Chpt. 43 APOV
"Mr. Grey, Ana" Taylor greets us over breakfast the next morning.
"Good morning Taylor" I reply.
"Taylor" Christian nods.
"When you are finished eating I would like to update you on the situation" Taylor requests.
"We can do this now" Christian says.
"It's fine" I agree as Taylor looks to me before joining us at the table.
"Ms. Williams has been admitted to a psychiatric facility as arranged by Dr. Flynn" Taylor begins. "Although he can't give us specific details about her treatment, he agreed to inform us of her discharge once they start planning for it. He believes she will be there for the foreseeable future though."
"Hopefully she can get the help she needs" I sigh.
"What about Elena and Mr. Murphy?" Christian asks.
"Mr. Murphy was arrested last night and charged with attempted murder. The detective I spoke with does not believe he will be granted bail given the seriousness of the crime, however I think it would be wise to speak to your father" Taylor suggests.
"I spoke with him this morning" Christian confirms.
"An arrest warrant was issued last night for Elena as well…." Taylor says.
"But?" I ask, hearing the hesitation in his voice.
"The police are not able to locate her currently" Taylor grimaces.
"WHAT?! How is this fucking possible?" Christian screams.
"I'm looking into it sir, but it appears she slipped out at some point last night" Taylor explains. "We believe she was tipped off."
"By who? There is no way Leila tipped her off!" Christian yells.
"We don't know sir," Taylor answers. "Mr. Murphy was at his home but when the police arrived at Elena's home she was nowhere to be found. Clothes were scattered throughout her bedroom and they believe luggage was missing."
"She ran" I conclude.
"We believe so" Taylor confirms. "She won't get far; her bank accounts have all been frozen."
"Except for the one overseas" Christian says.
"Her passport has been revoked and her name has been flagged if she attempts to rent a car or purchase an airline ticket" Taylor explains.
"Whoever was supposed to be fucking watching her last night is fired! This never should have happened!" Christian exclaims.
"His employment has already been terminated" Taylor says.
"I want security increased on my entire family…including Kate" Christian orders.
"Already taken care of sir" Taylor replies.
"How could this happen? Who could have tipped her off?" I ask as we settle into the greet room.
"She has a lot of friends, I'm sure she knows someone in the police department or a judge's office" Christian sighs.
"Shouldn't you be going to work today?" I glance at the clock.
"I think I'm going to spend the day right here with you instead" he pulls me close to him.
"Speaking of work….I'm beginning to send my resume out since graduation is in a week" I tell him a few minutes later.
"You know you don't need to work, right? I have more than enough money to take care of you for the rest of our lives" he says.
"I know" I sigh. "I want to work…it's been so hard just sitting around here since the accident; I need to do something. I'm not the type of woman who is content with living off of you or just spending your money."
"I know that baby" he kisses my neck as I rest against him. "I'm just saying you don't have to work if you don't want to."
"My mother went from guy to guy because she could never afford to be on her own…I don't want to be like her and just be with someone for money" I say quietly. "I want to feel like I'm productive, doing something."
"How about Grey Publishing?" he suggests.
"Grey Publishing?" I ask confused.
"It was SIP but we just changed the name over to Grey Publishing a few weeks ago" he explains.
"I don't know Christian" I sigh. "I think it would be obvious why I was hired, especially once we get married. I don't want to have a job simply because my husband owns the company."
"I could just forward your resume to HR, I wouldn't be involved in the hiring process beyond that" he says.
"I don't know…I'll think about it" I reply reluctantly. "I've just started to send out my resume, but I do have one interview lined up next week."
"Oh? Where?" he asks.
"I'm not telling you!" I exclaim.
"What? Why not?" he asks.
"So you can pull strings and force them to hire me? No thanks" I laugh. "I will take Sawyer with me of course but I'm going to swear him to secrecy as well."
"I wouldn't do that" he smirks.
"Yes you would" I giggle.
"Well…maybe" he agrees. "You could always wait until after the wedding and honeymoon to start working?"
"I know…besides it might take me that long to find a job" I admit.
"You'll find something" he assures me.
We spend the rest of the day lounging on the couch, watching television with Christian occasionally taking a break to respond to emails or make a few phone calls. As crazy as yesterday turned out to be, it's been nice spending today with Christian and especially just relaxing today. It's still kind of frightening knowing that Elena is still out there but I'm confident that she will be caught soon. Even with all the money she has, there's only so far she will be able to get without a passport or even being able to buy an airline ticket.
"My mom has invited us to dinner tonight" Christian says Sunday morning over breakfast.
"Okay" I reply.
"Elliot and Kate will be there too" he informs me.
"Oh good, it would be nice to see them again" I smile.
"Have you thought about the wedding party yet?" he asks.
"I know I want Kate as my Maid of Honor, but beyond that no" I answer.
"I want Elliot as my best man, so that works out well" Christian replies happily.
"What about Mia? Should she be a bridesmaid?" I ask.
"I think that's up to you" Christian answers.
"I would feel bad leaving her out" I admit.
"Why don't we think about it? We don't need to decide right now" he assures me. "Besides, she won't be left out…she's practically planning the entire wedding."
"Very true" I giggle.
"I don't know that I ever told you that I'm handing out diplomas at your graduation ceremony next week" he announces.
"Oh? I didn't know that" I say surprised.
"My public relations department arranged it…apparently the college wants to do it as a thank you for the donations I have made. I don't see the big deal, but my PR department suggests it would be good for my image or something like that" he grimaces.
"I'm sure it's an honor" I gush.
"The only good part will be handing you your diploma" he kisses me deeply. "Seeing you finally get your diploma despite all your setbacks."
"Speaking of setbacks…." I begin nervously. "I think we…well I…should tell your family today about my past…well not all of it of course…just a modified version."
"You know you don't have to right baby?" he asks.
"I know" I sigh. "But, it's only a matter of time before the press gets wind of the fact that you are dating someone-"
"Engaged to," he interrupts smiling.
"Engaged to someone who used to be homeless…I don't want your family or even Kate to learn that from a reporter" I say.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of" he assures me.
"Trust me, I'm not ashamed that I had to live in shelters to get by" I say proudly. "It's what I needed to do in order to better my life. I just know it's going to come up in articles and I don't want them wondering if it's true or not. Since we're going there for dinner tonight, I thought I might as well do it."
"Whatever you want baby" he kisses me deeply again. "You know I'll be there for you; I won't let anyone tarnish your name in the media."
"If you keep kissing me like this we will never make it to your parents" I moan as he kisses me again.
"We have time…" He picks me up quickly causing me to squeal in surprise. I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me up to our bedroom.
Christian lays me on the bed and begins taking his clothes off just as his phone starts ringing. He quickly hits the ignore button, placing it on the nightstand before lying next to me in bed. Our lips just meet when his phone starts ringing again…
"Do you need to get that?" I ask breathlessly.
"No…screw whoever it is" he whispers, nipping my ear as he pulls me closer to him.
The phone stops ringing seconds later and his lips once again find mine. As our tongues find each other, our hands explore each other's bodies as the need to be closer to one another takes over.
"FUCK!" Christian grunts as his phone starts ringing again.
"Go…answer it" I sigh.
"I'm sorry" he mouths as he grabs his phone. "WHAT?"….."What the fuck! Can't you handle it? Are you sure? UGH…fine!"
"Everything okay?" I ask as Christian slams the phone down on the nightstand.
"No…I have to fly to New York Monday morning" he sighs. "A deal is apparently falling through and they are demanding to meet with me or they won't sell."
"Oh" I say, not really sure what to say at this point.
"Wait…when is your interview next week?" he asks.
"Let me check" I quickly look at my calendar in my iphone. "Next Friday."
"Come to New York with me" he suggests.
"Really?" I ask.
"Sure…why not? We can tour the city, take in the sites before we head back" he asks.
"I don't see why not" I answer.
"Great!" He kisses me. "I need to make a few calls to get everything ready for tomorrow and have Andrea rearrange my schedule, can I take a rain check on this?"
"You better" I smirk.
A couple of hours later Taylor is driving us to Christian's parent's house and I don't know why but I'm sort of nervous. I know his family likes me, I just can't help but think they will look at me differently after hearing about my past. I don't intend to tell them everything; I'm not prepared to tell anyone but Christian about what Stephen did to me but I'm going to have to give them something when I explain why I ran away at 16. I'm not ashamed of my past; it's helped make me the strong person I am today. I just wish that everything about my past wasn't so complicated. I wish I didn't have to worry about what the press might find when they print a picture of me and Christian together or when our engagement is announced.
"Christian, Ana…it's so nice to see you both again" Grace greets us at the door.
"Thank you for inviting us to dinner" I say as we walk in.
"You are welcome anytime dear" Carrick kisses me lightly on the cheek.
"I cannot thank you enough" Grace whispers as she hugs me tightly. "Christian rarely came to family dinners before he met you. You have changed his life more than you know."
"Mother" Christian hugs Grace as soon as she released me, leaving me stunned at her words.
"Everyone is in the great room, dinner will be served in a few minutes" Carrick explains.
"Ana!" Kate exclaims.
"Kate! I haven't seen you in forever!" I say sitting next to her on the soft couch.
"Can you believe we graduate next week?" she asks excitedly.
"I know!" I laugh. "Where has the time gone?"
"I miss living with you" she whispers. "Elliot is so messy!"
"I miss you too Kate" I hug her.
"Maybe we can do dinner one night this week?" she asks.
"We will have to see…We're leaving for New York in the morning-" I explains.
"Wait…New York?" she interrupts.
"Yes" I laugh. "Christian has to go there for a meeting so he invited me to come along to see the city."
"He's flying to New York City for a meeting?" she asks shocked.
"I know!" I smile.
"Dinner is served" Grace announces and we all make our way to the dining room.
"So Ana, Kate you both are graduating next week I hear. What are your plans after graduation?" Carrick asks over dinner.
"I will be working as a reporter with a newspaper my dad owns" Kate answers proudly.
"I am sending out my resume and have an interview lined up next week" I explain hopefully. "I'd like to get involved in the publishing field."
"Congratulations to you both" Grace says raising her glass.
"Yes congratulations" Carrick mumbles.
"How's the wedding planning coming?" Mia asks.
"We have pretty much finalized the guest list" Christian shares. "We are just at one hundred guests as we originally wanted."
"We have also decided that we will not be having the guests sit on specified sides during the ceremony" I say.
"Oh I've seen some really cute signs in some magazines that I can show you" Mia says happily.
"We were hoping to take a walk around tonight after dinner if it's not too dark and pick a location for the ceremony" Christian replies.
"Of course" Grace smiles. "I was out looking the other day and I think you have several options depending on the time of day and the look you both want."
"We were thinking as the sun sets over the water" I say.
"How pretty!" Kate gushes.
"I have a list of vendors for you Christian" Mia chimes in. "They have all signed an NDA already."
"Wow…thanks Mia" Christian says surprised.
"You did tell me to start planning right?" she asks.
"Yes, I am just surprised that you had this much done already" he admits.
"I have a meeting with a printer this week to pick up samples of invitations that I was hoping to bring by next week" Mia says.
"We're going to New York tomorrow but as soon as we return I will let you know" Christian explains.
"Ana, my mom is eager to meet with you too" Kate says. "We have graduation on Saturday…maybe Sunday or one day the following week?"
"Sure Kate…that sounds perfect" I agree.
"Speaking of graduation and the wedding planning" Christian pauses to look at me a few minutes later. "We expect the media will soon be publishing articles about us; I have no idea why but they seem to be fascinated with me which I expect only to increase as they learn of our engagement."
"It's a shame you two have to worry about the media" Grace says.
"There is something I wanted to tell you all before you before you read it in the media…" I take a deep breath as Christian squeezes my hand tightly. "I expect reporters will likely begin digging around to find out what they can about me…well as soon as they learn my name anyway. One thing that I expect them to find pretty easily is the fact that I was homeless on and off while attending college."
"Homeless?" Elliot asks.
"Oh dear" Grace says sympathetically.
"Off and on, Elliot but yes," I admit. "I spent some time living in homeless shelters and other times I lived in boarding homes in much less than desirable neighborhoods. It wasn't until right before the holidays that I moved in with Kate that I really had a roof over my head."
"I always suspected that Ana" Kate admits quietly. "I kept trying to get you to move in with me but you never would."
"I knew I could never afford to stay with you" I smile sadly at Kate. "Once I received a scholarship at school I finally found that I had a little bit of extra cash and could take you up on your offer."
"You know I never expected you to pay rent Ana" she says.
"I know Kate," I sigh. "But I couldn't expect to live with you rent free."
"Why were you homeless? Where are your parents?" Mia asks.
"Mia!" Grace exclaims.
"It's okay Grace," I assure her. "My dad passed away in a car accident when I was younger…and my mother…well let's just say we didn't always see eye to eye growing up. I ran away when I was sixteen but finished high school and was able to get a scholarship to attend college which is how I ended up in Seattle."
"I'm sorry to hear about your dad" Mia says.
"I'm not telling all of you this for sympathy, trust me I'd like nothing more than to not have to tell you," I say. "But, with the media learning about us it's very likely they are going to figure out what my living situation sooner rather than later. After all, it didn't take Christian's team very long to find out where I lived. I just wanted you each to hear it from me rather than reading it in a magazine or in the paper and wonder if it was true."
"You should be proud of how far you have come dear," Grace replies.
"I am Grace," I say proudly. "I'm not ashamed of where I had to live; I managed to put myself through college without taking out a student loan or living off of anyone."
"How about we all have some wine and desert in the great room," Grace suggests a few minutes later.
"Christian can I see you for a moment?" Carrick asks as we are making our way to the great room.
"Of course, Ana I will be right back," he kisses me gently on the cheek.
"Have you thought about flowers for the wedding Ana? Or centerpieces?" Mia asks.
"I think candles would be nice in the centerpieces somehow," I answer after giving it some thought. "It's going to be getting dark when the reception occurs so the candles would provide a nice warm light to the tables."
"We can have floating candles surrounded by rose petals," Mia suggests.
"Oh that sounds pretty," I gush.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES!" We hear Christian scream a few minutes later.
Grace and I look at each other before standing up and following the yelling which is now increasing as we approach what I assume is Carrick's office.
"Christian, it's for your own good-" Carrick says loudly.
"I said no! That's final!" Christian screams as Grace opens the door.
"What is all the commotion?" Grace asks as I shut the door behind me.
"It's nothing, Christian and I were just having a discussion," Carrick tries to reassure her.
"It didn't sound like a discussion," Grace replies sharply.
"We have a different of opinions," he grimaces.
"He wants me and Ana to sign a prenup," Christian explains angrily.
"It's for your own good," Carrick says. "You haven't known her very long-"
"I've known her long enough! Are you questioning our decision to get married?" Christian asks angrily.
"Son…what do you really know about her? How do you know she is not after your money? You haven't even been together for a year!" Carrick points out.
"Carrick, you know I love you," Grace interrupts. "But right now you're being an ass! You and I were married six months after we met and you're criticizing them?"
"That was different," he huffs. "One of us wasn't as well off as Christian is; hell even our parents didn't have anywhere near the money he has! I'm just trying to protect him from…her."
"Christian…I don't mind…if you want me to sign-" I whisper.
"No!" he says firmly. "Neither of us are signing a piece of paper that plans how we will separate things if our marriage ends. We are not going into this marriage planning for the end!"
"Son-" Carrick says.
"No! I don't care about the money, about my company, about my cars or about the penthouse. If Ana leaves me none of it will matter! I refuse to plan for the end of our marriage! Do you and Mom have a prenup?" he screams.
"No of course not…" Carrick admits.
"Then why should we?" Christian demands.
"Because you don't know anything about this girl! She just admitted she was a teenage runaway and was homeless for years; God knows what she learned while living on the streets! She's probably only after your money!" Carrick accuses.
"Carrick!" Grace covers her mouth in shock.
"Carrick…" I take a deep breath trying to calm myself before I respond. "You might have found it beneficial to ask why I ran away before you made assumptions about the type of person I am."
"You already said…because you and your mother didn't see eye to eye," Carrick huffs.
"You're right," I say angrily. "We didn't see eye to eye on the importance of keeping her own child safe from the man who repeatedly beat her. We didn't see eye to eye on using illegal drugs in front of her child. We didn't see eye to eye on allowing someone to tape her child to bed, denying her food for days while beating her to the point of leaving hundreds of scars all over her body. Before you judge Carrick, you really should find out the entire story."
"Ana dear…please…." Grace stutters.
"If you will excuse me," I wipe the tears that I didn't realize until now we're falling. "Christian I will wait for you in the car."
"Christian…I had no idea," I hear Carrick mumble as I walk out of the room.
"Because you didn't ask," Christian grimaces. "Her upbringing was far worse than mine, I can assure you of that. And for you to accuse her of being with me for my money…."
"Son…." Carrick begins.
"No! Enough….I'm going to find my fiancé. If you can't see to support our marriage then you can consider yourself removed from the guest list," Christian screams walking out of the room.
Christian finds me sitting on the front steps of the house; my legs couldn't support me as all the emotions took over and I collapsed on the steps as the door shut behind me. To say that I was shocked at Carrick's behavior would be an understatement. I try to remind myself that he was looking out for his son's best interest but it certainly doesn't excuse the way he spoke to me and about me. Christian doesn't say a word as he lifts me up and carries me to the car where Taylor is waiting the door open.
"I'm so sorry," he whispers as he cradles me on his lap. "I never wanted you to have to tell them what happened to you."
"Why does he hate me Christian?" I sob.
"He doesn't hate you Ana," he gently rubs my back.
"Well if this is how he treats someone he likes I'd hate to see how he treats an enemy," I say.
"He had no right to talk to you the way he did and if it's any consolation I am sure he is getting his ass chewed out by my mom right now," Christian smiles sadly. "I wish you didn't hear any of that."
"Christian, if you want me to sign a prenup I will…I don't care about your money you know that," I tell him.
"No! Like I told him, we are not starting our marriage by planning for the end," Christian says firmly.
"But if it will make your family see that I'm not after your money…" I suggest.
"No! I don't care what my family thinks right now. The two of us are all that matter," he kisses me gently.
We arrive back at Escala a short time later and I struggle to hold my eyes open as we climb the stairs to our bedroom. We both get ready for bed in silence; I don't think either of us really knows what to say. As much as I try to fall asleep I can't stop thinking about what Carrick said and the fact that he basically accused me of only being with Christian for his money. Christian wraps his arms around me tightly, holding me snug against his chest as we both stare into the darkness.