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 29: Cinderella: Behind The Scenes (5,6K)

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💚So this chapter is bigger than expected … 3 times bigger. Sorry …. But it flowed …

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Mia's PoV

Mia looked at her reflection in the mirror, trying to recognise herself behind the makeup, but she barely could, Elena's personal shopper and makeup artist had done wonders on her. She had told the older woman that Christian had asked her to come with him to an event of some sort, and now more than ever, Elena Kavanagh felt like a fairy Godmother to Mia.

Sure, Mia knew how to do her makeup and hair by her own, but having a professional take care of that for her made her feel ten times better as she watched herself in the mirror. There wasn't actually much that had been done to her hair and face, but it still seemed that all her best attributes had been brought to light. When she used to work for Tonya, her pimp, makeup had always been about hiding one's flaw and put on a face that wasn't real.

Here, her high cheekbones had been enlightened, her light blue eyes popped thanks to long lashes and a subtle cat-eye, her lips seemed plumper thanks to a deep red lipstick.

Once again, she twirled on herself, watching her dress swirl on her looking glass and smiling of delight. The dress was sparkling green, with string straps attached to the bustier, and a flowing skirt that covered her legs all the way down to her ankles. She felt that without being too sober, the dress was classy enough, and she really liked it. Elena's personal shopper had been right, it did suit her skin tone.

As she was gathering her slightly wavy hair to the right side of her face, someone knocked at the door, and she went to open Christian with a bright smile plastered on her face. The copper-haired man looked at her from head to toe, appreciating her outfit, and she let him in whilst she took her coat out.

"Thanks again for coming with me. You have no idea how much you're going to be a life-saviour to me," Christian called out, making her smirk when she came back to him.

"If I keep doing you favours like that, you're the one who will end up in debt to me," She joked, making him chuckle slightly and shake his head.

Every time Christian had gone away overnight or more, he had asked Mia if she minded going up to his place and put food on his cat's plate. Of course, she didn't mind, though she had to admit she was surprised to learn that Christian was a cat person. Cat that she still hadn't seen, or at least petted. She did saw a ball of orange hair swiftly pass through a couple of times, but the cat never stayed to be caressed.

The two of them took the lift down to the parking lot, and once in Christian's car, Mia checked her phone with anxiety. Not much because she was expecting a text from someone (she actually had some troubles mingling with people in her class), but because she still did not receive the notification that her professor had received her paper. It was due for the same night, and she was anxious that the mail didn't get through.

"You seem nervous," Christian noticed nonchalantly, and Mia shoved back her phone in her purse.

"School things. I am doing you a solid, here. Why didn't you ask your girlfriend to come?" She asked. Though Christian asked and never forced her to come, she still had tons of papers to write, or at least read. But she accepted to help out Christian because, in spite of them becoming friends, she had to admit that she needed a night off.

"I don't mix pleasure with business," Christian said, with the same blank tone he always used when said girlfriend was mentioned.

Out of all the new people in Mia's life, Christian was her favourite person. Sure there were things she could talk about only with Elena and Jose, because Christian wouldn't be able to relate, or would only feel bad for her and awkward, but Christian was the only one to treat her … normally. He was blunt with her when he wanted to, he didn't treat her as someone fragile with whom some topics should be avoided, and most of all, he looked at her genuinely. There was no pity or understanding compassion in his eyes, he simply looked at her, like he would look at any other human being.

After their dinner at Mrs Parvati's, Christian was the one who made the effort to keep in touch. He would sometimes drop unexpectedly with food, tearing her away from her studies for a couple of hours. And just like she originally told him, they were learning to know each other. Christian seemed genuinely interested in her struggles to keep up with her first year of law school, and it was the same for her concern about his girlfriend. Though, if she were honest, the more the girlfriend was mentioned, the more curious Mia got. Christian never gave her a name or even a description, and it seemed that their meet up would be rather sparse and impromptu.

"Does she know that you're taking me to that gala thing, instead of her?" Mia insisted, worried that a simple misunderstanding could come between the odd couple that was Christian and his girlfriend.

She turned her head to look at him, and there was the ghost of a smile on his lips. It barely lasted a second before he regained his usual unreadable face and told her, "She does, and she does not care."

Mia nodded, putting this information in the little box she had in her mind concerning Christian's girlfriend. She had labelled it Jenna because she felt that this was a name that would suit Christian's girl. A sweet little Jenna, all delicate and loving that would balance with Christian's cold demeanour. She imagined Jenna to be the perfect homemaker, and always smiling and to share Christian's passion for tea.

"So about this gala …" Christian started, taking a turn. "It is a company thing. With Robinson Inc'. There will be many businessmen, and not all of them know about my side activities."

She repressed a smile, though she was glad that Christian trusted her enough to be that forward with her. After all, he could have lied to her from the beginning, and hide from her the illegal side of certain of his 'activities'. Especially knowing that she was studying to apply the law. Though he never said those words per se, it was as if he trusted Mia enough to keep for herself what she knew of Christian.

"I know how to keep quiet, Christian. I have been doing it for years," She reassured him, which made him glance at her for a brief second. She could tell what he was thinking, and so she quickly added, "I mean, I know how to play around the truth. It's what will make me a great lawyer."

She earned a slight chuckle from Christian as he pulled over a fancy hotel. The two got out of the car before it was driven away by a valet, and as Christian walked her inside the building, she pondered on the fact that she never heard a genuine laugh from him. He would sometimes chuckle or snicker, but she never heard him laugh from the bottom of his heart. She actually doubted that she even ever saw him smile of genuine happiness.

Christian was too strict for his own good, and Mia promised herself to teach him to loosen up a bit. This was what friends did, after all. They brought the best out of the other.

After giving their coats to the reception, Christian and Mia entered what she assumed to be a ballroom, and she suddenly felt ridiculously out of place. Maybe she was wearing a fancy dress, and was standing next to a powerful man, but who was she going to fool? She did not belong in the elite society, especially with her background. She clung to Christian's arms, a part of her relieved that Christian was not a socialite either and had admired to asking her so he could get out of having to socialise.

Still, as the man walked them to a specific group of people, she noticed that no matter what, he seemed to fit in. Maybe it was because he was handsome, to begin with, or maybe it was this aura that emanated from him. A mix of power and fear that came from him and inspired respect. And as she thought about it, it occurred to Mia that, to someone who did not know Christian, he was scary.

His face was always closed and cold, barely showing any basic human emotions. His stature intimidated due to his abnormal height, and his imposing built. And even in the way he dressed. Mia never saw Christian out of a suit, which gave this impression that he was always about business, and never let loose, not even for a pair of jeans.

But even though that realisation dawned on her, she did not care, nor even feared Christian. He was her friend. He was the guy who had a little kitten for a pet. The guy who would always remember to bring her mango juice when he would bring food because he knew it was her favourite. The guy who was genuinely interested in her life, successes and failures mixed.

As they passed a group of businessmen and their wives, Mia recognised one of them as one of her former regular, and she quickly looked away when his eyes fell on her. This had definitely not been a good idea for her to come, which she let Christian know in a faint whisper,

"Maybe I should have stayed home and study."

Christian looked down at her, his eyes confused for a second, before he ostensibly put his hand on her shoulder, and leaned so he could whisper in her ear, in a way that would seem intimate to anyone looking at them,

"You are not the one at fault here. If you want to go, I would understand and take you home without a fuss. But I want you to know that you have nothing to feel bad about."

She could see the confidence in his eyes, and all her worries flew out the window. So she smiled at Christian, decided to ignore the ghosts of her past, and Christian walked them to Raymond and the Kavanaghs. Elena brightly smiled to her, complimenting her dress when Christian and she greeted the group. Elena's husband gave her a small nod, with a compassionate smile that let Mia immediately know that Elena had told her husband about her past.

She didn't really hold it against the older woman, because she couldn't expect from her to keep secrets in her marriage, but it still made her feel uneasy. It seemed that no matter what, everyone's first impression of her would be based on her past. Elena's children briefly said hello to her and Christian, before walking away from them. She looked around, surprised that she couldn't see Raymond's daughter next to him since the Kavanagh children had been there. But before she could really take a good look, Raymond asked a dance from her.

She didn't dare refuse, even though she was sure that she was going to make a fool out of herself in front of all those fancy people, and Raymond led her to the dance floor, as a slow song was played by an orchestra.

"So how is school suiting you?" He asked with a genuine interest.

"I'm keeping up. If everything goes well, I should validate my year without a problem."

"I would suggest bribing if you're afraid of failing, but you don't seem to be that kind of person."

"No. I like to feel like I earned my things. If I didn't earn my apartment or my place in that school, I will make damn sure that I owe my diploma only to my hard work."

Raymond did not argue with that, simply giving her a nod that Mia liked to think was out of respect, and they kept on swirling with Raymond still nonchalantly talking.

"And still, Christian managed to tear you away from your studies for this one night."

"Yeah … All work and no play … I needed to go out a little, and being with Christian is always a good time."

Once again, Raymond nodded, and Mia felt that he was reading too much into what she just said, which was why she precipitately added, "We're just friends!"

The dance finished, and Raymond let go of her hand, a knowing smirk plastered on his face as he told her, "I never said otherwise."

She watched the man walk away, not sure of what just happened, but feeling that something did happen. But she did not go after Raymond to ask him what this was all about. As much as she did not fear from Christian, she was definitely scared of his boss. It wasn't much that she felt that he might kill her in a mood swing, but more that there was this aura around him that made her think twice about questioning him. Sure she knew very well how to conceal her thoughts and feelings, and always did her best to keep her fear of Raymond to herself, but there was still this unease when she was around him.

She put that on the fact that he was a notorious criminal who did not get to where he was by being nice to other people. Sure he helped her, and others before her, but this was probably his one redeeming quality, no matter how fondly Elena talked about him. Every time Elena told Mia about Raymond, Mia had the feeling that the older woman was talking about an older brother who was loving and very protective of his sister. But that did not cancel the fact that he probably killed more people than he had friends.

In all honesty, that very issue became a problem to Mia. He was paying for her education, and the deal they made would make her work for him in the future. Defending a man who put himself above the law, by transgressing that very law. She thought about it for weeks, almost walking out of her dream job before she realised that she did not really care. She minded that Raymond probably thought of himself above other people like all rich and powerful men did, but she did not mind his criminal background. Especially since he had at least one code of moral, and this particular code was in alinement with her own. She would never have to defend a child molester or a rapist; and since all lawyers sold their souls, she would rather do it for Raymond and know what she was getting herself into than do it for some company that would take her dignity along with her soul.

It was around the time when she took this decision that she started asking Christian a bit more about his 'side activities' as he would call them. It wasn't much really, she just wanted to know what she was getting herself into, and how bad it could get in a court of law.

As she took a glass of champagne and looked at the crowd, she saw that Christian was talking with some young businessman, and though his eyes weren't on her at that precise moment, she could swear that he had been looking at her a moment before. She appreciated the bubbly liquid, thinking that it was the first time that got to drink something so fancy. She had had a few customers who had bought expensive wines and champagnes, but who never actually let her drink any, too eager to get down to business.

"I noticed your glass was empty," A man said, handing her a new glass of champagne with a charming smile, and Mia's heart stopped in her throat.

She had seen Ethan Kavanagh a couple of times, but always from afar, and even when she greeted the Kavanagh earlier, she only saw him briefly. But now that he was flashing all his white teeth at her, standing in all his glory, Mia could not help but notice that he was good looking. He was actually more than good looking, he was a god. He was shorter than Christian but probably taller than Jose, his jaw sharp, despite the five o'clock beard shading it. His fair locks were rebelliously falling over his eyes, giving him a certain charm.

But what made Mia's heart miss a beat was his eyes. His blue eyes. They were deep blue, reminding her of the ocean on a clear day. She wondered why she never noticed Elena's eyes like that, but the Kavanagh matriarch quickly left her mind as she took the glass.

"Thank you," She said, admonishing herself for finishing so quickly her first drink. She did not want to get drunk tonight, because she wanted to wake up early the morrow, so she could study and catch up on what she did not do that night.

Ethan gave her a charming smile, and leaned his back against the wall, staying by her sides whilst the two of them watched other people dance, or talk business in various spots of the large ballroom.

"We live in the same building, right?" He nonchalantly asked, and she nodded. "So why haven't I been invited to your housewarming party?"

"Oh … I did not have one. I don't have the time really. Maybe I will have one over the summer when school is over."

"Oh? You're a student? What do you study?"

"Law."

"That explains the postpone. Though I hope to be invited when summer comes," He jovially said, and she nodded, not sure if she would actually throw a housewarming party. She didn't know anyone to begin with, and though she knew it was a custom that helped meet new people, she wasn't sure she wanted to meet new people.

For a moment, they remained silent, and Mia kept on ogling the handsome man beside her when it suddenly occurred to her that, would she have met Ethan Kavanagh in different circumstances, she would have had a crush on him. She knew that, though she thought that he was a sexy man, it was not the case. She wouldn't go as far as to say that she was through with men, but she did not care to enter any romantic relationship with them at the moment.

Her therapist told her that she was just scared on that step toward a new life, but Mia knew that it wasn't it. She simply didn't want to be with men. She knew that part of it was due to her past, but there was also the fact that she had this thin opportunity to do what she wanted, and she didn't want to jeopardise for a man. She wanted to focus on her career, built herself a name amongst lawyers, and a life for herself, and then, maybe, she would see if she wanted someone in her life

"This is actually the first time that I'm seeing Christian bring a date to this kind of events. You must be special to him," Ethan said, sipping on his glass and tilting his head toward Christian who was talking with Raymond's daughter and her date. Mia had seen the man on the news several times, he was an uprising politician who was making New Yorkers happier than their current mayor, even though he wasn't in office. Paul Clayton.

"Not really," She clarified, not wanting for people to misinterpret her relationship with Christian. In fact, now that she thought of it, the idea of being his Jenna was disturbing to her. It felt wrong on so many levels that she did not know where to begin. Which was why she felt obligated to add,

"Christian and I are just friends. He needed a partner, and I needed a night out."

"What does your boyfriend think of that? You going out with Christian at some fancy party?"

"Boyfriend?" Mia laughed, doing her best to be elegant about it. "Haha! Law school doesn't give me much time for a social life, let along, a boyfriend!"

Ethan frowned a little, as if he was not expecting this answer, and insisted, "Oh? Sorry, I thought you were with Christian's friend …"

"Jose?! Good Lord! No!" Mia exclaimed, horrified that someone could think her and Jose would be an item. She liked Jose very much, but she never thought of him that way. "He's just … being here for me. Last year ended rather badly for me, and Jose helps me pick up the pieces," She explained, though she felt that there was something off in this line of questioning.

She fully turned her head to really look at Ethan's face, and the first thing she saw was relief. For a moment, that emotion destabilised her, before it became clear that Ethan had been telling lies to know the truth. She looked back at the crowd, wondering how she had not noticed that Jose was gay (and apparently banging Elena's son) after all this time they spent together. Now that she was thinking about it, it explained how Jose always arrived bright and early when she had therapy sessions, and why he was always around when she needed to talk to him. He was at his boyfriend's. She had always assumed that Christian let his friend crash at his place, but apparently, she had been wrong.

Before she could find a decent way to ask Ethan about his relationship with Jose, Christian appeared by her side and snaked his hand on her waist as he whispered in her ear, "Let me walk you to dinner."

Mia waved Ethan goodbye, feeling like Christian just put on a show, and as they walk toward another room where their table was assigned, she slowly connected all the dots. "Christian? Can I ask you something?" He hummed, giving her his attention. "Is Jose gay?"

Christian rose an eyebrow at her, clearly not expecting that question. "What makes you think that?"

"I mean … I don't know. I feel like him and Ethan are involved."

Christian took in the information, but did not comment on it, or even answered her question. Since she knew that Christian never lied to her, she took his obvious eluding as a yes and narrowed her eyes as she saw through the game he just played in front go the Kavanagh eldest son.

"That show about you taking me by the waist and being all flirty … Did you try to subtly say something to Ethan?"

Christian chuckled, pulling the chair so she could sit, and le said with a light tone, "You're not even a lawyer yet, that you see double meanings everywhere."

And once again, he just tried to elude the real question. She properly sat on her chair, and stayed on her position when he took place next to her, "I do, and I know that's why you laughed when I said I didn't want to bring misunderstandings into a couple! Jose has one with his boyfriend, and you tried to dissolve it by making it seem as if we were together!"

"As I said, you're reading too much into this, Mia," Christian repeated, shaking slightly his head. She narrowed her eyes at him, and pointed out,

"And you're not denying it. You should have told me! I would have played the part and helped you on that, instead of screaming on the rooftop that I don't have a boyfriend."

Christian seemed surprised for a brief second, and it slightly annoyed Mia that, even though he trusted her with some part of his life, he still held her at bay about others. But what he said next explained things in a way she did not expect,

"Mia … this is not my secret to share. And Jose isn't really comfortable talking about."

"I won't say anything. But just so you know, I can keep a secret, and that's what friends are for."

He gave her a polite smile, and they stopped their ushered conversation to join the others and their mundanes talks. Around the table were the Kavanagh's with their dates, the Steeles and the politician Paul Clayton. They all ate, the conversation slowly drifting to politics, which seemed to annoy all the people of her generation who all excused themselves one by one off the table. All except Paul of course who was animatedly speaking about improving the city with a two years plan.

With a smile, Mia excused herself to the powder room, set on staying there the longest possible for she was not really eager to go back to the conversation. She had seen what Paul Clayton did on cameras, but she had a problem trusting that one politician could be so good and dedicated to the people, especially when that said politician came from a very wealthy family.

As she wandered around, looking for a bathroom, she checked her phone and happily saw that her paper had been properly sent to her professor. This was something she could stop worrying about, so she could now obsess on what the professor would think of her paper.

When she opened yet another in search on the bathroom, she happily found what she was looking for, and was even more relieved to see that it was the ladies' room. She rushed to a cubicle, her bladder suddenly reminding her all those glasses of wine and champagne she drank. It was only when she was fully relieved that she heard that someone was sobbing in one of the cubicles next to her.

She froze on herself, not sure if she should acknowledge the noise, or pretend as if nothing. She didn't know how posh people actually acted amongst themselves. She decided to pretend as if nothing and be as quiet as possible, but when she left the cubicle, she found Anastasia Steele powdering her nose in front of the mirror. Mia did not say a word, admiring a dress from up close, but trying to not be too obvious about it.

It was an elegant backless blue dress, all in chiffon and that was parted by a blue silken belt. Mia thought that the deep of the blue suited perfectly the fairness of her skin, but even more, it clashed in a magnificent way with the chestnut of her hair. Anastasia seemed to effortlessly convey grace and elegance, even though she was trying to make any trace of her crying disappear.

And when she saw a tear roll on the other woman's face, Mia changed her mind and butted in. She fished out of her purse a tissue and gave it to the brunette, without saying a word. She didn't want to be awkward. The Steele took it, with half a smile, and told her,

"So sorry you had to see that."

"It's me who should be sorry that you're crying."

The brunette wiped her tear away, and looked for her mascara, reapplying some layers as Mia awkwardly looked at her. "You should splash your face with cold water," she advised, and when Anastasia looked up to her with a confused look, she explained, "The cold makes the puffy red eyes disappear."

"Thank you," The other girl said, before doing as told.

"Can I ask you why you were crying?" Mia asked without being able to convince herself not to do it. She couldn't understand what would make a pretty girl with beautiful clothes and who was obviously in her element in that gala, cry like that. Or maybe her date had said something to upset her.

"It's … nothing really. I learnt bad news not long ago, and I seem unable to move on from it. The littlest thing upsets me. And … well, I try to keep it to myself, because it is my problem really. I didn't expect anyone to come in a bathroom so far from the gala."

Mia took note that she probably lost herself, if there were restrooms closer to the ballroom, and she gently rubbed the brunette bare arms to show her compassion. Anastasia sniffled, before smiling and returning focus on the mirror and redoing her makeup.

"You're Mia, right? You live in Kate's building," She said, as if nothing, her voice a bit more assured than before.

"Probably," Mia answered, having no idea of who Kate was. well, except for Elena and Christian, she didn't know any of her other neighbours. She knew Ethan lived in her building, and Christian had told her of a lady named Madame Dorothea, but that was about it.

"She's Elena's daughter. She's having a wedding next month."

"Oh," Was all she found to say, not sure if Anastasia was trying to make conversation with her, or if she was supposed to leave.

"By the way, I'm Ana."

"Nice to meet you," Mia politely said, seeing that the girl had magically removed all trace of her crying. In truth, even her voice and demeanour wouldn't betray that she had just cried.

Ana crunched her nose, and retorted, "I doubt that. You met me, crying in a bathroom, while at some boring gala … What we can do, is have a girl night with Kate, with no crying involved, lots of alcohol, and bitching about boys. Then, you will truly mean that it is nice knowing me."

Mia slightly grimaced, not eager to break the brunette's enthusiasm, especially after she finally stopped crying. "Erm … The thing is … School, you know. This is a big exception I'm making by being here."

"' All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. There's spring break coming, and you can take a night off, can't you? If you want, we will bitch about how school is hard and your professors don't deserve you.

Mia hesitated. If she was honest, the prospect of having girlfriends her age was rather appealing. And Ana seemed like a nice girl to hang around with. She didn't seem stuck up her nose, like the other women she saw at the gala, and seemed to be rather down to Earth. And she had to admit, though she liked Christian's friendship, despite his rigidness, she missed the kind of friendship she had back at the house.

"One night, then?"

Ana clasped her hands, before asking Mia for her phone and putting her number in it. Then, she walked to the bathroom door, and said, "If we end up becoming good friends, this meeting is bound to stay in our memories. This is worthy of a Mexican telenovela."

Mia repressed her giggled, and checked her reflexion on the mirror, fixing her slightly fading eyeliner before exiting the bathroom and cursing herself for not having gone with Ana. She was bound to lose herself yet again. Once again, she found herself slightly opting the rooms, so she could find the ballroom, when she heard Christian's voice.

She froze on herself, curious as to why Christian had left the principal room, and her question was answered when she heard a second voice,

"So. Do I have the right to assume that you being present here means that you're staying in my ranks?"

Mia frowned, shock taking over her. She had no idea that Christian had considered leaving Raymond. And actually, what Christian retorted with sass confirmed her doubts,

"Did you really think I would go?"

"To be honest, I had my doubts. There had been a time when you would have shoved with anger that offers right back in my face."

"I guess that after all those years of you telling me that I should learn to be patient, I finally learnt the lesson."

"Or maybe you actually considered leaving me," Raymond replied with a tone full of innuendos. Mia wished that she could see both of their faces. She wondered why would Christian ever considered leaving Raymond, and his job when it was obvious that he liked what he was doing.

"Trust me, Raymond. I never contemplated the idea of leaving you. Everything that I want in life is with you. The good, and the bad."

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IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️

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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

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💚So, yes this is a Mia chapter, and there is this one thing I want out of the way. Mia and Christian will not be an issue. I know how it might look like, but Mia and Christian are becoming friends and will become more than that in the future. Take it as a brother/sister kind of way, but not Lannister style. they will develop a love for each other, but not the romantic kind of love. Clearly not! I am just saying that because I don't want you to misinterpret Mia's feelings in this chapter. She talks about Christian a lot, but it is only because they are learning to know each other better. And I want you to take notice that Christian already implicitly trusts Mia. He gave her the keys to his place to feed his cat, and he has no problem telling her about his side activities. I just don't want you to go ruin in your mind the beautiful relationship I have for them. Plus, remember that Christian sort of relates to Mia. At some point, he asks himself if he would have ended in her position if he had been a girl.

💚And yes, Ana chose to wear a blue dress, because Christian told her several chapters ago that it was the colour he liked best on her.

~ Anyway, question time:

💚What did you think of this chapter from Mia's pov?

💚What do you think of her different encounters that night?

💚 Do you think Ana will become friends with her?

💚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‼️

Love, Mina💚💚💚