A/N: There have been a lot of comments about me sending them to The Olive Garden and that not being suitable for the attire they were wearing. I would just like to say that I am English, we don't have The Olive Garden here and so when I was naming the restaurant, I plucked a name out of thin air, unaware that it was a chain of restaurants in the US.

Chapter Twenty

Bella leaned into Edward as they smiled and waved briefly to the photographers, and then made their way inside the restaurant. Bella released a sigh of relief and Edward chuckled, his arms still firmly clasped around her waist.

She waited for the moment he'd release her and step away. She waited for the inevitable moment when 'bastard' Edward re-emerged. Sure, he'd been nice to her since the interview on Celebs Today but she was sure it couldn't last for much longer.

"Table for two in the name of Cullen," Edward spoke briefly to the maître' d. He turned to smile down at Bella, who returned his with a quick flash of a grin.

"Mr Cullen, Ms Swan, of course, if you'd like to follow me, please."

Edward kept his arm around Bella as they followed behind him, being led to a secluded part of the restaurant. He moved to hold the chair out for Bella but Edward waved him away, ensuring that he would see to it.

Bella blushed furiously but allowed Edward to seat her.

"Please enjoy your evening, Sir, Madam. Please be assured that anything you want is at our disposal."

Bella giggled softly as he moved away and turned to face Edward.

"Is it always like this when you go out?" she questioned, picking up the menu and browsing through it.

"Pretty much." Edward smiled and followed Bella's lead, taking a peek at his menu and fighting hard to stop looking at Bella over the top of it.

"Edward," hissed Bella as she leaned across the table slightly and lowering her voice to a whisper as she continued. "There are no prices."

Edward chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. It's all being taken care of," he assured as he signaled for a waiter.

Half an hour later, they had each ordered their main course, deciding to skip a starter, and were happily sipping on a bottle of 1990 Chianti.

Bella, having never been much of a drinker, was already giggly and flushed after just one glass.

"So, tell me a little more about you, Bella."

"What do you want to know?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes a little more than usual as she leaned ever closer to him, the table between them becoming more of a barrier to her than she would like.

He smirked, that panty dropping smirk she and her friends had loved so much, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach go wild.

"Tell me how you got the part," he whispered, almost seductively, Bella thought. Then she realized that was probably just her wine fuzzled mind playing tricks on her.

"You mean which competition I entered?" she questioned with a grin.

He laughed heartily before falling silent, a brooding look crossing his face.

"Edward, I'm just joking!"

"I know." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"I know, I just… Bella, I really am sorry for how I've been behaving."

She nodded. "Are you going to clue me in as to why?"

"It's really stupid."

"If it's something your mind thought up, then yes, it probably is." She grinned.

He smiled lightly.

"I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me?"

"Yes." He nodded and took a deep breath. "You're so new to this and this lifestyle…God, it's hard to explain. I just wanted to show you what it could be like, see if you'd sink or swim, you know?"

Bella's brows knitted together.

"No, not really, Edward."

He hung his head and ran his hands over his face before sitting back up, reaching for his glass and taking a long sip.

"I thought it would help toughen you up."

"You think I'm weak?" she asked, her voice rising slightly. No doubt helped along by the second glass of wine she'd consumed.

"No, I don't think you're weak I just thought…" He growled, low in his throat and Bella's eyes widened at him. Was he really getting pissed off at her? After the way he'd been treating her all this time?

"Look, when I got into this game, I thought I knew what was what, but I couldn't have been further from the mark. It's a cruel, cruel world, Isabella, and I was trying to help you, trying to show you what the worst could be."

"You think I don't know what this world is like, Edward?" Her hands began to shake as memories swam in her mind. She knew, better than most what the world was like. She'd witnessed its horrors first hand. "And I can assure you, that show business is nothing to what the real world can be like."

"You're right, it's worse." He was so self-assured, certain that he was always right.

Bella began to tremble, fighting back the onslaught of emotion that was ready to burst forth. She screwed her eyes shut tight and all she saw was the blood.

Blood.

So much blood.

"Oh God, the blood," she murmured, the words only just audible to Edward before she took a deep, shuddering breath and collapsed to the floor.