50 shades of 2nd chances (Complete)

Chapter 4

CHRISTIAN

Screaming is all I can hear as I jolt awake, sitting up quickly before I realise that screaming was coming from me. I dreamt she was dead, lying cold and limp on the footpath outside of GEH.
My heart pounds as I try to get my breathing under control, I look at the empty place beside me and sigh. If Anna were here, she would make it all go away with just one look.
I stand up and stretch my tight muscles and head to the bathroom to splash my face with cold water, it’s refreshing. I brush my teeth and dress for work, I make sure to wear Anna’s favorite grey tie.
***
A ping sounds and I look up to see an email from Welch titled “URGENT”, I open it up and find the financial records, daily planner  for Esclava.  I search through the financials and see nothing abnormal at first glance but then looking over the planner  and it doesn’t add up. Esclava seems to be making fair profit but far less than the appointments taken, something is amiss. I call Welch for answers,, I don’t have time for fucking around, I need to get Anna back and I have to have to sort Elena out first.
“Mr. Grey, I take it you have read the email?” he asks, more like drawls, in his southern accent.
“ Yes, but I don’t have time to sort through it all, I’m a busy man. Just summarize it for me.”  I demand and without another word, I end the call and draw my attention back to the contract before me.
A knock on my door interupts my concentration, “ what?” I bark impatiently, Andrea pokes her head hesitantly in the door “ Sir, Mr. Welch is here to see you sir, he says it’s urgent” she says politely,  not phased by my brutish manner. I nod and wave her off, as quick as she disappears, Welch slithers through the door. His clothes are all disheveled and he is mighty sweaty, he holds out his hand to shake mine but I wave him off. I’m not touching those sweaty baboon paws. I shudder at the thought as Welch makes himself comfortable in front of my desk. As he starts to speak, Andrea comes in with coffee and a plate of biscuits and places them in front of us on my desk before quickly darting back out to her desk quietly.
Welch takes a sip of his coffee and sits back comfortably. “ so what’s got you all riled up?” I ask gruffly, he’d better have something good.
“ Well, it seems Mrs. Lincoln has been tweaking the profit statements she sends to GEH each month for about the last 8 months.  Last month she managed to triple the income from the previous month, this intrigued me and so I dug deeper. She has been siphoning money from Esclava for some time, the amounts are sporadic but increase each month, first it was a low figure but over the last 3 months has increased immensely. She has bled Esclava virtually dry, the business is on the brink of bankruptcy.”
Anger builds within me and I struggle to rein back my temper as I respond “What?? How did no one pick this up before now? Where is the money going?”, Welch cringes slightly at my brash tone but I could care less, I need answers.
“It seems Mrs. Lincoln has started her own side business and using GEH money to make it happen.” His casual tone only pisses me off more, I glare at him to continue but he doesn’t. My patience is running really thin by now “ well…..” I bark, shocking him out if his casual demeanor. “ She’s t..teaching” he stammers nervously, his stutter only increasing my agitation over his short answers “ for fuck sake Welch, I don’t have time for you to stammer this out, give me the details I need or find yourself out on your ass penniless” I demand. Welch fidgets for a moment before he says the one thing I never wanted to hear again “ BDSM. She is training young men and women into the lifestyle, from what I can see, as young as 17” he chokes out finally. I almost choke in my coffee “what the fuck? Is she fucking serious? 17? That’s all Welch” I bark out, seething. Welsh quickly scampers out of my office, knowing he only has a small window of time before I completely combust. I slam my first on my desk, knocking over my coffee cup, it’s contents spilling out over the contract I am supposed to be reading for this afternoon’s meeting, I don’t give a damn. I push myself away from my desk and walk out, demanding Andrea clean up the mess I left behind as I enter the elevator.
I storm out to the carpark, Taylor hot on my heels and we head to Esclava.
What is Elena playing at?


Sorry it's short, just a filler. 🤙🤙