AN: It's been almost 2 weeks since I posted the first few chapters, and I'm sincerely hoping for a better response for the few chapters coming up. After all Edward will be making his grand entrance! (YAY FINALLY). Please stay with me, and give me a chance! I hope you enjoy what's coming next…

Please excuse any spelling and grammatical mistakes… I am currently without a BETA.

DISCLAMER: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Myer! I'm just borrowing her characters! Making Edward a lot meaner and Isabella a lot tougher

Chapter 3: Truth

Elizabeth Cullen was a very powerful woman. She came from old money, and as time passed and she grew older, the money accumulated into an impressive fortune.

Elizabeth was a sixty eight year old women, she's lived a long life, had limitless experiences. And contrary to what people might think, having money does not make life any easier. She's had her fair share of hard times. She firmly believed that a woman should be strong, powerful and able to face anything life threw at her. She was convinced that the hardships of life were the essence the made it sweeter, lovelier and worth living.

As she sat across the beautiful young lady in her son's office, she felt a pang of guilt. Isabella has beautiful big brown eyes that were currently looking at her with a hint of fear and anticipation.

But Elizabeth was a firm, tough old lady. She gave her word, and she will stick to it. Isabella looked strong, she can handle this. And maybe, just maybe this can turn out to be the best thing that's ever happened to this little girl. After all, she was going to be introduced to a world she never knew even existed.

So with a head held high, she gave the girl what she wanted, what her eyes were pleading for; she gave her the truth. The reason she was really here, sitting in this ostentatious office.

"Isabella" the old lady said, noticing how Isabella flinched a bit, "three month ago, your father came to New York city, were you aware of that?"

"Yes ma'am, I knew he came to New York" Isabella replied "How is this relevant though?" she asked confused.

Elizabeth laughed and licked her lips, preparing to delve into her story.

"Well Bella, when your father came to New York, his decisions led you here, on this chair. His decisions altered your life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undeniable Consumption~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christ, what was this old lady on? Here I sat, feeling like I was on death row, and she felt like telling stories and being vague. She looked like a storyteller, I just knew it!

"My father?" I asked her "I know my father got me this job, but he didn't come to New York for this… did he?"

"Well young lady, tell me what you think your father came here to do then" Elizabeth said, her wrinkled face slightly smiling.

"Umm," I hesitated; I had no idea why we were talking about my father. Why did the police seminar he came here for matter so much? I was about to pee my pants and she wanted to talk about my father's job…

"My father had a police seminar; cops from all over the county came to attend. You see he's the chief of police back home, so he was obligated to come." I remember how excited Charlie had been, "this will help me make the Forks police department better Bells" he exclaimed "And guess were the seminar is? It's in New York! That way I can check out the city and college I'll be shipping my daughter off to!" I'd never seen Charlie so enthused about something.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth said, crossing her legs "Did he tell you about his time in New York?"

"He said the seminar went flawlessly…" I trailed of; my father never was the talkative type

"So he told you nothing, how revolting that person is! Unimaginable" Elizabeth looked half disgusted, half angry.

"Excuse me?" I said angrily "this is my father you're talking about! He's a hardworking man; he's a very good person! How dare you say that about my father?" Who did this old lady think she is? "You know nothing about him, nothing about us or our family, why would you say he's revolting?" I asked, confusion swirling around my brain, she was making no sense to me at all.

"Calm yourself child, and sit back, this is going to take a while." She looked at me sternly, so I shut my mouth, and prepared myself to hear her out.

"Three months ago, I was out late visiting a friend of mine who was at the hospital. Visiting hours were over, but I have my connections, and Agatha has always liked staying up late. As fate would have it, the hospital where my friend was temporarily residing was close to the hotel where the police seminar was being held. One would think, with all the cops milling around, that that part of the city was the safest one of all, but we all misjudge people and situations sometimes." Elizabeth said this in a soft voice, like she was telling a story to a toddler. I knew she was a storyteller, she probably told her grand-kids stories all the time.

"Okay…" I guess she ran into Charlie there? Is that what this is about? "I take it you met Charlie there?"

She huffed and smacked her lips, "Do not interrupt me child! For heaven's sake!"

"I'm sorry, please go on" I told her petulantly.

"My driver Joseph is one of the most competent drivers I've ever had! He's driven me everywhere for the past twelve years, never once did he get into an accident or break a law." She smiled, and looked at Carlisle who was standing at the far corner of his office. He looked nervous, angry and bored all in the time.

"It was about 11 o'clock when I left the hospital, I got into the car and started chatting with Joseph, asking him about his children and grandchildren, but he never once took his eyes off the road. Not once. I know because I was watching him, like I always do when I'm in the car with him…" So I take the queen of England's clone had a thing for her driver? Do I really need to know this? I haven't called my parents yet, and I felt horrible, they're probably worried sick right now. I had better things to do than listen to this old lady babble, but she went on, ignoring my annoyed look.

"He was telling me about his newest grandson Michael when suddenly, the tiers screeched and the car idled left and right until it stopped. I was tossed from left to right, hit my head on the window, and cut my forehead a deep cut. But the was the least of my worries at that moment, you see someone wretched Josephs door open, dragged him out, and started beating him, badly. I heard screaming and realized it was coming from me. And I'm not a screamer Isabella, I don't get frazzled easily." She yelled at me, as if I was the assailant who beat her driver up.

" Joseph God bless him is a seventy one year old man, do you know what kind of damage a beating like that can do to a man his age?" Her voice lowered, and I'd swear I saw her eyes begin to water. She looked like a tough cookie, not a weak frail old lady who cries at old movies. She must have a huge thing for her driver then.

I felt awful for being annoyed by her story. This man, Joseph probably suffered serious injuries; his life might have been in jeopardy… What kind of sick person would beat up an old man?

But more importantly, what did Charlie have to do with this? Was he the one who saved him? Arrested that guy?

"That's awful Mrs. Cullen!" I told her softly "Is Joseph okay?"

"Yes, he recovered nicely, spent a month in the hospital though" She told me with an air of sadness. How dreadful she must have felt, having her driver of twelve years, her friend, beat up within an inch of his life right before her eyes.

"Did Charlie help? Is that how you know him?" I asked. It was just like Charlie, always eager to help.

"HELP!" She yelled, startling me. "HELP? Oh that buffoon helped alright! Stupid insolent little prick was the one doing the beating!"

My blood ran cold. I felt like the wind just got knocked out of me. Charlie… My father, the chief of police was the one who beat up Joseph? She must be mistaken; Charlie would never do such a thing. Not in a million years. No way.

"That's not possible, he would never do that. Mrs. Cullen, Charlie is one of the sweetest men you will ever meet. He wouldn't hurt a fly!" I remember how he used to come into my room, startled as I screamed to the high heavens because I saw an insect or a spider somewhere in a corner. He'd pick it up gently and release it in the yard, smiling at my antics. "You have to get over this phobia Bells!" He's say, still smiling. I'd pout and tell him that I only have arachnophobia, the other insects just creep me out.

"Oh, it is very possible Ms. Swan" Elizabeth says rudely "You seem to know nothing about your father, little girl."

I gaped at her, my fear ebbing, anger taking its place quickly.

"Mother!" Carlisle shouts "Charlie is still Bella's father, show some respect!" I almost forgot he was still in the room.

Mrs. Cullen looked slightly admonished, resting her chin on her chest, she sighs.

"Pardon me for my outburst Isabella" she looked me square in the eye and said "Let me tell you why Charlie behaved that way."

The only answer I gave her was a nod.

"What I learned after the whole ordeal was that Charlie and a few of the other police officers went to a bar close to the hotel they were staying at after the seminar had finished. Patrick's I believe its name is. Charlie overdid it that night, he got dunk. Very drunk." Charlie indulged in a few beers after his shift, but he didn't usually get wasted. It wasn't like him.

"He crossed the street, heading for his hotel, and didn't notice that the light was green. Had Joseph not stopped the car when he did, he probably would have hit him. Your father was stunned, and in his drunken rage, took his anger and fear out on Joseph. He nearly killed him Bella, he nearly took him from his family; his daughters and grand-kids." I stared at her, unable to formulate a clear thought. My father was not a violent person. Charlie wasn't a criminal.

"Some guys standing outside the bar pulled you father off of Joseph, and called an ambulance." She continued. "I called Carlisle and we followed the ambulance to the hospital. I mean… Charlie only beat Joseph for about 30 seconds before they pulled him off of him, and yet later we found out that Joe suffered from a fractured skull, two broken ribs, a broken nose and a bruised wrist, aside from all the cuts and bruises." I was trying to hold back sobs. I was trying very hard to convince myself that they made a mistake, that she made a mistake.

But in my heart I knew what she's saying is true. Charlie came back home changed. He was aloof, always dosing off, he threw himself into his work and worked late nights. When my mother asked him about his bruised knuckles, he told her he trained a bit with the other cops in New York and it got a little rough. We figured his detached and changed attitude was due to the stress he was facing, teaching all the officers in his department what he learned from the seminar. We thought he was working too hard to enhance his department.

But after a while, he stared fighting with my mother more often. She would scream and yell at him. She'd cry a lot. It was strange; they didn't fight often. Not that they were happily married, but they didn't care enough to fight. I guess I know now what that was all about.

Elizabeth interrupted my train of thought. She said the words that I've been waiting to hear from the moment she opened her mouth and started telling this damned story.

"I bet you're wondering what your implication is in all of this"

"Yes ma'am, I am wondering why I'm here. My father did a horrible, cruel thing. But why would he tell me he got me a job here? Why would Mr. Cullen offer me one after what my father did?"

"I am going to tell you Bella, but this is the hardest part of the story, so brace yourself child." She said

I nodded, waiting for the punch line.

"We met up with your father at the hospital, it seems all the rage sobered him up and he followed us there. I was there when he asked to see Joseph, said he was a cop and he wanted to make sure Joe was okay. By then, I'd lost it. I'll spare you the gory details, but I basically screamed at him the he can kiss his carrier goodbye, that I was going to ruin him and put him in jail. That's when he said that he had a daughter, that she was going to college in the fall and that he had to keep working to be able to support her, even a little bit." She told me unfeelingly, and my eyes watered a little. Charlie…

But Elizabeth continued, she told me how he bargained and pleaded. How he wailed and told her he had a family, and how truly sorry he was. He told her he didn't know what possessed him. He had a lapse in judgment. He drank too much and didn't know what came over him. She also told me that it all fell on deaf ears. She told me she didn't care.

"Charlie was crying, telling me to please reconsider, that he'll do whatever it takes. He begged me not to press charges, not to take him away from his wife and daughter. But I asked him about Joseph's wife and daughters, his family, he almost took him from them. He apologized over and over again, but you can't nearly kill a man and then simply apologize." She continued, as I felt the walls move in a little closer, I was nearly hyperventilating, I was starting to see black spots. One thing kept reverberating in my head; dad… dad…dad, Charlie… Charlie… Charlie…

"He said his baby was coming to college here in New York. He said that he was excited to come here so he can check out where his baby would be living, to make sure it was safe. He said you wanted to be a doctor Isabella, and this, what he did was going to ruin you. He spoke so highly of you, so reverently that I had a fascinating idea. I told him if I reported him, he's lose everything, his job, his family and he'd cost you your future… but you were merely an innocent in this mess, so I offered him a deal." I held my breath, and found myself praying. He obviously took the deal, because he went back home as if nothing happened. He went back to work and continued on normally. My mother and I knew nothing of this, so clearly he took the deal.

"What was the deal?" I said in a small, hoarse voice… I didn't know what to expect. But I knew one thing for certain; it sure as hell didn't look good for me. I only hope she was merciful, but for her own son to call her a devil, I didn't think she had the word "merciful" in her vocabulary.

"I made him sign a contract. Either he honors the contract, or he goes to jail. Simple!" She said, "He almost stole a man away from his family, so I was going to take something of his. You see, I have this grandson; Carlisle youngest, Edward is his name. Now that boy is absolutely brilliant, but he has hellish ways. Uncontrollable, disrespectful, petulant, defiant but absolutely brilliant. And he has a reputation with the ladies. A very bad reputation." Where was she going with this? What did she take from my father?

"I'm an old lady Isabella, and in my time the only way to straighten up a troublesome young man, was to thrust responsibility on him… that would stop his devilish ways. So, I told my boy Edward that he will abide to my rules, by what I chose for him or he will be cut off. I told him that if he defied me, or tired to get his brother or father to help him, I would cut them off too. He had no choice but to say yes. I told him I was going to marry him. And you are his bride Isabella."

I prided myself for my composure in times of distress, but this woman… she was going to make me lose it. I was not above hitting this crazy old bat!

"What the hell did you just say?" I screamed at her "Listen old lady, you better watch yourself! Who in God's name do you think you are? Trying to control peoples' lives, like we're pawns in your little twisted, fucked up game! I'm nineteen years old! Why would I want to get married?" I looked at Carlisle, asking him to tell me she was joking, or that I was imagining this. He was no help at all. "The contract… wait! You're telling me my father agreed to this?" I asked incredulously.

"Why wouldn't he?" she said "it was either that or going to jail. It was either that or throwing away your education. You're not being thrown into the lion's den here; my family is more than capable to provide for you. According to the contract we are obliged to pay for your entire academic career. You don't have to worry about that."

"I don't want you to play for my education" I yelled once again "I can make it on my own! I refuse! I will not be a part of this!"

"It's either that Isabella, or you father goes to jail…" she trailed off. Could she be serious?

"Are you serious?" I asked gaping at her.

"It's in the contract child, if you refuse or walk away from this commitment, you're father will go to jail for assault and attempted murder. The contract is valid for 5 years." She said nonchalantly.

I felt the earth tilt on its axis… and then darkness, absolute beautiful darkness…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undeniable Consumption~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I felt something stinging my face, I felt the wetness in my hair… and I heard voices. Faint voices as if I was submerged in thick icy water.

As I regained my awareness and composure, the voices became clearer.

"Carlisle, wake her up! Why isn't she waking up?" I heard the devil say.

"Mother, you just flipped this girls world upside down… she fainted, her mind shut down. And for what? Because you decided to play God!" he said, his voice dripping with venom.

"Well, she took it better than I did, at least she didn't try to kill you" A voice I didn't recognize said bemusedly. "But honestly Grandma, this is who you've chosen for me?"

Opening my eyes, I saw Carlisle bending over me. I licked my lips and blinked, finding myself lying on the floor.

"Are you okay Bella?" He asked. What a stupid question! How could I possibly be okay… these people are threatening to incarcerate my father if I don't marry a rich, bratty troublemaker.

"Okay?" I snorted "Yea I'm just peachy! I just found out I'm getting married…"

My father sold me, like a piece of meat… he sold me to these people. But I wasn't about to let him go to jail, I'll find my way. I'll deal with this.

"Don't let them break you Bella" my mother had said. I didn't understand what she meant when she said it. But now I do, she knew, she knew about the sale and the sin and my impending sacrifice.

"Well don't sound too excited there Bambi, you'd make me think you were eager" said the voice from earlier.

I looked around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from, but I couldn't see him.

Carlisle helped me up, gently easing me onto the chair. I wiped my face and looked up, and what a mistake that was.

There standing against the wall, was a man. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and an amused look on his face. He watched me take him in, and I felt myself gazing. This was the most beautiful human being I had ever seen. He had brown tussled hair, looking a mess and perfectly styled at the same time. His sharp cheek bones and angular chin were mesmerizing, making him manlier. He was too beautiful for a boy, too handsome and too alluring. His nose was soft but somehow very complementary to his handsome face. And by God, his eyes… his eyes were the most dazzling shade of green I'd ever seen, surrounded by thick lashes and slightly heavy eyebrows. His lips were pouty, pink and like everything about him, beautiful. They were curving up at one end, in a cocky smile that seemed to come very naturally to him. He stood tall, about 6.2 and was build. He wasn't lanky but wasn't bulky either.

As I took him in, his eye were seemingly doing the same to me… taking me in. I felt small, plain and insignificant. I've never had high self-esteem; I knew I was very plain and boring. I wasn't the thinnest or most beautiful girl, I wasn't tall and alluring. And the way he was looking at me, it seemed that he thought so too.

"And I thought this was unfair…" he said "Couldn't you have been a little more beautiful?" The smirk still intact.

I looked at him, his comment hurtful but I did not show any emotion. I looked and didn't say a word. Too overwhelm by the feeling in the pit of my stomach, it felt like my insides were being squeezed by an anaconda. A little voice in my head told me to run, told me to flee and screw the consequences.

Because albeit his otherworldly beauty, he evoked a terrifying feeling inside of me. He looked like trouble. He looked like chaos and madness and cruelty and malice.

His looks were deceiving, hiding his demonic ways.

"I'm Edward, Edward Cullen." He said smiling, and it was anything but a nice smile. "We got thrown in this shit storm together, and my punishment is to endure you, for the next five fucking years."

Trouble…