Hello faithful readers. Some of you will be disappointed with this update, as it is not the entire epilogue as I stated last chapter. Time is not a friend right now, but I needed to get something out to those of you who have been waiting patiently and have stuck with me in between updates.
Part 2 of the epilogue will be posted in a few weeks, after I get back from a well needed 2 week vacation.
A million thanks to my super friend and super co-author Debbie Hannon. You're the best, Debbie!
As always, reviews are appreciated, abuse won't be tolerated.
Epilogue part 1
Ros' POV
I'm so glad it's Friday-it's been a long week, and finally Gwen and I have an evening to ourselves. We've been wanting to try this new Italian restaurant that opened few weeks ago, and Gwen made reservations for us for tonight. She has been craving Italian food since we found out she was pregnant 4 weeks ago. We went through 3 cycles of IUI before being successful, and it finally took. We were both crying when she took the pregnancy test and saw the "pregnant" on the stick. She called her OB the next day and confirmed it, and we have been on cloud 9 ever since.
Just as the waiter brings our dinner I mumble to myself "Shit."
Gwen looks at me with concern on her face then asks "What's wrong?"
"I forgot my phone on my desk. We need to stop by the office on the way home."
"No biggie. You've had enough on your mind lately- I'm surprised that's all you forgot."
"True. Christian has had a burr up his ass all week and has been unbearable to be around... Ana has been in New York since Monday for a publisher's conference, and whenever they're apart for more than a couple of days he becomes an asshole to be around. He hasn't been in the office much all week either—he was off yesterday and only came in long enough this morning to sign a few contracts and then flew to surprise her for the weekend. Hopefully he will be in a better mood come Monday morning."
"I think it's sweet that he misses her that much. They seem so much in love."
"They are—I just hope that the next time she leaves for more than a day that he goes with her!"
We finish our dinner and dessert and I use Gwen's phone to text my driver Matt to bring the car around as we get up to leave.
Just as we walk outside I see Matt pull up and he gets out and opens the door for us.
"Thank you, Matt. I need to stop at the office on the way home."
He nods "Yes ma'am" and he pulls out into traffic.
There's a bit of traffic as it is Friday night so it takes us about 15 minutes to get to GEH. Matt pulls up to right next to the elevator in the garage and gets out and opens the door for me. "I'll be right back...I just need to get my phone."
As I walk to the elevator I see Christian's R8 sitting in his parking spot..."that's odd" I mumble to myself as I push the button for the elevator.
The elevator doors open and I step in, wondering what his car is doing here. After a quick ride to the 20th floor the doors open and I walk to my office and grab my phone. I look down the hall and I see the light on in Christian's office, and the door is partially open. I thought he left this morning…
I walk to his office and slowly push open the door. I cannot believe my eyes...
The first thing that I see is Christian's naked ass- his pants are down around his ankles and his butt cheeks are flexing while he is pounding into some woman on top of his desk.
All I can see of her is her red shoes wrapped around him and she is moaning like a bitch in heat, screaming "Harder, Christian, Fuck me harder!"
I stand there for a few seconds, maybe a minute, slacked jawed and wide eyed. I truly do not know how much time has passed as I stand there while he fucks this whore. A million questions go through my mind "How can he do this to Ana?" My god, he was so in love with her from day one, begging her to marry him just after being together a few months. What happened to make him do this to her? How long has he been cheating? Who the fuck is she? I back out of the office as quietly as I can, and make my way to the elevator, my legs barely holding me up. I am shaking like a leaf as I enter the elevator, hitting the down button furiously... I cannot get out of here fast enough...
Matt sees me step out of the elevator and jumps out to open the car door for me "Home, Ma'am?"
I nod my head and climb in.
Gwen looks at me "Ros, what's wrong? Your face is pale and you're shaking."
"We'll talk at home. Matt, get me out if here now."
20 minutes later we arrive home, and I head straight to my office and pour a generous amount of bourbon in a glass and slam it down in one gulp.
.
What the fuck is he doing cheating on Ana? keeps going through my head.
She is the best thing that ever happened to him-I have never seen him this happy in all the years I have known him. She straightened out his ass and got him away from that bitch Cruella. God I hated her, and was so glad when I found out that he cut all ties with her. I wish he would have bankrupted her when he ended their business arrangement, but instead he gifted the salons to her with the condition that she never contacts him or Ana or his family again; as far as I know, she has stayed away.
He came in this morning only to sign some papers and told me he was headed out to New York to surprise Ana for a romantic weekend…he was in one hell of a hurry to get out of here.
Mother fucker lied right to my face
Now that I think about it, he was out of the office early all week long, and he didn't even come in yesterday—said he was working from home all day and to call him if I needed him.
Now I know why he didn't come in…
The longer I sit here stewing about it, the more pissed off I get. Not only is he throwing away his marriage, but I know Ana never signed a pre-nup, and she can take him for half of everything, and when the public finds out, and they will, all hell will break loose for GEH.
He is part of the executive staff, which is held to a higher moral and ethical standard. We all signed a very strict morals and ethics policy, and our jobs are contingent on adhering to that policy, as well as anyone with whom we does business-it's part of every contract we negotiate. Basically if any executive level employee of either company participates in immoral, unethical, or illegal conduct, any contracts he or she was involved with can be subject to cancelation or reversal.
GEH has engineered several less-than-amicable takeovers, and as soon as word of this behavior gets out, we will be slammed with lawsuits, demanding cancellation or reversal of the contracts.
Fuck!
This is not good. Everything I have worked for in the past 8 years is now at risk of being ruined.
Gwen knew to give me some time to myself when we got home, and I see her open the door and poke her head in "Ros are you OK? Can I come in?"
She walks in and sits down on the couch next to me. "Talk to me"
I told her what was going on, and she sat there with a look of total shock on her face. She saw the change in Christian after he and Ana got married, and could not believe he would do that to her. I then explained the morals clause in the contracts, and her face paled. "So, every deal he was a part of can be contested and overturned?" she asked
I nod my head yes and reach for the bottle of bourbon and refill my glass.
"Ros, how will this affect you? How will it affect the company?"
"GEH will take a hit for sure-we are talking about billions of dollars in past deals that will be affected… not to mention any future deals that will suddenly disappear- nobody will want to do business with a cheater and a liar. Our reputation will take a beating for sure, and it's possible that GEH will be ripe for a takeover. Christian will find himself on the other end of a hostile takeover since he has made enough enemies throughout the years- many of them would love nothing more than a chance to fuck him over like he did them…"
I sit there, staring off into space for a while, thinking, wondering what I am going to do. There is no way in hell that I will let that cheating son of a bitch ruin everything I have worked for…
Monday morning I get to work earlier than normal—I didn't want to risk running into him and having to talk to him.
It's 10:00 I have managed to avoid him so far, but I get a call from Andrea, telling me that he needs me in his office ASAP.
Keep you cool Ros—poker face…I tell myself as I walk into his office. He is behind his desk, running his hands through his hair, and I see papers all over the floor, and his phone is laying on the floor in pieces, obviously evidence of yet another temper tantrum.
"What the fuck is wrong?' I demand, not caring if he likes my tone of voice.
"Detroit is what is wrong" he spits out. "They want more money…they agreed Thursday to accept our offer, and now the greedy bastards want more. You're going to have to fly out today and set them straight. They think they can dick us around on the phone, but I guarantee they will cower down when we are standing in front of them.
"Christian, I'm not flying to Detroit—this is your deal—you take care of it. I am busy and I don't have time."
"Dammit Ros. Ana just got back from being in New York all of last week and I would like to spend some time with my wife if you don't mind!"
"If you miss Ana so much you should have gone to New York with her instead of staying here all alone!"
I turn and walk out of his office, slamming the door as I leave.
Fuck him!
It's been way over a month since that night I walked in on him fucking that whore, and I have done a pretty good job avoiding him. He has been a complete asshole since he got back from Detroit, and I am wondering if Ana found out and left him. He is still wearing his wedding ring, but that could be for appearances only. He has torn into Andrea several times, and I know she is on the verge of quitting. I found her in the bathroom in tears the other day, and I was ready to barge into his office and kick him in the balls because of it. She told me that she didn't know how much more she was going to tolerate. She said that she loves her job, but she wasn't going to tolerate his abusive behavior much longer…he's never been this bad, she said.
"He's leaving for Chicago tomorrow for a week, and I am looking forward to some peace and quiet here. He told me to take the rest of the week off, and I am going to spend it looking for another job. I have offers all the time, but due to the non-compete clause I signed, I can't work for any competitor or subsidiary of GEH, and most of the offers I get are from companies we do business or are partners with. I don't want to relocate, but I don't think I am going to have a choice" she says, as she sighs. "I don't want to leave GEH, but I also won't tolerate being treated like shit. I could understand if I had done something wrong, but I haven't. He's just being a first class prick right now."
I don't say anything so I give her a hug and tell her to hang on and walk back to my office.
Losing Andrea would be catastrophic to him and GEH. She has worked for him almost as long as me. Before she was hired, he went through over a dozen PAs in less than one year…some only lasting a day…replacing her will be impossible. Her assistant, Olivia can barely get his coffee order right, so there is no way she will be any help. She was hired as a favor to her father, who just happens to be a Senator…it's always nice to have Senator's ear when you need something, so that's the only reason we keep her around.
I walk into my office, close the door and sit on my couch. Grey is going to shit when Andrea leaves…I don't blame her one bit though. He needs to get his head out of his ass, and soon or other key employees will start jumping ship. I have been through good and bad times with him, but nothing like the past several weeks have been. I can't stand the sight of him, and I don't know how I am going to continue to work with someone for whom I have no respect-I don't trust his judgement right now either. The simple fact that he is putting GEH in jeopardy because he's thinking with his dick tells me that he is no longer capable of making sound, rational decisions. If this keeps up it might be time to talk to legal and review the corporate protocol for when an executive becomes incapacitated….
It's Sunday afternoon and Gwen and I decided to take a stroll down to the Pike Place Market. It's a beautiful, sunny afternoon, perfect to spend outside. We are seated at an outdoor café enjoying a light lunch when my phone rings. Picking it up, I see Taylor's name flash, and my curiosity gets the best of me since he never calls, especially on a weekend, so I decide to answer it
"Hello, Taylor"
"Ms. Bailey, I am sorry to disturb you on a Sunday, but this is urgent. Are you somewhere where we can speak in private?"
My pulse starts to quicken, and I tell him I am at an outdoor café, but can walk back to my car if he can wait a few minutes.
"Please do, and call me back immediately" and he hangs up.
Gwen looks at me "What's going on, Ros?"
"I don't know, but we need to get back to the car so I can call Taylor back." I toss $100 on the table and we hurry back to the car and I call Taylor back, and he answers before the first ring.
"What's wrong, Taylor?"
"Ms. Bailey I'm afraid I have some terrible news. Mrs. Grey was killed in a car accident Friday afternoon…"
I sit there, not hearing anything else he says, my head spinning. I cannot seem to form a sentence to ask any questions. Finally after a minute or so passes, I manage to squeak out "How? Where?"
"She was on her way to visit her father in Montesano when the vehicle she was driving was hit by a semi that ran a red light. There are already rumors flying around, so I thought you might want to get with the PR department and get out ahead of the press and release a statement."
Again, I am speechless. I can't believe this.
No. Not Ana.
Finally, after another minute I muster up the nerve to ask the question that has been in the back of my mind for a few weeks:
"Taylor, was she leaving him? Did she know?"
No answer.
His silence tells me everything.
I get whatever information Taylor is willing to give me, and call the lawyers and the PR department and tell them to meet me at the office in an hour so they can write up the press release...he gave me enough information to where the PR department can fabricate a story that she was going to visit her dad when the accident happened.
I know damn well Ana was leaving him. There is no other reason she would have been driving by herself to her dad's house to visit…Sawyer would not have let her drive alone. And now she's dead because that piece of shit couldn't keep his dick in his pants.
The next morning.
I am standing on the steps of GEH next to Alecia Meyers, listening to her read the statement about Ana's accident—it was short and to the point, and she did not answer any questions.
When I turned to walk back inside, I saw the reporter for Kavanaugh Media—Kate Kavanaugh, Ana's best friend. I wonder how much Kate knows—she and Ana were like sisters, so I'm sure she knows everything. She sees me staring at her, and returns the stare. I see her eyes glisten and I know she is holding back tears. She is a tough cookie for sure, but reporting the death of her best friend couldn't have been easy. I see not only pain in her eyes, but also rage, and I know at whom that rage is directed.
I won't be surprised when the truth comes out that Kate is the one behind the leak…..
It's Wednesday morning and Matt is driving Gwen and I to Montesano for Ana's funeral. I haven't talked to Christian yet, and I am grateful for that because I don't know how I will react when I see him.
We arrive outside the small church and see people walking across the parking lot towards the church, and then I see Christian walking towards the back of the church with his father, so Gwen and I decide to go in and sit down.
We sign the guest book and take a seat a few rows behind the Grey Family. I notice that Sawyer is sitting with Ana's dad and Kate, and Taylor and his wife are sitting by themselves behind Ana's family.
WTF is going on with his security?
A few minutes later I see Christian walk out from the back of the church escorted by his father, and sit with the rest of the Greys, and then Ana's casket is brought up to the front of the church.
As everyone slowly walks up to say their goodbyes, Gwen and I walk up to pay our respects and say our goodbyes, too.
I take in a deep breath….Ana looks so peaceful, almost like she's sleeping. I stand there staring at her, and when I notice that she isn't wearing her wedding or engagement rings I feel rage starting to boil up inside me. I clutch Gwen's arm, and we walk back to our seat, taking a quick glance at Christian. He has his head bowed down, not looking at anyone…probably because he is overcome with shame and guilt, and doesn't have the balls to look anyone in the eye.
Ana's death in on his hands…
After Ray Steele's moving eulogy, we follow everyone out to the front of the church and I see Christian standing alone, off to the side.
Finding out that Ana was pregnant was heartbreaking, and I felt my disgust at Christian hit DEFCON 10. Not trusting what might come out of my mouth I just walk up to him a briefly touch his arm, telling him I don't know what to say, before walking back to the car.
I climb in next to Gwen, lean over and rub her belly, and as the tears roll down my cheeks I tell Gwen and my child that I love them, and will always protect and will never leave them.
After the graveside service we head over to the reception at Ray's house, and it did not surprise me when I see Grey's black Audi turn and head the opposite way, back out of town towards Seattle.
Fucking bastard.
I walk into Ana's childhood home, and could instantly feel the comfort, love and warmth Ana experienced growing up here. Ray had pictures of her all over the house, from the time she was a baby to her college graduation.
I notice there are no photos of her and Christian anywhere.
I see Christian's family outside on the porch so I walk out to say hello and offer my condolences…nobody mentions or offers any excuses for Christian's absence.
I can sense stress and tension among the Grey Family, as well as feeling their grief from losing their daughter in law and unborn grandson. My heart breaks for them almost as much as it does for Ray Steele.
I see a familiar face in the living room talking to Kate Kavanaugh, and I then realize it is Erica Castel.
Seeing her here, I am now convinced that Ana was divorcing Christian. There is no other explanation for the top divorce attorney in Washington to be here. Gwen's sister went through a rough divorce and custody battle, and Erica was her attorney. If I wasn't so disgusted with Christian right now I would almost feel sorry for him going up against Erica…she is the best and had this gone to court, Christian would have been left with nothing, and I am sure I would have wound up working for Ana at GEH instead of Christian…
After an hour or so, I say goodbye to Ray and the Greys, and tell Matt drive us back to Seattle.
I have had enough. I need to go home and have a few drinks and curl up with Gwen.
The next morning I walk into my office and Andrea is waiting for me…she hands me an envelope and I instantly know what it is before I open it…it's her 2 weeks-notice.
I can't blame her for wanting to leave, but I need her with what I know is coming down the pipe. I ask her to give me 48 hours before she accepts her new position, and, after hesitating for a minute she agrees without asking why. She's the most loyal employee here, and she trusts me enough to put her personal feelings aside for the better of the company.
Right after Andrea walks out, my PA informs me that Sam Barnard, GEH 's lead attorney is requesting a meeting immediately, so I take a deep breath wait for him to walk in…I'm pretty sure I know what this meeting is about
He informs me that he met with Christian earlier this morning, and they both agreed that he is unable to perform his duties as CEO, so per the executive protocol, I am next in line and will be appointed the interim CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings for an undetermined period of time. He is having the papers drawn up as we speak and as soon as Christian signs them, he will bring them to me for my signature-it will be official by end of business today.
Later that day I have Andrea back in my office and have presented her with an offer that she couldn't refuse, and she didn't. I gave her my word that if or when Grey comes back, she will stay on as my Executive PA, and I will take her under my wing and mentor her so that she can advance further in the company if she so desires. As soon as the final papers are signed and I officially become the Interim CEO, I will put everything in writing, along with a nice bonus and raise.
The next day I had HR send out a company-wide memo informing all GEH employees of the change, and I called my department heads into a meeting and asked them to stay with me during the change of command and put their faith in me that I can carry GEH through this rough period.
3 weeks later, I am in my home office working on another one Grey's deals that was in the works when Gwen hollers at me to come in the living room, quick.
I walk in and she is watching TMZ 'Ros—you gotta see this—it's about Christian!
I sit through all 60 minutes of that shit, hearing and seeing every sordid detail of his affair, Ana's pregnancy, him demanding the abortion, her filing for divorce, and listening to the 3 whores talk about their BDSM "contracts" with him.
What churns my stomach is listening to his whore talk about their affair like it was a fairytale romance. I loved it when the TMZ host put that slut in her place and called her a liar and gold digging opportunist right to her face. It was the best slap in the face.
How and where did they get all those videos and pictures? And why haven't they surfaced before now?
Halfway through the show my phone started ringing and when I looked at the caller ID I see it is Sam Barnard, and I am sure he is calling for damage control.
I start to feel the walls start to crumble…
1 month later
I cannot even keep track of the canceled meetings, deals that were suddenly pulled off the table, offers rescinded, contracts broken or canceled, and the many lawsuits that have started to come in since that fucking show aired. Not to mention the parade of GEH employees leaving…HR can't keep up with the termination paperwork. And because of all the lawsuits threatening to overturn or break contracts, these employees are free to accept employment with any of those companies because the non-compete clause doesn't apply if the contract is null and void.
GEH can't get a meeting with anybody…whereas before we had companies beating down our doors, begging us for a meeting.
To make matters worse, it was leaked that Christian was a silent partner in Elena's salons, so now with his name is being linked with an accused pedophile the paps are having a field day with that information.
To say it's a fucking shit storm here is like saying the Titanic hit an ice cube.
Sam and I have tried reaching Christian several times, but he refuses to answer his phone or return calls. In complete and total desperation I call his dad, and tell him that GEH is on the verge of going under because nobody wants to do business with a cheat and a liar; one company called him a sadist and another called him a pedophile.
2 days later, looking more haggard than I have ever seen him before, Christian comes dragging into my office with his father. The weight of the guilt is so very evident on his whole persona; he has lost so much weight that his suit is wrinkled and ill fitting, and hangs like rags from his body; his hair is long and shaggy and looks like it hasn't been washed in days, and his face is covered with a scraggly beard; his eyes are dull and lifeless. I wouldn't recognize the man if I saw him on the street. If I didn't know everything, I would almost feel sorry for the bastard. Almost.
But then I remember his beautiful, pregnant wife laying in that casket, and her father's heartbreaking eulogy for her and his grandson, and like a fart in the wind, my sympathies dry up.
"Christian" I say to him, waiting for him to start this conversation.
He just stands there, unsure of what to say. "Ros….." he stutters and takes a deep breath
"I fucked up. I lost everything the most important thing in my life. I don't care about anything else. I know I am going to lose GEH and I need your help." He closes his eyes, clenches his fists and continues, his voice weak and shaking, not strong commanding like it used to be. "I want you to take over GEH…I am turning it over to you before it's too late. I know this is sudden, but you are already the interim CEO, so we just need to make you the CEO and remove me completely from the picture. Hopefully this will bring businesses back to the table if they know I am no longer part of the company.
My father has the paperwork ready so we just need Sam to review everything and give his approval—I called him before we arrived so he should be here any minute. After it is done, I will no longer be associated with the company—it will be yours completely, but there are a few stipulations that Sam needs to go over with you. We need him here for this, along with you and my father so the 3 of you can go over everything.
Just then there is a knock on the door and Sam walks in.
My father explains to Sam what is going on and hands him the contract.
After several minutes he looks at me, shock on his face and asks "Are you sure about this, Mr. Grey?"
"Yes I am. Please inform Ros of the stipulations."
Sam turns to me and says "Christian is turning GEH over to you immediately; however he has the option to return in 2 years and resume his position as CEO if he so desires. At that time, you have the option to allow him to come back, or buy him out for 1/3 of the value of the company. If he chooses to not come back within 2 years, then GEH is yours, 100%."
I look at Carrick, and he looks as sullen and heartbroken as his son.
"No. I will not accept the stipulations."
Everyone looks at me like I have grown 3 heads. Finally Christian speaks up and growls "Why? What else do you want, Ros?"
"There is no 'cooling off period, Christian. If you want to save GEH, then you give it to me 100% right now- no coming back in 2 years. We will settle on small percentage to be paid out to you over a period of 5 years based on profits, but I will be the sole owner. If you want this company and your employees to be saved, you will agree to my terms and conditions. This is non-negotiable."
Sam looks at me and can't believe what I just demanded, and then looks Christian, waiting for his answer.
After a few minutes, Christian closes his eyes and nods, admitting defeat.
I turn to Sam and tell him to have the paperwork drawn up ASAP, and for everyone to meet in my office tomorrow at noon, and then walk out, leaving the door open behind me.
The next day….
For the paltry sum of $1, I am the new owner and CEO of GEH, its subsidiaries, and all properties worldwide, soon to be Bailey Investments and Holdings, Inc.
Christian turns and walks out of my office, and I watch for the last time, a man that I respected and loved as he walks to the elevator, broken and defeated, with only himself to blame.
He turns to me and asks "Why, Ros?
I look him square in the eyes. "It's simple. I don't ever again want to walk into your office and see you fucking some whore on your desk while your wife and child are at home waiting for you, wondering where you are."
He looks at me, and I can see the color drain from his face as he realizes that I knew.
I continue "Gwen is pregnant, and I cannot not imagine doing something so despicable to her and my child. Ana deserved so much better than you."
Brushing away a tear, I walk out and turn to Olivia "Call maintenance and have his office gutted ASAP, and get a designer in here tomorrow, and then tell Andrea I need to see her first thing in the morning."
It's time to start grooming Andrea to become my new COO.
I text Matt to let him know to bring the car around, and that I am leaving for the day, and then call Gwen to give her the news.
Round 4 to Ana.
