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 44: What Happened To Mr & Mrs Grey (6,5K)
‼️PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER AND LEAVE A REVIEW
IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️
💚 So, I have to say, many of you feel like Ana did not listen to Jose, and she did. Jose agreed with Ana when she said that Christian should be reunited with his parents, which is why he did not mention it to Christian. But home is a sacred thing, and he feels that Christian wouldn't like strangers in his home. which Ana acknowledged. Her first intention was to do something at home, and it was because Jose advised against that idea that she went with plan B and the restaurant. So no, Ana is not devious to the point she used that date thing on purpose, she just didn't think it through.
💚 Also, I think it's funny how everyone is pissed at Ana for going against Christian's wishes, but everyone roots for Christian when he wants to do the same to Ana and go tell Raymond ... Just saying ...
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Christian's PoV
After Luke sent him a file concerning everything there was to know about Jason Taylor, Christian told him that they should meet the next night. Then he called Ryan, not really caring that it was the middle of the night and that the man was probably sleeping, and he asked him to cover for him on a few appointments he needed to bail the next day. Ryan didn't ask any questions, Christian's tone being cold enough to not be questioned.
In the morning, Christian postponed the few meetings he knew Ryan could not cover for him, whereas it was because they were official business, or because people would get offended if they dealt with anyone that was neither Christian or Raymond. Once he had all his day cleared, he popped in a few places in town, before showing up at the Taylor's apartment, knowing that there was only his wife there at the time.
All night long, he had read through the file depicting the life of the FBI agent, trying to see which approach he would have. He was going tired of having that leech on him, trying to shake him so he could bend his way. And he was now very much pissed that Jason's little game led to Ana going behind his back and scheming things she had no business in.
He was angry, even more, he was furious. But it wasn't much because Ana had reached to his parents. It was in her nature to see the good in people and to forgive what shouldn't be forgiven. He should know, she forgave him her Godfather's death. So it wasn't the fact that Ana tried to patch him up with his parents that angered Christian. In truth, he was sure that, had Ana been a little bit more like her father, she would have looked for his parents a long time ago.
No, what angered Christian was the way she did it. A part of him was sure that, if she had come clean and told him that she wanted him to meet his parents, he would have conceded to her demands. It would have taken a lot of talking and pleading, but he would have agreed, because like Jose often pointed it out, he didn't know how to refuse to her. But instead, she schemed behind his back, and would it have been anybody else, that person would no longer be breathing. It was the act in itself that Christian had troubles swallowing. They were supposed to be in a trusting relationship, especially given the secrecy of it, but this course of action barely called for trust.
With a loud sigh, Christian knocked on the apartment door where Jason and Lucy Taylor lived, and he was greeted by a smiling black woman. Just by looking at her, Christian knew that she was one of those naive people who thought that her husband was a desk guy for the Bureau. She was the depiction of a suburban housewife with her hair perfectly curled, her dress properly ironed, and even her little apron, slightly tainted by flour.
"Can I help you?" She asked with slight concern in her black eyes, and Christian put on his best innocent smile, playing his part.
"I was looking for Jason? I've been told that he lives here?"
"Oh, he's out picking up the kids. You are?"
"I'm Michael. Jason helped me stay back on tracks when I was a teen, and since I am in town, I thought I'd pay him a visit," He lied through his teeth, making the far too trusty wife open wide her door, and tell him,
"Well, come on in. He won't be long. I'm sure he would love to chat with you. Jason always likes having visits from his old proteges."
Christian followed the chubby woman with the too good nature, and sat in the kitchen, accepting the iced-tea and biscuits that she proposed to him. According to the file, a decade or so ago, Jason used to help young delinquents stay out of jail and find jobs or schools. It was a part-time thing, in addition of his regular job at the FBI, and though it was written nowhere on the file, Christian was sure that Jason had taken that little extra job to earn a little bit more money. It coincided just when Lucy, his wife got pregnant with their first child.
In truth, if there was anything that Christian could envy from Jason Taylor, it was this apple-pie life he had with his wife and kids. This was Jason second's marriage, but the only one where he had kids. His wife was younger than him by twelve years and gave him two children that were respectively eleven and seven years old.
Lucy asked what he was doing now, and he told her that he was living in New-Orleans, working as an accountant for some big society. And as he expected it, the black woman praised him for turning out so good. She blabbered about the importance of staying on the right side of the law, and finally, Jason entered the flat with his two children.
The young boy, Evan looked a lot like his father, except that he had his mother colouring. The little girl Sasha, was a mix of the two, though her skin tone was only peculiar to her since she was an albino. The two kids barely said hello, before rushing to their rooms while their father froze, seeing who was sitting at his kitchen table.
"One of your former protégés came back to town," Lucy sweetly said to her husband, while Christian knowingly smirked at Jason.
During all those months Jason had been trying to get him to betray Raymond, he had never come to his place because though Christian was sure that the FBI agent knew where he lived, he had no leverage there. Which was why he came up with those files concerning Michael, or Raymond, or his parents. Jason had no personal leverage over Christian, nothing that would make his blood freeze, just like his own just froze.
"Lucy, honey, why don't you take some cookies to the kids? I have to catch up with Michael," Jason calmly said, though his eyes never left Christian.
Lucy glanced at Christian who gave her a warm smile as if nothing was wrong, and once she had disappeared from the kitchen, Christian's face returned to his usual unreadable-self. Jason slowly sat on a chair facing Christian, and said,
"So, you have a push-button after all. Rumours of you being cold and unfathomable are wrong, after all."
"I do have a push-button. But it's not the one you think," Christian conceded, though he was not going to give Jason the satisfaction to tell him where to look for. But apparently, Jason already had his idea on the matter,
"Oh … I should have followed my instincts after all when I saw you around Christmas. I should have gone with my guts and use Raymond's daughter to make you sing."
Christian rose a questioning eyebrow, feigning ignorance, even though he knew that Jason had seen clearly in his game.
"You see, yesterday night, I got a call from Mommy dearest. She was rather distraught because you refused to even listen to what she had to say. But between two sobs, she did say that a cute little blue-eyed brunette was the one who tried to organise your epic reunion. I emphasise on the word 'try'."
Christian let out a small smirk, not really caring if Jason Taylor knew his secrets. He had him by the balls, even if Jason wasn't aware of that yet, and like any vicious feline on this planet, he was going to play with his food, first.
"You have been barking at the wrong tree," He admitted with a small nod of his head, his eyes hard on the man in front of him. "But now, you pissed me off."
"So you decided to come and threaten me in my own house? Do you think I can easily be scared like that?"
Christian's smirk didn't flatter, on the contrary. He slid a rather thin brown envelop in Jason's direction, who eyed it suspiciously before haughtily say,
"If you think you can bribe me, this—"
"I know a man who can be bribed when I see one. And you are not one of them. You have a code, and you stick to it. And I respect that. This isn't a bribe, at all.
You see, contrarily to popular belief, I am a generous man. This is the proof of my … generosity."
Jason curiously looked back at the envelope, but before he could reach it, Christian stopped him, and told him, "Before we go on that matter, I do have to admit that you managed to get me curious on something. Why would Grace Grey contact you when failing to see me?"
"Because the Bureau owes her a debt." Christian waited for Jason to continue, and so the agent snapped with sass, "We lost her son, and he turned into a criminal."
This picked up Christian's interest for a moment. He sat a bit more comfortable in his chair, and waved Jason, "Go on, tell your tale."
"It is all in the file that I gave you."
"Because we all know how eager I was to read that piece of shit."
Christian could swear that Jason was annoyed to have to explain everything he had put together into paper, but it wasn't much like he had a choice.
"Twenty-one years ago, your parents got caught in the middle of some nasty political business. It was a different administration, and people disappeared more easily than today. So, in order to keep your family alive, they were put into the WITSEC. Well, back then it was simply called the witness protection program. Just until the trial occurred.
Now, for matters of blurring the lines, the guy who worked on your parents' case convinced them that it would be best for you to disappear at a different time than them. It's easy to trace children, even back then. It's a child's play. Doctor's appointments, school, special medicine. So the deal was to put you in a foster home for two weeks, before transferring you, and getting you back during the transfer to a 'new family'.
But like I said, it was a different time, with a different administration. There were a lot of moles back then, and one of them put you in the wrong family during the transfer, in order to make your parents come out. It took a lot of convincing and promises to get your parents to stay put. And it got messy because you were in the system. So we had to erase you first, and then find a way to take you out of the foster family without raising suspicion, and then take you to your parents. But, it's a lot of paperwork. Especially given the fact that you were a child. And every time we were close to getting you, you were transferred to a new family.
And by the time the trial was done, you had disappeared into thin air. Your parents spent a lot of money looking for you, not really trusting us to do the job. They paid PI and psychics. But you were gone. And when you came back into our radar, it was under Raymond Steele's protection. I didn't know about all of this until I started looking into your life. Your parents' case had been closed for years. There are more important things than looking for long lost children that are probably dead.
But when I connected two and two, I didn't contact your parents right away, just like I didn't give you the file right away. I mean, how do you tell a mother that the sweet little boy she has been desperately looking for is now a cold-blooded killer, enrolled by one of the most powerful mafias in the world?"
During the whole story, Christian was barely moved. If he were honest with himself, though he appreciated knowing that his parents didn't leave because of him, that didn't change the way he saw them. They could have been abducted by aliens for all he cared, that it wouldn't have changed anything. They left him. He had made peace with that a long time ago, around the time he met with Mrs Parvati and knowing the truth didn't change his feelings.
"What trial?" He asked, his mind going a step further than what Jason was saying. Witness protection wasn't something that was easily given out. It was a costly program that did not always worth its cost. So the Bureau had always been carefully handpicking who it would protect. And usually, they protected people from the mafia …
"It's classified."
"Humour me," Christian insisted, his tone a bit colder, and Jason shook his head, understand where Christian was heading,
"It's not what you think. Like I said, it was a political mess. Something international where the mafia was never even mentioned. It was before you were a criminal, or working for Raymond, and to be honest I doubt that Raymond knows about your parents. They are classified as well."
Christian repressed a mocking chuckle, amused by Jason's delusion that anything could escape Raymond's knowledge. He sighed a little, annoyed that he had to go through all this mess, over something that ridiculous,
"So all of this shit you've been putting on me, for some other shit that happened years ago, and that no one cares about anymore."
"Well, it got me your attention," Jason smugly said, and making Christian chuckle. If Jason thought that telling him about his parents suddenly created some bond between them, he was sadly mistaking.
"Did you, now?"
"It wasn't easy I have to admit. I tried the brain, first. I told you about Raymond and what he did to his son … Well, what I think he did to his son. But it didn't make you budge. I tried the nostalgia, giving you your parents on a silver platter, but given your reaction now, this isn't the reason why you are here today. I'd put my money that it is the heart that shakes you off your high horse. The cute little blue-eyed brunette that tried to bring you and your parents together. How many blue-eyed brunettes are in your entourage, Christian Grey?"
Christian smirked, admitting that Jason was right, if it wasn't for Ana, he wouldn't be there. "As I said, you have been barking at the wrong tree."
"I should have followed my guts, and not waste my time on those useless tropes," Jason mumbled, more to himself than to Christian.
"You should have."
Jason seemed to suddenly have a regain of confidence, probably taking Christian's admission of his secret affair as a carrot he could turn into a stick against the young man. "So? What is it going to take me for you to sing for me? How about full immunity for you and your girl? You don't even have to worry about the money, most of Raymond's clean businesses are already under her name."
Christian knew that, except for Robinson Inc, all of Raymond's official businesses were in Ana's name. His hotels, casinos and restaurants throughout the world where all in the young girl's name, just like they had been under her mother's name before her. It was a security that Raymond took, that, should he die or end up in jail, his daughter would not be penniless.
Still, he couldn't believe that Jason thought that now, he had some kind of leverage over him. He seemed to forget who he was dealing with, and where they were. He smirked, indulging himself with a small mocking laugh as he asked,
"You think that you're going to make me sing? Do I have to remind me where we are right now?"
"You wouldn't have come to my place where any colleague of mine can barge in at any time if you didn't want something out of me. You're too clever to put yourself in such a position."
"I'm glad you mention what I want," Christian smiles, looking down at the envelope. Jason took it, and all the colours left his face when he opened it. He turned it upside down, revealing a lock of pale blond hair, almost white, in it.
"You see, I was trying to figure out in which school I would put my kids later on. Needless to say, George A. Jackson's lack of security put me off. Through Sasha seems like a nice girl. She didn't notice a thing ... this time."
It seemed that Jason was seeing a ghost, before he recovered himself slightly and looked up, whispering, "You wouldn't."
"You think I'm above hurting a kid?" Christian challenged, quirking his eyebrow up. He knew this was the difference between him and Raymond, he didn't have limits. In this department, Christian never hesitated on threatening the life of a child so he could have what he wanted. Raymond, on the other hand, as most mobsters, was reluctant to go to such length. He already did, but always as a last resort.
"I have no limits when it comes to protecting those I care about," Christian clarifies, so Jason would understand full well that his next words were not to be taken lightly.
"And this is where my generosity kicks in. I am leaving on a business trip that will last for a week or so. When I come back, I want to hear all about your transfer in some other State. I hear Cali is nice. Cool weather, great schools and interesting cases for a guy like you."
"You can't threaten me like that!" Jason roared, though this didn't bother Christian the least in the world. He simply smirked, leaning in as he explained his point-of-view,
"I'm not threatening you, I'm giving you an option. You take your sweet little kids and your sweet little wife, and you leave this city. You don't talk about Raymond or Idris. You don't come near any Steele or any person I talk to, personally or professionally. And if I hear that you so much breathe next to someone I know or use the same WiFi, I won't be giving you a lock of sweet little Sasha'a hair."
The two men stared at one another, Christian seeing that Jason was feeling anything but comfortable. Still, in a last attempt to still be in the game, Jason retorted, "Two can play that game, Grey. If you try to uproot me, I'm going to tell your boss of your dirty little secret."
Christian laughed out loud. "But who ever told you that Raymond doesn't already know?"
He was full on bluffing, but this was something he knew could work. Raymond was known to be a very private man when it came to his personal life. Which was one of the reasons why Michael's disappearance didn't rise much suspicion? And since Christian knew Jason would try to use his relationship with Ana against him, he used this aspect of Raymond's life in his favour. After all, it was only logical to think that his daughter and second in command would do the same.
And just as Christian had planned it, Jason bought his bluff, dawning the fact that he just lost his best card to Christian. "And will sweet little Ana say, if she knew that you're covering her daddy's dirty secret?"
Once again, Christian chuckled, a cold demeanour emanating from him. "You really think you can keep pulling last second threats? You really think you can threaten me?" Christian took a moment to appreciate the cuteness of the situation. It seemed that, though Jason studied him, he never took him as a serious opponent. Either that, or he did not do his research well.
"Go ahead, go see her with your miserable little file. If you think that Anastasia Steele will take the words of a stranger without proofs over the ones of her own father, good for you. But if you approach Raymond's daughter within a ten miles radius, don't come crying back to me. Because whatever Raymond will do to you, my option will always be better."
And though Christian clearly didn't want Jason to be the one to inform Raymond of his relationship with Ana, he also knew that the pathetic agent would not last a day if he approached Ana. Especially if he approached her with news that could disrupt the harmony of their family.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Christian got up, straightening his clothes before he rested his hand on Jason's shoulder,
"You thought that Raymond was the big fish, and you are right. But you forgot that sometimes, the small fish can be even more lethal than the big one … You should have cuffed me when you had the chance. now, I am giving you the opportunity to make the right decision, at the right time. Leave while I am still giving you the chance to."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Christian's PoV
After his little talk with Jason Taylor, Christian went straight to what he called the headquarters. It was a building in Queens where he would meet with suppliers and dealers, and where most of the staff met when they wanted some privacy. Of course, officially it was just the factory of a dying knitting magazine.
There he saw Ryan who gave him a brief report of how the day had been, and once it was over, Christian informed him that he was to take over for a week since he was going to Russia. Ryan proposed to go with him, but Christian refused, saying that he would take O'Neill with him. Since he was leaving, he would rather have Ryan replace him, out of all the men on the field, he was the one he trusted the most.
As they were going over the agenda, Luke came in, and Christian dismissed Ryan, telling him that they would finish this later. Ryan left, not without worriedly looking from Christian to Luke, who seemed uncomfortable to have been summoned like that.
"Do you know why I asked you to come?"
"Not really? Is it because of that FBI guy you made me research yesterday night?" It was obvious that he had no idea of what he did wrong. With a sigh, Christian thought that he ought to put some order into the men when he would come back, and he let Luke know,
"I was under the impression that you were to become the Steele girl shadow," Christian mused. It had been a while since he wanted to have this conversation with Luke, but he had delayed it for some time.
First, because he wanted to give the benefit of the doubt to Luke. Maybe he was just very good at his job, and Christian hadn't spotted him. But several times he had called Luke when he knew for a fact that Ana was out in the open, and Luke answered, everything in his voice saying that he wasn't on duty. There was also the fact that Luke never asked Christian if Ana was seeing someone in the building, beside Katherine. Ana came to see Christian at least two nights a week, and Christian never spotted Luke near the building. If it had been him tailing the girl, he would have found it weird that his boss's daughter came so often to see her best friend, when that said-best-friend married barely a few months ago. Sure there was also Kaelie, but Kaelie was a student who didn't have much time, or much will, to socialise during school terms.
Sure, he was not going to lie, Luke slacking at his job gave him the possibility to see Ana more often, without having to give any justifications; but the point remained. No matter how much he understood the girl's point-of-view and her want for freedom, Raymond had too many enemies to let her roam without protection. And Luke did not deliver on the protection part.
Luke sighed, apparently relieved that Christian was not going all rampage on him for a file that he had to assemble last minute, "Man. She's just a girl who wants to experience life. She shops, she eats in fancy restaurants, and once in a while, she goes to some fancy bar. So yeah, I cut her some slacks. Her Dad doesn't need to know if she was grinding a guy to the music, or what she had for dessert."
"Are you dense?" Christian asked, not believing his ears.
"What?"
"Don't you realise that Raymond is the most powerful man in the city? Even worldwide, he has his weight in the balance of power. He has enemies in almost every country there is. He has so many businesses, that you can't really make him run for his money. He is a proud man, and he already accomplished what he wanted in life, so death isn't something he fears. As an enemy, only his daughter has value, because Raymond would give anything to keep his daughter safe. Don't you understand that?"
"I do. And honestly, she is on my radar. Her phone GPS is always on, and I put a code in my system to have her face recognised on city cameras as soon as she's out. But … honestly, I think that she appreciates the —"
"It is not your job to make sure she appreciates anything," Christian harshly cut him off, though he did not raise his voice. In truth, Christian never had to raise his voice while working. Ana was the only one who ever got to see this side of him
"You are not her father. You are not her friend. You are not her husband. You are on a paycheque. You are an employee who has to answer to his boss. And Raymond told you to be her shadow. He doesn't do it to stalk her, he does it to protect her. What good will that give you if she's attacked and you only have her location? Do you think that Raymond will let it slide if she's hurt while you are supposed to be her fucking shadow?"
Luke looked down, and Christian deeply inhaled through his nose, hoping that this reminder would be the only one needed. But then, he heard Luke mutter under his breath, "It's boring, really."
"I don't care. If Raymond pays you to watch begonias bloom, you do it. You don't get to make judgement calls. If you want to make those, you chose the wrong line of work, and the door is this way," Christian said, pointing the exit with his finger.
He knew it was vicious of him to propose to Luke to quit his job since they all knew that there was only one way to quit this particular line of work, but he still did it. And given the way Luke stubbornly remained where he was, he did not want to go either. With a small sigh, Christian got up, wondering if this day (or even this week) would ever end, and he said,
"I put my neck out for you Luke. I told Raymond that you were perfect for the job. Don't make me a liar. And don't make me repeat myself. Because next time, I won't be this nice and patient. Next time better never exist."
.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Christian's PoV
After setting things straight with Luke, Christian got home and prepared his bag for the upcoming week before driving to the Steele mansion and easily sneaking in, like he did so many times before. But instead of going to Ana's room, like he usually did, he went where he had never been before, to Raymond's room. As expected, the room was large, though refined. Without prying, Christian looked around, seeing that after all these years, Raymond still didn't mourn his wife. The closet doors were slightly ajar, revealing women's clothes and shoes while Christian could see on the vanity that Raymond had kept all his wife's toiletries.
In silence, he went to sit on the armchair by the window, his eyes going to the picture of Raymond and his complete family that was on the nightstand. Raymond was supposed to come back from Vegas in the middle of the night, and Christian had some questions for him that could not wait for his return from Moscow. He checked his phone to estimate how long it would take Raymond to be home and saw that he received a text from Ana.
I'm sorry I went behind your back. I should have told you beforehand that I was meeting your parents. I just wanted to help you. Ana.
And finally, Christian let out a small, but true genuine smile. She had sent him several texts throughout the day and tried to call a couple of times, but Christian didn't want a repeat of the previous night, especially over the phone, so he ignored her. There was also the fact that he felt that she did not understand why he was angry at her. It wasn't much that she tried to reunite him with his parents, but the way she did it. And finally, that last text proved that she understood what went wrong.
A part of Christian understood why she did it. She was loved as a child, and her father made sure that she was aware of that, he gave her a golden childhood. Even Jose with his shitty childhood had some troubles understanding why Christian was so uninterested in his parents. He had tried a couple of times to get Christian to look for his parents, but Christian simply didn't care. He didn't look back on his past. But he could understand why people who were loved as children did, and would want him to make contact with his parents.
So it was really the fact that she tricked him to see his parents that set Christian's nerves on fire. And now, all he could hope for was that his parents were not going to put pressure on Ana so she could arrange another meeting.
I'm going to Moscow tomorrow morning. For a week. Christian
He felt that he ought to warn her, so she would at least stop trying to call him. Her response was immediate.
Last time you went to Russia, it didn't end well. And now you're going while we're in the middle of a fight. Please don't go. Ana
It's business. I'll be back. We'll talk then. Christian
Can't I come tonight? Like that we can talk now. Ana
Even though Raymond's bedroom was at the opposite side of Ana's, not even on the same floor, Christian could picture and hear her getting up in her bed, rushing to her closet to quickly throw something on and rush out of her mansion. Which would be ironic. She would be at his place, while he was at her place …
No. I have some stuff to do before leaving. I can't take care of this, now. Christian
Please, Christian. I don't want you to leave angry with me. Ana
Though she did not say it, Christian read between the lines. she was persuaded he was going to die, and their last conversation would be one of anger. He rolled his eyes, checking the time before he typed his answer.
I'm not going to die. And I am not home, anyway. Like I said, I have some stuff I need to take care of, before leaving. We'll talk when I'll get back. Christian
She did not respond to that, and Christian wondered if it was because she was hurt by his refusal to talk, or if it was because she understood that there was no argument to make.
Half an hour passed when Raymond finally entered his room. As soon as he opened the door, Christian, who had remained in the dark for the most part of the night, switched on the small lamp, making Raymond jump on his feet, taking his gun out and aiming at Christian's head.
It took him a couple of seconds to recognise Christian and lower his weapon. "Jesus, Christian! Do you want to die?"
"I need to talk to you," Christian announced unceremoniously. Raymond looked at him, slightly surprised by his tone, as much as by his presence, before he tiredly said,
"Can't it wait tomorrow?"
"I'm taking the 6:15 to Moscow, so no. Now is the best time.'
Raymond slightly furrowed his brows at the mention of Moscow. In an unexpected turn of event, the death of Andrew had a really big impact on the Bratva. It turned out that he was their number one supplier when it came to girls, and so, when he died, they lost their main product, meaning they lost their main revenue. And though Raymond cared very little for Russia and its mafia, Christian thought that it was the right moment to strike them down. He wasn't much doing it for Idris, but for the Yakuza, reinforcing their alliance by doing so.
"I have a question for you," Christian said, looking deep into the dark eyes of his boos. And for a moment, it seemed that the roles were reversed and that he was the one in charge instead of Raymond.
"Did you know about my parents?"
"I did."
"For how long?"
Christian saw curiosity in Raymond's eyes, probably because he had always refused any pieces of information about his parents, and that now he was coming in his room, in the middle of the night to ask about them
"The day after I learnt your name. Eric did some research, and filled me in."
Christian frowned, not understanding Raymond next move. This wasn't logical. "So why did you keep me in your ranks? Why did you raise me to be second in command? A kid with parents who are in the deep with the feds is bound to bring troubles."
"Because when I asked you, you said you don't look in the past. I proposed you to look for your parents, and you refused. Your parents were dead to you, and that was good enough for me. I took a calculated risk on you, and it paid off. You're the most loyal man I know, you always put the interest of Idris first, you know how to make her thrive. I don't regret my decision."
Christian nodded, wondering if he would have taken the same risk if he had been in Raymond's position. But suddenly, a part of Raymond's speech came back to him. 'A calculated risk'. He recalled Eric's last words, saying that Raymond did not act rationally when he took him in, and he started connecting the dates. He was enrolled maybe a few weeks after Michael's 'disappearance'. So maybe Raymond thought that it was a risk worth it, but it wasn't an all calculated risk. There was a part of him that acted out of instincts, … or guilt.
"Do you realise that this is the first time that you acknowledged out loud that you are my second in command?" Christian rose an eyebrow, not sure to understand where Raymond was getting, and the older knowingly smiled. "Usually you refer to yourself as 'the muscles', or 'the guard dog'."
"I guess I came to term with it," Christian mumbled, though he knew exactly what had changed. When he had his discussion with Jason Taylor, he had only been thinking about him and Ana. He didn't do it for Raymond, he did it for himself. And he did it by himself. It gave him a new sensation of power, and a new way to see Raymond. He still deeply respected the man, but he was now more seeing him as an equal.
"How did you find out? I doubt you're the one who looked for them," Raymond inquired, apparently still curious about Christian's parents.
"I certainly did not look for them. I … That FBI guy played me well. And by a turn of event, I was brought to face them," Christian shrugged, being vague on purpose. Though Ana wanted to keep their relationship a secret from her father, Christian had always made a point to never lie to Raymond. And if his boss were to ever outright ask the fateful question, Christian knew he would tell the truth, no matter of Ana's wishes.
"You know that it wasn't their fault, then," Raymond said, pushing toward a conversation that Christian would have gladly passed on.
"Honestly, I don't care. I don't care about the reason or their excuse. One little line on a piece of paper isn't going to change anything."
Raymond looked at Christian with surprise, as if he had expected Christian to try to tie new bounds with his family, and so Christian reminded Raymond of something crucial, "Just by curiosity, what is your motto in life?"
"Family is everything … But Christian, they are your family."
"Are you defending them? Are you telling me that you would have done the same thing with your kids?" Christian mused, having a hard time believing that Raymond Steele would have agreed to something as preposterous as leaving his children, even for one hour.
"Would you?" Raymond asked, curious about Christian's answer.
"Of course, not. I would never let go of my kid."
"Even if it's what's best for your child?"
"What's best for my kid is for me to remove the threat from his life. No matter the cost, I will remove any threats coming at my kid," Christian declared, suddenly understanding Raymond's overprotectiveness for his daughter. So far, he only ever took it as work rubbing in his personal life. But now that he was thinking about it, it was simply a parent protecting his child. It seemed unreasonable because Raymond's death and power were oversized.
"And if I were to be the threat? Would you 'remove' me?" Raymond asked, making Christian snap his head to him. He deeply looked into his boss's eyes, before he got up, his eyes still in Raymond's, and he deploys wished his next words,
"I would remove you without a single hesitation."
"Well, I will sleep with only one eye open, when you will have kids. Until then, I am going to catch up on my beauty sleep."
Christian took it as his cue to leave, but as he walked back to his car, he couldn't help but feel that Raymond's last question had been a test to see if he would be a fit parent.
.
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‼️PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER AND LEAVE A REVIEW
IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️
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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚So, I know, you all thought that Raymond had something to do with Christian's parents, but no. It was … too obvious. I don't know. I felt like it was giving too much importance to a trope that doesn't belong to the main story. Sure it is needed to explain Christian's character, but we don't need all the drama that it would have brought if Raymond had something to do with this.
💚 ALSO, guys, there is a small red flag in the conversation between Christian and Raymond! Anyone who can tell me what it is gets a sneak peak on the Daddy's next chapter ...
~ Anyway, question time:
💚 What did you think of the moment between Jason and Christian? And What do you think of Christian, now that he went after a little girl to get what he wanted?
💚 How about the tiny bit of moment with our couple?
💚 How do you feel about Christian final words to Raymond?
💚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.
Love, Mina💚💚💚
