Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author Note: Well this is the one we've been looking forward to…the big board meeting. Thanks as always to my poor overworked beta, AgoodWITCH. I keep her so busy, but she never complains…bless her heart.

There's not much else to tell tonight. I only have one chapter after this one archived that will post on Monday. With any luck, I'll get some writing time this weekend, but it's a busy one, so it's hard telling. I will post a teaser for chapter 14 on my blog tonight as well. If you haven't caught it before, it's acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com. Thank you for reading and all of the awesome reviews. See you Monday!


Corporate Hat Trick

Carlisle called ahead before we left New York to have people come in and prepare Edward's house for our arrival a few days later. I understood he came from money and I expected that any man with a life and bank account as lavish as his would have a nice place to live, but what I found when we arrived at the house at 1254 N Lake Shore Drive made me nearly hyperventilate. Never in my life could I have ever been prepared for what I would find.

The house was without a doubt the most amazing I had ever seen in real life. Constructed of a light stone and even including a turret, this three story house with a visible basement level was the epitome of every castle I had ever read about as a child.

I stumbled slightly as Carlisle led me to the front door and rang the bell. A sweet looking middle aged lady opened the door with a bright smile.

"Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to see you sir. We are all ready for you and our guests. Please come in."

She moved aside with a sweeping gesture for us to enter into the house. Carlisle led me once again with a comforting hand at the small of my back. I gasped at the beautiful, expensive looking wood that composed the flooring and paneling in the entryway area. A long narrow marble table stood along the center of the right wall, a large gilded mirror hanging above it and a massive vase full of fresh flowers on top.

The lady closed the door behind her before turning with expectant eyes toward Carlisle and I. Carlisle smiled. "Mrs. Clearwater, this is the new lady of the house, Bella Cullen. Bella, this is Sue Clearwater. She has been working for Edward for the past three years. They are very fond of one another."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Clearwater," I said as I stepped closer.

Mrs. Clearwater smiled at me brightly as I reached out to shake her hand. She grabbed it, tugging me in for a hug, which led the entire room to chuckle. "Please dear, call me Sue…everyone else does. I am so pleased to meet the woman who finally captured our Edward's heart. I always knew it would take someone very special to finally tie him down. I'm pleased to know that she's also beautiful and intelligent. I'm looking forward to seeing you put the Volturi brothers in their place."

She squeezed me before letting go and moving to wrap her arm around Marcus. "Present company excluded, of course. You are the only Volturi ever allowed behind this door if I have any say in the matter."

Everyone laughed before Sue led us on a quick tour of the main floor before guiding us up the stairs. Every room fascinated me to no end. I couldn't help but feel strange, like a trespasser snooping through someone else's things. What made it even more strange was that the owner of this house was no stranger at all…he was my husband…and by that right, these strange things were now mine as well. It was certainly an extremely and inexplicably foreign experience.

Sue led me to a beautifully carved wooden door at the end of the hall on the second floor. She directed everyone else to head on to the third floor, asking Esme if she would be so kind as to help the other guests locate their guest quarters. When they were out of sight, she turned to me with a bright smile, opening the door with a flourish and gesturing for me to enter.

I gasped as I walked into the large room with a rounded outcropping in the furthest right hand corner. Even though he hadn't been here in months, the aroma of my husband surrounded me, making my heart pound and bringing tears to my eyes. I walked slowly into the room, brushing my fingers lightly across the top of the shiny cherry wood furniture that matched the massive four poster bed along the right wall. Past the bed, nestled beautifully in the rounded outcropping that had to be this floor's portion of the turret, was a shining black grand piano, positioned so the player could look out on the sparkling lake beyond.

I slowly worked my way back toward where Sue stood smiling sadly at me. I walked to the tall dresser nestled between two doorways, which I assumed led to a closet and either a restroom or was another doorway to the hall beyond. I smiled as my hands graced over the picture frames propped on the smooth surface. I recognized most of the faces smiling back, a young Edward and a young Marcus wearing school sweater vests, a young Carlisle and Esme standing with their handsome young son who looked not more than ten if that, and so on. The pictures all made me smile and sigh. I wished he was there with me, but having his treasured things close by made me feel closer to him somehow.

Sue showed me the walk-in closet to the right of the dresser, lines of perfectly pressed dress shirts, jackets, and pants lined the cedar bar, hanging from fancy hangers. Pairs of perfectly shined dress shoes along with sweaters and casual clothing lined the shelves above with racks of ties and belts hanging in color coordinated bundles from the thick wooden beams that held everything in place. She proudly pointed out that the other side of the closet, now devoid of all clothing was anxiously awaiting the addition of my belongings to the space.

Next, she led me to the second door that concealed a beautiful bathroom that gleamed in white and black. It looked too perfect to use. Sue soon disappeared in the closet, assumedly to hang my clothes for me as I moved back to pick up a picture from the top of the dresser and sit atop Edward's bed, laying back onto his comforter with a sigh. I rolled onto my side, propping the picture frame next to me and drifted off for a short nap while staring at my Edward's happily smiling face.

When I awoke, the sun had drifted down so that it only splayed an orange tone across the water beyond the window of the rounded alcove. I groaned as I stretched my back and arms before smiling back down to the picture I had fallen asleep staring at. I got up carefully, replacing the frame on the dresser top before making use of the private bathroom before setting out to find the rest of my friends and family. I wandered along the second floor, opening the occasional mysterious door that Sue had not told me the contents of before finally drifting carefully down the stairs to the first floor. There I found everyone seated in the living area, sipping on cups of tea and coffee as they shared stories with a giggling Sue.

I settled in, taking the plate of supper offered to me and listened happily, as Sue shared story after story about my Edward. It was obvious that she truly did care for him. It made me happy that even if his mother didn't live nearby, that he had a maternal like figure to watch after him these years that he's lived here on his own.

We visited for a couple of hours before we all made our way to bed, knowing we had an early beginning that would turn into a long draining day. I felt the activity level of the butterflies in my stomach increase exponentially with every passing minute. By morning I was going to be a mess for sure.

I pulled back the extremely fluffy black and gold comforter under which deliciously soft sheets were hidden. I slid between the top and bottom sheets, closing my eyes and humming contentedly at the sensation, knowing that my Edward had spent many nights in this bed before his departure. I could only hope that he would return to me soon and sleep in it once more with me curled into his side.

I finally drifted off to sleep with thoughts of lying at his side, only to dream all night of him roaming the gray metal walls of a ship before finally sliding into the slender shelf of his bunk just before I woke for the day. I awoke in surprise, having never dreamed so vividly of Edward's time at sea. I only had his letters to describe the conditions, but beyond that I had never seen pictures or toured the bowels of the ship myself and yet I sincerely felt as if I were there, walking next to him through the narrow hallways, the hollow echo of our shoes ringing all around us.

I washed my face vigorously before stepping into the shower. I stepped out, taking my time to dry and prepare myself for the day ahead. I twined my hair upon my head in a high twist, the most professional hairstyle in my arsenal before putting on a light layer of make-up. I slid into my undergarments, being extra careful with my nylons since rumors had already begun to spread that they would be rationed soon for supplying the troops with nylon cords for parachutes and such. Once my undergarments were in place, I walked into the closet to retrieve the suit that I had chosen for the meeting today, smiling when I noticed it was already pressed and ready for me.

"God Bless Sue Clearwater," was all I could say in that moment as I slid carefully into the black knee-length pencil skirt, white collared shirt, and matching black women's suit jacket. I turned in front of the mirror before nodding at myself in agreement that, at least as far as the exterior went, I was set. I slid into the pair sensible black dress shoes with the squared heels before exiting my room to join the others on the first floor.

Everyone smiled approvingly as I entered, insisting that I partake of some of the breakfast assortment Sue had prepared for us. I picked up a scone from the tray on the table and a glass of milk, only taking a few small bites before sitting it down. My stomach had been easily soured lately, but this morning it seemed far worse than usual. Nerves, no doubt, were the culprit.

I noticed everyone kept eyeing me cautiously as I pretended to nibble on the pastry on the plate before me. They all knew that I was not feeling very prepared for the task ahead of me. I've never been a confrontational person, but in a few short hours, I was going to have to lead the most confrontational meeting of my life with poise and confidence. Unfortunately, my confidence was already wavering dangerously, and I knew my poise was only moments behind it, and everyone around me could see it.

Finally, it was Esme who stood, walking toward me and placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You can do this, sweetheart. This isn't just about you; it's about your husband, your child, your friends, and your entire country. Let the protective instincts come out and take over. All women have a mother bear inside them, hibernating until the time they are needed to rise up and defend those that they love. Tap into that instinct and let it come across in that room. I know you can do it, Bella. You are a strong, intelligent woman. You were brave enough to leave the only life you had ever known in search of something greater and were surviving in New York. If you can do that, then you can face anything. Marcus will be by your side the whole time, and the rest of us will be waiting just outside the door for you to call us in. We are all here for you, sweetheart, but you have to stand tall and put an end to the corruption."

I sighed with a nod, licking my lower lip, and straightening my back and shoulders. I had to do this. It was my duty as a wife, a mother, a friend, and a citizen of this country. I wasn't Bella Swan anymore. I was Bella Cullen, and I needed to go in that room remembering to leave the shy insecure girl from Kansas in this house and walk into the building like I owned this place, which I now more or less did.

Final preparations were made and items needed were organized before our group walked out to get into the two waiting cars at the end of the block. I took a deep breath as I slid into the car, Alice taking my hand on one side as Marcus took the other. I could almost feel them willing me the strength to continue on as we drove through the city toward our destination on Michigan Avenue.

I gasped as we pulled in front of the beautiful building at 310 S Michigan Avenue. It was built in the early twenties by an insurance mogul named Strauss, for which the building still had its name. For all of a few months, it had been the tallest building in Chicago until the Chicago Temple Building was completed later that same year. It was a site to behold as it faced Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.

Edward's Grandfather jumped at the opportunity to buy the building when it came up for sale during the Great Depression when the insurance company fell victim to the times. He moved the headquarters for the business front of Cullen Steel into the top quarter of the building, leasing out the lower levels to struggling companies that needed a break during those hard times when so many were forced into shutting their doors. His assistance allowed them to barely stay afloat long enough to survive, many now prospering under the wartime needs within the world around us.

Marcus exited the car first, walking around to open the door for Alice and me. I took one last deep steadying breath and straightened my posture as I stood from the car, brushing my skirt flat upon my legs. I heard the car carrying Carlisle, Esme, and Rose pull up as we walked through the doors of the main lobby.

I kept my chin held high and my posture confident as we strode through the lobby toward the elevators that would lead us to the executive levels at the very top of the building. Once the doors closed, leaving the three of us alone in the cabin, I gasped for breath, leaning against the wall as the arrow slowly slid up in an arc past the numbers indicating each floor we passed on our way to our destination.

Marcus and Alice did their best to encourage me, finally getting me to stand erect again as we neared our floor. I closed my eyes, watching as Edward flashed behind my eyes, as well as Jasper, Emmett, pimple faced Eric Yorkie, and every other man I knew that was serving right now in the defense of our great nation. I had to do this for all of them, but most of all my Edward. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer Bella Swan from Kansas. I was most definitely, completely, and totally Bella Cullen, wife of Edward and current majority shareholder of this building and all that was within and I was going to clean house.

Alice gasped as she watched me. I glanced at her with a determined nod as a smile slowly spread across her face. Just as the bell dinged indicating we had reached our destination I turned to Marcus. "Let's do this, partner."

Marcus smiled triumphantly as the doors opened and we stepped out into an ornate entryway where a beautiful blonde secretary greeted us with a tight smile.

"Marcus, we were not expecting you. The meeting is just about to begin in the conference room at the end of the hall. Your guests will have to wait in the waiting area."

Marcus sneered at the girl behind the desk. "No, Heidi, these ladies have official business in that room and will be going in with me. If you have a problem with that then by all means call security, but I can guarantee you that in the course of about ten minutes it will prove to be a totally wasted effort."

She huffed before finally nodding begrudgingly. Marcus gestured toward the hallway to the right leading me with a hand on the small of my back as Alice followed closely behind. "My cousin, Heidi. Trust me, when we clean house, she will be amongst the ones to face demotion."

I nodded with a snort, clutching the briefcase with all the documentation I needed tightly in my right fist. All too soon, we reached the large ornately carved double doors that obviously led to the boardroom beyond. Marcus turned to me with one last look. I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and schooled my expression before nodding. Marcus pushed the door open, allowing Alice and I to enter before walking ahead of me to the empty seat at the far end of the table.

The air in the room was stifling as I was immediately hit by a wall of pipe and cigar smoke. The room full of stuffy looking men, most of them balding, wearing black suits with vests underneath who watched us curiously as we crossed the room. The man at the other end that appeared to be the head of the table sneered at us, making the butterflies in my stomach lurch into a buzzing swarm, but I kept all reactions locked away from the surface as I smoothly floated across the room behind Marcus.

The man at the head of the table with the black hair, slicked straight back with the obvious assistance of some sort of pomade, stood up, leaning against the table with his hands.

"Marcus, I am surprised you have enough leeway in your budget to afford to travel for this meeting, much less bring half of your office staff. We must be frugal in these lean times and I do not see where your secretary and office clerk are needed to be here with you. I think we need to look at further cinching the loose fat in your funding, my son."

As we reached the seat at the end of the table, Marcus pulled it out for me, gesturing for me to sit as I settled into it more gracefully than I had ever managed to maneuver in my entire life. This made Aro stop and cock his head in confusion as a sinister smile spread across his face.

"Handing over the reins of your offices to woman are you, son? I should have known you wouldn't be able to handle such a big responsibility on your own. Why Edward ever thought you would be a prudent replacement for him is quite beyond my comprehension. Now get out of his seat, little girl. This table is for shareholders only."

I smiled at him, watching with pleasure as his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. The rest of the room remained deathly silent, the only sound being the tick of the clock behind Aro on the wall and Marcus's voice as he introduced me to the room.

"Actually, father, my companion here has ever right to sit at this table. More right than most of the men here. I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Isabella Cullen, wife of Edward Cullen."

In a single moment, every eye at the table bulged within their sockets, as more than a dozen mouths seemed to unhinge in unison. It would have been humorous if it weren't for what I had to do next. I looked around the room, making eye contact with each man before finally resting my gaze on Aro.

I slid the briefcase closer to me atop the table and opened the tabs, opening the top before reaching inside to extract the papers I was about to present to the board. I looked up at Aro with a smile which I'm certain came off as vicious as it felt.

"Hello, Mr. Volturi. It's so nice to see you again. I'm very grateful that this time I am no longer simply someone you believe is nothing more than an employee in this company. Speaking of which, the treatment of our employees is about to change quite drastically."

I turned with a less sinister smile to address the rest of the men at the table as Aro slowly lowered himself into his chair, eyes open wide and hands still splayed flat across the table top.

"Gentlemen of the board, please allow me to make a formal introduction. I am Isabella Cullen, wife of your true CEO and mother to his unborn child. Before he left for war, he set into place paperwork to make me his power of attorney and legal proxy in the event that something arose in his absence that could not wait for his return. Unfortunately, gentlemen, this day has arrived far more quickly than any of us ever wanted."

I held up the papers in my hands. "These forms have been filed in triplicate in both New York State where they were instituted, as well as Illinois where I am now the legal and binding majority shareholder of this company. Thus being so, nothing, and I mean nothing, will pass through this boardroom without my express approval."

I handed the papers to a man on my right, a second set to a man of my left to allow them to be passed around the table for verification to continue. "My dear Edward told me much about this company, how it is meant to be run, and who I can and cannot trust in this room. Now, as his legal proxy, I am setting things back to the way they used to be. My first order of business...setting the directorship back into the capable hands that my husband left them in to begin with. My first motion is that Marcus Volturi be placed back into the position he was given upon Mr. Cullen's departure. All opposed with the exception of the Volutri brothers?"

The room was silent, mouths slowly closing around us one by one as they took in the validity of my claim. I smiled, settling back in my chair a bit. "All in favor?"

A chorus of "Aye" ran round the table as Aro growled, standing up in his place and gripping his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles had blanched white.

"This is an outrage! You have no right to come in here, a simple woman who is nothing more than a secretary and dictate how this business is to be run. You know nothing."

I stood slowly, bracing my hands on the table before me. "Actually, Mr. Volturi, I have a bachelor's degree in business as well as having served as an administrative assistant in the offices of Hannity and Associates law firm in New York City for the past two years. Not only do I know exactly what I am doing, I also am fully aware of my absolute legal right to do so."

I smiled at Marcus, nodding toward the head of the table for him to begin making his way to his rightful seat as I reached into my briefcase pulling out the correspondence we had received from Marcus's friend in the government.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Volturi, there are some other legal matters we need to discuss, after you vacate the chair you are wrongfully filling so we may continue this meeting in a proper manner."

He sat back in the chair crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum, which only served to make me chuckle in response and shake my head. "Mr. Volturi, I own 59 percent of this company now. It is not outside of my legal rights to call security and have you removed from the room. You are a minor shareholder who is obstructing the routine conducting of business. Now you will remove yourself from Marcus's chair, or I will have you removed."

My face was a stone hard, cold mask. I could feel the sincerity in my eyes pushing waves of cold into the room. In this moment, I was a different woman entirely. I only hoped I could keep the role going until our business was complete.

Aro's face twitched as he slowly rose from his chair, motioning for his brother to rise from his spot to his right. To my surprise, Caius stood quietly and stepped back to lean against the wall. His eyes shot daggers at me, but he made no open acts of aggression toward me.

Marcus took the chair, settling in and folding his hands before him on the desk with a bright smile in my direction before nodding to me to continue.

"Gentlemen, there is one reason and one reason alone that this action was taken. If you were aware of the following taking place then you should all pray sincerely for your welfare, and if you did not then I fear what I'm about to share will be quite shocking to you. As you know, the government has been scouring the country for scrap metal to be used in the war effort to provide more steel for all forms of weaponry and machinery from vehicles, to weapons, to artillery. Cullen Steel has received ample portions of these scrap goods. They have been funneled through our system and yet the company has not been utilizing the goods in quite the way they were intended. Not only are the same charges still being processed to the government in spite of the fact that a portion of the metal was donated by the public at large, but Mr. Volturi had adjusted the refining process to produce steel with higher carbon levels with makes them weaker and less safe for our men serving for our freedom. He has then been taking the money that has been saved through his lowering the quality of our workmanship and the free metal we have been receiving to supplement our stores for production and funneling it into the shareholder and executive's pockets in the forms of bonuses and share dividends. Not only is this morally wrong, but it is entirely illegal."

A collective gasp filled the room as the overweight men, wearing suits that cost more than most of my neighbors in Chinatown made in a year or more, began to blot at their faces with fancy handkerchiefs, their faces crimson and eyes filled with fear. More than one was entirely aware of what was going on. I nodded to Alice who smiled and walked to the doorway, allowing Esme, Carlisle, and Rose to enter.

"This, my dear members of the board, is a travesty and one that I will not allow to continue. I will allow the particulars of how we shall proceed to be outlined for you by Marcus in a few short minutes, but before we do so, I want to introduce you to my advisory team. You may want to take note that it is mostly comprised of women." I glanced pointedly at Aro when I said this.

I introduced them to the board one by one, telling them to get accustomed to seeing their faces around because they were my brain trust, and in many ways should be considered to be the equivalent of dealing with me personally. Many where quite shocked to discover that Alice was a genius when it came to numbers and was the one to discover exactly what was taking place. They were even more surprised to learn that the voluptuous beauty who looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine was in fact a brilliant engineer who could tell them exactly what needed to be done and the sooner the better to return Cullen Steel to the level that it had always strived toward. Esme and Carlisle were not new faces, but the room had still been intrigued and showed a greater respect toward me when they realized that the entire Cullen family was behind me. Even if they didn't have actual voting capabilities within the organization, the Cullen name alone held great weight with these men.

"There will be some legal ramifications for this situation, which I will leave in Marcus's capable hands to broach and deal with, but before I finally pass on the mantel today, I have one last thing to say. I find what has been done in my husband's absence deplorable. I have to ask you gentlemen by a show of hands, how many of you have close relatives serving currently in this war?" Half of the hands around the table rose. I nodded

"How many of you have friends with close relatives serving?" All of the men at the table except Caius and Aro raised their hands, but even they were lying. I knew this for a fact.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "How then, can you ever allow something like this to happen? Is having a few extra dollars lining your bank account really more important than those men? Than YOUR freedom? Because I can tell you right now gentlemen, if your desire to line your pocketbooks ended up leading to the allies losing the war, you can bet Adolf Hitler would not allow you to keep your little capitalist stronghold. You would lose everything and probably be put to death for supporting the war effort to begin with. It is for that reason and that reason alone, that I have stepped forward to lay claim to the portion of this company that belongs to my husband and to put it back in the honorable hands that it was left in."

I took a deep breath, collecting myself before lowering my bottom back into the massive leather chair with the thick, comfortable padding. This was the first time I had even noticed how pleasant the chairs really were. With a smile, I folded my hands before nodding to Marcus.

"Now that I have said my piece, I am officially turning over this meeting to our true Interim CEO, Marcus Volturi."

I keep my posture and my mask on, but inside I was melting in relief. My part of this coup was over, now it was up to Marcus to wrap this all up in a nice neat bow. I felt myself vibrating in justification as Marcus pulled out the letters from his friend with the government. It was like watching a blockbuster movie plot unfold as he slowly divulged his source and how the company as a whole was not being implicated in the corrupt actions that had taken place in his absence, but rather the individuals in charge were of focus, Caius and Aro in particular.

Upon that note, he sat with pride in his chair as he brought forth article fourteen of Cullen Steel's corporation bylaws. This article stated that any stockholders under investigation for criminal fraud or corrupt handling of funds would be excluded from all business meetings, and their votes would be exempt until such a time as the charges were either overturned or ruled at fault.

Aro and Caius were both screaming and yelling in Marcus's face as he laid out the final blow that successfully removed them from all decision making power within the company for the foreseeable future. Considering the bogged state of the government system focused on war, odds are the war would be over and done with before any real action was taken. By that time, the true head of the company would be home and their attempt at a takeover would be permanently thwarted.

I looked over at Carlisle with a nod. He smirked, stepping through the door and returning moments later with the guards I had him request to be on standby. Caius and Aro screamed and thrashed the whole way as the four men led them out, with threats of police action if they did not cooperate.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly as Marcus immediately began the process of cleaning up the mess his father had wrought. He assigned Rose a position with the engineering staff, overseeing the restoration of the refining process and even suggesting that we improve it if possible. Alice was given a Vice Presidency within the accounting department, which made me quite pleased. After the business was completed, Marcus dismissed the meeting a full three hours after it had convened with my own personal overthrow of power.

The board members quietly made their way toward me after Marcus officially dismissed them to shake my hand politely. Some seemed genuinely pleased to meet me, a bit of relief tinged with humor sparkling behind their eyes. Others eyed me as though I were a bug or a slimy creature of some sort, after which they would need to take a bath in straight lye to remove the contamination.

When the room finally cleared save Marcus and my friends and in-laws, I melted in my chair, my body trembling like leaf.

"Oh my God! You were amazing, Bella! You did it!" Alice squealed as she jumped with her arms around my neck.

Meanwhile, I felt the tears from the relief of the stress pooling in my eyes. When Alice released me I wiped at them furiously as everyone else congratulated me, Esme rubbing my back comfortingly the whole time.

"I still can't believe I pulled it off," I said as I rested my head in my hands.

Carlisle ran his hand down my hair to massage the column of my neck gently as he smiled down at me. "I can. You were destined to be a Cullen, Bella. You were meant to be here, to do this. I believe that now more than ever. I am so proud of you, sweetheart. Now let's dry those tears and get you looking presentable to walk out of the building and then we'll take you home and feed you some lunch and get you laid down to rest. It's been a stressful day and I'm sure you and the baby could both use a break."

I smiled and nodded with a sigh as I wiped my face and straightened my clothes. Alice and Rose helped me compose myself while Marcus explained he would be in the office the rest of the day getting things going. He told Rose and Alice to come back the next morning. Nobody discussed it, but we all knew that every single one of us was going to be moving to Chicago in the next few weeks. It was the only way to make sure everything kept going according to plan.

I couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the expressions on everyone's faces as we walked the corridors to the elevator as a group of six. Marcus escorted us with a smile before bidding us adieu at the elevator doors and continuing down the hall in the opposite direction as the doors opened and we walked in. As I walked out of the doors, a tidal wave of relief washed over me that it was done.

I smiled, tipping my face to enjoy the rays of the sun sitting directly overhead in the noonday sky. Feeling peace for the first time in several weeks, the only thing that could have made it perfect was Edward. I opened my eyes to climb into the car waiting to take us back to Edward's, my heart shuddering in my chest when my gaze locked with the vicious scowl of Aro Volturi. I was pretty sure that what happened in that board room this morning was not going to stop him for long. I may have saved the company and the lives of our men fighting on the other end of the world, but I had also gained an enemy as well. I had a sneaking suspicion that his bite was probably just as bad as his bark.

Thanks for reading! Below is a link to my photobucket album with a picture of Edward's home in Chicago. This is a real house and that is the real address. It was built in the 1890's and is one of six homes on Lake Shore Drive that were added to the list of historical preservation sites.

This building in the album was completed in 1924, known at the time as The Strauss Building. The history mentioned in the chapter is true, except that of course, Cullen Steel did not buy it. It is now an extremely expensive apartment building in Chicago known as The Metropolitan Tower.

http:// photobucket .com /WallflowerNFlyboy