CHAPTER 127
(PETER)
After a lovely albeit slightly surreal morning doing the tourist thing with The Grey's and Cross's, we are now all sitting around a table in a private dining room of a very up market restaurant. Like everything to do with Gideon Cross he had just lifted his phone, spoken to Raul and asked him to arrange a private dining room at the restaurant and it was done. It turns out that this restaurant is in the hotel where we are all staying. I glance at Suzanne and she meets my gaze and a silent moment passes between us. I look at Jared who is chatting amiably with Gideon. He is talking to him about his favourite GenTen game and Gideon is smiling indulgently at him.
I have had to pinch myself a few times since Jared called me and told me his biological father was Gideon Cross. When Jared had called me and told me that he was going to search for his biological family I had warned him that he could be opening a Pandora's box which he would be unable to close again. I can understand why he wanted to do it though. More so since we have talked over the past few days of his relatively short time with Phil. The levels of guilt I feel are immense. I keep going over and over in my head, could I have done more? Was there something I missed which could've got Jared out of Phil's clutches sooner? He was only with him about a month but it was a month too long, I had tried to visit him several times but as I had told Cross, Phil obviously knew I was coming and didn't answer the door. I had called Phil and he had been full of apologies claiming to have forgotten about my visits and that they had all gone out but now… now I know different. I wonder what Phil was playing at as he clearly didn't want Jared, he made that clear at the time Jared was placed with him and by the state of the conditions Jared was living in and what Jared himself has told me I wonder what the hell Phil was doing and why he didn't just force the issue and allow me to take him.
I glance at Cross, I will be forever grateful to him for removing Jared from Phil but he facilitated that with minimum effort and that scares me. His manner is intense and his influence is immense, and he can seemingly move mountains with the click of his fingers. He demands and it happens. Not only that his brother-in-law is equally wealthy and influential. Living in Seattle I was more aware of Christian Grey and Grey Enterprise Holdings, as I drive past Grey House every day on my way to work and I am feeling so far out of my depth here it is ridiculous. My only fear is that now Gideon knows of Jared and has made that contact he is going to interfere with his life, and not only that the media will become aware of him and hound him.
I think about that, he could certainly afford to contribute to Jared's schooling and college, not to mention offer security to him should the media become aware of him. But do I want him to have that sort of say? On the other hand, he did get Jared away from Phil. My mind wanders back to Phil and his bizarre behaviour, and inevitably moves on to Will and Angie's untimely deaths. Something really isn't right there either, there is something I am missing. Will always said he worried about Phil and tried to help him to stop him getting involved with illegal dealings, but it seems that he failed. He was always closest to Phil, he was the eldest and as such felt a responsibility to all of us as the eldest brother but he always held a special affection for Phil, probably as kids Phil was the one who always managed to get himself into some sort of trouble.
That leads me on to thinking about what Jared had told me about what had happened with Phil and the man who came to visit. Jared doesn't know who he was or what he was doing at the house, he said he had told Gideon what had happened and that had been what had made him leap into action to separate Jared from Phil. Jared has talked to that therapy lady as well, that is something which is way out of my comfort zone. I was brought up to believe that you had to be strong and you didn't talk about 'feelings'. It appears that both Gideon and Christian have the opposite opinion, if it helps Jared though I am willing to keep my mouth shut and let him get on with it. But I am disgusted at Phil for actually pointing a gun at his own nephew. A nephew whose own parents had recently died after being shot. That was unforgivable.
I watch Gideon as he chats with Jared. He is an odd man, so very private on the one hand for years he shied away from publicity and then all of a sudden it seemed he spewed his entire life story out in the public domain. I saw the interviews on the TV where he exposed his past for all to hear. I had also Googled him after Jared had confirmed he was his father and his whole life is laid out bare for the world to know. It seems to me that it appears he had a wretched childhood and he is determined that Jared will have a better one than he did. I think back to when Will and Angie adopted Jared, I knew Corrine had been involved with Gideon and the fact she was so adamant that he was not to be told, contacted or even mentioned made me wonder at the time if he was Jared's father. I had come to the conclusion that her reasoning was either that he was and she was telling the truth and he didn't want any part in the child's life so as a result she was being equally dismissive of him and making sure he had no knowledge or say in what she did, or she had cheated on him and he wasn't her baby's father and she didn't want him to know she was pregnant. It seems both of those theories were wrong. My head is spinning and I don't know what to do for the best. I obviously want what is best for Jared, but I don't want Cross coming in and taking him over… turning his head and taking him away from me… Oh my god am I jealous? I realise quickly that I am jealous, I don't want Jared to favour Gideon over me.
"Is everything alright Peter?"
I turn at the concerned voice and look into the kind eyes of Ana Grey. I smile at her. I have warmed to her the most during this visit, she seems a genuinely nice lady, warm and effortlessly compassionate. Eva Cross has been kind to us all but there is something about her, she has an edge to her. She has been nothing but polite, sympathetic and caring throughout, but I sense an edge. Something which tells me if I put a foot wrong, or if I upset any of her family I will know about it. Jared had told me how while he talked with the lady therapist he had also heard Eva yelling at Phil and telling him exactly what she thought of him, so much so that Gideon had left that meeting to go and talk with Phil himself. Christian Grey is an enigma he always has been, again I know more about him through Google and the television interviews I have seen recently. I need to try and get along with these people though for Jared sake if nothing else.
I lick my lips, and swallow hard, as I force a smile. "I think it's safe to say that I am feeling more than a bit out of my depth. I am completely overwhelmed by the events of the past couple of days and I was just thinking through everything that has happened" I say carefully.
Christian is listening and he nods, "It must be incredibly strange for you. Especially how quickly things moved. Gideon and I are used to clicking our fingers and demanding and things happening as a result of that, but we forget that can be a new experience for others" he says with a wry grin.
"Just a bit" I admit.
Christian nods, "I had a similar experience when I met my birth family for the first time a few months ago, I wanted to move heaven and earth to get things done but Ana kept telling me to take it slowly and that it wasn't just my wishes I had to consider" he says.
He glances at Gideon, "Gideon is fully aware of this and he is trying hard not to just take over which is his initial instincts. He knows he has no rights as such and so he is trying to tread carefully".
I nod but don't respond, and Ana smiles kindly at me.
"Gideon is a good man with a beautiful heart. He will want to be involved with Jared, and I will tell you now he will also want to contribute financially, he will want to discuss this with you but he doesn't want to overwhelm any of you. So, I suggest when he makes the move to speak with you, you have the boundaries you want to set in mind as he is fully aware that you have known Jared all his life and you have more rights that he does, but he will want to help".
I nod, "Thank you" I mutter quietly.
Christian leans closer and lowers his voice, "You should also know he is looking into the death of your brother and his wife after what Jared told us. He has asked Angus - his security advisor to do some digging. After what Jared told us about that day, something doesn't sit well with any of us, so you should also know that I have asked my security advisor to help Angus with that".
I nod, I am actually grateful for that as I didn't buy the conclusions that the police came to and the fact Phil and Beverley seemed to be so vague when they were there and had a ringside view of what happened that day. There was no way I'd ever be able to get to the bottom of it, so if the combined resources of these two men can help come up with any answers as to what really happened to my brother I will swallow my pride and accept it.
"Peter"
I look up and into the icy blue eyes of Gideon Cross.
"Yes" I reply simply.
"I think while we are here altogether we should discuss how things move forward from this point" he says.
He looks down at Jared and smiles at him, before reaching out and resting his hand protectively on his shoulder.
"Jared is my son, a fact which has been kept from me for thirteen years and as such I want to play a part in his life moving forward. However, I am fully aware of the fact I am a stranger to him, and to you. You have known him all his life so I will defer to you for the day to day aspects of his upbringing but make no mistake I will play a part in his life".
"Gideon" Eva says quietly and she touches his arm.
He closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath, "What I mean is…" he says but I quickly interrupt him.
"It's ok, I get it" I say. "I won't lie that all this is very overwhelming and I do have concerns which I think would be good for me to air now as we are discussing this" I say.
Gideon nods and he puts his fork down and I know I have his full attention.
I lick my lips again, once more marvelling at how surreal this is, I am about to lay down my demands for Jared to Gideon Cross.
"I don't want Jared to be exposed to the media, I get that you want to get to know him and I won't stand in your way… but I don't want any interviews or anything like that. I want to protect him from that. Plus, if it comes to light that he is your son, well… there are crazy people out there who will think that is their ticket to an easy payday and it could put Jared in danger" I stop and Gideon nods.
"Which is exactly why I am deferring to you. I have the same concerns. I completely agree that my link to you should be kept confidential but I want to make it clear that I will play a significant role in his life. I believe it will work as you are based in Seattle so there is that immediate logistical barrier, which will help us all, hide our connection…" he pauses and looks at Jared, "…not that I am ashamed of being your father, this is purely for your protection, do you understand that?", he asks earnestly and Jared just nods. He watches Jared's reaction closely and when he is satisfied that he is ok he continues.
"Eva and I travel to Seattle regularly so Eva can spend time with Ana so there is nothing new and nothing newsworthy about that. I have spoken to Jared and he isn't interested in meeting Corrine and to be honest the last thing I want is her trying to cause trouble in my life again, so once again I share your concerns about making this public. While I will defer to you on the day to day upbringing of Jared I do expect to be kept involved, and I also wish to contribute to that upbringing, and I will provide some form of security and protection measures to be put in place should the media become aware of Jared".
I nod, "That all sounds fair enough to me, what about you Jared, are you happy with that?" I ask.
He looks at me and nods, "I am, Gideon said he is going to make sure I have some kind of security… like a bodyguard but not someone who follows me about, someone who sort of blends in and will just keep an eye on things. He said that he is going to give me all his contact numbers as well, his own personal cell phone number, his office and his home number and he said that he is also going to give me Angus's number and I think he mentioned giving me Eva's as well" he glances at Gideon questioningly and he nods at that.
Christian clears his throat, "I will be in the same city, so should an emergency arise it would be prudent for you and Jared to have my contact numbers as well, as we can come to your aid quicker than Gideon as he is obviously located in New York, on the other side of the country. We can then also liaise with the security which Gideon puts in place. I will make sure you both have my home, office and personal cellphone number should the need arise. But you are obviously both going to be made welcome into our family in Seattle. You will be meeting my brother Elliot when we land as he will be helping with the removal of Jared's belongings".
"I agree" I say, "Thank you Christian" I add.
He holds up his hand, "No problem, it just makes sense… plus you have Caroline's number don't you Jared?" he says and Jared nods.
"Yes I have" he confirms.
"Now, I want to discuss a more delicate matter" Gideon says and he leans forward once more.
I wait for him to continue and he pushes his now empty plate to one side and clasps his hands in front of him. "Money" he says simply.
I lean back, I was expecting this, and while this man is a multi-billionaire and completely out of mine and most people's league I'm not a complete pauper.
"Jared has his trust fund from his fathers will. William was a successful businessman and so he will be a wealthy young man when he turns 21" I begin.
"Which is wonderful, but that won't put him through high school and college will it?" Gideon says.
"No, it won't but…" I begin but Gideon quickly interrupts.
"So, I am proposing opening two bank accounts for Jared in Seattle which he can access immediately. One will be a savings account which will be placed under your guardianship so therefore would also need your signature should he wish to withdraw from it until he turns 18. I will also provide a basic every day account for him for his day to day needs that he will be able to access at will so it will work on the same principle as an allowance".
I take a deep breath this is very generous but I don't want Jared to become a spoilt rich brat, "I want Jared to understand the value of money and not have it just dropped in his lap as that won't help him in the long run" I say carefully. "He should work for his allowance, it was something we all did growing up, we did chores around the house to earn our allowance".
Gideon thinks about that and rubs his chin thoughtfully, "I can understand that, alright how about a compromise? The savings account stands, but I will defer to you for his every day allowance, which makes sense as he will be living with you on the condition that I am allowed to contribute to his education?"
I can't really argue with that as it is more than reasonable and I immediately agree, "I'm happy with that" I say and turn towards Jared, "What about you Jared?" I ask him and he nods.
"That's fine with me" he says with a shrug.
As we continue to talk, Angus the man who met us at the airport when we first arrived from Seattle appears.
Gideon immediately smiles at the man and gives him his attention.
"If I could have a word lad" he says.
Gideon nods and stands up, "If you will excuse me" he says and moves away with Angus. I watch as they move over to the far corner of the room and Angus is talking rapidly and whatever it is seems important as Gideon is nodding. He turns and calls to Christian who immediately stands and joins them. I watch and I listen carefully and I hear Christian mention someone called Barney and that Welch will be able to sort it, there is more whispering and then Angus leaves.
Gideon and Christian talk for a few more moments and then re-join us.
Gideon looks at me, "Angus and Welch have discovered something interesting in the police statements made by your brother on the day of the shooting… it appears the statement he and his wife made on the scene differ considerably to the one taken later. It could be nothing, it could've been just shock at the time causing a lapse in memory but they are going to look into it".
"Who is Barney?" I ask, "I overheard…" I add.
Christian sighs, "Barney works for me at GEH" he says evasively and doesn't elaborate any further so I know whatever he does probably skirts the lines of legality in some way.
Gideon looks at me, "If there is anything to discover I assure you Angus and Welch are the men to discover it and if it helps give you closure on your brother's death then I am happy to help with that" he says.
"Thank you" I reply.
oooOOOooo
"Well, this is it then"
We are standing at the foot of the steps of Gideon's plane and it is time for us to return to Seattle, I look at Jared who has just spoken and I turn towards Gideon who is standing next to him with his hand on his shoulder.
"Yes this is it, but it is certainly not goodbye, I will only ever be a phone or skype call away and I can be with you as soon as humanly possible whenever I get that call – do you understand me?" he says adamantly.
Jared smiles up at him, "Ok" he says simply.
"You have Christian and Ana on speed dial, so if anything happens… anything at all… any type of emergency promise me you will call them as they are physically closer to help than I am and I trust Christian to act in your best interests should the need occur".
Jared nods, "I promise" he says solemnly.
Gideon wraps his hand around Jared's nape and pulls him towards him once more and he leans down and presses a kiss to the top of his head, "Good boy" he says, satisfied with that response.
I watch as my nephew immediately responds and wrapping his arms around Gideon he hugs him, and Gideon closes his eyes and hugs him back, it is a tender personal moment between father and son and we all instinctively take a step back to give them the illusion of privacy.
"I am always here for you Jared, never forget that" Gideon says, and he looks at me momentarily, "You have your uncle and aunt, you have Christian and Ana and you will always have me" he says.
"Ok" Jared replies and he increases his hold on Gideon.
"Never forget that I am your father" Gideon mutters and Jared giggles at that.
Gideon pulls away and looks at him questioningly and Jared shrugs.
"I just got the visual of that moment in that old film… when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker he's his dad – but thankfully I'm not hanging precariously off a precipice at this moment".
Gideon smiles at that, but I can't help but wonder if having Gideon Cross as his father will place Jared on that precipice.
"I'm not sure about being compared to Darth Vader" Gideon says with obvious amusement and Jared giggles even more at that.
Gideon looks at me again and holds out his hand, I immediately step forward and accept it.
"Take care of my son" he says and I nod.
"I will" I reply simply and with total sincerity.
