Chapter 11

Break Down

Again a thank you to my brilliant beta Svart Jasmin who's input and criticism really improved my writing. Also, thank you for all the reviews follows and favourites they mean the world to me and I have read and appreciated every single one of them. Some reviewers even had valid criticism which I will keep in mind while writing.

To the guest who asked how many times I updated. Yes, only once a week. I am a teacher and sometimes I have really hectic weeks so my time to write is somewhat limited. Anyway thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading and reviewing my story even though it is dark and not everyone's cup of tea.

Anastasia

The only way from down is up. It is a mantra that I keep repeating in my head hoping to gain some strength from it. However, the truth is that I have never felt so weak, vulnerable and out of control of my own life. Not even when I was 16 and miserable living with my mom and husband number 3. I don't know how much more I can take before I break. These last few weeks have been nothing short of horrific. Ray's surgery to remove his tumour had only been a partial success. The doctors told me he needed to have a special treatment that is only available in Boston or LA. I don't want him to go there because I cannot visit him every day, at least not until I find a job so I could move there to be with him. Not that it matters now, though. The bastards from his health insurance company refuse to foot the bill. Those leeches only want to pay half of the treatment. It is so unfair! Ray worked hard all of his life, he always tried to help other people and this is what he gets? Hot angry tears stream from my face and I quickly wipe them before getting out of the car. I don't want Ray to see me like this, it will make him feel guilty or worried. I need to stay strong for him, for us I just need to hang in there a little longer. After all, he has done for me, I can do this for him.

I press the button on the key and the Audi locks instantly. I sigh. The car drives like a dream and is pretty, but she isn't Wanda, my old trusty beetle dad bought for me. I loved that car because even though Ray never had a lot of money but he made damn sure mom and I had everything we needed. I don't need such an expensive car, I think I should sell it and use the money for Ray's treatments. I will look up how much it is worth exactly before bringing it to a car dealer, and if I still haven't got enough money to pay for Ray's treatment, I will apply for a personal loan at the bank to cover the rest.

"Hi, daddy." I say when I see my dad sitting on his bed reading a sports magazine.

"Annie!" He replies with a board smile on his face genuinely happy to see me and it warms me up inside, and just like that, all troubles are momentarily forgotten.

"How are you feeling today?" I ask while putting some clean clothes in his closet.

"Ok, a bit sore but I have had worse. Can't complain." He replies while eying me up and down with a frown on his face. "Have you lost weight, Annie? You look so thin. Are you doing ok?" His voice is edged with concern.

"Don't worry about me daddy I am fine. Just real busy at work." I lie, making him huff and I know he doesn't really believe me.

"I got a new car dad." I quickly say to distract him from further interrogating me.

"Really? What happened to Wanda?" He asks surprised.

"Someone stole her while I was at work. Upper management took responsibility for the theft and gave me one of the new company cars." I quickly explain.

"That is very considered of them. Grey Enterprises Holdings always was a good employer." Ray replies while nonchalantly shrugging his shoulder.

It makes me mad.

"How can you say that daddy? They made you sick! They are the reason that you have cancer and are in this hospital bed." I exclaim and I feel the tears prick in my eyes again. It is Grey who should pay for Ray's treatments, he leeched off him and made him sick. He should carry the consequences, not us. I think adamantly.

Ray looks at me surprised for a moment.

"Annie, sweetheart we don't know that. The doctor told me that there are a number of environmental factors that could have contributed to the lymphoma development. I served in Iraq sweetheart remember? We used various chemicals there that could have contributed to it according to my doctor. Besides, I worked for Olympia shipping way before GEH ever took a part in the company. I know, Olympia shipping wasn't the best company to work for. They were lax with the safety regulations, they always were and it didn't change after Grey took over part of the company. It even got worse then because my bosses wanted to impress Grey. Maybe I should have looked harder for another job but I didn't." He sighs. "I maybe I have been a fool, Annie." No, daddy no! I want to tell him.

He gives me a sad smile before continuing.

"I was so mad at them, at the army, at myself when the doctors told me I had cancer. I blamed them all for the shitty situation I was in. I kept wondering What if I hadn't joined the army, or what if I never went to work for Olympia? Then I thought about you and your mother. If I hadn't joined the army I would have never met your biological father thus never met your mother or you, and if I hadn't taken the job at Olympia shipping back then I couldn't have provided for the two of you. You and your mother made me a stronger person, a happier person, and overall a better person. You filled my otherwise empty life with love and joy and if I asked, I would do everything the same again when given the chance. I would say yes without a shadow of a doubt in a heartbeat. I guess what I am trying to say, Annie, is that there is no point is playing the blame game, it is exhausting and frustrating, and in the end, you gain nothing but a giant headache from it. Sometimes things just happen in life without rhyme or reason, and you know what? Who we are as people is determined by how we conduct ourselves in the face of adversity. It can either make us or break us. Ultimately, we decide who we are and where we go. Never forget that." He says, the look on his face tired but solemn and sincere, making my heart constrict. Teardrops slide down my cheek and I quickly try to wipe them, but dad does it for me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me to his chest. It feels like I am a little girl again comfortable and familiar. Like home.

"I just don't want to lose you, daddy. I love you and I need you too much. Seeing you like this pale and ill in some subpar hospital is so hard. I just want you to get the best treatment there is so you can get better."

"Don't cry for your old man Annie. I cannot promise you that everything is going to be all right and I will get all better. However, I can promise you that I will fight as hard as I can to beat this thing. Now, cheer up sweetheart, and let's get some sticky toffee pudding downstairs in the cafeteria. It is the only thing they know how to make right." He says and I crack a smile at him. "There is my girl." He says and kisses my forehead.

Visiting hour is over way too soon and I do not really want to go home yet and be lonely there. Jimmy is still in new Orleans and I cannot Skype Kate or Jose because they are on a college excursion to some backwater mountain retreat with no internet, and it is too late to call mom. I decide to drive around for a bit, getting to know the streets of Seattle before finally heading home where I take a shower and watch a movie on my laptop in bed before I go to sleep. Tomorrow starts my first week in the finance department with a new partner, and Grey promised to leave me alone. Nevertheless, I do not want to work for GEH anymore. Grey scared the hell out of me when he pinned me to his office wall. The man is unstable and I do not trust him. I don't want to stick around to see if he is keeping his word or not. I am not going to be that girl that should have known better. I decide to fill in some new applications first thing when I get home from work tomorrow. I turn off the light and fall asleep the moment my head hits my pillow.

Emily Parker is sweet, funny, and smart. We will be partnered up this upcoming six weeks at the finance department, and for the first time since I started this internship, I am enjoying myself again. It is lunchtime and we are sitting on a bench in the park near Grey house. The weather is unseasonably mild for a mid-November afternoon and I enjoy watching the ducks that are swimming in the pond.

"Didn't you bring lunch?" Emily asks.

"No. I forgot my lunch bag in the fridge." I lie. I do not dare to tell her that I only have ramen left in my cupboards. I hate asking my mom for more money knowing how she will freak out and worry if I told her I am broke, but I don't have much of a choice.

"Here, share with me. I have more than enough. My Naanii[HM1] always worries I eat too little, so she stuffs my lunchbox." She says smiling fondly.

"Naanii?" I ask.

"Yes, Naanii means grandmother in Hindi, my mother's mother. My grandma is originally from India, she and my grandfather moved to the US in the seventies. I have been living with them since I was 13." She says sounding forlorn.

"Oh. I don't want to sound too forward, but can I ask why?" I reply genuinely interested.

"My parents died when I was 13." She replies the sadness clear in her voice. "My dad was originally from England, he and my mom met in Africa. They were both aid workers. They always joked about how they met. My mom smashed right into him in the hospital on the first day she started working there." She smiles a little before continuing. "Dad always said that love hit him square in the gut." It always made me smile. "When I was 13 they went back to The Congo to do aid work for three months. They didn't want to uproot our lives and to take me and my little brother with them. So, we stayed with my grandparents. I will never forget the day we got the news that their inland plane had crashed. Everything changed after that." She quickly wipes a tear from her eyes and smiles at me.

"I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine how it is to lose one parent let alone two at the same time." My heart constricts, and I can feel her pain, it is so close to my own.

"It was hard, really hard. I know the pain will never go away, it has just gotten less pronounced over the last few years. But enough about me. Tell me about your family." She asks quickly directing the attention away from herself.

I give her a small smile and tell her about my mom and about Ray. It feels good to talk to someone my own age, who knows what hardship is like. We continue talking until we are back at the office and I am called into Mr. Miller's office. Mr. Miller is the head of the finance department and I feel a little anxious. What does he want?

I knock on his door and his heavy baritone voice tells me to enter. I open the door and I'm met with the kind blue eyes of Mrs. Grey.

"Anastasia." She says warmly and gently squeezes my forearms.

"Hello, Mrs. Grey." I say surprised not knowing why she is here and what she wants from me.

"Forgive my intrusion at work, but I have not had the opportunity to thank you for all your hard work on the Coping Together project. My son has spoken very highly of you, and I totally understand why. Your efforts to promote Coping Together have been very successful." She says and gives me a beaming smile. I am totally perplexed by her kind words, and her admission about Mr. Grey, and I find it very hard to believe.

I smile back shyly feeling very uncomfortable under all that praise.

"You are welcome Mrs. Grey I was just doing my job." I reply softly.

"Oh please call me Grace darling. My mother in law is called Mrs. Grey. It makes me feel so old. I have always been a firm believer that hard work should be rewarded. I don't want to intrude or anything but Christian told me you fainted because you had worked so hard. Well, I feel responsible, so tomorrow I am taking you with me for a nice day of relaxing. We will have lunch, a spa day, and a visit to a beauty salon, my treat." She says beaming at me and for the second time, she completely confounds me.

"Please, Mrs. Grey… I mean Grace, it is not necessary. I was just doing what I was paid to do. I really appreciate your offer but I can't take a day of."

"Nonsense dear. I already discussed it with Mr. Miller and he thought it was a great idea." She says while smiling at him and he nods in acquiescence. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at ten so you can sleep in for a bit. Getting enough sleep is important." She says with a motherly tone.

I am completely stunned and at a loss for words. Grace seems genuinely friendly and although I do appreciate her offer very much, it feels a little inappropriate and uncomfortable.

"Well, Anastasia. I must be going now. There is a measles outbreak and I need to get back to the hospital. See you tomorrow." She says smiling.

"Uhm, yeah. Until tomorrow." I manage to mutter out weakly.

Mr. Miller gives me a wry smile.

"I am impressed with you Anastasia. Grace Grey doesn't louder praise easily. I think you will be a great asset to my finance team." He says.

"Thank you, sir." I reply and he nods dismissing me.

I feel a little dazed when I walk out of his office back to my workspace. I find it hard to concentrate on putting the debtors in the account payable module of the accounting program. It is dull and tedious work and I cannot wait until 5 PM so I can finally go home.

"Anastasia, can you bring these papers to Mr. Grey's office? They need to be signed immediately." Mr. Miller asks. Crap! I was hoping to avoid him as much as possible.

"Uhm, sure." I reply tentatively and he hands me a stack of papers.

"Thank you." He says and saunters off to his office again.

I sigh, getting out of my chair to start my march to Mr. Grey's office. Like always, his reception desk is managed by two perfectly coifed blondes who look like they have stepped off the pages of some glamorous magazine. One I remember is named Andrea. I walk over to her and give her a weak smile.

"Mr. Miller sent these for Mr. Grey, they need to be signed immediately." I tell her with all the confidence I can muster, and try to hand over the papers to her.

"Mr. Grey is expecting you, go right in." she says smiling politely at me.

"Oh, ok." I mutter softly and walk to the large dark wooden door separating his office from the large open lobby. I push against the heavy door and it opens surprisingly smoothly.

I see him sitting at his desk engrossed in some papers. He does not seem to have noticed my entrance into his office. I resign myself to quickly greet him and put the paperwork on his desk before making a beeline out of his office.

"Miss Steele." He says curtly without looking up from his papers. Well, so much for that plan, I think sourly.

"Sir, I have the paperwork you requested." I say softly and he looks up at me. He scrutinizes me intently and there is something dark and insidious behind his gaze. It's scaring the hell out of me. Leave, this man is dangerous! A voice screams in the back of my mind and I want to run.

"Hand it to me." He orders. His voice is cold and brusque. I comply immediately, not wanting to spend another minute in his office. His hand brushes mine, his skin is both hot and cold on mine, unnerving me. I hear him sharply breathe and he sits up straighter.

He takes a pen and casually starts reading the documents. I quickly and quietly move back towards the door.

"Miss Steele. Did I dismiss you?" He asks with a menacingly soft voice. I swallow and shake my head.

"No sir." I reply trying to sound confident.

"Then where were you going?" He asks while eying me coolly.

"I… I... Nowhere sir." I finally lie. He raises one eyebrow, eyeing me sceptically.

He purses his lip and turns his attention back to the papers I brought him. I stand uncomfortably at his desk and feel like some clueless idiot. My attention turns to his walls. Several abstract works of art of ordinary items hang on the walls and I am completely fascinated by the paintings. I idly move towards the wall to inspect them up close. The first painting depicts a kettle that is almost blending into the colourful background, creating a strange paradox of visible invisibility.

"Trouton." I hear his deep baritone voice say, startling me out of my reverie.

I feel the heat of his body radiating against my back. He is standing so close that his body is almost pressing me against the wall. I can feel his breath tickle the back of my neck. There is a humming electric pulse surrounding us, making the little hairs on my forearms and neck stand to attention. I feel warm, flushed, and uncomfortable.

I turn around and suppress a gasp when I look into his eyes. They are dark and feral, like a lion ready to kill his prey. Fear and some other feeling I do not fully grasp unruffled in my belly and my pulse races. It is as if he senses it because he takes a step backwards immediately. I release a breath I did not know I was holding.

He gives me an apologetic smile that does not reach his eyes. I clear my throat and weakly smile back at him. I want to run away from this office but the rational part of my brain maintains my sense of decorum.

"They are lovely. They raise the ordinary to the extraordinary." I mutter softly and he looks at me surprised. A vague emotion almost looks like pride passes on his face.

"I could not agree more. Tell me, Miss Steele, do you like abstract art?" He asks, eyeing me closely.

"I like all kinds of arts. I really enjoy the classic Romano- Greek statues but I also love stuff from the renaissance or the Dutch masters. I guess I can find beauty in all things even works that others might find ugly." I reply earnestly.

He stares at me intently, like he is trying to see if I am truthful. It is unsettling.

"It takes a pure and guileless person to see the beauty in ugliness, someone once told me. I am neither." He says and gives me a sad smile.

"Here. Bring these back to Mr. Miller." He says brusquely again, and I am grateful that I am being dismissed.

"Yes, sir." I quickly say and almost run out of his office. The entire experience has left me anxious and jumpy. There is something about him that pushes all of my buttons. He is dangerous, like a predator waiting to strike, and it is scaring the hell out of me. I vow to double my efforts to find another job. The sooner I am out of here the safer I will be, I am sure of it.

When the clock hits 5 PM, I almost jump out of my chair to go home. I ask Mr. Miller if there is anything else he needs, and he shakes his head at me.

"Good evening Miss Steele." He says distractedly.

"Good evening sir." I reply and head towards my car with Emily who has parked her car a few spots away from me. We say our goodbyes and I drive to my apartment building. Dinner today is simple ramen noodles. It is something I have been eating for days now. I sigh dreading to call my mother knowing that she will be worried and scold me for not calling and telling her sooner.

"Hello, baby girl." Her sweet voice rings through the speaker after the third ring. Suddenly I feel homesick.

"I mom. How are you?"

"I am good sweetheart. I was planning to call you. I have some nice news. My boss has asked me if I am willing to give quilt classes in the evening, I am really excited about that." She says happily.

"Wow, that is great mom. When do you start?" I say feeling genuinely happy for her. Mom's biggest dream always was teaching various arts and crafts classes.

"Next week and I can hardly wait. How are you, sweetheart?" She asks with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I am ok. Busy at work but ok." I reply softly.

"Anastasia what is wrong?" Mom immediately asks. I sigh. I should have known that she would see right through me.

"I am fine mom, just a little tired." I always hate asking for money.

"Anastasia I am your mother, I always know when you are hiding stuff from me. Now tell me what is wrong?" She asks again sternly.

"I just... I am low on cash." I finally mutter hesitantly.

"Oh, sweetheart why didn't you tell me sooner? I have told you time and time again to come to me when things were getting tight." She scolds me.

"I know and I am sorry. I just hate asking you for money. It makes me feel like a child again." I say a little sullenly.

"Anastasia, you are my child, I am supposed to take care of you. I wouldn't be a very good mother if I didn't. I know things are hard right now and I know you aren't telling me half of it. I am not stupid." She sighs before continuing. "I just want you to know you can come to me for whatever reason. You understand?"

"Yes, mom." I reply duly chastised.

"Good. Now how much do you need?"

"250 I think." I reply tentatively.

My conversation with mom is long. We talk about Ray, her feud with Bob's son, and on a lighter note, she shares the latest gossip from Savannah with me. It is almost 19:30 when we finally say goodbye and I head to Ray. He is watching a football game when I get there. We chat a little but spend most of the time in companionable silence. I leave a little earlier so I can do some grocery shopping. That way I can have breakfast tomorrow. Mom has been overly generous of course, depositing 500 dollars in my checking account. I sigh, take out 30 dollars, and shop at Ernie's, my usual shopping market. When I get home, I shower then watch some TV. There is nothing interesting on. I idly wonder if it's too late to watch a movie but ultimately decide against it and head to bed, wondering what my spa day with Mrs. Grey will bring tomorrow.

Early morning sunlight streams through my bedroom windows waking me up. I check my alarm clock. It is almost 7:30 but I still feel tired. I sigh and turn around hoping to catch a little more sleep before I have to get up. The persistent buzzing from my alarm clock wakes me again an hour later and I tiredly clamber out of my bed. I take a quick shower and decide to treat myself with pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. It has been quite a while since I had such a feast for breakfast and I greedily eat everything. I brush my teeth, feed mouse, and decide to do some laundry before Mrs. Grey, I mean Grace, gets here. At 10 sharp my doorbell rings. Mrs. Grey is punctual that is for sure.

"Good morning Anastasia. You ready to go?" she asks cheerfully.

"Uhm, yeah sure just let me grab my bag." I quickly reply.

Together we walk towards the car, all the while Grace is talking animatedly about her work and her charity. She is a genuine, warm, and friendly person, and I am finding myself liking her more and more. She is nothing like her pushy, arrogant, bloat heart son. In fact, they don't look alike. I guess Mr. Grey takes after his father. Then I remember that Mr. Grey was adopted. My respect for Grace surges. The woman is a real saint if she put up with him. Grace parks her sleek expensive white Jaguar in the parking garage and we walk to the store area. I gape with open mouth at all the expensive and luxurious stores we come across. We are at the Bravern center, one of the most expensive shopping malls in Seattle. I have never been here before. Everything here is way out of my budget but I heard Kate raving about it.

We enter a posh beauty salon named Escalva. Everything is stark, modern and white. Grace looks around like she is looking for someone. Suddenly her eyes light up and she smiles broadly at a stunning, perfectly coifed blonde woman about her age.

"Elena, darling." She says affectionately and kisses her on both cheeks.

"So good to see you, Grace." The woman named Elena replies affably.

Grace turns her attention to me.

"Anastasia I would like you to meet my good friend Elena." She says smiling brightly.

"How do you do." I say while politely shaking her hand.

She stares at me appraisingly and her pupils dilate like she just realized something. Her lips curl up in something that resembles a smile. There is something disingenuous and dark about here entire demeanour, and it is giving me the creeps.

"A pleasure to meet you, Anastasia." She says in a polite but friendly manner. She turns her attentions back to Grace.

"The full package?" she asks.

"Oh, yes lord knows I need it. There has been an outbreak of measles and I have put in so many hours I hardly had time for myself." She says sounding a little exasperated.

"I don't know why people just don't vaccinate their children." Elena replies pointedly.

"You don't have to tell me. It is that anti-vaxxers lobby spreading lies and nonsense to scare people off." Grace says heatedly. Elena nods her head in agreement and ushers us in a beautifully decorated private room.

"Clarice. Bring Mrs. Grey and her friend some mimosas." She orders brusquely. I idly wonder if drinking alcohol so early in the morning is a good idea.

"Yes, ma'am." The young girl replies and jumps off her chair.

"You will have a manicure first, then the wax, followed by an algae bath and steam room. After that, I think a hot stone massage is in order, and a nice lunch." Elena rattles up briskly.

"Sounds divine." Grace replies brightly.

"I think you should both have a haircut as well. We have some gorgeous new hair colours and cuts this season." Elena says confidently.

"Sounds like a good idea. Don't you agree Anastasia?" Grace asks me.

"I could use a haircut." I reply earnestly. "And please call me Ana. Only my mom calls me Anastasia when she is mad at me."

Grace chuckles.

"Sure thing darling." She says good-naturedly.

Moments later the girl, Clarice, comes back and sets down a bright yellow drink in front of me. Grace eagerly takes a sip of hers.

"Sometimes a girl really needs to spoil herself. Cheers." She whispers conspiratorially at me.

"Cheers." I reply and take a sip of the surprisingly refreshing cocktail.

"So Anastasia. What do you do?" Elena asks while taking my right hand into hers and starts my manicure.

"I am an intern at Grey Enterprises Holdings." I quickly reply.

"Oh, she works for Christian?" Elena asks Grace.

"Yes, and she is amazing. Did you know she in single handily increased the number of donations for Coping Together?" Grace says proudly making me flush.

"Did you now? Impressive." Elena says coolly.

"Well I don't mean to dish on Christian, but he really cracked the whip on the poor girl. So I thought she deserved a break." Grace babbles on good-naturedly.

Elena Coffs and clears her throat.

"Well Christian works hard, it is only natural he expects it from his staff." Elena says sounding a little affronted. Odd.

Grace chuckles.

"You always were his biggest champion." Grace says smiling.

After my manicure is done Elena escorts my to a stark white private room with a large massage-like table in the middle. She hands me a big fluffy white robe and tells me to undress. Maybe I am a prude but I don't feel comfortable undressing or being naked in front of strangers. Nevertheless, I hesitantly comply when she leaves the room. Moments later a staunch woman in her late forties, maybe early fifties, enters the room and greets me politely. She orders me to disrobe and lay down on the table.

I comply with all the enthusiasm I can muster. I really do not like this and I wonder if I can ask her to skip the waxing. On the other hand, I am mildly curious about the entire experience. Ray always says; If you don't try anything new you never know if you will like it.

The wax feels cold on my skin. I feel a sharp, stingy, slightly painful feeling on my leg when the woman pulls the paper off. After a few minutes, the feeling becomes a dull tolerable sting that is hardly bothering me. I gasp when she smears some on my genital area. I really don't know about this. I want to protest but I am too late. With a short rip of paper and a harsh sting, I am bold down there. Kate would be so proud; she always tried to convince me to get a Brazilian. I resolve calling her after this beauty day is over. Suddenly, the door of the room opens and Elena comes striding in. She looks at me like I am some piece of meat. It is unnerving, and I desperately want to cover myself up. What the hell is she doing in here? Has she no respect for my privacy?

"I came to check to see if everything is in order here?" She asks with a clearly feigned concern.

"I am fine." I mutter.

"Good. I'll take it from here Madeline." She says, dismissing the other woman. I don't want to be alone with her, she has an insidious malevolence about her that is pushing all my buttons.

"Have you been working long for Mr. Grey?" Elena asks while applying some wax on my forearms. I quickly grab a towel that is laying on the table to cover myself up a little and she smirks at me. It is unsettling.

"Almost two months now." I reply softly.

"So what do you make of him?" Elena probes further. Why the hell does she want to know?

I shrug.

"He is my boss. I don't see him that often." I reluctantly reply.

"I see." She says a little acidly while finishing up the last of my waxing.

"You are all done. Follow me for your algae bath." She orders brusquely. Why can't she just leave and let me be?

By 13:30, I am prodded, poked, steamed and almost frozen in an algae bath. My hair is cut a little shorter in layers and for the first time in forever, I feel like a million dollars. I am hungry and in spite of my disquieting confrontation with Elena, I feel relaxed.

"You really need to try the grilled chicken salad sandwich. It is to die for." Grace gushes. We are sitting at a beautiful homely restaurant near the Bravern center and I thoroughly enjoy her company. Grace Grey is the epitome of warm, motherly and compassionate.

"It does look good. I think I'll go with that." I reply smiling.

Our conversation flows easily. She wants to know about my family. I tell her the basics about Ray and mom and she tells me that all her three children are adopted. Apparently, Mr. Grey has an older brother who is in construction and a younger sister who is studying in Paris to become a chef. Her husband Carrick is a lawyer, I have heard of him before. He has successfully handled a couple of very high profile cases that were all over the news.

After our lunch is over, she drives me back home.

"I really enjoyed today Ana. Please keep in touch." Grace says kindly and squeezes my arm.

"I will. Thank you for everything Mrs... I mean Grace."

"You are very welcome. You deserved it."

I smile at her, saying goodbye again. I get out of the car and walk back to my apartment to enjoy a nice cup of tea and a good book to finish off my day of pampering.

It has been more than a week since I had my spa day with Mrs. Grey, and the initial feelings of relaxations have evaporated like snow on a hot summer's day. Working in finance is very demanding. Mr. Miller is really strict on deadlines and I really don't want to find out what happens to me if I miss one. However, I have learned a lot about GEH's financial business, assets, and negatives. So the entire experience is definitely interesting. I walk into my apartment building and get the mail out of my letterbox. Every week, Ray's neighbour forwards his mail to me so I don't have to make the two-hour journey to Montesano each week. Most of the mail are bills but I spot a letter from the bank in there too.

What do they want? I enter my apartment and open the letter.

Date November 20th, 2015

Mr. R Steele
Wilder Hill Lane, 38
Montesano, Washington, 98563

Re: Mortgages

Wilder Hill Lane, 38
Montesano, Washington, 98563

Church Street 215

Montesano, Washington, 98563

Dear Mr. Steele:

You have fallen behind on your mortgage payments. After repeated requests to bring your loans current, we are now forced to foreclose both properties. Seattle First Bank will demand the entire balance outstanding under the terms of your mortgage agreement.

The total amount due for the property on Wilder Hill Lane is $250,000.00-.

The total amount due for the property on Church Street is $185,000.00-.

Seattle First Bank will start legal action to foreclose on the mortgage, which will result in the sale of the property. We may also have the right to seek a judgment against you for any deficiency after the home is sold.

To avoid foreclosure you must also include with the above payment, any payments or late charges that are due during this 14-day period. Acceptance of less than the total amount due includes but is not limited to, the principal and interest and all other outstanding charges and costs. The money can be deposited in the following account number: 923798. Please use the following reference number while depositing the due amount. 125.851.9365

You have the right to assert in the foreclosure proceeding the non-existence of the default or any other defence to our legal action and sale of the property.

Sincerely,

Nicolas Klein

Seattle first bank director of Mortgages and personal loans.

Seattle first bank is a subsidiary of Grey Enterprises Holdings Incorporated.

I am shaking and bile rises in my throat. No! How can they do that to him! I told them, I explained everything, they were willing to help, and now all of a sudden they want to foreclose? This does not make any sense at all. There must be some mistake. I try calling the manager who handles Ray's case but he isn't answering. I frantically pace up and down my apartment floor trying to think of a solution. I look at the date again. It was sent last week, that means I have only 7 days to come up with 435,000.000 dollars.

Tears spring in my eyes and indigent rage swells in my chest. Those money grubbing careless bastards! I should have known GEH holds a large interest in that bank and money is all that fucking Grey cares about. I hate him, really hate him. He made Ray sick, solicited me improperly, and now he is taking our home?! NO just NO! I have had enough of his bullshit.

Tomorrow I will take back what is rightfully ours. He owes Ray money, not the other way around. There are payments each week to GEH creditors, Seattle First Bank is one of I have to do is change the account number and use the reference number to pay for both mortgages. That way, I won't raise suspicion. Once I know for sure that everything has been paid and my plan has worked I will quit. I sit down on my couch to absorb everything. I feel a lot calmer now knowing what to do.

I look at the picture of me and Ray that is hanging on the wall. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I was 16 and recently moved back to live with him. Those were troubled times with mom and husband number 3. He took me camping near Lake Sylvia, and he never asked or probed about anything. He was just being there for me letting me know with his actions that he would always have my back. Tomorrow I will do the same for him.

NOTE: the opinions of the characters are not necessarily the opinions of me the auteur.