A/N: I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for not updating in a while. I still have this story in my mind, often. Writing is just difficult sometimes.
Hope you all can forgive me and happy holidays.
Chapter 11 - Broken deals
She couldn't bear this anymore...the anticipation, the unknown, the upcoming storm... It was too much. Her heart ached badly. It was dark outside and they were on a busy highway. She felt like she had no place to go. Tears fell again and she couldn't breathe even though she had stepped out of the car. How could this have happened to her?
She felt his presence close behind her. She may have understood then why Edward never watched them during sex...eye-contact made everything personal.
The anticipation was killing her and it was probably Edward's goal to make her suffer like this, still.
She jumped at an unexpected touch. He placed a warm coat - his coat, around her and covered her body with it. She didn't know why. He stood behind her but that didn't make things any less petrifying. They didn't have eye-contact. Eye-contact made things personal and intimate, however...now... why did this feel...intimate, even though they couldn't see each other?
"It's over," he said curtly. "The deal is off."
She felt like breaking apart, preferably alone. The hell she was living was too tormenting. Her breaths were hard, harder then they had ever been.
How did she become like this?
"It has to be off," she said brokenly.
"Are you finally catching your sanity again?"
What the hell?
"How cruel can you get?" she snapped weakly. "I told you my God damn favor. You told me you'll drive me home if I tell you my-"
He turned her around abruptly by her shoulder and watched her angrily. She gasped at the sudden harshness, the hard grip, the anger in his eyes and the fear she wasn't able to release.
"Get your facts straight," he said in an angry voice. "I'm talking about your deal."
"I don't underst-"
"Your deal, stupid girl. The one you made with your body. It's off."
She shook her head. She was starting to feel nauseous.
"I don't understand-" she tried weakly.
"All the fucking deals are off," he said very slowly, as if she was dumb. "Get back in the car."
Her body still shook, her breaths were still gasps and she was still waited for the next comment...the mean one, the hurtful one, the insulting one, the cruel one...
She didn't move. Previously, the falling rain had been a light downpour. Now, the water hitting Bella felt like a shower...an ice cold shower. Despite that, Edward didn't move either.
She did her hardest to think.
The first deal: he would listen to her, in exchange for sex.
The second deal: he would drive her home if she told him her favour.
"You don't believe me, do you?" he said, releasing her shoulders.
She knew this was not it. He could not have changed his mind.
"So what's it gonna take?" he said, crossing his arms.
"I don't understand," she repeated like a robot, looking down.
She had prepared herself for... a terrible night. How could he say that the deal was off now?
He took a deep breath.
"That's because you are stupid," he said.
Tears fell and she felt very light in her head.
Her feelings were real... and she was able to speak that truth to him, without any consequences.
"I'm scared," she said, looking up. "What do you want from me?"
He narrowed his eyes at her.
She truly hated James for what he'd done to her.
And in that moment, she hated Edward a little as well.
"To hurt me, again?" she continued. "To break me, again? To misguide me, again? To see me fall for your tricks, again?"
She sniffed her nose and glanced away, feeling herself get more and more lightheaded by the second.
"You do realize there was never a deal to begin with?" he said.
She shivered from the cold and swayed from another lightheadedness.
He spoke with such condense, without explaining anything to her.
"Stop this," she muttered, putting her hand on her head.
It was too much.
"You're the easily misled fool," he said.
See?
She was the fool, who kept being misled by the man with a thousand personalities.
Her knees went weak, her body felt numb and she realized that soon, she would collide with the wet soil.
Until Edward reached forward, and caught her before the fall.
"Let me go," she said, pushing against his chest in vain.
"You faint a lot," he said dryly, his grip on her waist getting tighter.
She knew if he didn't hold her, she'd crumble on the ground.
Despite it, she kept pulling hard, to free herself from the clutches of the man she should have never met.
"You look ridiculous in your attempts to pull free and you'll look even more ridiculous if I let you go and you fall in the mud on your naked ass."
"Just let me the fuck go!" she snapped uncontrollably.
"Your wish is my command," he said in mock.
Suddenly she was free and the pull she previously had suddenly had her slipping backwards until she indeed fell on the side of her body, her hand breaking the fall, but her face touching the hard ground as well.
Fucking ouch, she thought.
She crossed her arms, holding his coat tighter to her body. She was freezing.
When he didn't respond, she raised her eyes up to see what he was doing.
Staring at her, for the first time not as dark as before.
"Get in the car," he commanded in frustration. "Now."
"Deal is off...right?" she said in a small voice.
He waited before he replied, "It was never on."
"You were planning to fuck me all night and dump me like trash without any clothes on. If the deal is off... then let me go."
"Why do you still believe that?" he snapped. "I would never have fucking done that."
"The deal said-"
"All the time, you were telling me no, even if it wasn't with words. The deal was off from the start."
"You touched me-"
"I did a lot more last night. I fucked you last night till I had you screaming. It's no different from last night. Are you complaining about some touching-"
She felt disgusted, and violated, and humiliated.
Therefore she interrupted him.
"It is different from last night. You... You were different last night."
"You were different last night as well."
"I wanted you last night."
Briefly, he was quiet. "And I wanted you last night. You noticed, Bella, that I wasn't hard. Nothing about you turned me on tonight."
Her eyes snapped away quickly, remembering the moment she had looked for his phone.
"Even if I chose to continue," he said sharply, "only one word, one word, and I would have stopped. Deal, or no deal. I stopped when you asked me to give you a moment. You let me continue. You didn't stop me again. You pull all the strings. Obviously."
"I don't..." she muttered.
A cold wind blew through her coat and she shivered. It didn't help that she was soaking wet.
"I won't say it again: get in the car."
"What for?" she said in panic.
"I'm taking you back to your place, and the sooner I can, the sooner I can distance myself from you."
She inhaled sharply.
He walked back to his car stepped inside the driver's side.
For a moment, she watched in fear - thought he would drive and leave her behind. He didn't.
She quickly hurried to the passenger's side and wanted to step inside.
It didn't help her much that she was covered in wet mud and was drenching wet.
"Your car..." she said. "I'm-"
"Get in, now."
But apparently, Edward didn't care.
She sat silently and shook.
His eyes were on her face when she turned her head.
"What?" she muttered.
"You cut your face."
"Shove that love you have for me up your-"
He raised an eyebrow which made her divert her comment.
"Your caring personality sucks. You had me believing that there's a deal... even if the deal was terrible. But all this time, you're just toying with me, aren't you? And then you tell me that I pull all the strings? And now you care about if I have physical pain?"
He opened his mouth.
"If you had the chance, you would take that thumb screw and break all my fingers until I crack and tell you everything you want to hear," she continued angrily.
"Don't go placing ideas in my head, dear," he said, turning his eyes to the road and starting his car.
She shook her head.
"You wouldn't dare, jerk."
His lips parted and he grinned - quite menacingly.
"I see you still are able to smile cutely," she said mockingly.
"You do fucking dare, don't you, Bella?"
"It's not like you're gonna either fuck me or hurt me, huh?" she said. "Some part in your cold heart cares about me. Even if it's a fucked up way. Even if you play your... damn mind tricks and know it makes me suffer, you do care."
His eyes turned dark and she suddenly felt not so confident anymore.
"I'll show you how much you care," Edward said. "Watch."
She felt very tense the entire way as he drove way too fast. She thought of telling him to slow down, but was too scared.
In fact, she knew for sure he was driving so fast just to scare her.
A big lit-on red stop sign stared at her from a distance but all the time, all Edward did was give the car more and more speed.
"Edward," she said, as the car went from 60, 70, almost 80 miles per hour now.
She realized then and there, she wasn't wearing her seat belt.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she said in panic, reaching for her seat belt and pulling at it fast. "Please slow down."
And when she felt the click of her belt, she felt just a little more safe.
And he just flew past the red stop sign...
"What do you want from me?" she muttered in shock. "What do you want from me? What do you want from me?"
She repeated the question over and over.
"This is how much I care," Edward said as he took a turn in the streets familiar to her.
She was almost home.
She couldn't take much comfort in that.
In fact, she took no comfort.
Her life was ruled by James Coven.
"You will show up at work, every day. You will do everything you are said without hesitation or complaint. You will stay until your work is done. I will send you a renewed contract, to which you will send an e-mail back with agreed which will make the contract legally binding."
He looked at her briefly.
"And from now on, address me properly, Miss Swan," he said. "It will cost you salary if you don't."
At least she wasn't fired...
At least she could try to still abide by James' requests if she could still work for the CC.
Like a magnetic force she was reminded brutally she was actually still working for James.
And the consequences if she failed made her stomach turn.
Had she failed indeed? Her phone was dead... Did James know?
"Thanks for driving me home," she said weakly, tiredly.
"Come by my office, first thing in the morning. At 07.00 sharp."
She wondered what needed to be said at such an early hour, but she didn't dare to ask. Before she could even respond, he spoke again.
"Now get the hell out of my car."
She flinched and quickly retreated. Before she shut the door, she gently placed his jacket on the passengers seat.
As she grabbed her discarded clothes, Edward reached for his jacket.
"Cover yourself," he said curtly.
She stared at his jacket, even when he stared at her with furrowed eyebrows.
He threw his jacket on the seat when she didn't take it, but did add the bulletproof vest on top of his jacket.
"Thanks," she muttered, throwing his jacket back on and filling her arms with the vest and her other clothes.
As soon as she shut the door, his car fled off.
He didn't even look back once and she was left alone in the cold.
That's when she wondered...
Was James back in her apartment again?
Would he listen to her, as she tried to explain why she hadn't responded to his texts?
She was hesitant and scared to find the truth.
What if...?
She gently unlocked the door of her apartment and before she even had the chance to look inside, something else entirely happened.
Someone from behind her pushed her inside and she turned around with a pounding heart.
Whoever it was, it wasn't James.
It was someone much more frightening - a person with a mask. She could only see a pair of dark brown eyes and black clothes.
She hadn't slept.
Her body ached and she didn't know how much more she could bear.
Life wasn't supposed to be this hard, right?
And now she struggled with the deadline Edward had given her; to come by his office at 07.00.
Her life didn't feel like her own and already she felt the heavy weight of time moving too fast, of lies she wasn't supposed to keep choking her and of the CC's enemy.
She was walking in the cold, scared and alone, in the early morning.
She knew it wasn't safe; nothing was safe anymore.
Last night had been terrible and she could only remember bits and pieces. As soon as she remembered something, her mind tried to block it, almost as if her brain tried to save some sanity in Bella's life.
In fact, what others might call, perhaps she had been traumatized as she arrived at the CC, was brought to the top floor of the CC and found herself knocking on Edward Cullens office door.
And as she expected a come in so she could open the door, instead the door opened.
In a certain flash, a lady watched her in disgust as she walked out of Edward's office.
Bella barely noticed her and had little emotion for this encounter.
She stepped in and saw Edward with his back against her.
"Shut the door," he said.
Was he even talking to her? Did he know she was inside now? Or was he angry already because she didn't arrive 07.00 a.m. sharp?
She thought of leaving, but he was expecting her, wasn't he? As she had her hand on the doorknob to close it, she was standing face to face with Emmett.
He only watched her for a moment, and something changed in Emmett's behavior.
He closed the door instead, and Bella flinched when Emmett's fingers touched her cheek.
"I'll get to you in a minute, Bella," Emmett said to her with sharp eyes. "But first."
He turned towards Edward and when he stood behind him, turned him around and raised his fist.
"You never hit a woman," Emmett said as the punch he gave Edward broke something.
The impact had Edward falling backwards and he spat blood.
He brought his angry eyes to Emmett.
Bella was frozen in her spot, the violence reminding her of last night, with one of James' helpers - she never got his name.
"I'd like to see you fight back," Emmett said.
"With pleasure."
Edward stood up and Bella froze at the sight of blood on his face... his white blouse had drops on there as well.
Then Emmett raised his gun in Edward's direction.
"I'd like to see how you would survive a bullet," Emmett said.
Bella jumped between the two men and stood suddenly face to face with Emmett's gun.
Emmett stared at the small girl and raised his gun... above Bella's head, where he could still shoot his own brother.
"Don't!" Bella said. "Please, Emmett. Are you crazy? He needs a doctor."
"What the fuck happened last night?" Emmett asked.
"Why don't you ask Miss Swan what happened last night," Edward said.
Edward was turning Bella around by the shoulder and when he dropped his eyes to her cheek, he inhaled sharply.
"What the fuck?" he said, his eyes in clear shock.
The attention to her face reminded her of a moment of last night.
"Wasn't boss clear?" he asked curtly.
Just the sound of this stranger's voice frightened her.
"I just... I only now got back, and-"
She shrieked when her face was snapped sideways sharply.
The sound of a loud crack could not go unnoticed.
She felt a terrible sharp pain in her jaw and a throb in her cheek. She feared the worst as she felt hot liquid on her cheek.
"One reason, little brother," Emmett said. "To not kill you right now."
"I didn't do this," Edward said.
His brows were deeply furrowed as he held Bella's chin.
"I swear... I didn't break her jaw. What the fuck, Emmett?"
"I fell," Bella quickly lied.
She brought her eyes to Edward, but he was watching her in disbelief, so quickly brought them to Emmett.
"Last night, I slipped and fell."
Emmett didn't seem to believe her.
"I easily break bones, I think it's a medical condition," she lied. "Once I broke a bone in my foot from not even a few feet fall. And my wrist too."
"Did you go see a doctor for your jaw?" Emmett said.
Bella didn't answer to quick enough.
"I'll take her to the ER," Edward said.
"No Edward," Bella said at the same time she let out a groan and reached for her jaw as a sharp, cruel pain pierced her face.
"Don't talk," Emmett said.
Her fingers shook as she felt a continuous pain now...
"Don't address me so informally," Edward said.
"What the fuck, Edward?" Emmett began.
"She is my employee," Edward said in a hard tone. "Nothing more. And I'll take her to the ER."
That's when Edward... or should she from now one even address him as Mr Cullen in her mind too?
That's when Mr Cullen guided her to a hospital... one she knew to be prestigious, and private.
"I can't afford this," she said. "Even with all that money you gave me..."
"I'll pay for every cost you make in this hospital today, if you come with me and don't ask any questions."
She closed her eyes.
"Fine," she muttered. "Fine, Mr Cullen."
She was too tired to fight him, too scared to know what else to do, but she was alert enough to look at her phone as it buzzed.
She had received a new phone from the stranger last night... now the instructions were being sent to her again by James.
The text read: You have just made another mistake - get out while you still can.
She didn't understand...
She stood in patient's scrubs, in front of a big machine... The doctor had requested X-rays.
It began with her upper body. But she was confused when the doctor requested her arms and legs as well...
"Mr Cullen told us you are not to ask any questions or receive any," the radiologist explained.
She felt shock as she wondered why Mr Cullen had requested a full body X-ray.
And when the radiologist left, Mr Cullen came in, glancing at her only briefly.
She saw he had cleaned up his face, and that there was no more blood.
"I can read the images," he said.
She watched him carefully, feeling strange.
"Well," she said, looking at the big screens holding images of her bones.
She pointed at the one of her head.
"I can see some fractures there," she said. "I don't see the point of this full body X-ray request."
"Neither your wrist, or your feet show signs of an old fracture," he said, standing in front of her with his arms crossed.
"So-?" she began, but shut her mouth abruptly.
"I would laugh, if this was funny," Mr Cullen said. "You lied. In fact, none of your other bones show signs of old fractures. You don't fracture easily."
Did he have to be pre-med in the past?
Now she understood James' text...
She had royally messed up with her lie.
"How much?" Mr Cullen said.
"What?"
"How much should I write in a check for you to disappear and never return here?"
"You want me gone?"
"Yes. I see what's going on here."
"Then say it."
Mr Cullen pulled out his checkbook. "You're crazy and you broke your own jaw to have my career threatened. There are pictures of you and I online and one of those includes that fall you took on the ground."
Bella was quickly processing what he said with her tired mind.
"Of course this you already knew," Edward said.
But she didn't! She hadn't looked at the news. Last night she had been fighting for her life, and trying to maintain her sanity. She still wasn't sure sometimes what was right or left.
"That's why you broke your own jaw so you can have me arrested for violence or abuse."
He started writing in his checkbook.
"How much do you want, Miss Swan? How much is James offering you and how can I persuade you to take my money and leave?"
"You didn't respond to anything."
"Edward broke my phone, he was pissed at me, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "He's not stupid but I still work for him. I can still help James."
"You almost revealed our boss to Cullen."
"I swear he has no clue, I swear... Tomorrow I go to work and I'll do anything James says. Please give me another chance."
Her jaw hurt so bad. She yearned for pain medication due to a fractured jaw.
The reason it hurt so much now was probably because only recently all the adrenaline left her body...
"I want to work for the CC and earn money," she said. "Please don't fire me."
"Why? You lied to me and Emmett about having fractured your wrist and foot in the past."
She stared at him, and nothing else.
James had really picked his victim.
Bella felt completely useless. She was a failure.
"I want to work for you," is all she said.
He grinned evilly.
"Fine," he said slowly. "You can still work for me."
"Thank y-"
"You were late this morning. I expected you at seven. Don't bother showing up if you're ever late again, or need a sick day, or if you don't finish your job. I expect you at my office every morning at 07.00. You're my personal office cleaner."
She felt sick to her stomach suddenly.
The lady previously today... the one who had left his office as she entered.
"Why are you like this?" she said, tears already in her eyes.
"You have chosen James, for some reason. That I know for sure."
She froze and slowly started hyperventilating. She hoped he didn't hear her breaths.
"I don't know why," he continued. "But I really would adore to see you and James fall flat and go to prison, while I enjoying fucking ever woman I can get and have you clean up my office afterwards."
There was nothing she could say to make this less worse.
She was enslaved to James.
She was enslaved to Edward.
No.
Not Edward, but Mr Cullen.
She needed to remind herself he was only Mr Cullen.
And she didn't care about him at all and she didn't care what would happen to him or who he was fucking.
Who was she kidding?
It was killing her.