His daughter had hugged that darn book to her chest since the woman with the glasses gave it to her at the restaurant. Edward suspected that Nessie may have even slept with it like a teddy bear. This bothered Edward to no end, and while she and Alice gushed over the message that Miss Swan had written to her, Edward wondered if Bella wasn't just trying to irritate him.

Alice took Nessie to the nearby coffee shop because they still had a few hours before they were to leave, and Edward had brought some work home and files with him that he wished to browse for the upcoming meeting tomorrow.

The book sat on Nessie's bed; she and Alice shared an adjoining room, and Edward resisted getting his hands on it. Whatever that woman wrote to her didn't matter—unless it was encouraging this nonsense further. He decided to leave well enough alone, pulled the thick file out of his briefcase, and set it on the desk. As he perused the background and client's family history, his mind kept beckoning him back to the book. He shook his head, as if to physically clear away the temptation. There was absolutely nothing in that book that was 1. His business. or 2. Should concern him. They were both adults. She understood Edward's request even if she didn't carry it out as he had intended. And of course, it bugged him that Miss Swan's friend delivered "her book" to his daughter as a birthday gift. Nessie didn't need any reminders of this woman; as if she wasn't already embedded in the now eight-year-olds mind and heart.

Bella Swan had been at the restaurant, and had chosen not to deliver it herself. How smart. Unless she just didn't want to upset him further…

Edward went back to his file, reading that the client had a brother and two sisters, and like him, he too was in his thirties. He was also born and raised in Portland. Mmmhmmm very interesting…

Try as he might, Edward could not stop thinking about Bella. If she didn't want to upset him, then why give his daughter the book? Because it was a birthday present, the voice in his head shot back. Her voice was as smooth as chocolate …

Besides, she hadn't expected to see them there. And she certainly didn't owe them anything.

Back to his file…Carl Samuels, an upstanding citizen, had worked for the Geek Squad, at one point, and was being accused of hacking his company's main frame and embezzling hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars from his job. Then Edward's mind took a detour… again.

Bella's satiny brown hair fell down her shoulders like a silk blanket. He didn't want to think about these details. Or the jasmine scent that curled around him like twine. Focus, Edward.

He returned his attention to Carl's personal info, but that woman's face—those brown eyes had cast a spell on him—an annoying one. He imagined that her face was on the back of that book…

He glanced at his watch; Nessie and Alice had only been gone a few minutes. Maybe he was getting into his daughter's business by looking at the book and Bella Swan's personal message, but it was his job as father to be aware of these things, wasn't it? Wasn't he supposed to be her protector? Before he realized that he was doing it, he was in the room, holding the book in his hands. The shiny black cover had the title etched in large white font with the words: BE One with Yourself.

What the hell did that even mean?

He flipped it over, finding the summary and below it, the color photo of her face—her creamy skin, the red of her lips, and the shiny brown of her hair.

He sighed, and opened the pages to find her writing on the title page with the message:

Sweet Girl,

We received the gift of your life on this day, and I am so grateful to have met you in person. Have a blessed birthday and remember to stay conscious. I will always remember you with a smile.

Your friend,

Bella Swan

Sweet Girl? Oh, it was possible she didn't know the spelling of his daughter's name. After all, Rose had made it up, saying that Renee was her favorite grandmother's name and Esme was Edward's favorite aunt.

Okay, so maybe she left a nice message. But, who knew what kind of harmful words lay in the body of this tome? It had a thick, hard cover, over 400 pages! Hardly suitable for someone his daughter's age.

He couldn't help himself. He skimmed the pages. More spiritual psychobabble. Fill up your cup. Do what makes you happy. Everything happens for a reason. Blah blah blah. He yawned. Then he remembered her voice again, telling Nessie they needed to help him find his voice! And what else? She'd encouraged his daughter to continue manifesting a new mother. She had no right! Then she'd had the nerve to deny it. NO, he couldn't be happy or appreciate her. He was sure she'd done more harm than good. He left the book on the bed, though he'd been tempted to throw it away, but the trash can would've been too good for it.

Now, what he needed to do was give Bella Swan a piece of his mind. To tell her what he really thought. To not by any means allow them to air this seminar with his or Nessie's face in it, because he'd be damned if they were going to be a part of encouraging this sort of thinking. And worst, she did not need to encourage young children. The law of attraction? What sort of nonsense was that? She might as well tell people that the tooth fairy and Santa Claus were real. No, this influential woman was not good, and he would not be a part of her agenda.

He returned to the book, found her website, and exhaling a breath, he located her email address, and then opened up his laptop. Yes, this was his specialty. He would give her a piece of his mind, the way that he hadn't been able to in person. And then this Bella Swan would have to comply with his wishes about being removed or face legal action.

Miss Swan, he typed, smiling to himself because she'd told him over and over to call her Bella. Like she was gifting him with that privilege.

Miss Swan:

I am hereby giving you notice to remove my daughter Renesmee and myself from your recorded session yesterday. Failure to do so will result in legal action. I expect your compliance in this matter, and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Edward Masen, Esq.

Take that! Though, he ended up not including what he wanted—it somehow detracted from his authority, and he couldn't fit in the nasty things he wanted to say to her. No, he didn't have to be petty. This was enough. He'd gone over it at least a dozen times. He wanted to say that things wouldn't have had to be this way, But she'd made the choice to make a fool of him—in front of his daughter, had practically turned her against him, had encouraged this use of the law of attraction…and so on…and so on…He hit send with a smile. Once she saw the firm's name at the top, she would surely comply. Bella Swan just hadn't realized who she was dealing with. Now, he could finally get back to work and enjoy the rest of the day.

Bella stared at the subject line, titled "Recorded session," noting that it was from none other than an Edward Masen. So, now she had a last name to go with it.

Smiling, she leaned her chin on her fist and breathed in the anticipation of it. She already imagined that he wanted her to remove them from the video.

Mr. Masen, Esq., ( she included this because she wanted him to know that, yes, it was impressive that he was a lawyer, but no, she was not impressed.)

I regret to inform you that the use of your tickets already gave us legal consent to use your images as well as any footage taken therein. As per the fine print, any refusal to comply needed to be arranged with the box office or by email prior to the seminar.

It was my pleasure having you and your daughter, and I hope you will bear no ill will in this matter.

Love and Light,

Bella Swan

She almost giggled, imagining his face reddening upon reading it. Did he really think she didn't have her own lawyers?

Edward nearly spit out his coffee the next morning as he read her words on his phone email. Sonofa…

"Renesmee!"

Her voice called down from upstairs.

"Come down here, please?"

She was brushing her hair and met her dad's eyes. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Where are the tickets? From the seminar?"

"Oh, I kept them for my scrapbook."

He inhaled a breath, trying not to lose his patience. Of course, he'd never actually looked at the tickets Jasper had printed out. Edward had been so consumed with work that he'd simply handed her the envelope as her birthday gift and not bothered to read the fine print. How could he have been so careless? Nessie had kept them this whole time…she knew!

"Can I see one, please?"

"Sure." She returned a minute later and handed him the ticket, which he flipped over, and to his dismay, found that what Miss Bella Swan had said was true.

Of all the sneaky, conniving…

"Is there something wrong?" Nessie asked.

"It's just that I didn't know we gave consent to be recorded. They usually have you sign something in advance."

"But it's there in black and white," she said.

"I can see that. But unfortunately this is the first time I'm seeing these tickets!"

She folded her hands and her gaze wandered upward. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"What's wrong, Daddy? I think it's amazing that we're going to be shown on her video."

Damn. Edward clenched his fists. His only consolation was that his clients and associates didn't typically watch the sort of content that this woman posted.

She had gotten him legally. Maybe he could appeal to her more sensitive nature, as a human, as someone who cared about people.

Dear Miss Swan,

It appears that Renesmee was in possession of the tickets and I hadn't had the opportunity to read the fine print for myself. So, I hope you will consider my request as a personal favor. Renesmee thinks the world of you, and I'm sure it's for a very good reason.

Sincerely,

Edward Cullen

His was among 120 other emails that morning, but as soon as she'd seen his, she clicked on it right away. This email demanded her attention, and she was helpless to deny it.

So, now he didn't attach the esquire to his name, and was trying to ask her for a favor. He'd already asked her for a favor and was not satisfied with the way she had carried it out, even though she'd been more than kind.

Her fingers couldn't wait to meet the keys:

Mr. Masen:

I understand your request and while I respect it and it is not my intent to upset you, removing you and your daughter from the seminar does not serve any purpose. It is to the world's benefit that you appeared on the show. Your concern for my teachings can help others. For this reason, the footage will remain as recorded.

Thank you so much for your understanding.

Love and light,

Bella Swan

Edward imagined steam shooting out of his ears as he took to the keyboard, impatient with responding from the tiny keys on his phone.

She was so annoying! And so stubborn. And what the hell purpose was she trying to accomplish in airing that interaction other than to embarrass him further? Nothing was resolved. Unless they'd been recorded backstage without their knowledge…

Miss Swan:

It is deeply disturbing to me that you choose to ignore my wishes, as all I'm trying to do is raise my daughter and do what's right for the both of us. If you, indeed, cared about people the way you preach, then you would do the right thing.

Sincerely,

Edward Masen

Dear Mr. Masen:

What we perceive as the right thing can be subjective. Watch my video entitled "Right vs Wrong" for more information. In this case, your synchronistic appearance at my seminar is for the greater good, and I am but it's ward. What you perceive as not good for you may be a valuable tool for others, and I proceed as I am guided.

I apologize if this is not the outcome you expected, but I am here to be of service, and also doing what I feel is the best, not only for myself but for thousands of viewers.

Sending you love and light,

Bella Swan

She smiled as she hit send. She could do this all day. Though, she wondered if this was the last of his "strongly worded" emails. She turned off her lamp, imagining those thick brows pulling together and giggled once more.

Edward actually growled. Did she really think he was going to run to YouTube to watch her video?

"What's wrong, Daddy?" Nessie asked as he read Bella Swan's email on his phone. She'd not finished her eggs, and irritation flooded Edward from his head to his toes. The nerve of this woman!

And it wasn't like he could say, "It's just that this annoying woman will not only not comply with my wishes, but she's trying to induct me into her cult following!"

"Nothing, Ness. Just a work thing."

Her gaze fell back to her plate. "Daddy, can we go on a cruise in June after I get out of school?"

"You mean this summer?"

"Yeah…it's just that I've always wanted to. .. and you're always so busy at work…"

Oh no. She was using guilt.. and it was working. She'd put it on her vision board. The Disney Cruise.

"Maybe. I have to see if I can get time off from work, okay, honey?"

Her hopeful expression faded and she poked at her eggs with her fork. Rose had loved cruises and she couldn't wait for the three of them to take one. In fact it had been in the plans the month for the month after her car accident.

"Let me see what I can figure out, okay?"

"Okay."

Alice entered the front door, and Nessie rose from her seat though she hadn't finished her breakfast.

"Hey, are you done?"

"Yeah."

When she was out of sight, he opened up his laptop, and replied to that woman's email.

Miss Swan:

You are the most stubborn, vile, and irritating woman I've ever had the displeasure of having contact with, and believe me, I've met some deplorable creatures. This will be my final email as I can't go the rest of my day without letting you know this.

Sincerely,

Edward Masen, Esq.

He hit send, closed his eyes, letting the juice of that insult soak in, and wished he could see her expression when she read it. This was it, he thought. It was true it was not a nice thing to do, and he was above this, but for some reason, he just saw red when it came to this woman.

It didn't matter what she thought or said. He never had to see her, talk to her, or email her ever again. Good riddance, he thought…until later he received her reply.

My dear Edward:

It makes my heart sad to know I've upset you this badly. I hope you will find forgiveness, (though I don't feel that it is I who should be asking) and that your life will be filled with as much love for yourself as you have for your daughter.

Sending so much love,

Bella

A/N: More to come, and thank you for reading and following, and I love hearing from you!