn't understand why he had hidden this from Alice. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I must've forgotten."

She stared Carlisle down, not believing him for a moment just as I didn't, before turning towards me.

"Miss Swan?" I heard Angela's voice ring behind me, as Alice and I continued to stare at each other. One expression full of anger, the other full of sadness. "We should really head in now, before we're late."

I sighed and apologized to Carlisle and Alice before turning around and walking towards Angela.

Unfortunately the worst wasn't over. Just as I turned around, I immediately felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a wave of something wash over me, that I couldn't quite figure out what. But it was the same familiar feeling I had felt years before, one that I never wanted to feel ever again, and the dread of the past came back to me at full speed.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" That same velvet voice that haunted my dreams rang through my ears and my hand clutched my chest when I felt it tighten.

Instinctively, my body turned to face him and I looked at the same piercing, emerald eyes that I had fallen in love with so many years ago. The eyes of the boy who saved my life, in more ways than he had known, and the one that I had given my heart wholeheartedly to. Though these ones were no longer as vibrant as the ones I remembered, they were one in the same.

"Excuse me," I whispered, spinning around and bolting to the restroom, getting as far away from Edward Cullen as I could.