Chapter 19 Bonus Scene

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Chapter 19 Bonus Scene

Vincent stood ramrod straight and had so much anger and frustration coursing through his veins he was like a volcano waiting to erupt as he watched Edward and Isabella and the rest of their clan turn away from him like he was nothing.

Who the fuck did they think they were, he thought as his mind raced with thoughts on how to get back at them for even thinking about calling him out like that in front of his colleagues.

He took a step forward and had every intention of going after Edward but was stopped when he felt Brody grip his arm, hard.

"No you don't, Vince. This has gone on long enough; it's time for you to cut your losses and move the fuck on," Brody told him angrily.

He was so tired of all the bullshit between Vincent and Edward, and though he'd be a fool to say it out loud, he knew that most of it was because of Vincent. He wasn't a huge fan of Edward Cullen, but the man knew his shit. He ran Cullen Publishing with an eye always on the bigger picture and never once lost sight of the fact that his job as CEO was to run the company, not to see how many times he could screw over his competition.

Vincent turned and stared coldly at his right-hand man. "What the hell does that mean?" he demanded as he yanked his arm out of Brody's grasp.

"It means, Vince, that this dick measuring thing you've got going on with Cullen needs to come to a fucking stop. You are ruining the company with your incessant need to try get the best of him and not only that," Brody said hotly, "you're ruining mine and everyone else's reputations along with it. If you are hellbent on continuing this ridiculous game with Edward, count me the fuck out. I'm tired of it, Vincent," Brody said and took a deep breath. He knew he was quite possibly slitting his own throat, but he couldn't hold back any longer.

"If you want to go down that's one thing, but don't expect me to go down with you. And Cullen," he said as he narrowed his eyes at him,"won't stop until he ends you if you keep antagonizing him the way you did tonight. Go after him, man to man if you have to, but even for you, going after his wife was fucking low and not only that, it was suicide. I'm not married, but if I was, there is no way in hell I'd ever let anyone talk to my wife the way you did Isabella Cullen. I'm afraid you've just woken up the sleeping giant, my friend. Good luck with that, you're going to need it."

"So what, you're going to let Cullen get the best of you, too?" Vincent asked as he looked from Brody to Josh, Cameron, and Trent. "The three of you pussies, too?" he questioned incredulously when they all looked at him with the same look of disgust. "What the fuck ever," he said bitterly and waved them off. "Anna, let's get the hell out of here."

Anna had held her tongue, but only by biting down on it to the point she could taste blood. If she didn't have a choice but to leave with him, she wouldn't, but she had a few things of her own to take care of with Vincent. She stepped forward, without saying a word and without looking behind her either; somehow she had a feeling she wouldn't be seeing any of them anytime soon, if ever.

Vincent of course had kept the car and driver waiting for them, always needing to keep people at his beck and call and they both climbed into the backseat without saying a word. The air was tense between them and she felt her stomach twist in knots knowing what she was going to do and say once they'd returned to their apartment. She'd known it had been a long time coming and had made up her mind to finally put herself first after speaking with Edward, but watching Isabella had solidified her decision even more.

Anna was quite frankly in awe of Isabella. She was fierce, loyal, and obviously not easily intimidated. Anna had never admired another woman the way she did Isabella, but even she had to admit how amazing she was as she handed Vince's ass and his balls to him. Watching Isabella stand up for Edward, for their company, and family and friends was an incredible thing to witness and gave Anna the push she needed to do what she should have done a long damn time ago.

Edward had given her a second chance by forgiving her; there was no way in hell she was letting it go to waste.

They arrived back at their apartment and Vince didn't even try talking to her nor apologize for the way he'd talked to her, not that she really expected it anyway. As soon as he opened the front door, she strode without looking behind her to their bedroom and pulled a suitcase from the closet and threw it on the bed. She heard Vince walk to the wet bar in the living room and pull what she assumed was a bottle of vodka from the small freezer but paid little attention to the muttering she heard him spew.

A few minutes later when she'd walked out of the bathroom carrying her toiletries, she looked up and saw him walk into the room. His bow tie hung limply from around his neck, he'd taken his jacket off, and frankly he looked like shit.

"What the hell?" he asked stupidly when he spied the suitcase on the bed.

"I'm leaving, Vince," she said simply.

He looked from the bed to her and then repeated the motion several times before blurting out, "But I thought we were gonna fuck?"

Anna snorted at him and then rolled her eyes. She threw the bottles she'd taken from the bathroom on the bed and then turned to look at him. "You're out of your fucking mind if you think I'm letting you lay your hands on me again."

He smirked at her and then shook his head. "Babe, are you still pissed about what happened earlier? You know I didn't mean anything; that was just because Edward-" he started again but she cut him off abruptly.

"Shut the hell up, Vince. This has nothing to do with Edward and everything to do with you," she told him levelly.

"Me? What the fuck did I do? If Cullen wasn't such a cocksucker," he began to rant again and she'd had enough.

"You know for as long as we've known each other you have blamed every bad thing that has ever happened to you on Edward and that's just fucking pathetic. Try looking in a mirror sometime, Vincent. You have no one to blame but yourself for the mess you've made of things and it's about damn time for you to realize that," she told him as she began throwing more clothes into the suitcase.

Vincent sneered at her, trying to figure out how to get her into bed instead of thinking about what she'd said to him. He knew she was pissed, but he didn't believe for one second she'd leave him.

"Yeah? What the hell do you know about anything that has been going on anyway? All you do is shop, go to the spa, and gossip with your girlfriends about who has had work done to their tits or asses and what you want to get done next. I haven't seen you complain about anything up until now, Anna," he said nastily.

Anna wanted to disagree with him, but she knew she couldn't. She had done all of those things, but no more.

"You're right. I have done that, but I'm done, Vince. I'm not letting you walk all over me anymore because I'm too afraid to be by myself. I deserve better than that," she said and then realized instantly how good it felt to say that and really mean it.

Watching Isabella and Edward all night as they stood side by side really drove home how much she was missing from her life. Then to watch them both face Vincent, together, was really the icing on the cake. Edward wasn't one to be underestimated, but neither was Isabella. They were a true team, one that respected the other, and she wanted that for herself.

She deserved it.

Up until she and Edward spoke, Anna never believed that, but she did now, thanks to him and to Isabella.

Isabella could have been a jealous bitch, and Anna knew she would have deserved it, but she hadn't. She'd been nothing but gracious, if a little cold at first, but only because Anna had tried to intimidate her because that was what she did. Instead, Isabella treated her fairly and with respect, even though she probably didn't deserve it.

"Where the hell are you going to go?" Vincent questioned, still not believing for one second she was leaving.

"I don't know, but anywhere is better than here with you," she said succinctly as she closed the suitcase.

There wasn't anything left she couldn't live without or buy again and she turned to Vincent to say the last thing she needed to tell him before she left to start a new chapter of her life.

"I'm sure you won't be alone for long, just give Bianca a call. I'm sure she's not busy," she said slyly and then smirked when he quickly swallowed and his eyes darted nervously around the room.

He opened his mouth to deny what she said but Anna held up her hand. "Save it, I don't care anyway. I'm done with you so what you do from now on doesn't matter to me. But," she said as she picked up her purse and suitcase off the bed and then walked to the doorway. She turned and finished her thought, "never forget who I am, Vincent, or who my family is. Stay away from Edward and Isabella. My family is very powerful and if there is anything left after Edward gets through with you if you keep going after him, I'll finish the job."

With that, she turned and walked out, not looking back.

Edward and Isabella gave her a second chance to find out who she was; she was damn sure going to take advantage of that.

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