I don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and plot of the story.
A huge thank you to my beta Madmooey18 for putting in the effort and helping me make this story what it is.
Author's Note at the end.
Her room looks like the aftermath of a tornado. She can't find anything to wear. Everything either doesn't fit her correctly, or is outdated. To add insult to injury, she needs to meet with her modeling agent in an hour and has to attend the party tonight. She doesn't have enough time to order something online, and doesn't have a babysitter for Peter to go shopping.
This is it. I will meet with Jessica and then look in mum's closet in Phil's house. I have no other option.
She puts Peter in his jacket and slips into a pair of boots and a coat then leaves the house with Peter in a carriage. She hops into a taxi that drives her to her modeling agency and she rides the elevator to Jessica's office.
"That's it?" Bella whispers yell as she doesn't want to wake Peter who is sleeping in his carriage. She rubs her face in irritation and starts pacing the room.
15 shows here in New York, 3 in London, 2 in Paris, and 3 in Milan. That is not enough. It is not enough for me to get more modeling gigs between fashion months and it's not enough for me to make money. It's not even worth the cost of airplane tickets.
Turning to Jessica, she sits down opposite her and asks, "What options do I have?"
"Take them. Do every show, play nice, work on your social media presence, generate publicity and in the next season you will get more shows."
Staring outside the window and refusing to meet Jessica's eyes Bella confesses quietly after a minute of silence, "I can't afford the airplane tickets. That is too much traveling Jess." Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Jessica looks deep in thought for a second then she tells her, "The modeling agency can cover them, but you will need to pay them back by next season, Bella. The only reason I am doing this is that you, and before you, your mum have been with us since the get-go." She takes out a sticky note and writes something on it before sticking it to a board behind her.
Bella thanks her and tries to remember if there is anything else she needs to ask her before she goes. "What is the pay going to be like?"
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about," Jessica tells her looking apologetic as she continues, "Some fashion houses won't be paying in cash."
Are you fucking kidding me! Am I supposed to serve the boys soup in a bucket hat?
One thing most people don't know about the modeling industry is that a lot of brands don't pay you in cash. They pay you in last season's clothes. That is one way the industry exploits its newcomers. It's like a rite of passage. If you weren't paid with clothes in your early years, are you even a model?
After much discussion, Bella gets up to leave but Jessica stops her by telling her, "I have put you as a size 4. You will be that by then." It's not a statement, it's a demand.
Bella nods her head and pushes Peter's carriage outside of Jessica's office and into the elevator then takes out her phone and messages Aro:
Is the work offer still on the table?
Edward rubs his hand over his face in frustration. If he has to move another piece of furniture for Alice, he will throw it out the window. Thank God she never hosts parties. He can't imagine the continuous hell he would be in.
Of course, her boyfriend can't help. That jackass never helps. He always makes some excuse related to dad, knowing that Alice would never question dad, and like always Edward will be the person his responsibilities will fall on, and the shoulder Alice will cry on.
He loves his brother. He truly does, but he will celebrate the day Alice decides to dump him.
He hears a sigh to his right and finds Rosalie wiping her forehead in relief, "Remind me to never offer Alice's help hosting a party."
"I hope she never hosts a party for both our sakes," he tells her looking frazzled. "I am gonna go to my place and change. I think you should, too," he continues.
Rosalie looks offended as she asks, "Is this your way of telling me that I don't look good or that I smell."
"This is me telling you that you will regret it if you don't look your best when you meet her," Edward replies.
Rosalie throws her hand in frustration, "What is up with her. First Alice and now you. It's like you hero-worship the woman or something. Alice, I understand. She is the best friend who finally returned after years. For her at this point, she is a fable. You, on the other hand, I don't understand."
Then it's like a light bulb moment happens and realization dawns on her, "Oh. My. God. You like her," she exclaims and the look on Edward's face is all she needs to continue. "I knew something was up during dinner. You were uncharacteristically alert during dinner."
Edward waits for her to calm down before he tells her what she doesn't know, "Renee Swan."
Rosalie looks bewildered at the change of subject as she answers, "She is dead," not sure why he was asking her about her favorite model.
"Bella is her daughter."
Rosalie stutters for a minute before she says, "You are lying."
"I am not," Edward replies, hiding his smirk. He loves Rosalie, but she is one of those people that always has her shit together and he is having too much fun watching her in this state.
Rosalie shifts from shock to a look of pure malice as she mutters to herself, "That little bitch. She set me up. She wants to embarrass me. That is why she asked for my help. I am going to kick her ass."
"You will do no such thing," Edward replies sternly, getting in her way and stopping her.
Rosalie turns her glare on him, "But she did this to embarrass me."
"And you should have known that something is up since Alice can't stand your guts," he replies gently. He was surprised by Alice's behavior, but not by much. She is sneaky by nature.
Rosalie opens her mouth to say something but Edward beats her to the punch, "Rosalie, you live on the floor above. I am pretty sure you can go and change your clothes and come back before she arrives. Fighting with her and arguing with me will be a waste of the time you need."
Rosalie thinks of his words for a second and nods her head before she turns around and makes a beeline for the front door.
Bella shies away from her reflection in the elevator as she knows what she will find. She is wearing a long-sleeved black dress that hits beneath her knees with feathers at the bottom that extend its length. Her hair is in a high ponytail with the ends curled and she has smoky eyes and red lips. She is looking curvier than she would prefer. She knows that she needs to lose weight. When she was living in Forks, she was too busy surviving to think of how she looked, and now that seems to have bitten her in the ass as she has been losing weight for the last year, and yet can't go back to how she was before. This is as good as she can make herself look within the time frame she was given. Looking at the reflection will only remind her of how she should look and she doesn't need a refresher as to why she is feeling like utter shit.
It's okay if you don't look good. You are more than just a body.
She takes deep breaths to calm her anxiety. Alice didn't tell her who was attending the party aside from her boyfriend's family. For all she knows, Alice turned this into a high school reunion in which everyone speaks of their fabulous lives when she has achieved nothing but becoming white trash.
A statistic.
She hates this. She hates what she has been made to become. While everyone did something, she spent the past years wasting away and now she has to start from the ground up with the stigma of being a single mum stamped on her back. Everyone from her high school will have a field day. Maybe Alice is having a field day and only wants her around to feel better about herself. It's not a stretch of the imagination. She has the perfect life. She has a doting boyfriend, a stable career, and a dream she is working toward. What does Bella have? A boatload of trauma, the responsibility of two kids, and trying to revive a career she was good at when she was sixteen.
All she needs to do is think of Bella when she feels like shit. That is all the reminder she needs in order to be grateful.
She shakes her head to rid it of such thoughts. This is not the time to wallow in self-pity and shame. She needs to think positively. She has two healthy boys. She is free. Sure her money is tied up in properties she can't sell for the time being, but she has Phil. Worst case scenario, she asks Phil for help. She will do something with her life. She will. She managed to gain freedom.
She can do anything.
She raises her head to meet herself in the reflection and finds a determined woman gazing back at her. She smirks to herself and rolls back her shoulders, just in time for the elevator to reach its destination and opens its door.
She steps out of the elevator, her heels echoing faintly and her senses get flooded by the beating music coming from the apartment at the end of the corridor. She strides to the door and opens it with confidence that can only be faked then steps into the apartment. The loud music and chatter of people greet her as she stands in the doorway. She scans the room looking for Alice which is an impossible task as because of how short Alice is, it's impossible to find her in the throngs of people.
Finally, she spots Edward and decides that that is a good place to start. She is stopped by a guy who puts his hand in front of her and tells her something about her pretty face. She shoves his hand away before she walks towards Edward without giving him a second glance. She hears him mutter something about her, but she doesn't pay him any thoughts. He isn't even threatening enough to be on her radar. Men like him are like annoying flies at worst.
She waves at Edward from a distance who looks surprised by her waving at him. "Hello, how are you doing?" she greets him once she is only a couple of inches away from him.
"I'm doing well. Are you enjoying the party?" Edward asks. He knows that she just arrived because he saw her enter and walk towards him with the Red Sea parting around her, but he doesn't want to come off as stalkerish or pathetic.
Oh hey, Bella I am doing well. I actually knew that you arrived from the moment you stepped through the door because I got a feeling in my gut. Crazy huh?
He isn't fucking this up by coming on too strong.
"I just arrived actually," she tells him. It is as if she disassociated from the entire interaction. She can feel her face lifting into a smile and her shoulders rolling back to give off this relaxed vibe. She is anything but relaxed. Being near Edward makes her relaxed which in turn puts her on edge somehow.
That is how you make sure you are not being wooed.
"No wonder I haven't seen you till now. Are you looking for Alice?"
"Am I that transparent?" she asks, breaking into a nervous giggle as she wrings her hands behind her back.
"No, I am just good at reading people," he tells her shrugging.
"Ohh," she lets out, looking lost in thought for a bit.
You took the wheel in this visit and he is already reading us like an open book.
Can you do better than what I am doing?
Then suddenly Edward leans forward until he is within whispering distance and tells her, "Also I used common sense. Of course, you would want to find the hostess." His hot breath lands below her ear and tickles her senses into submission.
She laughs, sounding more nervous and feels the ends of her nerves light up as she asks him, "Where can I find her?"
He drains the champagne flute in his hand and leads her towards one of the rooms at the back of the apartment with his hand behind her back but never touching it. She fights her body as it seems to have a mind of its own and wants to lean back into him. Once they reach the room, she thanks him and he nods his head in return before leaving her standing behind a closed door.
"Lucy, you've got some explaining to do."
Alice, who was staring out of one of the windows and smoking a cigarette, spins around and exclaims, "Thank God, you are here. When did I invite so many people?"
"You tell me," Bella replies as she walks toward Alice who offers her a cigarette once they have hugged and she is standing beside her, "No thanks."
They both stare out of the window, each one deep in thought with Bella taking those moments to calm her nerves and remind herself of what she told Phil the other day.
He isn't interested in me and if he is I am not going to date him because I like my freedom.
"So, what are you doing here when you have guests outside?" Bella asks, turning to Alice.
"I got overstimulated in there and needed a break," Alice tells her puffing out smoke.
Bella nods her head in understanding and rubs her back then asks her while smiling softly, "Are you feeling better now?"
"Kind of," Alice mutters, pausing to light a new cigarette. "It's too loud and crowded there. I will probably keep doing this throughout the night."
"Let's hope Carlisle doesn't catch you then. He thinks you quit smoking," a voice says from the doorway.
Bella turns around and finds a bombshell blonde closing the door and walking toward them.
"Oh, shut up, Rose," Alice mutters without glancing behind her back.
"I am Rosalie Hale, Emmett's fiancée who is Jasper's brother," Rosalie states, shaking Bella's hand.
"Bella Swan, her friend," Bella replies, nodding her head to Alice at the end of her statement.
"Ohh, I know. Alice told me a bit about you," Rosalie replies, smiling sweetly at her and pushing a strand of hair nervously behind her ear.
"Oh, shut up, Rose. I told you nothing about her. I told the family about you, Bella, at the dinner table," Alice replies, rolling her eyes at Rosalie and directing the last sentence at Bella. In high school and middle school days, that was their code for the other to ignore whichever person those words were about.
The old Bella would have followed her instructions no questions asked, but the old Bella isn't here and the new one isn't about to let anyone dictate what she does anymore. "Nice meeting you, Rose."
Alice huffs before saying, "What do you want, Rosalie?"
Rosalie ignores Alice's tone and replies, "Almost everyone has arrived."
"By almost everyone you mean?" Alice asks, pausing at the end in a questioning tone.
"Everyone but Jasper," Rosalie confirms. Alice tries to hide the disappointed look on her face but it doesn't escape Bella.
It seems that nobody has given him the if you harm her I will kill you speech and now it falls on Bella's shoulders to do so.
Hello lovely people,
Happy New Year!
I hope you guys had a great holiday and new year's eve. I rang the new year while editing this chapter for you, how did you ring yours?
This chapter was supposed to be updated earlier, but ultimately after editing, I decided to sleep on it and reread it with fresh eyes. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I know I loved writing it.
Leave me your thoughts in the review section. Your words tend to entice me to write more and update earlier.
Until then,
Stay Safe,