My dear little broccolis 💚💚💚

💚 So remember that this pic is RATED M, and it is not only for the sexy times. Some dark moments will be approached in this story, and they can trigger some people. This is a fair warning to remind you that this story sets place in a dark world, which means it is bound to mountains dark themes.

Love, Mina 💚💚💚

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Chapter 24: In The Middle Of The Night (7,9K)

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💚So you have been waiting for so long for this particular chapter, and you should have a special thanks to FrenchBenzo who gave me the inspiration for it. I would like you to pay special attention to this chapter because many things are said without being said. As usual, but since you have a new point-of-view for this one, maybe it will make more sense.

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La Valse A Mille Temps - Jacques Brel

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Ana's PoV

Ana was laying in the lounge room, her eyes closed as she let the small breeze of the beginning of spring get in. If the days were that clement this early in March, she had no doubts that they would keep on getting better, until Kate would be able to celebrate her wedding, without having to worry about the rain.

The wind was pleasant, and she let a small smile of complaisance spread her lips whilst the music player played once again La Valse A Mille Temps. Ever since Christian had introduced her from that song of another generation, she had not been able to get it out of her head, especially when Christian was away and distant.

It had been a month since her clandestine night out with Kate, and she hadn't had the chance to see him even once since then. Sure, she knew that he was working a lot and that he must be under a lot of pressure but that didn't mean that it didn't bother her. Her father had been on the edge ever since Christian left, and she suspected that there was something that did not go according to plan.

For a moment, she even feared that Raymond had discovered the ruse and had done what he usually did, get between her and her boyfriends; but Christian still contacted her as if nothing. Granted that the texts he would send her were mostly initiated by her, and too often too short to have any real messaging conversation, but Ana trusted that if her father had known about their charade, Christian would have told her. At least, she liked to believe in that idea.

This was actually a conundrum that Ana often reflected on. Her relationship with Christian, and his relationship with her father. She knew how her father felt about Christian, there was no need to be a genius to understand that Christian was like a second son in Raymond's eyes. And Ana was sure that Christian felt the same for Raymond, if not more. The few times she saw them together, she had witnessed how loyal Christian was to his boss. And more than witnessing, she had heard the guys talking about how Christian would always do anything for Raymond Steele. It made her ponder more than once what would happen if she told Christian they should go official. And she was scared that Christian would choose his loyalty and disregard her like an old sock.

Still, at that given moment, it was nothing like that. She knew he was preoccupied with whatever he was doing, travelling throughout the country, and she wished that he would rely on her a bit more. She wasn't sure if she wanted the whole truth, but she knew that she didn't want the sugarcoats Christian had been given her when she asked about how he was doing, and how was work.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, Miss Ana," Gail suddenly said from the threshold, startling Ana out of her thought. The brunette nodded her acknowledgement to the maid, closing her eyes as she decided that she would listen to the French song once more before going to the dining room.

As Jacques Brel sang about love in Paris, Ana thought back of her time there, and what had come out of it. The charity that she had envisioned was coming to life, though it was later than she had hoped. She was actually very surprised by how her father had given her free rein over it, not trying for one single moment to tell her what she should do or not.

Ethan had advised her to take someone who knew how to deal with charity and make sure to trust that person because a lot of money would go through them. So Ana had hired a girl named Jessica, fresh out of college who had spent most of her youth doing charities. She seemed to understand exactly what Ana wanted to do and appeared to be invested enough into philanthropy.

Raymond had given to Ana the keys to a building that she had transformed into a shelter for the homeless. And Jessica had convinced Ana that sheltering the people in need wasn't enough. That she needed to help them get back their dignity. Which in this society meant helping them get a job and provide for themselves, without depending on the goodwill of anyone. So, on the two first floor of that building, Jessica and Ana had installed a whole health care system, as well as a barbershop.

Surprisingly, Jessica had found both doctors and barbers who would come to work, out of the goodness of their heart, without asking anything in return. Now all they needed to figure out was how to dress the people who came to them for help.

Ana was still lost in her thoughts, when a hand rested on her shoulder, making her jump a little. "Dinner's ready, sweetheart," Raymond said with gentleness.

Ana fondly smiled to her father before getting up and following him to the dining room where Gail had already put their dinner on the table. She saw that Gail had cooked one her father's favourite food, Lebanese food. The two Steeles sat at the dinner table, Raymond going straight for the falafels as he inquired,

"How was your day?"

"Rather dull, really. Though Kate is starting to lose her head. She lost her caterer for her wedding."

"How come? Who was he? I'm going to have a word with him!" Raymond exclaimed with anger. Ana shrugged, expecting this reaction from her father, but she explained something simple to him,

"It was Mr Martin. And he died in a car accident. So I think he has a fairly good excuse."

Raymond nodded with a small smile, implicitly admitting that he overreacted too quickly. They kept on eating, Ana relishing on how good Gail was with food, and Raymond suddenly told his daughter out of nowhere,

"I didn't know you liked old French music."

"Huh?"

"The song you were listening to when I came in," He clarified, and unconsciously, she touched the necklace that Christian had given her for Christmas.

Her father wasn't looking at her, focused on serving himself with another portion of tabouli, and Ana shrugged, using Christian's best tactic: elusion.

"I stumbled upon it not long ago, and it stuck in my head." She certainly wasn't not going to tell her father that this particular song made her think of a certain man and gave her a sensation of peace.

Raymond made a small approving noise with his throat, but Ana didn't think much of it. She knew that her father wasn't really talkative when Lebanese food was involved. He liked to eat first, and then talk. Which was why she was keeping her request for desert, hoping that the good food would have put him on a good mood.

They kept on eating, Ana commenting on a few things such as her charity and her best friends' wedding and having her father give her his full attention, even though his responses were not fully developed.

Gail came to take away the dish and serve dessert, which was to Ana's greatest pleasure raspberry tiramisu. "So … I have been meaning to ask you something," She said, though she kept her eyes down when she felt her father's gaze on her.

"I'm all ears."

"I'd like to move out," She blurted, looking up.

Her father choked on his dessert, before staring at her with shock. His face was void of colours, and for a second, Ana almost tried to pass it as a joke. But she wanted freedom, and she knew that staying with her overprotective father would never give her that.

"Why?" He asked in a blank whisper, making Ana look down because she could see the hurt on his face, and she couldn't bear it.

"I … want to be able to come and go as I please without having people following me around. I want to have a night out without having to make a statement beforehand. I … I want freedom."

"But you are free, Ana. I'd never stop you from—"

"I'm not! I have a guy following me even when I am just paying a visit to Anne down the block. It isn't fun to have to depend on people to do anything, Dad. I don't like it anymore. In fact, I've never liked it."

There was a heavy silence between the two of them, during which Ana looked down at her dessert. This was an idea that had been hanging in a corner of her head for quite some time. Ever since Kate moved out of her parents, to be honest. But it was mostly her new relationship with Christian that helped her get the courage to ask her father.

She didn't like that she had to lie to him every time she would go see Christian because she had always been truthful to her father, and she knew it was the same for him. It was actually why she had always been careful not to ask certain questions about certain aspects of his life. The only times he blew her off was when she asked about her mother, but she had learnt to live with it and accepted the fact that her father would never share with her anything concerning his late wife. At least, she liked to believe that she was dealing with it.

"Ana, sweetheart … I can't grant you that wish," Raymond finally said, his voice still a low whisper. Ana snapped her head up, shocked that her father would refuse her. She had thought that it would be a painful topic, but that he would give her what she wanted, probably giving her an apartment in Kate's building, and posting people to follow her without her knowing.

"I can't," He repeated, contrite. "And this is only selfish of me, but if you leave, I would be too lonely. I'm not ready for you not to be around me."

Ana didn't argue anything, hanging her head low as she realised that she never thought of what moving out could mean to her father. She always thought of the freedom it would give her, never of the fact that it would leave her father alone in this huge mansion.

The two of them remained silent for a moment before Raymond asked, "Aren't you happy?"

"Of course, I am."

"Then, why do you want to leave, then?"

"I told you why. I don't want people following me around, and knowing my every move. I want to go out with whomever I want, without having to tell you first. I want to … live a more normal life than this one."

On those words, Ana got up and kissed her father on his cheek, "But I don't want you to be unhappy either. So I won't go anywhere, forget about it."

She left to go to the library where she pulled a book and read to evacuate her mind. She was upset that the conversation didn't go as she had expected, but she was even more upset that she caused hurt to her father. She rarely tried to see things his way, because she was sure this was something she would never be able to do. The two of them were too different in every way for her to fully understand how her father thought. But that didn't mean she couldn't see when he was emotionally in pain. And this evening was one of those times.

She heard footsteps behind her, making her snap her head and see that Raymond was staring at her from the threshold. She gave him a small smile, and patted the space next to her for him to come by her side. Once there, she leant her head against his shoulder, appreciating this small moment. It was pretty rare that Raymond ever came to that room, though Ana suspected it was because he was missing his friend. Eric had helped her fill this library with wonders, always bringing her new stories to read, and even, when she started learning new languages, bringing them in their original tongues.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Raymond said.

"For what?"

"It feels to me that you are not as happy as I'd like you to be."

"I'm plenty of happy, Daddy," She assured him, giving him a reassuring smile. Raymond shook his head, sighing.

"No, or we wouldn't have had this conversation. And if you want to move out, I will help you move out."

"I told you, forget I said anything. I'm happy just right here."

Raymond looked at her, caressing her cheek with love as his eyes ravaged her face, searching for something before he told her, "You've always been such a poor liar, Ana."

She grimaced, ready to quip about it, when her father interrupted her, "How about I … try, and I emphasise on the try, to be a little bit less on your back."

"Really? No more useless bodyguards? No more drivers?" She asked with a bright smile that instantly contaminated Raymond, though he calmed her hopes,

"How about we go slowly? You still get a driver, and you still get bodyguards. But, not upclose. You won't even know they are here."

Ana thought about it for a second, before accepting, knowing that she would not get something better for the moment. Though she still had a huge bargaining chip, "And what about me going out as I please?"

"You can already go as you please?"

"Yeah, but then your guys tell you where I went, and when I come home, there is this whole Spanish Inquisition."

It was Raymond's turn to think about it, before he proposed, "Then I will tell them to not tell me anything, unless it endangers you. If I don't know, I can't question."

Ana beamed and jumped in her father's arms, "You're the best Dad ever."

"Anything for you, sweetheart," He replied, giving her back her embrace.

Ana got up with a big smile, and when she did so, she accidentally knocked the frame that was on the little table by the side of the sofa. She caught it before it touched the ground, her smile fading when she looked at the picture of her godfather, and before she could try to stop herself, she was asking,

"Dad, do you know who killed Uncle Eric?"

It was a question that she had always avoided. She had always known that Eric had been murdered, but she never asked her father about it. Mostly because she had heard people talking at the funerals, and that she didn't want to know if those rumours were true. And when she had asked Christian, she didn't like the answer he gave her. She was sure that, if she had asked further, he would have told her; but she liked better the version Christian gave her, even though it still left her curious.

Raymond longly looked at her, probably assessing if if he should be truthful, or try to dismiss the conversation, like every time she would bring the topic of her mother. But after a long sigh, he admitted, his eyes never wavering, "I do. But I don't think you would like to know, or that you need to know, for that matter."

She looked down, putting the frame at its proper place before she said, "Uncle Eric didn't deserve to die like that. He was a good man, and good people die of old age."

Not for one second she doubted the fact that if Christian was guilty of ending her godfather's life, it had been because he had been asked to. And she couldn't understand why her father would want to kill his best friend, the man who had been with him ever since they were toddlers, and who had helped him be who he is.

Raymond heaved as he got up, and rested a sympathetic hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Not everything is black or white in this world. The shades of grey are infinite, but I can assure you that Eric's death was for the best."

"I am pretty sure that he would disagree."

Raymond repressed a smile before kissing Ana's forehead with love as he told her, "It was what was best for everyone. Including Eric. No matter how it might look to you."

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Ana's PoV

She was peacefully sleeping in her bed when Ana thought she heard a noise. So she stirred a little, her brain still asleep whilst the chicken side of her was hoping it wasn't a monster from another dimension. She knew she shouldn't have watched a horror movie just before bed. Especially a Japanese one where demons were involved. But what was awaiting for her was far from being a monster.

She saw, standing on the right side of her bed, Christian, dressed with a winter coat.

Her eyes widely open as a smile crept on her face, and she murmured his name, thinking that maybe it was just a dream. After all, last she had heard of him was two days ago, and he was in Vegas. Christian turned his head to her, making Ana look where his gaze was first focused on, and there she saw on her nightstand that Christian had put a golden rose there.

She sat up, taking the metal flower in her hands and looking at Christian with a question hanging on her lips. But he answered in a whisper before she could ask anything, "I remember you saying that roses were your favourite flowers."

She smiled and patted the empty space in front of her. Christian sat there, and she switched on her bedside lamp to see him better. He seemed tired. She knew that Christian wasn't much of a sleeper, but it never showed on his face, whereas she could now see bags under his eyes. His face that he usually kept shaven was covered with a thin layer of beard, and she couldn't help but reach to touch it, loving the tingle beneath her palm.

Christian leaned in her touch, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply before he bluntly reached for her and kissed her passionately on the lips. She was not going to lie, she loved Christian's kisses. She loved the way he could take her breath away just by kissing her. The way he held her as if she was the most fragile thing in the world, but with a grip firm enough to not let her fall. She loved how her stomach would happily flip when his breath mixed with hers.

Broadly speaking, she loved the physical interactions she had with Christian. He was a very passionate and dedicated lover who always made sure to leave her satisfied. She never had to fake anything with Christian because, in addition to listening to her body, he listened to her as well. Whether she wanted a quickie or a longie, he was up for the task, and eager to deliver. And she liked that side of him very much.

"I missed you," Christian told her when he broke their kiss, and all Ana could do was lazily smile at him. "And I'm sorry I haven't been much in touch," He added, caressing her face tenderly.

"Hence the rose?"

"Hence the rose," He admitted, and all Ana could focus on was the fact that he came to see her first. He just came back from whatever mission he had been sent to, and before even getting some sleep, or shaving, he came to see her.

"I'm happy to see you," She confessed, making him smile with that smile that she loved so much because she knew that she was the only one who ever got to see it.

With gentleness, she leant forward to kiss him again, and when he brought his hand to her face, something broke inside of her. Silently, she extirpated herself from under her covers, and straddled his laps, holding on to him like a drowning man to dear life. With urgency, she passed her hands beneath his coat, and helped him out of it, grinding against his monster cock growing bigger by the minute.

Once the coat was disregarded on the floor, Ana's fingers started working on Christian's buttons; but he stopped her before she could undo all of them and broke their kiss. They looked at one another for a moment, before Christian attacked her neck, taking her in his arms so he could lay her properly in her bed.

His fingers slowly made their way to her legs, meeting sating shorts along the way, and making her moan when his hand made its way underneath them. Christian stopped moving all at once, looking at Ana with a small smirk, and she knew that he was enjoying her having to be silent, more than he should. She upped her head to kiss him again, but he moved further, tickling just slightly her folds in the process. She moaned again, and he stopped once more.

"Christian. Please. I'll be a good girl."

"If you make a sound, I will stop," He darkly warned and she bit her lip.

They both knew that, given the configuration of the house, she could make noises, and her father would never hear them, as long as she wasn't screaming bloody murder. But there was something erotic about having to keep quiet, and Christian seemed to have picked up on that.

Slowly, his tongue travelled to her nipples before his mouth engulfed one of them. She sucked in a deep breath, repressing a moan and arching so Christian would keep on doing whatever he was doing to her body. Whilst his mouth was busy with her breast, his fingers pushed to the side her panty and played with her clitoris, but when he slightly pinched it, she couldn't help the strangled sound that came out of her.

Christian stopped, looking at her with a smirk, as he threatened, "If you keep on making such noises, I will have to gag you."

"Maybe you should," She challenged with the same husky tone, and all she earned from him was an eyebrow up whilst his grin grew even wider.

"If I am to gag you, I won't stop at that," He darkly whispered in her ear, making her shiver with desire.

Though Christian was rather traditional in bed, he had been willing to try for her a few times to tie her up to the bed. And though it wasn't something that she would want to do daily, Ana had to admit that she loved the dominant side of him that it brought out of him. Having her at his mercy even made him more talkative and definitely more rough, and she wouldn't mind the least in the world if they had a go at it, which was why she panted,

"Then maybe you should …"

Christian seemed to think about it for a second, his eyes lost into her own, but then he shook his head, plunging a finger in her wet folds as he informed her, "I'd rather keep that for when I will make you scream my name. For now, I will watch you bite your tongue."

Ana whimpered as he bit her earlobe, massaging her clitoris with his thumb. She did exactly as he said and bit her tongue as he was doing wonders to her body, and when he had three fingers inside her, she threw a pillow over her head to muffle the sound. His thrusts were short and erratic, pushing her a little bit more to the edge, but it was only when his tongue started to play with her clitoris that she knew that she was far gone.

He pleasured her, taking her closer and closer to climax, and when she felt that her orgasm was near, he took her pillow away from her, and watched her from between her legs. Her mouth form an 'o', exhaling a soundless scream as her whole body tensed and her back arched from the bed. And finally, she found release, slowly coming down from her high.

Christian slowly kissed his way up, before swiftly pecking her lips and falling next to her. She always appreciated that, when he went down on her, he didn't kiss her right after, but slowly erased the taste of her by kissing his way up. It wasn't that she was repulsed by her own taste, but more that she liked it better when Christian had this little and subtle attention for her.

For a couple of minutes, they did not say a word, Ana being blissful as Christian gently caressed her arm. But then, she found it odd that he did not try to take her, like any other time. So she climbed on top of him, playing with his buckle, when he stopped her with a small smile.

"I didn't plan for this to happen. I was simply supposed to put the rose by your side and leave. I don't have any protection."

"You went to Vegas without protection?" She taunted, preaching what was wrong to know what was true.

Christian smiled at her, reaching up to caress her face, "You weren't with me in Vegas, so why would I have needed condoms there."

She couldn't help but smile at that. She knew that Christian would be faithful, even more now that they redefined their relationship to something more than a hookup. But Vegas wasn't called Sin City for nothing, and it was always reassuring to hear these words from him.

Still, she didn't let it take her away from her prime mission. "Then, maybe I should return the favour of what you just did to me," she lusciously said, undoing his belt, and once again Christian stopped her.

She repressed her desire to roll her eyes and simply let herself fall on the bed next to Christian who immediately took her in his arms, putting his nose on the crook of her neck, "I really missed you."

"You didn't call much," She reminded him, and as she expected it, he remained silent at that. Every time she was trying to know a bit more about him, Christian closed himself, though she had to admit, he had been working on that particular aspect of him since Paris. And this is exactly what he did,

"I know. I had a lot in my mind, and I didn't want to put it on you."

"Okay," she simply said, trying not to smile at the fact that Christian opened up to her. For a few moments, they remained silent, and Ana knew what Christian was doing. He was waiting for her to fall asleep so he could leave, but she didn't want him to leave yet, so she questioned,

"Can I ask you something?"

"You know you can," He said, his eyes closed as he kept drying soothing circles on her skin. She watched his face, before chickening out of her question, and ask something else entirely different,

"Why don't you ever let me go down?"

He half-smiled, and Ana was sure that he was fully aware that whatever her initial question was, it wasn't this one. "I tend to be pretty loud when I have lips around my dick."

"So? It's not the first time you stopped me from giving you a blowjob."

Christian opened his eyes and Ana saw that there was mirth dancing in them, proving that he was making fun of her and where her questions were leading her. "In case you didn't notice, I am well endeavoured, and no matter how pretty your lips are, I don't think they are a good fit for me."

Ana pouted, sure that she could prove Christian wrong, and he kissed her to ease her pout away. Sure Christian had a monster-cock, but that didn't mean that she couldn't please him. After all, if her lady parts adapted to him, so would her mouth.

"How about your obsession to watch women climax?" She asked because this had been something she had been wondering about for a long time. Christian loved watching her climax, and this night just proved her right once again. He risked her making noise, just so he could watch her ride her orgasm.

Christian chuckled shaking a little his head and making Ana frown. He reached up to erase the furrow between her brows and confessed, "This is fairly new." He looked straight into her eyes, his thumb now caressing her cheek, "It's … your eyes. They are … the thing I love most about you. I could spend hours looking at them. But you would call me a creep if I did so."

Ana blushed, but still agreed with Christian, "I would most definitely call you a creep, indeed."

Still, she smiled at him, doing her best to not get excited about Christian's words. She knew Christian, and she knew that subtlety and weaving double meanings into his words weren't his speciality. So she shouldn't start overthinking what he said, and simply take the words as they were a simple statement.

Christian kept on looking at her, and she felt so safe at that given moment that she finally gathered the courage to ask her previous question.

"I want to ask you something else."

"Really?" He said with a mocking smile on his lips.

"My first question wasn't really what I wanted to ask." Christian kept his smile in place, caressing her arm as he waited for the real question. "Are you a criminal?"

She had avoided asking this question to her father all her life. She had always done her best to ask the right things so she could delude herself into a lawful life. But … she felt that she needed to know with Christian. Maybe if she knew, Christian would be more open to her, and would call her more often next time he would go on a 'business trip'.

But Christian did not have the reaction she had expected of him. She thought he would try to leave, or elude an answer. She thought he would fall silent and tell her that she didn't need to know that of his life. What she did not expect was for Christian to start laughing.

"I was being serious," She pointed out, slapping his chest, and Christian did his best to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry. It's the word in itself. Crossing the street when the light is red is against the law, and therefore makes you a criminal."

Ana frowned, not sure if she liked this answer. She could feel her brain claiming some sleep, but she was determined to have her answer, "Christian …"

"I'm sorry to tell you Ana that I have been a criminal since … well it seems since forever."

"What do you mean?" She asked, repressing a yawn.

Christian frowned, and Ana knew that this was his way to hide his surprise or his uncertainty. He pretended to think, when in fact, he was simply hiding raw emotions from the world. She gently caressed his face, feeling his stubble beneath her palm, and he took her hand and kissed it.

"It's a long story."

"It could be my bedtime story," She countered, repressing another moan. Christian shook his head.

"I highly doubt this story will give you sweet dreams."

"I'm a big girl," She bluffed, doing her best not to think of the horror movie she watched before bed.

Christian rose his eyebrow at her, knowing perfectly well that she was a chicken, but still laid her on the bed and switched off the light before he narrated,

"This is the story of a boy who was abandoned by his parents when he was little. He went into the system and bounced around from foster house to foster house, seeing all kind of things. He had greedy parents, irresponsible parents, parents who saw too big and adopted too many children, parents who tried to rape their foster children … He even had parents who tried to teach him racism.

Shortly before he turned twelve, the boy was adopted yet again. It seemed to be a rather stable family, with two other kids, two boys. Sure the family wasn't perfect, but it was stable. The Mom would easily slap her boys around when they misbehaved, but other than that, there was no violence, or other kinds of misbehaviour the boy had witnessed in other foster families.

A week after he turned twelve, the kid's foster father lost his job. It was a tough time for him, and he started drinking to drown his worries. With the drinking, came the violence, but it was only a few slaps around, and he always had a 'good excuse'. But then, the little boy had the misfortune to use the bathroom at the exact same moment that the man wanted to use it. So he beat the child to the pulp, to teach him not to stand in the way of adults. When the little boy thought he couldn't take it anymore, the man undid his belt and lashed on the kid, finishing with a hard last stroke, using the buckle of the belt…"

Ana looked up at Christian, but he seemed lost in his past, his eyes staring into nothing. There was a scar on Christian's bicep that Ana had seen a hundred time, and had always thought that was a scar proving a happy childhood. She had several like that. The scar when she fell from her swing, the scar when Kate and her tried to be mad scientists, the scar when she hurt herself on the edge of the pool. But they were all happy scars that brought a smile to her face when she would think of how she got them.

Christian's scar was sad, and brought painful memories. It was the proof that his past was dark and full of ghosts.

Christian continued his tale, his eyes still lost into space,

"The boy cried a lot that night, because for the first time, he knew he didn't do anything wrong. He knew that using the bathroom wasn't a bad thing because he had done it a million time before. So when the morning came, he had a fresh new will. He decided that never again someone would lay a finger on him, especially for silly reasons. He took his school bag and put some clothes in it. He stole the money the foster parents kept under their bed, and he never made it to school.

For a few weeks, he survived with the money he had stolen, but when that money was gone he was tempted to go back into the system. But the fear of getting a violent family got the best of him. So he lived in the streets, enduring the cold winter as he begged for food.

During two weeks, he survived like that, begging, even though nobody paid attention to him. People who are on top of the food chain don't look at those who are at the bottom. Especially when they are scary dirty little boys. So one day, when he was hungrier than usual, he stole from a bare, and when he saw how much good the warm bread did to him, it became his way of life."

When Christian finished his story, there was a small silence that Ana didn't dare break, though her heart was breaking for mini-Christian. It seemed that every time he shared a part of his youth with her, it was sadder and sadder, and she was far from liking it, especially since every time she had been the one digging the memory up.

Christian had a small smile as he cleared his throat, and he seemed to come back from a journey to the past, "And that's how I became a criminal as you would say it."

"You never finished school?" She asked, not that she really minded, but because this simple question allowed her to get a better grip of herself. If she were to listen to her heart, she would cry her eyes out for Christian.

"Surviving seemed more important at the time," He said with a mocking smile, looking at the ceiling.

Ana did her best to keep her tears in, but they still escaped and fell on his chest, making him snap his head to her and frown. He caresses her cheek with tenderness, smiling with gentleness as he told her,

"Don't cry. That boy is long gone."

She repressed a sob, keeping for herself that this was the sad part. That Christian didn't get to experience his childhood like any other kid. She weakly smiled, and Christian wiped away another tear that rolled on her cheek,

"You said you were a big girl. Don't be sad. I barely think of that part of my life anymore. It's far in the past."

Ana nodded, and something suddenly hit her. Christian had had such a sad life that she suddenly wondered if he was happy with the life he had at the moment. After all, he said it himself, he had to survive. Maybe it wasn't all for the best for him, and he wished his life had turned differently.

"Are you happy, Christian?"

Christian looked at her with surprise, clearly not expecting this question, and he told her, "I am happy with my life as it is, Ana. Even with the crappy start I had."

She smiled, content with this answer, and even more when he pressed her against him and added, kissing her neck, "I am even more happy with my life when I'm with you."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Ana's PoV

When Ana woke up the next morning, she found the bed empty next to her, but she wasn't really surprised by it. She had been expecting much. For most part of the night, she struggled against sleep, talking with Christian about all and nothing; until Christian instructed to sleep and that they would see each other soon enough.

As she got up, she noticed a note below the golden rose, and she furiously blushed when she read it,

I had a great night with you

And it became even more interesting when you fell asleep

Can't wait for our next night

We have a rain check I am looking forward to.

More than once, Christian told her that she spoke in her sleep, but she usually didn't care much about it since she apparently mostly talked about broccolis and monsters from horror movies. Christian did mention a couple of times when she talked about her Mom, but he never really lingered on the thing. He said it was just a 'cute little thing she did'. What bothered Ana was the fact that Christian didn't tell her what she blurted about I'm her sleep, when he usually always did.

For a few minutes, she blnkly looked at the note, before she shook herself and went to the kitchen where she found Gail. She told the maid that she wanted to eat fruits and muesli for breakfast, and asked about her father's whereabouts.

"My best guess is that he is still home. Maybe you should ask him what he wants for breakfast," Gail suggested. Ana vigorously shook her head and instructed,

"He'll have fruits and muesli. He needs to pay attention to his health, and if I ask him, he's going to ask for eggs and bacon."

Gail knowingly smiled, looking for fruits as Ana went to look for her father. This was a recurrent battle between the two of them that she did not intend to lose. Two years ago, his health bill came back with alarming red dots all over it, but Raymond didn't seem to worry about it, saying that he was feeling as healthy as a bull.

She first went to his room, which was at the opposite side of hers (she had moved room shortly after turning sixteen, seeking a bit of privacy), and when she found it empty, she decided to check his office. She was about to open when she heard two voices talk about her, which made her lean her ear against the door, curious of who was talking to her father about her so early in the morning.

"I'm not sure that O'Neill is the best option."

"His track records are impeccable," Her father argued, and Ana frowned. She had recognised the second voice as belonging to Christian, and from what she had gathered, they were talking about this new surveillance her father wanted to put on her.

"O'Neill hardly blends in. He stands out too much in a crowd. You should put Luke on her back."

"Luke doesn't want to go on the field anymore."

"It's not much a field mission. And I don't think you should coo him like that. I think he is the best choice. He can follow her discreetly, and she already knows him. If she's in trouble, she will know that she can turn to him," Christian said, and Ana highly hoped that her father would go with this. Luke already had to follow her around, and she had managed to shake him off. So she knew that it wouldn't be a problem to the same again, if he were to become her unofficial shadow.

She strained her ear a little more, and when she heard that they were talking about something else, she decided that it was time for her to barge in, and pretend that she knew nothing of who was in the office.

"Dad, it's time to put some food in your system!" She brightly exclaimed as she opened the door.

Her father was sitting behind his desk, whilst Christian was standing by the door, his winter coat on. She feigned surprise and stared at Christian, as she pretended, "Sorry, I didn't know you had company."

Raymond shook his head, getting up as he assured his daughter, "Christian just came by to let me know of some important business. We were finished."

Ana smiled at him, removing herself from the threshold as Raymond stepped out of his office, shortly followed by Christian. He turned to the man, and proposed, "Care to join us?"

As Ana knew he would, Christian shook his head, declining the offer as the three of them walked away from the office. And when Raymond insisted for Christian to stay, he gave the best excuse he could, "I am meeting Jose in an hour, and I'd like to have a shower first. Plus, I have a cat that I I need to feed."

"Since when do you have a cat?" Raymond mused.

"I got him shortly after Christmas," Christian answered, before closing his coat, and taking the Steele's leaf, "I will see you some other time."

After he left, Ana and her father went to the dining room where Gail had prepared their breakfast, and Raymond grimaced when he saw that his high cholesterol breakfast was off the menu. But he did not bring up the argument. Ana was sipping though her coffee, when her father inquired,

"By the way, you still didn't tell me who you're taking to Kate's wedding."

"Paul Clayton," She said, taking some mangos and strawberries. She felt her father's eyes on her, so she clarified, "We are going as acquaintances. He is not my date."

This did not seem to appease Raymond, who put down his fork as he asked, "Do I need to be worried?"

"Of what?"

"Well, you want to move out. And now, I learn that you're taking that politician as your plus one. Is there something you need to tell me?"

Ana simply smiled, taking interest in her muesli as she reminded her father of Paul's major flaw, "Like you said, Dad, he is a politician. A nice politician, sure, but a politician nonetheless."

Raymond scoffed, and Ana rolled her eyes. She didn't like politicians because she always felt that they were lying through their teeth, and though Paul was a nice guy to be around, she knew that she would never go out with him. Or there would need to be a very good reason behind that.

"Ana, politicians are anything but nice. Sharks are better qualified for that word than politicians," Raymond warned, and Ana couldn't help but keep on smiling. Her father was preaching to an already converted soul.

"He is not my boyfriend, if that was your well-hidden question, Dad."

"Then who is?" Raymond asked, his eyes narrowed at his daughter and Ana inwardly facepalmed herself. She knew that her father was a man who paid dire attention to every single word, sometimes seeing double meanings where there weren't any. But this time he was right. She had a boyfriend, one that she didn't want to be taken away by her father, so she lied with sarcasm,

"Casper." Her father's eyes narrowed so much more that she doubted that he could actually see anything. "Really, Dad. It's not like I can date whomever I want. If I were to listen to you, I would never have my big day."

"Of course you will," Raymond immediately argued back, making Ana sadly shake her head as she pointed out to him,

"You do realise that for that to happen, I need to date first. Before the wedding."

"Have I ever forbidden you to do so?"

"You scared away all the boys that I ever presented to you!" She exclaimed, not believing that her father was playing the victim card when he was the one giving her troubles.

Raymond longly looked at her, making her feel that he suddenly knew all her dirty secrets (including the one she was doing her best to hide), and then he resumed eating as he conceded, "I'll make you a deal. I will never scare away any other boy that you will introduce me to as your boyfriend."

"I don't do boys anymore, Dad. I'm not a paedophile," She pointed out because she knew how her father was good at using words against people. Raymond had a small smile, seeing that his daughter saw right through him.

"I won't scare any men that you will introduce me to," He rectified. Ana smiled, but she wasn't stupid enough to blurt out about her boyfriend to her father.

"Okay," She simply said, finishing her muesli.

"So? Are you going to introduce me to him?"

Ana smiled at her father, picking on the mangoes at the centre of the table as she repeated herself, "As I told you, Paul is not my boyfriend."

Raymond held her gaze for a moment, testing her lie, before he nodded and unknowingly giving her relief, "Okay."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

‼️PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER AND LEAVE A REVIEW

IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

.

~ So this chapter was important for many things, but one in particular. I want you to remember that in this chapter, we learn why Christian doesn't drink. it has been said several times that he doesn't take alcohol, but now we have a very vivid explanation as to why! and this is part of Christian and of what he became. keep this in mind, Christian doesn't drink, and we know why.

~ Moreover, we had Ana's perspective on things. remember that Ana is younger than Christian and that she has had a very sweet life. every obstacle that one usually has in life, she didnt get, so she is more naive than him on many things of life.

~ And finally, I wanted to show the dynamic between Ana and her father from their perspective. Christian knows that they love each other, but I wanted to show, more than tell. Their love is strong, and I think it is well shown in this chapter.

~ Anyway, question time:

💚What did you think of our couple in this chapter? It was short, but with a lot happened between them. And what do you think Ana said while sleeping?

💚What do you think of Raymond?

💚 What did you think of Ana in this chapter?

💚What did you think of this chapter overall? And what do you think will happen next?

💚What was your favourite part?

💚Anyway, E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, everything else is mine.

‼️FOR REVIEWERS‼️

I am so sorry, but this chapter doesn't have any answers. I am rather tired, and I will be back to answering reviews for the next chapter. Also, I will try to put ten chapters out there by the end of the year, but that's just a try. And THANK YOU so much to all of you for taking the time to read the story, for following it and for reviewing it. You have no idea what it means to me.

Love, Mina💚💚💚