Hell Hath No Fury
Chapter 9
Christian
Ana cannot let go of her need to help me "build" a relationship with the Prices. Her latest trick has been to get me to meet my three "half-sisters." But this time I insisted that I meet them on my terms in my territory. Therefore, on Saturday afternoon, Chris and Melissa arrive promptly at 2 with the three girls in tow.
I really don't know what I was expecting. Since the only sister that I have known up to this point is Mia, I guess that I pictured three girls in matching frilly dresses and curls, giggling and whispering together. I also pictured them much younger than they are, kind of like triplets. Instead, they are what Melissa calls a "triple play:" a teen, a pre-teen, and a "tween," whatever that is.
They are all blonde, but that is about all they have in common. The oldest was dressed in jeans and a Justin Bieber tee shirt. She had to take the ear buds out of her iPhone when she was introduced and looked very annoyed. The other two didn't stand still long enough to be introduced.
The middle girl was wearing a kind of sparkly shirt, with a short-short skirt, and silver flats. If I ever have a daughter, she will never leave the house in anything that short. She barely acknowledged our presence as she headed for the kitchen. The youngest came running in, in San Francisco Giants sweats and made a beeline for the grand piano. Without asking permission, she immediately began to pound out chopsticks. I know that I visibly winced at the rough treatment of the Steinway. What the fuck?
Clearly embarrassed by the girls' rude behavior, Chris let out a piercing whistle from between his fingers. The result was instantaneous and all three immediately returned to the foyer. They at least had the decency to look somewhat remorseful.
"Sarah, Emily, and Katie," he says, as he patted each one on the head. "This is Christian and this is his wife Ana. As you all know, he is your half-brother. I would appreciate if you would use your company manners and greet them properly."
Each girl uncomfortably says hello and shakes our hands. It is obvious that Katie, the youngest, is the rebel, or maybe just the most honest.
"If he's, like, our brother," she says. "Don't we get to use, like, family manners?"
"Family or company manners," replies Melissa briskly. "You will behave politely. Sarah put the iPhone away, Emily stay out of the kitchen unless you are invited, and Katie do not touch the piano without permission."
"Do you play?" Ana asks Katie sweetly.
"Only "Chopsticks" and "Heart and Soul," Emily interjects quickly. "She wouldn't practice, so Mom stopped her lessons."
Katie sticks her tongue out at her sister as, Melissa says sharply, "Girls!"
But I actually kind of like the girls. They have spirit and it doesn't appear that they are spoiled brats. I also think that they may be acting out because they want to remind their parents that they are their kids, not me. It rather creates a dent in the perfect image of themselves that Chris and Melissa have been projecting. We go into the great room and all sit around the couch. Ana asks if they would like drinks or snacks.
"I'd like a Coke and chips, please," answers Sarah, right away.
Melissa frowns, but I have to grin. More rebellion, I like that. Ana just looks back at her serenely. I like that too. It looks like she is going to be one of those unflappable, no nonsense Moms.
"I'm sorry," she says without regret. "But we have fruit or raw vegetables for snacks and several kinds of juices, or water if you like."
The girls look at their mother suspiciously. She puts up her hands.
"I didn't say a word," she comments dismissively. "But see, our family isn't the only one that doesn't stock a complete supply of junk food."
Ana invites her to go help her fix a couple of platters and takes orders for juice. The girls are cooperative about asking nicely for what they want. But that leaves Chris and I alone with my "sisters." I really have no idea of what to say. I am annoyed because this whole thing was Ana's idea and now she's bailed on me.
"So are you a Giants fan?" I ask Katie quickly, using the clothing as a tip.
"Yes, sir," she replies. "Are you a Mariners fan?"
"Yes, I am," I answer, grateful that I have found a topic of conversation. "Do you like any other sports?"
She scrunches up her face and then says, "Basketball is okay, and soccer. But football is too boring. Nothing ever happens."
"Do you play any sports?" I ask to keep the dialogue going.
"I play tennis and volleyball," she says. "Do you play any sports?"
"When I was in college, I rowed," I reply. "I've always kick-boxed though and I like to run and work out."
"I heard that you dropped out of Harvard," tosses out Emily. She has now, for the second time, put herself out there as the "button pusher." It's kind of fun to watch Chris shift in his seat. The kid is only being marginally polite in her tone.
"Emily!" cuts in Melissa sharply, as she returns.
Emily looks at her in a puzzled, though not entirely innocent, way. I'm starting t like this kid.
"Mom," she says. "That's so cool. You know Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard. He founded Facebook. Did you found anything cool, you know, to become a billionaire."
"Not anything cool like Facebook," I tell her. "I own Grey Holding Enterprises."
"I told you, Em," says Sarah in a scornful tone. "He's a boring billionaire like Dad. I mean, even Bill Gates is cooler than them. You know he founded Microsoft. Did you know that he dropped out of Harvard too?"
"Dad," asks Katie, with what I can immediately tell, is feigned innocence. "How did you become a billionaire?"
"What?" asks Chris in astonishment, looking at me, embarrassed.
"You know, like, don't you have to drop out of Harvard to become a billionaire?" she continues. This is too clever by a half for a ten-year-old. I can see Sarah and Emily exchanging mischievous glances. It reminds me of the days when Elliot and I used to set Mia up to drop some bombshells during family parties.
But Ana, not having any clue about these kinds of sibling dynamics, chokes on her cranberry juice. I still have to wonder. Is there any thought that these kids have that doesn't come out of their mouths? Melissa looks at Chris and shakes her head. Then, she moves back to safer ground.
"Well, I overheard that you have discovered that Katie is our athlete," she says, clearly used to covering the girls' social faux pas. "Emily over here is a computer nerd of sorts."
"The sort of computer nerd that's really a gamer," throws out Sarah, obviously looking for a reaction. Emily sticks out her tongue and Katie giggles.
"Sarah likes to ride horses," Melissa continues, ignoring them. "She's quite a little equestrienne."
"We have horses on the ranch," says Emily. "Sarah rides in shows. She has lots of trophies and ribbons. Do you ride horses?"
"No," replies Ana, grimacing. When the realtor suggested using the meadow at the new house for a paddock she very quickly nixed the idea. I had no opinion on the matter. It was one of those areas where I was willing to Ana have whatever it was that she wanted.
"We actually prefer sailing and gliding," she adds.
"I saw a picture of your sailboat "The Grace" on the Internet," says Sarah. "Was she really built by your company?"
"Yes, she was," I say proudly, and then add without thinking, "When the weather is better, maybe we could go out for a sail."
"Cool," answers Sarah. " Did you know that Dad's Wikipedia page is longer than yours?"
The speed at which these girls change the subject has my head spinning. Ana is grinning because she sees that I am a little unnerved by it. Were Elliot, Mia, and I like this when we were kids? I can't remember. But I know that Ana is really smiling because I've invited them out on the boat, which means that we'll be seeing them again. That means that she's won me over to the idea of establishing a relationship with them.
But that doesn't bother me so much anymore. Until I met them, I had been viewing Chris and Melissa as these perfect people who seemed to have very thing under control. But now I can see that they're not do perfect. I sense that some of what the girls are doing is some good old-fashioned passive-aggressive anti-parental behavior.
Chris and Melissa have spent so much time up here in Seattle recently, that the girls may actually be jealous of me. As much as I would like to reassure them that I have no intention of "stealing" their Daddy away from them, I hold my tongue.
Suddenly, Emily becomes distracted, or probably better put bored, again.
"Do you have an XBox or something?" she asks, completely out of the blue.
"As a matter of fact," says Ana, giving me a sidelong glance. "We have one in the playroom. Would you like to see it?"
"Yes, ma'am," she nods eagerly, and then all three girls happily follow her into the television room.
I rub my forehead in relief once they're gone.
"This is what you can look forward to down the line, Christian," comments Chris.
I grimace.
"They're a good advertisement for only children," I say. "But Ana is an only child and has made it clear that we will have at least one more."
"I'm sorry that they were so . . . boisterous when they came in," apologizes Chris. "I'm afraid that most of that was aimed at me. I had been riding them about being on their best behavior."
"You got them calmed down pretty quick," I reply.
"Years of practice," he answers modestly. "The important thing to know about adolescents is that they push boundaries because they want boundaries. When they're little it's easy, they pretty much do what you tell them. They start testing you when they get older because they are trying to figure things out for themselves."
"And they are still trying to figure you out," adds Melissa. "Their feelings about you are, to put it mildly, ambivalent."
"Oh?"
"They are not impressed with your wealth, obviously," she continues. "They've always wanted a brother, but you are not exactly what they had in mind. They got a lot of attention from all of their friends when the story first broke. Now they just want us to come back home and for things to get back to normal."
"The girls all have very distinct personalities," comments Ana, as she returns.
I am glad that she is changing the subject.
"Yes, they do," agrees Melissa. "And strong personalities. It's been a careful balance, not allowing them to get spoiled. With all of our financial assets, it would be real easy to spoil them. They each have their own horse, but they are responsible for their care. Chris has insisted that they even muck out their stalls when they are home on school breaks and have time. And they have to keep their own rooms clean."
"Do you have domestic help?" asks Ana curiously.
"Oh, yes," she replies. "But I think it's still important to give the girls chores and responsibilities. Neither Chris nor I grew up with housekeepers and such waiting on us."
"Are you taking notes?" I ask, playfully.
"Of course," says Ana. "I would say that between Melissa and Grace, I am going to have lots of great advice to follow."
"What about your own mother?" asks Chris.
"Well," Ana hedges. "She's all the way down in Georgia."
Reading the discomfort in her face, Melissa jumps in, "So, tell me about the new house. It must almost be done."
Ana beams because she's been given a topic that is one of her favorites. Chris and Melissa listen avidly as she describes the latest progress that Elliot has made on the refurbishment. That's one thing that I like about Melissa. She is very sensitive to other people's feelings.
And so far, I can tell that she has done a very good job of balancing her desire to get to know Ana better, with Mom's need to be the grandmother in the mix. However, Melissa looks much to young to be a grandmother anyway. She almost seems like more of an older sister to Ana.
Since I'm really not engaged by the conversation, I walk over to the television room to see what the girls are up to. Emily and Katie are happily playing some game on the XBox. Sarah is curled up on the couch tapping away on her iPhone, no doubt texting her friends like all kids that age do.
It is odd to see children hanging out in here. Especially since they all look so at home. I've never thought of Escala as a family home before, but I realize that someday our own kids may be doing pretty much the same thing when we're here in the city. Then I feel a tap on the shoulder. It's Chris.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asks congenially.
"What wasn't so bad?" I reply.
"Meeting the girls," he says, smiling. "I know that you were reluctant, but despite that fact that they are your sisters, I'm not sure that you'll get the full bratty little sister treatment times three."
"Yeah," I admit. "That may have been an issue. My little sister Mia can be pretty annoying and interfering sometimes. I heard that you met her at Mom's house."
"Hmm, yes," he says. "She was not very impressed with us. I'm afraid that she is having a little trouble accepting us. She seems very possessive. Grace was a little embarrassed by her comments."
"She can be possessive, I know," I admit. "I'm hoping that when she starts university in January that she'll start to develop more productive, shall we say, interests. I'm afraid that she is pretty spoiled, not just by my parents, but by all of us."
"Well, hopefully, she'll come around," he says. "Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, do you want to come into my study?" I ask.
After I close the door, he begins to look concerned.
"Any luck with your people finding out about this mystery benefactor or the press leak?" he asks.
"Still no leads," I answer with a sigh. "I've started to get mighty pissed at Welch. He hasn't had this much trouble tracking someone down since Leila was stalking us last spring."
"Well," he says. "My people have turned up a lead on someone who used to be very close to your family, Elena Lincoln."
"Elena?" I scoff. "What are you talking about? She has better things to do than look for my biological father, and better ways to spend her money."
"Christian," he answers carefully. "I know that I am going to make you very angry by saying this, but I know why she and your mother are no longer on speaking terms."
"Well, there were a number of people present at the house the night it all came out," I reply. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were whispers. You know, I was young and stupid. I was also pretty fucked up by my early beginnings."
Now he looks at me intently, ignoring my allusion to a beginning that was partially his fault. I figure that the guilt card might be a useful diversionary tactic, but I'm wrong.
"I know it all, Christian," he says seriously. "I know all about that woman and her sadistic predilections. I know that she must be the one who got you caught up in that self-destructive lifestyle. She is a very dangerous predator and don't think that she will ever change. I know that you have severed all business ties with her, but she is still bad news and a potential threat."
"I have no intention of going anywhere near Elena again," I reply defensively. "And she has not come anywhere near me."
"Do you have anyone watching her?" he asks.
"Why would I need to do that?" I ask back.
"She is a sick and twisted woman," he replies. "It was thanks to your past relationship with her that her husband posted bail for that lunatic who nearly killed your wife and child, among other things. Now I know that you have ruined him financially, but that still makes him dangerous to you, as well."
"Well, Elena has been in Tahiti for the past couple of weeks," I reply. "So I am not completely unaware of her. Taylor doesn't trust her either."
"Taylor is a good man, you should listen to him."
Fortunately, Ana knocks on the door and peeks her head around. Much as I am starting to like Chris, he had better back off on Elena. And he better not say anything to Ana. I don't need her all cranked up about that again.
"Dinner in ten," she says cheerfully. "You two look like you're having an intense discussion."
"Nothing for you to worry about, baby," I say.
She looks at me sharply.
"Every time you say that," she says. "It usually means that I do have something to worry about."
I shrug. So what else is new? At least we can put an end to this unpleasant conversation. It's none of his fucking business what my relationship was or is with Elena. It's rather disturbing that he has figured out that it was she who led me into the BDSM lifestyle. If he could find out, then who else might be able to?
As soon as Ana is gone, Chris looks at me seriously.
"I won't say anything about this again."
Good, I think, because I am fucking tired of the subject.
Price
"Mr. Grey has always had a blind spot where Mrs. Lincoln is concerned, Mr. Price," replies Taylor, in answer to my question. "It is not my place to tell him how he should or should not behave with her or whether or not he should trust her."
I am not pleased with his response, which just confirmed my fears about my son. I have called up Taylor to see if I can get any insight from him about Elena Lincoln. It's difficult; because he takes his NDA that he signed very seriously. However, I have passed along the intelligence that I have discovered about her.
"You have not uncovered anything that I didn't know already," he says impassively, after he looks through it. "Your people are very good. No one has ever turned this up before."
"Perhaps that's because no one has ever gone looking for it before," I say. "Can you think of a reason why anyone would?"
"No," he admits. "But what made you suspicious of her?"
"One of my men, Clement," I answer. "Was talking to Ana's friend Kate, who is also to be Christian's sister-in-law. She was fairly circumspect when answering his questions, but did make an allusion to Mrs. Lincoln."
"Really?"
"Apparently, Elliot had said something about her getting kicked out of the house after some kind of quarrel with Mrs. Gray at Christian's birthday party," I reply. "Out of nowhere, she dropped the name Mrs. Robinson with regards to her. Clement had already discovered that Christian was her former silent partner in her salon business and that he had generously gifted them to her shortly after the incident."
Taylor stares at me, refusing to reveal anything. I am now more convinced than ever that I am on the right track.
"Kate is very protective of Ana, I know," I continue. "She was throwing off some very negative vibes about Mrs. Lincoln aka Mrs. Robinson. Clement did a full work up on her. I know what her predilections are. I am also aware of my son's preferences. Or at least what they formerly were."
Taylor stares at me as if he would bore a hole in my head if I could. I decide to change my tack.
"Arithmetic was always my favorite subject in school," I comment. "What about you Taylor?"
"I was always very good at math also."
"Hmm. Would you say that the sum of two and two is always four?" I ask casually.
"In my experience," he says noncommittally. "That is the proper sum."
"Thank you, Taylor," I reply. "I will not take up anymore of your time."
"My pleasure, sir," he says blandly.
As I leave his office in Grey House, I consider my next step.
"Please take me to Carrick Grey's law offices," I tell my driver as I buckle my seatbelt.
It is only a short drive over. On the way, I call his administrative assistant to make sure that he is not in court. She is very surprised when I demand that she slot me in as his next appointment. As usual, my name opens doors. I am not too concerned that Carrick will send me away. He has made his feeling about me perfectly plain, and he knows that if I am insisting on seeing him directly then it must be something very important.
His greeting is cool, which I expected. He is very formally polite. As a lawyer, he is very good at concealing his feelings.
"Carrick, Mr. Grey," I begin. "I would not be bothering you with my presence, except that I wish to discuss a matter of great importance with you regarding Christian."
"You can always speak to my wife," he says politely. "There is nothing that I know that she doesn't."
"Sir," I reply respectfully. "I understand your reluctance to have any unnecessary contact with me. However, this is an issue that, when I enlighten you, I assure that you will agree that you don't wish Grace to find out about."
"About Christian?" he asks, taking in a deep breath.
"Yes," I answer. "And his regrettable relationship with Elena Lincoln."
"What the fuck has Elena done now?" he growls.
"It is not what she is doing," I say quietly. "It is what she has done."
He relaxes.
"We know all about that, thank you very much," he replies, almost in relief.
"No you don't."
He tenses again. I hate doing this to him, but I feel that he needs to know. Christian is refusing to take Elena's threat seriously. I know that Taylor does, but he is hamstrung by what Christian will allow him to do.
Christian has finally begun to come to grips with my existence. We had a delightful afternoon yesterday with he and Ana and the girls at Escala. I know that if we continue to move forward patiently and carefully, chances are good that a family friendship will evolve. I am risking that by tell Carrick what I know, however, my son has never forced me to sign a non-disclosure agreement, nor did he specifically ask that I not tell anyone what I knew.
"Carrick, I am aware that you know that Christian had an affair with Elena Lincoln and that it began when he was an under-aged minor," I state. "But I am pretty sure that you do not know that complete nature of the affair. Stop me, if you don't want to hear this."
"Go on," he says tightly.
"My man has uncovered that Elena has been into the BDSM scene for many years now," I continue. "This was the kind of relationship that she introduced him to. He was her submissive for six years."
"BDSM?" he asks with trepidation.
"Bondage-Discipline-Dominant-Submissive-Sadistic-M asochistic," I explain. "To cut to the chase, he allowed her to physically abuse him in all kinds of perverted forms in exchange for all kinds of perverted sex."
Carrick Grey looks shocked to his core. I am sure that he understands now why I could not bring this to Grace.
"It ended when her husband found out," I finish. "Which I believe you already know. But she led him down a dark path. That was why he was such a loner for all these years. It was Ana who finally freed him."
I am not so heartless as to let him find out that Christian continued on this path as a Dominant, contracting young women as submissives to service his needs. I am hopeful that he will never need to learn this. It is better to let him thank that Elena just turned him into a social misfit.
"I always knew that Ana was the best thing that ever happened to him," he says. "But why are we talking about Elena now? He threw her out of his life months ago."
"Yes, but I don't think that she has given up on him," I reply. "She has covered her tracks very well, but I believe that it was she who hired McBride. And I believe that she leaked our initial meeting to the press. I have no proof, only a gut instinct. I suspect that she was trying to disrupt your relationship with Christian. It might have worked, if Melissa and I had been different people."
He looks at me blinking. I know that he doesn't believe me.
"She is in Tahiti, but due back tonight," I say. "When she returns and discovers that her plans didn't work, I am afraid that she will be up to more mischief. I feel that we need to protect both of our families from her manipulations before someone really gets hurt."
Carrick looks thoughtful now.
"Have you uncovered anything that she had done that is illegal?" he asks. "Other than sexually abusing my son, that is?"
"No," I say, shaking my head regretfully. "I think that at this point, all we can do is keep a close eye on her and wait for her next move. But this time, we will be ready for her."
Carrick looks me directly in the eye.
"Yes, we will."