AUTHORS NOTE: I am totally flabbergasted by the phenomenal response the last chapter received. I was more than aware that I left chapter 21 on a bit of a cliff-hanger, something which as a rule I don't tend to do as normally the story is complete when I start posting it so it tends to follow on more than come to an abrupt halt. I didn't want to leave people hanging too long for an update as the reaction seemed to be that everyone wanted to see Kate being brought down. That was a lot of pressure I can tell you! Getting the next part out quickly enough so people weren't left hanging but also fulfilling the expectations that I had created. Which inevitably led to the rather short chapter – which I apologise for, but from the overwhelmingly positive response it received I think I delivered, so thank you all once again for taking the time to read and comment.

CHAPTER 23

(CHRISTIAN)

I look around the table that we are all seated around. It's like a council of war, Elliot is at my side and on his other side is my father and beside him is one of his partners from his law firm who is Elliot's lawyer, handling his divorce.

Sitting opposite us is my mother who is quietly sobbing and she is being comforted by Eva and Ana who is sitting on either side of her.

Elliot looks up at mom and I see the guilt on his face at what she has just heard. I glance at Taylor who is standing stoically in the corner. He did a fabulous job with this new technology, which is being developed by one of Gideon's subsidiary companies and which had been brought to his attention by Angus. I think we can safely say it worked perfectly. Although the effect it is having on my parents, especially my mother is unfortunate.

My father has a grim expression on his face and he shakes his head as he hears just what his daughter in law thought of his eldest son. He looks towards the man at his side who is just sitting with his mouth hanging open.

"Will that be enough David?" my father asks and the man nods.

"More than enough, she can kiss goodbye to contact with her daughter with comments like that and along with the testimony of the nanny which Elliot gave me I'm certain we can block any attempts should she try and seek visitation".

Elliot snorts, "She doesn't give a damn about Ava and I don't want her anywhere near my daughter" he says.

I reach out and squeeze his shoulder in a show of support and solidarity.

He turns and smiles at me gratefully, "Thanks for doing this for me" he says and he turns towards Ana, "And you of course Ana, and I'm just sorry you ended up being stuck in the middle of this" he says. Then a grin fills his face as he turns towards Eva.

"Remind me never ever to get on your bad side, you were awesome" he says and Eva waves her hand dismissively.

"I can't believe she was so disgusting and… awful" my mother says sadly.

Before I can answer her, Taylor clears his throat. I turn towards him and look at him questioningly.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Sir, it appears we have a situation at the front gate, Mrs Grey has…" he is quickly cut off by Elliot who interrupts him.

"Don't call her that! Please, just don't call her that" he says sharply.

Taylor nods apologetically, "I apologise sir, Miss Kavanagh is at the gate with her father and it appears her father is demanding to see you and Mr Grey" he says gesturing towards Elliot.

I sigh and rub my eyes, "I'll see her father but I don't want that woman in my home again after the way she spoke to my wife. If Kavanagh doesn't agree to that he can fuck off and talk to my lawyers".

Eva grins at me and nods, "Well said!" she says simply.

Taylor nods and relays the message to the security on the gate. He waits and then it becomes clear that the terms are agreeable to Kavanagh.

"Mr Kavanagh is making his way to the house; Miss Kavanagh is waiting at the gatehouse" Taylor confirms.

"Why does he want to speak to you, darling?" my mother asks me in confusion.

I shrug, "I have no idea" I say. That is a very good point though, but the only thing I can assume is that Kate told her father that the last place Elliot was, was here.

A few moments later Taylor is showing in a nervous looking Eamon Kavanagh into the room. It is clear he wasn't expecting this amount of people and this seems to chip away at his confidence even more.

He glares at Elliot which provokes an immediate response from Ana. "Hey, don't you dare come in here giving him filthy looks. He has done nothing wrong; he is the victim in all this he did nothing but love your daughter" she says sharply.

This seems to take him back a little but he schools his face into an impassive mask with no emotions showing at all.

"Mr Kavanagh what can we do for you?" My father asks coldly. While I know he is pissed at what has happened to El. It irritates me that he is taking control in my home.

I stand up to bring Kavanagh's attention to me and emphasise the fact it is my place to speak to him as he is standing here in my home.

I hold out my hand to him, "Mr Kavanagh, welcome to my home. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the reason why you are here. Although why you have asked specifically to speak to me is not clear. If you have come to speak on behalf of your daughter, which is entirely admirable and expected of any loving parent I believe you should see something first before you press your case".

Kavanagh accepts my handshake and nods. "I have no idea what is happening, Kate showed up at my office in tears saying that Elliot had thrown her out and changed the locks. I asked her what she had done and she said nothing. I said that something must have happened and she started ranting saying that you had entrapped her and turned Elliot against her".

Both Ana and Eva let out derisive snorts at that and Eva shakes her head. Kavanagh glances at them before he continues.

"So, naturally I was hoping to speak to you to find out what was going on and of course with Elliot to find out his side of events and to try and come to some understanding of the situation" he says.

Elliot stares up at him coldly, "The only understanding I am interested in, is removing that gold-digging bitch from my life" he says bitterly.

"Elliot that's not helpful" my father says and Ana immediately fires back at him.

"No, Carrick! I think Elliot is completely within his rights to say that, you saw and heard what she said not only about your son but also your granddaughter. You have also heard from me what she said to me on previous occasions. Not only that she has repeatedly insulted Elliot, Christian and myself and tried repeatedly to destroy my relationship with my husband. So, thank you for your opinion Carrick but this is our home and we are perfectly happy with how Elliot refers to Kate".

My father purses his lips but doesn't say another word. I can't help but smirk at the way Ana put him in his place. Her relationship with him is basic tolerance at best. He failed to ingratiate himself with her after the prenup debacle when we got engaged. His insistence that she sign one irritated me greatly and that escalated to full blown fury on my part, when he tried to slip one in amongst the paperwork Ana had to sign before we got married. That had infuriated me and upset Ana greatly that he was not only being underhanded, but also treating her with disrespect as he had expected her not to bother reading anything that she was signing. Not only that, but the way she sees his total disregard of admitting he was wrong in relation to his comments when I dropped out of Harvard and for failing to apologise for them had made her opinion of him even less favourable.

Elliot glances at me with an amused expression on his face at the way Ana spoke to our father and I just shrug.

I return my attention and focus to the man standing awkwardly in front of us. "Please take a seat Mr Kavanagh" I say gesturing to a seat at the table and he gratefully sits down carefully beside Eva.

"Hello" she says to him as she holds out her hand.

"Eamon Kavanagh" he says as he accepts the handshake.

"Eva Cross, Ana's sister" Eva replies with a brilliant smile.

"And you are here and involved because…?" Kavanagh asks and Eva grins at him.

"Because I am currently visiting and staying with my sister and your daughter disrespected Ana in front of me… and nobody disrespects my sister".

Nobody in the room misses the dangerous tone of Eva's voice and Kavanagh nods as he looks at Elliot expectantly.

"So… can you tell me what has been going on?" he asks carefully.

Elliot nods, "I have had my suspicions for a while that Kate wasn't entirely happy in our marriage. She gave me the opinion on many occasions that she no longer loved me. It appeared that those suspicions were correct in so far as she didn't love me but it appeared that she had never loved me and only married me for my name and my money" he says bitterly.

Kavanagh's mouth drops open, "Can you back up these claims?" he asks and Elliot nods.

"I can, I shared my concerns with my brother, and then a few weeks later he called me and told me that my suspicions were correct as Kate had openly told Ana that she didn't love me and didn't want our daughter. Ana had confided in him after what Kate had told her as what she had said had upset Ana a great deal. She had put Ana in a terrible position with her remarks and she told Christian as she didn't know what to do for the best as she didn't want to upset me by appearing to tattle on Kate. As Christian was already aware of my suspicions to the state of my marriage, he didn't hesitate to call me and tell me what Ana had said. Our nanny has confirmed Kates lack of parental responsibility for our daughter and her total indifference to her. I have also personally witnessed occasions where I have come home from work and she has been sitting with her phone while the nanny was playing with Ava. After Christian told me I also spoke to Ana personally and she shared with me everything that Kate had told her which more than confirmed my suspicions and as a result, I have decided to file for divorce. I told Christian that I needed concrete evidence to provide as Ana's testimony was basically just our word against Kate's and as I wanted to make a clean break from her, I wanted to make sure that there was no question of her feelings towards me and my daughter. I also wanted to make sure that I had evidence to ensure that she would not be eligible for visitation with a child she did not love. When Kate came to visit Ana today, she provided that evidence with what she said to Ana, which was recorded on my brother's home security surveillance system. He called me and told me that Kate was here and that she had suitably incriminated herself and so I decided to make my move. I gathered all her belongings, arranged for a colleague to change the locks on my home and made my way to my brother's house to confront her and I heard for myself exactly what she thought of me".

Elliot spins the laptop around, and gestures for Kavanagh to start the video. "And it's all right here in glorious technicolour!" he adds with biting sarcasm.

Kavanagh hesitantly reaches for the laptop and pulls it towards him and as he clicks on the start button Elliot speaks again.

"Before you start, I warn you that this will probably change the way you think about your daughter forever," he says sadly.

Kavanagh nods and begins to watch the footage. He gets paler and paler as it goes on and there are moments when I think his jaw cannot drop any lower nor his eyes get any wider. When it is complete, he looks completely shattered. His face is ashen and he cannot look any of us in the eye.

"I have no idea what to say… there are no words… no words to describe… that" he says after a long silence.

Elliot shrugs, "It seems that she always referred to me as asswipe, she never called me by my given name when speaking of me to Ana. She openly admitted that she hates me and despises our daughter and she admitted that she never loved me and only married me for status and wealth. Not only that, she tried repeatedly to undermine my brother's marriage and she turned on her best friend calling her vile names. Now you have seen the facts for yourself, are you going to be sensible and walk away from this ensuring that the divorce can happen quietly and privately, or are you going to make a fuss which will result in the proceedings being turned into a three ring circus with all the details being discussed and dissected in the media?"

Kavanagh shakes his head, "To say I am shocked at her behaviour is an understatement. I'm ashamed of her and totally disgusted with how she has behaved… I had no idea. I assure you that after seeing that… there is no way I will… she won't be able to count on my support or assistance. May I have a copy of this footage, as I don't think her mother will believe me when I tell her what she has done?" he says.

Elliot glances questioningly at Taylor who simply nods.

"Is that everything?" I ask and Kavanagh licks his lips nervously.

"Erm… regarding Ava, what about my wife and I… we are her grandparents? I mean… we love that little girl but are we going to be punished for Kates actions?" he asks nervously.

Elliot thinks a moment and then shakes his head, "No, I'm not that vindictive. I won't prevent you from seeing her, but conditions will be in place as I don't want Kate anywhere near her" he says firmly.

Kavanagh nods and he smiles with relief. "I can understand that, we will work something out" he says.

With that he stands and holds out his hand to Elliot, "I can only apologise to you and I know that means nothing to you at this moment but I am truly sorry for the way Kate treated you" he says.

Elliot stands and accepts the handshake, "Thank you" he says simply.

Kavanagh looks around the table, "Grey" he says as his eyes fall on me and I just nod a response, he pauses and smiles apologetically at Ana. "I apologise for the way Kate disrespected you Ana" he says nervously and Ana smiles at him.

"It's not your fault" she says kindly.

Kavanagh shakes his head, "I believe I must carry some of the blame. Whilst I assure you I didn't raise her to behave like that, she was my little princess and I treated her like one. It appears my actions may have spoilt her and it moulded her into a self-centred and entitled brat and that was never my intention".

He takes a deep breath and acknowledges Eva and then turns towards my parents. "Carrick, Grace" he says simply and they both nod at him.

"Eamon" they say in unison.

Taylor steps forward. "Let me show you out sir and I'll get a copy of the footage to you as soon as I possibly can" he says politely

Kavanagh nods and thanks him and we all watch him leave the room, and the way he is walking it appears the revelations have aged him in the few moments he has been in here.

"He took that well, considering…" Ana mutters and I nod. I actually felt quite sorry for him when it became apparent just how awful his daughter is, and it was forcibly brought home to him.

"He's not a bad person, I've always got along with him" Elliot says sadly.

An odd atmosphere fills the room a strange mix of sadness and awkwardness and I just want everyone to leave. I am much closer to my family now since I have been with Ana but my levels of sociability have their limits and I am certain I have reached the limit of mine.

I watch as Ana and Eva both stand and I look up to catch Ana's eye and hold out my hand to her. She immediately comes to my side and wrapping her arm around my shoulder she bends and presses a kiss to my head.

"Eva and I are going to spend a little time together" she whispers, and I nod.

"Alright" I say simply. I wonder if now Kate has been dealt with Eva will be leaving and heading home to New York. So, I don't argue with Ana's plans to spend time with her sister. I watch as she takes her leave with Eva at her side.

"Will Eva be going home to New York soon?" my father asks and I look up, surprised at the question.

"I don't know, I assume so... at some point. Gideon had promised her that they would stay as long as she needed to, but he had to return to New York as he had issues with a business deal and Eva opted to stay behind" I say, wondering where this conversation is going.

"I'm uncertain about that young lady" my father says and everyone stares at him in surprise.

"Carrick!" my mother gasps.

Elliot just shakes his head and then stands up, "I think that is my cue to leave, I'm not getting involved in dad's latest paranoia". As he stands, David - his lawyer stands with him and also takes his leave. Mom stands and hugs Elliot tightly and whispers something in his ear which makes him smile and he nods at her.

Then he turns towards me, "Thanks for everything bro" he mutters as he slaps me on the shoulder.

I return the hug, "No problem" I say, I feel oddly vindicated for my views of Kate as I never liked her but I'm not about to start crowing and saying I told you so.

After my brother and his lawyer have gone, I return to my study hoping that my parents are going to say that they are also leaving but it appears that isn't going to happen.

My mother is looking at my father carefully and she glances at me nervously which immediately sets me on edge.

"What?" I ask simply.

"Sit down Christian" my father says.

I raise my eyebrows, fold my arms and make a point of not sitting down. I know it's childish, but I am making a point that this is my home and he is sitting in my study.

My father looks up at me and I defiantly stare right back.

"This is my home, if I want to stand up in my own home I will do so" I say coldly.

"Don't be petulant Christian" my father retorts.

I lean across the table towards him, "This is my home" I repeat and my father sighs and rubs his eyes with his hand.

"Christian… darling, please come and sit down with us" my mother says and I smile at her.

I immediately sit down and my mom gives me a relieved smile. My dad rolls his eyes and that irritates me and instantly makes me angry.

"Carrick, please" my mother says imploring him to stop acting like an asshole.

I lean across the table, "You may be my father, but I am master in my own home. Nobody tells me what to do here, am I making myself clear?" I say coldly.

My father glares at me and my mother nudges him, eventually he sighs and nods his head just once.

"I want to talk to you about this reunion you are planning with your biological family" he says.

I lean back in my seat and fold my arms. I am wishing Ana was here with me right now but I don't want to disturb her remaining time with Eva.

"Go on" I say simply.

My father sighs deeply again. "I am concerned, you know nothing about these people. You are a very wealthy man Christian and I don't want to see you get taken advantage of".

I stare at him, not quite believing what I am hearing. "Father, I am 32 years old. I am able to read people with utmost accuracy. One of the reasons I have been so successful is because I am able to tell when people are bullshitting me, I think I know what I am doing. Arnie is an honest and honourable man and he hasn't given me any indication of any duplicity" I say. I don't mention that I have had Welch also do a background check on him and all the other members of my biological family.

Talking about Arnie makes me recall something which has been bugging me since he told me the story of what happened with Ella and my mother's subsequent explanation as to why I was called Christian.

"While we are on the subject of my biological family, I need to know something" I say and I lean forward.

"When Ella died it was obvious that she had family, mom said she had paperwork which came to her upon my adoption which stated what my name was and what I was known by. How come my biological family was never traced? If there was a paper trail it should've been a formality to find them?" I say.

My father shakes his head, "Not necessarily. You were found in Detroit which is in the State of Michigan, whereas your biological family originated in Ohio. I do know that letters were sent out, but if those letters never reached their destination or if the information was out of date. There is only so much the authorities will do in situations like that as they have limited resources. If they got no response, they wouldn't spend too much time and effort on chasing them up".

I nod, it sounds reasonable, after all Arnie was moving around with the military, and his brother Hal lives in Colorado rather than Ohio.

"Why do you ask?" my father asks.

I shrug, "I just wondered that's all" I say.

My mom reaches for me, "Christian, the authorities did their best for you" she says earnestly and I smile.

"I know they did" I say as I squeeze her hand. I return my attention back to my father.

"So, are you planning on insulting these people when they arrive?" I say coldly as I return to the point my father was previously making.

"No, of course not" he says.

I snort, "You insulted Arnie moments after meeting him, demanding to know if he could prove he was who he claimed to be. It was embarrassing having to apologise for you and your behaviour" I say. "You have also made comments about Eva, don't think I didn't miss that comment that sent El running for the door. I just chose to ignore it, your judgment on people isn't historically great, you thought Ana was a gold digger and she is about as far from materialistic as you can get whilst you also thought Kate was a lovely young lady and I think todays revelations have proved that to be incorrect. I always knew Ana wasn't interested in my wealth which is why I fought you on the prenup and I also saw straight through Kate and knew exactly what she was and that is a self-centred manipulative bitch".

"She is just so… outspoken" my father says.

I laugh, "She is a wonderful honest young woman, and she is my wife's sister. You have a bad track record with my wife so I suggest you keep your opinions about Eva to yourself, as if I find out you have offended Ana or Eva I won't be happy" I say coldly.

"Your father just has your best interests at heart Christian" my mother says as she tries to smooth things over.

I shake my head, "There is a way to go about things – a right way and there is also a wrong way. Without fail, my father always seems to choose the wrong way". I stand up as I have had enough of this, "If that is all" I say, making it clear I am dismissing them and want them to leave.

My mom immediately stands and walks towards me she hesitantly holds open her arms and I walk into them and hug her.

"We will see you for your family meal" she says and I nod.

My mom gives me a gentle squeeze, "I love you darling and I hope that finding your biological family is a good experience for you" she says. I pull away from her and look at her closely.

"They won't replace you mom" I say adamantly, "Nobody could ever replace you… you saved me".

My mom looks up at me with tears in her eyes, and I am concerned about what is going on here. "No darling I didn't… I failed you in so many ways. I made the wrong decisions time and time again. If anyone should be credited with saving you it is Ana, she helped you much more than I ever did. I was so close – too close I never saw… and I closed my eyes… I didn't do enough; I should've done so much more for you but I didn't and you suffered as a result and ended up in the hands of a paedophile and…" she stops and trails off.

"Hey, hey… come on mom stop it" I say as I pull her close. "Where is all this coming from?" I ask.

I am feeling so out of my depth right now, I am unsure what to say or do. Clearly my mother is having problems with me finding my biological family but she is as usual trying to be supportive of me and what I do.

I watch as she takes a deep breath and gives me a weak smile, "I'm fine darling, I'm sorry I'm just being silly" she says.

I shake my head, "No, you're not. Mom, I owe you everything. I dread to think where I would be if you hadn't decided to take me in and adopt me" I say earnestly as I grip her shoulders tightly.

"But I failed you so badly, it all started with your issues with touch. I thought I was doing the right thing by respecting your boundaries. I saw how afraid you were, but I failed to follow my own advice and training as a paediatrician. When I was confronted with children with phobias I always without fail advised the parents to help the children overcome those phobias and gave them the tools to do so, but with you I didn't follow my own advice. I was too close to the situation and I found it easier to just respect your boundaries and… and as a result I failed you. I knew you struggled when you reached puberty because of those issues, if I had helped you overcome your phobia then you probably wouldn't have become the angry young man that you became and you wouldn't have fallen into the hands of a paedophile. That is where I have even more regrets, I saw the signs Christian. I saw how fundamentally you changed and how quickly. I saw all the red flags but I closed my eyes to them. I was just so grateful that you were getting your life on track and behaving in an acceptable manner. I… I failed to look into the reasons why you changed and I am so sorry. I have so many regrets Christian, because I made so many fundamental mistakes with you. I just hope you can forgive my mistakes and…" I can't bear to hear any more of this and I interrupt her.

"Mom, stop. Just stop. You are human, and humans make mistakes. I am not forgiving you as I have nothing to forgive. You are my mother and you saved me, you found me and cared for me. You made me well and healthy and you gave me a home. You have been nothing but supportive of me throughout my life and unconditionally loved me when I couldn't and didn't love myself. I love you mom and after Ana you are the most important person in my life. Nothing will change that, ever" I say.

My mom is sobbing now and I wrap my arms around her and just hold her tightly, offering her what little comfort I can.

"Please mom, don't cry" I say almost desperately.

I look towards my father who is just standing there watching us.

"Grace, come on it's time to go" he says eventually.

My mom takes a deep breath and looks up at me. I pull a handkerchief out of my pocket and offer it to her.

"It's clean" I assure her and she smiles at me as she accepts it.

"Thank you darling" she says as she dabs her eyes.

After a moment she seems to have composed herself and she offers the handkerchief back to me but I shake my head and tell her to keep it.

She pushes it into her pocket and turns towards my father.

"Let's go home" she says simply.

My father nods and after saying goodbye to me I watch them leave and I sit down unceremoniously. I had no idea my mother felt that way. I decide that I need to talk to Ana about this when we are alone as she will know what to do. For now though, I return my attention to my work.