My dear little broccolis πŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’š

πŸ’š 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 πŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’š

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Chapter 49: The Woman He Loved (7,5K)

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πŸ’š So, I have to say, I would not like to be your employee. Most of you would kill me if I made a mistake, just like Christian killed Luke. This is so not cool … Haha

πŸ’š ‼️ Also, remember that the story is RATED M. I mean if you can't handle mature content, you shouldn't keep reading. I know that I am repeating myself here, but I know what this story will contain, and I don't want to read complains about this content. ‼️

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Christian's PoV

As Christian was driving from New York to Georgia, he did his best to clear his mind from what happened during the last few hours. Instead, he stayed focused on the road and his mission, ignoring his fatigue and the rising sun subtly letting him know that he had gone more than twenty-four hours without sleep. It wasn't until eight in the morning that he was torn away from his inner thoughts by his phone.

He swiftly checked the identity of the caller, before activating his Bluetooth and answering to his boss, curious to know if Raymond knew what he was up to, or if he was going to summon him so they could have a debrief of the night and the events that lead to it.

"I'm reading the papers, there are no mentions of Luca's death," Raymond unceremoniously said, making Christian smirk to himself.

He knew that his boss was determined to keep himself away from the media. Not that he ever cared to be in the paper, after all, a criminal of his scale could not escape appearing once in a while in the paper for less than flattering reasons. He, himself, had already been the star of a few uncomplimentary articles that usually made him chuckle more than it should.

Still, knowing his boss, and knowing how he would think and anticipate everything, what Raymond did not want, was to see his name associated with Luca's because of Ana. He did not want his sweet and oblivious daughter to have any reason to doubt that he could have anything to do with the death of a friend, especially when that friend could be seen as a potential boyfriend, given the pictures that were taken.

"Check the obituaries in a couple of days. His name should be mentioned. The poor bastard died in his sleep last night. It's no surprise, given his health condition," Christian lightly said, as if he was simply talking about the weather.

Luca Mazarati was known to suffer from severe asthma, which was one of the reasons why Christian never really paid attention to him. He always figured that Andrea would never give the reign of his fragile and small empire to a sick kid, even though that kid was his own. Though Andrea probably had the education and the training to follow in his father's footsteps, Mother Nature did not give him the body and health to do so. Who would ever take seriously someone who needed to constantly have an inhaler on him?

Which was why the 'natural death' that Christian orchestrated was perfect. In the best case, the coroner would simply say that Luca's lungs failed him. In the worst case, if the coroner decided to be thorough about his examination, he would conclude that Luca died of an overdose from his own medication. In both cases, Idris had no reasons to be suspected.

Which would have been more difficult if Christian had had to stage a suicide. Suicides usually lead up to investigations, especially from insurance companies that were too greedy to accept that some people decided to check out early. so, when Christian gave the choice to Luca, he was mostly bluffing. Staging a suicide would have required time and loneliness, which he did not have in the full (though sleeping) Mazarati house.

Raymond made a sound on the other end of the phone, that indicated that he approved, before he reminded Christian, "You asked for tomorrow off."

"That was before … Mazarati," Christian dismissed, more preoccupied in finding a decent replacement to Luke, than on celebrating his birthday. Moreover, he doubted that Raymond would let his daughter out of his sight before a long while.

"We'll talk about this the morrow. You need to cool down."

Christian slightly furrowed his brows, looking at the panel of his car, as if it was Raymond, not sure if he understood what his boss meant. He was very calm. In fact, he was surprised himself by the coldness and the zen emanating from him. He had anticipating being less in control since he had noticed that this was a pattern when Ana was concerned. But then again, maybe it was simply his training showing, not allowing him to show to the world what was his one weakness.

"What happened with Luke β€”"

"Was me simply making a point. I warned him to stick to her like a hawk, I wanted him months ago, and if he had listened, we would have never been in that situation. The latest picture was dated from two weeks ago," Christian campy said, knowing that he was right.

No matter who Luke had been to him, he did not feel an ounce of guilt over killing him. No matter the fact that he drove like a maniac throughout New York City to save his life, no matter the fact that he killed several people to avenge Luke's missing lung, no matter how guy nights they had spent together with Ryan, Christian did not care about Luke's death. All he cared about, was the fact that Ana could have died because of Luke's carelessness.

In fact, his lack of emotions made him start to question himself as a human being. He never questioned a kill or regretted one. But they had never been killed over people he personally knew. Even Lincoln, he had never trusted him, so he never tried to form a bond with him. But he had known Luke, he had seen him at his worst, and at his best. He even showed him a few tricks about the life, just like Luke showed him a few things about hacking.

And still, he felt nothing. He wondered if this was how serial killers felt, before dismissing the idea. At least, serial killers felt something when they killed their victims. Something twisted, psychotic, and sick, but it was still an emotion. Whether it was pleasure, power, or control, it was still an emotion. Whereas Christian felt nothing.

He shook his head, focussing back on Raymond, as he told him, "I have someone in mind to replace Luke as a shadow. But we still need to find a new tech guy."

"Jose can't look after Ana, Christian. Elena is leaning more and more on him with her β€”"

"I was not thinking about Jose. Someone else. Someone who's not in the business," Christian cut him off, waiting to hear Raymond's reaction to that. Luke hadn't been in the business either, and he turned out to be a complete fiasco. But he was Raymond's fiasco. Raymond was the one who picked him out of college and slowly but surely bought his loyalty to him and to him only.

"Fine. We'll talk about that Monday. Are you driving?" He asked, which Christian found as a strange transition. They were talking about the security detail of his daughter, to now his location.

"Someone had to take care of Luke," He let his boss know, so Raymond would know what he was doing. He could almost picture the older man nod before he questioned further,

"On your way to Georgia?"

"Yes. Don't expect me home before tonight."

"As I said, you have tomorrow off. Take the opportunity to enjoy Georgia's countryside."

On those words, Raymond hung up while Christian rolled his eyes. If there was one thing he was not going to do, was look at the landscape. He did not come to Georgia for that.

A couple of hours later, he arrived where he wanted to be, and after finding a good and recluse place, he started digging a hole in the ground. He could have gotten rid of Luke in a more efficient way, that would leave little evidence that would lead back to him, but he thought that he ought to Luke a proper burial.

Luke was born in Georgia raised in an orphanage there until he earned a scholarship to study in Silicon Valley. It was there that Raymond plucked him out of his beautiful and bright future and enrolled him in something that, after all, was not cut for the young man. Now that he was dead, Luke had no one to mourn him. No family, no girlfriend, no kids. Which Christian recognise was the reason Raymond hired him in the first place. Who would look for an orphan? Most of the people who meant something in the hierarchy of Idris did not have families, they were orphans or runaways, though a few of them had started making families of their own.

Once the hole was deep enough, Christian quickly dusted off the dirt on his clothes, before picking up Luke's body and throwing him in his final resting place. He started putting dirt on the corpse when he heard movements behind him. He did not even bother to look, recognising Ryan's footsteps. He had been expecting a conversation with him, after all, Ryan had always been close to Luke.

"At least, you're burying him where he wanted to be buried," Ryan said, accusation in his tone.

"I'm not a monster," Christian replied, still busying himself with his task. He had no doubts that Ryan probably took a plane to come here, which would explain his presence. Christian drove for most of the night, and a good part of the morning to get to Georgia, while Ryan must have taken the first flight to Atlanta, and then rented a car to get to where they were.

The two of them did not say a word while Christian finished burying properly the dead man, and before Christian threw back the last few patches of dirt, Ryan scattered on the improvised grave several seeds. Christian did not comment on it, repressing himself from rolling his eyes. He did not doubt that those were properly Luke's favourite plants, but he still found it ridiculous.

After he patted the dirt on the freshly turned upside down ground, Christian properly placed back the grass that he had meticulously taken out first. This was one of the reasons why it was easier to hide a body in the winter, there was no grass to betray the fact that you just dug something. But then again, the soil was much harder to dig into during the winter.

For a moment, the two men silently stared a the grave, Christian having no doubts that Ryan was mutely giving his last words to his friend, and it was when he started walking back to his car with the shovel, that Ryan started yapping and complaining about what happened,

"That was rather β€”"

"I won't apologise for shooting him," Christian firmly cut him off. He was not even going to justify himself. He had been in his right, and if Luke really cared for his life, he would have done the job the exact way he had been asked to.

Ryan bit his tongue while Christian was cleaning his shovel with oxygen bleach, to remove effectively any trace of dirt, along with his fingerprints. Once he was done, he cleaned his trunk, feeling Ryan's disproving eyes on his all along, but not caring one bit. Even without his dirty looks, it was obvious that Ryan did not like what Christian had done. The simple fact that he did not propose his help was proof enough.

But that did not bother Christian, he wasn't in the position he was so he could be liked. In fact, he did not care much about how other people felt about him. All he cared about was that the job was done, the way it was supposed to be done.

After his cleansing process, Christian dusted himself once again, before estimating that he was clean enough to not arise suspicions, and he climbed back in his car. He waited a few seconds, giving Ryan the possibility to ride home with him, which he did, and after an hour or so of silent driving, Ryan went back on his crusade,

"Don't you think it was a bit exaggerated. Luke didn't mean bad, and you know it."

"I don't care. I warned him, and he decided to not listen and do as he wanted. It was his right, but there are consequences to any decisions you make in life, and he just paid for one of those decisions."

It was as simple as that. It was what he said to everyone when he killed Luke. They were here to obey orders, not do as they pleased. Without order in their ranks, chaos would come, and Idris would crumble. And Christian would be damned if he let that happen while he was still breathing.

"Could you kill me as easily and nonchalantly as you killed him," Ryan asked with curiosity and suspicion. Christian could almost swear that he even got his hand closer to his gun.

"No," He simply said, without even having to think about it, which Ryan noted,

"That was quick."

"I trust you, Ryan. I know you won't screw me over like that. I know that if I tell you something, you will do it. You might complain about it, you might tell me that you don't agree or don't approve, you might even ignore me for a week after that, but you will still do it. So unless you give me a reason, I don't see why I would ever shoot you."

"And what if I draw my piece on you for killing one of my friends?" Ryan nonchalantly asked, making Christian swiftly glance his way. There was nothing in his position that indicated that he would do it at this given moment, but then again, Ryan knew how to bluff. still, something told Christian that this was simply a rhetorical question, intended to know how far Christian would go.

"You better be quick about it."

"You just said that β€”"

"You shouldn't give me a reason. I think that threatening my life is a good reason for me to shoot."

Ryan did not retort anything, but Christian saw the small smile on the man's face. A small silence grew between them, only interrupted by the soft purr of the AC until Ryan said with an accusatory tone,

"You could have asked for his last words. It was the decent thing to do, given your relationship."

"I did not care to hear them," Christian simply said, changing the line on the highway.

"You can be so cold, sometimes."

"That's the job."

Ryan did not reply anything, which Christian found odd. One of the reasons why he appreciated Ryan more than others, was because he never really cared for Christian's positions and relationship with Raymond. When he had something to tell him, he would, even when no one else would.

So he tried to make Ryan understand how badly Luke screwed up, "Imagine that it was your kid that was targeted. Wβ€”"

"It wasn't my kid," Ryan swiftly cut him off. "And it will never be my kid. That's why I would never try to go after Raymond's position. I'm happy where I am. Anonymity is sometimes the best weapon you can have to protect yourself and your family."

This made Christian genuinely laugh. Though Ryan's theory was impeccable, it was still flawed when it came to real life. They were from a world where anonymity was the rarest and most difficult thing to have. He knew everything there was to know about Idris's enemies, down to the names and families of the most simple maid.

Ryan glared in his direction, before he said, "I know that the boss wants me to become your number two when you take over, but β€”"

"No. Raymond has nothing to do with that. I am the one who wants you in that position. You were my first and second choice, and I told Raymond."

This seemed to surprise Ryan. "What about Jose?"

It was no secret to anyone working for Idris that Jose and Christian were close, and Christian had no doubts that everyone was expecting Christian to take Jose as his second in command. But what they did not know was of Jose side activity, and Christian knew that given the choice, Jose would rather follow Elena's footsteps rather than be his second. It wasn't much a question of loyalty, but more than what Elena and Jose were doing was something that meant a lot to Jose, and Christian would do anything he could to support him.

"Jose and I have our own arrangement," Christian eluded. Though he knew that as his future second in command, Ryan ought to know, he figured that he did not have to tell him until the two of them were actually in those positions.

Ryan nodded, as he slowly said, "Well … that's … something …"

Christian barely shrugged. To him, it was simply the natural order of things. Ryan was one of the few people he could rely on, to be honest, no matter what, just like he was doing by letting him know his disagreement over Luke's death.

"Although …" Ryan added, dragging the last syllable. "That whole talk about just is rather weird coming from you. Between you and I, we both know that this trust thing is only one-sided."

"What do you mean."

"I trust you, Christian, I really do. If I'm ever in the shit, you're the first person I'll call. If I need something, you're the first person I'll call. No matter how much you can … scare me sometimes, you're the one I'll call. But I'm not sure it goes both ways."

Christian rolled his eyes, not expecting Ryan to be such a sentimental guy.

"I'm not a teddy bear, Ryan. I trust you, and I'm telling you, and that should be it. I'm not going to sit in a bar with you and Patrick your hair while you talk about your feelings and shit."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what?" Christian asked, getting annoyed to have this talk. He wasn't used to having to justify what he would say, especially when his words were crystal clear.

"I know you have a girl," Ryan said, his eyes on Christian who kept his face as unreadable as usual, simply raising an eyebrow at the man. So Ryan explained his theory,

"We've been friends for how many years, Christian? Do you really think I wouldn't notice some of your habits changing? And I get it, I really do, revealing you have a girl to the world is a big move, because you're revealing one of your weaknesses to your enemies, your only weakness in your case. But I'm not the world, I'm your friend. I'm the guy you say you trust so much you want me as second in command."

"If you want to talk about girls, I suggest you call Maia," Christian eluded once again because, in truth, Ryan was right, he couldn't pretend to trust the man, and not tell him about the woman he loved, the woman of his life.

"My point, exactly. You know of Maia. You've met Maia. You've cooked for her. You've laughed at me with her. You helped her move in with me! Luke and you were the only ones who knew about her because no matter how open-minded Maia is about Idris, I don't want her to know too much, just like I don't want people to know about her. But I trust you to know about the mother of my future children."

"Your point?" Christian asked, putting a slight hint of annoyance in his voice in the vain hope that Ryan would drop the topic.

"What's her name?"

"I'm not a girl, Ryan. I'm not talking about this."

For a moment, Christian wondered if Christian was going his usual pain in the ass, and keep digging into who was his girl; but Ryan simply shook his head and said something that Christian could not retort anything to,

"Like I said, one-sided."

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Christian's PoV

When Christian finally got home, it was two minutes before midnight. He had dropped Ryan a few minutes earlier at his place and had to decline Maia's pleas for him to share a meal with them. It was late, and he was tired, only thinking about his bed. But when he closed the door, he saw that Ana was there waiting for him in blue lingerie with a bright smile on her face. For a second, Christian was lost, before remembering that when midnight would strike, it would be his birthday.

"Happy birthday, honey!"

He stared at the brunette in front of him, who was holding a cake with some sort of drawing on it, but all he could do was look at Ana, only then realising how close he had been to losing her. Though he had thought about it a lot ever since the pictures, the full impact did not dawn on him before he saw her in person.

Those little moments of finding her in his home, those little texts she would send randomly, those little things she would do or say and that would always make him smile, he had been close to losing them forever. What if Luca and Andrea had decided that actions were better than words. What if they had decided that they should be more effective than simply sending pictures. What would he have done?

A lump grew in his throat as he realised that Ana's death would devastate him. When he almost die in Macau, she had been his last thoughts, but the idea of outliving her was unbearable. He wondered how Raymond did it. He knew that he had his revenge, but Christian doubted that, even with the satisfaction of revenge, he would ever be able to heal the ache in his heart. There would be a constant pain in him, that would find reminders of Ana in everything and anything.

Ana laughed and put the cake down and walked to him since he hadn't moved from the door ever since he came in. She took his face between her tiny hands, a loving smile on her lips and kissed him before telling him,

"Don't cry. It's just a cake. And I didn't even make it, it's from the bakery."

Christian blinked, swallowing the best he could, before urgently bringing her face to his and talking her to the nearest wall. He lost himself in their kiss, taking full control of it, and bringing to life any part of them that he was so afraid to lose if the worst were to ever happen. Ana was obviously surprised by the force Christian used, but she responded nonetheless, letting him take the lead.

When they were intimate, Christian had always been rather gentle with her, he had always shown concern about her wants and needs, and even when they got a little bit rougher, he had always had some sort of control over himself. But at this precise moment, this side of Christian was all gone. He was more like a desperate man wandering in a desert and finally reaching an oasis.

For a second, he considered taking her right then and there, but a small and lucid part of him made him take her in his arms, up to their bed. There, he looked at the beautiful woman spread on his sheets, looking at him with love, though he could see a bit of worry in the blue of her eyes. With a delicacy that clashed with his earlier moves, he caressed her cheek, letting her know with a strangled voice,

"You have no idea what you mean to me."

She leaned in his caress, sweetly smiling as if to say that she already knew. So he shook his head, and admitted, "If I ever lost you, I'd … I can't lose you, Ana."

And just as he said those words, he buried his face in her neck, and himself in her. He felt her tense, obviously not prepared for that brutal intrusion, but she still welcomed it, just slightly moving her hips to be more comfortable. Christian lifted his head so he could look at the woman he loved, realising that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted to fall asleep next to her every night, and wake up next to her every morning. He wanted to feel her stomach growing with their child beneath his hand. He wanted to bear her tears and her joys. He wanted her to be his one constant in life, his one thing that would make the world seem less crazy, just because she was by his side.

He deeply kissed her, putting all his emotions in that one kiss, before he let her know, "You're the one thing that makes sense in my life. You're the one person who can bring me to my knees. You're …"

He couldn't even continue for his throat seemed so swollen, and so he let her know the rest by ravaging her, going back and force inside her while she looked deep into his eyes, both of her hands cupping his face.

"It's okay, Christian. I'm here. I'm yours."

Christian increased his thrusts, never breaking eye contact with her as he would occasionally repeat to her that she meant the world to him. At some point, his rhythm became somewhat animalistic, but he loved it. He loved the way Ana moved her hips to meet his thrusts, he loved the way she moaned his name, he loved the way she would tell him that she was his.

And finally, he released, feeling all sort of pressure leaving his body when he did so. For a long time, he stayed on top of Ana, brushing away the damp hair from her forehead and kissing her every once in a while, before he rolled on the side, completely spent. Ana snuggled against him, and he tightened his arm around her, half conscious of his moves. He hadn't slept in over forty-eight hours, and his body was telling him not to try to push it any further.

He felt, half asleep, that Ana got up, probably to use the bathroom, and what seemed half a second later, she was pulling the sheets over them, cuddling against him. She didn't say anything, simply tracing lines over his chest, which Christian had always appreciated, and just when he saw Morpheus at the corner, she asked,

"Everything alright?"

Christian hummed, mostly because he wasn't actually sure. But he did not want to have a conversation where his exhaustion could deform the meaning of his words.

"This is new," She said, her fingers tracing the lines of the tattoo he got himself a week ago. He had never been very opinionated about tattoos, but after catching Ana's sad expression every time her eyes landed on his wound, he had decided to cover it up.

Once again, he hummed, letting her know that she had his attention. gently, she contoured the design, before she curiously inquired, "It's not very masculine. Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, it's a rose."

She did not respond anything to it, and when the minutes passed, Christian frowned and willed himself to open his eyes, not expecting to see what was before him. He noticed that she had braided her hair, and washed her face, which meant that she probably went to the bathroom for longer than he thought. But it wasn't what he lingered on. Ana was holding back her tears, which made him roll his eyes as he pointed out to her,

"It wasn't made to make you cry, babe. On the contrary."

She weakly smiled, before kissing the tattoo and then his lips. then, she snuggled back into his arms, making him feel like she wanted to make one with him.

"You make me feel so special sometimes. In ways that nobody has before."

Christian knew that she was expecting him to say something romantic along the times of a simple me too, but what came out of his mouth was something completely different, "And I hope nobody else never will."

He felt her smile against his chest while his mind was starting to drift to sleep, which was why he wasn't sure if her next sentence was Ana speaking, or his dream starting,

"If you could promise me that I would always come first, I could try to swallow my fears down for you."

.

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Christian's PoV

When Christian woke up, he was already tired, which immediately let him know that he slept too much. He never slept more than five hours a night, and every time he tried to be lazy and sleep a bit more, it resulted in his body being slow all throughout the following day.

After quickly glancing at the clock, he went to take a cold shower and do his usual morning routine, all the while thinking about his actions of the previous night. Though he was not going to lie and pretend that he did not enjoy what happened, he was still taken aback by it. In the past, he had always made a point on taking a shower before touching Ana when he came back from a dirty mission (which meant killing or torturing someone). Not that he was ashamed of what he did, but he always felt that it was a way to respect her, even if she did not know it.

But he did anything but. He took her raw, without foreplay, without gentleness, and though he knew that she enjoyed it, he still felt weird about it. Probably because it was the first time that he really lost control around Ana, or even since he was a kid. Even when he was a bit wilder in bed with her, there still was a bit of control. Even when they fought and he yelled at her, he still had a bit of control over himself that reasoned him.

That control had completely disappeared during their lovemaking of the previous night. He completely let go, not even making sure that she would be ready to take him, and this was what was making him contrite. Fortunately for him, Ana had a strong sexual appetite and she easily caught up with his mood.

Once he was downstairs, he called Jose to let him know what had happened. He would have called him earlier, but he did not want to have to censor himself because of Ryan's present. But apparently, Raymond had already told Jose everything there was to know about the affair, including the part where he killed Luke.

But unlike what he had expected, Jose did not make a big deal out of Luke's death, but rather on the reasons that lead to killing him as he did.

"Would you have killed him the same way if you weren't in a relationship with Ana?" Jose asked, backing Christian in a corner.

He knew that no matter what, he would have killed Luke for disobeying once again a direct order. But he couldn't tell for sure that he would not have done things differently if he hadn't been involved with Ana. And Jose knew it.

When he finished his conversation with Jose, he left the apartment, knowing that he still had a good hour before Ana woke up, and he went to buy something for her. He knew that this was probably going to bring him a lot of troubles from both Steele, but if this could ensure that she would be safe, he did not really care of the headaches to come.

When he came back, he took the cake out of the fridge, not remembering seeing Ana put it back in, and assuming that she did so when he was out cold after sex, and a small smile grew on his lips. What he had thought were fondant and drawings, was actually summer fruits. Mostly berries, with a few roses, sprinkled amongst them. He checked the stairs, and when he was sure that she was not around, he flicked his finger on the pink cream that covered the cake, appreciating that he could not taste the sugar in it. Ana had probably asked for a sugar-free cake when she placed the order for his cake.

With a small sigh, he let the cake out, hoping that Bastille would not come and take his own piece of it before everyone else, and he went to read the newspaper on the couch. As he was skimming through the business section, when Ana came from behind, smelling all fresh and hugged him, wishing him once again a happy birthday.

Then, she sat next to him, a bright smile on her lips, though there was a small frown between her brows. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, making Christian lean in to kiss her and reassure her.

"Maybe you're all bummed down because you're getting old. How old are you? Seventy-five?" She joked, making Christian roll his eyes before he proposed,

"How about we eat breakfast?"

"No. I decided to portion a bit what I eat."

"You chose a poor day to do so," Christian noticed, though he wondered why on Earth she would want to go on a diet.

"I know. But I did gain a few pounds since last year …" She complained, making Christian forget about his worries for a split second and say like a goofy child,

"I know. Especially here." He squeezed her bottom, making her sit on his laps, and earning a slap on his chest as he did so.

"This is so not what you're supposed to say! You're supposed to tell me that it's all in my head and that I'm still beautiful, and β€”"

"You are still beautiful. But I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it's all in your head. It's all on your ass, and I love it. There is more to hold on to," Christian replied with a smug smile.

He saw how Ana was trying to stay mad, but failing miserably. She ended up smiling and shaking her head, as she told him,

"Anyway, I think we can simply wait for a nice brunch. I think I cooked too much, and there is the cake," She pointed the cake getting room temperature. "I thought the baker was going to laugh at me when I told him no sugar or replacement of sugar whatsoever."

"I think you made his day by giving him some sort of challenge," He told her, earning a smile from her.

He caressed her cheek, feeling bad for what he was about to do.

"Do you remember when you asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I told you nothing."

"I do. But I didn't listen, I got you something," She replied, all smug and proud about it.

"Well, I changed my mind."

Ana pouted as she told him, "But Christian, I don't have time to go get you a new gift, your birthday is today."

"I know. And … I already have it. You accepting it is the present."

He pointed with his chin the coffee table behind her, and she looked at the box. "It's not how birthday gifts work, Christian," She let him know, though Christian noticed that he cheeks were flushed.

It was clear that she had an idea of what was in the box, and for a moment, Christian wondered what she expected there would be in it. He knew that she was not ready for what he bought her, she was raised to not be ready for it. He watched her kneel so she would be at the right level to open the box, and when she did, all the colours left her face, just as he expected.

"I don't want it," She hastily said, closing the box to hide the incriminating object.

With a sigh, Christian got up and went to his safe, under Ana's angry eyes. When he came back, he gave her the pictures that he had received the day before. Though it was impossible, she paled even more at the image of a target over her face.

He knew that if Raymond ever found out what he did, he was in for a major argument with his boss. Raymond had always protected Ana and created a bubble around her to keep her innocent. And Christian understood his mentor, he really did. In truth, up until the pictures appeared, he had considered doing the same to his children. But ever since the pictures showed up, Christian couldn't shake the idea that this situation would never have occurred if Ana had known more about her father's life. She would have known who Luca was, and would never have formed a friendship with him.

"These were sent to you father two nights ago as a way to threaten him. I know your father will not talk to you about them, I know he will increase your security detail and pretend that everything is alright in front of you. But … I can't. All I can think about ever since I got those photos is the fact that this photographer could have been a sniper. And I told you yesterday night, I can't lose you. You mean too damn much to me for me to allow anything to happen to you.

Now, I understand that you don't like the idea of being followed everywhere you go. I really do. But in that case, you need to know how to defend yourself. And a couple of self-defence classes a week with Ryan won't help you all the time. Whereas the gun …"

"I'm not taking the gun, Christian," She snapped, her eyes filled with tears, but refused to shed them.

He looked at her as her eyes were still on the pictures, and finally, she tore her gaze away from them to stare at Christian, concern in her eyes.

"Christian … you do know that … Luca is just a friend, right?"

"Of course I know that," He assured her, though he had to admit that hearing her say those words did appease a tension he was not even aware of. "I already told you, I trust you, Ana. What I don't trust is other people's intentions concerning you."

She shook her head, turning over the pictures so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore. "I don't care how Luca see things, he is just my friend, and I will never take it further. I'm with you."

As she said those words, Christian reminisced about what Andrea said concerning his son and Raymond's daughter. He was persuaded that they would end up together. Perhaps this idea planted in his head because Luca was persuaded of the same thing. He had planned to play with Ana and ultimately fell in his own trap.

This made him see Luca's final moments in a whole different way. Luca had looked disappointed when Christian told him that he was with Ana, and now, Christian understood that it was the strategist that was feeling disappointment, but simply the man.

"It's not just Luca, Ana. Your father is a powerful man, and people will not hesitate to use you to get to him. Especially if you're tiny and gullible."

She glared at him, not appreciating the names, before she retorted, "I'm not that stupid, Christian. I just like to look the other way. And I can take care of myself plenty. Being small doesn't mean that I can't defend myself, look at David and Goliath!" πŸ’š (Check at the end)

For a moment, Christian was lost, not sure who were those two men. But then, a recollection of his Sunday classes with one of his families came back to him, and once he understood the biblical reference, he reopened the box, and took the gun out of it to put it in Ana's hands, using Ana's faith in his advantage,

"Then, be David. Use the stone"

She shook her head, her tears finally roaming free on her face as she tried to let go of the gun. Christian forced her to hold on to it, as he explained, "I'm going to get Ryan to teach you how to use it properly, and don't try to squirm your way out of it. Ryan isn't Luke."

"I don't want to use a gun."

"And I don't want you to die. We're going to have a problem here."

She busted in tears, but he stayed inflexible, not letting go of her hand. He was not going to receive any more pictures of the sort. He would rather shatter a piece of Ana's innocence than have to learn that she died because she had been too naive.

Ana sobbed next to him, refusing to look at the gun in her hands as she admitted, "If I accept this gun, I have to accept all those things I pretended not to know all over those years."

Christian frowned, looking deep into her eyes, though his hand was still firmly forcing her to hold the gun. "Such as?"

She sniffled, and for the first time, Christian saw fear in her eyes, hitting him in the stomach with the force of a bull. He immediately let go of her hand, but understood her feeling of fright when she said between two hiccups,

"I'll have to accept who you really are. What you really here. What Dad really is. I don't want to face that."

He knew that he should say some sweet words to her, and try to ease the idea into her, but he did not go in that direction. He knew himself, if he let himself soften just a bit, he would give in to her, and he couldn't afford to be like that.

"I already told you, Ana. Like isn't sweet or fair, no matter how hard your father tries to make you believe so."

Once again, she busted into tears, but this time, Christian took her in his arms, shushing her to calm herself. She cried for such a long time that Christian lost all notion of it. finally, she stopped herself, and asked, not even daring look at him in the eyes,

"If you're that kind of criminal, it means you can kill me when you'll get bored of me, or when I'll do something that will make you mad again."

"Don't be ridiculous," Christian dismissed, not believing that Ana could think such things about him. He knew he was cold, but Ana saw a side of him that no one ever got to see.

"You say that now, but you don't know what you'll do when I'll β€”"

He took her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look at him, as he asked with sincerity and authority, "Do you really think I could ever hurt you?"

She searched his eyes, before admitting with a bit of shame, "No. But I think you could hurt others over me and not care about it."

Christian did not respond anything to that, because he was not going to lie to the woman he loved. She suspiciously narrowed her eyes at him.

"Did you?"

"What?"

"Hurt someone over me?"

"Are you sure you want the answer?" He asked, given her an opportunity to stay in that world she was so afraid to leave. She thought about it, obviously weighing the pros and the cons to know so much about Christian, but then she affirmatively answered, and so Christian nonchalantly said,

"Yes."

Though she had been expecting this answer, Christian could clearly see that a part of her had hoped for the opposite answer, and though he couldn't even think of lying to Ana, a part of him wondered if he shouldn't have sugar coated it. He watched her look down on her knees, before she promptly got up, straightening her little black dress and telling him,

"I'll take the guns, and take the lessons without complaining. But on one condition. Don't tell Dad about me knowing. I don't want to lose the life he gave me. I want him to treat me the same. I want to keep my Dad the way he is."

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

IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️

.~Β°~. .~Β°~. .~Β°~.

πŸ’šYour thoughts and opinions are always welcomedπŸ’š

πŸ’šSo I am curious about how you feel about Christian after this chapter? And … did anyone think it would be a ring? Just curious?

πŸ’šDavid and Goliath is an event that happens in the Bible. Briefly, David is really small, and Goliath is a giant brute. Each represented their kingdom/village (according to the translations) and they fought. David killed Goliath with a swing of his sling, proving that brains overcome muscles. I am not questioning your intelligence, or culture by telling you that, I just know that not everyone has read the bible, and not everyone lives in a religious country. Better safe than sorry.

~ Anyway, question time:

πŸ’š So what did you think of Christian's and Jodan's conversation? Who do you side with?

πŸ’š What do you think of Christian's comportment with Ana concerning this whole gun thing? And his decision to let her know about the pictures and his life.

πŸ’š What do you think of Christian saying that Ana is his one? Did you swoon, or did you roll your eyes?

πŸ’š What do you think will happen next?

πŸ’šWhat was your favourite part??

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

Love, MinaπŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’š