Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are those from the Fifty Shades Trilogy. They remain the rightful property of E L James. Recognisable brands, places, music or films remain the property of their owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Labella - You're welcome! Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. I really appreciate it. :) I hope you like this chapter! Much Love x

Jeangb - Thank you! Wow, wouldn't it be crazy is all of three of them are in this together? Elena, Jose and Leila? That would be intense! ;) I hope you like this chapter. Much Love x

Cypher7 - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :) I hope you enjoy this one too. Much Love x

Ali Bain - Thank you! I'm feeling much better now. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Much Love x

Liz - I totally understand your comment. It has taken a while to get to this point but, for me, it was important that Christian was the first one to say 'I love you' and prior to this point, I just didn't think he was ready. Hopefully you'll think that the pace is picking up again now. Thank you. :) Much Love x

SuzB - Thank you, lovely! :) No, Christian doesn't like being kept in the dark, as Ana is about to learn... I hope you like this chapter! Much Love x

Searth - Thank you! Oh, you know I love a cliffhanger! Hopefully the wait wasn't too painful! :) Much Love x

Thepoweroflove - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :) Really hope you enjoy this one too! Much Love x

Hello Lovelies!

Sorry for the cliffhanger on the last chapter... But if you've been reading my work for a while, you'll know I do love a cliffhanger every now and then. :)

Much Love,

Chelsea x

Christian crossed his arms and shifted on the spot, his shoes nuzzling into the cream rug.

"Why is Taylor messaging you about José Rodriguez?" he asked me. His eyes were narrow, almost pinpoint underneath his brows. "Why is Taylor messaging you, period?"

I glanced down at my phone again. He couldn't have read the whole text from the locked screen and he wouldn't guess my password…

Silently, I passed the phone to him and let him read the message for himself. The look of sheer confusion didn't leave him.

"I'm not following," he sighed. "What the hell is going on, Ana? What haven't you told me?"

"Please don't be mad at me," I whispered, suddenly finding my mouth dry.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

I inhaled a deep breath. I mimicked his stance, my arms crossed under my bust, my fingers pressing into the fluffiness of my robe.

"Remember my neighbour stopping us when we were leaving my apartment?" I asked. He nodded his head, keeping quiet so as not to interrupt my flow. "Well, Mrs Allen gave me a note. She said that someone had been trying to get into the building. A man."

"José?"

"Yes," I nodded. "She said he was banging on the doors and when finally got inside, he started hammering on mine and Kate's door. Mrs Allen asked him what he was doing and he said he was looking for me."

"He just turned up, out of the blue?"

I rubbed my lips together.

"Kind of," I mumbled. "He had been messaging me, calling me. I had to block his number in the end, just to get some peace. But before I blocked him, he sent me a text that said he'd camp outside my apartment if he had to. He said he had to talk to me about what happened."

"What happened?"

"On Tuesday, at the exhibit," I reminded him. "José tried to apologise on Wednesday morning, presumably when he'd sobered up, but I didn't want to talk to him then. I needed some space. He was being an ass at the show."

"So he threatened to stalk you if you didn't talk to him?" he shot back. There was a seething tone in his voice. A beat later, his brows shot up his forehead as the realisation hit him. "Oh my fucking god."

"We don't know it was him," I added quickly. "José doesn't even know where I work."

"Yet he was two streets away when you were fucking attacked?" he shouted, waving my phone in the air. "Jesus, Ana. Are you seriously trying to tell me this is fucking coincidence?"

I didn't say anything. I was still processing Taylor's message. He only said it could be José, not that it was definitely him.

"Why the fuck didn't you call the police?" he huffed at me. He was pissed off, I could see it enveloping his face. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"I told Taylor," I muttered. It was the best I could do. His mood was making my skin tingle, and not in the good way. "He said he would look into it for me."

"Yes, well, I'll be having words with him later," he grunted. He stood up straight and pushed his hand back through his hair, shaking his head. His voice grew louder again, it made my ears hurt. "You were attacked, Ana. Did you forget just how serious this is? You could have been assaulted… That bastard could have forced himself on you!"

"Don't you think I know that?" I fired back. "Of course I know what could have happened if that man didn't run away when he did."

"José," he said. "José. That man was José."

"We don't know that for sure," I repeated myself. "We can't assume that it was him. You heard the police, there have been muggings –"

"Oh piss off," he shook his head. "You're not an idiot, Ana, so stop acting like one."

"Don't talk to me like that," I warned him. I ground my feet into the floor, filling out my frame. "Yes, there's a chance it could have been José. But there's also a chance it could have been some random guy walking past. I don't know what happened, but it doesn't make sense for it to have been José. He doesn't know where I work, for starters."

"Okay, so you think it was some random guy," he began, holding up a finger. He was full of arrogance and it was grating on me. "What's to say José wasn't driving around and happened to stumble across the club? Maybe he saw your car parked in the back and he decided to wait for you to come out?"

"Why wouldn't he say something to me then, if it was him?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Why wouldn't he call my name? When I fell over, wouldn't he tell me that it was just him? Tell me not to freak out?"

"Maybe he was drunk," he shrugged back. "Sounds like he spends most of his time drunk anyway. He clearly has nothing better to do with his time."

I turned on the spot and threw my head back. I shut my eyes and counted to five, trying to calm myself down.

Christian wasn't letting this one go. He was spoiling for an argument.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me about this?" he asked. The iciness of his voice made my spine shiver. "Why would you tell Taylor and not me? I'm your boyfriend, Ana!"

"Because this trip was important to you!" I shouted. My throat burned under its force, but I couldn't stop myself. He had gotten under my skin, needling my last nerve. "You had already booked our tickets, for god's sake."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If I'd called the police, it would have meant hours of being asked every last detail about José," I told him. "They'd want to know everything about him – how I know him, why our friendship has been on the rocks lately… It would have taken hours. We didn't have time for that."

"Bullshit," he shot back. "We had plenty of time."

"Oh really?" I spun to face him again. "When did you become a detective, Christian? You know how long I spent talking to them on Thursday morning. We'd have missed our flights."

"And I would have booked us onto another!" he huffed. "What part of that do you not understand? Fuck the flights. Fuck London and RavenCorp. I'd have rather cancelled this whole trip. We're talking about your safety here, Ana."

"I didn't want to fuck up your plans," I said.

"You didn't want to miss out on a vacation," he snorted and turned his back on me. He leaned over the desk behind him, pressing his hands down onto the top.

I couldn't help but stumble back at step as his words buzzed through my mind. It was like I'd been punched in the stomach.

"You think I didn't tell you because I wanted a free vacation?" I asked him. Even I could hear the hurt in my voice. "You think that's all I cared about? I couldn't possibly let this disrupt my chance to fly off on my dream trip?"

He sighed under his breath.

"Fine, you want to know why I didn't tell you?" I blurted. "It's because I didn't want to be left behind. Not because I wanted a free fucking vacation."

A single tear slipped out of my eye, but I caught it before it reached my chin. I shifted from my spot and walked back into the bathroom, needing to get away and compose myself. There wasn't a chance in hell I would let him see me crying. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

I was alone for maybe a minute, no more than two, before he followed me into the ensuite. I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror, but I didn't look up at him. I fiddled with my bag of toiletries, pretending to look for something.

"I wasn't trying to accuse you –"

"Don't bother," I cut him off, shaking my head. My eyes were watering again but I managed to stave off any more tears. "I'll admit I was being selfish in not telling you about José coming to my apartment. But I didn't do it because I wanted a vacation, I did it because I didn't want to be left on my own after the nightmare I'd just been through."

His reflection shifted. I risked a glance and watched as he leaned back against the door frame.

"Kate is in Barbados, Ray is back in Portland, you were about to fly off," I reeled. "And then there's the possibility that José would be stalking me and my apartment? I didn't want to be on my own, okay? You and Kate are the only people I have in Seattle. I don't have any other friends, anyone else I can rely on for support."

"Ana…"

"No," I shook my head again, harder this time. "I was fucking terrified when that man chased me… I didn't know what was going to happen and all I wanted in that moment was you. When you said you were coming here, I was terrified at the prospect of losing you. I didn't want to be there on my own."

He was silent for a moment, as if allowing me a second to gather myself. My knees were shaking.

"You think I would have left without you?" he finally asked. His voice was significantly quieter, softer even. "I already told you I couldn't leave you behind."

"I was scared," I muttered. "I didn't know what to do. It all happened so fast. One minute Mrs Allen is telling me about José, then Taylor was asking me what had happened… I didn't have time to think."

"This happened three days ago," he reminded me. "You had plenty of time to tell me after the fact."

"I was planning to tell you about all of this," I told him. It's true, I wasn't lying or trying to dig myself out of this shithole.

"Really? When?" He sniffed hard. I imagined him puffing up his chest. "I shouldn't be surprised. You had a chance to tell me that he'd forced himself on you, but you didn't. I had to find that out from your step-father."

"That's not fair." I yanked my head up and stared at him through the mirror. I shook my head at the absurdity of his remark. "That happened way before I'd even met you."

"You should have told me what he did to you before I agreed to let you go to his exhibit."

I cocked my head and scowled at him.

"Let me?" I huffed. "You didn't let me do anything, it was my decision to make. You had no say in the matter."

"That sounds about right," he grimaced. He sunk his head and sighed at the floor. "You should have told me about that note. You should have gone to the police, not ask Taylor to play Sherlock Holmes."

"Yeah, I should have," I agreed. "I was going to. I was just waiting for the right moment."

"You don't trust me, do you?" he said. "That's what this boils down to, right? You couldn't trust me with that information, but you trusted Taylor."

"No, that's not –"

"This will never work if we don't have trust," he interrupted. He waved his hand between us, a strange look absorbing his features. "You should be able to trust me with that kind of information."

"I do trust you. Of course I trust you," I frowned. I turned to face him, leaning against the counter. "I just said why I didn't tell you about the note: I didn't want to be left behind, on my own, surrounded by fucking lunatics like José and Elena."

He shook his head, disbelief radiating from him.

"I'm telling the truth," I reaffirmed. "I was going to tell you last night. I had geared myself up to tell you but then…"

"But what?" he looked up at me with lazy eyes. His face looked similar to that of pure disappointment. Gone was his confusion and anger, replaced now with defeat.

"You were on the phone with her. Elena," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The corner of his eyes twitched. "When I came back from the spa, I heard you on the phone. I didn't question you on it and when you didn't tell me, I assumed it was because you didn't want to let her ruin our night. So I decided to do the same, put off talk of José until I found the right time."

His throat bobbed and he licked his lips.

"You were eavesdropping," he muttered. I shrugged in agreement. I didn't see the point in clarifying that I had only heard a minute or two of the conversation. "I had to call her. I needed to talk to her about Leila."

"I gathered that."

There was an unmistakable chill circling the bathroom. It made my hairs stand up on end, despite the warmth of my robe. I didn't like this feeling.

"I asked her why she hired Leila," he added. "She said Leila begged her for a job and she was just helping her out."

"Do you believe her?"

He shrugged.

"So I guess now you know about José being near Maîtrise you're giving up on the idea that Elena and Leila are involved in this?" I guessed.

"No," he said. "All possible avenues should be investigated, hence why the police need to know about José. You've withheld evidence, Ana."

"I asked Taylor to look into it because José is my friend."

"So you keep saying," he rolled his eyes. "I don't know how you can be friends with a bastard like that."

I snorted a laugh. "You're one to talk! You consider Elena to be your friend."

"She was the closest thing I had to a friend," he corrected me.

"She's a paedophile."

"And José is a would-be rapist," he shot back.

I shook my head and tore my eyes away from his.

"I can't believe we're arguing about this," I sighed. "I'm sorry, okay. I should have told you sooner and I didn't."

"Yes, you should have."

"And you should have told me that you'd spoken to Elena," I continued. "You made a conscious choice to keep that from me, for whatever reason. You don't see me firing into your ass for it."

He opened his lips to say something but fell silent. He didn't have a comeback.

"It didn't bother me that you'd spoken to her," I said. "She's your business partner, your friend… But you know what did bother me? You were talking about me to her, trying to convince her again that we're not together. Ring a bell?"

He nodded once.

"I heard what you told her, about not being that desperate to fuck me," I reminded him. "That stung. When you already feel inadequate most of the time, hearing something like that really sticks in your throat."

"I –"

"I'm telling myself that you didn't mean it, that it was just something to throw Elena off the scent, but still…" I shook my head.

He cast his eyes to the floor again and pulled himself off the doorframe. He curled his fingers around the door handle, halfway out of the room.

"We're going to be late for dinner," he whispered. "If you don't want to come, I understand. But I'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"So this conversation is over? Just like that?"

"I have to go to this dinner," he announced. "I can't cancel. I'll be waiting in the lobby. If you're not there by quarter past, I'll know you're not coming."

He pulled the door, walking away. I rushed forward, grabbing hold of it.

"Christian –"

"We can talk about this later," he told me. "We don't have time to get into this now."

"You can't just leave –"

"For the record," he cleared his throat and dragged his eyes to mine. "You're right, I didn't tell you about my call with Elena because I didn't think it was worth spoiling our night together… But when I said I wasn't desperate, I wasn't talking about you."

I frowned. "Yes, you were. I heard you. You told her that you wouldn't be stupid enough to fuck an employee and then you said 'I'm not that desperate'."

"I know what I said. When I said I wasn't desperate, it was because Elena propositioned me."

My stomach sank.

"She did what?"

"She asked me again if I was seeing you and I said no," he explained. "I lied to her, said that when I first approached you I must have been horny, that I wasn't thinking straight. She laughed and said that if I was still feeling horny I know where she lives."

Bile crept into my mouth.

"I told her I wasn't desperate enough to sink to that level," he added. "I wouldn't touch her again, never in a million years. That's what I meant."

"I thought…"

"You see, that's the problem with eavesdropping," he shrugged his shoulder. "You only hear half the story."

"Christian –"

"Like I said, we can talk about this later," he pulled the door again. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

And with that, he closed the door and left me in the ebony-tiled bathroom. I saw my face reflecting in the shiny blackness, a grim expression solidified in my expression.

"Fuck…" I huffed, burying my face in my hands.

It took me a short while to decide whether I was going to join Christian or not. I didn't like the idea of spending the evening in silence, sitting on the side lines whilst he chatted with the Lord and his wife. But at the same time, I didn't want to be sat alone in our room, eating crappy room service.

Not that the food here is horrible, it's Michelin starred, but you know what I mean.

Picking myself up, I quickly dressed into my powder blue dress and raced down to the lobby. I was still yanking on my coat when the elevator opened and I stepped out, my eyes frantically looking for Christian. I sighed with relief as I spotted him by the exit, next to Tarrick. He didn't smile when I reached his side, but he had an air of relief about him. I hoped he was pleased I was there, at the very least.

We didn't speak on the way to dinner, to a renaissance inspired restaurant that was wall-to-wall extravagance. I felt severely underdressed, adding to my already uncomfortable state of being. Even as we walked to our table to meet Lord Carrington I felt like yanking on Christian's arm, forcing us to redress the tension between us. I didn't want to wait until later. I wanted later to be now.

Thankfully, dinner passed without too much hassle. In fact, I would go as far as to say I found myself enjoying the night. James and Tilly Carrington were the opposite of how I'd imagined them to be: they were almost mirrors of each other, both tall with luscious blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes. They both wore impeccable ensembles, black with accents of silver. James, as I expected him to, focused in on Christian, quickly diving in to talk of Our Future. Tilly, however, kept me occupied, striking up conversation about the world of fiction and theatre. I learnt that she was a former actress, quitting the industry after the birth of their first child. At the height of her career, she was treading the boards on the West End.

"How did you meet James?" I asked her over our coffee at the end of the meal. I was pretending to drink mine, the taste too acidic for my liking.

"Childhood friends," Tilly smiled, her pink lips parting as she glanced at her husband. He was busy showing Christian something on his cell phone. "We were neighbours as children, the best of friends. We went to different universities and lost touch, but we reconnected through a mutual friend. It was like we were meeting for the first time and that's how our romance began. I knew I loved him right there and then."

"That's a wonderful story," I told her. I couldn't help but smile, my cheeks blushing. "How long have you been married?"

"We've been together for eleven years, married for seven," she nodded. "Four kids later and we're just as happy. Though, I'm sure you and Christian will be able to say the same soon."

I instinctively sat up a little straighter. Is it obvious that we have been fighting?

Tilly grinned back at me.

"I can tell by the way he looks at you," she lowered her voice and leaned closer to me. "Trust me, that boy will be making a proposal before the year is out."

"Oh, I don't think so," I shook off her comment.

"I have a sense for these things," she said. "I know when a man is besotted and Christian has the tell-tale signs. He hasn't stopped staring at you all night."

"Really?" I frowned. I glanced at Christian and caught him looking at us. I blushed instantly. "Well, I don't think we're heading in that direction. Marriage and kids…"

"I'll be reaching out to you by New Year's, to find out if there's a ring on your finger," she giggled. "Honestly, Ana, it's so lovely to finally have someone to talk. Christian never brings a guest with him."

I smiled at that, thinking of his note on the Jane Eyre books. I am a lot of his firsts.

It's a shame today marked our first fight.

James was the first to rise from the table, quickly moving behind his wife to ease her out of her chair. Christian did the same for me, his hand grazing my arm as I stood up.

"I'm glad you found the time in your schedule," James grinned and extended his hand to Christian. "I hope we'll be able to get our plans off the ground by July at the latest."

"If you need anything, you know how to reach me," Christian returned his smile. "The fundraiser will be a success, I'm sure of it."

"Ana –" James turned to me and offered me his hand. "I'm sorry I stole Christian away from you, but it was lovely to meet you tonight."

"Thank you for dinner," I smiled. "It was very generous of you."

"Christian and I have a deal," he smirked. "I pay for dinner as long as he keeps donating to Our Future."

"I'd say the foundation is faring better out of that deal," Christian winked at James, provoking a laugh from him and Tilly.

As James said his goodbyes to me, Christian stepped over to Tilly. She leaned in and gave him an air kiss, not risking her lipstick marking his cheek.

"You two make a wonderful couple," she told him. Her voice was muted but I heard every word. "I'm glad you've finally found someone."

"Thank you."

"Look after her. She's a keeper," she said, winking as she leaned back again.

"I know," Christian nodded. He returned to my side and for the first time I felt his hand on the small of my back. It sent shivers through me, for the right reasons now. It felt incredible. "Until next time. James, Tilly, thank you again."

We headed for the front of the restaurant, collecting our coats from the maître d' before heading outside. We were greeted by Tarrick and a hoard of partygoers stumbling down the street. The streets were busy this afternoon, but they came alive as the sun set. I could feel the pulse of music in the distance, laughter echoing from every turning. Christian stuck close to me, shielding me from the group of revellers whilst we waited for Jakobs to arrive with the car.

As we waited, I gently lowered my head onto Christian's arm and carefully slid my hand into his. He didn't resist my touch.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you earlier," he mumbled. He turned into me and looped his arms around my back. His chin rested on the top of my head, my face now burying into his chest. "I was an ass."

"You had every right to be angry," I said. "I should have told you when I found out about José."

"I understand why you didn't," he hummed. "It makes sense now. I just… I thought you didn't trust me and that's why you kept it to yourself."

"You know I trust you," I told him. "Christian, I trust you with my life."

"Trust is a big thing for me," he said. "It's easy for me to become paranoid. I got hung up on that earlier, I don't know why."

"It's been a confusing couple of days," I tried to comfort him. "I think we're allowed to be emotional and touchy… God, it's just a mess. I want to know who it was that night. I'm so confused. I was hoping José wasn't involved…"

"I suppose there's still a chance he wasn't." He rubbed his hands up my back. "Elena was acting coy on the phone yesterday, which makes me question her involvement. Especially considering what she did with Leila. She knows what Leila was like when I ended our contract."

"You said it ended badly?"

"That's putting it lightly," he huffed. I pulled my head back and looked up at him. Beyond him I saw our black SUV park up outside the restaurant. "I think it's time we sit down and talk about all of this. Get it all out in the open."

"I've already told you everything there is to know about me and José," I reminded him.

"I'm talking about me," he said. "You have a right to know everything about my experiences with Elena and Leila. If they're involved, you should know just who we're dealing with."

"Christian –"

"Let's head back to the hotel," he suggested, looking back over his shoulder to the car. "We can't discuss it in public."

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, standing to attention.