Chapter 12
APOV
The next morning at work, I get my tea and start to prepare for the day. Jack calls me and asks me to come into his office.
I knock on the door quietly but loud enough for him to hear. "Jack?"
"Come in, Ana." I walk in and Jack is at his desk with coffee. It's only 9 and he already looks stressed out. "Have a seat."
"Is everything OK?" I'm worried now.
"I'm not sure. SIP has been purchased by another company, GEH. It's still in the beginning stages but rumor is there will be some major changes. I don't want you to be blindsided by anything."
Did I hear that right? I try to swallow the lump that formed in my throat. "Did you say it was bought by GEH, as in Grey Enterprises?"
"Yes. You know the company?" Holy shit… think fast Ana.
"The CEO was the commencement speaker at my graduation."
"I've heard he accomplished a lot as a young man despite a rough start in life."
"Yes, as far as I know. So, um, do you need me to do anything else?"
He looks at me and smiles, making me feel uncomfortable. "No, that's all, Ana." I leave his office as quickly as I can to get back to my desk.
I am so fuming mad I can't think straight. He wants me to give him a chance and he goes all super-stalker and buys the company I work for.
To: cgrey
From: asteele
Re: What were you thinking?
Christian,
You asked me to give you a chance and to believe you changed and here I find out you bought the company I work for. Do you know how unbelievably angry that makes me?
Your need to control everything has gone too far. I can't believe you interfered with my career like this. I am not your submissive - you do not and will not have power over me. Ever. You lied to me and that is one thing I can't ever tolerate.
Anastasia Steele
I hit send and talk a walk to the kitchen to try and calm down. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea will help.
CPOV
Last night I had such hope for Ana and I. Then I get this email from her. I have never seen her so angry. I'm not sure she will even forgive me. The thing is, the purchase of SIP had started before I even met her. But she won't believe me now.
I call her phone but she sends me straight to voice mail. I call her work phone.
"Jack Hyde's office. Ana Steele speaking."
"Ana…"
I can't believe it. She fucking hung up on me. Fine, I'll text her.
*Ana, please let me explain. It's not what you think.*
I don't get a response from her. I don't know if I should be pissed or sad or what. Now it's even a bigger mess. I might as well just let her run into José's arms. Fuck!
I need to come up with a plan.
APOV
I ignore Christian's text. I can't talk to him right now or if I ever want to talk to him again. I need time to calm down and think about things. I bury myself in my work to take my mind off things.
At 4:45 my cell rings - it's José. "Hello?"
"Ana. I'm glad I got you. Have you gotten home yet?"
"I haven't left work. Why?"
"Will you meet me for dinner?"
"Sure. Where?"
"Market Diner? 5:30"
"Sounds good. See you there."
At 5:30 I walk through the front doors of the diner. I see José sitting in a booth and he smiles at me as I make my way to him.
"Hey, Ana. I'm glad to see you."
"Hi, José. How was your day?"
"Pretty good. I got my first check from the art show. It's going to be enough for me to pay for school and have some money left over."
"José, that's great! I'm so happy for you."
"All the portraits of you sold. I think you're going to be famous." He smiles at me and I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, thanks a lot for the warning there!"
"I'm sorry, Ana. I meant to tell you but just got caught up in things. I wanted to tell you, with some of the money I got I've bought an apartment here in Seattle."
"But what about school, your last year?"
"I don't have that many credits left to go and some of my courses are online. It'll be easy to travel back and forth."
"That makes sense. So what are you going to do now that you'll be an official Seattleite?"
"Well, I was hoping to have my girlfriend move in with me." What the fuck? Did I just hear that?
"I'm sorry… what did you just say?" He can't be serious. This must be a joke.
"Ana, I want you to move in with me." Oh, he is serious.
"José, it's too soon."
"We've known each other for over 4 years now. How is it too soon?"
"José, you know I care about you but I am not ready for this."
"Ana, I know I said I would wait for you but I can't. I can't wait around any longer. I need you to make a decision. I need that decision soon." It isn't fair for me to make him wait like this. I don't want to hurt anyone but I know I have to.
"José, I promise you. I will think about everything and make a decision."
"Ana, I'm moving this weekend. I need a decision by then. OK?"
I nod. I feel like I'm in my own nightmare that I created for myself. "OK. I promise."
After our dinner, I walk home. My mind is racing with my thoughts. José wants me to move in and Christian wants to control me. Is either of these things what I want? This is probably why I never had a relationship before. They are so… complicated.
As I'm walking up to the apartment I don't see Kate's car but the lights are on inside. She must have forgotten to turn them off. I open the door and am frozen in shock. It's Christian. He's sitting in the living room. "Christian. How did you get in here?"
He gives me a smile. "Don't worry, Ana. Kate let me in but then left to have dinner with Elliot." I breathe a sigh of relief that he didn't have spare keys made or something equally crazy. I open the door all the way and walk into the apartment setting my purse down. The tension in here right now is palpable. "You wouldn't answer my texts or take my calls."
"Christian now isn't a good time. I have a lot on my mind."
"Ana, I know. But I have to tell you. I began the purchase of SIP before I even met you. The sale was embargoed for six weeks so I couldn't say anything. I planned on splitting up the company and liquidating everything until you said you got a job there. I know it's your dream to work in publishing and I couldn't do that to you. So, I decided to keep it and bring it under the umbrella of GEH. I know I am controlling and everything, but this time I swear I didn't do this on purpose."
I look into his eyes and I know he's telling the truth. This really is a small world, isn't it?
