A/N: Thank you for all the amazing reviews and support! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Father Dearest

The next few days passed by slowly and tortuously for both Christian and Ana. They hadn't heard anything yet from social services about Lucia's care, but they were still waiting anxiously for something to happen soon - however, they weren't sure what that was exactly. Christian kept in touch with his father pretty much everyday, keeping him up-to-date on Lucia and receiving word on any possible new developments involving Ramkoff. But aside from that, there wasn't really anything urgent that had happened yet.

Lucia, thankfully, remained blissfully ignorant about this whole situation with Ramkoff and possibly being taken away by the foster system to another family. In fact, she was remarkably happy compared to when she was first brought home by the Grey's. Ana had already begun her sabbatical from Grey Publishing, meaning she was around Escala a lot more during the day, which only added to Lucia's happiness. Finally, it seemed, Lucia was getting back the childhood she had missed out in her early years of life.

Too bad she couldn't know the truth… that Ana's sabbatical may have all been for nothing, and Lucia may not even remain at Escala for much longer now.

Christian and Ana managed to sit down one evening and discuss their options regarding the Ramkoff situation, as hopeless as it seemed to them. Either they could allow Ramkoff to gain custody of Lucia and take her away, or they could fight it and try to prove to the court Ramkoff was an unfit parent, thus leaving Lucia in the foster system and still under the Grey's care. Obviously the second option was more appealing to Christian and Ana, but it didn't seem as likely to happen - they were not Lucia's biological parents, nor were they her adoptive parents. They were just two innocent bystanders who got emotionally attached to a little girl who would likely never end up being theirs.

Life was very cruel in that respect.

Christian almost seemed more upset about all of this than Ana - she knew how much he needed control in his life, and not knowing what was going to happen with all this was really eating him up inside. Ana sincerely hoped he would be able to keep it together once all this came to a head - Lucia needed him to be strong for her, now more than ever.

Monday morning the following week dawned bright and early, and Christian woke up before six o'clock to shower and dress for work. Ana didn't have to get up since she was staying home with Lucia, but Christian walking around and getting ready for the day had woken her up nonetheless. She simply lay in bed wide awake, watching him as walked out of the en suite and into the walk-in closet to put on his suit.

"Are you going to be alright today?" Ana finally asked after he emerged from the closet, fully dressed and ready to go. She propped herself up on her elbows, gazing at him.

"I'll be fine," Christian said tersely, buttoning up one of his cufflinks. "I always go to work this early."

Ana let out a small, inaudible sigh, but didn't say anything to that; instead, she got out of bed, padded over to her husband in her bare feet and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close.

"I love you," she whispered before leaning up and pecking him on the lips. "Have a good day at work."

Her quiet words and gentle touch softened Christian slightly, and he smiled lightly at her, leaning down and kissing her again on the lips, but this time with a little more passion than before. "Thanks, baby," he whispered after finally pulling away. "I'll let you know if my dad calls about any news regarding Ramkoff."

"Okay." Ana smiled up at him. Both she and Christian may have been stressed out for the past few days about this whole situation, but one small benefit of it seemed to be that they both had become quite affectionate toward each other, at least more so than usual. It was as if their minds and bodies knew they needed each other's love now more than ever.

Christian pecked Ana on the lips one last time before stepping away, preparing to leave for the day. "I gotta go. Have a good day, baby."

"You too."

Christian knew Ana was worried about him - these past few days had been stressful for the both of them, and they were still waiting anxiously for news about Ramkoff and the parental suit. He had hoped he could remain strong for the both of them, but the lack of control he felt regarding the whole situation made it difficult for him to keep it together. The worry and fear he felt for Lucia was akin to what he felt when he was a four-year-old abused orphan - alone in the world and afraid to trust anyone.

He hated the idea of Lucia ever feeling like that at all, and his desperation to make this whole situation better for her sake increased tenfold.

Christian and Taylor now arrived at Grey House, the sun barely peeking up over the horizon. It wasn't uncommon for Christian to come into the office this early, but today he was grateful for the distraction of being at work. He actually had some important meetings to attend today, so he tried his hardest to be in the right frame of mind for when those happened.

He worked at his computer for the first part of the morning, mostly reading his emails and checking the stock market. Andrea had already come in and had given him his morning coffee and daily itinerary; she was now setting up the main conference room for their first meeting for the day as well as printing out the financial reports for all the executives. Christian knew he demanded a lot from his support staff, but that woman really could multitask like nobody's business - she was definitely an invaluable asset to him and to Grey House.

Just as he was thinking that, Christian's BlackBerry buzzed with an incoming call, and he saw that it was Andrea herself.

"Andrea?" Christian answered, frowning confusedly. What on earth could she be calling him for now?

"Mr. Grey, I'm sorry for calling you like this, but I was summoned downstairs to handle a situation with a visitor to Grey House. He claims he's here to see you, but I can't find his name on your approved visitor's list."

"What's his name?" Christian asked distractedly, turning his focus back on his work. He didn't want to deal with this idiot wasting his time.

"He just said Ramkoff… he said you'd know that name."

Christian froze; his heart seemed to stop beating in his chest, and the blood drained from his face. For a brief second, he didn't think he had heard Andrea correctly.

You've got to be kidding me.

"…Ramkoff?" Christian repeated after a moment, as if needing confirmation that he wasn't going insane.

"Yes sir."

Christian immediately felt his mind go into overdrive - what on earth was he doing here? And what was he, Christian, supposed to do about it? He felt himself getting suddenly angry… how dare that sleazeball show up at his building in the middle of the work day! Christian's first thought was to have security throw him out, and maybe even get some of his team to drag him out the front doors in a humiliating public display. However, another, more curious part of him wanted to know what the hell that asshole was doing here and what he wanted from him.

Maybe I can finally get some answers.

"…Sir?" Andrea asked again when Christian didn't respond for several seconds. He hesitated another moment, and his curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Send him up," he finally said. "And cancel my next meeting."

"What?" Andrea sounded shocked. "Sir -!"

Christian hung up before she could finish that thought, and he immediately stood up to start pacing behind his desk. He brought his hand up and began tugging at his hair, like he often did when he was stressed - was this even a good idea? Should he have sent Ramkoff away? Christian didn't know, but he was desperate for answers - these past few days had been torture, and now that Ramkoff was here at Grey House, maybe he could finally get some of the answers he'd wanted so badly.

Shit, where's Taylor?

Christian had almost forgotten about his head of security - he would definitely need Taylor to be in here if this was going to get ugly. Just as Christian was about to call him in to help him handle this whole situation, the doors to his office burst open and three men strode in.

The man Christian remembered as Ramkoff was the first one inside, and he was flanked by both Taylor and Reynolds, who were clutching onto his arms on either side of him.

"Here you are, sir," Taylor said to Christian as he and Reynolds roughly let go of Ramkoff, who stumbled away from them. "I went downstairs with Andrea the moment I heard he was here - I apologize for not letting you know sooner."

"No apology necessary," Christian said to Taylor, not taking his angry eyes away from Ramkoff. "What's he doing here anyway?"

"We're about to find out," Taylor said, glaring at Ramkoff with an equal amount of disdain.

"Now, now gentlemen - that's no way to greet a guest," Ramkoff said with an air of lightness, though his face was hard as he straightened his jacket and glanced over his shoulder at Reynolds and Taylor. "Can't even come down yourself to say hello to me, Grey? And to top it off, you get your goons here to come drag me up here like a criminal. Ever heard of common courtesy?"

"You're lucky I even gave you the courtesy of meeting with you face-to-face," Christian snapped, taking an angry step toward him. "What the hell makes you think you can show your face around here, Ramkoff?"

Ramkoff raised his eyebrows at him. "Oh, I'm surprised you don't know, Mr. Grey. Or do I have to remind you of the little girl that's currently under your care?"

He stared straight at Christian as he spoke, and Christian glared right back, neither of them wanting to be the first to break and look away. Christian stared into Ramkoff's eyes, trying to get a read on his expression, but the man's face was like a mask. Christian finally decided to take action, and to do that, he needed security out of the room, at least for now.

So much for this not turning ugly.

"Taylor, Reynolds - out," he said brusquely, his eyes still on Ramkoff.

"But sir-" Reynolds began, but Christian interrupted him.

"Out!" he snapped, and Taylor stared at Christian for a moment before gesturing to Reynolds. The two of them both walked out of the Christian's office, closing the doors behind them.

Christian finally looked away from Ramkoff as he turned and strode back over to his desk. "How much?"

Ramkoff gazed at him for a second before scoffing. "I'm sorry, what?"

"How much?" Christian repeated more firmly, opening his top drawer and pulling out his checkbook and a pen. "How much do you want in exchange for you dropping the parental action case about Lucia?"

I'll pay anything you fucking want - just go away!

Christian tried not to let his desperation show, but he was truly willing to pay anything the man wanted in exchange for him getting out of their lives forever. Ramkoff, however, simply raised his eyebrows at Christian, almost looking amused. "You think this is all about the money, Grey?"

Christian shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I figured it was, since it would explain you being fucking stupid enough to show your ugly face in my office in the middle of the work day. So again, I ask - how much?"

Ramkoff crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring at Christian with what appeared to be a curious fascination. He brought one hand up to his his chin and stroked it thoughtfully. "You really care about her, don't you?"

Christian blinked. His heart seemed to stop beating in his chest, and he suddenly didn't want to have to give an answer to this asshole. "And you do?" he snapped right back, trying to deflect.

"She's my daughter, of course I care about her," Ramkoff replied smoothly. "And that's actually why I'm here today - I was hoping we could talk civilly about her guardianship, and that you'll allow me to have my parental rights over her."

Christian seethed, his anger building in his chest. "Oh really? Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Ramkoff's face twitched, his smooth facade breaking slightly as he scowled at Christian. "You know nothing about me, Grey," he said, his voice tinged with a threat.

"Don't I?" Christian asked, glaring back at him with an equal amount of malice. "Why don't you enlighten me then? Why don't you tell me why you're suddenly so interested in gaining custody of a little girl you apparently left abandoned in an alleyway next to a dumpster?"

"You know nothing," Ramkoff hissed, moving toward him angrily. "That girl's mother was the woman I loved, and Lucia is my daughter!"

He reached into his coat pocket, and next moment he pulled out a folded up Polaroid picture. He opened it and held it out for Christian to see, and Christian glanced at it - it was a picture of Ramkoff, and beside him was a beautiful, black-haired young woman, probably at least fifteen years younger than Ramkoff himself. The two of them appeared to be sitting together on an old, beat-up couch, his arm around her shoulders while both of them smiled at the camera.

Christian didn't need to question who the woman in the picture was - the resemblance between her and Lucia was uncanny. Although the woman in the picture looked rather worn out and tired, as if the last few years of her life had been difficult and exhausting.

"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Christian asked, turning to glare back up at Ramkoff. He tried to play dumb, hoping to piss him off. "A picture with you and some woman? I'd hardly call that proof of a relationship, let alone paternity of a young child."

"I have more," Ramkoff said, shoving the picture back into his pocket. "I have lots more - enough to prove to a judge that Lucia is my daughter."

"Not a paternity test though," Christian stated. He knew he was deliberately goading Ramkoff, but he really didn't care at this point.

Ramkoff glared at Christian for a moment, his expression hard. "You think you know everything, don't you Grey?" he said quietly, narrowing his eyes at him. "Assholes like you think you can have everything handed to you because you sit in these ivory towers, lording over the rest of us while getting everything served to you on a silver platter. But the truth is you have no idea what it's like to live the way I do... the way Bella and I lived before she passed away…"

"So that's why you're doing this to Lucia?" Christian interrupted him angrily. "To spite a rich guy? Give me a break."

"I'm doing this because it's what's best for my daughter," Ramkoff stated angrily, taking another step closer to Christian. "And the best thing for her would be to get her as far away from you as possible!"

Christian glared at Ramkoff, practically shaking with rage. He felt his chest constrict with some powerful emotion, and he realized it was fear - fear that maybe Ramkoff was right. The darkness inside of him would never truly go away...

Unworthy

He had definitely felt that emotion before. But was it really true when it came to being Lucia's father?

"You don't know anything," Christian hissed after a moment, his heart pounding in his ears.

"I know what's best for my daughter," Ramkoff replied. "I know that pricks like you don't deserve the money and power that's handed to you every day of your lives…" After a moment, Ramkoff grinned, a cruel glint in his eye. "And I know that dismantling an entire playroom doesn't wipe away the sins of the past. Does it, Grey?"

Christian's heart immediately sped up, and his anger reached a fever pitch.

How the fuck…?

In a blind rage, Christian aggressively grabbed at Ramkoff's lapels, ready to beat him to a bloody pulp for even mentioning that, before the doors to his office suddenly burst open. Taylor and Reynolds both strode inside and grabbed Ramkoff by both of his arms, pulling him away from Christian before he did something he would regret.

"I'll see you in court, asshole!" Ramkoff called over his shoulder as Taylor and Reynolds forcibly dragged him out of his office. In a moment, the doors slammed shut behind them, leaving Christian all alone.

A/N: Ooh, the drama continues! I hope you all enjoyed that chapter - if you did, please review!

Some of you are asking me how long this story is going to be - from what I have planned out right now, there's only going to be a few more chapters left and then an epilogue at the end. I don't plan on dragging this out for too long - so don't worry, I'm not going to make you suffer for a long time with this plot lol.

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