Chapter 26
Unbound

I know it has been a while, as I explained before my writing time is minimal, but I assure you all that I will finish this story no matter what.
Thank you for all your PM's reviews and comments. Your continued support means the world to me, and I am incredibly grateful to all those who take the time and effort to read my little dribbles.

Christian

There are few things more annoying than the insistent ringing of a telephone. The acrid sound abrasively echos through my office. I do not need to look at the display to know who is calling me. +44-891154891 I know it by heart it is haunting me, a poltergeist from my sordid past. The ringing stops, I never answer she should have gotten the message by now, but she is tenacious. She invaded my life two weeks ago when I was on holiday in Aspen with Anastasia. My sweet, smart, beautiful Anastasia she is the rock that keeps me from slipping into insanity.

I have blocked her number over a dozen times to no avail. I am impressed by her influence and connections. I told Andrea to never put her through, but even my stalwart PA feels her pressure. It matters not, she soon will realize that nobody harasses Christian Grey and gets away with it. Nemo me impune lacessit, Oh, the irony of that motto. It once belonged to the royal house of Stuart. The motto did not do them any good do, in the end, they were attacked and banished with impunity. But I am no Stuart. I take out the manila folder from my desk drawer. I can recite the information it contains in my dreams. I turn on my shredder and slowly feed the contents into its hungry blades. The past is dead and should remain dead. The phone rings again, +44-891154891. I have enough of it! I smash my phone against the wall. It gives a satisfying crack when it hits the wall and breaks into small pieces. I press the call button on my intercom.

'Andrea get England's prime minister on the phone now! And send miss Steele to my office.' I need to put a stop to this once and for all and unleash my pent up frustration. Anastasia is the only one who can give me release and calm this raging beast inside of me.

'Certainly, Mr Grey.' Andreas disembodied voice echos through my office.

My conversation with the prime minister of England was short and to the point. I made it clear to her that she either reigned in that obnoxiously persistent woman or I would move my European headquarters to Amsterdam and ice plans for a computer chip factory in Newbury. She sputtered, of course, holding some diatribe about duty, history and honour but once I made clear to her in uncertain terms that I was not interested, she backed off and saw it my way. I scoff loudly. They always do in the end.
Nevertheless, that phone call has put me on edge, and my frustration is treating to flow over. I close my eyes and take a steadying breath. Anastasia will be here soon, and all will be right again.

My desk phone buzzes for the millionth time this day.

'What!?' I bark through the speaker if Andrea is to blame.

'Mr. Welch and Mr Taylor are here to see you sir, and Miss Steele is running an errand for Mr Miller, she won't be back for another half an hour. Sawyer and Prescott are escorting her sir.' She says entirely unphased by my outburst. That woman deserves a raise for putting up with my crap.

An errand for Miller?! She is not his damn secretary and should not be bothered with something menial like running his goddamn errands. She is supposed to learn the ropes from him! I am furious, how dare he abuse her like that!

'Get me that mother fucker on the phone now! And send Welch and Taylor in.'

'Yes, sir.'

Moments later, Welch and Taylor march into my offices while I am reading the riot act to Miller.

'But sir, surely as an intern she needs to experience all aspects of accounting Miller sputters.'

'Getting your damn shirts from dry-cleaning has nothing to do with accounting. Ms Steele is not your maid. Don't let it happen again or you can find yourself another job, do you understand me, Miller?'

'But..' He begins.

'I am not interested in your buts. Do what I say or you ARE Fired!' I slam on the end call button scowling at Taylor and Welch who are standing in front om my desk.

I slump down on my chair and gesture them to sit down on the chairs in front of my desk, equalizing our heights. I hate it when people look down on me.

'What is it?'

'We finally have the information about Stephan Morton you requested.' Welch speaks calmly.

'Good! That is about time, it took you long enough, hand it over.' I command.

Welch hands me a manila folder containing some files.

'Morton was tough to track down. He moved to Nova Scotia and is running a cheap motel at the coast, near Lunenburg. He changed his name to Andrew Peterson and is a debilitated.'

That last statement got my attention rapidly. Anastasia never told me he is paralyzed.

'What do you mean?'

'It is all a bit obscure, I had to dig deep to get his medical records and the police report unearthed, but both were incomplete. Apparently four years ago he got into a fight with an unidentified person outside a strip joint in Macon, Georgia. The person that beat the hell out of him left him for dead in the back alley of the establishment. There were no witnesses, and he was only discovered after one of the other patrons took a leak in the alley hours later. His injuries were so severe that doctors thought he would not make it. But he pulled through but was paralyzed from the waist down and had slight brain damage. He could not remember what happened, let alone remember who gave him a beating of a lifetime. Whoever it was put the fear of God in him because he immigrated to Canada immediately after he released from the Hospital and changed his name. His father gave him money to start a new life in Nova Scotia.'

I fantasied of destroying Morton a hundred times over but I was not prepared nor expected that someone else beat me to the punch I feel disappointed. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by the tale, some aspects of it do not make sense. For one, I do not believe that Morton had no clue who beat him up.

'What did the police report say?' I am surprised when Taylor answers it is Welch job to dig up information.

'That is the interesting part. Parts of the police report have disappeared, and so did a lot of the evidence. This was all, of course, very suspect but made sense to me after I found out who runs Macon's police department.' He opens the file he is holding and hands me an old picture. A stern-looking young man in a ranger uniform stares back at me.

'Meet first Lieutenant Derek Calhoun, he was the platoon leader of both Ray Steele and Frank Lambert and best man on Lambert's wedding to Carla Adams. But that is not all, we checked old phone records of both Calhoun and Steele and found out they were in frequent contact with each other. They still speak to each other today, but their contact is less frequent. We also found out that Steele had been actively keeping track of Morton's whereabouts. So here is my hypothesis; Steele waited patiently for the opportune moment to strike at Morton with the help of his buddy Calhoun who covered it up and made the entire case go away.'

This information is startling, and I quickly skim through the manila, looking for confirmation. Something catches my eye. It is a report from a private detective hired by Morton's father.

'It says here that a PI interviewed both Carla Adams who he immediately ruled out as a suspect and Ray Steele. Both had solid alibis. Adams gave an art and craft course in the evening at Montesano high and Ray was on a fishing trip at Lake Chelan with a Jose Rodriguez sr who confirmed his alibi.'

Taylor scoffs.

'Jose Rodriguez sr is another alumnus of Lieutenant Calhouns Boom platoon. They are all covering for each other. If my hypothesis is correct, Ray Steele could be a security risk for you if he ever takes finds out and takes offence to the unorthodox way you wooed his daughter. The man is meticulous, calculated and takes no prisoners. I suggest we put him on the watch list.

The comparison between my own character and that of Ray Steele's does not escape me, and neither does the irony of the entire situation. I just spend a small fortune to save his life.

'I do not think it is prudent for my relationship with Anastasia to put her father on my watch list.'

'With all due respect sir, what miss Steele does not know won't hurt her. Her father could be a potential threat once he learns how you wooed her. We should be prepared to deal with him in the event.'

'I will never find out Taylor, trust me.'

'We cannot be sure of that, sir.' Taylor immediately interjects. I pinch the bridge of my nose tired and annoyed with this conversation.

'Do what you need to do Taylor, just make sure miss Steele never finds out.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Anything else?' I ask wanting both Welch and Taylor gone from my office.

'No, sir.' They both say in unison. I wave my hand in dismissal, and they get up and leave my office.

I sigh and flip through the dossier again. Taylor is right, Ray Steele could become a problem one I need to be able to solve as soon as the need arises. I won't let anyone take Anastasia from me, Ray Steele included. At the same time, I cannot help but admire the man, we share the same way of thinking. It will be a pity if our relationship gets strained… I take one of the papers from the dossier and scan its contents feeling annoyed by this whole damn situation. The key to solving my problem as always is information. Being multiple steps ahead of my competitors made me the successful businessman I am today. It seems Stephan Morton's father has run into some financial difficulties and Stephan Mortons hotel is not doing that great either. Their economic vulnerability is a weakness I can exploit. Morton never wanted to tell who attacked him, a commercial offer at the hight of his financial ruin might persuade him otherwise. Having this information from Morton will undoubtedly lead to more evidence against Ray Steele and his army buddies. The evidence I will use in a heartbeat the moment he becomes a threat to my relationship with Anastasia. Right now, I will let Welch put some manpower on both Mortons, Ray Steele and his army buddies. I want to know everything there is to know about them. Content with my plan, I call Welch and order the surveillance.

I look at the clock feeling annoyed it has been over an hour since I was supposed to have lunch with Anastasia. I curse at Miller again for sending her on his stupid errands. If he weren't good at his job, I would have fired him immediately. I tap the intercom and order Andrea to bring me another coffee. I grudgingly open my email and start reading some proposals on several promising acquisitions, my team assembled. I am impressed with what they have come up with.

My door swings open and I look up from my computer half expecting Andrea with my coffee, surprisingly Ros storms into my office holding a sleeping Chris. She seems excited, her red curls bouncing wildly with every step she takes. Well, this is a surprise.

'Not that I am not happy to see you, but I thought this was your day off. How is my little man?' I get up from my chair and take my sleeping godson from her. I cannot believe how big he has gotten since the last time I saw him. He looks so fragile and innocent an unfamiliar feeling swirls inside my chest, making me feel uneasy.

'He is doing great, growing like cabbage if you ask me.' she smiles a sweet little smile and strokes his head lovingly. The tender moment only lasts a second and Ros immediately jumps back into business mode.

'I have some amazing news, Professor Berg just called me. He and professor Hoffman are on their way here now. I have sent one of the jets to pick them up immediately. Hoffman's research team has made an incredible breakthrough with the development of drought-resistant crops. According to Hoffman, it was the breakthrough his team was looking for. This is it Christian if it is really the breakthrough they were looking for we could be planting crops in the Sahara in a matter of years.' The excitement in her voice is palatable.

No more hunger... The thought is overwhelming. A long-held dream is finally coming into fruition… Not ever need a child go hungry again and feel the desolate ache of an empty stomach. Excitement unravels in my stomach.

'What time will they be here? I want to know everything about their discovery as soon as possible.'

'They should be here in about 30 minutes.' Ros says and strokes little Chris's cheek again. She turns to face me her face pensive.

'That reminds me, Christian, we need daycare in Grey House, sure we provide our employees with some cover in daycare costs, but I crunched the numbers, and it would be a lot cheaper for them and us to provide the service in house. Not to mention its good for parent and child bonding and it saves people from scrambling for a sitter or a daycare centre. I am on Chris duty today, and since my nanny has today off, I was forced to bring him with me. I cannot take him into our meeting with the professors it would have been a real solution if I could bring him to an in-house daycare centre. I don't know where to put him now maybe Andrea can sit him?' she muses.

'I will ask her if she has the time to do so.' I grumble not really happy to assign my irreplaceable PA to babysitting duties. Having a daycare at Grey house might not be such a bad idea at all. I scold myself of not thinking about it myself; it is an excellent way to retain talented employees.

'I want you to look into the cost and requirements of running a Grey house daycare, Ros. I think its a solid idea.'

'See Christian, I knew you would agree with me.' Ros says, smiling.

There is a rapid knock on my office door and Andrea strides in holding her trusted Ipad.

'Mr. Grey, Ms Bailey, Professor Berg and his colleagues will arrive in 20 minutes I prepared conference room one for their presentation. Mr Grey, I rescheduled your appointments for today, Your meeting with Marcus and his acquisitions team has been rescheduled for tomorrow at 13:00. Your meeting with Mrs Lincoln and Mr Miller on Escalva books is at 16:00 Your lunch with Ms Steele is moved to 13:00, and I rescheduled your appointment with Mr Yang of Yang shipping at 15:00.' She rattles off.

'Thank you, Andrea, Ms Steele will be up once she is back from her errand see that she is made comfortable in my office, Andrea.'

'Yes, sir.' She replies and scurries off again.

Ros stares at me with a foreboding look on her face.

'You seem to have taken a special interest in Ms Steele, more so than the other interns Christian. Has she forgiven your highly unprofessional outburst during her presentation a couple of months ago? Or is this your way of making up to her?'

Her enquiry irritates me. I do not wish to be reminded of my less than stellar behaviour when I commented on Anastasia's choice of clothing. If she just had given me a chance back, then I would not have needed to take such dire steps.

'I apologized for my behaviour Ros you do not need to remind me.' I snap at her.

'Why are you so interested in her Christian? Is it personal? I would totally understand why, but I do not need to remind you that pursuing a relationship with a subordinate, especially an intern, is highly unethical.'

How dare she interfere with my relationship with Anastasia?! She might be my friend and right-hand woman, but I would fire her on the spot and ruin her if she tries to interfere with my relationship with Anastasia. It is in her best interest to mind her own damn business.

'How dare you insinuate that my interest in her is anything else than professional? Ms Steele is an extremely talented writer and editor. Who do you think wrote my speech to the Vatican? She also has a knack for numbers because she single-handedly discovered some irregularity at accounting which I hold Miller responsible for. He is on her case because she made him look like a half-wit. Good work deserves to be rewarded.' Half-truths are always the best lies, and I am pleased with how smoothly and believably this one came out.

'Really? Irregularities at accounting? Under Miller? Phew, that is a tough nut to swallow. What was wrong?'

God dammed Ros why can't you just run with the story I gave you! I am getting tired of her constant meddling.

'The computer program controlling debt payments was not functioning properly. Ms Steele alerted Helen, who alerted me about this because Miller was unapproachable and refused to listen to her. I ordered her to test the controls. She did by wiring money over to her fathers lumber business. An unauthorized company we never did business with. It went without a hitch. I gave Miller hell for it. You understand that Miller is not too pleased with her at the moment. So I am taking her under my wing. I want to recruit her for GEH as soon as she is out of college.'

I am proud of my spin of the truth I only hope it satisfies Ros's curiosity and she will stop prodding. The look on her face, however, tells me she is not really convinced with my explanation.

'She is beautiful, though.' She musses and I glare at her. She cracks and smile and drops the subject by asking me what time it is.

'Time to go to the conference room.' I grunt.

I follow her out of my office into the conference room located on my office floor. Andrea is already waiting with a diverse array of snacks and beverages. The smartboard is running, and notebooks and pens are set on the large glass and oak conference table. Once again, Andrea proved to be worth her weight in gold. I sometimes wonder what I would do without her.

Ros looks at her and gives her one of her most charming smiles. I roll my eyes at the gesture knowing precisely what she is up to.

'Say, Andrea, are you really busy this afternoon?' Ros asks all smiles.

Andrea blinks twice in surprise and then looks at Ros suspiciously.

'I need to finish up on some work.. why?'

'I need to ask you for a huge favour.' Ros says the broad smile never leaving her face. It is kind of eerie, and by the look on Andrea's face, I am guessing she agrees with my assessment.

'What exactly do you need from me?' Andrea asks tentatively.

'Do you mind babysitting little Chris for me during the meeting? I promise he will be good. It is my day off, so my babysitter has a day off and is out of town, and this meeting came as a surprise, so I am kind of in knots here. I swear I make it up to you somehow.'

Andrea looks pale and wide-eyed.

'I don't know.. I never babysat before, and I have still so much to do..' She stammers. Hearing the confident Andrea Parker stammer is quite shocking.

'You never babysat before? Not even in your teens? Wow!' Ros exclaims.

'No, I hated my neighbour's kids; they were brats, and I got a much better paying job at the Pizza Palace.' Andrea snaps back making Ros, and I chuckle.

'Please, Andrea, I beg you. Chris is charming and will rarely trouble you, I treat you dinner at Mendoza's next week..' Ouch, typical Ros going straight to the jugular. Andrea is a real foodie, and I am pretty sure she won't resist that offer. Mendozas opened about a year ago and already has 2 Michelin stars. Its the place to be according to some and has a waiting list of many months for mere mortals. I know Andrea has wanted to go there ever since it opened. I was planning on gifting her a dinner there as a bonus. Leave it to Ros to rain on my parade.

'Fine just tell me what to do. And I want to bring my mom when we go.'

Ros smiles brightly.

'No problem!' she says before starting a diatribe about feeding and diapers. I zoom out and stare out the window. Suddenly the atmosphere changes, it is like the air is filled with charged particles. Ana, I whisper and turn around to see her standing in the doorway.

'Mr. Grey, you wanted to see me, sir?' Her melodic voice echoes through the room. She is wearing a grey pencil skirt, a white blouse and dark flats. She truly is a sight for sore eyes.

'Yes, Ms Steele that is correct. Let's go to my office.' Its feels both weird and unnerving acting for formal and professional with her, here at GEH especially because I have spent every day between her legs since our Christmas holiday trip to Aspen.

'Christian you cannot bail now we have a meeting.' Ros says dramatically. She is one to talk; she is still debating the merits of baby oil with Andrea.

I look around the room in an equally dramatic fashion and give her my most charming smile.

'I do not see Berg and his colleagues here yet, no Berg means no meeting. And may he arrive before I get back, well you are a big girl I am sure you can entertain them in my absence.' I wink at Ros, gently take Ana's arm and lead her to my office. The door closes with a thud and his push her against enveloping her small body with mine. She lets out a surprised yelp.

'God,, I missed you.' I say and smash my lips against hers. Her lips are soft and warm against mine. She breaks the kiss, and it's then that I notice her hands pushing against my chest. Panic and surprise battle for dominates inside me. The burning sensation that I usually feel when someone touches my chest stays dormant; instead, I only feel the pleasant warmth of her hands. The entire experience disconcerting, and for the first time in a long time, I feel terrified. I push her back and let her go abruptly. Suddenly her soft, warm body feels scorching, like fire incarnated at the same time my longing for her intensifies; it makes me feel dazed and confused. I suck in as much oxygen as I can trying not to hyperventilate.

'Are you alright?' Her soft voice is filled with concern and everything I feel for her threatens to overwhelm me. I think I am going mad!

I try to smile at her, but my emotions threaten to overwhelm me. I repeat Elena's mantra in my head. Love is for fools, Love is for fools. I want to laugh at the ridicules of the situation I am incapable of loving. No, what I feel for Anastasia is merely unrestrained lust.

'I am fine.' I bark out harsher than intended. 'Just a little warm.' I say my voice softening this time.

She looks unsure, and I point at the chair in front of my desk.

'Please, have a seat.'

She sits down and smooths down her skirt.

'You look terrific in that skirt.' I compliment her.

'Thank you.' She whispers in reply.

'Did you have lunch yet?'

'No, I haven't found the time to eat yet.'

'You need to eat! I order something for you so you can eat in peace in my office. I promise you Miller won't be bothering you anymore today. I told him I needed your services for some editing work.'

'Oh, really hungry though..' She replies almost timidly.

'Anastasia don't start with me. You will eat.' She opens her mouth to reply, but I quickly change the subject. I am no mood to fight with her today. 'What kind of errands did Miller send you on?'

'I needed to pick up many aeroplane tickets for junior and senior personnel at the travel agency. Someone from accounting needed to sign off on the receipt, Mr Miller, asked me to do it.'

I cannot help but feel annoyed at Miller. Anastasia's talents should not be wasted on running dumb errands for that fool.

'I will tell him to send someone else next time, we did not hire you to run errands for lazy execs.'

'I don't mind really... I kind of enjoy going to the travel agency. All those tickets made me feel like I was going to travel the world. I liked that illusion.' Her voice is soft, almost timid.

'You want to travel the world?'

She looks up and gives me the sweetest small smile.

'Yes, I would. Before Rome... I never went out of the states. Mam and Ray are great parents but simply did not have the money for international holidays.' She shrugs. 'I did not mind really. I liked our holiday trips to various states. I guess now that I am older I want to see more of the world.'

Her confession grips me, and I desperately want to make her dreams come through.

'We can travel the world together. I will take a sabbatical year after you graduate and I will take you wherever you want to go. Just say the word.' The idea of us seeing travelling together is exciting, and I want her to say yes to my proposal badly.

She gives me a sad smile.

'We both know that this is never going to happen. In two months, we will go our separate ways, and we will be out of each other life.'

It feels like she has punched me in the gut the thought of her leaving me is unbearable. I know I'd give her my word that I would let her go after the contract is up, but deep down, I have always known that I am never going to honour that arrangement.

'We don't have to go our separate ways. The contract is just a thing, we can amend it if we wish to.'

A flicker of fear appears in her eyes, and it feels like a punch in the gut, how can she still fear me?

'I do not wish to amend it..' Her voice his a mere whisper but it feels like she screamed her rejection in my ear. She does not want to be with me no matter how hard I have tried to erase the image of the monster I am she still sees right through me staring straight at the rotten core inside of me. I have been diluting myself that what we have now, this camaraderie, was enough for her to start loving me. But now I know for sure. She will never love me or want to stay with me out of her free will. All we will ever have is this tentative truce between us. But the simple fact is, I can never let her go she is bound to me like I am to her. She is mine, forever. Yet I don't want her to be afraid of me. But how can I keep her without forcing her? It is a conundrum I cannot seem to solve.

There is knock on the door, and Ros pokes her head in.

'They are here.' Her excitement is palpable.

'I will be right up.' I grunt out the excitement I previously felt for Berg's announcement is nowhere to be found.

I take my phone out and call the local deli to bring over some chicken sandwiches and orange juice.

I turn my attention back to Anastasia again.

'Your lunch will arrive shortly. After you are done, go to Andrea and ask her for the Martin files. They need editing.'

'Yes, sir.' She replies, hoarsely.

'Let's go.' I say to Ros, who is still hovering at the door.

Berg and his colleagues' findings are absolutely thrilling, yet I cannot seem to focus on their presentation or muster more then platitudel enthusiasm. My mind keeps drifting off to Anastasia. How can I make her stay the same question keeps repeating over and over in my head, yet the answer remains ever elusive.
Berg and his colleagues drone on passionately, and I cannot fault them for that. The entire meeting lasts for a little more than three hours. At the end of it, I have managed to take some notes and agreed on providing additional funding and acquiring new test locations on the African continent.

'Mr. Grey, thank you so much for your time and your continued support for our project. You have no idea how much this is going to change the world, and it's all because of your kindness and generosity that we can do this.' Berg says while shaking my hand vigorously. He has an earnest look on his face, and his eyes are watery. It makes me realize how dedicated he is to this project, and my respect for him jumps tenfold.

'You are giving me to much credit professor I merely provide the funding, the success of this project is to sole efforts of you and your team.'

He smiles a crooked smile.

'Let's just say its a team effort of all of us.' He offers.

'I like that idea.' I reply.

'Thank you again, Mr Grey.' He says and walks over to his colleagues and Ros who are still talking animatedly, leaving me to my own devices.

I make my way out of the conference room into the hallway. Andrea's desk sits ominously empty. I walk farther down the hall and hear muffled voices coming from one of the smaller meeting rooms. I turn my attention to the room, the door is slightly ajar allowing me a peek inside.

Andrea stands at the table her usually perfectly coiffed hair looks frazzled, and she is furiously stammering an apology to the person standing to the side of her. She sounds like she is about to burst into tears. I walk closer to the door, allowing me a better look into the room.

Anastasia is standing next to Andrea, and for a moment, I am completely stunned. Anastasia looks magnificent like an angel descendant from heaven her chestnut hear radiates in the sunlight, giving it a reddish hue. She is softly singing while rocking Chris, who clearly had a temper tantrum gently in her arms. The effect of her action is immediate. Chris red, blotched, tear-stained, little face morphs into a picture of serenity. She smiles, sweetly at Andrea in an apparent attempt to comfort her. The whole scene reminds me of Michaelangelo's Madonna and child, A perfect vision of motherhood; and then it hits me like a brick, Anastasia is the perfect incarnation of motherhood. Her, patience, gentleness, kindness and capacity for love make her so. She would never abandon or hurt her child; she would love her child unconditionally and would anything to protect it, unlike the crackwhore. I am staring right at the answer of my conundrum with Anastasia. If she had my child, she would be forced to stay with me, she would never deprive her baby of its father or the best life possible, a life with his parents together. We would be a family I know she would never love me, but she would love my baby, our baby unconditionally and therefore she would love a part of me, and that is enough for me and enough for her to stay. A baby will bind her to me forever.

Hope swells in my chest and a plan forms in my head. I tear my eyes and almost run to my office, closing the door with a bang. I press the call button on my speakerphone, knowing that Andrea needs to run to pick it up in time. It kind of makes me feel like an asshole, and I promise myself that I would make it up to her soon.

'Mr Grey sir.' She answers out of breath after the sixth ring.

'Andrea cancel the rest of my meeting today and send Taylor to my office, now please.' I try to say as friendly as possible.

'Yes, Mr Grey.' She replies, sounding a little surprised.

I and end the call and open my desk drawer to pull out a set of keys. I walk towards the largest Trouton painting and remove it from the wall. For a brief moment, I stare at the safe like object behind it. I turn the keys into the lock, and a keypad appears. I quickly enter the code, and the hidden door unlocks. I chuckle and enter the small secret chamber. The lights turn on automatically displaying the alphabetically ordered cabinet files inside. I walk over to the G drawer, pull out the file I need and chuckle. You see, you don't get to the top of obtaining power without gathering intelligence, dirt or leverage on people you encounter privately or work-related. I close the room and hang back the painting before sitting down at my desk.

The picture of Dr Stephanie Greene, one of the worlds top gynaecologists and esteemed colleague of my mother, her derelict husband and their gambling-addicted son are staring back at me. I browse the information and cannot help but smile. This is even better then I could have ever hoped for, and I almost pity the poor woman. Welch really has done an outstanding job with collecting this intel. It is funny, never in my wildest dream did I ever think I would require services for this very particular purpose, I always imagined it would be for something quite the opposite. I put the file in my briefcase just as Taylor knocks on my door. 'Enter.' I say.

'You wanted to see me, sir?' He asks.

'Yes, we are leaving. Tell Sawyer he needs to drive Ms Steele home tonight. I need to make a stop at Seattle memorial Hospital.'

'Are you alright, sir?' Taylor asks, concerned.

'I am fine.' I bark, annoyed that he asked.

'Very well, sir.' He replies stoically.

I grab my jacket and saunter out of my office.

Seattle Memorial is one of the oldest hospitals in the city and a frequent recipient of my charitable largess. It is located in a 19th-century sizeable brown brick building near the city centre a few miles from GEH. Though the outside looks old, its interior is sleek and modern. Glass, stainless steel and white marble are found everywhere. I walk inside and hope my presence goes unnoticed. I am in no mood to entertain my mother or worse Virgil Carson, the hospitals' director and resident sickafant best known for his penchant for transvestite prostitutes. Not them I am one to judge someone else sexual proclivities although I am pretty sure his wife does not share my liberal point of view. Dr Greene's office is located on the third floor. Her waiting room is informative yet tastefully decorated. Her assistant immediately jumps up when she sees me.

'Mr. Grey, what an honour to meet you.' She squeaks while batting her eyes at me.

I have to suppress the urge to roll my eyes at her; instead, I give her my most charming smile.

'I need to see Dr Greene, is she in?'

She looks at me, surprised.

'Uhm, she was just about to go home. But I am sure she has time for you. Let me tell her that you want to see her.'

She gets up and rushes to Dr Greene's office. A moment later, she returns.

'Dr. Greene is available, Mr Grey.'

'Thank you.' I nod at her and enter Greene's office.

Stephanie Greene's office is richly furnished. Various items and medical models are set on classical pieces of furniture. It breathes a homely atmosphere. I am guessing its all a rouse to make her patients feel more comfortable.

'Mr. Grey, I must say that I am surprised to see you. What do I owe the pleasure?' She is sitting at her desk her blond hair tight up in a ponytail making her look much younger than 53.

I smile at her and sit myself down on one of the comfortable fluffy chairs in front of her desk.

'I do realize my visit is somewhat unorthodox, but I assure it with good reason. I need to make use of your services.'

She cocks her eyebrow at me clearly vexed at my seemingly pointless late afternoon intrusion.

'You do realize that I am a gynaecologist Mr Grey? I am afraid I won't be much use to you. I can refer you to a good urologist if you require medical attention.'

I am both annoyed and impressed with her snappy reaction. I am in no mood to drag this conversation on so I decided to cut right to the point.

'I am very much aware of your profession Doctor; I am in need six months worth of placebo birth control pills a subscription for folic acid.'

Her face morphs into a picture of absolute shock and horror. It is almost comical.

'I don't happen to have placebo birth-control laying around, and even if for some insane reason I had such useless pills in my possession I would never prescribe them to a patient, especially not a patient whom I do not even know. It would be a gross violation of every ethical and medical norm in existence. I do not know what you are planning Mr Grey, but you asking me for placebo birth control gives me a most uncomfortable inkling, and I will not be apart of it.'

Ah, just as I feared good old Stephanie choose to take the moral high ground, her hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. I feel nothing but pure loathing for her. I narrow my eyes at her abandoning all pretence of respect and equality.

'How is your son Stephanie?'

My sudden change of subject has an immediate effect. I smile a slow, predatory smile at her before continuing my taunt.

'You look a little pale, are you feeling alright my dear doctor or shall I call for some help?'

'Wha… what.. I..' she stammers.

'What is it, dear Doctor? Cat got your tongue? You see Stephanie, you have mistaken my polite question as a request among equals, but you and I are far from equal Doctor. When I told you I needed to enlist your help, it was not a request. I expect that you deliver what I desire tomorrow afternoon at the latest.'

'Mr. Grey, I cannot in good conscience..' She starts stammering again.

'Spare me your sudden found moral high ground! How much has junior set you back now? 1,5 million is it? He is gambling away your money faster then you can make it, even with your little side trade in prescription drugs. You are nothing more than a high-class drugs dealer. Where are your high norms and ethics when people die from an overdose of oxycodone you provided?'

She looks dejected her eyes are filled with sadness.

'Does, she know? The girl does she want kids?' her voice a mere whisper.

'You do not need to concern yourself with that question, it bears no relevance on you. Look at it this way, you are doing a good deed you are facilitating the creation of life instead of destroying it. The child that will be much wanted and loved unconditionally.'

She swallows and briefly stares out the window.

'You must understand that I love Jake, as a child, he was the sweetest little boy, I just want him to be happy and free of this addiction. I never meant to sell all those pills, but I was desperate. Jake gambled everything away, and we were going to lose our house…'

For some reason, her confession irritates me. Does she not see the irony? Its people like her that get others addicted.

'To be honest Stephanie, I could not care less; however, I am willing to help you out if I can count on your discretion cooperation. You will stop selling those prescription pills, and in return, I will make sure your son is no longer welcome in both the legal and illegal gaming houses in the state. I will provide funding for his rehabilitation and pay of his remaining debts.'

She nods and wipes the tears from her eyes.

'Its a deal.' She whispers, knowing that she got of mercifully.

At least it will prevent some pills from hitting the street. I guess its a double win for me.

'We are done here.' I get up and walk towards the door. I open it and turn around offering her one last parting shot.

'I am a man of my word Stephanie I expect you to honour our agreement, I will have the pills tested so do not think you can screw me over, I will end you if you try.'

'I would never..'

'Good.'

I close the door and smile. A feeling of complete elation engulfs me. Mission accomplished!