Christian Pov
When I got back to work, Taylor and I went into the security office and watched as Anastasia defended herself with maturity and class. I couldn't believe the bitch tried to hit her a second time after she let her up. Taylor and I both chuckled when Anastasia started walking towards her and watching Elena run to her car. If my mother gives me any shit, I'll show this to her. I think I will show it to my father, for sure. Taylor made a copy for his records. I know he's going to show it to Gail. She can't stand her. I wish I hadn't tortured my staff with her for so long.
When I was sitting in my office my cell phone rang and it was Elena. I answered to see what lies she wants to tell this time.
I said, "Grey."
She said, "Is that anyway to answer the phone? You were taught better manners. I was injured today by your employee."
"Oh, really?"
She snidely said, "Yes, really. She attacked me and hit me out on the street."
"Where?"
She said, "At The Four Seasons."
"What were you doing there? Didn't Anastasia say that she was canceling your appointment, for an appointment there? Why would you go there, Elena."
She starts stuttering, "I... I...went there... for lunch."
"I think you went up there to attack Anastasia and found out you can't bully her. Do you know I got the video of it from The Four Seasons security and saw everything you tried to do twice. Anastasia has every right with this evidence to press charges on you for intent to do bodily harm and attempted murder."
She started pleading and said, "Christian, she will be the ruin of you. Don't let her manipulate you into thinking you can handle a vanilla relationship. You can't love and you can't stand to be loved. We don't work like that. You can't be touched and you have needs that are different than she could ever understand. Only I know what you need and only I can make sure you get what you need."
"That's where you're wrong. Everything you just said is total bullshit. You have spewed lies on me ever since I was fifteen. You are the one who can't love or be loved. I am and will never be like you in any aspect. You are a manipulative liar."
She kept pleading and said, "Can't you see that she is after your money and name? It's so painfully obvious."
I was sick of her shit and said firmly, "The only one after my money and my name has always been you. You use my mother for her name socially and to boost your business and to gain inside information on me. You run around town using my name to eat anywhere you like and charging it to my bill no less. You tell people whatever, like I'm your friend, to make yourself feel like a big shot. You have been digging in my pockets for years making me feel like I had to back your salons and pay for your meals. I gave you a million dollars back, from your $100,000 investment. I don't owe you shit anymore. No Elena, you are the biggest gold digging whore of them all. But that ends today. I've pulled your backing. I will no longer listen to a hypocrite and a liar. You didn't save me like you love to think to yourself and tried to brainwash me with that load of crap. You stopped my adolescence from developing. You bullied and manipulated a naive child, while beating the shit out of him to get off. Does that make you proud of yourself to be a pedophile child abuser?" A lot of that came from Flynn's sessions explaining her to me.
She said, "I can't believe you're talking to me like this after all I have done for you. I saved your life, you ungrateful little bastard."
"The only thing you said today that was the truth was that I'm a bastard." I laugh.
She said, "You'll be sorry for doing this to me. I have been good to you all your life."
"You are delusional and need mental help, Elena. You have started to believe your own lies. You haven't known me my whole life." I hung up. She called back four more times immediately afterwards. I ignored her and told my PA to ignore her calls too.
I called Ros to have my backing pulled from the Esclava salons. She will just have to stand on her own and stop blowing money. I'll wait to give her the option to buy my shares or dump them. Anastasia will be itching for an audit and I think I'll let her Monday. It's Friday tomorrow, maybe I can take her sailing out on the Grace on Saturday this weekend. I'll text her.
Ana Pov
Hey, Anastasia, would you like to go sailing with me Saturday? I want to take you out on my sailboat, The Grace.-C
I would love to join you, as friends, Christian. Will we be swimming too?-A
Most definitely. Will you come stay overnight with me? I have more than one cabin-C
Actually, I'm out grocery shopping. I could make a special dinner for you tomorrow night tonight. Why don't you come over to my place?-A
Why Miss Steele, I would love to be spoiled by you. Are you a good cook?-C
I guess you will have to be the judge of that, Mr Grey. See you at 7 o'clock tomorrow? You can bring the red wine.-A
I'll be there, Anastasia. I can't wait to taste your cooking.-C
:-) -A
I smiled to myself. I know I'm not worthy of her, but I will try to be what she wants and needs. Come Monday things will be different, but I still want her in my life forever in whatever way I can.
Ana Pov
What a weekend. I loved having Christian over Friday night. I cooked a great meal of Shrimp Bourbon Bisque Soup with crispy brown butter croutons, and a small marinated Barbecue Beef Brisket. I served fresh hot biscuits with roasted red pepper, zucchini, summer squash and large couscous, as a side. For dessert I baked a chocolate ganache cake.
We had a lovely Friday night of food, wine, and laughter and a really stupid movie.
Sailing on The Grace was so much fun. He let me steer into open water. I asked him if the Water Po-Po caught us, would they hunt me down, arrest me for operating a watercraft without a license and ban me from all water sports like swimming for the rest of my life? He tickled me, making me giggle. We went swimming and he chased me around most of the time. We played and laughed swimming around in the sound, while he was so silly and carefree. We stayed overnight onboard, anchored off an island shore. I made him lunch, dinner and breakfast with the supplies he brought, after asking me to cook in his boat's galley. We sailed back to his docking birth in the morning.
Now, it's Sunday morning after we docked, he asked to take me to his parents home for brunch with his family. I wore my three quarter sleeve, cerulean blue silk Donna Karan ruffle neck blouse, my gray pencil skirt with my Gucci wide black leather belt and black Louboutin high heels. My hair was down and curled under like the salon did.
We arrived pulling up in the driveway in my Spyder R8. We got out and he took my hand and led me to the front door.
He said, "Don't be nervous Anastasia, you'll be just fine. You look beautiful."
He opened the door and we stepped in to see a blonde girl rush up to Christian and said all breathy, "Welcome Mr Grey."
He barely acknowledged her and said, "Where is my mother, Gretchen?"
She said, batting her eyes at him and blushing, "Oh, she's in the living room with your family." He moved past her pulling me along. The girl frowned at me. Well she must be one of his fan club members.
We entered the living room and everyone turned and stared at me with their mouths open. I felt like a bug under a microscope. His mother broke out of her trance and walked over to us. She smiled a big smile, but it was a wary one and kissed her son's cheek and said, "You must be Anastasia." She looked at Christian and said, "She is remarkably beautiful." She then looked at me and said, "You are a very beautiful young lady. Thank you for joining us. It's very nice to meet you." She then tried to pull me into a hug and I backed away afraid. Grace frowned.
Christian said, "Mother she has a deep bone bruise on her upper left arm from before I met her. It's still bad."
She frowned and said, "Anastasia, I'm a doctor and would like to look at it before you leave to see how it is healing, if that's ok with you? Christian, please go introduce her to everyone." I nodded, smiled at her genuinely and she lit up in her soft brown eyes.
Christian walked up to his father and introduced me. His father said, "Anastasia, where did you go to school young lady?"
I smiled and said, "Washington State University- Foster Campus, I have two masters in Business Analytics and Accounting Forensics." His father's eyes got big.
Christian said proudly, "She started college at age 15. She graduated summa cum laude and valedictorian in highschool, to which she started at age 11. She is a beauty with brains and my new CFO. Ros and I were so glad to snatch her up to add her to our talent bank and to our company assets. Even her recommendations were amazing."
His father, Carrick, said, "You are so accomplished at such a young age. How did you do so much, so quickly?"
I said, "My father was a Marine Raider Colonel. He taught me everything he knew about defense, strategy, and the value of knowledge. He said nothing is of value that isn't acquired through hard work to achieve it. He passed away two years ago. He was my daddy, mentor and my security. I will miss him for the rest of my life." Grace had a tear in her eye.
She asked, "Where is your mother, my dear?"
I looked down and said, "She does not exist in my life. She ran out on us with another man and almost got me killed dragging me with her. I was lucky my daddy rescued me in time to save my life. I really don't like to talk about her." Everyone blanched and you could feel the awkwardness in the room.
Grace said, "That's ok dear." I smiled at her in appreciation.
Christian introduced me to Elliot. He said, "What are you doing with Mr Warmth over there? I'm the fun Grey."
Grace said from across the room, childing him, "Elliot, behave!"
I giggled and said, "Trust me, I have plenty of fun with Christian. He is a genuinely very nice person." I looked up at Christian and smiled. He squeezed my hand.
I turn to a young girl with short dark hair bouncing the whole time on the balls of her feet. She reached out to pull me into a hug. I backed away quickly. Christian shouted and said, "Mia, no! She has been injured!"
She pouted and turned, smiling at me. I said, "Hi, I'm Anastasia. You can call me Ana. It's nice to meet you Mia."
Mia said, "I can't believe he actually brought someone home, you're the first person ever. I'm so glad to meet you. We should have lunch or go shopping sometime." Christian sighed and rolled his eyes. I giggled at him.
The blonde girl, Gretchen, comes into the room and announces that brunch is ready. Christian led me to the dining room with the rest of the family. He held out my chair and we sat next to each other. He looked over at me and squeezed my hand.
We were in the middle of talking and eating, when the doorbell rang and what do you know, in walks Elena.
Elena said all snootily, "Sorry to disturb your brunch Grace, but can I have a word with you please?" Grace excused herself and followed Elena out of the room.
? Pov
Elena stood with Grace in the entry hall and said, "Grace, how can you have that woman over to your house? She tried to hurt me and threatened my business. Did you see that car out there, I bet Christian bought it for her. She's only after one thing, his bank account. I don't want to see him get hurt." Grace went and looked out the window at the pretty pearl cream white Spyder R8.
Grace said, "How do you know it's not Christian's?"
Elena said, "Oh come now, Grace, he has a gray one. Why don't you just ask him. I bet she got him to buy it for her. A girl like her and with her low income background has nothing but student loans to pay. He probably paid them off too. You know how generous he is."
Grace said, "Just calm down. You don't know any of this for sure. Come have some brunch with us and relax."
Ana Pov
They both walked back in the room and sat down. Elena sat next to Mia and Carrick on the other side of the table. She took a plate and put a few spoonfuls of this and that on her plate and started picking at it. I was surprised she just made herself at home. I guess Grace told her to join us. No, not a good idea.
Elena said, "Christian is that your white car outside? I thought you had a gray one just like it?" She took a sip of coffee.
Christian looked at her suspiciously and said, "I do have my gray one. That's not my car. It's Anastasia's car."
Elena said, "Oh how nice and generous of you, to buy her a new car just like yours."
He hatefully said, "She already owned it long before I met her. What are you implying Elena? You think she asked me to buy her things? You mean like you begging me to buy you that 2010 BMW M3 convertible six months ago? I did it to get you off my back only. You kept harping on me to buy you one. No Elena, Anastasia has money from her own finances and isn't money grubbing for things like you have done over the years."
Christian's family stared at the two of them not saying a word. I just watched the exchange quietly. Christian said, "Mother, if you do not remove your so-called friend from the house, Anastasia and I are leaving. She is nothing but a troublemaker with a nasty mouth. I'm tired of being around her and explaining everything about Anastasia being her own self made woman that she is for time and time again. She has followed Anastasia over the last seven days to accost us at my restaurant, my home, The Four Seasons and now here. That is why I pulled my financial backing from her salons as of last Friday. You will have to stand on your own now, Elena. You are causing me and yourself nothing but problems since you took one look at Anastasia. Why is that? Is it because she is pretty and my friend?" Everyone stared at Elena. Christian stood up and I put my cutlery down on my plate and grabbed my purse. He reached out and took my hand to leave and follow through on his threat to his mother. He pulled me to his side and I put my hand on his chest soothingly patting him because he was getting extremely upset. The whole room gasped. I looked around at the shocked faces of every person in the room. He reached up and put his hand over mine on his heart.
Grace stood up and said, "Elena can you please leave. I need to talk privately with my family." Elena looked like Grace just slapped her asking her to leave.
Elena said shocked, "But I thought I was family too, Grace? Why do I have to leave? Shouldn't she have to leave also?" She pointed her blood red talon at me.
Carrick said, "You have been asked respectfully to leave Elena, I suggest you do as asked." Elena put her fork down with a clatter, stood up and glared at me. She stuck her nose in the air and left the room and out the front door slamming it.
Carrick asked, "Now what's going on with Elena, Christian? She is acting like a jealous lover and it's ridiculous." Christian physically cringed