SPOV

I woke up, passed out in my bra and panties on the floor besides the couch to the house phone ringing.

'ugh will someone make it stop' I groaned, my head sore from the excessive amount of alcohol I inhaled.

I truly hated myself for yesterday, why did I always feel the need to go overboard but once I started I just couldn't stop. I refused to open my eyes because that meant I had to face reality and that thought didn't sound exceptionally great, what did was rolling over and falling back to sleep hopefully getting rid of my internal ache. I could pretty much remember most of last night, cartwheeling with my old cheer friends and truth and dare ending up with me jumping of the boathouse into the pool. It was overall a great night but I seriously hated to think about the state the house was in and knowing that I would be eventually cleaning the mess . I also could recall seeing Mr handsome once again and how I chickened out from seeing him. I groaned loudly again thinking of the inevitable conversation Kate would have with me, giving me the rundown on her time with Elliot and how she probably wanted me to meet him with the copper haired man , not knowing I already did and on a personal level. My dad was also coming in town for a few hours with Halle and we were meant to be having a meal together and it was something I couldn't pass , him being in the East Coast for the next few weeks so this would be our last opportunity to see each other for a while. That made my heart ache slightly, knowing he would be further away than normal. To that I stood to be tripping on a body and landing with a thud

'fuck – it you wanted to wake me up you could of called me like a normal person , not kick my ribs ' Sean croaked

'stop with the dramatics, I tripped on you' I whispered squinting, adjusting my eyes to the light. I guessed it was midday. 'why are we even on the floor'

'tequila'

'that makes sense'

I extended my hand down and helped him up , shuffling my feet and leading us to the kitchen

'have you seen Kate' I asked

'last I saw she was with her blonde'

I sighed in relief, my Kavanagh inquisition on hold for the time being, and at least before I could pump my blood with some caffeine . An IV drip would be more efficient at this moment in time as I watched the machine operate. I had a lot of shit to do and not a lot of time for it. The house needed to be cleared, plus I had to figure out who was still here with some people crashing here for the night before their flights but it was reaching two in the afternoon so the possibility was small as i knew some had flights for this afternoon. I needed to shower and make myself presentable, enough for my dad to not worry about me but not over the top – it would only just make him suspicious that I was hiding myself. I just wanted to make him happy but he would always turn it around and ask if I was the happy one. And to be truthful, I never knew the answer to that question without lying to someone. I could say yes to please him and to an extent I was, I was grateful of my life and position. I had a family and two strong and present friendships that I could turn to at any time, something that many people did not. But when I really thought , and when I truly did I was in a way unfilled. I felt lost- the feeling of not being satisfied confused me as I loved my life and the way I lived it but there was just something that wouldn't let me forget the nagging voice in my mind of what I wanted to do in my life and where It was actually going. I lived my life living every minute at a time, not knowing that in an hour I could be on a plane to China or that I could be in a Pilates class. It wasn't as if I did not have had options; I had a bachelors degree in English meaning I could be a editor or working in something publishing related. I could play the piano , the electric guitar and the drums – maybe I could go into teaching , join a band , work for my father , possibly following in his footsteps in producing and composing . I could also speak Spanish, French and some Italian thanks to Leo , maybe going into translations part time for just something to do.

Sean could also play electric guitar and drums , something we did together when we were down and he too could speak Spanish and French with me. This is as we were practically glued to each other during high school and college taking the same classes for the sake of having someone to lean on. I liked having that stability, something that we both mutually abused. His parents had the typical rich and ruthless lawyers who breathed work and neglected their kids leaving the nanny to raise them, only seeing them at dinner to discuss how their thousands of dollars' worth of tuition was doing, and in spite reminded them of it when they produced anything but an A grade. To top it off they had a messy divorce during eight grade, leaving him and his siblings in a grey area of being traded across town every three weeks. Sean spent so much time at mine he had his own room, and he was practically family to the Steele's. Ray loved him like his own and Ally treated him no different than she did me and Leo, her love outpowering blood. Nothing could part me away from him and we had promised years ago with a blood pact , the scar on our ankles our reminder that we were in this journey called 'life' together , no dick or pussy ever changing that fact. He made me feel safe like no one else could and without him I was scared, I knew I simply couldn't function. We had the same habits because of this and was the only reason I truly made it to graduate college, pushing ourselves to strive and not throw our lives away. He was in the same journey as me and fir that I was dragging him to the late brunch I was having with dad, knowing he couldn't be on my case too much if he saw how great we were both doing.

My thoughts lasted long enough for two magically powered brown filled cups of liquid to be made, and were proceeded to be ingested in silence, a common understanding that we were both no ready for a conversation at this moment. It was nice to be in silence, allowing me to truly admire the house, the cream walls illuminating the room as the sun shone and the water shimmered. It made me happy that dad had kept this house , I spent my early years here, Ray buying this just after his divorce with Carla. They had joint custody, him having primary for me . I thanked God for that. Not long after he met Ally and a couple of years later came along Halle, by then we had already moved to LA. Carla had not been bothered that I would be in a different state and the conditions changed , me only needing to see her every two months or it was for her to make the journey or move. I never understood why she didn't fight harder for me, not that I was sad she didn't but I had always wanted to know why she didn't seem bothered she wouldn't be seeing her daughter for months at a time. I know knew- I was simply an inconvenience and embarrassment to her, something I had concluded over the years. For years I was jealous of Sean, his parents spent months battling for his time and I hated myself for it but he didn't care for them . In a way I was glad his parents had split because he became apart of my family and was someone I could be selfish with. We understood each other and made memories because of our trauma. Leo and Halle loved him all the same and the four of us was extremely protective of each other.

My relationship with Kate was also special – almost sacred to me. She was the only permanent female friend I had. I found it hard to maintain girlfriends, either because they wanted to get close to get to Sean or that they hated me because their crush or boyfriend was close to me , earning me various dirty looks. I didn't really care for it , I had Sean and Kate. Kate was originally from New York and joined our high school mid junior year . She got along with people easy and she eluded confidence, turning heads wherever she went . We met in cheer and just hit it off but we didn't get close until senior year and we formed our trio and stuck with it . She was always there for me- quitting cheer when with me and her older brother would supply us sometimes, him already being in college when they moved . Ethan was nice, nothing more than another brother figure and had got us out of a few sticky situations over the years. Whenever he saw me he would tease, yet I didn't mind. I saw them as memories like how we went skinny dipping in the sea at three am and we had forgot where we parked the car and he picked us up. He was also who I smoked my first joint with , he was sharing a house with some mates and it became our hangout for whenever we needed a change of scenery. Last I heard he was in London working interning for his fathers branch of Kavanaugh Media.

I still needed to unpack with half my stuff being in moving boxes still. Sean was worse yet in this weather he only really needed a pair of jeans. Kate being the responsible one had powered through and settled in putting the rest of us to shame. She was meant to be coming to dinner at the Mile High Club but she had last minute cancelled with a text twenty minutes ago , saying she was invited by Elliot to eat with his family. I raised my brows at this, Kate's last serious relationship being in high school and even then she didn't meet his parents until four months in .

'SEAN' I shouted from my room

He came running, his face red from working out . this house had a gym in the basement but working out wasn't really my thing

'listen to this' I gossiped shoving the text in his face

'well look at Katie' he remarked shaking his head 'abit soon you don't think'

'I know' I huffed , falling back on my bed. Closing my eyes I spoke softly 'Sean I need to tell you something'

'Stas ' he panicked 'what's wrong'

'its not a big deal, I'm being silly really. Well last night I was avoiding Kate, dam I really am I coward' I said mostly to myself. Sean moved and laid next me , wrapping his arm around me. With this I turned to him and snuggled into his armpit and continued

'I saw the guy I left with on Wednesday- the guy with the copper hair '

'marathon man?'

'yup' pooping the p. 'I could recognise those eyes anywhere, trust me. I don't think he knows who I am , remember I was blonde but maybe if he saw my tattoos he would know its me. I just got scared I don't even know what of, panicked really and I guess I still feel bad for the way I left but I just couldn't st-'

'stay I know Stas. I get it and you probably feel guilty for leaving the way you did'

To that I nodded and started again

'and I saw him hanging out with Katie talking her blonde – they might be brothers and for that I'm fucked. If Kate's serious about this Elliot then were going to be seeing him and I don't think I can do it. Wednesday night scared me, like I genuinely felt a connection we had this electricity and I ran. I just couldn't face it , I just cant do feelings, I don't need something to build me up and leave me broken, not again'

'im right there with you Stasi, im right there with you. I drunk called Jose after that picture and its over, for good I think this time. He felt like we had grown apart '

'oh sean'

'ill be fine or I hope I will. We were going no where and I do think I love him, I still do but I guess I just need to move on love myself more'

'I hate Carla , why couldn't she just be there for me like a normal mother'

'and why couldn't mine accept me for who I am'

'fuck our parents'

'you could say that again'

'well expect Ray- shit that reminds me we need to get ready soon'.

It was pushing five pm and dinner was at seven 'want to mess around on the guitar for a bit'

Sean nodded, squeezed me and then released me and made way to the studio. Music was our therapy, something that just made us forget about life, something that just took control of us and bought us peace. Thanks to my dad we had instruments available . My personal favourite was the electric guitar, it just made me feel alive, knowing that every strum I made produced a noise to complement another . Sean and I liked to make covers but today I was feeling some improv. I handed him one while I plugged everything in and I sat down on the ottoman in the middle of the room, Sean on the sofa. Facing him I started to tune to my preference when he took lead, with his fingers starting a riff. I gave him a minute letting him find a steady rhythm and I then joined in strumming just a beat after him. Every thirty seconds the melody became more heightened and his strokes more aggressive as he leaned back and closed his eyes. He let the music take over him and I smiled feeling peace in the chaotic tune. We both began to tap our feet to the beat as the rhythm continued and we became synchronised , our sound projecting the whole room. Sean furrowed his eyebrows and moved the neck, now moving his upper body. Feeling restless I jumped to my feet and circled the room, dipping to the climatic bar. I threw my head back , random strands getting in my face. The energy in the room felt so alive, so overwhelming I didn't want it to stop. We continued for another ten minutes when Sean finally released his fingers from the strings and sighed. With that I rounded off the melody and shouted out, needing to verbally cathartic , my emotions on overdrive.

Laying down the instrument I slid down to floor, needing to be grounded with my heat beating fast. The silence held loud after our session and I breathed It in. After a beat I stood and joined him again on the couch and smiled, my eyes bright

'thank you for that' I murmured. Sean simply nodded and wiped the sweat off his forehead . The time now read it was halfway through six pm and we needed to get ready.

'what you wearing ' I asked, not knowing how fancy I needed to dress. To the truthful I wasn't feeling the need to dress up, feeling the sudden need to a simple jeans and shirt combo. The weather was still stifling and the thought of wearing a dress bought me shivers. As if he could read my vibe he said

'jeans and a top – not really in the mood for anything fancy'

'come to my room and help me match with you'

Within thirty minutes we both were fitted with flared blue denim jeans . I opted for a dark green crop that opened in the back and allowed my dragon tattoo to showcase as I clipped my hair in a messy bun, my back not needing the friction. Sean adorned a simple deep red polo and we both had on our black high top converse. If we looked out of place then at least we were in it together. Not feeling the energy to drive I threw my keys at him and walked to the passenger seat , not bothering with a bag. I shoved my phone in my back pocket and I knew I had some gloss in the glove compartment of my Bentley . On the road I played with the radio, Dua Lipa's levitating winning me over. It was a catchy song and had us both singing along so much for the rest of the thirty minute journey I connected my Bluetooth and went to my Spotify, playing the rest of her music

'you want me , I want you baby' I sang facing Sean

'my sugar boo, I'm levitating' he sang back

'the Milky Way , I'm renegading' I hummed in response

'didn't your dad work with her' he said aloud as we turned onto to the motorway, increasing out speed.

'I'm not sure well have to ask him- I love her music, maybe we could meet her if he has' I shrugged as Dua's continued to come out of the speakers

'she's English isn't she you can hear it in her voice' Sean stated

'yeah she is , what you feeling a spontaneous trip to London' my eyes lighting up

'oh Stass I'm down, but maybe in a week , I'm still recovering from last night' he chuckled.

Five minutes later we pulled up at the restaurant and handed over the keys to the valet. The said restaurant was roughly around forty feet in the air , the name now making sense.

'mile high – I get it. Though I prefer the other version if you know what I mean' sean remarked

'oh I always know what you mean' I chuckled 'that trip to Hawaii sure was fun huh' I reminisced ,spring break of sophomore year of college with Bryce being something I could never forget. Sean and I both joined on the trip, him on the way there and me the way back. 'c'mon were just on time'

We were met with an elevator shot that I guessed was going to shoot us up in air. There were no floors but one and you simply closed the doors when you were ready to leave. As the doors were closing called a middle aged couple , a brunette man and a blonde women called to wait so we held the doors opened and they thanked us both , and we smiled back nodding

' I'm Grace and this is my husband Carrick' the blonde lady introduced. Oh so we were really going to make conversation I thought. I felt awkward, not knowing how long this journey was. Hitting Seans side I introduced myself

'Stasi and this is my best friend Sean' . with the mention of his name he extended his hands and showed of his pearly whites saying hi

'so what brings you two here' Carrick inquired

'dinner with my father and he's tagging alone with me , we've just recently moved to the suburbs, Hunts point for the summer'

'oh that sounds nice, lucky you two came when the suns out' Grace smiled

'where did you move from' Carrick asked

'we just recently graduated USC a few weeks ago' Sean intercepted

The both said congratulations and seconds later the elevator ran to a stop , the doors efficiently pinging open.

'well I hope you have to pleasant meal' Carrick spoke as we began to depart. We wished them the same and then exited and were met with a concierge and asked for our name

'Steele, my dad should already be here'

He furrowed his brows and scanned his eyes over the clipboard he was holding. He flicked through and as he was doing so I took in the restaurant and saw everyone dressed to the nines. Crap we were in jeans. Suddenly unbothered I shrugged my shoulders and was distracted by the view outside, showcasing the sunset. Red hues mixed with blue creating purple and pink as the sun was lying on top of the water, stretching the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. I understood why this restaurant chose to be so high up and why every table was booked , the view breath-taking. We were lead to the window and met my father and Halle and another lady stood to my back.

'Ally' I spoke a few octaves louder than my normal voice. She whipped her blonde hair around and hugged me . I had no idea she was going to be here and this surprise bought me to tears

'oh sweetie don't cry'. I snuggled into her further for a few seconds and smiled and let her go as she called Sean who picked her up. She squealed , bringing he room to look in our direction. I then headed for my dad and Halle who's back were facing the window, the sky still pink. I greeted them both and then took my seat opposite Halle, Sean sitting next me and Ally sitting at the head of the table.

'Sorry for the wait' I spoke

'no worry Rosie, we've only been here a few minutes' I froze- I hadn't been called Rosie in years, well only when I really upset, and my dad would hug me tight. I only allowed Ray that privilege and to anyone else who would call me by this nickname would be ignored. I smiled and took a sip of the iced water in front of me

'Ally, Ray its been too long' Sean spoke. They both loved him dearly and he was practically apart of the family. They started a conversation, and I did with Halle

'so how have you been '

'good, been practicing my tumbling. And how come those two are in jeans' she spoke, directing the last part to Ray.

'well, this is a sophisticated restaurant 'he spoke to the both us

We both put on apologetic faces with Sean speaking

'sorry Ray, I thought it was a casual thing. Before we came, I tried out your Gibson guitar, she strums like butter '

My dad smiled 'I know she's a beauty, when I'm back from New York we can have a jam session together. You two are more than welcome to join us in the big apple, there's more than enough space '

He was interrupted by the waiter asking us for drinks

'can I have a margarita' Sean spoke

'make that two 'I called, feeling in the mood for some tequila

She then proceeds to ask f we knew what we wanted for food. I had no idea, the menu being overwhelming, so I decided to put my trust in Sean and follow what he was ordering. I ended up with fried calamari and a creamy carbonara . I injected an order of salted fries knowing that if I couldn't stomach the pasta the fries would provide as a good snack. Also, it was a known fact that everyone would end up taking some, effectively lessening my plate. Halle had ordered steak with a baked potato and would inevitably end up trading with me for my pasta when she completed three quarters of her meal, leaving me little work to seem as if I had eaten. My appetite had never been large, restaurant portions always double of what I could safely stomach and left me always leaving food on my plate. I ate but I always had people to help me out. Ray and Ally followed suit with their blonde daughter ordering a steak and before we had finished ordering our drinks had arrived.

I took my drink and stuck my tongue out running it alone the salt before latching my mouth to rim of the glass, the cool concoction swallowing down my throat . After my sip I clicked with Sean and took another , listening to my dad explain his plan for the next few months of summer. He was going to NYC for a few weeks and then back to the west coast , his plans not set in stone if he was coming back to Washington or California. Either way by the time he came back we would be moves into Escala leaving his house free. Our food came and everyone ate while I was on my third drink of the night, not really feeling the need to eat. Sean helped me out snacking on my calamari appetizer while we waited for our main and as I predicted Halle wanted to switch and I allowed it, distracting my parents with conversation so they wouldn't notice

'dad have you worked with Dua Lipa' I asked , remembering the conversation Sean and I were having the journey here.

'yeah why' he replied after he swiped a few fries from my plate

'just wondering, we were listening to some of her music on the way here'

'she's really talented and has really blown up over the last two years' Ally spoke. She continued to speak about her time with her, apparently Dua was planning a tour for her new album and f we wanted we could have tickets. Sean and Halle lit us with this news and I nodded, the drinks starting to catch up with me. I was about to say thanks when Halle asked

'hey is that Kavanaugh over there' . she was pointing somewhere behind, and she was right, there was Kate with Elliot. I snorted at the irony of her ditching dinner with us to being in the same restaurant and gulped the remainder of my drink and calling for a relief for Sean and I , we were moving onto cosmopolitans next. Halle stood and went to her, tapping her back causing them both to look behind. They had just sat down with their party , at the same table of the couple I met in the elevator. There was also a young girl there also with a short sharp black bob and next to her was an empty seat. Uninterested I turned back to face my dad as he and Ally murmured that they should go tell her hi when were leaving . main course finished and dessert was on the table and I opted to share a slice of chocolate cake with Sean knowing he would be eating majority. Just as Sean took control of the conversation , a new waiter came and gave us a bottle of Bollinger for a Stella.

'Fuck' I cursed aloud to which my parents scolded me and I apologises to the waiter. I grabbed Sean's leg and gave him a knowing look and mouthed the words 'Wednesday'. His eyes went large and he stared at the waiter and asked

'who's this from' everyone at the table was curious and alert, wanting to come to the bottom of this 'gift'

'this is from Christian Grey to stella, I believe this is yours' he said placing it in front of me and setting down four glasses. I shook my face and felt the colour drain from my face

'Stass what's wrong, why is someone giving you a drink under the name Stella' raising his brows . before I could explain myself , there was a cough heard behind me. I looked ahead of me first gaging my sisters reaction to see her eyes bug out, clearly mesmerised . In the corner of my eyes I also saw Sean look back to the man and then back to me , a shocked look on his face also

Finding the courage I finally looked behind me and was met with those eyes. Those gorgeous grey eyes I saw in mind for the past few days

'sorry we couldn't speak at your party yesterday. Elliot says you're a tequila girl but I thought this would be nice to try' he spoke, his baritone voice bouncing to my ears. Stunned my mouth simply stood open and he then continued

'by the way nice tattoos' he said leaning down

'sorry but I think you have the wrong person' I replied as confident as I could. He smirked and cocked his head and pressed on

'here's my number , call me' and with that he walked.

My cheeks burned red and my eyes avoided the small white card he placed in front of me . I took a deep breath and cursed once again and was meet with four pairs of eyes on me

'so tell me Stass why known by stella by that man' ray started

'and when did you meet- he's a handsome man' Ally added

I grabbed my drink and drank , delaying myself as I had no idea how I was going to answer this question. How did he recognise me and why did he come up to me. Didn't he say something about Elliot and with my luck it was most likely the same Elliot Kate was with. I looked back to her table to confirm my theory wishing I wasn't right but deep down I knew the truth. He sat at the same table, him being the recipient of the empty chair. He made eye contact with me and held it, his face impassive. I looked away, my subconscious so confused- what game was he playing here?

'I don't really know him that well, we met once Wednesday night' I explained truthfully . I really didn't know him well, we had at most seven hours together and barely any words were exchanged between us

'but why did he call you stella' Halle questioned

'because It was out second night in town and Sean , Kate and I were messing around and in disguise for a night out.'

'are you two together ' ally asked

To that I shook me head no and reached for my fries, busying my mouth so I could stop talking for a few minutes.

'it was a stupid one night stand and I have no idea how he recognised me and I think Kate is dating is brother. Can we please move I really don't want to be talking this anymore'

CPOV

It was midday and a Saturday meaning the office was closed but I was still working. No longer having a submissive cleared my time but I had plans for tonight – family dinner at my restaurant the Mile High club. Mum wasn't feeling like cooking so with little disagreement I organised a table for everyone. Moments ago Elliot had texted in the family chat that he was bringing a guest , meaning it was a girl, and to my surprise it was Kate from last night. I guess he really did like her, taking her back to his apartment so I called Julius , the manager I had hired when I first bought Mile High and told him to add an extra chair and he told me it was in a heartbeat. It wasn't a request, more of a statement. With the reputation I had gathered over the years, things I wanted just got done no question asked, nobody willing to lose business to me. Money really spoke to people and turned them spinless, losing their self respect for themselves and subsequently I lost the little I had for them. No one rarely challenged me and I found that a sad fact – business was fun with a negotiation .

My mind still wondered to Stella. My team hadn't come up with anything new on what we already had- the car she took was a cab , probably home but we lost sight of a camera losing its trail and resulting in another dead. Why did it feel like the universe was against me , like what I wanted from this girl was wrong. Maybe I should just call it quits, that it was just for the best but I couldn't deny the chemistry we had. We moved as one- she read my body like sacred script and made me feel cherished and it was a concept I couldn't let escape, not until I had expressed all my options. But sometimes I guess it was just best to let things go and I hated to think this was the option I had to live with

Talking about security, I was going to contact Welch and get me a report on this Kate. From what I saw she was a nice girl, a bit perky and energetic for my liking but when it came to my family I refused to leave things to chance. I was merely curious about her and I was sure she would be questioned at dinner tonight , especially by Mia . She had just come back for a month from cookery school in France, still in her first year of a two year course I was financing. Academics wasn't her thing, she was far to creative and energetic to be tied down to a classroom with pen and paper and tested by professors. I felt the same way when I was in Harvard, it simply just didn't make sense to me to stay when I had ambitions to fulfil than debating with students over concepts, I had already had knowledge in.

I truly wondered if happiness was on the cards for me. This was something I had discussed with John this morning, changing my appointment because of dinner, not wanting to so emotionally closed off when I knew I was going to be in company. I didn't need my family worrying about me, I'd caused them enough pain over the years and now the least they deserved was some sort of peace. My nightmares had resumed, the same memory recycled for the millionth time. My mother ignoring me while I cried for her help and her pimp kicking me so hard resulting me in coughing up blood for days. I would wake up with holding my side, forgetting the ache was simply not in real life but my night terrors felt so real there no calming me down until I physically saw my skin was bruise free, that I was no longer in the slums of Detroit and was now one of the wealthiest men on the West coast

Before I knew it the time read seven pm and with the reservation being half past I thought it best to make a move and leave. I drove downtown in silence, not feeling the need for music for the ten minute journey. When I arrived I simply tossed my keys wordlessly to a valet boys and made way to elevator . I could see that Mia was seated and on her phone waiting. Seeing that I was early I went and spoke to Julius , checking everything was running smoothly , meandering to the kitchen the delicate aromas of the menu infusing my senses. I made habit for fresh seafood to be available , utilising the marine harbour bringing in oysters, sea bass, salmon and cod daily. This gave my restaurant the certain edge and was a popular item. I personally order two platters of oysters and told the head chef to reserve at least six portions of bass until our table had ordered, knowing it was a first come joined first serve situation with the seafood.

Walking out and back into the main area I saw mum and dad had arrived just settling down to the table, still no sign of Elliot. Before I grabbed several bottles of white wine and a scotch , a being the owner and bought it to the table, resting it down before I came to my mother, kissing her cheek and shaking my fathers hand . Mia stood for me and she ran to hug me, knocking the breath out of me. I always forgot the discomfort I felt when she hugged me but tolerated it just for her – I knew she had only good intentions but it still unsettled me. I tried to focus on the view, the sun setting and leaving a rose hued sky along the Seattle skyline. Out of habit I searched for Grey House from above and a small smile formed on my face, knowing my business was stable among its competition . I tried to converse in small talk, mother explaining her recent events of the week when Elliot arrived with Kate. Shortly after my seafood platters arrived and I wasted no time digging in, grabbing a lemon wedge and knocking one back and as soon as I swallowed I reached for another one when I heard a voice approach

'Kavanaugh? ' a teenage blonde called with almond green eyes. She must of still been in high school by the looks of her face, innocence still marking it

'Halle! What are you doing here I thought you were off to New York ' Kate replied smiling

'no that's tomorrow, Sean and Stass are here for dinner with us , so is mum and dad. They might come over they haven't seen you since your graduation and that was weeks ago. I gotta get back , dads in a mood about a party she threw yesterday night and has had some neighbour complaints. I have a feeling Stass is gonna put up a fight' she smirked and with that she left, waving a quick apology for interrupting our conversation.

Everyone started at her until Mia asked 'who was that girl'

''oh that was Halle, my best friend Anastasia's sister. She's actually why I'm here in Seattle- were staying in her dads house in Hunts point'

'oh wait Stas, who I met in California , the chick with the red tattoos'. Elliot asked. Kate nodded her head in response while swallowing some water. 'she was who jumped of the boathouse into the pool wasn't she'. Kate again nodded and chuckled

'yeah she never backs down from a challenge Stass does, her and Sean are dangerous on a night together' she told

'oh didn't we meet a couple called Stass and Sean in the elevator on the way up here Carrick' mum asked my father and he nodded

'brunette ,blue eyes with bangs , here Christian let me show you a picture ' and she rummaged through her phone, retrieving her phone and scrolling through. Around after a minute she showed me a beautiful brunette with memorising eyes and alabaster skin who's shoulders had a muscled arm around. That arm belonged to a man with bright brown eyes, them both laughing at whoever was capturing this moment. I looked at the rest of the photo and froze. She had a snake tattoo, a red sternum one that I could remember tracing my tongue over

'she's pretty , think you could introduce me to your friend Kate' Mia asked I heard faintly as I tried to make sense of my thoughts

At this Kate winced and slightly shook her head explaining ' well Sean's bisexual and he's currently in a relationship with one of out friends from college Jose. Has been off and on for about the past two years'.

To this Mia groaned that all the pretty ones were unavailable and I shuddered thinking of my sister having any sexual relationship. I still had Kates phone in my hand when I asked

'so her name is Anastasia'

'yh but she goes by Stasi or Stas'

Was this my mystery girl. It had to be, I could not mistake that tattoo for anything else. I wanted to ask if she had a dragon back tattoo but explaining why I knew that information was something I didn't really want to explain so I kept quiet and nodded while Elliot expressed that he wanted to say hi to her before she left. The girl I met was blonde, platinum blonde and had brown eyes dressed in blue. That was fact and I had evidence from my cameras. So she must of given me a fake name of Stella her real identity being Anastasia or should I say Stasi. She was also currently in my restaurant and I racked my brain thinking how I could use this at my advantage.

I signalled over a waiter, expressing that we were ready to order. After everyone had I held him back and requested that a bottle of Bollinger to be sent to a brunette with bands and blue eyes- and to ask for Julius if he needed help finding her and once he had done so to tell me her table number on a napkin. Ten minutes later I received a napkin with the number twenty written in blue ink. I tucked it in my pocket and raised from the table, temporarily interrupting Mia's tales from France and searched my 'stella'. I had a business card ready with my personal number scrawled on it wanting answers to my questions. Why did she leave, did she feel the connection we had Wednesday night?

I finally navigated the table and saw myself walking behind two brunette heads that both cheered with margaritas In their hands. I saw once again Halle, the blonde who had said hi to Kate. Two other people occupied their party and I guessed it were her parents. They were both blonde and looked young, well not old enough to have children who had graduated college with a bachelor degree. The man had sandy blonde hair with the same piercing blue eyes Kate had showed me and the woman was an older clone of Halle. Sensing someone had arrived , the brunette man , Sean turned around and gasped as if he couldn't believe he was seeing me. Everyone else but the Anastasia turned around, so I coughed subtly inched behind her and spoke 'Stella' continuing on with her facade.

I took this time to admire her eyes, why she would hide these behind contacts I couldn't understand because they were breath-taking. I instructed her to call me and before she could protest I walked away with just enough time for me to hear her father I presumed asking why she going round as Stella and how exactly he knew that man. It was clear they didn't know who I was, and I guess that made it clear they weren't from Washington. It was also clear from their tans everyone on the table had . Returning back to table and choosing to play nice I started up a conversation with Kate

'so you graduated recently, what did you major in'

'journalism and English literature , my father owns his own newspaper and I hope to join the family business when I'm older. That's actually why I was in California in the first place, we moved halfway through my junior year oh high school and that's when I met Stas and Sean. We opted to all go to the same college and stay in LA and we all did English lit- well Stas and I did , Sean was forced into law because of his parents'

At the words of anything law related my dad's eyes brighten. He pushed for me to pursue it was business was my passion

'yeah both his parents are lawyers , pretty famous back in Cali- Fiona Wilson and Derek Walkers of Walkers Law.'

'I know Derek from way back, we started together as associates fresh out of college in Michigan. I've not seen him years –' and with that dad went into storytelling mode, accounting one of his several stories from over the years.

Just as we were wrapping up our meal, the two adults I had met at table twenty had come up to our table and once again apologised for interrupting and wanted to speak to Kate

'hey Katie, how you've been . Your dad tells me you just got an internship' the blonde woman spoke.

'Ally its been too long, I've missed you 'Kate gushed

I just noticed that both couples were tall, the man being somewhere in six feet and the woman being around five ten. The women wore a dark green dress that complimented her eyes with her husband wearing a navy blue suit, Armani I noticed.

'well look who is it Papa Steele, thanks again for letting us stay in Hunts Point'.

'no worries Kate, I heard things got a bit out of control the other night. Please rein in Sean and Stasi for me' ray said while hugging her.

He gave the rest of the table a quick wave and then left, leading his wife away with her. Her parents looked nothing like her, the only resemblance was Ray's eyes and her height. Thanks to their visit I also learnt her last name was Steele, making her Anastasia Steele. My thoughts were disturbed as my parents said goodbye, us parting in the parking lot. I guessed that Stasi had already left, with her table empty when I made a point to watch out for her, just stealing one more look at her. Once in my car I called Welch and asked for background reports on a Anastasia Steele and Sean Walkers within the hour, wanting to know who this person was. Was this fate that I had found her, was the universe finally rewarding me in lifeafter all the suffering I had gone through? To this I snorted and continued my way home, hoping I could finally get some answers.

I was sat at my desk working through a few contracts for the following week when the email came from Welch. The email buzzed through on my mac while I was pouring a scotch , hastily setting my tumbler down . I took a deep breath and clicked and let my eyes follow the message that read

From: Adam Welch

Subject: background reports

Date: May 17 2019 22:29

To: Christian Grey

Mr Grey, I have attached below the background checks of Anastasia Steele and Sean Walkers

Welch, Head of Security , GEH

Anastasia Rose Steele

Age: 24

DOB: 10 September 1995, Seattle , WA

Biological father: Raymond Steele

Biological Mother: Carla May Lambert

Adopted Mother: Alyssa Steele

Siblings : Leonardo Steele 27 (half brother)

Halle Steele 18 (half sister)

Residence : Hunts Point WA 1995-2000 – Current residence

Bel Air CA (2000-present)

Upper west side (2005-present)

Education : The Buckley School – k-12

USC- English Literature Major

Physical description :

Hair – brunette

Eyes – blue

Height 5 ft 9

Ethnicity – Irish (mother) and Spanish(father)

Relationship status: single

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual

Bank balance: $5,489,219.78

Sean Richard Walkers

Age: 24

DOB: 6 March 1996, Glendale , CA

Biological Father : Derek Charles Walkers

Biological mother : Fiona Wilson

Siblings : Joshua James Walkers 25

Madison Blake Walkers 20

Sophia Riley Walkers 20

Residence: Bel Air ,CA

Hunts Point , WA- present

Education: The Buckley School k-12

USC – Law Major

Physical description:

Hair – brunette

Eyes- hazel

Height – 6 ft 1

Ethnicity – Swedish (father) and Colombian (mother)

Relationship status : taken – Jose Rodriguez Jr (2017- present)

Sexual orientation: bisexual

Bank balance: $7,586,389.90

I leaned back in my chair rubbing my hands over my face and tugging my hair. She was single and well off, having gone to private schools all her life. Same with her friend Sean but they also were party people from what Kate had said from before. I was intrigued, she must have been smart to be accepted in USC and to graduate with full honours and a bachelor's degree. I wondered why she choose English literature, was she a romantic obsessed with the works of Jane Austen. All these thoughts came to my head and I soon became frustrated. What did I want from her, why did I give her my number – would she even call me? I guess the power was in her hands, but I did have her number right before me. This was turning into a complete mind fuck, I wasn't good with feelings, relationships period for that matter so what made me feel like I could pursue a vanilla one with her. Maybe I was in over my head, maybe this would fail horribly but who would I be if I didn't at least try. And fast, a pretty girl like her could have anyone she wanted. But like any other acquisition I had to approach this right. I was going to let her make the first move and in a couple of days to re-evaluate. I left my desk and headed straight to my piano, deciding to release the rest of my energy for the day through some music staring into the night sky, hoping that a blue-eyed brunette too was thinking about me.

SPOV

I drove us back to Hunts Point feeling sober enough. Sean opted for music again, grabbing my phone and hitting shuffle on his Spotify, Kanye West's Heartless blaring through the speakers. The streets were empty and my car rode smoothly on the road with no traffic, the breeze in my hair

'so are you going to call him' Sean asked

To this I huffed, I was just frustrated with this whole situation. I didn't do commitment, It just wasn't something that I did

'I think its best if I didn't. I mean the cheek of him to wave his money around and send me a bottle of champagne to our table in front of my family. And how the hell did he even know it was me- even if I did call him I would probably end up meeting him for coffee or dinner and that is something I know I can live without' I ranted

'lemme look him up . Holy shit Stas he's a billionaire and owns basically everything in Seattle, even the restaurant' Sean stated scrolling through his phone

'Ah so he's a rich playboy'

'isn't that your type' to which that remark I swatted him with my hand , taking them off the wheel momentarily

'well, not anymore.' I muttered, turning off the motorway 'and if Kate gets serious with her blondie , I don't want to ruin that relationship for her and make it awkward' I continued . it was a pathetic excuse, I knew it was and Sean did too when he raised his brows

'giving him a chance wouldn't kill you , but its your choice baby girl. Give it a couple of days . How do you feel about having The Hangover marathon?'

'sounds perfect' and with that we spent the rest of the night in silence, listening to wise words of Frank Ocean.

Sean crashed mid way through the second movie , not responding when I threw popcorn kernels at his face .Accepting defeat, I leaned back and closed my eyes the day finally catching up with me. I was always emotional when I said goodbye to my family and with this whole situation with Christina my mind was on overdrive. I envied the people whose lives were simple, who could easily accept love and not self sabotage themselves from their happiness. Yes it was true , that there was a possibility that he could make my life great but did I have the mentality to commit to one person. Its not like I would ever be alone in life, I had Sean and Kate but would they always be enough? I closed my eyes , laid myself down and listened to Stu panic , trying to find Teddy, thinking of anything about the grey-eyed man , knowing he would haunt my dreams later on tonight.