TW: Violence.


Dame Fortuna

Chapter 19: Coup


Wynona must really like Tanya. Especially since the latter was more or less useless to the war at this point. The intimidating––and more than moderately deranged––woman enjoyed bring her along to errands, especially within the strange twenty-acre plot of land she now called home.

The woman called it a family compound. It was…cruel, to say the least.

After being her pet for a few months, Tanya was able to slowly see just what it was that made this strange woman tick. Wynona was around Carlisle's age, she guessed, but while her drug business had been running for several generations now, Tanya had heard in passing that she'd only been officially inducted to Bluewave fifteen years ago.

That was still before Carlisle Cullen snapped. When he was still nothing short of the charismatic, cunning, charming head of the organization.

Wynona's was a family business. But what made Tanya curious was that Wynona had no living blood relatives left at all. She was her parents' only daughter––the only heir––and clearly, she had also actively chosen to let her bloodline end with her.

Tanya eventually had the courage to ask her about it, when they were on their way to another one of Wynona's home visits within the compound. Several meters away from their destination, she cleared her throat as they walked along the well-trimmed grass. "You seem to be fond of children."

Wynona kept her hands clasped behind her back. "What do you mean?"

"I…understand your edge now, Wynona," Tanya said slowly, not looking at her companion. "I get what the family compound is for. Your staff are mostly women, and as for the men, you prefer to take in those who have families. You keep the wives and children here. As…hostage, to make sure they do your bidding."

"Oh, I don't like that word," Wynona tutted. "Hostage. I prefer the term 'insurance'."

"Er, yes. I meant insurance."

Wynona swiveled her head to face her, gray eyes slightly narrowed. "How does this relate to your initial question? About my…so-called fondness for children?"

"You take great care for them, at least until they––serve no use to you," Tanya noted slowly. "There's a daycare here, even a small school. Several playgrounds. You schedule playdates and even home visits like this. I just feel those are extra unnecessary steps, if the idea is to merely keep them hos––as insurance."

"Hmm."

"Did you ever consider having your own?" Tanya finally asked.

At that, Wynona smiled widely. She also suddenly stopped walking. "Never."

Tanya instinctively halted her pace as well, turning around to face her companion. "Never?"

Wynona's eyes roved over Tanya's body several times, and for a split-second, the woman looked reluctant. After a few seconds, she sighed deeply. "I think we can skip the visit for now. I want to show you something."

Tanya sucked in a sharp breath when Wynona suddenly wrapped an arm tightly around hers, dragging her back to the direction from where they came. The two were silent throughout the rest of the walk. Eventually, the older woman led them to a path that Tanya had never been through before, that led to a large closed-off warehouse. There were several ominous 'keep out' signs along the barbed fence.

Wynona didn't even have to say anything before the armed guard immediately stumbled to open the gate as quickly as possible for the two.

She let go of Tanya's arm to open the warehouse door for her. It was only once she did that Tanya realized that the walls and windows were soundproof. Shivers ran down Tanya's spine once she heard the blood-curdling screams and wailing. From a woman, and her own––

"Oh, God," she cried, stepping away instinctively.

Wynona took her by the forearm to keep her in place, a strange reserved expression on her face. "Listen to it, love."

She couldn't help the tears anymore. "Let me go––"

"This is why I hate weaknesses," Wynona said in a low voice, which made it difficult to understand underneath the sound of the screams. "Why I'll never choose to have one of my own. It's just easier to take care of weak women and children when they feel their needs are being met. Some of their men even think they're better off here, than in the real world. And in return, they'll do everything to make me happy."

She finally shut the door, and Tanya released the breath she'd been holding when the sounds ceased. Wynona stepped forward to lift the girl by the chin to wipe the moistness away from her pale blue eyes.

"I will admit, children are easier to love when they're not my own," Wynona hummed, her voice gentle this time. "They're so adorably…helpless. Weak. Simple attention-seeking little brats. But because they're not my own, I feel absolutely no remorse when I have to end them once they're of no use to me anymore. Just as you said."

Tanya pulled herself away from Wynona's grasp. "That's cruel."

"Definitely," Wynona agreed. "That's the edge I have, little Tanya. Even the great Carlisle Cullen himself doesn't have that."

Tanya flinched at the sound of her husband's name. With her hands clasped behind her back, she instinctively reached for the golden band she still kept around her finger, hovering just above it.

"He's always been smarter than me," Wynona admitted. "God, that angelic face…I'm sure you know better than anyone else just how effortless it is for him to pull anyone in to do his bidding. Put that together with his cleverness and his experience––Well. That's the whole reason he was able to create something as great as Bluewave. How could I resist to be a part of it?

"But in the end, his fall from grace was disappointing. I realized he had the same pathetic weaknesses as the rest of these idiots have. His silly, junkie wife. And his pathetically loyal pup of a son."

Tanya's eyes widened at the words.

"I was genuinely hoping you'd be another," Wynona sighed. "Apparently not. But I do have hopes that the Cullens' favor for Fortuna will bring better fruit. Despite her warmongering nature, I still believe she'd be much easier to take down than the boys. Carlisle proved to me long ago that men always go mad for the loss of their women. It would ensure my victory."

Tanya's gaze fell. "Why?"

The older woman tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you doing this?" Tanya asked softly. "What do you hope to achieve?"

Wynona furrowed her brows, looking pensive for a moment. Finally, she said, "My bloodline ends with me."

Tanya released a shuddering breath.

"But I'm going to make damn sure I leave a legacy," Wynona announced firmly. "I deserve it more than anyone else, more than any pathetic man. And in my eyes, having the godforsaken underground to all to myself is the only suitable prize."


Tanya eventually found herself walking out of her assigned house at around midnight––way past the compound's curfew––only clad in her nightgown and a sheer robe. She wasn't even able to reach more than half a kilometer when she was roughly pulled to a stop by an armed guard patrolling the grounds.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man asked. "Go home."

Tanya had prepared for this. She looked up at him from under her lashes and untied the robe around her. "Sorry, officer. I was feeling…lonely."

Wynona was somewhat right. Men were all the same in certain aspects. After performing a quick favor for the man in the backseat, she shifted towards the passenger seat of the patrol car to be driven towards the destination she'd requested. The guard had raised a brow when she'd asked, but ultimately decided it couldn't possibly hurt. At least, for this one time.

"Ten minutes," the man reminded her before she stepped out of the vehicle. "Or your walking home."

Tanya cheekily blew a kiss before she shut the door. As soon as she turned around to face the building, her mask fell apart, and she now sported a sad, almost regretful expression.

The tiny church was deserted. But she didn't head inside. Instead, she walked along the path outside until she reached the back of the place. She'd only seen this area in passing and actively avoided it––after all, with all the sins she'd done ever since she was thirteen, she supposed God would be miffed if she ever stepped foot in the place. After what she'd seen and heard at the warehouse, however…

Her guess was correct. The lot behind the tiny establishment was much, much bigger than the actual church. And it was a cemetery.

Tanya kept her hands inside her robe pockets as she regarded the place. While it was dark, one streetlamp was conveniently available behind the dark metal fence surrounding the graveyard. It wasn't a typical cemetery either; while old plots were arranged neatly on the ground, it seemed as if even the large lot wasn't enough for the bodies that were constantly coming in. Several coffins were stacked neatly at the other end of the lot. And they were in varying sizes.

She sucked in a deep breath as she walked slowly towards the stack of smaller ones.

There were names on them. She guessed the ones at the bottom died first, so she read them starting from there. Timothy. Adriana. Pepper. Sylvia. Delilah. Peter.

She continued to walk around the graveyard, mentally taking note of every household name that had been destroyed by the woman she had now sided with.

Eventually, she was brought to her knees. And she wept.

Perhaps this is the only way he can finally see me. If I turn just as cruel as him.

Tanya didn't kill these kids. These people. She had no hand in it. She didn't even contribute at all yet to Wynona's cause. She––No one can blame her for this.

So why did she?

As she shook and closed her eyes, she suddenly felt…homesick. But she wasn't thinking about her now-empty luxury apartment at the other side of the country. No, home was the bright lights above a polished stage. Home was the pristine dressing room surrounded by mirrors. Home was dancing, being beautiful, being wanted.

And home was a pair of deep cerulean orbs who'd never truly gaze at her lovingly, the way she desperately wish they could.

God, she couldn't forgive him. She hated him, even. But despite everything––the years he had taken her for granted, and used her loyalty haphazardly as if she wasn't a living, breathing, human being––she realized he had always been her home.

At the very least, he definitely sees you now, Wynona had assured her.

After what she'd done, she definitely couldn't go back now. No other way but forward.

Right?

"Shit," she swore quietly to herself, finally touching the ring around her finger and rotating it. Three full revolutions. Counter-clockwise.


Carlisle practically never slept at all anymore, ever since the tragedy at his estate. When he couldn't help it, he'd make sure to have an alarm wake him up after every thirty minutes. Just in case.

It was no use, of course. He'd never admit it, and especially not to his son, but the worst of the tragedies wasn't even Alessia. Not because he cared too much about his new wife, but because he'd become stupidly complacent. He'd gotten so used to Tanya's loyalty that, ironically, aside from being able to use her as a card when he finally came home to Bluewave as planned, he'd also inadvertently built her up to be his very own weakness.

Stupid. He truly was getting old. Thank God Bella was around to bring him back to his senses. Their adventures recently had reminded him of just how important it was to continuously prove one's loyalty, and to always stay sharp. The nostalgia of how he'd begun Bluewave from the ground up…He finally remembered what his vision was. What he'd come so far to accomplish.

And yet…

He supposed he couldn't fully turn back time. He'd changed too, over the decades. Edward had noticed it, even his own wayward wife. He'd grown a bit of a conscience now. Turned…soft.

And worst of all, he'd also become a little bit hopeful. More than what he usually allowed himself to be. It was pathetic.

He'd almost given in and was already setting an alarm for the next thirty minutes when he heard it.

Ding.

Immediately, he sat up at his desk––he'd already been half-dozing off in the office chair––and leaned in to study the laptop screen that he practically never turned off anymore. And there it was.

The girl had betrayed him. He knew it, ever since Alessia had mentioned the intruders came in during the only window of the day his guards were turning over. Tanya was the only other person in the house who knew about that.

But like he said, he'd turned a little bit hopeful over the years. He just had to double check.

Before he settled into the new home he now temporarily shared with his son and his partner, he'd gone back to the estate. Just in case. And he'd ransacked every inch of the entire place with his team, looking for it. If she'd truly, fully turned on him––truly despised him––she must have left it behind. It was the only thing he had left on her, after all.

His pathetic hopefulness remained when he wasn't able to find it. Which was why he'd turned into the pitiful unsleeping idiot he was currently.

She'd kept the tracker turned off ever since he'd admitted to her soon after the wedding just what he truly meant by security when he'd given to her.

"Are you serious?"

"Don't keep it turned on at all times. Only in emergencies. To save the battery."

"But––why?"

"This is a war. When she decides to finally have the balls to make the first move, Wynona is sure to pick out weaknesses. Edward has Bella. I have you."

"I'm…a weakness?"

A pause. "In her eyes."

Carlisle narrowed his eyes at the screen. Banks wasn't lying, at least. Wynona had settled in a rural area in Oregon. While he finally had an exact location, there wasn't much to go on from the map. And he was absolutely sure there was no way they could just walk in there unscathed.

But it was definitely something. This was most likely where their final standoff will occur. It was more than enough information to hand to his legal team for his next move.

He swiftly stood up, fully awake now, and shut the laptop closed.

It was time.


When Edward opened his eyes, he was more than mildly surprised to find Bella already up, despite her coming home only earlier that morning.

She even looked…peaceful. She didn't look tired at all. She was clad in nothing but a lacy brassiere and thin panties, sitting on the desk at the other side of the room, drinking a cup of coffee while she scrolled through her phone. She didn't notice him stir awake yet.

The girl must be tired. After all, she'd been very busy the past months earning favors from the legal side of Bluewave. With his father, and recently on her own. And she'd never complained, not even once.

If anything, Bella even seemed as if she enjoyed it. After Rosalie…Perhaps finally being able to have control of herself was all the penance she needed. God, the woman never failed to surprise him.

Edward decided to visibly yawn, sitting up and pulling himself away from the sheets. Bella's warm brown eyes immediately darted towards him, and they were soft. Loving. Just as they always were.

"Morning, handsome."

"You could always sleep in, you know," he murmured, standing up stark naked and stepping forward until he was between her open legs.

Bella parted her lips and sighed softly when he finally leaned down to kiss her. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted.

Edward peppered kisses along the side of her neck until her collarbone. Bella was already grinding against him at this point. "What's on your mind?"

"Hmm," she moaned, smiling wickedly against his lips. "I already forgot. You're…very distracting."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he whispered back, finally pulling the fabric between her legs to the side and coming home.

Because that was what she was. Wherever they ended up, no matter how fucked up the world they lived in got, she was all he needed. He made out with her desperately and held a slender leg with one hand and her bottom with the other, as he thrusted in and out of her. Hoping to convey just how much he adored her.

She was beautiful like this, looking up at him from her long lashes with unhindered lust and love. She bit her lips as she shrugged off the straps of her brassiere, letting him enjoy the view of her breasts moving wildly as he fucked her on the desk.

Just…beautiful.

"Baby," she murmured later on, her face contorting to a familiar expression, the one he knew meant she was about to reach it––

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Edward."

Immediately, the two scrambled away from each other at the sound of the voice from the open bedroom door––which neither had even bothered to notice was wide open. Bella yelped and instinctively closed her legs and covered her chest, while Edward merely backed away slowly from the girl.

Carlisle stood outside, eyes now awkwardly fixed on the ground, looking both horrified and absolutely stunned. Bella had never seen the man this flabbergasted before. It was…mortifying.

After a few seconds of frozen, tense silence, the patriarch reached out quickly for the doorknob and shut the door loudly.

"Fuck you, Carlisle," Edward swore.

"You were awfully quiet and there's a fucking door for a reason!" the man yelled from the other side. "Once you're all––done, get dressed and head downstairs. I brought guests. God…fucking idiot."

Bella buried her face in her hands once she heard the receding footsteps. "Oh, shit. I feel like a fucking teenager. I am absolutely––I don't even know what I am right now."

To her surprise, Edward only looked mildly amused. He hesitated before stepping forward again until he was right in front of her. His lips were pursed, as if he was stifling his laughter.

"You're joking," Bella deadpanned when he gently opened her legs again for him. "You're fucking joking."

"He did say to come down once we're all done," he shrugged. "Only if you want to finish, of course. You looked pretty close."

Bella narrowed her eyes. "Fuck you, Edward," she whispered, before sighing and pulling her underwear to the side for him again.


Bella decided it was both good and bad idea to let them finish fucking before heading downstairs. Good, because once she recognized the figures scattered in the living room, she knew this was going to be a long morning. Bad, because clearly it wasn't only Carlisle who was aware of what had just occurred upstairs.

Colton Banks' stupid face was in permanent smirk when he regarded her. "I'm sure it was a very good morning for you, Fortuna. At least, I hope."

"What do you mean by that?" Carlisle casually asked from his seat by the minibar, taking a sip of brandy.

Immediately, Banks looked nervous. "I––Er, I only meant good morning."

Bella cleared her throat and decided to greet the most respectable looking man in the room. Atticus smiled at her kindly and stood up to shake her hand. "It's been a while, Miss Fortuna."

"Hope you're doing well, Atticus."

"We all hope that," he sighed, sitting back down in his seat.

To her mild surprise, her new acquaintance Zafrina was present too. And was seated in the same couch as Garrett. The woman seemed very uncomfortable about her current choice of company, while the latter seemed calmer and more reserved than usual.

Edward eventually led her to sit next to him on the remaining available lounge.

"What's all this about?" he finally asked, his calm sage green eyes scrutinizing the group his father had brought home.

Carlisle stood up eventually, walking over to the center of the room with a reluctant gaze. "It's time, Edward. To give the seat back."

Edward's eyes narrowed towards his father while Bella's darted to the floor. After all, this was why she was having trouble sleeping the past couple of days. She just had no idea when Carlisle was going to spring it.

Apparently, he'd chosen that day.

"Is this supposed to be a coup?" Edward said slowly, his eyes darting around the people around him. They eventually landed on his most loyal council member. "Atticus? You've really turned around on my father, I see."

"War is war," the man said gravely. "I did what you asked. I…chose to believe in Carlisle again. And so far––and respectfully, Edward––I believe he's the only one with the claws and guile to get us out of this mess and then some."

"Hmm." Edward turned to Colton, who was awkwardly fidgeting with his fingers. "And you?"

The man cleared his throat. "Same thoughts. We need a warhead against Wynona, not a diplomat. But respectfully, too, Ed. You know how much I love you, for still protecting me after…everything I've done."

Edward nodded, standing up slowly to his feet. He took his time in meeting his father at the center of the room, meeting him head on. There was a strange, thoughtful expression on his sharp features as he said slowly, "And what of the reasons you were overthrown in the first place? What's the status on that?"

Carlisle narrowed his eyes. To his son's surprise, he turned to Bella. "Well?"

Bella smiled sweetly up to her partner. "I'll vouch for him, Edward. With my life."

Cunning old man, Edward couldn't help but think to himself.

Once the stirrings of the war began, he had to make them take a long detour. He had to think on his feet and resourcefully put his father in crucial situations where he can prove himself to the council and the rest of Bluewave. In the end, they ended up at the same destination, and finally reached the same goal they'd set all those years ago in Westfield.

Carlisle Cullen's redemption. That was all this was ever for. All he'd ever wished for the man, before it was too late.

And Edward just couldn't help but break out a self-satisfied smirk. "Oh, Carlisle. Was it all worth it? Do you finally see it?"

His father's gaze was softer than he'd ever seen it. Kinder. "I always have. It's only clearer now."