CHAPTER 53

Thursday

Andrea scurried through the concourse of Grey Plaza, hoping none of her co-workers would realise that it was her in today's on-air escapade. Charlie was pressed to her shoulder still shouting the new additions to his vocabulary.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh," she said as they made it through the doors. But the cavernous atrium and its superb echo were all the better to enjoy the sound of the new words. Head down and trying not to die of embarrassment, Andrea headed for the security barrier.

"Andrea?"

The unfamiliar voice made her look up and even Charlie looked interested as they came face to face with a mane of tightly spiraled titian hair. She thought she recognised the woman and then thought again. It couldn't be her, surely? But the likeness was uncanny. This woman was a thinner, sadder version of a once Teflon-coated harpy who had rummaged through the lives of Seattle's CEOs determined to see what she could uncover. Andrea's lack of recognition was dealt with.

"You probably don't remember me," she said. "It's been a few years. Four, to be exact. I've been… out of town, shall we say."

Andrea squinted and pulled out the name.

"Marnie Moore?"

The woman smiled. "Yes. You remember?"

Andrea stood up straighter and shifted the now quiet Charlie to her hip. "How could we forget? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the press conference."

Andrea could not hide her alarm. "Oh, I…"

Marnie held up her hand. "It's OK, I'm just doing my job. Reporting the facts."

"For whom?" Surely Christian Grey had made damn sure that no paper of worth would be employing this woman.

"The Billings Gazette."

Ah, he had. Andrea resisted the temptation to extol how the mighty had fallen. But still, the nerve of the woman to show up here, today of all days. Hadn't she done enough already? More to the point, what was Melanie Clearwater doing giving press credentials to a woman who had only recently been released from jail?

"I don't think Mr Grey will appreciate you being here." Andrea gave the more polite version of what she suspected Christian would say. The words 'fuck' and 'out' figuring in his sentence.

"I think he will," she said, with breathtaking audacity. "I was there the summer it started. They were at it in my parents' back yard."

Charlie wriggled and she put him down. "What? What do you mean in your back yard?" Andrea held his hand tightly to stop him making a run for it.

"Writing a book about it and calling her Marlene instead of Elena is a pretty dumb move, though."

Andrea blinked. "Wait, what? You've read White Tower? In Billings?"

"Honey, everyone with a vagina has read White Tower."

"Ve-gina!" shouted Charlie. "Ve-gina. Fuck! Ve-gina."

Andrea looked daggers at Marnie Moore. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome. So, the book?"

"What about it?"

"As it's travelling through the female population at a million miles an hour, I take it he doesn't know it's out?"

Andrea sighed. "No, he doesn't. We still have that particular level of hell to descend to." She looked up, suddenly struck by something. "Elena? As in…"

"Yep…"

Andrea's face tried to turn itself inside out with revulsion. "No!"

"Indeed."

"That's. Eww!" She shook her head in disbelief. "Marlene is Elena Lincoln?"

"Yes."

"They were having…" she mouthed the word 'sex', "in your back yard?"

"No, but she was ordering him around, I saw it. Getting him to get stuff for her, sneaking off into corners. Little touches." Marnie went pink. "I was quite sweet on him and used to follow him around like a little puppy."

Andrea stuck her chin out. "I take it he turned you down, then?"

"He turned everyone down. Now we know why."

Andrea closed the gap between them. Perhaps this was the chance they needed to tell him about the book without having to tell him about the book. He didn't like Marnie anyway, so nobody in GEH had to 'fess up to this particular fuck up.

"So, are you going to mention the book in the press conference?"

"I may do, I may not. It depends if I get the opportunity to speak."

Andrea realised that Christian Grey would not be giving Marnie Moore the opportunity to ask a question if he was choosing the reporters to speak to. The Seattle Times had already been barred from attending.

"I need Melanie Clearwater to give me the opportunity to speak. Can I get that, Andrea?"

"I'll see what I can do. But finding out about the book's leak at the press conference is not a nice way…" Andrea stared as a bunch of her co-workers dashed through the main doors of Grey Plaza with armfuls of boxes of foil. Sharon from purchasing ran up to her.

"We love you!" she said, pushing a box of the stuff to Andrea. "We're covering the whole damn building in silver hearts before he gets here!"

Andrea looked at her watch. "In 45 minutes?"

Sharon beamed with delight. "It's Christian Grey. We do the fucking impossible for him every day. A couple of thousand silver hearts isn't a big ask. That roll's for level 30, by the way," she said pushing her way through the security barriers backwards. "Get cutting. Mr Grey's girls are on a roll." She waved a box. "Oh a roll. Geddit?"

Andrea groaned. "This place has gone fucking nuts," she muttered.

"So that was you on the Rick Warzack show?"

"Yes."

"Good stuff." Marnie looked contrite. "Despite the control freakery, Christian's a nice guy and I never meant for anyone to get hurt at the Devil's Kitchen. That ended badly."

"You don't say."

"Get me one question to him, Andrea. Please?"

Andrea shook her head. "It's not my call, it's Mel's. But I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"Now, if you're serious about being in the press conference then I'd go hide. If Mr Grey catches you here he'll probably drop-kick you off the roof."

"I could cut out some of those silver hearts?"

Just then more women ran through the door clutching boxes of foil.

"I guess you could make yourself useful, yes."

"Then, I'll see you later," said Marnie, taking a box of foil.

Andrea guided Charlie through security and up to where the crèche was on the eighth floor. She checked her son in as if she was in a dream. The revelation about who exactly Marlene was both intrigued and repulsed her and she wondered if Grace Trevelyan-Grey knew? Andrea rode up to floor thirty and arrived to find Olivia exultant at her snappy handling of Amos King and equally thrilled at the arrival of a roll of foil which she set about with scissors and a heart template. The Grey family arrived. Grace Trevelyan-Grey had a face as dark and angry as an approaching storm and there was no doubt in Andrea's mind that his mother knew about Elena Lincoln and she was not happy about it.

The clocked ticked its way through to half past nine as the assembled members of the Grey family sat in tense silence in Christian's office. Andrea and Olivia kept them supplied with coffee and a stack of croissants for Elliot, but even that failed to keep them at ease. Especially Grace, who seemed to be coiled like a snake ready to strike. She came out to Andrea and Olivia and with the tight-lipped expression on her face, Andrea guessed what she said before she opened her mouth. And because of that, she'd already decided to take advice from her boss before she parted with the information.

"I lost her address after she moved to Vancouver. Do you have any contact details for Elena Lincoln?

"I'm sorry," said Andrea, "I…"

"Yes, I do," said Olivia, bringing up the contact database. Andrea hurriedly cleared her throat to attract Olivia's attention, but it didn't work. The eager woman wrote it down and handed it to Dr Trevelyan who received it with a smile that was unnerving on a woman who had access to a hospital pharmacy. Andrea glared across to the other desk.

"What?" said Olivia, wholly unaware of what she'd done.

"I'll leave you to explain that to Mr Grey."

Olivia raised her hand toward the open office door. "I gave an address to his mother. I hardly think she's going to be using it for industrial espionage."

"True, but…"

"But what."

Andrea sat back. "Just tell him."

"I really don't think he's going to be interested."

"I really think he will."

"Why?"

Andrea squirmed. "Just… Nevermind." I'm going down to Tom's office. Try not to give anyone else's contact details out while I'm away."

"I don't get what the big deal is."

"Let's just say that Dr Trevelyan and Elena Lincoln are not best of friends right now. So just duck when you tell him."

Olivia glared at Andrea's retreating back and carried on cutting out silver hearts out of the sheet of foil.

She picked up a perplexed observer in the form of Mia Kavanagh who didn't go back into the office after she walked her mother to the elevator. Dr Trevelyan had decided to go down to the restaurant while they waited for Christian and Ana.

"What are you doing?" asked Mia.

"Cutting hearts out. It's a show of support for Mr Grey."

"That's nice. I get the gray hearts image, Christian told me what it's about. A little weird, to say the least, but why do this?"

"You obviously didn't hear the radio this morning," said Olivia. "Andrea spoke passionately in his defence."

"Good for her," said Mia as Kate Grey came to stand next to her. "He started this business from scratch. With money from…oh." She went quiet.

"That was close," said Kate. "Don't let's have a repeat of last night." Both women sucked air through their teeth. "We don't want to be scraping her off Christian's office ceiling as well. At least Elena's moved to Vancouver and your Mom doesn't know where she lives these days."

"Oh…"

Both Mia and Kate stared at Olivia.

"You didn't, said Mia.

Olivia closed her eyes. "I did."

"Oh crap," said Kate.

"Dad! Elliot!"

Elliot was there in an instant. "What?"

"Mom's got Elena's address," said Mia.

"Shit! How?"

"I gave it to her," said Olivia. I didn't realise. I'm sorry."

"Where is she?" said Elliot.

"She's gone down to the restaurant," said Kate.

They ran to the elevator. Mia smacked the call button.

"It's on its way up," said Elliot. "I guess it's unlikely to be Mom having a change of heart." He looked to Olivia. "Call security, get them to seal the doors. Don't let her out!"

Olivia did as she was told and the ping of the elevator revealed Christian and Ana who were quickly bundled back in the elevator with the others. Just then, Andrea came back from Tom Clark's office catching the complement of Grey's as the doors slid shut.

"If my mother arrives back," shouted Christian, wedging his foot in the door. "You have our permission to sit on her. Don't let her leave the building!" He pulled his foot free and the elevator started on its descent.

At her desk, Olivia was sadly contemplating her existence.

"Well, that all went a bit Scooby Doo," said Andrea, dropping back into her chair. "It must be Thursday, I never could get the hang of Thursdays." She checked her watch. "Twenty five minutes to go. Are you coming down?"

"I suppose it will put me closer to the door when he ejects my ass."

"Think positive. They might corner her before she manages to escape," said Andrea.

"You make her sound like a wild animal."

"If your fifteen year old son had been introduced to BDSM by your mother's best friend, wouldn't you be a wild animal?"

Olivia's eyes bugged. "Elena's not… She's not Marlene, is she?"

Andrea thought for a moment. Olivia would find out sooner or later. "Yes, she is. White Tower isn't just a series of uncanny coincidences, Olivia. It really happened. Apart from a few badly-disguised name changes, it's the true story of Christian Grey."

Olivia stopped for a moment and then stood up. She scooped up the silver hearts and a roll of tape. "All the more reason to put these up, then. Want to help me?"

"Sure."

The two women went to the window and taking a heart at a time placed one in each pane of glass around Mr Grey's office. Catching movement, Andrea smiled as she saw another office worker in an adjacent building also placing a silver heart in her window. Then, she noticed another and another, and…"

"Andrea! They're everywhere! Look!"

Andrea ran over and Olivia pointed. On the visible panes of glass in office blocks across the city and as far as they could see, the morning sun was reflecting back thousands of silver hearts at them as they stood in Christian Grey's office. Andrea gasped and as she spoke the emotion made her voice catch.

"I finally did something right today."