CHAPTER 5
The next morning, I sit down at my desk, fire up my computer and take a large gulp of coffee. I am just settling down to start my working day when my email pings. I glance at the notification, to discover I have received the results of Mrs Cross's DNA test, from the lab in New York. I have the full profile in front of me and now all we have to do is wait for the results from Seattle and we can compare them and ascertain if our detective work was correct. I am quietly confident that it is, as in all the years DNA profiling has been available, it has nearly always conclusively proved that our genealogical investigators were spot on.
I recall only two occasions where it appeared that the research had been flawed. The first was where we had inconclusive results, when we were unable to get a full profile for one client. However, it transpired that the client did not do the test properly. There was only once that I can recall, where our investigators appeared to be totally wrong. Eventually that was discovered to be due to an incorrect entry on one of the records they were using and not their investigation skills.
I look at the results but it means absolutely nothing to me as this is not my area of expertise. I pick up my phone and call down to the lab.
"Hello, Marcus Daley speaking" comes the quiet voice of one of the lab technicians.
"Good morning Marcus is Simon there?" I ask.
"He is, just hang on Miranda and I'll transfer you" he says. There is a pause and then I hear the click which tells me the call has been transferred.
"Good morning Miranda, what can I do for you?"
I smile at his easy-going tone. "Good morning, Simon. I have had the DNA profile through from the New York lab, so we are just waiting for Seattle now for their information. Steph is meeting with Mrs Grey this morning and doing her DNA test so if Graham at the Seattle lab pulls his finger out, we should have her profile by this evening for you to compare".
"Ok thanks, I'll grab it off the system. Where is it?" he asks.
"The encrypted email in the locked file we set up for this case," I say.
"No problem" he replies.
"Thanks Si" I say and then hang up.
oooOOOooo
(ANA)
I walk into Grey House with Christian and as usual heads turn. They always do when my too handsome for his own good husband makes an entrance. No matter where he goes, he always manages to create a stir.
We make our way up to his office and Andrea looks up as we walk in and she smiles at us.
"Good morning Mr Grey, Mrs Grey" she says and she automatically picks up her tablet as Christian pauses at her desk.
"Good morning Andrea, I am expecting a Ms Barnard at 8am. Please show her straight through when she arrives" he says.
Andrea frowns and nods and she looks worried that she has made a mistake as she bends and taps her tablet screen.
Christian smiles at her, "Relax Andrea you didn't have an oversight, this isn't on my schedule". As he says this, I see Andrea immediately relax.
"Very good Mr Grey. Can I bring you and Mrs Grey some coffee?" She asks politely as she looks questioningly first at Christian, and then me.
I shake my head, "No thank you Andrea I'm good" I say and Andrea nods at me.
Christian nods and smiles at her, "Yes please" he says, and then tugging my hand he leads me into his office. A few moments later there is a tap on the door and Andrea enters with a mug of steaming coffee which she places on Christian's desk.
"Do you want to go through your schedule for today Mr Grey?" she asks, and Christian shakes his head.
"Not yet, wait until after Ms Barnard has left" he says.
"Very good sir" she says and with that she leaves us alone.
I sit down nervously on Christian's sofa and he comes and sits next to me. "It will be fine baby" he says trying to reassure me.
I smile at him, "I know… I just can't help it" I say.
I glance at my watch it is nearly 7.55 and something occurs to me.
"What time does Andrea start work?" I ask and Christian looks up.
"She normally arrives around 7.30 am, why?" he asks.
"That's really early. Why does she get here so early? Normally, you don't make an appearance before 8.30?" I ask.
Christian smiles sadly, "That is because before I met you I was here around the clock. I barely left the place and was always here long before the sun rose, so Andrea just adjusted her schedule accordingly. She started coming into work earlier in the morning. She has never changed it back after I discovered that I had a life outside of GEH… when I met you".
I feel my heart lurch at his words, before me his life revolved around GEH. My thoughts are disturbed by his desk phone ringing.
He quickly picks up, "Grey" he snaps.
He looks at me, as the person on the other end of the phone speaks to him. "Thank you Andrea, please show her in and inform Taylor she is here" he says. He sighs as he replaces the handset. "Ms Barnard is here" he says quietly.
I take a deep breath as his office door opens and a tall immaculately dressed woman confidently strides in. I take her in; she has short cropped strawberry blonde hair and green eyes; she smiles kindly at me as she holds out her hand to me. The fact that she is addressing me first impresses me and sets me at ease. It is only a little thing, almost insignificant but it is something that rarely happens. When women get an eyeful of Christian it's as if I don't exist. Most of the time women ignore me as soon as they lay eyes on Christian, even if it is me they have an appointment with. But she has remembered that it is me she is meant to be seeing, and that small significant fact means a lot.
"Mrs Grey, I'm Stephanie Barnard from Finding Family and I'm delighted to meet you, I take it Miranda has explained to you what is going to happen this morning?" she says.
Before I get chance to answer the door opens and Taylor slips in with some papers in his hand. Christian looks across at him and holds out his hand.
"Thank you, Taylor," he says and then turns his attention to Ms Barnard.
"Ms Barnard before we go any further, I'd be obliged if you could sign this NDA. We have been reassured by Ms Bennett that our privacy is safe however it would be remiss of me not to put in place my own safeguards considering how sensitive this situation is".
I watch as she takes the NDA and quickly reads it before rummaging in her bag for a pen. "Not at all Mr Grey" she says and she quickly signs the NDA.
Christian gives her, her copy and then holds out the other to Taylor who takes it and slips quietly from the room.
The actual test takes a matter of seconds and I watch as the swab sample is sealed and Ms Barnard places it in her bag.
"Thank you, this is going directly to our lab now. As soon as they have your full profile, they will notify Miranda. She will be in contact with you in due course, as soon as the lab in Chicago has had chance to compare it with our other client and establish if there is a familial link between you. I estimate you should hear from her by the very latest tomorrow evening, so unless you have any questions, I will say goodbye" she says and she looks at me expectantly.
I shake my head, "No I don't, and thank you" I say.
She shakes my hand and turns to Christian and shakes his before turning and leaving us alone.
"Well there we go" I say as I watch the door close.
Christian is watching me closely, "Are you ok baby? Do you need a moment or do you want to head off to work now?" he asks.
I stand up and wrap my arms around his waist and I feel his arms automatically circle me and hold me protectively.
"I just want a second here with you and then I'll go and let you get on with your day" I say quietly.
He presses a kiss to my head, "Consider it done baby, and take as long as you need" he replies.
oooOOOooo
Twenty-Four hours later…
I am sitting at the breakfast table watching Christian eat his omelette. It never ceases to amaze me just how much he can eat and yet he stays so in shape. I smile as I think about the amount of time he spends working out and training with Claude. Not to mention the amount of exercise he gets with me in the bedroom and I realise that more than accounts for his fine physique.
I turn my attention to my own breakfast, a bowl of granola and yoghurt. It has been a favourite of mine since I first had it while on honeymoon. That reminds me that our third wedding anniversary is coming up in three months' time. It's not long, the way this year is progressing it will be here in no time at all.
I am pulled from my musings by my phone buzzing, I look down and see it is Miranda and I look straight at Christian.
"Christian" I say and immediately he gives me his undivided attention.
"What is it?" he asks.
"Miranda" I say and I take a deep breath before I pick up my phone and answer the call. "Hello" I say slightly nervously.
"Hello Mrs Grey, Miranda Bennett here, I'm ringing to tell you we have the results from the DNA test and it is conclusive to a percentage of 99.99 percent that you and my client share the same father. So, you and my client are half-sisters".
I sit back in my chair and I vaguely realise that Christian is now sitting beside me, he is holding my hand in one of his whilst continuing to eat his breakfast with the other.
"Erm… thank you… so what happens now?" I ask.
"Well, with your permission I will reveal your identity to my client and then arrange for you both to an initial meeting here at our Chicago office where you can be introduced to each other and take it from there. My client has already given permission for her identity to be revealed to you now that the DNA test has proved conclusive".
"Erm… yes of course you can" I say without thinking, "So who is she, who is my sister?" I ask.
"The lady's name is Eva, she is 28 years old and she is married to a prominent successful businessman in New York. You and your husband will probably be aware of him, given your husbands status within the business world. Her husband is Gideon Cross of Cross Industries".
My mouth just drops open at that and I look straight at Christian.
"Alright thank you, does Eva know yet?" I ask, I am feeling very overwhelmed at this moment at this news.
"Yes, she does. I called her to tell her that the DNA test proved the familial link between you so she knows she is related to you but she doesn't know who you are yet. Now that I have secured your permission to tell her I will call her back with your details and put in motion the plans to bring you two together. I will be in touch later on today to finalise those details with you. Does that sound alright to you?" she asks.
"Yes, that's fine" I say simply.
"Alright then, I'll say goodbye for now and let you come to terms with the information I have given you" Miranda says kindly.
"Yes, thank you" I repeat. I cringe at the repetition in my response but at this moment my brain is too stunned to come up with anything else.
We say our goodbyes and I look at Christian who is waiting patiently for me to fill him in. "You are never going to believe this" I say.
"Go on" he says simply as he continues eating his breakfast.
"My sister, well… half-sister is Eva Cross, Gideon Cross's wife" I say and Christian's mouth drops open and he chokes on his omelette.
"You're fucking kidding me?" he says after a moment spluttering.
I shake my head, "No, that's what Miranda just told me. She wanted my permission to tell Eva who I am and then she is going to arrange for us to meet each other at the Chicago office" I say.
I watch as Christian scrubs his hand over his face and takes a long gulp of his coffee. This has clearly come as a huge surprise to him. But it accounts for why everything has been so carefully handled. Gideon Cross is even more high profile than Christian.
"Christ, that's going to be awkward when we meet" he mutters.
I look carefully at him, "Why?" I ask.
Christian looks at me warily, "I've been trying to take over one of Cross's companies for months and he keeps blocking me. Also, let's just say whilst our paths haven't crossed many times over the years, but when they have it's been frosty to say the very least… He is more of an asshole than I am".
I stare at him in shock not quite believing what he is saying, "Christian, this isn't about you or Gideon, it's not about your companies, it's not about your egos or some pissing contest as to who owns what. This is about Eva and the fact she is my sister, so you had better not do anything to ruin this for us when we meet" I say.
Christian smiles at me and wraps his arm around me, "Baby I wouldn't dream of it, I know how to behave" he says, and I nearly laugh out loud at that one as I recall some of his more spectacular tantrums. To be fair though I know he will put aside his obvious animosity towards Gideon Cross for my sake when I meet Eva.
Meanwhile in New York…
(EVA)
I am sitting in Gideon's office reliving the events of the past few moments. The DNA tests have come back that I am this person's sister. I still don't know who she is though, as Miranda hasn't secured her permission yet to tell me. She assured me that she was going to ring this woman as soon as she got off the phone from me and tell her the news and then she would call me straight back. I had immediately told her she was free to tell her who I am.
I had got up, left the office and gone straight up to Cross Industries. As I arrived Gideon had seen me and come straight out to me, as he was wondering why I had suddenly shown up in his office. I had quickly filled him in on the latest developments and now I am sitting waiting on Gideon's sofa clutching my phone waiting for the call. Gideon has his arm securely around me and he is silently offering me all his love and support.
My phone starts to buzz and I nearly drop it. I fumble with the speaker button and put the call on speaker so Gideon can listen in.
"Hello" I say nervously.
"Hello again Mrs Cross, right then… I have just spoken with the lady and she is naturally quite surprised and is currently processing all the information I have given her. However, she is happy for me to reveal her identity to you. The lady's name is Anastasia Grey and she is 25 years old. She lives in Seattle, Washington. She is married to a prominent businessman called Christian Grey which accounts for her being so wary to begin with and her concerns over privacy. She is keen to meet you and happy to fly to Chicago to do so. So having said all that, I can leave you for a while to digest this information and when you are ready contact me and I can arrange for the initial meeting to take place," she says.
"Erm… yes… wow, I mean I can't actually believe it but…" I ramble.
"That's fine Mrs Cross and if it's any consolation Mrs Grey was equally flabbergasted when I told her who you were" Miranda says kindly.
I look at Gideon and his jaw is hanging open, he is as shocked by this news as I am, as I quickly try and pull myself together.
"Well, thank you for telling me and I'll talk things over with my husband and then call you later on this afternoon if that is ok?" I ask.
"That is absolutely fine, take your time and digest this information and I'll speak to you soon" she says.
I thank her once more and hang up turning my attention to Gideon who still looks stupefied.
"I don't fucking believe it" he mutters.
"What?" I ask.
Gideon shakes his head and a wry smile pulls at his lips, "I cannot believe that I am related by marriage to that fucking asshole Grey" he says.
I frown, "Hey, stop it. This isn't about you and your business feuds; this is about me finding my sister and finding out about my biological father" I say sharply.
I watch as Gideon's face softens and he looks contrite. He nods and reaches for me pulling me into his arms. "You're right Angel, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that" he says. He presses a kiss to my head and looks at me carefully, "forgive me?" he asks and I smile up at him.
"Of course I do. Just… please be nice when we meet them, don't start a pissing contest with Grey or let your dislike of him influence your behaviour. It's not Anastasia's fault who she is married to. I know the guy has been trying to take over one of your company's and he has been a thorn in your side for a while but that's not her fault. I want this so badly and I don't want her feeling uncomfortable because you can't stand her husband" I say.
"Gideon nods, "I know and I'll be on my best behaviour" he says with utter sincerity.
(GIDEON)
I have just watched my wife leave the office and go back to work. She is adamant that I need to put aside the acrimony I feel towards Grey on a business level, as it has nothing to do with anything that is going on with Eva and Anastasia. I totally agree with her… to a point. Eva is still reeling from the fact Victor isn't actually her father, and I don't want to trample all over this newfound family that has been discovered. As Eva said, it isn't Anastasia's fault that she fell in love and married a fucking asshole, although what she sees in that man is beyond me. Then I hesitate and smile as I think he is probably thinking exactly the same thing about Eva and myself at this moment. I take a moment to think and I consider asking Angus to find a phone number for him so that I can reach out. I don't want our business animosity or mutual dislike of each other to overshadow what is essentially a private matter between our wives and although I really don't want to, as the last thing I want to do is talk to him I am prepared to do it for Eva. As I am thinking this my desk phone buzzes and I quickly answer it.
"Cross" I bark down the line.
I hear Scott and he sounds flustered and unsure, "Mr Cross, I have a man on the line claiming to be Christian Grey of Grey Enterprise Holdings asking to speak to you… he came through the main switchboard. I am not totally certain whether this is legitimate or not as it isn't customary for something like this to happen and I wouldn't want you exposed".
I think for a moment and decide to go for it, "Put the call through Scott, I'll take full responsibility for it" I say and I hear the line click as the call is connected.
"Cross" I say sharply.
"Cross? Gideon Cross?" the voice says.
"Speaking" I say.
There is a brief hesitation and I hear whispering and then the clearing of a throat, "If I am genuinely speaking to Gideon Cross you know why I am calling you, my chief security advisor is currently speaking to Angus McLeod and he should be entering your office any moment" the man says.
He has barely got the words out of his mouth as my door opens and Angus is standing there looking worried.
"He is here" I say.
"Good, he will give you my Skype details… I await your call" he says and then with that and no further comment the line goes dead.
I stare at my phone and hold my hand out for Angus's phone. Then I pull my laptop towards me and quickly call up Skype and put in the details from his phone. A moment later I see the face of Christian Grey looking at me, from what appears to be his office in Seattle.
"Cross" he states coolly.
"Grey" I reply as I fold my arms and wait, he initiated this call and I recall my promise to Eva not to cause any trouble.
I watch him take a deep breath and clasp his hands in front of him as he gives me a hard penetrating stare. I take a moment to look at him; really look at him and then it hits me, he wants exactly what I want and that is our wives to meet without any risk of us fucking it up for them. I don't say anything and wait for him to speak, after all I'm not going to make it easy for him.
Eventually he starts to speak, "My wife received a call this morning from the company which your wife engaged to discover her family" he begins.
I nod "My wife received a similar call" I reply.
"I felt the need to reach out to you as my wife is naturally overwhelmed by this entire situation. It all came as a complete surprise to her. However, she is eager to meet her new sister and I naturally want that to go well for her. I don't want there to be any… awkwardness, due to any business decisions I may have made recently. I promised her that I would not let my perception of you overshadow what is essentially her day… and Eva's of course".
I nod, I am quite impressed by the fact he took the decision to reach out to me, it took balls for him to do that, so I decide to throw him a bone.
"I made my wife a promise this morning that I would not allow any objections and negativity I have towards you colour the meeting between them, as you are totally correct this isn't about us. My wife is still recovering from the fact that the man who she always believed was her father isn't, and the ramifications from that. I am not interested in sabotaging that in any way at all" I say.
"Exactly, which was my motivation for calling you but I can see we are on the same page with this. I love my wife and her happiness comes before anything else in my life" he says.
I nod, I can tell he loves his wife probably as much as I love Eva; for him to make that declaration. So I am prepared to cut him some slack and maintain a facade of pleasantness when we meet.
I take a deep breath, as while I have him here, I have the perfect opportunity to discover why he is so interested in Nexus. I know I need finesse and tact for this as one wrong word and I could cause something which will be evident when our wives meet up.
"While I have you on the line with me; may I ask you a question, unrelated to the matter surrounding our wives?" I say warily.
I watch as Grey leans back in his seat. He knows what I am going to ask and he is on full alert.
"Go on" he says after a moment.
"Nexus" I say simply.
He nods, and takes a deep breath, "If I tell you, it is because I love my wife more than any business deal or project. By telling you I am potentially putting eighteen months of development and hard work by my project team at risk" he says.
I watch him closely, reading between the lines I know exactly what he is saying. He wants to know if we can come to some kind of deal and clear the air between us at the same time. He is willing to put whatever he is developing at risk for the sake of no lingering animosity between us.
I hesitate a moment, "You do not appear to have any links to the gaming industry, which is my main reasons for holding on to Nexus" I say vaguely.
Grey nods, we are both dancing around each other and trying to discover if we can trust each other. After a moment I hear him curse and lean forward.
"Fuck it, I am developing a solar powered cell phone for use in third world countries and Nexus has the technology I need".
I am taken aback by this. I knew he does this kind of thing; he develops technology and then gives it away allowing the manufacture of such items so that they become affordable for everyone. I have been aware of his philanthropic work with Africa for a while and he may not be aware of it as he tries to keep this work under the radar, but I know the extent of his work in these countries and have been impressed by what he has done and the achievements he has made.
He watches me closely and I sigh, then an idea hits me and I decide to go with it. "My reasons for holding on to Nexus are due to a new game console I am developing… as a gesture of goodwill upon hearing what you need the technology for, I am prepared to offer the services of Nexus to you for this project, on the condition you desist in your attempts of a hostile takeover".
I watch as his eyes widen and he thinks for a moment and then he smiles, "You clearly love your wife as much as I love mine" he says wryly. I can't help it, a small smile pulls at my lips upon hearing that and I nod.
"I do, Eva comes first for me, so if I can do anything to ease the simmering discord between us then I will do it. As it seems our wives are siblings, I am certain… knowing Eva the way I do she will want to pursue a relationship with Anastasia and not just leave it with an initial meeting, so therefore that makes us related by marriage… that makes you family". I stop speaking and swallow hard as family is a very touchy subject for me.
I am in unchartered territory at the moment. I am not sure what to think, or more importantly if I can trust Grey.
He watches me at his end of the connection. He looks at his hands and appears to be deep in thought. When he raises his head again he looks directly at me and I see compassion in his eyes.
"I'm guessing that all this has come as a shock to you?" he says in a kinder voice.
I nod, "You can say that again, I am trying to support my wife as best as I can but I am limited in experience of this… she was devastated when she discovered that her father wasn't actually her father and after that it became like a mission for her to find out the truth. I never in a million years expected anything like this to happen. All I want is for Eva to find out the truth about her birth father and hopefully start to rebuild" I say, and then I stop speaking as I am quite surprised at how much I have revealed to Grey.
He nods, "Ana was surprised when she first got the call, she actually assumed it was some kind of hoax at first. I am pretty paranoid about things like that and I think some of that way of thinking has rubbed off on her a little. I got my security to look into it and it all appeared to be legitimate and when she was assured that it was ok, she had no hesitation but to respond. She knows very little about her birth father as he died the day after she was born. She is planning on bringing her step father with her to the meeting with Eva as he knew Frank well, he served with him in the military and was his friend".
"Is Ana close to her step father?" I ask.
Grey nods and smiles, "Yeah, she is. They are incredibly close, he raised her". He snorts and shakes his head, "He is the only human being I am afraid of as he is the only man who could persuade her to leave me" he says.
I pause wondering what he means by that and then I remember he is adopted, and by the sounds of it he has some kind of lingering abandonment issues associated with that, talking to him like this, despite the fact we are both being cagy we are also revealing a lot. I think for a moment and then decide to go for it.
"It must be a bit weird for you as well… I mean… you were adopted so it must make you wonder about where you came from?" I say carefully.
Grey laughs bitterly, "I am fully aware of where I came from. Ana said much the same thing, she said that should this work out, that I should use the company to discover more about my parentage and ancestry. At the moment though I am concentrating on supporting Ana through this".
I am watching Grey, his whole demeanour is so familiar to me, just as I put on a front, I can tell that he is doing exactly the same thing. But those masks can't help but slip as we talk about the very real devotion, we both feel towards our wives.
"Our wives are going to be arranging the meeting with Miranda this evening. If the initial meeting at the Finding Family offices goes well… perhaps we could arrange to meet up socially afterwards… maybe for dinner?" I ask.
Grey nods, "I'm prepared to do whatever it takes. This is about Eva and Ana and if they want to meet up socially then I believe we will be seeing much more of each other. Not only while we are in Chicago, but in the future".
I nod in agreement, "I quite agree" I say.