If Elena Lincoln had one certainty in life, it was Christian Grey; she was safe and unthreatened in her position in his life. She was everything, and the idea that that position would ever be under threat had never once sprung to mind. Except, in recent months, that security did not feel so secure. Christian's anger at a lack of a remotely decent sub was beginning to affect him so much so, his words had started to feel like threats. Threats to her position in his life. The truth was, Elena had been hoping Christian would give up the subs and turn to her, but that wasn't looking likely.
She had been forced to start looking for a sub but found she had nothing to offer. She had no idea when Christian would be back in Seattle, and that meant she did not have the luxury of time. With that in mind, Elena found herself in front of the last person she wanted to ask for help, but she had little choice.
"Honestly, none of the subs I have shown him has interested him. I needed to look elsewhere. I was hoping you could help me." She asked. Sabrina could see just how much it pained Elena to ask.
"I'm guessing he has a type," Sabrina asked.
"Doesn't he just." Elena rolled her eyes. "Brunette, petite and pale. The more flawless the skin, the better." Elena added.
"Taste change; maybe he should consider blonde and statuesque." Sabrina quipped. Elena barked out a laugh.
"I don't see that happening." She was blonde and statuesque and had been hoping for some time that Christian's tastes would revert to that, but alas, she was still waiting.
"Do you have a copy of his contract?"
"Why?" Elena's voice went up a few pitches.
"You surely do not expect me to give you all my files, do you. It would be easier if you gave me Grey's contract, and I can give you the files of the girls closely matching his limits." Elena nodded in understanding, despite hating the idea.
"Yes, of course. I will have to email it to you." Elena was sure Sabrina will find someone for Christian, but she had hoped to have access to her files. With Christian threatening to use Sabrina's services, it would have helped if Elena possessed that information. It would have given her a good idea of what she was up against.
It was another four months before Christian returned to Seattle. Immediately he asked, more like ordered her to meet him at the Mile High Club for their regular Thursday dinner meeting. For the first time, she felt a certain amount of trepidation as the elevator climbed.
Now though, as she watched him knowing what she had, Elena felt confident again; she smiled, a smile that did not remotely show on her features. She found his threats held no substance and was suddenly thoroughly amused by his behavior. He could at times be the same fifteen-year-old boy she first got her hands on. His fingers tapped on the table relentlessly, he had not had a sub in nearly ten months, and it showed. She had brought submissive after submissive, and each one was turned down. In truth, she had picked subs she knew would not appeal to him, and that had backfired. Finally, she knew she had found just the girl, a girl he could not possibly turn down. She was damn right perfect, too perfect as far as Elena was concerned; had she any other choice, she would have kept the girl away from Christian. Unfortunately, his threats had forced her hand. Elena, though, was not worried, this sub like all the others will eventually be kicked to the curb, and just maybe he would finally come back to her. If this seemingly perfect sub did not work out, where else could he possibly turn? Elena could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Christian finally looked up and saw her. "You are late." He groused, snatching the file from her without so much as a greeting.
"Well, hello to you too, Christian." He paid no attention to her mockery as he read the file with rapt attention.
After several minutes he looked up, eyes wide in disbelief, then it waned. "Okay, just how ugly is she?" He asked, because no one could be this perfect, there had to be something wrong.
Elena laughed, or at least, in the world of Elena Lincoln, what passed for a laugh. "She placed a manila envelope in front of him. He snatched it up, opening the envelope with little care. He stared at the five pictures for a good long while, while Elena helped herself to his wine. "Where have you been hiding this one?" He asked, annoyed. "You wasted months of my time when she was available."
"I have not been hiding her. Up until a couple of weeks ago, she lived in New York." Elena answered, pouring herself a glass of wine. "Funny enough, if you had gone to the club, I recommended while you were in New York, you would have found her yourself." She muttered with a smug smile that only served to annoy him. She was not under any circumstance going to admit that the girl was one of Sabrina's. Elena was still reeling from the fact that she had not gotten her hands on Sabrina's entire list of subs. Elena watched as he still stared at the pictures, his eyes glinting in a way she had never seen before.
"Even if I were so inclined, I had too much on my plate to visit a club." He had spent the last few months in New York. A trip that was initially only supposed to last a week had instead lasted four months. The truth was, he hadn't minded the time in New York at all; if anything, New York had been a revelation. "Set up an interview for Saturday morning; I should have a thorough background check back by then." His excitement was palpable.
"You never said what kept you in New York. You mentioned something about an opportunity." Elena asked, looking over the menu as though she was simply making conversation.
"There is a first time for everything." He answered. She stared, waiting for him to elaborate, but quickly realized none would be forthcoming.
As usual, the rest of their dinner involved the salon and how well it was not doing. In the last couple of years, the profits from their joint endeavor were nothing to write home about. Elena wondered just how long it would be before the paltry sums he earned from the salons made him lose interest. Of course, she could do something about it, but she saw no reason to do anything about it until it became a problem.
"Christian, darling." Elena purred.
"Elena, whatever it is, it's going to have to wait. I really need to get out of here before Andrea drops something else on my desk." Elena looked at her watch and raised an eyebrow.
"Darling, it's not even four yet." Then she remembered the new sub and rolled her eyes. How predictable, she thought. "Ah, fresh meat." Elena cackled. "Well, that is why I'm calling. She did not book an appointment for her maintenance." She huffed.
"Elena, unless she turns up looking like Chewbacca, I really don't care." He dropped the call before she could think of a retort.
Elena did not think much of that conversation until the following week when Christian canceled their weekly meeting. Her phone calls had also gone unanswered; it only got worse the next Thursday when he canceled yet another meeting. Friday morning, she found herself at his penthouse, ready to find out what was going on with him. Since he got back from New York, he had been distant and dismissive, especially after she handed over a near-perfect sub.
"Where is he?" Elena barked.
"Mrs. Lincoln, as I told you on the phone, Mr. Grey is not here," Reynolds answered with barely a hint of civility.
"Then where is he?" She bellowed.
"Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Grey does not have to tell me where is going, and I do not ask questions. Only Taylor knows Mr. Grey's whereabouts at all times because he is with him. Anything else?" He asked, already stabbing the call button opening the doors to the elevator. Elena saw no point in arguing; she will catch him at the weekend while he was with his sub.
She decided to call Grace and set up a lunch meeting, but that call also went unanswered. She then called the hospital and was told Grace was with a patient. With a resigned sigh, she got into her car and headed home.
Seven hours later, despite telling herself she would wait until the weekend to ambush Christian at Escala, she found herself calling him for the ninth time that day. He finally answered. "For the love of God Elena, is someone dying? I canceled two meetings, and you are behaving as though it's the end of the world. What is so important that you feel the need to call me eight times a day." He groused. She felt as though a child getting chastised, and she hated it. Indeed, there was no reason to call him as much as she had, but he'd left her with little choice.
"Sorry, darling." She mumbled with no idea what to say next. All of a sudden, her need to reach him didn't sound so urgent.
"Well, you have me on the phone. What do you want?"
"I've heard nothing from you regarding the new sub." She tried sounding jovial but could tell she was far off the mark.
"Are you serious?" Christian bellowed. "This is why you've been blowing up my phone." He scoffed in annoyance.
"I usually get feedback." She sounded petulant to her own ears and winced.
"What feedback is there to give? You said it yourself; she is perfect that should tell you all you need to know." He hung up before she could say anymore.
Elena stared down at her phone before tossing it on the other end of the couch. "You are pathetic." She whispered, annoyed at her own behavior.
But the more Elena thought about it, the more she worried about how she would undermine his arrangement with the latest sub if she had no access to either of them. With subs coming to Esclava, she had no issue feeding them false hope, but this one had not stepped foot in Esclava, and Christian had said nothing about it. Now, Elena could not even get him on the phone to talk about her. How was she to find any holes to exploit. Elena knew she should have stuck to her instincts and kept the sub to herself.
When Grace finally called her back and invited her to lunch, Elena felt she could suddenly breathe. She found herself smiling and waving a little too eagerly at Grace as she crossed the street. "Grace, it has been too long." Elena greeted with a kiss on the cheek.
"Elena, I can't tell you how nice it is to get out of the hospital finally," Grace said, taking a seat with a relieved sigh. "God, it's good to be off my feet." She added.
"What has kept you so busy," Elena asked, taking a sip of her wine.
"A trio of siblings with a host of medical problems that is testing us all. Anyway, how are you?" Grace answered calling the waiter over.
"I am well, although I appeared to have angered Christian. I had not seen or heard from him for a good long while, and I wanted to see how he was. He was incredibly short with me. "Grace looked perplexed.
"A bottle of Magdalena Toso." She ordered, then turned her attention to Elena. "Really, he's been to the house more often lately; if anything, he seems to have a lot of free time on his hands. We all had dinner at the Mile High just this Thursday and the one before." Grace said with a sigh.
Grace's words had Elena reeling. "Thursday?" She asked, not sure she heard Grace right.
Yes, we were all there for several hours, and then just this Sunday, he brought his girlfriend to the house. What a lovely girl, my God, she was a delight. She made the most decadent desserts I have had the pleasure of eating. I will admit I loathed to share them; it turned into a whole other thing." Grace giggled.
"Wow," Elena whispered. She couldn't believe Christian had lied to her for weeks.
"I know, an accomplished young lady to boot, he mentioned something about knowing her since Harvard."
Elena's eyes widen. Christian was lying; he hadn't known she even existed until she brought her to him. Elena wondered why he would feel the need to tell that lie about how he knew her. They'd have to fabricate an entire history unless it was true.
Elena could barely focus on her food, her mind spinning. Christian was not out of town or delayed at work, the reasons he had given for canceling their dinner meeting. Only to now learn Christian was out with his family. Worse, he already knew his current sub. She had no idea what was going on, but she intended to find out.
It took Elena another two days before she found herself in front of Christian at GEH. "First, you tell me you are out of town and then busy, and I find you were having dinner at the Mile High with your family." She snarked, earning an eye-roll in response. There was a time, he wouldn't have dared lied to her, more or less roll his eyes when confronted.
"Not that I owe you an explanation, but I will give you one." Elena gritted her teeth at his behavior.
Despite his words, he started typing on his MacBook, then he turned it toward her. "What Am I looking at?" She shouted angrily.
"You are not blind." He barked. She pulled the MacBook towards her, and despite the picture, she still did not see how it related to him ditching her for his family.
I still don't see how…"
"Look at the time I sent the email." He sighed as though she was dim.
Elena would admit she was hurt and acting pettish. Elena saw it then; he had canceled before the meeting with the faculty at WSU.
"I wasn't sure when I'd make it back. On the way back, Mia sent a picture with them at the Mile High and something about someone missing. I had no desire to head to the penthouse and spend the evening alone, so I joined them."
"And the following week," Elena asked sarcastically. Despite his reasons, she couldn't help but still be angry at him for abandoning her for his family. Elena had worked hard to make sure his family was kept at arm's length, and all of a sudden, he was all about his family. "We made plans for the following week while we were still there hence the reason I canceled and the reason I am also canceling tonight." Christian pulled his MacBook back toward him.
"I see," Elena murmured. "So you are canceling a standing arrangement we've had for years." She asked.
"Yes, aside from discussing subs, we have nothing of note to discuss during our meetings. The salons are barely making money, and frankly, I never had much interest in them, except for the finances. Now there isn't much to talk about in regards to that. I do not see why we have to have two-hour dinner meetings for that. If there isn't anything else, I have a meeting to prepare for." He said dismissively, barely gracing her with a glance.
"You took a sub to your parent's home." Her disgust was obvious.
"Yes." He answered, never raising his eyes from his MacBook.
Elena waited for further explanation, but none seemed forthcoming. "Why?" She asked, barely above a whisper. She was desperate to understand what was going on with him.
"What has that got to do with you?" He finally looked up at her. "You should have asked my mother for further explanation of you wanted one. If I wanted you to know, I would have told you." He said with a condescending smile.
"She is a sub, Christian. We don't…" She didn't finish.
"Elena, I have a meeting to prepare for, so unless you have something of great importance, please... get out." She stared at him for a few seconds and left his office in a huff.
Elena replayed the conversation in her mind as the elevator made its way back down to the lobby. She had been so sure Grace's story might have been something along the lines of wishful thinking, but Christians' refusal to talk about it had her concerned. First, weekly dinners with his family when he barely ever stepped foot in the family home. Now he was taking a sub with him and introducing her as his girlfriend, one he knew from Harvard.
By the time she got to the car, she knew just what to do about Esclava's finances, but first thing first, Elena needed a complete background check on Rose Lambert.
FOUR MONTHS EARLIER
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Christian Grey. I wasn't expecting you this week, considering you just got back from Japan." He walked into her apartment and shut the door behind him with a defeated sigh.
"You were right." He muttered without preamble.
"I'm right about a lot of things; which one are we talking about?" She poured him a large glass of whisky, a very expensive glass of Glenfiddich, which he insisted on, so much so, he brought his own when he showed up a few months ago.
"Elena." He whispered. Ana knocked back the drink, earning a chuckle from him.
"Wow, never thought this day would come." She said, all wide-eyed as she poured him another drink and poured herself another.
"Yeah, me neither." He said with a defeated sigh.
"So what changed." Ana settled down next to him tucking her feet under her.
"Honestly, since I saw you last month, I've been questioning everything, and well decided you were it, and Elena had to go. It was made easier by the fact that I'd already been questioning things to the point of putting things into place to separate myself from Elena. Then two weeks into it, I found out that she had been stealing from me for years. The invoice submitted by her suppliers differed greatly from what she submitted to the accountants. She's gotten so bold in her stealing and started taking more and more to the point that the salons weren't making much to keep my interest. I have my people looking for the money, but so far, they've found nothing. I was already pissed as it was, and then while searching for the money, we found out she had been making large payments from one of her accounts to a Juro Anthony Berry. Welch tracked him down, only to learn he was blackmailing Elena." He went to take another sip only to find the glass empty. "Turns out I was the last, but not the first, and according to Juro, there were several before him, and he has four years on me. Considering Elena was in her forties when she got her hooks into me, who knows how long she was abusing young boys for before I came into the picture." He stood and poured himself another drink. "So yeah, you were right; I was a fool to think I was the only one," Christian groused. Ana had warned him that Elena's manipulation of him was too well practiced for him to have been the first. He had shut her down and threatened to end their friendship if she persisted. It was the first and last time they had talked about Elena, a regret he now felt keenly.
Ana had turned his head at Harvard, and he found himself questioning a few life choices. If he was honest with himself, fear had dictated his actions, and he had done nothing about his feelings for her. Despite telling her all about his history with Elena, his self-loathing had meant Christian stuck with what he knew. In truth, he never forgot about Ana, and then it came to a head when she walked into GEH for an interview to head up his new publishing arm, thanks to Ros. Christian, at that moment, felt as though he had been given a second chance, and he was not going to let it fall through his fingers. Of course, she would not consider anything beyond friendship as long as Elena Lincoln was still in his life.
"Why didn't I listen to you?" He lamented.
"You weren't ready." Ana had hoped for time to change Christian's view of Elena, unfortunately, that time was not afforded her when Christian dropped out.
"I always thought I deserved it, then I spoke to Juro. He was a far worse teenager than I could have ever been, and yet he never once felt he deserved what Elena did to us. Hence, the reason she is paying him, she robs. My self-loathing had siped into every fiber of my being that I thought I deserved to be abused… again. God, Ana, I want her to pay. I want her to suffer as I have. She robbed me of so many experiences, experiences I can never get back. We could be married by now if only I dared to listen to you back then." He collapsed on the couch, looking defeated after his rant.
"Then let's do just that, let's make her pay." He turned his head slowly to look at her. "And as for us getting married, it's not too late." His smile lit up his face. You'd think he didn't have a care in the world. At that moment, Ana decided to give him just that.
"How do we do that?" He asked, his smile still radiant.
"We have to get everyone on board," Ana said softly.
His smile faded. "I was afraid you were going to say that." He knew for any plan to work, Elena could not be allowed to use his family, especially his mother, to undermine him.
"You know if we have any chance of pulling this off…" Ana implored.
"Yeah, I know… I know." He murmured, pulling on his hair. Ana shifted closer and took his hands in hers.
"This is not your fault, and they will know that." Christian did not believe that, and Ana could see it. "Okay, let's start with exactly how the pedo is going to pay and suffer." He smiled then.
"Since we have no idea where she is hiding my money, we need to get her to show us. That, though, is secondary. Elena has always known it was a sure thing when it came to her position in my life… which is about to change. I want her to feel the fear of knowing she is slowly losing me, the fear of realizing she no longer factors in my life."
"Right." Ana chuckled just as his phone rang.
"Speak of the devil." Christian groused.
"Are you going to answer it?" Ana asked as she stared at the name on the screen as though Elena Lincoln would suddenly leap from the screen.
"Yeah, in a second."He muttered, answering after two more rings. "Elena." He grumbled.
"Darling, I expected you back today." She purred, earning an eye roll from Ana.
"Had to take a detour, an opportunity presented itself, and I am taking full advantage of it." He smiled, realizing he would actually enjoy this.
"I expect nothing less from you." Elena cackled. "Anyway, did you see the email regarding the new sub?" She cheered.
"You mean the picture of the emancipated excuse for a woman you sent me. Yeah, I saw it. Elena, each one is worse than the last, and frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to look elsewhere. Madam Royer, I understand, has now got some of the most sort after subs in the business."
"Oh, please, those girls have been around the block one too many times." Elena scoffed.
"If you mean they've got experience, then I see nothing wrong with that. I sure as fuck do not need a virgin sub if there is even such a thing." He groused. "Find me someone decent, or I will find someone who can. If you think the fact that I have always relied on you for subs and can go nowhere else, think again. Either you have someone by the time I get back to Seattle, or else don't bother ever again." He ended the call before Elena could utter a word in defense.
"It sounds to me like you have already started." Ana cheered.
"Actually, she has been sending me these mediocre subs hoping I would give up and go back to her. It just so happened to fit with what I want." He said with a shrug. In truth, there wasn't much wrong with this latest girl; a few months ago, he would have been pleased with her. Right now, the only woman he was interested in was the one next to him.
"Indeed," Ana whispered as she stood. "I'll make us something to eat." She added as she headed to the kitchen.
Christian stared at his phone for a good long while. He knew Ana was right; for whatever plan they conjured up to work, he had to get his family on board. "I'm going to invite my parents to New York." He shouted.
Ana's head peered out of the kitchen. "Think of the worst possible and improbable scenario, anything less, and it would have gone well." She cracked up laughing at his annoyed look.
"I'd forgotten just how annoying you could be." He grumbled.
"You wouldn't want me any other way." She shouted from the kitchen.
"No, I wouldn't." He whispered. Knowing if he waited, he would likely never make the call, he took a deep breath and called.
"Christian, your mother said you were headed to New York," Carrick mumbled. Christian could hear the rustling of papers in the background.
"Yeah, I'm here now. I came to see a friend from Harvard. You know, I believe you met her once."
"Oh yeah." Carrick laughed. "Your mother hoped you would marry her." He added.
"Well, that is a hope I can make a reality one day." He mumbled and got nothing but silence from Carrick's end.
"Is that why you are calling?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"No, no… I'm calling to invite you and mom to New York this weekend… there is something I need to tell you." His voice wavered, and Carrick heard it.
"Son, what's wrong? What happened?" Carrick's worry was evident.
"Something happened, but I plan to do something about it, and well, I need your help, so if you guys could come down." He really hoped his father wouldn't ask him to elaborate.
"Yeah, yeah, we will be there tomorrow." Christian wasn't going to argue, though the idea of telling them the truth in less than twenty-four hours was terrifying.
"Okay, I will see you then." He dropped the call and buried his head in his hands. "Now comes the hard part." He whispered when Ana's feet came in sight.
"It will work out; I am confident of that." Her confidence helped him a great deal.
"I hope so." He sighed. "What are we having for dinner?" He asked, earning a giggle from her.
"I have no idea. I am throwing crap together and hoping something edible will emerge." She quipped.
"Well, it will be an adventure." He followed her to the kitchen. He was never any good in the kitchen; he almost always made a mess more than anything else. "I noticed you are still working." He eyed the stack of manuscripts on the dining room table.
"Yeah, I have four months left on my contract, and Grey publishing is not opening for another six months, so I have time." she shrugged as she peeled some carrots.
"Why did you not tell me you were planning on interviewing for the job?" Ana rarely visited Seattle, and the few times she did, she did not tell him about the visit.
"Honestly, I don't know… I wasn't sure I would take the job despite your COO." She turned and looked at him. "I still wasn't sure until you turned up." She admitted.
His eyes widened. "You had no intention of taking the job, did you." Despite Ros's determination to land Ana, it would not have happened because of him; even if she did turn up for the interview.
"I could not work for you, not with how I felt, and despite my feelings…" She didn't have to finish; coming here admitting she had been right about Elena had clearly saved what was left of their friendship.
"I understand." He mumbled. "It seems my timing was downright perfect." He stared down at his hands, unable to look at her.
"I have always loved you too, Ana. I was just too scared to change what I knew. I'm sorry it took me so long to take the rose-tinted glasses off." He finally looked up and met her eyes.
"Better late than never." She smiled, though one that was barely there. It was a smile all the same.
Sabrina Royer was used to secrecy; she was used to cryptic emails and meetings in quiet, out-of-the-way restaurants. Nothing truly surprised her; at this point in her life, she had seen it all. At least she had until Jason Taylor turned up at her club with a first-class ticket to New York, requesting she attend a meeting with Christian Grey. Christian Grey a part of the BDSM community, had not come as a surprise to her. He had been to her club while training to be a Dom. She was also aware that Elena Lincoln exclusively supplied his subs, so the request for a meeting had come as a surprise.
"Miss Royer, thanks for coming. This is Ana, my girlfriend." Sabrina did not miss the pride in his voice when he introduced the young lady.
"Hello." She greeted, smiling widely at the couple. "I will admit this was entirely unexpected," Sabrina admitted.
"Elena Lincoln…" Christian paused, unsure how to continue.
"Elena Lincoln is a fucking pedophile and a thief, and it's time she paid for her crimes," Ana said, earning a dropped jaw from Sabrina.
Christian's eyes had widened at Ana's blunt remark, he pulled himself together, clearing his throat. "Unfortunately, the statute of limitation for Elena's crimes has long passed, but we have a plan to recoup the nearly five million dollars she stole from me."
"Elena has always liked her boys young, but always of age, at least the ones she brought to the club. I will admit there were rumors years ago, but it was short-lived, and she strenuously denied them. What do you need me to do?" Sabrina asked.
Christian just stared at her for a second, processing the information that there had been rumors regarding Elena's pedophilia at one point. "Well…" he cleared his throat. "First, we need to turn Ana into a near-perfect sub for me… on paper at least." Christian leered at Ana, earning an eye roll in return. "Pictures as well." He added.
"I can do that." Sabrina smiled at the pair.
"You are not a sub then?" She asked Ana.
"Only in his dreams." Ana teased, earning a chuckle from Sabrina.
It had taken Sabrina four days to get everything in place and back to Seattle, just in time for Elena Lincoln's visit. She would admit, she had not expected Elena to come to her asking for a sub, but Christian had been right, and that was precisely what was happening. Sabrina could see just how much it pained Elena to ask; had it been any other time, she would have made the woman grovel. Unfortunately, she could not take the chance that Elena Lincoln would choose to walk away rather than beg.
Sabrina picked up the file prepared by Christian's people. If she didn't know any better, she would have bought it. They had given Ana a new name, Rose Lambert, and history that anyone wishing to have a background check done would find nothing out of place. It was easier to create a whole new person just in case Elena decided to hire someone to dig deep. Sabrina didn't think it was anything Elena would do, but Christian was taking every possible precaution. She slipped the file towards Elena, who looked unimpressed with the single file.
"It would help if you read it first," Sabrina advised. She watched as Elena's eyes slowly widened as she read the file. Sabrina wondered what it took to be the kind of person who found children sexually attractive as she watched Elena read the file. After this was over, she would make sure Elena was not allowed in any club, not even the shadiest of clubs. That was if she weren't in prison by the time Christian Grey was through with her.
"This… this… she is perfect. Her limits match up with his, and talk about matching the brief in looks." Sabrina chuckled at the look on Elena's face. She was positively salivating at the thought of the girl.
"Where did you find her?" Elena could not take her eyes of the file.
"I trained Rose." Sabrina smiled at Elena.
"Can I meet her?" Ana had refused to meet Elena; she was not in any way, shape, or form going to act the submissive in front of Elena.
"She is currently in the process of moving back to Seattle; meeting her might not be possible anytime soon. If Christian finds he wants Rose as a sub, then she will fly her in for a meeting." Sabrina offered.
"Oh, there is no doubt he will want her… none at all." Sabrina chuckled; of course, Christian would want the girl; that was the plan.
Noticing human subtlety was not Ana's strong suit; it was something Christian often teased her about. He had often commented on the number of guys that checked her out at Harvard, yet she had noticed none. Unfortunately, there was no chance of ignorance when it came to the sadness and devastation that enveloped Grace Grey like a blanket on a cold winter's night. Christian had mentioned his mother's struggle since learning of the actions of her best friend. The only time Grace had shown any form of happiness was when she had a chance to throw Elena of Kilter. The information that Christian had known his latest sub since Harvard had sent her reeling. Grace had chuckled when she told them about Elena's inability to finish her food, or the rather expensive bottle of wine Grace had ordered. Today, Christian had information to share, which he hoped would cheer his family up. He was also struggling with the guilt he felt, and until his plans came to fruition, she didn't think that guilt would ever leave him.
"Need any help?" Ana asked, pulling Grace out of whatever dark place she had entered.
"Yes, Thank you. Ana grabbed the tray of desserts, which was distinctly not the desserts she had brought." She laughed, getting Grace's attention, who gave her a conspiratory look when she realized why Ana laughed. Grace had generously shared the previous desserts, not this time.
"What is this?" Carrick asked when Ana placed the large store-bought chocolate cake on the table.
"Chocolate cake with either cream, ice cream, or bailey's infused whipped cream." Grace offered cheerfully. Any other time it would have been a delicious dessert, but not when Ana's desserts were somewhere in the kitchen.
"Okay, but where are the desserts Ana made. You know the orange tart with meringue and caramelized macadamias." Christian asked, looking indignant.
"That layered chocolate cake with the raspberry thing on top, there were twelve of them, and then that one that looked like a cheesecake but wasn't a cheesecake," Elliot added.
"Fraisers." Ana corrected while trying to keep her composure.
"Yeah, that." Carrick piped up, sounding like an irate teenager, that sent Ana over the edge and she lost it laughing.
"Ana said she made them for me…" Grace started.
"So what… you are not sharing," Mia asked, looking at her in disbelief.
"No." Was Grace's rather cold retort.
"That is so not fair." Christian groaned. "Ana, do something." He said with a nudge to boot. Ana, unfortunately, was in no position to help anyone as she was laughing, her head buried in her hands.
When it became apparent Grace meant it, the rest begrudgingly ate the store-bought dessert. "You could have been a pastry chef," Grace mumbled, adding insult to injury.
"I've heard that a few times," Ana said while Christian grumbled under his breath. Despite the complaints, there was not a crumb left of the cake.
"So I've got some good news." Christian started tentatively.
"Okay," Carrick said, sitting up straight.
"We found the money Elena took… and well, it was far more than we thought because she had not just been stealing from me but from her employees. Turns out she was cheating the taxman and had been dipping into their pension fund as well." Christian smiled.
Carrick slammed his hand on the table in unadulterated glee. "Bitch is going to prison for a long time." He'd been concerned Elena would only get a couple of years for fraud, but to steal from the IRS was something entirely different. Mia looked positively confused.
"She committed a federal crime," Elliot said with a serene smile on his face.
"Yeah, she did." Christian reiterated, smiling widely. "The best we had hoped for was her padding the books in hopes my interests in the salons would return. It would have given us a chance to find out where she hid my money and clean her out. Welch and Barney had these laborious plans in place because we thought that in all likelihood, the money was hidden in some offshore account. It turned out, she had another account at First National under her maiden name." Christian's amusement was rather obvious.
"You are kidding." Carrick blurted out in disbelief.
"Nope." Christian laughed. "We found nearly nine million dollars which did not make sense until the guys in finance worked it out. She has been skimming off the pension fund since day one… and the money she stole was before tax."
"Wait, didn't you help her set up that fund?" Carrick enquired.
"Yes, I thought it was a brilliant idea. I had no idea Elena had set it up simply to steal from her employees. For every dollar they put into that fund, fifty cents went into Elena's pocket. Unfortunately, it's a private fund, so they will have to file in civil court to get their money back." Christian had every intention of putting back the money Elena stole. After the IRS has recouped their losses from selling all her assets, the rest will go to the employees. Christian also intended to divide Elena's share of Esclava among the employees.
"Embezzelling, tax evasion, and fraud, she will be spending a great deal of time behind bars." Carrick sat back with a wide smile.
"Especially when the authorities realize the money is gone. Barney and Welch made it look as though she emptied the accounts and transferred them to an offshore account." Christian added.
"This gets better and better," Grace spoke up for the first time. Ana, though, had noticed the smile on her face that got more radiant the more Christian spoke. "This calls for a celebration." She added.
"Maybe some of Ana's desserts," Elliot asked with so much hope in his voice.
"Nice try." Grace giggled as she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Let her have it," Christian said, just happy to see his mother smiling again.
"Easy for you to say, you live with the chef," Carrick grumbled.
"We don't live together, not yet anyway," Christian said, earning an eye roll from Ana.
Asking was beginning to give Elena an insight into just how much of everything she needed relied on Christian and access to his people. Her position in his life meant she was given top priority. Background checks came back within 24 hours. His finance department returned calls and replied to emails within hours. She got seated in restaurants with bookings weeks in advance because of her relationship with the Greys and predominantly Christian.
As she stared at her email, waiting for that mail that still wasn't in her inbox a week after she had requested it, she had her answer. The only reason Welch hadn't come back with the background check on Rose Lambert was that Christian had told him so. And the only reason he would do that was that Grace had been right; Christian knew Rose and had known her since Harvard.
Elena's mind replayed that dinner meeting with Christian over and over again, hoping to catch something she missed. Except nothing seemed out of place, Christian hadn't reacted as she expected, simply because the sub was perfect. Now, she was wondering if that different reaction had been for another reason. Christian was a master at controlling his reactions. Elena realized that he just might have given her the response she expected. Elena needed confirmation because she could speculate all she wanted. It meant nothing until she had concrete proof, and she could only think of one other person who would have it.
"Well, Elena, this is a surprise, another visit so soon." Sabrina teased.
"Indeed." Elena chuckled. "So… I had lunch with Grace, and she mentioned Christian and Rose knew each other at Harvard." The smile on Sabrina's face was all the answer Elena needed.
"Yes, that surprised the hell out of me." Sabrina chuckled, looking as though she recalled a fond memory. "I'm surprised he'd said nothing to you about it." She added. Elena noted the air of superiority in Sabrina's voice.
"He didn't recognize her from the picture." She retorted sharply.
"Oh, he did," Sabrina argued. "If anyone was surprised, it was Rose. He knew exactly who he was coming to meet. It was quite the reunion."
"Wait, they met here?" Elena's voice cracked, earning a triumphant smile from Sabrina.
"Your boy seems to be keeping you in the dark lately." There was little to no emotion in her voice; Sabrina was just stating facts.
"He seems to think I would not approve," Elena admitted, and in truth, had she known the two had history, she would have asked for another sub; in fact, she would have gone out of her way to keep Rose out of his grasp. Elena had had a moment of doubt when it came to giving Rose to Christian, and now it seemed she was right. Elena stood to leave; she'd gotten the information she needed, except Sabrina wasn't done.
"You know, I finally get his obsession with small pale brunettes. There was already a reason, the one that got away type situation."
"What do you mean?" Elena asked, although they both knew she knew precisely what Sabrina meant. "Christian was obsessed with her in college but never went after her. Hell, he took English Literature as a minor just to have classes with her." Sabrina smiled as though thoroughly loving the thought of it all. Christian told Elena that being eloquent in business went a long way. She had known it was bullshit then but let it go, never suspecting it was about a girl. "Rose, as far as Christian is concerned, was the one that got away. My God, you should have seen the way he looked at her. That is a man in love."
"Love." Elena screeched.
"Trust me, your boy is in love with Rose, and the bonus, she turned out to be a sub as well. He certainly hit the jackpot."
Elena was reeling as she walked out of the club. It was so much worse than she had thought. Elena wondered just how long Christian had been lying to her. She needed to get back in his good graces; it was clear he knew her well enough to keep her out of the loop.
"Christian, darling... you found the one that got away. Well, darling, I am happy for you and hope to meet Rose soon. I understand why you felt the need to keep me out of the loop, but truly there was no need. You found something most people are looking for, and I am hurt that you felt the need to lie to me about it. Never mind, I can understand, my own views on love have never been positive, but if it is what you want… I say go for it." Elena ended the call smiling. She felt proud of herself for getting the words out without gagging on them. "Love, pathetic." She mumbled as she poured herself a glass of wine. If she had any chance of getting rid of this girl, she needed to be back in the loop. Can't sow dissent from the outside. Hell, she could not feed the press stories if she weren't in the know.
A couple of days later, Christian had still not returned her phone calls. Grace was no help either, just ecstatic about her son's newfound love. The more she spoke to Grace, the more she felt like she was getting further away from Christian.
As Elena sat in the most depressing room ever known to man, dressed to the nines, three words percolated in her brain. Best laid plans. She had woken up that Thursday with a plan to talk to Christian finally. She planned to accost the entire Grey family at the Mile High that evening; after all, Thursdays had now become the day the family enjoyed a night out together.
Two hours later, a knock on her door laid those plans to rest. She was arrested, read her rights, cuffed and unceremoniously bundled into the back of a squad car, and driven to Seattle police station. Elena was being charged with tax evasion and fraud. She immediately asked for a lawyer and was waiting for one. When it became apparent she would not say a word until he arrived, they left her alone. The cup of coffee she had asked for still sat on the table after one sip.
Three hours later, George Castellino arrived in a three thousand dollar Brioni suit and a pair of John Lobb.
"Sorry, Mrs. Lincoln, I was in court up until half an hour ago. I rushed here as soon as I got the message. I spoke to the agent in charge, and my dear, it does not look good. They have the evidence making this a slam dunk case. Now the pension is a private one, and you will likely be looking at a civil suit, but tax evasion that is a federal crime, and well..." George sat back. "Now, if you tell me you are innocent, then we go to war. If not, I suggest you return the money, pay a large fine, and spent three years behind bars. You'd be out in one for good behavior." George offered.
"Before we do any of that, I need you to get a message to Christian Grey." George was well aware of her relationship with the Greys and simply nodded.
Elena knew she had to be quick with getting Christian's help because it would not be long before they discovered where she hid the money she stole. If Christian ever learns she stole from him, she would be forced to blackmail him to get his help. Though that would help her immediate future, her long-term future would be Greyless, and that might just as well be a prison sentence. God, some days she hated how much she relied on them.
George did not show up until the next day; by this point, Elena was looking decidedly less put together.
"Grey is also under investigation." George supplied before he even sat down. "He helped you set up the pension fund and is a majority shareholder; as far as the IRS are concerned, he must have known about it."
Elena's jaw dropped. "Christian had nothing to do with this." She retorted. Of all the outcomes, this was not one she remotely saw coming. "It's ridiculous to think a man worth billions would resort to tax evasion for a couple of million." She scoffed at the very notion, although some billionaires did just that.
"I'm afraid unless you are willing to admit to that, the IRS agents have to figure that out for themselves, and that means combing through his finances. He is pissed; he has a deal with a Japanese firm that is worth 1.2 billion dollars, which is now likely to fall through because of this."
"Shit," Elena whispered. "I can't go to jail." She added. She also knew if this ruined Christian's reputation, she might just as well had begged them to lock her up.
"With that in mind…" George started, interrupting her musings. "I believe he is willing to help you make this go away if you make his problem go away. Right now, while under investigation, there is nothing he can do for you."
"He said so?" Elena asked, feeling hopeful for the first time since her arrest.
"Not in those exact words, but I am well versed in reading between the lines," George said with a chuckle. Elena smiled, he might be a man in love, but he had not forgotten the help she gave him so often in the past. This just proved she had not lost Christian as she feared.
"Okay, what do you need me to do?" She asked.
"Admit to the charges. It's as simple as that." George said as he relaxed somewhat in the highly uncomfortable chair.
"Do I need to give the money back?" It was a small price to pay considering, but she would still rather keep it.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. It's not as if it makes any difference in the long run." Elena smiled at the prospect of keeping nearly ten million dollars.
As agreed, she confessed and found herself in front of a judge four days later. She had spent the time waiting in Washington's Corrections Centre for Women. The time there cemented her decision to plead guilty and then leave the rest up to Christian's people. Elena looked around the court and found one of the guys from GEH's financial department. He often dealt with her when Christian was away, and she needed financial help. He gave her a smile and a nod. She smiled in return; Christian was indeed looking out for her.
"Mrs. Lincoln, you have confessed and pled guilty to the charges." Judge Carter's glasses were perched on the tip of his nose. He looked up at her from his reading, his face impassive.
"Yes, your honor," Elena answered, looking positively bored.
"What about the stolen funds?" He asked, looking through the papers. "I see nothing here about that." He added.
"Mrs. Lincoln has no intention of returning the funds she stole." The prosecutor informed the judge while she stared at Elena.
"The judge who had looked amiable up until that point glared at Elena. "You do realize your sentence goes exponentially higher if you do not make an effort to return the money you stole?" Elena said nothing, angering the judge further.
"Alright then, I see no point in imposing a fine since you clearly have no desire to make restitution, not even to the employees you stole from." Again, Elena said nothing. Mrs. Lincoln, I sentence you to eleven years in prison for tax evasion and fraud." Much to the court's dismay, she shrugged in response.
"It's a shame I can't punish you for the fraud committed against your employees. I urge the IRS and DA's office to help her victims file a civil lawsuit. From the list of assets seized here, Mrs. Lincoln has enough for both them and the IRS." None of that meant shit to her. It was posturing that meant fuck all. They would all soon see real posturing when she was free, and they had to hand back her assets with groveling apologies.
As Elena was led down to the holding cells, one would think she was headed to the most lavish establishment known to man. Elena waited in holding with a smile on her face. She had given herself wrinkles worrying about her position in Christian's life when it was never in doubt. She's seen several times friends becoming a little preoccupied when so-called love entered their lives, but it never lasted. Had she taken a minute and thought about it rationally, she would have realized that it was simply the joy of so-called new love. She snapped out of her musings when the lock to her cell turned. George entered in all his glory; he had earned much, doing very little.
"So what happens now?" she asked as the guard slammed the door shut.
"I have no idea, but one of his people told me it would be a couple of days, and you should be freed with the sincerest of apologies from the state of Washington." George chuckled, as did Elena.
"You know, I might even file a lawsuit just for the hell of it." She laughed.
When Elena found herself spending day three at the state's correctional facility for women, she started to feel a twinge of panic set in. She should have ended up in a comfortable prison for white-collar criminals, not one populated with murderers and pedophiles.
On day four, that twinge turned into a mild panic; by day seven, Elena was spending every available opportunity on the phone trying to get hold of anyone. George was apparently on vacation, Christian was not answering her calls, and neither was Grace.
By day nine, her calls no longer went through; she was informed that she was now blocked from calling those numbers. For the first time in her life, Elena Lincoln had a panic attack.
She woke up at the infirmary three hours later, feeling groggy from the sedative she'd been given. Looking at her surroundings, she realized it was no nightmare; it was her reality.
What happened? Did Christian find out about the money she stole? Was that it? The man was worth billions, and he would leave her to rot in prison over a few million dollars. It couldn't be. Did the authorities catch on to his plan? That had to be it. She told herself that in time when he was not being watched so closely, he'd come to her aid. With that in mind, Elena chose another form of communication; she wrote a letter, then another, and another for several months. These went just as unanswered as her phone calls.
The following week she received the notice for the civil suit; unfortunately for her, George seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
With her having been found guilty, the civil suit would be a slam dunk that much she was aware of.
A mere three and a half months later, she had lost the case, meaning whatever else she had left would be sold off and the money given to her employees.
A year into her sentence, Elena realized there would be no help coming from Christian or anyone else. Although a big part of her knew Christian had betrayed her, she held on to the small part that resisted that notion.
In the meantime, she made a pathetic $0.80 an hour and could not afford to spend money on luxuries such as magazines and tabloid newspapers. The prison offered them, but none she was interested in. She needed to find news on Christian, but by the time a purchased magazine made its way to her, half the pages were torn out. Today though, she caught the tail end of an article about Christian and his girlfriend, her name was Ana. Despite her situation, Elena chuckled, knowing full well she had been right about him. "Rose, the one that got away, my ass." She cackled.
Five years into her sentence, she got her first visitor. Deep down, Elena knew who she hoped it would be as improbable as it was. That unlikelihood was proven right when she found two men in cheap suits waiting for her in a private visiting room.
"Mrs. Lincoln, please have a seat." She did as told, working damn hard to appear nonchalant. "I'm Special agent Richard Bowman, and this is Special agent Sandra Khan." The man introduced.
"Okay, what can I do for you?" Elena started wondering if they needed something she could leverage to get an early release. Agent's Bowman's next move erased all hope of that; if anything, Elena felt her heart sink into her stomach.
"Do you recognize this?" There was no point in denying it; they already knew the laptop was hers.
"Yes, it's my personal laptop," Elena admitted, her voice shaking beyond what she could control.
"I won't bore you with how this came to be in our possession, but it has, and it has because of the content on this laptop and your home computer. Mrs. Lincoln, I am here to inform you that the United States Federal government is charging you with the production and possession of child pornography." Elena sat there dazed as she was read her rights.
"Isn't there a statute of limitation..." She started, suddenly feeling emboldened.
"No, child pornography on a federal level has no statute of limitation, and this is on a federal level." She felt her breath leaving her body while none was making its way back in, not that the agents noticed. "We can prove a couple of the boys on the videos are below the age of consent."
Elena had six years, a measly six years to serve. Now, after those six years, she was looking at another twenty-five years. A mere month after the agents visited, she was forced to cut a deal or take her chances with the courts and end up dying in prison.
On her tenth anniversary in prison, she received a package in the mail; it was a stack of magazines. There was no return address, no note, just a pile of magazines in nondescript packaging.
Each magazine had a bookmarked page. Elena's heart threatened to beat out of her chest when the bookmarked page turned out to be a story about Christian Grey and his fiancee Anastasia Rose Steele. There was nothing wrong with that, except Elena was looking at Rose Lambert. It was all starting to fall into place, despite a small part of her fighting the obvious. The next magazine was an interview, he talked about Elena without naming her or BDSM, but it was all there. His history with Anastasia, her pulling away from him despite how hard he tried to maintain their friendship. How it had taken her coming to interview to run his publishing arm to light a fire under his ass. His discovery of her theft and later her betrayal when they looked further into it. Elena knew it then, Juro. He discovered the money she had been paying to Juro. She was now sure the money she hid was long gone. His people would have found it by now. My God, it was all so obvious now; her fears had been justified after all.
He had been pulling away from her, and it had nothing to do with her finding him the perfect sub. No, it had been designed to throw her off-kilter, and it had worked. Elena let out a humorless laugh when she realized just how well she'd been played. Christian knew she would resort to blackmail if he refused to help her, so he got her to plead guilty. Elena had to admire how the well-crafted plan got her to plead guilty willingly, worse refuse to make restitution, all on his say so. She had been so terrified of losing him, the minute he showed something of his old self, she had grabbed onto it greedily without thinking things through. Clearly, Elena had not known him as well as she thought. She prided herself on knowing him more than he did himself, and she had clearly been wrong, so fucking wrong. Over the years, a part of Elena had known he had deliberately left her in prison, but this just eroded that small hope she had held onto. "Christian Grey, you truly are a master." Her voice broke with the whispered words.
"Daddy, wake up," Phoebe shouted, bouncing up and down on her parent's bed.
"No." He groaned, throwing his pillow over his head.
"But daddy, it's your birthday; get up." She tried prying the pillow off his head, but it wouldn't budge.
"I don't like my birthday." He argued.
"I don't care," Phoebe grumbled, earning a laugh from both him and Ana. "I helped make your birthday breakfast." She added.
"Okay, I will be down in a minute." He caved, earning a squeal from her as she bolted from the room.
With a groan, he rolled out of bed, much to Ana's amusement. "No one asked you to stay up until five this morning." She had heard him stumbling around in the dark when he finally rolled in after his night out with Elliot.
Breakfast was a lively affair as usual, even more so on his birthday. "Sir, this arrived yesterday from the corrections center." Taylor's amusement was obvious.
"I'm not interested." He mumbled, his focus on wiping the mess from his youngest son, Finley's face.
"Well, I am." Ana snatched the letter from Taylor, eagerly opening the already opened envelope.
"And why is that?" Christian asked, finally realizing there was more to the letter than the ones they previously received from Elena.
"I may have sent her a few magazines to while away the additional time she now finds herself serving," Ana said offhandedly.
"What happened to let her rot in prison without a word from us," Christian asked as he got Finley out of his highchair. Theo and Phoebe had long abandoned them to their conversation, and Finley was eager to join them.
"I did not say a word." Ana retorted, knowing full well she was splitting hairs.
"Right." Christian drawled. "What does the letter say?"
'Brava darling, Brava…'
Ana cracked up laughing. "She has clearly lost none of her attitude."
"It's just a facade," Taylor interjected. "According to friends, two hours after receiving the magazines, she fell apart. She cried all night long, didn't eat or leave her cells for days until the warden threatened to send her back to general population." Taylor reported with a smile before leaving the pair alone
"After all these years, she clearly held onto the belief that you would come for her. I guess my little gift shattered that." Ana skimmed the letter, which pretty much confirmed her views of Elena. "Ninety percent of it is bullshit, but she still has not figured out that you were the one responsible for her laptop ending up in the hands of the FBI," Ana added.
"Give her another ten years; she might just figure it out." Christian snarked, earning a laugh from Ana. "Anyway, what have you got planned for my birthday. According to Elliot, he got me for the first part of my birthday because you needed me for the rest." He wiggled his eyebrows, something most people would expect from Elliot, not Christian.
"You do this every year, and every year I tell you the same thing. It's a surprise." Ana stood to leave, but naturally, he was right behind her.
"Come on… just a hint." He pleaded, sounding so much like Theo at that moment.
"You will get the hint when it's time to get a hint. Now, don't follow me." He stood there staring as she walked away, knowing full well he was watching; Ana added a little sway to her hips.
"I love you." He tried one last time.
"I love you too, but I'm still not telling you a thing." She giggled as she disappeared up the stairs. He made his way back to the kitchen; Elena's letter was still on the breakfast table. Christian balled it up and tossed it into the bin, not giving her a second thought. If his birthday surprise was anything like last year, he was in for the night of his life. He smiled as he grabbed the near-empty carton of orange juice, emptying it.
"Use a glass," Theo shouted as he disappeared out the backdoor. Christian chuckled, he finished his drink and made his way upstairs. If he caught Ana in the shower, sex would most definitely be on the cards. With that in mind, he took the stairs two at a time.