Hi guys, so this is a birthday one-shot for my friend who's turning a year older now. She's really crazy and fun to be with and I swear I can never find a better friend to bitch with when it comes to anyone we hate in our schools. I love her so much and she's gotta tell me that this is the best birthday present ever or else she may never get any tickets to Justin Bieber's concert. Ever.

Anyways, if you, fellow reader (or maybe even the birthday girl) are reading this, leave me a review or something. I don't know. Oh, and the inspiration for this one-shot is my current favorite song by Nina Nesbitt called, "Mr. C". Fitting, huh?

Scarlett

I hated my job.

This was probably the worst day I'd ever had in my three years working here at Cullen Industries. Mike Newton made a move on me by whispering what he probably thought were really words that turned me on in my ear, Lauren Mallory "accidentally" poured coffee on my blouse because of my promotion two days ago and I really needed my salary to pay for my rent on my apartment because my moody asshole of a landlord needed to buy probably another bottle of vodka. Damned assholes.

I was walking to Crowley's, hoping to get drunk tonight. Tomorrow was Saturday, so I could get wasted however I liked. I would have enjoyed some company with me to talk trash about today's highlights, but I was fine with being alone. I loved being alone with my Mr. Darcy and Heathcliff. Of course, they only existed in books, but I didn't mind. You can stop reading books at whatever page you are at, but you can never stop a gloating person from talking about his "vineyard" in Italy even though it really is in his backyard at a house he lives in with his mother.

I entered the bar as the bell above me chimed, indicating that I just came in, as I scanned the place for Tyler Crowley, the owner of the place and usually, the bartender. When there was no sign of him, I groaned. It seemed that I couldn't get some shots on the house. I took my usual seat and rummaged through my pockets and bag for a spare change that I could use to buy a drink at least. When all I could find was a quarter, I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. What the hell did I do wrong to deserve such a torturous day like this? I prayed silently for at least someone to buy me a drink or something.

The bell above the entrance door jingled and my head snapped to that exact spot. A familiar man with a strange bronze tone to his hair and forest-green eyes caught my attention. He had sharp cheekbones that anyone could kill for, a straight nose of a Greek god and moist soft-looking lips. He wore a long-sleeved button-down shirt that told me that he just came out of the office, with his coat hanging at his arm and his charcoal grey tie loose around his collar. His matching grey pants and loafers completed the look, and what he wore looked like a fortune. I remembered seeing him before, I just didn't know when and where.

He looked around the area before stopping at my face. He frowned. He probably remembered seeing me somewhere too. He decided to take a seat beside me and placed his coat on the stool next to him. "An Aberfeldy 21, please." He said in a smooth velvety voice. The bartender that took Tyler's place for the night nodded and started fixing his drink.

"Hey, I really have not that much cash with me right now, so can you buy me a drink or something?" I asked, then added a flirty wink.

He broke into a crooked smile and took out an expensive leather wallet from his back pocket, a hundred-dollar bill appearing from it on standby. "Sure, beautiful. What would you like?"

Inwardly, I fist-pumped, screaming "yes" in my brain. "A champagne?" I requested, but it came out like a question.

The bartender placed a glass of single malt scotch in front of him and he quickly gave him my request. "Put it on my tab." He then said before the bartender could pour me a glass.

"So where have I seen you, beautiful?" The guy asked.

"How would I know?" I shrugged.

We were in an unsettling silence for a whole that I didn't really bother about since all I could really use was a drink. Inevitably, he introduced himself. "I'm Edward Cullen."

Edward Cullen... Edward Cullen? Where the hell did I hear that name before? "Bella Swan." I replied simply.

"Do you come here often?" He asked.

I shrugged again. "If there have been any dicks who've turned my day into a black hole, then yes. Uhm, how about you?" I tried. I really did try, but this really hot guy was really losing my interest fast.

"It's my first time here. I've heard about this place a couple of times, but never came here." He said. "So what's a beautiful lady like you here doing?"

Ah. Flirting. Not one of my fortes. "You haven't been listening to me, no?" I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly. My glass of champagne arrived and I took a sip of it.

"Have you ever been to France?" He asked out of the blue.

I shook my head. "Never. Why?"

He looked at me as if I grew two heads. "Never?" He repeated incredulously.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, not everyone has the money to go wherever they wanna go, okay?" I told him.

"Well, I've been there about seven times or something. I'm buying a house for my parents in the south of France. I went there to check it out and it was amazing. It had this old feeling and stained-glass windows along with big chandeliers. It's rumored to have been one of the kings of France's property, but after he died, none of his children wanted to claim it. I wonder why no one wanted to. I bought it at nine million Euros, but I swear, it's worth it. It also has some secret entrance inside, but I haven't seen it yet." He said.

"Wow, your parents must be really proud," I yawned. Oh, with all these information and the hundred-dollar bill he flaunted, he was probably thinking he was gonna get laid tonight. I laughed.

He looked at me. "What?"

I shook my head. "Oh no, nothing. Please, continue what you are saying." I challenged, but he didn't seem to hear the undertone of my sentence because he continued to boast about it. God, I think I needed another drink.

I called the bartender lazily as Edward continued rambling about the house in France. "Strawberry daiquiri." I muttered. The bartender went on to fix my drink and placed it in front of me. Whatever. I could order whatever I wanted since Mr. South of France here had a hundred-dollar bill.

Was Edward here really not noticing that this conversation was running dry or was he so absorbed in himself? God, what I wouldn't do for a switch to turn him off. I decided to look through my bag a little for some Xanax and my fingers felt my key card to enter my office building. The Cullen Industries office building. The president and CEO of the company was Edward Cullen. Oh shit.

I was having a drink with my boss's boss and he was thinking he was gonna get laid by me, one of his employees. Talk about indecency around your coworkers. Well, he wasn't my coworker though. My boss's boss was a super-hot self-absorbed asshole. Yep, as if I needed anymore assholes in my life right now.

Surprisingly, he stopped talking. I held my hand out at him as I got off the stool. "Do you wanna dance?" I asked, a hint of exasperation in my voice. I was trying my hardest not to be so harsh against him.

"You wanna dance with me? With that old piece of junk?" He pointed incredulously at the jukebox at the corner.

I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Sorry, I only dance when there's a wide space." He shook his head.

I pulled him by the wrist and he yelped in shock. I pulled him to the jukebox and started flipping through the selection of songs. He sighed, putting his hands on his hips. I finally found a song I recognized and played it.

I turned to look at him, but he wasn't going to dance. Edward kept shaking his head. "You know what, I'm going to get another drink." He said, walking off.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance and fisted my hands. This was what I got for trying my best to be nice? Asshole didn't even know how to be sensitive towards others. I quickly caught up to him and turned him around on his heel.

"You, Edward Cullen, must be blind. I am unnaturally kind to even try to be nice to you and you are not being appreciative. Just because you are rich doesn't mean you can win me like that, and that also doesn't mean you're getting laid tonight. You're so vain, I can't believe it. All you talk about is that goddamn house in France and whatever piece of shit you own. You are a dick. I'll give my letter of resignation to HR tomorrow. If the boss of the company I'm working at is an asshole, I don't think I'd even put up with him for a second. If you wanna cry about it because you can't accept that kind of answer, go ahead and cry to your mother. She'll dry those eyes for you, won't she? I never meant to hurt you. Sorry." I mockingly said, then picked up my bag. "By the way, you offered to pay for my drink. Don't ask me to give you back the money."

He didn't reply as he stood there in shock at my words.

My letter of resignation felt like it was burning through the envelope it was in. I held it as I slowly walked to the HR office. I wrote the letter last night before I went to bed and I really couldn't stop thinking about what I'd said to Edward. I had never thought of apologizing sincerely towards someone I had been so cynical to (which is about everyone I had seen), but this was my boss. I really couldn't afford to lose this job, but I had already made a huge mistake and now, it would take me weeks to find a new one, and in this business sector, it was hard.

I knocked twice on the door of the HR office before entering. Jessica Stanley, the head of HR, sat at her seat and looked up at me. "Bella, what can I do for you?"

"I... I'm resigning." I handed the envelope to her and she frowned.

"Hmm," she mused. "Mr. Cullen himself told me to get ready for your letter of resignation."

So he did take my resignation seriously. Damn.

"Bella, he also said that you shouldn't give it to me, but him." Jessica continued. She handed the envelope back to me and I gulped.

"To... To him?" I stuttered.

She nodded. "His office is at the forty-sixth floor. I'm sure you can find your way there."

I nodded and entered the elevator, shaking a little. My nerves were getting to me that the ride from the HR office at the 38th floor to Edward's office at the 46th floor felt like it took a complete hour to get there. The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Edward's assistants looked at me curiously and I approached them.

"Is Mr. Cullen free now?" I asked.

The old lady whom I presumed was his first assistant nodded. "He is. May I please ask why?"

"I, uh..." How the hell was I supposed to explain to her that I dissed her boss and now he was probably sending me here to send me to the pits of hell? "I'm Bella Swan."

"Ah." She nodded again, now in understanding. "Yes. He's been expecting you. You may enter his office now."

"Thank you." I told her and knocked twice on the office door that had his name plaque in black. I heard him say "come in" and I shakily turned the doorknob.

He stood at the ceiling-to-floor windows that showed a view of the next-door office buildings. His head snapped up and his facial expression was unreadable when he saw me. I gulped to moisten my dry throat and walked over to him. "Sir?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You were such a snark last night and now you're shy?"

I didn't know how to respond to that, but I readily handed him my letter of resignation.

He took it out of the envelope and read through it for a minute. Then, he laughed again. He walked over to his desk and placed my letter into the shredder. I watched as the whole piece of paper turned into useless strips of paper in disbelief.

"Wh... Why–how–wha–I don't understand–" I couldn't complete my sentences and as I tried to make something logical come out of my mouth, he watched me, amused.

"You are the first person who has ever rejected me, Bella. To even hear that whole speech come out of your mouth last night was stunning. No one dares to tell me off about my behavior and I guess I got comfortable with being vain, blind, a dick and an asshole, as you called me out on it last night." He started, and I flinched as he said the words I used to describe him. "I felt insulted at first and I was ready to chase after you and pick a fight, but after everything sunk in, I went home and reflected on myself. Apparently, all the things you said were right.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you when you were trying to be nice to me. I am not always a dick, but if you stick around a little longer, I won't be one. I swear. You have made quite an impression on me, and believe me, it's a really good impression. We may have known each other for only... since last night, but you are the most beautiful and feistiest lady I have ever met." He said, walking closer to me. I felt my heart thump in my ears and I wanted to walk farther from him, but my feet stood rooted to the ground. His hand reached out and his finger pushed a stray hair behind my ear. That little touch made my skin feel ticklish.

"If you just stay here, I think that I can make it all up to you and I will pay for all the drinks you want to drink for the rest of my life." His face was so close to mine, I could feel his breath on my face. It smelt like peppermint and almonds. "Please." He whispered.

"I... I'll...," I was lost for words and the intensity between us was on fire. I accidentally glanced up at him and his eyes caught mine— chocolate brown eyes with forest green ones. His orbs were like never-ending whirlpools that drew me to them.

"I'll stay." I finally said.

"Thank god," he muttered, his hands on both sides of my face as his lips met mine for the first time.