Esme turned abruptly on her heels and began to march ahead. I shuffled along behind her, peeking back to Edward a few times. He watched us closely and for once, there was a hint of nervousness on his face. Why was that? He hadn't shown any worries before. In fact, he appeared completely dismissive of his mother, until now.

The two of us walked in silence, we walked inside the building and straight to the elevator and as the doors closed I watched as she hastily hit some of the buttons. It appeared to be a random pattern or numbers, but when she finished I felt the elevator begin to go down. This surprised me a little. I had thought we were on the ground floor. I had no idea there was a basement floor that would take us underground.

The silence continued between us, sweat began at the back of my neck. I was getting nervous. I wanted to say something. Break this awkward silence. But I couldn't find the words. I didn't know what to say to her. Now that we are alone. She would show me her true colors. Would she be kind?

As the doors opened, revealing the lowest level of the building, I found myself taken off guard. It wasn't exactly what I had pictured. Everything was extremely dark. The walls were midnight, the flooring, black tile. The lights that illuminated overhead were all a dark shade of red. It was really hard to see. I followed closely behind Esme as she guided me to her desk. It was black, sleek and entirely too long for it to have practical use. A computer sat on top of it, along with a few shattered files. She plopped down in front of the computer and instantly lit up a cigarette.

Her eyes sharply turned to me, a smile was no longer on her face. She jabbed her finger down to the seat on the other side of the desk.

I followed her silent command immediately and took a seat. Her presence had turned ominous now. Like she was some kind of devil. Her eyes flashed a strange shade of gold for a moment as we made eye contact. It was the same golden color that Alice's eyes turned to.

"I hear you are quite an artist." She let out a gust of smoke and flicked her ashes down by her feet. Even her voice had taken on a different tone than before. It was deeper. Serious. Deadly. This was exactly what I thought the leader of the reapers would be like. Powerful. Intimidating.

"It's just a hobby I used to have." I spoke quietly.

"But you don't paint anymore, is that right?"

"I haven't really had enough money to afford supplies to continue…" I wasn't sure where this conversation was going. What did my painting have to do with anything?

"Do you have any other hobbies?"

I shook my head slowly. "Not really. I have a pretty boring life," I admitted. "Until recently, that is."

Esme nodded, closing her eyes and taking another drag off her cigarette. The smell made my stomach churn. But I kept my expression blank. "You asked about Tanya. What kind of woman she was."

There was an uncomfortable twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach, at the mention of Tanya. When I didn't respond, Esme cracked a smirk. "Honestly, she was strong, outspoken, manipulative. She would do anything to reach the top. Basically, she was exactly like me."

I wasn't sure how to react to this. I just sat there. Not moving. Waiting to hear what she had to say next.

"She was beautiful, refined, a goddess amongst beasts." A glint of envy danced in her eyes for a moment, before a more sinister look captured her features. "Although the same can't be said for how she looks now."

What did she mean by that?

Her smile widened. "Needless to say, I despised the girl. I was relieved when Edward told me that he was divorcing her. Their marriage was short, it only lasted a few weeks. But it was long enough for her to completely ruin my relationship with my children."

Now I frowned. "How did she ruin your relationships?"

"She filled their heads with lies. I'd rather not even get into the details," She brushed off my question. "But, I'm sure you can understand why I'm a little apprehensive of any new women Edward is bringing into his life."

"I'd never get in the middle of your family. I'm not here to cause any issues."

Esme crushed her cigarette on her desk, before flicking it away. "Well I don't have any opinion of you at the moment. So you are off to a wonderful start."

I wasn't sure if this was supposed to come off as a good thing, or not. And I really didn't want to jeopardize her feelings towards me, but there was something I really wanted to know.

"Can I ask you something personal?" I asked hesitantly.

Esme leaned forward a little, her smile was gone, replaced with an emotionless mask. She was really good at covering her true feelings. It made her unpredictable.

"I'll allow it."

"Alice had mentioned this marking," I said, nodding down to Emmett's marking of covetousness. "She said it looked similar to the marking placed on Edward and Emmett's father."

Esme's mouth snapped shut, she roughly leaned back in her seat. Without another word, she lit up another cigarette. "Damn that girl." She snapped, her eyes began to turn gold, it was a very unsettling sight. Dark spirals mixed through the strange color. She was seething.

I regretted bringing it up. "You don't have to answer. I'm sorry I even brought it up." I quickly put my hands up.

She took a moment, inhaling deeply and slowly. She closed her eyes. I could see she was trying to collect herself. I waited patiently for her response.

When she opened her eyes, they were a vibrant emerald again, but there was pain just under the surface. This had really gotten under her skin. I'll have to remember to avoid bringing things up like this.

"She is just like her good-for-nothing father. Always putting her nose where it doesn't belong." Esme grumbled with a cold glare.

"I didn't mean to upset you."

She seemed to ignore me for a moment. All signs of aggression left her features. When she spoke, it was soft and gentle. "Aro and I never truly loved each other. Our partnership was more or less a business arrangement. We both benefited from it. But then… I met Carlisle."

That must have been Edward and Emmett's father.

I didn't speak, only listened. Esme didn't bother looking in my direction. She focused on the burning cigarette in between her thin fingers.

"I met Carlisle on a job. I was reaping the soul of his younger brother. It had been a traumatic death. The boy experienced his final overdose. And Carlisle was there, trying to revive him. Nothing helped of course. And as I was sending his brother to the afterlife, Carlisle met my gaze. He couldn't see me. But I saw him. The agony, the resentment, the absolute rage that this man was giving off… it chilled me to my bones." Esme smiled. "I marked him, right there. Not on purpose. It just happened. I thought it was an eternal marking I placed on him. But it wasn't. I didn't find that out, until much later on. It was a covetousness marking. Just like the one Emmett gave you."

Esme turned to stare down at Emmett's marking. Her perfectly manicured nail pierced down right in the middle of the marking. I could feel a pulling sensation, but no pain. Slowly the dark writing pooled to the very surface of my skin, before rolling down off my arm in a puff of gray dust. The marking was completely gone. You wouldn't have even known that there was ever anything there, except my skin was still a bit pink and irritated.

"It didn't hurt," I muttered quietly, letting my hand rub down my arm. It was still surprising to not see it there. It felt like a huge burden fell from my shoulders. It felt like there was a shift in my entire body. Like all of a sudden my hormones were going completely crazy. My arms began to tremble for a moment, but I forced them still.

Esme watched me closely. "No, I did it gently so it wouldn't hurt. Let this be my way of saying thank you. Because of you, I was finally able to give Tanya what she deserved. A face to match the ugliness of her heart."

I didn't have to wonder very long about her statement. I remember meeting Justine. Another one of Edward's past relationships. Her face had been badly mutilated. I can only imagine what Esme did to Tanya. If I was ever to make a mistake in the future, would that be what would happen to me?

"Why couldn't Edward or Emmett remove the marking themselves?" I wondered.

Esme smirked slightly. "The boys are partially human. They aren't quite as skilled with their reaper powers. Edward is exceptional, I'm sure he will be able to remove markings like that someday."

Again, she didn't hide the fact that she favors Edward. I've yet to hear any kind words towards Emmett. It kind of made me a little mad. Emmett was a great guy too.

"You don't think Emmett will be able to in the future?"

Esme snorted. "No, he was born mostly human. To be honest, I'm not sure having him in the reaper's world is what's best for him. I've always thought he should walk along with the living. He has no place among reapers."

I frowned slightly, but decided to hold my tongue. This was family business. I didn't want to be in the middle of it. The dynamic here was just so odd.

"Well, thank you for removing the marking. I appreciate you taking the time to do it." I said, shifting in my seat. There was an urge to get up and leave this room quickly. Sitting here across from Esme was mildly uncomfortable. I wasn't afraid of her... well... I didn't want to openly admit how terrifying she was. I didn't want to appear weak in front of her. I wanted her to believe that I was worthy of her son.

Esme didn't move from her seat. She took a few puffs from her cigarette as a smirk came to her face. "Listen girl, if you come back into contact with Emmett, he will most likely mark you again. So keep your distance as much as possible." She warned. "And treat my darling Edward well. I'm sure you know what will happen to you, if you end up hurting him." There was an obvious threat in her words. I understood it loud and clear. Esme wouldn't have any problems stepping in to defend Edward. She's done it countless times in the past and I will be no different.

I had no plans on ever hurting Edward, so her threats didn't scare me. I only nodded my head once in her direction.

"You may come in darling." Her voice turned sweet and soft. Right before my eyes the intimidating, boss lady reduced herself to an overly affectionate mother.

The door to the room opened with a low creak, revealing Edward standing nonchalantly in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, appearing aloof. But the anxiety in his eyes were clear as day.

"I'm guessing your little talk is over?" Edward asked, striding into Esme's office. He presented himself with authority as he made it to my side.

His hand went into mine as he helped me to my feet. The touch of his skin sent chills down my spine. It was such a warm, familiar feeling, it put me instantly at ease. I leaned into his side, wanting to get as close as possible.

"Yes, we had a lovely chat. Don't be so impatient, baby boy." Esme cooed at him.

Edward's icy stare could have cut through chains of steel. But Esme remained unphased. She just watched him with pure devotion.

"That's enough," Edward said heatedly. "You know Emmett is the baby. Save your ridiculous coddling for him. He would actually find it endearing."

Esme's smile faltered for a moment. "Nonsense," The single word fell from her lips. Cold. Emotionless. That ended the conversation. "Now, why don't you escort Isabella back upstairs. I have to get back to work. This company isn't going to run itself."

Edward only nodded in response. He hastily guided me to the door of her office. But before we could leave, Esme called out once more. The both of us froze in our tracks.

"Isabella,"

I turned slowly back around to face her.

Her smirk was back on her face. "I'd like for you to paint something for me, have it prepared by the end of next week."

"She doesn't have to do anything like that." Edward grumbled, leaning down to peck the top of my head. "Don't pay her any attention Bella."

"No, it's fine." I bobbed my head nervously. "I'd be willing to paint something for you. Do you have something in mind?"

"Well my office is so dark and depressing. Maybe you could paint something to bring some life back."

She was right. Her office was so dark. It was actually really hard to get a clear view of the place. I'm not sure what I could paint would improve the atmosphere down here. But I will try. It's the least I could do for her removing this marking.

"I'll have it ready next week."

"Wonderful. You two kids have a good day now." Esme concluded, before waving us to get out of her office.

Edward didn't waste a second. Quickly he ripped me out of the room and started a fast pace towards the elevators. I struggled a bit to keep up with him. His jaw was tightened into a hard line. He didn't relax completely until we were safely in the elevator and heading upwards. I could almost see the tension sliding down off his shoulders.

"What made you so on edge?" I asked quietly. Lightly I gave his hand a squeeze.

He lifted my hand up to leave a kiss on it. "It's not safe to be around Esme alone. She can't be trusted… A lot… if not everyone… that she has spoken with privately has ended up getting badly injured… or worse."

I had a feeling that Esme had another side to her. She was really good at being the doting mother, in front of Edward. But behind closed doors, when it was just the two of us, she was completely different. The way she looked at me. I couldn't describe it. But it didn't make me feel good. And the way she disregards Emmett, there was something going on there. And it isn't being talked about.

"I do have a few questions." I admitted quietly.

Edward sighed. "I figured you would," It was clearly shown in his demeanor that he was nervous.

Hope you are all enjoying this story so far! thank you all for reading and reviewing.