"Hey, Liam. It's – oh. South Africa? Wow, that's – okay. No, no, it's alright, there's no need. Just…forward my best regards, I guess. Okay. Thanks again. Bye."

Edward dropped his head on the table just as he dropped the phone. That was the eighth call he'd made that morning, and also the eighth call with a disappointing response. He wasn't exactly mad at his former classmates and college acquaintances for not being available to meet but he was just so…frustrated.

Because of course Liam Howell, Tyler Crowley, and the rest of them chose this time to get married in South Africa or some shit like that.

With a sigh, he raised his head and looked at the crumpled piece of paper next to him. He had written about fifteen names on it, and with ten crossed off without any progress, he was starting to get desperate.

"Screw it," he muttered angrily, walking away from the hallway phone and back to Jasper's apartment. He truly didn't want to do anything at that moment but scowl and brood, but he knew he needed to leave soon. The firm's board meeting was set to begin in an hour, and no way in hell was Edward missing that.

Edward couldn't say he was too surprised by Jacob's possible promotion, though. Carlisle had already been thinking of doing so before, and after listening in on his and Esme's conversation last night, Edward realized just how tired his father was. Him being in a coma wasn't helping matters either.

Still, the timing could've been better, but what could Edward do about it? Such were the cards he had been given, and he had no choice but to deal with them.

…

Edward was dressed and ready to leave after a few minutes, and after a couple more passed, he was on his way to the Cullen Architecture building. He hadn't been there in what felt like a lifetime, so seeing the familiar scenery passing by the bus window hit him with a sense of nostalgia.

It also hit him with a sense of nervousness. He had yet to come up with a solid plan once he gets there. What was he going to do? Burst into the room and start yelling? Break down in front of his father? Beg? Whatever it was though, it had to be enough to stop Jacob from getting a promotion and furthering his and Rosalie's plans to take-over.

An idea struck Edward just as he got off the bus. It wasn't exactly the best, but given his poor foresight and limited time, it was something. It didn't require him to show his face or talk to anyone, at least, but it was risky, stupid, and above all, immature.

He was going to trigger the fire sprinkler system.

It was a plan plucked straight from some kid's mind, but that didn't matter. As long as it postponed the board meeting, then it was all good.

Walking up the building steps, Edward contemplated where he would snag a box of matches or a lighter. Before he could come up with anything, though, he heard an all too familiar voice call out for him.

"Jasper?"

Ah, fucking hell.

"Hey! Jasper," Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the sound of heels clacking on concrete drew closer.

"Morning, Rosalie," he greeted politely.

"Hi," Rose replied. "I thought I recognized you. What are you doing here?"

Shit, Edward thought as he scrambled to conjure a good lie. "I wanted to check out the little restaurant inside," he jutted his thumb to the building behind him. "I heard they were hiring, and I wanted to check it out."

Really? That's the best you can do?

"Oh," Rosalie nodded, seeming completely convinced. "Looking for another job, huh? Guess Bell – er, Heaven Café doesn't meet your standards anymore."

Though her tone was conversational, Edward could hear the snide undertone to her words. He bit back a growl as he figured out that Rose was taking a jab at Bella.

"No, that's completely not the case," Edward's voice rose in volume with his bitterness, and he tried to tone it down. "Heaven's great, and the people there are even better. I just need another job is all. In times like today, sometimes just one won't cut it."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah, so if you'll just excuse me…"

"Why don't you join me for lunch?"

Edward stared at Rosalie in shock and disbelief. "What?" he asked.

"Join me for lunch," Rose repeated like she was talking to a slow person.

"Uh, I don't really think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I, uh…well," Edward cleared his throat. "I still have to check out the restaurant, and after that, I have stuff to do at home, too. And then at Heaven – "

"Jasper, relax," Rose interrupted. She placed a hand on his chest. "Everything will still be here an hour or two from now. C'mon, let's have lunch. My treat."

"Again, I don't think that would be such a good idea," Edward responded coldly. He removed her hand from his chest. "I don't want people to draw the wrong conclusion. What would they think if they saw you having lunch with another man while your fiancé's in the hospital?"

Rosalie stiffened immediately as soon as the words left his mouth, and Edward felt immensely satisfied with himself. A smug smile spread across his face.

"What people say doesn't matter," Rose eventually retorted, though by her posture, it was easy to tell that Edward got to her. "I know I'm not a cheater, and that's what's important."

Dear God, please grant me the strength not to slap a woman. Or at least not to start yelling at her.

"Besides, it's not like we're going on a date or anything," she continued. "It's just a meal shared between friends. That's all."

Edward wanted very much to protest the 'friends' bit, but that would just waste more time. Hell, just standing there and arguing with her was a waste of time. Sighing, he finally conceded if only to get it over with. "Alright, okay. Fine. Let's go."

"Great! My friends told me about this new bistro that opened, and I've just been dying to try it out…"

Edward drowned out the rest of Rosalie's words as he followed her begrudgingly to the parking lot. They got into her car, and drove to whatever place she was talking about earlier.

It didn't take long for them to reach Sala Bistro, a rustic little place that boasted grand European cuisine. At least she picked a place that actually served food that I like, Edward thought as he browsed the menu.

A waiter arrived a little while later, and after Rosalie told him she wanted crispy salmon fillet, Edward ordered one of his all-time favourite dishes, braised lamb shank.

"So," Rose began once the waiter left. "How're things going, Jasper? We never really had the chance to talk at the anniversary ball."

"I was working," Edward shrugged unapologetically. "And I'm fine."

"That's good," Rosalie simpered. "You know, I never heard from you or heard anything about you after high school. Did you ever get to attend photography school?"

Well, shit if I know, Edward thought but he just blurted out a lie instead. Actually, that's what he did for the most of lunch. Rosalie seemed genuinely curious about the life of the enigmatic Jasper Whitlock, and her questions pelted Edward like annoying Nerf bullets. Still, he grinned and bore it, trying his best to answer as vaguely as possible.

"What about your love life?" Rose asked after taking a sip of wine. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Y-No," Edward replied. He initially wanted to tell her yes to get her off his back, but that would just spawn more questions about who she was, what she did, et cetera. Plus, he didn't think he could just make a person up on the spot.

"Aw, that's a shame. I thought someone as handsome as yourself would find one easily."

Are you seriously flirting with me?

"I'm still trying to sort my life out," Edward told her, which was true to some extent; he was trying to help Jasper get his life together as much as he could. He was trying to get his own life in order as well. "Once I'm secure in myself, hopefully I'll find the one for me.

"And anyway, the friends that surround me are more than enough for companionship and support."

"Mm," Rosalie hummed. "So you aren't interested in anyone."

"No…well," Edward paused. "I…there is someone, but like I said, I'm still getting myself sorted."

"Really, now," she replied, the intrigue apparent in her voice.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Who knows? Maybe someday I'll have what you and Edward have."

The mention of his name made Rosalie freeze. Her cold blue eyes met his own for only a second, and a forced smile planted itself on her face.

"Yes, well."

"It's really too bad what happened to him," Edward continued with a dramatic sigh. "And so close to the wedding, too? Such a shame."

Rosalie's eyebrows pulled together as she stared at him. "How do you know when our wedding date is? We haven't told anyone else yet – only close family and friends know about it."

Oh, yeah. Fuck, I forgot about that part.

Great, Cullen. You just had to rile her up, didn't you?

"Edward and I are friends," he claimed with conviction. "So…yeah, he told me you wanted to be married in winter."

More like she demanded to be married in winter, but whatever.

"Really?" Rose asked. "He's never mentioned talking to you."

"He must just be busy," Edward said with a wave of his hand. "He said your firm was taking on a lot of big clients this month."

"He never said anything about staying in contact with you throughout college, too. I don't think I've ever seen you guys communicate much in high school either."

"Ah, well, I'm just not very…sociable in environments like that. We had some classes together, though, and…we became friends through those, I guess."

The topic on his relationship with…well, himself, ended then thankfully when the waiter presented the check. As promised, Rosalie paid for everything – with the black card Edward gave her before, but still – and they left the bistro.

"Thank you for lunch, Rosalie," Edward said when they arrived back at the parking lot. "But I really do have to go now." About an hour of his time had been consumed thanks to her, and it was only a few minutes ago that he noticed.

Rosalie said something in reply, but Edward didn't hear it. He was too busy running to the firm building to hear her.

Maybe I still have a chance, he hoped, sprinting as fast as he could up the steps and into the revolving doors. Maybe the meeting isn't over yet. They usually go over time, anyway, especially when Aro and Marcus get into one of their tiffs over the dividends.

As he walked through the lobby, though, his hopes shattered.

Time seemed to slow down as Edward watched Carlisle, Aro, Marcus, Jacob, and two other board members exit the elevator with smiles on their faces. Everybody was giving Jacob congratulatory pats on the back and handshakes, and though Edward couldn't hear them, he knew what had happened.

He was too late. Jacob had gotten the promotion.

…

"Fucking HELL!" Edward screamed as he angrily kicked a dining chair. It had been hours since he got back to Jasper's apartment, but his rage and frustration were still fresh.

He didn't even know to whom he was angry at exactly. Himself? Rosalie? His father? The Big Boss? It didn't matter anyhow. He was fuming, tired, and just completely –

"Arrgh," Edward growled, slamming his fists against the wall. "Why?! Why can't things go right for once? What the hell have I done to deserve any of this?!

"Fuck," he cursed softly when his throat began to feel sore. "Dammit, I need – I need help. All of this is getting too much."

Scheduler, he thought suddenly. She has powers. Maybe she can do something!

Edward hurriedly patted his pockets in search of his phone. When he came up empty, he rummaged through the bed, the desk, and practically turned the tiny apartment upside down. Still, there wasn't any phone to be found.

"When was the last time I saw that thing?" he asked himself as he looked around. "Yesterday. I had it yesterday when I met with Maggie and Gianna, so it has to be around here somewhere."

He continued to scan the room until he noticed the clothes hamper next to the wardrobe. "The phone must be in yesterday's pants," he decided, and quickly dug through the basket for the jeans he wore previously. Sure enough, he found his only means of summoning Scheduler there.

"Thank God," he muttered gratefully. He launched call after call to his guardian, but like before, she wasn't answering. Deciding to try again later, Edward placed the phone beside him and commenced returning the dirty clothes he had discarded back into the hamper.

As he worked, he came across the pants he was wearing when Bella came over.

It was hard to believe that that happened only a few days ago. He seemed a lot happier then, and while Bella was definitely a big factor in that, he also had some sense of success since he had just found Jacob's flash drive the day before.

And speaking of the flash drive…he had no idea where it was.

The last time Edward remembered ever seeing or even touching that USB was the day he found it, so that meant it must be in the pocket of the pants he wore that day, too.

"You really need to clear out your pockets before taking them off," he told himself while he dug through his used clothes for the second time. Fortunately, he found the jeans easily as it was washed out unlike the others that were darker.

Unfortunately, however, the flash drive wasn't there.

And even after going through every single piece of clothing in the hamper, he still couldn't find it.

"Dammit!" Edward screamed. He scrambled off the floor and tugged harder at his hair. "Fuck, what – how is that even?!" he turned angrily to the ceiling. "What are You playing at? Is this your idea of a sick joke? Making me suffer like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

He began to pace the room, kicking his phone away in the process. "I don't fucking get it! I've done – I'm doing all I can. Is this Your way of testing me again? Because guess what? I'm failing! Is that what You want? Huh? You want me to die and just let those bastards gain control of my family's company?" Tears were now streaming down his eyes. "I can't do this anymore!"

He collapsed on the bed, and started sobbing unashamedly.

"I can't – I give up!" he declared loudly. "I'm done, I'm so fucking done."

And he meant it.