Chapter 6…

A/N: Thanks to all my readers… Thanks for your support and love. Thanks to all of you who alert and fav my story.

This story deals with abuse, neglect and intimidation. It is quite painful to write and I guess to read.

The characters belong to S.M. In HOPE, they belong to me.

A special note to my readers. My mother tongue is French. I try to write a story with no mistakes. My ultimate goal is to master the language perfectly…Love you all…

HOPE

Chapter 6

FIRST ENCOUNTER

BELLA

Present time… (Bella…eighteen years old)

I began to work at La Stanza the next day. It was a beautiful restaurant, and the people working with me were nice people.

Felix Cope was a good boss. A waitress was in charge of training me. It was not very hard for me to serve people, as I was used to do it with the kids and the foster parents when I was living in the different foster houses.

And receiving a salary for a job was something new to me. To have my own money, to administer a budget, to have money to buy clothes and to do my own grocery were all new experiences.

I began to have a feeling of independence and it made me happy.

Living at Angela's house was great too. There were four other girls living there. Victoria was twenty-five years old. She had long, curly, red hair, dark green eyes and was always in a good mood. She was studying in medical sciences, and she soon became a good friend of mine. The other girls were nice too. Bree was twenty-one years old, with short, blond hair and blue eyes. She was working in a clothes boutique. Lauren was twenty-two. She had long dark hair and brown eyes. She had lived a pretty hard childhood just like me. She was now working in a gym and she was also attending night classes. She wanted to become a gym teacher. Nessie was a tall nineteen years old girl, with long blond hair and blue eyes and she was working full time in a snack-bar.

It was fun living with them. I felt like I had a real family for the first time.

I never forgot Esme. She had been a kind of mother to me and I was happy living with her, until the shadow came.

But here now, with Angela and the others girls, it was an entirely new feeling…a sense of belonging…

We enjoyed our time together. It was friendly and pleasant.

And I felt in peace for the first time; no threatening, no abuse, no beating…Yes…I could say that was happiness.

I went to the bank with Angela and I opened a bank account. I began to deposit money in my account. I wanted to go back to school, and to have the necessary funds to take on the cost of the school fees.

Angela wanted to help me. I was embarrassed at first, because it had never been part of my life to receive gifts…except when I was living with Esme…

She offered to pay for all my school's books and exercise books.

There were establishments which offered night classes for young adults who had not completed high school.

One day, when I was not working we went to visit three schools.

I loved one school in particular. It was not far from the house and it looked like a nice place to attend classes.

I completed the registration form and I was accepted.

In one month from now, I would begin to go to school.

Two of my goals would be achieved soon…The first one was already achieved; I found a job and a place to live.

School would be the next…I had to complete Secondary Five.

My third goal, I hadn't forgotten …revenge…

EDWARD

Two months later

It was Senna's night. It was her turn to go out with me.

The other girls were already gone to work. I had my cell phone with me and they knew they could reach me if there was any kind of problem with the men they had to meet that night.

So I went out with Senna. She just wanted to go out for dinner, and then, she wanted to watch a movie at home after the dinner.

And she wanted to go at La Stanza. I knew this was one of my girls' favourite restaurants.

And as she was my princess for the night, I drove her to that place.

La Stanza was indeed a very beautiful restaurant. It was huge and pretty luxurious.

There was a big bar on the left and round tables in the middle. There was a second floor too. The walls were covered with white bricks and there were bay windows all around the place.

At the far end of the restaurant, there was an immense aquarium with beautiful tropical fish.

The food was always exquisite, the wine at the correct temperature and the desserts were delicious.

The owner of the place, Felix Cope greeted us as soon as we walked in, and asked us to follow him.

That was when I noticed her. She was the most beautiful girl I ever saw in my own life.

She had long brown hair, waving down in cascade to her waist. Her eyes were deep chocolate-brown. She was tall and slender…Her skin was pale ivory. She was magnificent…and her name was Isabella….as it was written on her badge.

She was our waitress for the night.

As soon as she looked at me, I knew I wanted that girl. She was my new challenge.

But she was working. I didn't know anything about her and I wanted to know more.

She didn't look like my other girls. She didn't seem to be a weak girl. She was not living on the streets.

But she looked tired. She had rings under eyes. And there was something in her eyes; a certain sadness …and even if she was smiling…there was something else…That girl was hiding something...and I had to know…

I kept staring at her with all the intensity of my deep emerald-green eyes, whenever Senna was not looking at me.

When Isabella was looking at me, I was smiling.

When she was behind the bar, I found excuses to go and ask for drinks.

And she was blushing when she was looking at me, and giving me the drinks I ordered.

I knew how to use my power and I would use it.

I wanted the girl and I would have her.

BELLA

What the hell was going on with that client? He was constantly staring at me and I was beginning to be really embarrassed.

True…he was gorgeous as hell…I never saw a man as beautiful as he was.

He was tall and muscled; his eyes were deep emerald-green, his hair untidy and brownish-cooper. His face was perfect; well defined jaws, a straight nose, perfects lips, a dimple in his chin, a strong neck…broad shoulders and sculpted thighs… which I could clearly see in his tight fit jeans…And why the hell was he always looking at me?

I never felt that way before.

I was never attracted to a man before. But the way he was looking at me…it was like he could see through me.

And he was with a girl…a very beautiful girl…that looked a bit like me…

I almost asked Felix if I could leave earlier. But I couldn't…There was a waitress who was sick tonight and he asked me if I could stand in for her tonight. So, I was stuck here with Mister-whatever-is your-name and I had to serve him.

Every time I was at the bar, he would come and ask for a drink.

At a moment, I went to the washroom, he followed me.

I went out of the washroom, he was there obviously waiting for me.

I walked back to his table, he was behind me.

Then, it was time for my break and I went out to smoke a cigarette…I was not a heavy smoker…but I was a real bunch of nerves and as soon as I was lighting my cigarette, he was there just next to me.

And he began to talk to me.

Even his voice was beautiful…

"Hmm… Excuse-me Isabella?" Do you mind if I stay here with you the time you finish your cigarette?"

"No…no…" I answered, feeling like an unarticulated idiot.

"I come here often…This is the first time I see you…Have you been working here for a long time, Isabella?"

"I've been working here for the past two months…I usually don't work at night…I am just standing in for a girl who is sick tonight."

"Oh…well…That is why it is the first time I see you…" Let me introduce myself. My name is Edward Masen."

"My name is Isabella Swan…Bella…"

"So, are you working tomorrow?" Edward asked with his velvety voice.

"Yes, I am….I served breakfast tomorrow…"

.

"Do you mind taking a coffee with me after your shift Bella?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea….Why do you want to take a coffee with me? …and I don't know you…

"It would be a nice occasion to get to you know you."…He added in a smooth voice…

"You don't answer my question…You are a complete stranger to me…" I retorted.

"Why do you want to want to take a coffee with me and why do you want to know me?"

"Humm…Bella, I don't have any specific reason. Let me just say, that I like meeting new people…I am a sociable person and maybe I would like to be your friend."

"Be my friend…That is a bit peculiar…Why would you like us to be friends, Edward? ... As I told you before…I don't know you at all."

"Just taking a coffee with me is not a real danger." He said, laughing this time.

"And I just want to talk to you, Isabella. "

"I don't see the point of you wanting to know me…And what would your girlfriend think about this?" I said.

"Oh…She is not my girlfriend…she works for me…"

"You seem pretty young to have employees…How old are you by the way?"

"To answer your first question…I have my own business…I sell cars, I sell all kinds of merchandises and I organise activities for people…I have business sense…it is part of me…And I am eighteen years old…"

"So Bella…yes or no…for the coffee…"

"Well, I don't know Edward…why not…but I must tell you Edward…I don't know what your intentions are…I don't date…I don't go out with any man…I am not interested…"

"So if you want to take a coffee and just talk, it is okay with me…if you want something else…you will be losing your time…".I added.

"That's fine with me…"I'll come tomorrow for breakfast and pay you a coffee after your shift."

"Okay then…Now if you want to excuse me…I have to go back…"

"Okay Bella….anyway my meeting with my employee is not over…See you tomorrow."

I walked back to the restaurant and Edward went back to his table.

I didn't know what to think about this conversation… He seemed a really nice guy…and my God…eighteen years old and running his own business.

And he was gorgeous as hell…But men….I didn't trust them…The men I had in my life were beasts…My dad….a pimp…Newton…a violent and aggressive man…The shadow…my worst nightmare….Volturi…a harsh and severe man. There was just Max who had been nice with me…And there was this guy at school. His name was Harry. We went out from time to time. But I was not dating him. We were just friends and that was all. Maybe this Masen was a nice guy…maybe he would become a friend…I didn't have a lot of friends either… Just the girls who were living at Angela's house…No way was Edward Masen going to be more…nobody would touch me…sex had no interest for me…I didn't want to be involved in any kind of relationship…No boyfriends…No lovers…In fact, I was not ready to love a man…Would I ever be ready?…No boyfriend…no sex…Those were my choices…And anyway, anything dealing with sex was making me nervous…Sex was not beautiful…sex was painful…And, on the top of all, I was fucking afraid…

End of chapter 6

A/N: Edward and Bella finally met…But don't think this is going to be easy.

How do you think Bella will react when she will know the kind of business Edward is running? ... Because she will certainly know…Edward is quite evasive about his business…More pain to come….That I can assure you…

And will Edward realize how bad he is? ...manipulating all those girls…He says he is selling merchandises…so very wrong…

Give me love and review…I do appreciate your comments…Love you France xxx