The Greys' Redemption

"This guy truly crumbled without his father," Anastasia commented to Christian after letting the voicemail play on speaker the next morning when they both didn't want to sleep any longer but also didn't feel like getting up for the day.

He had already took Taco out for their morning run, though with a shorter route. He came back to bed and watched her sleep, all the while debating whether to wake her up for some more rounds of sex as if they didn't have it every night and every morning since Christmas Eve.

He was insatiable again, but she looked too peaceful in her sleep so he let her go for now.

"See? I told you his manipulation really never goes beyond his father's realm. You've got nothing to worry about because the moment Senior dies, Junior is as good as gone."

She eyed him mutely, unable to make up her mind.

"Either way, we're moving. The lease can be broken without a fine because he needs you," he grinned at her smugly.

"Courtesy to me," she echoed. "I have to go though," she stared at him defeated. "Are you sure you can manage all the packing yourself? I don't know how long I will be, and we can always move tomorrow."

"No, let's do it today," he told her firmly. "I won't hire anyone but I might get Taylor and Sawyer to help."

She rolled her eyes at his cheeky remark, there was no way to convince him otherwise, so she relented.

He walked her to the door and kissed her goodbye.

"Take care. I love you."

She made the mistake of turning back and saw him leaning against the doorframe watching her, and she couldn't resist that smolder eyes that she turned back around, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a good smooch.

"I love you, baby," she winked and walked away, this time making it to the elevator without glancing back.

Once the door closed behind him, he turned to Taco who was wiggling his ass expectantly at him.

"Guess what, buddy? Mommy said yes! I really need to submit that ring design," he squatted down and scooped up a handful of fur on his neck and ruffled it messily, acting absolutely ignorant to the dog's growing irritation. "So, we're moving today, Tucks! You better start packing all of your collections or I will," he threatened the pooch in a singing voice and disappeared down the hall into the main bedroom to start packing.

Minutes later, his attention was absorbed by the sound of Taco's tail hitting the bed post in rapid succession, and he twisted his head to see him with his leash and collar in his mouth, cat-walking toward him triumphantly.

"You went out this morning, buddy, you're not going out anytime soon. We have to wait until Ana comes back, yeah?" He petted his head but the dog wasn't relenting, he pushed the leash and collar further into Christian's hand even though they both knew the dog wasn't going to actually give it to him. "Patience, Tucks," he chuckled and turned back to packing.

Taco sat down at the foot of the bed and watched, still with his outing gear in his mouth.

NEW YEAR'S DAY 2017

After four years, she had finally had ended the year on a high note as she wished, or at least one that made her heart content. Despite the hiccup six days ago regarding José Sr., the move to the new place and settling in had been a smooth sail.

"You're right," she mumbled against his bare chest, her fingers dancing atop of his pectorals and lightly scratching her nails on his skin. Her mind was racing a thousand miles a second now, and it had successfully blocked her from enjoying their post-coital bliss that he was clearly still basking in.

"Aren't I always?"

She smacked him on the chest briskly. "Always so arrogant and cocky."

"Well, maybe…" he said slowly, "maybe you're right some of the times," he conceded. "But, what am I right about this time?"

She swatted his chest again when she saw the wicked gleam in his eyes as he asked her to elaborate on her statement earlier.

"Stop hitting me!" He protested but that fell on deaf ears.

"You were right about Junior. He is boneless without his father."

"How's Senior?"

"He's in the ICU," she blew out a breath, recalling her meeting with Adam and the experiences in the hospital. "He came down with the flu," she revealed.

"Is he going to make it?" He knew there was no use beating around the bush, so he might as well just ask it outright.

"Honestly? I don't think so, but Adam and I can't show an ounce of negativity in front of patients. We didn't say anything, but all of his test results didn't come back too ideally."

"See, there's nothing to worry about."

"There is, actually. Senior talked yesterday, which hadn't occurred for a few days, according to the nurses in the ICU. When Adam and I went in yesterday on behalf of Junior since visiting hour is over, he said something to me."

He could hear the anxiety in her voice and feel her restless brain spinning on high speed.

"He said he wanted you to take over, as CEO."

"What?"

"I'm sure you are aware that Senior isn't so keen on letting the family legacy being passed down to his son's hand."

"He did give me that impression since we first met in New York. Is he conscious? Are you sure that he knows what he's talking about?"

"I've watched his brain activities with Adam, and we also shadowed him around per Junior's request as he gone through all of the tests, and we looked over the reports. His lungs are filled with fluid at the moment due to the flu so the infection quickly got to his lungs. His own organs are failing, but the transplant liver is still functioning…" she realized that she was rattling off the patient's medical condition, which was technically illegal and frankly, unnecessary at the moment. "Anyway, his brain is in perfectly normal condition, it's just his organs that are failing."

"During the meetings with me before he bought the remaining shares of my company, which are then signed to you, he explicitly expressed his interest in merging with me."

"You declined?"

"I didn't, but I also didn't accept it. I told him I'd consider it. It's part of the business transaction. He bought my company out of debt, and he's expecting me to be somewhat, if not fully, responsible for his company once he's considered ineligible to make decisions."

"He wants to hire you as his CEO, isn't that going to be conflicting?"

"Yes, because that means I'm going to have to choose between being the CEO of GEH or being the CEO of his entire stock. Unless I merge with him."

"If you don't, does that mean you didn't make good on your part of your deal?"

"To me, no, but it depends on how much you think you owe him. The deal we had was simple yet vague. He spent millions to essentially buy my skills to later be utilized on his company."

"What are you thoughts now then?"

"To be honest," he confessed, lifting her chin to force her to look at him to grasp how serious he was right now. "I am thinking about accepting his deal."

"Merging with him?" She whispered, unable to believe what she was hearing. This man in front of her was the most stubborn yet ambitious man in the world, and she knew this merger would be like all the money in the world being handed to him on a silver pallet, and one of his motto was to earn everything by himself.

He nodded. "I'm just worried about Junior."

"What are you worried about?"

"Right now, he's the one with all the power."

"He's handling everything on behalf of Senior."

"He's going to spiral out of control if Senior dies, and he might become a man scorned. If that truly happens, I don't want to deal with all the drama."

"That's the con, what are the pros though?"

"The pros obviously outweighs all the negativity, but that one possibility is the one thing that I don't want to risk without a more thorough consideration. It could be prevented, but since I can't talk to Senior about it, I really am not sure what to think because I don't know Junior, at all."

"List the pros."

"We can move to the East Coast like you wanted; we can buy the apartment next door; we won't need to rent the penthouse out, we could just sell it because we've got enough money to last for an entire life even if we don't work. The list is endless, baby, because if I do take over Rodriguez's legacy, we'll rival Amazon overnight."

The idea of having endless money again was indeed appealing to her, and for a moment, she was tempted to encourage Christian to accept the deal.

"Junior is a ticking time-bomb," he sighed, his hands leaving her sides and rubbing his face.

"Other than his father's death, I think there will be one more thing that has the potential to tick him off. What if Senior changed his will and appointed you as the CEO or appointed you to take over, and he doesn't like that tad bit?"

Christian looked helpless at the moment, he truly couldn't think of a resolution in the meantime, but he was determined to find a solution very soon. The merger could mean giving back the life that Anastasia could've had if all of the drama didn't happen.

"He's going to go bat shit crazy," she finished.

"Who knows what he might come up with. He might just turn to the three crazy-ass women."

"Who?" She frowned in confusion.

"Did I not tell you that?"

"Tell me what?"

"You know that Leila, Susannah, and Rebecca—aka, the three stalkers—showed up at the GEH party right?"

"You told me that, and I think you also told me that they are arrested?"

"Yes, they were for trespassing. But, guess what, the very same night José Jr. called you, he went to the police station and bailed those women out. Rebecca apparently had been his escort for many social events, and had been planting ideas in his head."

"Is he following through with the plans?"

"He snapped out of it once he heard about the news of his father being wheeled into the ICU. I think that struck him hard."

"Who told you this?"

"I had a detective in the Seattle PD casually ask him a few questions."

"Never knew pretty boys like you can be so sly."

"You must be under the impression that pretty boys don't have brains," he snorted. She giggled, and something about the way he said the line prompted her to laugh even harder, making her snort like a pig.

Then, it turned into a laughing fit for the both of them, until Taco bursted through their door feeling that he had been missing out on the fun.

In their blissful bubble, every trouble seemed to be forgotten, and life was perfect again.

He never once mentioned the fact that she had thinned because he didn't want to bring up the stressful times, however that topic inevitably came up when they visited Dr Flynn's office the first day he returned back to work again. It was only a day after the New Year and Christian was still on holiday as well as Anastasia.

"How was your holidays?" John started the session with, and this time it was a formal one, as well as a trial one to see whether Anastasia required additional help from another therapist or continue the couple's therapy.

"As great as it can be for us," she chirped.

"I take it that you both enjoyed it from the tone of your voice, however your words are slightly worrying; but, only very slightly."

Christian scowled at his doctor for focusing on the details that were so small and fine. He thought he was supposed to be looking at the improvement and progress that his girl had made over the holidays.

However, Anastasia seemed to have caught on where the good doctor was heading toward.

"I honestly didn't think I'd have such a great experience given what had occurred this entire year. I genuinely thought I'd driven myself into depression or just simply be miserable for the holidays, then subsequently drive Christian mad."

"What changed?"

"I… de-stressed?"

Flynn had caught on the subtle pause and hesitation in her admission, and thus had a fair idea of what she was referring to.

"How so?" Still, he asked.

"In Christian's way?" She squeaked but soon composed herself. "We had sex," she unveiled. "It was something that I didn't know that I've missed. It's probably the one thing that's missing between the two of us for the past year."

"Stress can do a number to an individual, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and if it wasn't dealt with the rational way, people around you will suffer from collateral damage."

"I think Christian can speak from experience," Anastasia chuckled at the doctor.

"Yes, I can tell, but let's reflect on what you've been through."

"Well…" she recalled. "I've been worried about everything and nothing at all…" she rattled off and being a very cooperative patient. "I think I've also lost weight."

At that, Christian snorted.

"You'd be losing them anyway if you don't eat. Your weight fluctuation really is worrisome, Anastasia," he commented. "I've been telling her to get checked out since we met, but she just never did."

"Neglecting your own health isn't going to achieve anything. I'm sure you understand this, Ana," John raised an eyebrow at her forcing her to heed both of their advice.

Kate was led to a chartered car with a designated driver, she wasn't sure if this was supposed to be part of the assignment or just part of the treat from her boss, whom was trying his damn best to impress her.

She used to have a female boss but she was now on the same level as her former boss after getting a promotion; this assignment was her first since her level up. And now, their new boss was a male, who was young and had apparently taken the media by storm.

He was now determined to take Kate by the storm, and it wasn't helping Kate's case that he had made it somewhat public that it even ran in the office rumor mill. Thankfully she got sent away for this assignment, because if she didn't, she had no idea what she was going to endure in the office. Many editors and reporters were fans of her boss.

Nonetheless, that was the least of her issues. She really wasn't interested in her boss but more of what he could offer professionally.

The car gradually came to a stop before a house that appeared to be… slightly antiquated. Or more like a lack of refurnishing from the outside. She honestly expected to be greeted by a mansion, and was once again shocked at how the fall of a person could just happen like that—in a snap.

A European maid opened the door for her, and she was hit by the aroma of home baked snacks at once upon her entry. With the aid of the housekeeper, she shed her coat and involuntarily shivered but not because of the cold outdoor.

She scanned her surrounding and then at the help that was busying herself accommodating the guest, she got the feeling that this household could only actually afford one helping staff.

"Mr and Mrs Grey will be with you shortly," the maid said after placing a cup of hot coffee with sugar and cream on the plate next to it before her.

Kate thanked her, and offered a kind smile as she walked around the living room where she had been led to. It looked cozy and Christmasy, but it lacked a touch of warmth that stemmed from the bottom of one's heart. The kind that she had seen in the pictures that Anastasia had sent her of the new apartment in Escala a few days before the new year.

She took a sip of her coffee and set it down by the fireplace. There wasn't a family picture in sight, and she wondered if she had actually got the correct place. It wasn't the impression that she had, at least that wasn't what they were like in Anastasia's mouth before everything turned nasty.

The family were kindhearted people before all of the darkness got stirred up.

Her head followed her body as she spun around the room, observing the features as she waited for the hosts to join her. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage for unknown reasons. She was feeling the similar adrenaline rush that she'd always feel before an interview or a face-to-face investigation, but this time there was more to it.

A series of thunderous footsteps followed by a figure darting across the entrance of the living room attracted her attention, and then the front door was opened and then closed shut abruptly, an indication that whoever they were was definitely in a rush to get away from something. Then, a little while later, a young teenager about the age of sixteen or seventeen trudged over, repeating the trail that was just left behind by whoever that just darted past earlier. A lazy smirk on his face when he stopped suddenly at the door.

Kate stood there frozen, the way he was just standing there seemingly oblivious to her existence made her feel like she had been trespassing and intruding on a family. She steadied herself and told herself over and over again that she was here on a mission; it was for her job.

"I knew it," the boy muttered loudly, clearly wanting whoever was around to hear it.

Kate stilled, thoughts about whether to hide herself came rushing into her head and leaving like waves in the ocean washing the seashore. The boy shifted in his spot and appeared like he was going to move away, so she assumed that he didn't know about her.

Her breath hitched just when she was going to sag in relief as his eyes moved over to meet hers. She was sure she looked hideous right now, and she had no idea why she was so tense and felt so nervous like she was an amateur. She stared right back, unable to move a single muscle in her body, not even her eyelids to blink.

"You got an admirer, lady," his voice was barely audible but it traversed into her ears like he was whispering in her ears; they were loud and clear. He winked, then stuffed his hands inside his pockets lazily and trudged away.

"Holy fuck," she sagged against the fireplace next to where her still steaming coffee had been, having no idea what had just happened. Surely it was abnormal for her to feel this out of sorts for an in-house interview. It wasn't like this was her first time.

As if this was an exam for her, she wasn't given any time to compose herself when the hosts walked into the room led by the same housekeeper that tended her earlier. They were visibly older on the eyes at first glance, and the two of them gasped simultaneously in recognition.

"Katherine?"

The three of them were settled into the seats adjacent to each other. Carrick and Grace on the loveseat and Kate on the single armchair.

"I take that you are informed of an interview on this day from a New York Times' journalist regarding your charity foundation, Coping Together," she began, taking the rein of the conversation after exchanging a few superficial but courteous greetings with the couple.

She had left out any words that would directly suggest that she knew them on a personal level because this interview would be recorded, and it was best if she stayed objected, even though she desperately wanted to rub it in their faces that they obviously wasn't expecting her of all people to show up. Kate knew if some other reporter showed up, they might have a chance to brush it off but Kate was an insider.

Both of them nodded, which was a conservative response.

"You have accepted to be interviewed by the New York Times and thus being recorded, and nothing you say will be off the record. Everything has the possibility of being published," she declared in advance just in case the shrewd lawyer in presence sue her ass for the smallest detail.

"We understand," the lawyer responded verbally while the doctor simply nodded her head. They both didn't look like they had their best day.

Christian walked into Grey House deep in thought. Taylor trailed behind not far away, he knew exactly what was on the boss's mind. In fact, he was sure that he, himself appeared pensive as well. Darting his eyes around as they walked past colleagues and other employees, he could see on their faces that they were slightly worried.

The CEO had always been confident in their mind. He had returned to work for a little more than three weeks, courtesy to the two-week break that not many corporation would be willing to grant their staff.

It was the last week of January, and the trial for Christian's three exes concluded last Tuesday. At least that was one thing ticked off of the list, however there was just one more pressing issue hot on his ass.

His exes had pleaded insane and refused to plead guilty. And, this meant that there would be more hearings in the future that their lawyers would have to attend, because if they succeeded with their insanity plea, Christian would be getting out of this lawsuit with no compensation whatsoever.

There was no way they could accept the insanity plea, but when would his exes plead guilty or ruled guilty, that would only be a matter of time and he was thinking if there was a way to speed things up a little.

That burning problem was now sitting in the waiting area of his lobby on the twentieth floor just outside of his office, and he wasn't too excited to meet him.

In the hospital, Anastasia also had a handful of worries ahead of her. With the responsibilities that came from being the head of department, she was also wary of the phone call from Addie this morning asking her for the countless time to consider taking the job at Johns Hopkins. It was seriously bugging her because she was still extremely conflicted.

Then, there was Adam and his family friend, the Rodriguez family. She was also considered a family friend, hence a member of the medical team surrounding this notable man. It just piled onto her overflowing day.

"You're not going to like this, Ana," Adam approached her when she stepped through the ICU threshold where a few nurses were roaming around tending to patients. "Senior slipped into unconsciousness at around five this morning."

"Is Junior informed?"

"He's got a meeting this morning, he told me that well in advance that this is the one meeting that he cannot miss."

"So, you just didn't inform him?" Anastasia frowned, she wasn't sure what she would've done herself if she was in his shoes either, so she didn't comment further.

"I couldn't reach him," Adam confessed.

They both moved closer to his bed and picked up the new reports that came out this morning from the ER doctors on duty.

"He needs an MRI," Adam told her echoing her exact thought but neither of them were his leading physician, the both of them were viewed more as family.

"Do you think he'd be announced brain dead?" She asked him in a lowered voice once they both reached the more deserted corridor that they'd usually find themselves in regarding patient information exchange.

"You've seen his scans, he was fine just yesterday. Besides, he's suffered from no brain injury."

"Internal causes, that's possible. He had an edema the last time he was in the ICU after the liver transplant. I was there, remember?"

Adam mused, she did have a pretty solid point. However, it wasn't up to them at the end of the day, they would have to act accordingly to the decisions made by the lead physician, which was a colleague of theirs, and he was a rather reputable doctor with years of experience.

"Heart failure? Suffocation? Failure of other vital organs? They are all possibilities. He isn't fine yesterday. His brain activities were there but he was barely holding onto consciousness."

"You don't think he's simply unconscious."

"I think he's slipped into a coma… due to a lack of oxygen intake."

Kate was stopped at the door by the very same teenager that winked at her earlier when she was waiting for the hosts. She had never seen any pictures of Isaac that showed his face, and even if it did, his scrawniness was making him undistinguishable. There was nothing that stood out to capture the attention of the audience other than his sharp cheekbones and jawlines in those photos.

Anastasia had confirmed to her that the Greys were indeed pursuing the adoption of this kid which was the sole reason of why they left Seattle for Detroit in the first place, and now that Kate was seeing this kid here in flesh, she was suddenly lost for words. Even though the Greys had confessed in between the lines that they had called in favors and pushed through the adoption process so that they could celebrate a late Christmas with him before the New Year, but she'd never really let that sink in… until now.

"What's your name, kid?" Kate blurted out, and the way she said it brought her all the way back to when she would go hangout at the bar that Anastasia worked her night shifts at just to have some fun and get laid, and they would act like they were punks. Especially with the way they were always dressed—a crop top and a pair of ripped denim shorts.

"Isaac," he replied, smirking at the adult who seemed lost. "I got here on Boxing Day, but I'm sure you already know that."

"You were eavesdropping," Kate smirked, returning to her normal, usual, confident self.

He shrugged, sinking his hands in his pockets, still blocking the door.

"What are you doing now?"

"Someone's looking for you," he told her mysteriously. "You have to see him."

"Him?" She was going for one of the Greys.

"Oh, here he is," Isaac's smirk widened and his eyes darted behind her, making her spin around following his gaze. Kate was still reeling in on the presence of the the young boy and his easy going personality, she thought he was doing pretty well and she only hoped that it wasn't an act.

"Elliot?"

The blond's eyes fell to the ground briefly before looking back up and meeting her steely gaze. He was immediately taken aback by the greeting, he thought he was going go receive something a little more… courteous, at the very least.

"Hi Kate," he said lamely, eyeing Isaac sniggering out of the corner of his eyes behind Kate as he high-tailed out of the vestibule clapping his hands together as if he had accomplished mission impossible.

"Hi," she replied, recomposing her stance to show that she wasn't interested in anything personal with him. She didn't want to explore anything, as much as she wanted a boyfriend to lay off her boss's advances, and also to experience the relationship that her best friend had, she really didn't think Elliot would be the best candidate.

"Can we talk?" He asked timidly.

Kate checked her watch and set her coat down, she had a few minutes to spare, and she was curious about the situation and arrangement in the Grey family. She only knew that Christian had practically disowned them, even though it was publicly called estrangement, but she was with Anastasia.

"Make it quick."

He picked up her coat and led her out onto the front porch, signaling that he would walk her out as he talked.

"I know that you're still in contact with Christian," he began and she wanted snort at his lame-ass opening but refrained because she wanted to make it quick. She actually wasn't in contact with Christian, she hadn't touched his phone number since she last convinced him to show up in Denmark. "Can you help me with something?"

She ceased walking and held her purse with both of her hands in front of her as she stared at him analytically wondering what he was playing at.

"I know you are skeptical of my intentions, and I understand that," he appeased and then went on to explaining how he valued the family and still held high hopes in holding them together. He didn't realize before now that Christian had been the glue of this family, and now that after visiting his parents for the holidays, the notion of reuniting the family was now as dead as a stone. The only wish he now had was reconcile with his siblings; his parents were so dead set on their new son that they had now become a lost cause.

"You want me to reach out to Christian on behalf of you, as well as Mia?" She clarified. He nodded. "I hate to break it to you, El, I'm not in contact with any of them so I really can't to do that. I am only in contact with Ana because she is my best friend."

"Please?" He begged.

"If you want me to go through Ana to get to Christian, then that is going to be a no. However," she didn't know why she was doing this, but perhaps Anastasia's casual words about how she wished Christian wouldn't be so stubborn in his relationship with his siblings stuck with her. She valued those sentiments because she was very close with her brother, and the love they shared really couldn't be replaced by anything. "If you truly and sincerely want to reach out, I can give you Ana's number."

Elliot gracefully took it and he now had to work up the courage to speak with Anastasia and attempt to persuade her to talk to Christian. Little did he know that reaching to Christian wasn't the hard part, but actually asking to hang out and rekindle their friendship would be the most difficult.

The elevator door slid open and he walked out, forcing himself to take his usual confident stride to not let the anxiety get to him. Not because he wanted to keep up his image before his employees but he would never forgive himself for showcasing his weakness in business.

"Mr Grey," the visitor jumped to his feet and offered his hand as he stopped the man in his track.

Christian shook his hand, giving it a firm shake.

"Mr Rodriguez," he greeted back, deciding to keep everything formal and business-like since they were in an office setting, and he was here for business. "Let's talk in my office," he led the way and Junior followed.

"Mr Grey, I will cut to the chase…" as Junior stated his business—which Christian had already guessed from the clues and hints dropped by Anastasia—he studied his potential partner. To say he looked under the weather physically was somewhat accurate, other than the fact that his words were making sense and he seemed to know what he was talking about, all of his physical attributes were proofs that he was on the verge of breaking down. Christian was once again assured that this young man was simply a rich, homosexual dandy that enjoyed living under his father's shadow. Once his father died, he would be lost and easily gullible.

Junior was only manipulative when he knew for certain that Senior had his back, because he knew he could get away with anything as long as he kept it subtle.

"I will be honest with you, Mr Rodriguez, I am thrilled that you've thought of me and offered me the chance for this meeting. However, I must ask for more information regarding this merger, and request a more official meeting that includes my executives and your advisors."

"Christian, can I talk to you about something?" Anastasia ran her hand up his arm from his forearm, then came back down to grasp his own, halting him from his piano playing. His granddad had an upright piano against the wall near the deck, and it was the perfect setting for his little nocturnes.

He had drew opened all the blinds allowing the moonlight to spill in, and right now it illuminated her entire form, and she was truly glowing like a goddess.

He glanced up and was met with the most pensive, yet seductive expression along with her signature lip biting. He felt himself getting hard at the sight, she was wrapped in their sheets from the bed and he knew for certain that she was naked beneath those fabric that was tightly hugging her torso. Then, he remembered the tone of her voice, so he reined his pornographic imaginations.

"What's bothering you?" He didn't know that she wasn't sleeping, he only knew that he was more than bothered by his meeting with Junior this morning and the merger was making him insomniac.

"It's about your family."

"What about them?" His tone hardened.

"Elliot called me," she placed her palms on his bare pectorals to suppress the fury that instantaneously shot up like flames; he was momentarily distracted as the blanket fell out of her grasp revealing her silky skin that he got to hold against his bare chest every night. "He just wanted to get his brother back, he doesn't have any expectations. He really just wants the three of you to get along."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just give him a chance, and if you genuinely believed that you don't want to pursue a friendship with him and Mia, then I will support your decision… until then, keep an open mind."

He gazed at her, becoming lost in her imploring blue orbs and he found himself agreeing to what she was saying.


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