A/N: Have you guys ever heard the saying 'truth is stranger than fiction'? I couldn't make up this excuse if I tried. My computer and internet were out for a few days and before that one of our circuit breakers that we have a freezer plugged into broke, meaning I was running around like crazy moving meat. I just reread that last sentence and realized how weird that was. I was running around moving meat. XD

Sorry for the lateness, I tried to make this chapter longer, so let me know what you think.

Previously…

I had to see him…

Mr. Cullen…

My future husband…

And there was nothing I could do about it.

Chapter 5: Sealing the Deal

As I went down the hallway looking for him, I began to get nervous. What if I couldn't find him?

I began to run down the long corridor. "Mr. Cullen! Mr. Cullen!"

I skidded to a stop once I saw him through a doorway that was slightly ajar.

I walked into the room purposefully and saw three men standing around the table in a large room with high ceilings. Every time I walked in this house I was amazed at the high ceilings, which in this room were covered with bookshelves.

Bookshelves? I asked myself.

Oh, so this is where the library is. Which I had just ran into. While I was yelling.

Oops.

He was in the middle of speaking to Dr. Cullen and another tall man with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that I didn't recognize. I blushed as I said in a more normal tone, "I apologize for the interruption sirs, but I need to speak to Mr. Edward as a matter of urgency."

Edward's eyes narrowed. Dr. Cullen looked concerned, but said "Of course dear. Mr. Hale?" he asked. The man nodded and they quietly exited the room.

I must have been scarlet. The master of the house just cleared a room for me, his servant. At the same time I was touched by the gesture. Dr. Cullen's kindness towards me instantly made me like him. Even though he was head of the household, he could still find compassion for me.

Dr. Cullen's kindness only served to make me dislike his son more. Despite the fact that I never had a father, Dr. Cullen is what I would have imagined I would want a father to be.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

No need to be snooty, I thought. "I reconsidered your offer from yesterday."

He stared at me impatiently.

"I accept. I will marry you."

"You seem to misunderstand. You will not be marrying me."

"What?" I gasped. I was floored. After all of my inner turmoil, it comes to nothing?

I finally found words. "What do you mean?" I said more calmly.

He looked mildly amused. How infuriating. "What I said was that I want you to pose as my fiancée. I don't want to actually marry you."

I must have imagined the negative emphasis on the word "you". He was just against the idea of marriage. You keep telling yourself that, Swan I told myself before I attacked him. Again.

Although this threw me for a bit of a loop, this wasn't an unpleasant alternative. There were, however, some things I had to sort out first.

"What's in it for me?"

He looked mildly startled.

This time it was my turn to sigh impatiently. "The way I see it," I began, "You are asking this as a favor from me for you. What I am asking is: where's the quid pro quo? What do I get in return for helping you?"

Edward's mouth set into a hard line. "Name your terms."

"I want an apartment for my mother and I after this is over, and a monthly allowance."

"How much?"

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, OH MY GOODNESS! He was actually going along with it!

"I don't want much, just enough that we can have food all year and a fire in the hearth when the weather turns cold. Above all, I never want my mother to have to work again."

Edward's POV

This girl was interesting. As far as the lower classes go, she is quite noble.

Almost too noble, in fact.

"But not for yourself? While you're naming your demands, why not retire once our arrangement is done and over with?"

She seemed to consider this. "I am still young; working does not bother me. My mother raised me alone and managed to still keep working. I've always respected her for that. Now I have to opportunity to repay her for that." She finished quietly.

I pretended to consider. "No" I said simply.

"No?! Why ever not?! What—" she tried to reign in her temper. "You know what? Fine. But now who will you use as your fiancée?" She spat out the last word like a curse.

This girl was no pushover, and alas, she did catch the fatal flaw to my plan.

"Relax," I began, "I was just curious to see how you would react."

That's when her face started to turn read, though from anger or embarrassment I could not tell. Considering what I already knew of her character, I would bet on the former.

"So do we have an accord?" she asked formally with an outstretched hand.

It felt odd to shake hands with a woman, but I did so anyway.

"Agreed."

Sorry for updating late, in addition to the things mentioned above, school is killing me. My history teacher gives us a test EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Thanks to loyal-girl4 for inspiring me to update.

To TwilightFan1442, I tried to add some more details on the room, but I noticed that this story is mostly dialogue.

Does that bother anybody? Let me know.