AN: For those asking – as I wrote in the AN for chapter eleven, Elena's captor will not be revealed for quite some time, as a matter of fact I plan to leave it pretty much for the end, we will know, however what happens to her in the next two chapters…or so.

Thank you so much for all of your condolences and well wishes.

I've written a one shot called "Eddie Clayton" because I have always wanted to avenge Christian's early childhood abuse. So many of us have punished Elena and rightfully so, but I've yet to read a FF where somebody caught up with and punished the pimp. I felt it was time to give him not only a name but also his just desserts.

Chapter 15 – The Sound

APOV

"So, how long are you and Elliot going to keep living in two places?" I ask as I tuck into my less than impressive Quinoa salad.

"We have talked about living together and basically we do, but I just think it's a matter of El wanting to pack up his stuff and move on in and who has time for that really. El hasn't stayed at his place in weeks, and of course since the townhouse is bigger we'll live there for now. I have been meaning to talk to you about buying you out…"

I put up my hand. "We can talk about that when the time comes, and then I'll only accept the buy out if you take well below market value and I refuse to argue about it."

"Fine, we can argue about it later, I would rather talk wedding stuff anyway, what do you want as far as a bachelorette party? I know you don't want oily men – but I thought we could make it fun maybe a trip somewhere fun and sexy, El and I talked about doing a joint thing, but of course it really would be up to the two of you."

"I like the idea of a joint party, and since the ladies will have time together during the spa services at Pelican Hill before the wedding I know that there will be time for bonding with Grace and my mom, without all of the debauchery. I think a destination party would be fantastic, where did you have in mind?"

"How about Hawaii for a nice long weekend?" Kate suggested, which in theory sounds nice, but I was thinking something a bit more private – where we don't have to worry about looky loos and we can truly let our hair down. Kate notices my pause and contemplative look.

"You have something else in mind?"

"As a matter of fact I do. How about a nice long weekend aboard the Anastasia instead? A sort of cruise to nowhere."

"Ana, that sounds fantastic!" Kate beams, I can see the wheels turning.

"Leave all of the details to El and I – it will be a weekend the two of you will never forget, I promise." She squeals and I'm officially nervous.

Christian and I decided on a sunset ceremony as well as a black and white affair. My dress is by Mon Cheri from the Enchanting line. It is simply styled with sheer bateau neck with silk floral applique with a sheer barely there back. It's sleek a-line skirt hugs my curves flaring ever so slightly starting above the knee with a vintage old Hollywood look that has a softness that drew me in right away. The moment I saw it I knew it was my dress, Kate and Mia chose black sleeveless bateau neckline gowns with a side illusion sash paired with strappy satin shoes, the gowns are really beautiful, at first we couldn't decide on whether to go with gowns or tea length dresses but decided ultimately long dresses would be more appropriate for what will be an evening affair, black tie invited and all. The planning is coming along nicely and Christian and I have actually met with the stationer and selected a beautiful invitation – our plans are coming along nicely and I am more excited with each passing day, and even more in love.

HPOV

For weeks now I have been sitting here, no visitors no nothing – I saw an article that she is marrying that fucking goober. Other than money what does he really have? Women generally cannot wait to hurl themselves into bed with me, I was beginning to think she was a lesbian, hell it wasn't just that she would not go out with me, she didn't go out with anybody – that is until Grey came barreling into the picture with his big bank account. Prick.

The first time I laid eyes on her…I knew we belonged together. She seemed shy, but I knew that was an act, she'd be a tiger in bed – she had limited experience if any, but she would work hard to please me, all she needed was me to show her how to make me happy. If it was money I would have given her anything she wanted, I would have laced her with diamonds and mink. All she had to do was say yes and I would have laid the world at her feet, but instead she…

When I first met that idiot Ray I didn't know shit about his family. I put months into cultivating that relationship with him – sure I wanted to use him ultimately for my gain, but he would make money too, so it was a win win. I spent more fucking time than I ever intended with this guy, I mean the usual enticements did not work at all, it was so frustrating, I offered it all, liquor, drugs, hookers, nothing worked with this guy. I admit, theoretically I am not into older women, but his wife is hot and much to my surprise this guy was still in love with her after all those years, it was unbelievable, most of these guys jump at the chance of new pussy but not Ray Steele – fucking husband of the goddamn year. I had no choice but to set things in motion in Colorado, Debra getting pregnant was just the damn icing on the cake. Then I met her. Ray was coming to town to help get his daughter settled and suggested I meet them for lunch, talk over her IT needs for some bullshit staffing upstart, I figured, just another way to grease the wheels as well as another in-road with this gullible schmuck. She walked in and I was mesmerized, and I knew I would have her someday. She was the woman I deserved, it wasn't just her beauty and that she put every other woman I'd ever even thought about screwing to shame, she was smart, poised and unspoiled. I don't know how I knew, I just knew that there was a purity about her. She was what I deserved.

Smug asshole, I've seen him around – I've even been to his elitist club a few times, uptight bastard. I watched as women threw themselves at him only to be ignored and rebuffed – he turned down pussy for sport it seemed, I guess nobody was ever good enough for the great Christian Grey. I get what he sees in her but he's truly unremarkable and clearly full of himself. Funny how he sits on his high horse judging everyone when his brother sees more ass than a public toilet, who is he to judge me, or anyone for that matter.

My lawyers will get me out of this – there is no doubt about that, and when they do they'll all pay. I still have money and influence, maybe not as much as Grey, but I am a worthy adversary, not to be trifled with and I plan to make sure they all suffer.

I have been trying to reach my business partner Shane for some time now. He visited me regularly at first and then he answered my calls less frequently and for weeks now I haven't been able to reach him at all, hopefully the proposal we had been working on to present to Gates is what has been consuming his time, hell this is why we came to Seattle in the first place, our senior project that won first place in the technology fair was entitled "Chasing Gates." Shane is a brilliant programmer and when he's plugged in the world around him fades to black, he is the best there is, my guess is that is where he has been.

Finally he answers.

"Shane! Fuck man, I have been calling you forever." I am met with silence.

"You there guy?"

"What is it Hy?"

"What do you mean what is it, why haven't you been taking my calls? I have been calling you like every damn…"

"Look! Hy do you have any idea the level to which you have fucked us over? And by us I mean the hundreds of people that were dependent on you and I for their livelihoods, that I have been unable to pay because our accounts and assets have been frozen. Lives have been devastated because of your shit and you're complaining that I haven't answered the phone as though chatting with you as if you're being charged with a traffic violation is my primary concern here? There are people who have had their professional lives upended as a result of YOUR shit! Have you seen the news Hy? Would you list us on a fucking resume?"

I cannot believe this shit, here I am sitting in jail and all he can do is bitch and whine. I'm teflon! None of this shit will stick to me, to us – why is he talking about this on the phone anyway, maybe he's just frustrated so I decide to let him vent, just this once.

"I believed you Hy. I was under the impression that Christian Grey orchestrated all of this because he wanted your woman, because that's what you told me. Yeah I thought it was more than a bit sophomoric, two grown men warring over a woman and blurring the lines of business and personal relationships, it happens, but that is not what fucking happened here Hy! I have been locked out of our offices for months now while the feds crawled through my FUCKING colon one binary bit at a time – looking for my connection to your trading hacks and thefts, your blackmail, stalking and the laundry list of this dumpster fire you created. And you have the audacity to call me and speak to me as if YOU are the aggrieved party you sick twisted FUCK!"

"Don't you forget who the brains are behind our operation…you ungrateful…"

"You're absolutely right Hy. It was all you, and look where it got us. Fortunately for us your brilliant criminal mastery allowed the authorities to determine that while – I have to be the dumbest jackass alive for failing to question a lot of shit – I am not in fact a criminal, thank you for your excellent detailing of your crimes, the feds have finally cleared me. Don't worry, all of the deals I had worked myself to the bone for are dead in the water – I have yet to even begin to wash off the stench of my association with you so I am unemployable, not to mention that the life I worked hard for and thought I had is effectively over. Once I pay off our creditors, the government and our hardworking employees, I will be left with fuck all for all of my effort and blind stupid fucking trust of the sociopathic idiot I had the misfortune of rooming with freshman year. I am losing my home and most of my assets are going to pay off our debt – I say our because my lack of due diligence makes this almost as much my fault as it does yours, but make no mistake you and you alone are to blame for this cluster fuck! You have ruined everything and for what? Money? We were making enough money without hacking trading software or blackmailing anyone, our technology was solid, we were trailblazing and we were making more money legally than we could spend in a lifetime. You were obsessed with a woman who despises you and always has – all those stories you told me, Ana this and Ana that – all lies, you never even held her fucking hand! You are insane!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about…"

"Hy! Shut. The. Fuck. Up! You are delusional, you need help – our business, our one sided friendship and partnership is over, after today this phone number will be disconnected, so don't even waste your time. There is no help for you here, and I hope you rot in jail you selfish piece of shit."

With that the call is disconnected. Shane while brilliant, was always weak, fuck him. Who needs him anyway, he's been soft since we were in college, he's been dating the same girl since freshman year, a solid seven, but definitely not a ten. Even after we made a bunch of money and bonafide tens threw it at him left and right he was so sprung on his bitch he never even took the opportunity – who does that? That little dust up I had at the start of our business had me thinking I could trust him – he stood up for me and the charges were dropped. I thought he understood like I do that you do not lead a man on and then get upset when he gets the wrong impression. No sometimes means try harder, at any rate the girl went away with a few incentives and I stupidly believed he had my back. Fuck him. I don't need him, I don't need anybody.

One week later

My cellmate is in for embezzlement and fraud, he seems like a stand up guy. Unlike me, he tended to have dealings with some pretty seedy characters, which is what got him into trouble in the first place, yeah organized crime was never my thing. He did the smart thing in taking the time and keeping his mouth shut, you don't turn on men like that or me for that matter. Mike, as he likes to be called, is a very timid individual, I established my dominance almost immediately when I moved into his cell. My position right now is unenviable, because I find myself needing his help, I hate that. This will take some finesse on my part, I have to make him feel important, this is what fuels men like him.

"I need your help with a problem Mike." His face lights up like a kid on Christmas. Got him.

If Kate had kept her mouth shut about throwing herself at me, Ana would have never clung to Grey, no way would she accept Kate's sloppy seconds – what was I thinking!? I will make that bitch pay.

"What's her name?"

"Katherine Kavanaugh, and I want it messy, I want her brutalized and tortured and just before her throat is slit I want her to know who did this to her, I want her last moments to be pure agony, I want her to beg for death."

CPOV

"So what do you think?"

"I think the lot is amazing Chris, do you know how rare it is for five acres right on the Sound to become available? It is unheard of, but this house I am afraid is a relic from the dark ages. I would like to tear it down and start over, I will repurpose the marble and some of the wood work but I have some amazing ideas in mind and Matt my architect has some drawings that are out of this world – he has some 3D renderings that will blow Ana's mind. But I want to make a suggestion. I know you need to make a decision right away to make sure this property never even makes it to market, but the decision on the house should be yours and Ana's – I say call her and get her over here…now."

I know El is one hundred percent right, Ana and I are true partners, and I have to resist my natural urge to make a major purchase like this without her input, I have been learning to think as a partner and not a sole proprietor and this is a major step. Forty minutes later, Ana and Kate arrive at the property, I had Sawyer drive them with specific instructions to reveal only that they were meeting Elliot and I in reference to an acquisition for which we needed their input.

"Hey baby" she says walking towards me dressed impeccably as always in a form fitting baby blue dress with sky high soft pink Louboutins – lovely. I embrace her and greet Kate, who makes a beeline for my brother as I offer Ana my arm.

"Shall we?" I say as I lead her toward the door of the house in front of us.

"Christian, what's going on?"

"I'd like to show you something, I say leading her through the foyer and great room of the house and out to the patio before she has an opportunity to even peruse the house, she gasps at the view and stands in stunned silence."

"Oh Christian, this is the most beautiful view I've ever seen."

"Agreed." I say, only I'm looking at her and not the Sound.

"How would you feel about this being your view, for the rest of our lives?"

"You bought this house?"

"No, of course not, not without your approval." I say glancing at El.

"But I want to know what you think. El and I like the house, but think it's very antiquated. He has suggested repurposing some of the more classic elements of the house like the marble in the foyer and bathrooms as well as some of the woodworking. But we would tear the house down and design a new home to our specifications. I want you to have your dream baby."

"Wow." She says almost in a whisper.

"Is that your only response." I chuckle.

"No of course not!" She says. "Oh my gosh, I'm just so overwhelmed, this is amazing Christian – may we look around the house?"

"Of course! Lets."

We look around the house which was built in the late 1960s and while it has some beautiful classic elements, in order to make our home energy efficient we would spend much more than needed and as El suggested tearing it down would be much more cost effective, but I will leave the decision to Ana, I want her to have whatever she wants, no matter the cost.

"When you say repurpose do you mean we could preserve and perhaps refinish those beautiful oak bookshelves in the library and office?"

"Absolutely." El says from behind us. He and Kate have been walking through the property with us.

"Elliot is it possible to preserve most of the tile work here?"

"For sure. The tile and woodwork can all be preserved, I have a guy who does restoration that can bring it back to it's 1960s glory."

"Then I think we should tear this down and create our dream home." She says beaming up at me. Yes!

"That's what I wanted to hear Ana, I have a guy who has some amazing drawings and 3D renderings – it will give you guys an idea of just some of the possibilities. Your house will be a masterpiece of energy efficiency – a work of art." El says excitedly.

I take out my phone and dial. "Ms. Matteo? Christian Grey."

"Well hello." She purrs seductively into the phone. You would think the fact that she used to be El's fuck buddy would mean flirting with me is a bit tacky to say the very least, but I digress.

"We want to make an offer on the property – full ask, cash sale to close in thirty days max." I say looking into Ana's eyes.

"I'll make it happen and get back to you with the signage." While personally she is an absolute train wreck, Gia is an excellent real estate broker and quite efficient at her job.

"Thank you." I say disconnecting the call.

"Well, future Mrs. Grey, in thirty days or less we will officially be the owners of this property."

"Christian, it's absolutely beautiful here, thank you." She says wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her lips gently to mine.

"I cannot wait to see what you guys come up with together." Kate says. "Elliot has shown me Matt's drawings and they are the most beautiful renderings you could imagine, I know you'll be happy Ana, and if I must say so myself my boyfriend's projects are flawless." She says gazing lovingly at El.

El told me, and I would not have believed it was true if he had not shown me the pic he snapped of Kate at one of his worksites in hardhat, boots and jeans. She is apparently a huge fan and her faith in my brother's ability evident. Yeah, I like Katherine Kavanaugh.

APOV

The house while beautiful would require so much work it doesn't make any sense to restore, but it is loaded with beautiful imported tiles and solid woodwork that in my opinion is priceless, I cannot wait to see what the architect comes up with. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself.

The four of us spend the next two hours sitting on the patio watching the Sound and then the sunset before calling it a night.

CPOV

"Sir?" Taylor says getting my attention – as he walks in to the great room from the security office. He had only been in there for about five minutes and the look on his face tells me this is not good news.

"What's going on Taylor?"

"Sir…Ma'am…uh…Ana?" He begins. "We've received some disturbing news. It appears Mr. Jackson remains a real and present threat, even from his prison cell. While we are able to monitor his movements for the most part, there is no telling if he will contact other sources to carryout whatever nefarious plans he may have in mind.

"What happened?" Ana asks.

"Mr. Jackson is attempting to hire someone to kill Ms. Kavanaugh."

Ana gasps in shock. "Why, why does he want to kill Kate!?"

"From what we have been able to gather, he blames her for telling you about their…uh…encounter and believes this to be the reason you rebuffed him ultimately."

"What the fuck is wrong with this guy?" He's out of his mind. "Well, good thing we never pulled any of the covert security on our family members."

"I agree sir. We need to escalate from covert to close protection for everyone, immediately. I have that in the works, and we need to inform your families of this tonight. They need to be aware of the threat this man and Mrs. Lincoln pose, though there is no need to mention her to anyone outside of this room. Mr. Jackson's cellmate has been a well-known informant for some time and would trade in his own mother for a reduced sentence and witness protection. He contacted prison authorities who in turn contacted the FBI. The FBI is actively working the sting, the key is to make sure he does not attempt to hire more than one person to do his dirty work or to secure multiple hits on multiple people, the guy is unpredictable so we have to make sure everyone is safe."

This is especially disheartening considering his obsession with my family having clearly stalked my sister. We never told Mia about this before today, but I refuse to take any more chances.

"We should do a Net Meeting with everyone tonight. Ana, please contact your family and I will round up the Grey's for the meeting. We need to make sure everyone understands how important this is."

We are able to reach everyone, including RJ in DC who is three hours ahead of us, and considering their lives are all potentially at risk, they all took it pretty well. Ray looked very green around the gills and I knew instantly he blames himself for all of this, when the truth of the matter is no one controls an unstable mind. Ray insisted on sharing in the cost of the security and I did not argue with him because I understood his need to aid in the solution of the Hyden Jackson problem, I would never deny him that by arguing the point or counting pennies.

After the net conference we called Kate and El directly, because of the sensitive nature of Jackson's motives as they relate to her we thought it best to speak to them without the others. We explained the specific threat leveled against Kate and she was shaken to her core. We further explained the involvement of the FBI and the fact that he is now being closely monitored with emphasis on his outside communications – so we are on top of it, but Taylor emphasized the importance of her paying attention to her surroundings and reporting suspicious persons or behaviors immediately. Kate seemed devastated and likely blames herself in some part for her brief lapse in judgment.

"I know Kate, she's terrified Christian."

"I know baby, but she will be safe, she and El have security to watch over them and trust me El will not let anything happen to her, I promise you. That house is like a fortress, Kate is safe – we control this narrative Ana, he has no idea the authorities are on to him, no idea his cellmate is an informant, he does not have the upper hand, just like I explained to everyone. We will all get through this."

APOV

Kate, Mia and I attend the Women's Entrepreneur luncheon together in spite of our frayed nerves with everything that has been going on with our security issues. This event is a welcomed distraction, a respite of you would from all of the fear and drama – I am thankful to be here with two natives, these are certainly not the most approachable women, though this is my impression having solicited many of them for business with little interest or feedback, I am guessing the stares and nods in our direction is an early indication that that will be changing soon. Whether it is out of curiosity about Kate and I or the mere fact that I am engaged to Christian – our status has been elevated as evidenced by this most prestigious invite, and while being able to bootstrap is something to be proud of, I will no longer be resistant to or ashamed of the benefits that come from being with Christian. Anyone, however who thinks this is an invitation to be all up in my business is in for an extremely rude awakening.

"Mia! Hello." Says a petite blonde wearing too much makeup and an ill fitted skirt, two things I would not normally dream of mental Rolodexing even briefly, but she's also scowling at me. What the hell?

"Lily, hi." Mia says in a polite corporate manner. "Allow me to introduce Kate Kavanaugh and Anastasia Steele proprietors of Elite Staffing." Mia introduces, noticing the slight and the scowl no doubt.

"How do you do?" She says nodding briefly in our direction in order of introduction.

"Mia, I have been begging you for years to attend this function, I'm so surprised to see you here."

"Well, you know me, work work work. Since Breakfast is only open until three it's hard to get away mid-afternoon as our service is winding down, but I wanted to come this year as an invite had been extended to Elite and therefore Kate and Ana. Ana as I'm sure you know is Christian's fiancé and Kate is Elliot's girlfriend."

"Yes, yes of course." She says briefly and indiscreetly cutting her eyes to my engagement ring. Bitch.

"Our friend Lillian May will also be joining us, she's the owner of Rêveur, and she's also the brains behind The Dignity Project, you really should come and volunteer with us sometime."

"Um sure…so Ana?" She says finally acknowledging my presence with purpose, but still ignoring Kate. "How did you meet Christian?" Here we go.

"Lily, is it?" My claws are officially out.

"Oh, we had a business meeting that lasted hours, and he asked me out to dinner with his family that same night." I recount with just a bit too much school girl exuberance as I hear Kate clear her throat next to me covering a snicker in reaction to the look on this Lily bitch's face.

"Really?! Christian always seems so reserved I cannot imagine him being so forward, you must tell me, what is your secret?"

"I lean towards her and lower my voice slightly. Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course, she says literally clutching her pearls with her boney fingers."

"Good, so can I." I say reaching for my cucumber water. Aaah, refreshing.

"Sorry I'm late" Lillian says joining us, her timing absolute perfection. "The committee meeting for the walk to end homelessness ran long, this year's event is going to be huge, I'm so excited."

"Lily meet Lillian May." They exchange pleasantries and Lily who was standing there glaring at Kate and I, finally and mercifully takes her leave.

Kate and Mia start to giggle themselves silly.

"Did I miss something?" Lillian asks.

"Yes, just one of Christian's many admirers being put in her place by one Anastasia Steele, soon to be Grey." Mia says as I take a deep breath and roll my eyes.

"Ana, just ignore her. Lily has been trying to get his attention since we were kids, Christian finds her so annoying – he has never looked her way once and when you two were first in that tabloid she called every single one of our mutual friends to find out anything she could about you."

"Well clearly if she's here she is an entrepreneur with much better things to do – how does she have so much time on her hands?" I wonder almost out loud.

"Lily runs a high end boutique in Georgetown called Angelica, it was named for her grandmother, a saint by the way who was known for her impeccable taste. The boutique is doing well and she has very nice clothing, but Lily has always been that friend that cannot seem to quite put together a 'look' that slays, I don't think it's her calling. Her parents had to do something with her after she was placed on academic probation her first semester at UCLA and dropped out. She had a mini breakdown when she tried to latch on to some basketball player who screwed her then publicly dumped her, she was on the husband track not the business management track and she fell apart when things did not go her way."

Hearing that makes me feel a little sorry for Lily. A little.

All in all the luncheon goes well and Kate and I meet many influential women – we passed out brochures to receptive takers for a change and Kate spoke briefly to a group of about fifteen women in a sort of impromptu introduction – which included some new comers like Lillian and ourselves, and unfortunately some old news as well.

KPOV

"Hi, I'm Natalie Case, Case PR, you're Kate Kavanaugh right?"

"Yes, nice to meet you." I respond pretending I did not see her follow me to the ladies room after our little intro with the other ladies.

"I am thrilled to meet you, your presentation was…interesting. So, you are the glass slipper." Oh good lord, really? A Magic Mike XXL reference. Welcome back to high school, clever these chicks are not.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean Elliot has been through three quarters of the women in that ballroom – what makes you so special?"

"You would have to ask Elliot about that now would you not?"

"No need to get so defensive, I was paying you a compliment."

"Well, having received compliments before, I must say that certainly did not sound like one to me."

"The two of you breeze into town…"

"I was born and raised here actually." I say cutting her off.

"Those Grey boys seem to be quite taken with the two of you is all I'm saying."

"Listen, Nancy?"

"It's Natalie."

"Yeah, whatever." I say done with being polite. I move in closer so that I don't have to raise my voice.

"I am not responsible for what happened or clearly did not happen between you and my boyfriend. All I can say is he is a wonderful man who is lovingly devoted to me, hopefully one day that will happen for you. But do yourself a favor and get the fuck over it, watching us together will just drive you crazy and from where I'm standing that looks like a short trip with low mileage, excuse me I believe dessert is served."

CPOV

"Yes Barney?"

"Boss, we received the recordings from the DOC and there is nothing really remarkable, other than Jackson was finally able to get ahold of his business partner. I emailed you a copy of the audio for your information." He pauses, which gives me pause.

"What is it you're not telling me Barney?"

"Well sir, it's clear from the recording that he was not a part of the insider trading and had no idea about Jackson's personal life at all. He's an amazing programmer with a solid reputation and in spite of being heavily recruited by powerhouses like Microsoft and Oracle, he opted for a start up with his college roommate – a guy he thought he could trust and it blew up in his face."

"Spit it out Barney."

"I think he could be an asset Sir."

"So you think I should give him a job?"

"Well, yes but I think…"

"Barney!?"

"The business model they were going for has bones sir, and Jackson's so called business dealings had nothing to do with Shane Markum. I have paid attention to the investigation in painstaking detail sir, Markum is clean sir."

In all the time Barney has worked for me he has never come close to suggesting an acquisition and while I trust his technological instincts, Ros needs to be involved, heavily. I have looked at Jackson's company I must admit and found his dealings perplexing because like Barney has pointed out he and his partner had a solid business plan and they were legitimately doing well, very well. The opportunity to save the jobs of hardworking people is also an attractive motivator, the prospect of profit is a given, it's not a matter of if but how much.

"Okay Barney, I'll have Ros meet with us at around eleven this morning, does that work for you?" He nods clearly pleased and humbled by my response and receptiveness. "If Mr. Markum is as talented as you say, I might consider leaving him in charge, with a shit load of stipulations and oversight, because we cannot ignore his negligence in his dealings with his former partner, but there are jobs at stake and I would like to help, so I'll see you at eleven."