Innocent Heart

Chapter Two - The First Encounter

Bella Swan

After I boarded the private jet it was a mere ten minutes before we took off. I had taken a seat as far back as I could possibly go in the cabin in a small effort to distance myself from the others on the plane. Sitting at the window seat I had watched the city lights below disappear beneath the clouds. I had no choice now the decision had been made and there was no way of escape. I just knew in my gut that nothing in my life would ever be the same again.

From the moment I had taken my seat I was waited on hand and foot in a manner I never could have possibly expected. Despite my objections Portia had insisted upon the following, that I be brought both a heated blanket and an orthopaedic pillow for my comfort, a glass of water with the ice crushed not cubed, a two course meal followed by a low calorie dessert. I didn't have anything resembling an apatite and hadn't all morning. But the smell of the food wafting through the cabin had my stomach making all manner of gurgles.

For my appetizer I had been served a lobster risotto with a grape martini. I had attempted to explain to the flight attendant that I was sixteen but she wilfully ignored me. At first I merely picked at the food before me and pushed it around on my plate. For all I knew it was poisoned and my last meal. Despite the threat I had tucked in and it just melted in my mouth. It was my first time trying both lobster and risotto and it was simply spectacular.

Then for my entree I had a crusted rack of lamb with creamy mashed potatoes with seasonable vegetables and a fresh mint dipping sauce. Just the sight of the dish before me was enough to make me drool and by the end I left nothing on the plate but the bone. My dessert was a slice of strawberry cheesecake which I just devoured.

I thanked the flight attendants who took away my plates and replaced them with a fresh glass of lemonade with a small bowl of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries with it. I had just taken a few sips of my drink with a few of the blueberries when Portia had joined me, taking a seat in the chair facing mine. She was carrying a large black leather binder in her hands which she opened up and flicked her way to the necessary page before finally looking my way.

"How was your meal, Miss Swan?"

I didn't know what to say to her, she was aware of my reason for being here, she knew it all and yet she insisted upon this polite small talk. Perhaps she did only mean well and if this was going to be my life I couldn't make an enemy of everyone working for the Cullen family. If I did then I would never truly know just how many knives were pointed at my back. No doubt Portia wasn't the only staff member on board who knew the situation, the two baud no neck men sitting at the front were probably guards of some sort, I wasn't sure I wanted to know their reasoning for being here on board.

"Fine, thank you" I replied

"Of course" Portia's eyes drifted down to the page "Now, Miss Swan you'll be glad to hear we were able to set up a few things for your arrival. After your meeting with Mr Cullen you will be escorted to your father's house-"

"Escorted?"

Portia's eyes lifted from the page finding mine once again.

"It's merely a security measure put in place for your protection. You will have two of the family's security detail with you at all times"

"I have no enemies" I explained

Portia merely cleared her throat and continued reading "After seeing your father you will meet with your own staff, your stylist, your security, your driver and of course your own assistant. After that you will spend the next few hours undergoing all the necessary-"

Through her eyelash extensions I watched Portia's eyes drifted over to my clothes before returning to the page, causing me to look down at what I had chosen that morning to. I'll admit it wasn't my best pair of jeans and I could have tried a little harder with my choice of tops but this seemingly lumpy white jumper happen to be one of my favourites, besides I didn't want to make myself up like a gift to go under the tree. That wasn't my style and if I had to I would make that very clear to this infamous Mr Edward Cullen.

"All the necessary adjustments, then you'll have your first dinner with the Cullen family. Of course we've prepared a suite for you in the Cullen's house, it will hopefully be completed for your arrival tonight, there was a bit of a mix up which we had to correct"

"What kind of a mix up?"

Portia didn't lift her eyes off the page and it scared me. I swallowed hard and repeated the question once again.

"What kind of a mix up?"

Finally her eyes met mine and she swept her bangs to the side before finally summoning up the answer for me.

"Mr Cullen wasn't happy with his father's arrangement to have your suite across from his own."

"Oh"

I didn't know how to respond to that but I believed Portia was in her own small way attempting to make matters clear to me about what exactly I should anticipate from my new life as the fiancée of Edward Cullen.

"So where exactly is my room?"

"It's been moved to the other side of the residence, Miss Swan"

Portia left me soon after to see to a couple of things while I made use of the amenities around me to distract myself and stop me from over analyzing. I reached up for the small light above my seat and switched it off before sliding down the window shield too. I adjusted the small TV screen to face in my direction, using the Netflix account set up I selected the first black and white movie I came across before making myself comfortable in the seat. Pulling the blanket up around my shoulders and putting on the headset.

I couldn't keep up with all of this and I thought I had mentally prepared for all possible outcomes but this was the stuff of novels. My fiancée to be didn't want anything to do with me and to make up for that his family was lavishing me in the type of comforts most girls dream of. This life was suited for a girl who spent her life preparing to be the wife of a mobster but I wasn't this girl, I was the furthest possible thing from what Edward Cullen had probably spent his life imagining.

If Edward Cullen wanted nothing to do with me then that suited me just fine, I'd keep my head down, finish high school and find another way to get Charlie out of this mountain of debt.

But if Edward Cullen believed I would spend the rest of my life as his wife, he was in for a very rude awakening.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew Portia was at my side with a gentle shake to my shoulder. I looked around the cabin and found we were alone, Portia had a new heavier coat on then before and she was wearing large sunglasses. I had reached across to the window shield and lifted it up, it was night, and the plane was now in an airplane hanger. I had missed the crew unloading the plane and everyone de-boarding leaving only the Cullen staff and myself.

Outside there was a brand new black Rolls Royce Phantom, freshly waxed and polished under the light of the hanger. There were also two black SUVs, each car featuring black tinted windows making it impossible to see inside, the whole sight before me screamed one thing and one thing only.

Money.

There were drivers posted outside each car, across the hanger there were men watching guard, each of them wearing the same tailored fitted black suit and shirt with ear pieces. I wanted to shake my head at them all for this unnecessary charade, I'm sure they'd all be doing more meaningful things with their time then babysitting me. Never the less I kept my mouth shut and my eyes down as Portia escorted me to the backseat of the Rolls Royce leaving me alone for the first time.

I watched her walk around to the following SUV and then as the others climbed into the SUV in front.

I didn't even know if my luggage had been taken off the plane or not. All I had now was the clothes on my back, no phone, no passport and not an ounce of hope for what was to become of my life now that I was to come face to face with Edward Cullen for the very first time.

The driver put up the partition between us after starting the engine and I took a look around to find I had once again been micro managed. The heated seats were on along with the massage function, there was a heavy set blanket to my right, along with a fully stocked drinks tray with a filled ice bucket and an assortment of nuts and fruits. Was this the life I was to expect? To be waited on hand and foot for the rest of my life? Was this the level of care and service that Edward Cullen had grown as custom to?

No I couldn't live like this for the rest of my life, I was already going insane after a simple plane ride.

We drove out of the hanger and out of the private airstrip, I made use of the blanket tucking it around my legs and turning up the heat along with the light above my head. I wanted to call my mom just to hear her voice and let her know I was here, she'd want to hear about all of my plans for life in Forks and I wouldn't even know where to begin. All I wanted right now was to go to sleep in my own bed, to smell my own sheets and hug my pillows.

The longer I was in the car the more I began to over think and fuss, I brushed my fingers through my hair and kept checking my reflection in the mirror to no avail.

Something deep inside told me no effort served would be enough to satisfy the infamous Edward Cullen. His standards of a woman were probably beyond my imagining.

The driver announced our arrival before bringing the car to a gentle stop, I glanced outside the window beside me to find we were at a cemetery. Before I could even venture a thought Portia opened the door to guide me out but I refused to take her offered hand and instead assisted myself.

"Where are we?"

"He's waiting for you inside"

"Who is?"

"Mr Cullen"

I looked Portia's way then and then around at the other staff staring blankly ahead refusing to look me in the eye and deal with my obvious fear. This was my life now? How could they refuse to even look at me?

"He doesn't like to be kept waiting, Miss Swan" Portia explained

I didn't want to stick around and find out what would happen to me if I refused to move from the spot, the men from the plane and those who joined us in the hanger had to be at least six foot ten maybe even twelve. Some of them were tattooed, some around their eyes and others just their hands, but their tattoos were all very distinctive, not your typical symbols of hope or cartoon characters.

I stepped forward finally towards the large iron fence that lined the cemetery, pushing on the large entry gates that were stiff and heavy. I looked over my shoulder to find no one was following me and it became clear, Edward Cullen wanted to see me alone. My stomach flipped at the idea of being alone with him, I'd heard nothing but horror stories about him, of his dominant attitude and violence. He sounded the furthest thing from what I'd pictured for my future husband.

Making my way through the mist filled cemetery I hugged myself in an effort to keep warm and keep my fear subdued long enough to get through this meeting. Finally after walking the path for maybe ten minutes I noticed a dark figure in the distance, he had his back to me and he appeared even taller then I had anticipated. For a moment I stood on the spot hoping he would sense my presence and make his way towards me, I didn't want to come off the path and be closer to the graves than necessary.

He didn't move but something deep inside told me he knew I was there.

So I said goodbye to my favourite pair of converse shoes and surrendered them to the wet grass keeping as far as I possibly could from the gravestones as I edged closer to who I hoped was in fact Edward Cullen. The closer I got the more I could make him out, he was wearing a tailored fitted suit jacket and matching black trouser bottoms, both freshly pressed, his shoes although with a hint of wet smeared grass appeared new and of course mirror polished.

His hair was dark but his skin was white as marble, of course all I could make out in this darkness was the back of his neck and ears.

There was no denying I was here now, he was simply refusing to look my way as I stopped behind him dead. The hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge as my stomach flipped and my eyes threaten to spill tears at the sight before Edward Cullen. There it was, a freshly dug grave, with an open casket inside of it.

He stood before it with his hands tucked into the trouser pocket of his black suit just staring down into it.

"You must be Miss Swan"

His voice was soft almost velvety with a hint of an accent stretched beyond American. Hearing his voice had only made my heart beat all the faster than it had before.

"Answer me"

Yes, this was indeed Edward Cullen.

"I am" I answered my voice very horsed.

I cleared my throat then which made him tense around his shoulders, I watched him move his neck to the side making a cracking sound that sent shivers down my spine. He quickly returned to his natural state, his back remaining to me as he refused to turn and look me in the eye.

"Do you love your father Miss Swan?"

My breath caught in my chest and I understood he was threatening me, he was setting the bar for our first encounter and making his intension clear. If I didn't play ball then Charlie was going to be the one suffering the consequences of my actions or inactions.

"Very much"

Why did I want him to turn around and look at me so much? Would his threats be anymore compelling with a little eye contact?

"I have no intension of marrying a stupid girl"

"You don't know a thing about me"

"And already I'm deeply unimpressed"

How could I let him make me feel so small and so quickly? This man was to be my husband and already he seemed to despise me. I wasn't here to impress him or to gain his love, I was here for Charlie and to do everything it took to keep him out of danger and clear his debt. I had to remain focused, keeping my attention on what mattered and what did not.

"I am my father's eldest son and heir to my family's fortune. Do you have any idea what that means, Miss Swan?"

"No"

"No of course you don't. You are not suited for this life, to be the wife of a mobster, you have neither the skill or experience that I seek in a wife. My father is a man of actions and consequences while yours is that of a failure who sold his own daughter like a common-"

"Is that why you refuse to look at me?"

I watched Edward Cullen stiffen and tense to the sound of my voice as I cut him off and stopped him from completing his sentence. If this was to be my life, if this was to indeed be my very own sentence then he was not going to learn Charlie's actions were his own and I was no prize to him and not a puppet for him to amuse him.

"If you don't want to marry me then you'll have to walk away from your fortune or you'll have to kill me"

With that Edward Cullen began to laugh. The sound of it shook what little confidence I had left within me. He knew it frightened me, no normal human would laugh like that, it was that of a sadistic blood stained clown.

I took a step away as his laughter came to an end and began to look around for the closest possible exit, I didn't know how fast he could run I just had to pray I could run that little bit faster than him.

"Already you've forgotten who you're talking to"

I took a step back again as he finally turned around to face me. Our eyes locked, his were almost as dark as mine in the moonlight, his skin truly was white as marble, his features however were perfect, his nose straight, his lips full and pink and his jaw line was as sharp as his suit.

He stepped towards me almost immediately towering over me and invading my space until our foreheads almost touched. I held my breath from that second but I could smell whatever he was wearing, it was warm and very similar to sandalwood.

"Are you going to make me remind you of your place so soon, Miss Swan?"

His forehead met mine and I let out a small gasp from the sudden contact which did not escape his notice, an arrogant smirk crossing his full male lips hinting slightly to the seemingly pearly white teeth behind them.

"Am I going to have to put you over my knee?" He whispered into my ear

My eyes rolled back into my head and I shut them immediately feeling his cold cheek brushing against mine, now he knew how hot my skin had become and it was mortifying.

"Tell me, Miss Swan and tell me now"

His hand cupped my cheek as his cold lips traced my cheek bone and up over my eyes as I prayed for the strength to confront him.

"Are you a virgin?"

I opened my eyes then and looked into the eyes of the devil before me who looked smug as ever, I wouldn't answer him it was none of his business. But my silence spoke volumes and I couldn't find the necessary words.

"How delightful"

Edward's hand reached around the back of my neck gripping it then.

"For me"

With one swift motion he pushed me forward and sent me crashing down into the open casket, I immediately began to hyperventilate from the shock, I turned and looked up seeing nothing but the night sky.

"EDWARD!"