Chapter 27
Edward
"Thank you so much for hosting us, Tanya." Bella had tears streaming down her face as she hugged my best friend. "And my dad, and Bree, and ..."
"Bella, honey, it was a pleasure. We'll see you guys next in a few weeks, okay?"
"Of course." She turned to Leah. "Are you sure you don't mind spending Thanksgiving with a bunch of English people and two loony dogs?"
"Not at all. It'll make a change from my brothers' drunken brawling and my sisters' bitching."
Bella hugged Leah too before finally getting into the car. She had already had a tearful goodbye with her father and even shed a tear after Bree left.
"Riley," called Tanya. "Can you tear yourself away from Embry long enough to say bye to Bella and Edward?"
Riley turned from his spot on the steps of the brownstone to blow us both a kiss and make an 'I'll phone you' sign at Bella, before returning to hang off Embry's every word. Each was lapping up the attention the other was giving.
"Let's go, Foxy. Sarah can only keep Jake and Nessie until seven o'clock."
We had a clear drive back to Arlington; our new Volvo XC90 glided smoothly along the freeway and we were collecting the dogs by 6.30. Bella was absolutely exhausted and slept for most of the journey, only waking up when Jake and Nessie whined and barked with delight at our return.
The dogs draped themselves over her in the back seat as we drove the very short distance home, but instead of jumping out as soon as I opened the door, they cried and refused to climb off Bella.
"What's the matter, guys?" she asked as she released her seat belt. They let her get up and then ran in front of us as we approached the house. Jake barked and growled at the door, while Nessie faced us and sat her bum down on the footpath, blocking our way.
"It's okay, it's okay ..." I tried to soothe them, but they were having none of it.
"Edward, something's wrong. They can feel it and so can I."
I took a few steps towards the house, causing Nessie to howl loudly. I petted her head and stroked her ear for a moment, and she reluctantly let me pass. Jake was another story, however; he would not budge. As I tried to reach over him, I saw why he was so on edge.
The front door had been jimmied open. Through the glass I could see that our hallway table and coat stand had been turned over. Our possessions were strewn all over the place.
"Bella, the house has been broken into. Call the police."
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"Thank you for this, Carlisle. Bella didn't want to go into the house until the police were done, but they're still going to be there for a little while and ..."
"Edward, please, I'm glad you turned to us." Carlisle's placed his hand on my shoulder and I felt instantly comforted. He'd always been a mentor and role model, but in that moment, he reminded me so very much of my long departed, and very much missed, father. "You can stay as long as you want."
We both glanced at Bella, asleep in Katie's bed, with Jake and Nessie curled up at her feet.
"I just can't believe our luck, you know. One thing after another. Sometimes I think we're being punished for falling in love."
"But that's not the reason you got broken into," Carlisle reasoned. "You were just unlucky. There's been a couple of similar incidents in the neighbourhood this past year."
"You're probably right."
"Get some sleep, Edward. And don't even think of coming in tomorrow. I'll cover your seminar with the medical students and I'm sure Randall, MJ and Nahuel have plenty of work to be getting on with."
"Thanks Carlisle."
After he left us, I lay down next to my beautiful wife and placed my hand on the slightly swollen stomach. Nessie whined softly and draped a paw over my foot before nudging her muzzle against Jake's. We often found the dogs asleep on our bed with us, since Jake had figured out how to open doors, and I usually told them off and put them outside. However, tonight, their presence was the only thing that made me feel safe enough to sleep.
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Bella
Returning to our house the next morning was especially hard. Someone had broken in, rifled through our things and trashed the place. I didn't set foot in my home last night once The Fox said those words.
"Bella, the house has been broken into. Call the police."
I kept repeating them in my head even as I dialled 911, and throughout the ordeal of explaining everything to the police, as if saying them over and over meant it wasn't real. We agreed not to go back in until the morning, when the police would meet us to take a detailed list of what was missing.
When we drove up, the police officers were waiting for us. Over the next couple of hours, we went through the entire house. Despite the mess, only Edward's laptop, around $100 in loose cash and bizarrely, most of my lingerie were missing.
At the beginning my relationship with The Fox, I had spent a small fortune in Victoria's Secret, La Perla and Janet Reger. He loved me to wear them, but was equally happy when I wore my boring black t-shirt bras and baggy knickers, so I stopped buying expensive things, and just kept the ones I had for special occasions.
"Have you been bothered or harassed by anyone recently, Mrs Masen?" asked the young, enthusiastic, female officer called Officer Perez.
Edward and I looked at each other and laughed helplessly, until my frustration gave way to tears. We explained everything that had been happening.
"Wow, sounds all kinds of intense!" she sympathised. "Was there anything relevant on the missing computer?"
"No, it's only a couple of weeks old. I had only just started the process of transferring files from my old one and from Bella's computer ..."
"Edward! Which files?" I asked, horror colouring my voice. "Which files had you transferred to the new laptop?"
My first thought was the video, our special video. It was labelled with the date in numerical form only so if Edward transferred the files alphabetically, it would have been one of the first to move.
"Well, technically, none yet." He held up a flash drive. "I transferred the files onto this but hadn't had the chance to put them onto the new laptop yet."
I sighed with relief. Thank God Edward hadn't thought to do the transfer with Bluetooth.
"Where is your computer, Mrs Masen?"
"Here." I patted my tote bag. "We took it to New York with us."
"And which file were you concerned about?"
"A personal one, you know ... Personal."
"Oh, uh, right. Well at least you won't have to worry about that ending up on the internet now."
The other, older male officer, Officer Morton, came in from the back garden then. At the sound of the door opening, Jake and Nessie barked, but then pushed past the cop, eager to play outside.
"The crook who broke in wears a size twelve sneaker. He tried the back but couldn't get past the double lock you have on the gate there. Left a ton of footprints. So then, he tries the front. He must know a thing or two about computers and alarm systems because once he was inside, he disabled yours easily. No mean feat. But it doesn't feel like an opportunistic crime. He didn't touch the expensive jewellery or TV, or attempt to break into that safe in your bedroom."
"He was after my computer, and took the cash and my wife's underwear as an afterthought?"
"I reckon so, sir. What does your computer look like?"
"Exactly like this," I interrupted, pulling out my silver Macbook from my bag. "My husband bought the exact same model."
"Okay, we'll look out for new Macbooks on resale sites. We'll go talk to your neighbours and see if anyone saw anything."
"Here's our card," added Officer Perez. "Call us if you need to."
"Thank you."
After we showed them out, we made tea. Neither of us particularly wanted to drink it, but it was something to do.
"Nobody knows about that special file but us, Baby. Maybe it was because of our research," said Edward as I poured the water into the pot.
"I guess ..."
But deep inside, I wasn't sure. For a scientist, I sure was relying on my gut instinct these days. I thought back to the last time we watched the video. I'd come ridiculously fast thanks to my crazy hormones and The Fox's expert touch, but we didn't get any further because MJ turned up.
"That was fast, Isabella. Let's see if you can do it again."
"I promise you I can, and will."
He turned my face to capture my mouth and took hold of my tits. I rocked against him, eager to feel his hard cock against me, but suddenly Nessie went to the back door, barking like mad, closely followed by Jake. Nessie kept scratching at it, as if trying to get at something on the other side.
Why did Nessie go to the back door?
A minute later Jake suddenly ran to the front door, repeating Nessie's actions there. Edward let go of me reluctantly.
"Okay guys, Mummy and Daddy are coming ... Rain-check, baby?"
"Hopefully a short one," I replied, annoyed, and pressed pause on the laptop. "What the hell is going on?"
The doorbell rang as Edward was walking over, and Nessie bolted to the front, barking loudly along with Jake. rang a moment later.
"It's okay, it's okay." He pulled at his jeans to adjust himself, and then opened the door. "MJ?"
Had MJ been at the back window before ringing the doorbell? If she had, she would have seen us. She would have seen everything, and heard most of it too.
She knew we were away at the weekend, and I was becoming increasingly convinced that she had seen our foreplay and the video too.
When she asked me what I was up to over the weekend, something stopped me from telling her we were going to New York. That utterly unscientific gut instinct, I suppose. Instead I told her we were going to Cape Cod on Friday night and coming back Sunday afternoon. It was probably a stupid thing to do; she would find out pretty damn quick that I lied to her when she saw Irina.
Speaking of Irina, I couldn't help but wonder why she was in New York. I liked and respected her as a lab partner. She didn't give a lot away about herself, but she was easy to work with, a logical thinker and enthusiastic about our research and studies. She was at least eight years older than us; she said that she was in high school at the turn of the Millennium. I had been seven.
"What are you thinking, Bella?"
I had become so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't seen The Fox pour my tea for me. I took a gulp of the scalding hot drink before finding my voice.
"You're going to think I'm paranoid, but ..."
I explained my theory that MJ had seen our video.
"I don't think you're paranoid."
"No?"
"I trust your instincts implicitly, Bella. We just have no way of proving it."
"I know. I suppose all we can do is keep our guard up when I go back to the labs."
My phone rang then, and to my surprise it was Irina calling. I showed Edward the screen and he raised one perfect, auburn eyebrow.
"Hi, Irina?"
"Hi Bella, how are you?"
"Okay. How was the rest of your weekend in New York?"
There was a pause on the line.
"It was ... How do you say ... Interesting. You have one minute for talking?"
"Yes, of course."
"The situation, it is complicated. Professor Cullen knows, but I think you must know now too."
"What situation? Do you mean the reason you were in New York?"
"Da. Will you come to my apartment? I have good Russian tea since you are not drinking the alcohol now."
"What do you mean?"
"MJ has the big mouth. She text us about baby, although we suspected anyways."
"Oh, right."
"What?" whispered Edward.
"MJ's told all and sundry I'm up the duff."
Edward frowned.
"Irina, can I bring my husband?"
"Yes, please do. I know he is trustworthy man." Before I could ask, she added, "And your sobachkitoo, if you wish. They are beautiful creatures, and very welcome in my home."
I looked at Jake and Nessie, asleep on their beds; they opened their eyes with interest all of a sudden. They always knew when they were being talked about.
"Okay, see you soon."
An hour later, Jake and Nessie, Edward and I were walking into the lobby of one of the most exclusive apartment buildings in Boston. It was far smarter than the block The Fox and I had lived in when we first moved to Harvard.
"Wow, Irina has some serious cash."
"Uh-huh," I mumbled in reply. I wasn't surprised. The cheapest thing she wore day to day was her Chanel No. 5.
We took the lift to the penthouse where Irina was waiting for us, dressed in a belted, off-the-shoulder black jumper and artfully ripped skinny jeans. She showed us to a beautiful sitting room, lavishly furnished in tones of duck egg blue, camel and dark brown, with angora and cashmere cushions and gold-framed pictures of St Petersburg.
"You would like tea?" she asked, signalling to a maid who appeared from the shadows, all dressed in black.
"Sure," Edward answered. I nodded my agreement, and the maid scuttled towards the sideboard, where a samovar and Russian teapot were already waiting. She prepared cups of smoky Russian Caravan tea and brought them over while we got comfortable on the sofas.
"Thank you for coming," Irina said. "I am glad to have chance to explain to you so soon."
"Explain what exactly? What is going on?"
"To do this, I must start at the beginning." She took a deep breath, and to our surprise, Nessie moved from my feet to nudge Irina's hand, as if to encourage her. "Spasibo, dorogaya."
"Talk to us, Irina."
"I have wanted to be neuroscientist for almost my whole life. I got my undergraduate degree in St Petersburg and was planning application to Oxford for PhD, but my father died, and my family needed me to marry rich man." Edward and I looked at each other in confusion. "I was eldest child. It was expected of me in our society," she added by way of explanation.
"Okay ..."
"I married Sergei when I was twenty-two, and he was fifty. Although the age difference was big, he was kind man, and I grew to love him. It is a little different situation to you both, but by the end I loved him like you love each other." She swallowed hard, momentarily overcome with sadness. "He knew I was clever girl and although it was not acceptable for me to go to school as married woman, he allowed me to take role in his business."
"What business?" Edward asked.
"Sergei was co-founder of Eclipse Pharmaceuticals, with his uncle Josef, who died many years ago."
"Eclipse!" I exclaimed. "You were in New York because of their AGM?"
"Da, I worked with Sergei there for three years, until, he have big heart attack and died all of a sudden. That was four and a half years ago."
"I remember. Sergei Kasparov. It was in the scientific press," commented Edward.
"Da, my married name was Kasparova, but now I use my birth name, Pushkina, so nobody makes link between me and Eclipse."
Her face crumpled again, but then she regained her composure.
"When my husband died, I was left wealthy, with place on board of directors as major shareholder. But they would not let me work there anymore. I used my money to look after my family, and to move to America to study. Sergei's cousin Demetri took post as CEO, and ever since, Eclipse has been disaster."
"What do you mean?"
"When Sergei was in charge, Eclipse was respectable business and we operated with strict code of practice. This is unimportant to Demetri. He is easily influenced by others and does not like hard work."
"Why are you telling us this, Irina?"
"I know you left Oxford because Demetri's bad practice touched your work. Aro Volturi, I know you know this name, he is Demetri's most powerful advisor."
"Irina, what do you know about Aro Volturi, and our dealings with him?" Edward's voice had gone up an octave; his hand gripped mine tightly.
"I know he likes young women like Isabella. I have seen him manipulate and seduce people to get what he wants. He only care about money and power. He has bad research practice and is pushing drugs too early to market, but the board only see the money they make."
Edward and I looked at each other, trying to absorb what Irina said, but still confused as to why she was explaining things to us in so much detail.
"After I saw you in the hotel, I went to AGM Gala dinner. I overheard Aro talking to Demetri when I was checking my coat. He say your name, Bella."
"What? What did he say?"
"He does not like losing. He tell Demetri that he is getting hold of something that will break you, and you will be so desperate to keep it hidden, you will do anything he wants."
"What the fuck?" Edward turned red and he sat upright.
"Professor, please, you know he is dick."
"Irina, you don't understand, the past few months ..."
"I do understand, sweet Bella." She leaned across and took my hand. "Alexandra, Sofia, Anya, Olga, Anastasia, Sasha, Natasha ... all girls I know, some younger than you ... He chase and chase, and then use them and throw them away. You are biggest challenge, because you are protected by Edward and Cullens."
"Where are these girls? Why have they never said anything?"
"They are scared. He takes photos, he threatens their families, says he will ruin their careers."
"Irina, what are you thinking?" asked Edward.
"I realise that we have common enemy. We can be allies."
"The thing is, we've been through a lot recently. We already suspect that one of our acquaintances is working with Volturi, so as you can imagine, it's difficult for us to trust anyone right now."
"You are wondering if maybe I am spy? You see me in New York, you see him, then I call you out of blue ... I get it. But I do this because you I think of you as good friend, Bella, and amazing scientist. I do not want to see your light fade because of Volturi."
Edward and I looked at each other uneasily.
"It is okay. I would be worried if you did not feel that way." She clicked her fingers and the maid appeared again. Irina asked for something in Russian and a few seconds later, the maid brought a file over to us.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Aro Volturi was visiting neuroscience professor at St Petersburg State University every summer for the first four years that Demetri was CEO of Eclipse. He did not return this summer. I thought this was interesting, so I investigated. I think you will find the results helpful. I took the liberty of providing translations into English."
Tentatively, we opened the file.
As we read, both of us couldn't help but start to smile. The file contained details of complaints lodged by St Petersburg State University against Aro Volturi, for having a sexual relationship with two of the students in his summer programme, one of whom just happened to be daughter of the university Dean of Admissions. To stop him from reporting Volturi to the Russian State Police, Demetri paid the chairman half a million US Dollars.
The file contained copies of pleading emails from the girl in question to Aro, begging him to take her to England, emails between Demetri and Aro, talking about how they would deal with the situation, and angry emails from the girl's father to Aro.
"How did you get this information? These are private emails."
"When I was Eclipse executive, I helped Sergei set up their IT system. Before, they use paper and faxes, no email. Can you believe it? Anyway, I know system backwards."
"Why haven't you gone public with them already?"
"If I do it, they will trace it to me and I could lose my place on Eclipse board. There needs to be some distance between the emails and me." She paused. "I need to be there to rescue company. I have been quietly compiling dossier, and that information on Volturi is small compared to the corruption and deceit they have been involved in. When I have it all, I will expose them, and then rebuild Eclipse from the ashes, before becoming neuroscientist, which is still my dream. I owe it to my Sergei."
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The next morning, The Fox went into work, while I read over the information on Volturi from Irina yet again. We made the decision not to send it to Oxford because of the good chance it would get intercepted and buried by Volturi, Banner or their cronies. We knew we had to expose Volturi as the dirty, sexual predator he was, but we were only going to get one chance and we had to do it right. We still needed Bree, and we needed to make sure the emails Irina gave it were used to create maximum impact in breaking Slimy.
While I was contemplating our next move, my mobile started to ring. It was a UK number.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Bella, it's Emily. How are you?"
"Oh, Em, it's so good to hear your voice!"
"Yours too. How's my little godchild? Are they kicking yet?"
"Not yet, it's still a bit early. But I have the first scan picture. Hang on, I'll email it over."
After a moment, I heard her phone ping in the background.
"Got it ... oh, Bella. Even as a grey blob, it's cute."
"We're calling him or her Cub for now, and probably when they're born too!"
"Ha, I love it! So what else is new?"
It had been a couple of weeks since we'd spoken, so I told her about New York and she told me of her next project.
"We've just bought a hotel in Boston from the Hyatt group, and I'm going to be in charge of overseeing the refurbishment to Aviator Grand fittings."
"You're coming to Boston?" I didn't even attempt to control my delight.
"Yep, and Seth's not got very much on at the moment, so he'll probably be visiting too." Seth was Emily's older brother by two years.
"I thought he was doing an internship at a newspaper, The Guardian, wasn't it?"
"He finished the internship and they've offered him a job but they can't take him on until the start of the new financial year in April, so he's freelancing for a few months. He's been writing for the health and economics sector news agencies for a while, and he'll probably continue to do that while he's in the States."
"I'm very happy for him. Tell him that, would you?" An idea suddenly hit me. "In fact ..."
"What, Bella-bee?"
"Could you ask him to call ASAP? I have a possible story for him."
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I've managed to finish another chapter, yay!
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