CHAPTER 3

EDWARDS POV [ FLASHBACK]

I opened the wrought iron gates and as they creaked open I looked up to gaze at the aristocratic white colored house towering over all the other houses aligned in one of the most posh neighborhoods of our town. It would be more apt to describe it as a mansion what with its lush green lawns adorned with a garden parlor while a cobbled path of stones lead to the mansion towering away in all its glory , gleaming majestically with the moonlight gleaming off it enhancing its beauty a notch further .It had a Victorian touch to it with the arched doors yet it held a hint of Asian architecture in it with domed structures and pillars holding up a balcony opening to the gardens beneath .

I gazed up it only to realize that my eyes had filled with tears on their own accord . The cruelty of life looked down upon me in all its glory while my eyes teared as I thought of the mess that my life was yet these people continue to lead a comfortable life at the expense of innocent lives of others , some dead while one , a living dead .

"Edward Cullen"

I looked up to see an elderly man dressed in a butlers uniform , crisp and neat .

"Yes"

"Welcome . Mr Swan awaits you inside . Please come in ."

"Thank you " I nodded at him politely .

As I took a step forward to enter the mansion my ears started ringing with the last words of my mother "Renee Swan". I rubbed my sweaty palms against the satiny soft surface of my dress pants , a borrowed heirloom seeing how incapable I was to afford for these luxuries when it was a struggle to keep food on my table not many months back . I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart and dispel the whooshing noise which seemed to be engulfing my being , almost as if I was being pushed underwater with a sense of serenity surrounding me , one which takes you under its wings when one awaits their demise and as I awaited the Swan family I knew that I was inching closer with each strike of the clock to the arrival of the woman responsible for my family's demise.

I heard the clinking of cutlery as the servants of the house adorned the dining table with the finest china I had ever laid my eyes upon and then came the thud of footsteps accompanied by the sound of conversation .

"Edward Cullen "

I sucked in a deep breath and turned around to be met with the sturdy structure of Charlie Swan the owner of the Swan Enterprises and my employer .

"Good evening sir "

"Good Evening my boy and welcome . Meet my wife Renee Swan " he said as he introduced the petite woman standing next to him.

I felt my breath hitch as I glanced to his right to be met with a pair of chocolate brown eyes adorning a heart shaped face with wisps of curly brown hair tangled around it as they escaped the unruly bun sitting at the nape of her neck .She smiled a heartfelt smile and that is when I felt my hands ball into fists of their own accord.

Pretense . That is what it all was .It was all pretense , a facade that she put up to fool the world to prevent garnering attention to her real self , that shouldered the responsibility of killings , of murders , of my entire family and the shattering of my entire life.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Edward " she said and her voice gnawed at my insides . I gulped in fresh air to prevent the churning of my stomach and put forth the most charming smile , that I could muster .

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs Swan ."

"And also let me introduce you to my daughters , my eldest Rosalie , then Alice and Isabella , my youngest."
I looked to where Charlie was pointing and came face to face with 3 young girls , all three beauties in their own rights. Rosalie was the tallest with wavy blonde hair cascading down her back and piercing blue eyes that held a certain amount of strength yet a hint of vulnerability in them as she smiled at me . Alice on the other hand seemed to be an exuberating petite one with a close resemblance to pixies and her perky nature could be fathomed in her skillfully styled black hair in a pixie cut and her tiny eyes radiating warmth and energy accompanied by a goofy smile and the little jig she did as she smiled at me .

It was only when I averted my eyes to Isabella did I feel my breath hitch and heartbeat stop altogether.

Renee , that is all I could think of .

With her wavy brown her , chocolate brown eyes and heart shaped face she seemed like a mini clone of her mother . Her porcelain skin acquired a deep hue of red as I averted my eyes to her and the innocence in her eyes struck me and then came the anger . She was no different than her mother , this innocence it was all pretense , a facade again which she put on to fool the likes of the world and that is when I felt a deep sense of resentment or more appropriately hate for the petite girl looking dazedly at me and as I looked back at her I felt nothing but hate .

I felt nothing but hate for Isabella Swan the first time I laid eyes upon her.