CHAPTER 6

One Week Later…

(EVA)

I look out of the window and take in my first view of Chicago as the plane taxis to a halt and as I do so, I spot another plane. I nudge Gideon and point out of the window at the GEH jet just a few feet away.

Gideon leans forward to look and then smiles, "Well it appears they are here then" he says simply. As I look at the jet it brings it home to me that this is all real and really happening. In a few hours' time I will be meeting my sister for the first time.

I am still getting my head around that one. I haven't spoken to her directly yet on the telephone or via Skype. We have corresponded via email and it all seemed to be pretty positive. But you can't gauge the real feelings when it is written down, so I will be glad when I finally get to see her face to face.

My mind wanders back to last week when I had first discovered that initial email from Anastasia in my inbox…

"Gideon" I call as I stare at my phone. I am standing frozen in the kitchen, my phone in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. My phone just pinged alerting me to the fact I had just received an email and I had idly clicked on it only to see it is from… my sister.

"What is it?" Gideon has appeared by my side, looking as edible as he always does in two parts of a three-piece suit.

I hold up my phone, "I have received an email from Anastasia" I say.

Gideon smiles at me and wraps his arm around me, "Well open it then" he says simply.

He had told me about his conversation with Christian Grey the previous day. How he had called out of the blue and spoken to Gideon, hoping to smooth the way for the meeting next week in Chicago. He had assured me it had all been very positive and they had come to an agreement that they wouldn't allow anything that had happened between them to affect the relationship between Anastasia and myself.

I take a deep breath and click on the email and begin to read.

TO: Eva Cross

FROM: Anastasia Grey

DATE: 26th April 2015 08:37

SUBJECT: Hello

Dear Eva

I hope you don't mind me contacting you like this. I was given your personal email address by Miranda and I thought I'd like to 'talk' to you personally rather than via the intermediary service that Finding Family have provided.

If I was to be totally honest with you, I am at a loss as to know what to say to you. I cannot begin to imagine what you are currently going through. To find out that the person you always believed was your father isn't must have been totally devastating for you. I know it isn't any of my business, but I was raised by a wonderful man who wasn't my biological father so all I can confidently say on that matter is, it isn't the sperm donation which makes a father, it is the person who gives his time and love to raise the child who deserves the title of father. In my case my step father always has been and always will be my daddy. So, having said that, I really hope that you and your dad can get past this revelation as from what I have been told you are very close to your father.

However, the fact is Frank Lambert was your biological father and so I hope that I can be of assistance to you in finding out more about him but I am not entirely sure that I can. Frank Lambert never played a part in my life; he died the day after I was born so I cannot offer you any memories of him, as I have none. When we meet, I will bring my step father, Ray Steele with me as he was close friends with Frank and as such will probably be able to offer you more of an insight into him than I can. I will warn you though, from what Ray has told me, Frank wasn't a very pleasant man when it came to his relationships with women.

I have always been an only child and resigned to the fact I had no siblings, so to discover that I have a sister out there is surprising and quite thrilling for me. I am really looking forward to meeting you and whilst it will be sensible for both of us to take things slowly, I hope that we can get to know each other and build some kind of positive relationship as we move forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to meeting you in person very soon.

Ana

"That was nice of her" I say somewhat lamely after I have read the email. I look at Gideon who is now reading it for himself.

He nods, "She seems to be a genuinely nice lady. Grey made it clear that she is his world just as you are mine, are you going to reply?"

He hands me back my phone and I nod, "Yes of course I am. I feel better about this whole thing now that I have heard from her personally, as I was still worried that I had parachuted a bomb into her life and that she could be resentful in some way, but this email proves she really isn't"…

I return to the here and now as Gideon says my name.

"Eva, come on it's time to go. Are you ready Angel?" he asks holding out his hand to me.

I take a deep breath and nod. "Yes, I'm ready".

I stand and take his offered hand and we leave the plane. I had responded to Anastasia's email and thanked her for her kind words. After reading what she had written I had called my dad and we had a long conversation. I had read Anastasia's email to him and assured him that as far as I was concerned, he was and always will be my daddy. He had been overjoyed to hear that and he had admitted that whilst he still had no doubts and that he considered himself my father he was worried that I would think differently. He also admitted that he had concerns that we would inevitably drift apart, now that there was no biological link between us. He had commented that Anastasia appeared to be a nice person and he hoped that we would hit it off when we met.

I think I had reassured him and Gideon had also made it clear that nothing had changed as far as he was concerned, and he even offered to fly my father out to New York when he felt able to travel. My dad is still recovering from the incident which was the catalyst for all this, and he had thanked Gideon and assured him that he would take him up on his offer as soon as he felt strong enough to travel.

We leave the plane and I look across once more at the GEH jet, almost as if I am hoping to catch a glimpse of my sister but it is clear that nobody is there.

We arrive at the hotel. It is one of Gideon's and as such we have secured the presidential suite. As I look around the plush room I sigh. I have a basic knowledge of my new sister from the information she gave Miranda to pass on to me. I have always been used to money, and comfortable around it due to my mother's superficial need for wealth. Her trophy wife career and shallow money-orientated demeanour ensured that I always had a more than comfortable upbringing and no financial worries.

After I had gone to live with my dad in California after what Nathan did to me, I had got a taste of the real world. My dad's life is simple due to his modest income as a California Street cop. Experiencing that lifestyle was more refreshingly real than the ostentatious luxury I was used to. From what I have read, Anastasia's upbringing was even more frugal. I read that she lived with her step-father in Montesano and after he left the military, he made a living as a carpenter. She put herself through college financing it by working part time in a hardware store and was slowly paying off her student loans, when she met Christian. I had looked up the area in which she was raised and where her step father still lives and I was surprised to see just how simple a life she led and I wondered briefly how she coped being thrust into the world of a billionaire with limitless resources.

"Are you hungry Angel?"

I turn and smile at my husband who is watching me closely.

"Erm… can we just get some room service? I don't really want to make any effort going out somewhere, I just want to stay here till it's time to go and meet Anastasia and Christian" I say. Gideon smiles and gives me a small nod of agreement before he reaches for the room service menu.

Meanwhile across town…

(ANA)

I am currently sitting in our hotel suite looking through my emails and trying to occupy myself with work which I have brought with me to do. Christian is around somewhere; he had told me about his phone call to Gideon Cross and how he had reached out to him and it prompted me to reach out via email to Eva. The response I got was all very positive and whilst I am incredibly nervous, I am looking forward to meeting her in person today.

I hear a knock at the door and then talking and so I wander out to investigate. I see Ray standing in the suite with Taylor and they are talking to Christian. They all look towards me as I make my appearance and Ray grins at me.

"Is everything ok?" I ask.

Ray smiles, "Everything is fine," he says simply, but I realise that he is totally out of his element here and I am more than grateful that he has agreed to come with us. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around him which I think embarrasses him even more.

"Thank you so much for coming with us and doing this" I say quietly.

"Hey, you have no need to thank me Annie, it was a no brainer that I would be here to support you and tell that lady everything I know about Frank" he says.

I am so grateful for everything he has done since he found out about this. He even reached out to Mr Rodriguez – Jose's dad to find out if he had anything on Frank. Apparently, they had all been in the same unit and were all close friends.

That had been interesting when Mr Rodriguez had turned up out of the blue at Escala with letters and photographs from Frank. I am more than certain that it was just a ploy on Jose's part to see me again as Mr Rodriguez made it clear that he was more than willing to simply pass on the information he had gathered to Ray, but it seemed that he had mentioned it to Jose and he had insisted on driving his father to Seattle to personally hand it over.

Christian wasn't impressed, but he didn't blame Mr Rodriguez as it was totally apparent that he was embarrassed by his son's decision.

My mind goes back to that eventful day a week ago…

"Mrs Grey"

I look up at Luke and smile. I am in my office, going through a pile of manuscripts.

"Hi Luke, what's up?" I ask.

"It appears that you have some unexpected visitors… who are currently at Escala asking for you" he says.

I drop the manuscript down and give him my full attention.

"Who?" I ask.

"Mr Rodriguez and Mr Rodriguez senior" he says.

My mouth drops open, I have not heard from Jose for a while. We had drifted apart after I got married and I had stopped replying to his incessant emails and texts asking if I was ok and reiterating that he was always there for me should I need him.

"What on earth are they doing there?" I ask.

Luke steps closer, "As far as I am aware, Mr Steele contacted Mr Rodriguez senior and asked him if he had any information on Frank Lambert that he would be willing to share with you and also with Mrs Cross. From what I can gather… it appears that he told his son and as a result Mr Rodriguez junior took it upon himself to drive his father to Seattle personally".

I sigh and rub my eyes. I really don't want to encourage this and then inspiration hits me and I pick up my phone and call Christian, I smile as he answers on the first ring.

"Hi" I say as soon as he picks up.

"Hi" he responds.

"Erm… are you aware of our visitors currently at Escala?" I ask and I hear a small snort.

"I am, Taylor and I are currently making our way over there right now".

"I'm so sorry about this Christian, I had no idea Ray reached out to Mr Rodriguez" I say.

"It's not your fault baby, and to be fair I don't think it's his either. I have spoken to Mr Rodriguez senior personally and he was quite embarrassed about turning up unannounced in Seattle and as he saw it causing trouble. He made it clear it was the boy's idea and that he was fully prepared to give the information he had to Ray to pass on to you and that he had no intention of coming here in person".

"I see, well I think seeing as he has come all this way, it's the least I can do to be there and thank him" I say carefully.

There is a brief pause and then Christian speaks again, "I thought you'd say that, I'll meet you at Escala" he says.

I hang up and pick up my purse and jacket. "Ok let's do this" I say in a resigned way, as I follow Luke out of my office.

I pause at Hannah's desk and inform her that something has come up but that I don't anticipate on being out for too long. She nods as I quickly leave.

Luke is talking on the phone to Taylor throughout the journey and when we arrive at Escala, he pulls up at the curb outside. I look inside and see Christian is already here. From what I can see he is talking to Mr Rodriguez senior and Taylor is hovering at his side. I spot Jose who doesn't look at all happy to be dealing with Christian. I shake my head and climb out of the car. I glance at Luke and then take a deep breath and breeze in, as I do so all four men turn and look at me. Taylor simply nods, Mr Rodriguez looks at me apologetically and Jose's face lights up like a Christmas tree. I deliberately ignore Jose and turn my full attention to Christian who gives me one of his beautiful smiles and walks towards me.

"Hey baby" he says as he reaches me and he kisses me – quite passionately. I know what he is doing, he is marking his territory and I indulge him by responding, lifting my hand and touching his cheek as I kiss him back with equal fervour.

I notice that Jose's bright smile faded as he witnessed our little performance. After I pull away from Christian, I turn towards Mr Rodriguez and greet him warmly.

"What a surprise Mr Rodriguez" I say politely.

"Hello Ana… I'm so sorry to disrupt your work day like this. I told Jose it was a bad idea to show up unannounced here, but he seemed to think you would be here" he says apologetically as he fidgets with the bag in his hand.

I smile kindly at him. "I must admit I was a little taken aback, but it was probably for the best this way as this isn't our primary residence anymore. So, had you come after work we wouldn't have even been in the city" I say.

I watch Jose's surprised reaction to this and I decide to finally acknowledge him, "Hello Jose, I'm surprised you wouldn't realise that I would be at work" I say a little haughtily as I join the dots and realise what his game was.

He was hoping to see me alone here. He rightfully assumed that Christian would be at work, but I realise that he also wrongfully assumed that now I was married to a billionaire that I would no longer see the need to work and would be here and available to see him.

He shifts uncomfortably and doesn't say anything, so I return my attention to Mr Rodriguez.

"So, Mr Rodriguez, what can I do for you?" I ask politely.

Mr Rodriguez takes a deep breath and fumbles with the bag in his hand. "Ray called me and asked me if I had any information on Frank… I hope you don't mind but he told me about how you had been contacted by someone claiming to be Frank's kid. We were all friends in our unit and we were quite close. When he told me what was happening, I looked through all my old military stuff and found a few photos of the three of us together, and some letters Frank wrote to me when he was transferred to a base in California… they mention a woman and the fact she was claiming to be pregnant by him. But… I… I'm not certain if you want to show these to the person you are meeting as… well, they are quite derogatory". He holds out the bag and I open it and look inside.

"Thank you so much for these, I'm sure my sister will appreciate it" I say. I hand the bag to Luke who steps forward and takes it.

"Luke, can you obtain copies of these so that Mr Rodriguez can take the originals home with him please," I say. Luke nods and disappears into the elevator with the bag.

I glance at my watch and turn my attention to Christian. "It's nearly lunchtime, shall we all go somewhere for lunch?" I ask and Christian nods.

"Sure baby, whatever you want" he says as he secures his arm around me.

I look at Mr Rodriguez questioningly, who looks quite surprised by my suggestion. "It's the least we can do seeing as you have come all this way. I'm just sorry if it appears that we are rushing you and being rude, but as I'm sure you can appreciate, we both work and have busy schedules" I say.

Mr Rodriguez holds up his hand and shakes his head, "There is no need to apologise Ana, I told Jose it would be a bad idea. I guessed that you'd both be incredibly busy people" he says.

I turn towards Jose and he smiles affectionately at me but I keep my expression neutral. "Yes, running a publishing company isn't an easy task," I say.

Jose's smile fades as he flushes slightly and shuffles uncomfortably again. "I didn't know you would still be working considering…" he begins but quickly stops as he realises what he is about to say.

I cock my head to one side, "Considering what Jose? That I have no need to work now that I have married into money? If you assumed that then you clearly don't know me at all" I say.

I look past him as I see Luke reappear and he hands me the bag, "Here you go Mrs Grey, I have taken copies of everything in the bag and I have them right here" he says as he holds up another bag.

I smile gratefully at him, "Thank you Luke" I say as I take the bag from him and return it to Mr Rodriguez. "Oh, also Luke do you or Taylor have any NDA's on you?" I pause and look at Jose, "I'm not suggesting that Mr Rodriguez or Jose would go tattling to the media about this, but it's always best to be safe than sorry and it isn't just my privacy in question here".

Luke nods and glances at Taylor who reaches into his inside pocket and pulls out a sheet of paper, "I have two on me" he says.

I beam at him, "Excellent, thank you Taylor". Then I turn to Mr Rodriguez, "I hope you are not offended? But I can't risk this information reaching the media. They would have a field day with it!" I say and Mr Rodriguez nods in agreement and tells me that he totally understands.

I watch as they both sign the paperwork and then Taylor quickly shoves the completed forms back into his pocket.

"Right then… lunch?" I say…

"Are you listening Annie?"

I am pulled from my thoughts by Ray's amused voice, "Sorry dad… what did you say?" I ask as I flush slightly.

He grins at me, "I said are you ready to go?" he says.

I nod and I glance at Christian who is watching me closely.

"Yes… yes I am" I say decisively.

I go and pick up the small gift box I have put together for Eva with all the information I have managed to pull together about Frank. Inside are the copies of the photographs and letters which Mr Rodriguez provided along with similar from Ray which we also copied. Christian had also managed to obtain copies of his birth certificate, death certificate and military record and information on his parents and where he came from. After going through and reading all the letters which Frank had sent my father and Mr Rodriguez it quickly became blatantly obvious that Frank wasn't a good man and he treated women appallingly.

oooOOOooo

When we arrive at the Finding Family offices, we are met by Miranda Bennet who falls over herself to be helpful. She quickly ushers us into a comfortable room which is laid out rather like a living room of a home than an office.

I sit down and Christian takes the seat to my left and Ray sits to my right. I look down and realise my hands are shaking and Christian reaches for me and grasps my hand. Bringing it to his mouth, he presses a small kiss to my knuckles. I turn and smile gratefully at him.

"There's nothing to worry about baby, just remember that you are doing her the favour, by agreeing to all this," he says.

I nod, "I know that, but I can't help feeling a bit nervous about it all" I say.

As I open my mouth to speak again, the door opens and Miranda returns, she pauses and gestures for a couple to enter the room first. I immediately stand up and see my sister for the first time. I recognise her from photographs in the media but in person she is stunning. She is petite, much like me. We are about the same height and whilst my eyes are blue, she has stormy grey eyes. I realise these must be Franks eyes as I inherited my mother's blue eyes. She has blonde hair which is fastened up into a messy bun and she looks as nervous as I feel. I take my first look at the man who has his arm secured around her and I gasp. This is the Gideon Cross. He is instantly recognisable but once again the photographs of him in the media don't do him justice. His eyes are incredible, like Christian's they are like lasers but whilst Christian's are grey his are an amazing shade of blue.

I realise that Miranda is speaking and I turn my attention to her.

"Ok then, Mrs Grey, this is Mrs Cross… I'll go now and Ieave you all to get acquainted".

I turn and smile at Miranda, "Thank you" I say and I watch as my sister smiles and also thanks her.

I step out of Christians hold and walk towards my sister, she steps towards me and I watch as Gideon also takes a step back, giving us this moment.

"Hello Eva" I say quietly.

"Anastasia" she replies.

I shake my head, "Please, call me Ana. The only time I am called Anastasia is when I'm in trouble" I say with a grin and I give Ray a brief glance as I say it.

Eva laughs and that simple comment has broken the ice, she steps forward and we embrace. It is slightly awkward but it also feels very genuine.

I turn and introduce her to Ray and Christian.

"Eva, this is my husband Christian Grey and this is my step dad, Ray Steele. He came with us today as he knew Frank personally and was close to him, so he can perhaps offer you more information on him than I can". I point to the box on the table.

"My dad also contacted one of his other army buddies, Jose Rodriguez. They were all quite close and he has provided some letters and photographs which Frank sent him… although I do warn you that they are not very nice. They show him to be at best, a thoughtless individual and at worst a particularly unpleasant man who treated women very badly".

Eva nods and she steps forward and greets Christian and Ray warmly and thanks them for coming. She then turns and introduces Gideon.

"This is my husband, Gideon Cross" she says unnecessarily.

I watch as he steps forward and holds out his hand to me and I accept the handshake. I am quite surprised when he then leans down and presses a small kiss to my cheek. He greets Ray warmly before he hesitates a moment and then he also greets Christian. Eva and I glance at each other and we both roll our eyes at the same time as we watch our husbands circling each other. Both on their best behaviour, not wanting to spoil this for us, but still on edge and wary of each other.

I am surprised when Ray speaks, "Right, I think we should leave the ladies to it. Let's give them a little privacy to talk for a few moments".

I smile gratefully at him and see both Christian and Gideon frown at this idea.

Eva quickly steps forward and backs him up, "Thank you Mr Steele that is very kind of you" she says gratefully.

"Please, call me Ray" my dad says.

Eva nods, "Ray…" she turns to Gideon, "Why don't you take Ray and Christian out, get yourselves a drink and get to know each other while Ana and I chat?" she says.

Gideon nods, "If that is what you want Angel" he says, but it is obvious it is the last thing he wants to do. So, I quickly step in and encourage Christian to do the same thing.

"Thanks dad, that sounds like a brilliant idea. Christian, it gives you and Gideon a chance to get to know each other outside of business" I say, whilst hoping he isn't going to refuse or cause a fuss.

Christian nods and walks over to me and wraps his arm around me and presses a kiss to my neck, "If that's what you want baby" he says.

I place my hand on his chest, directly over his heart and look him in the eye, "It is" I say and he nods once, before turning to Gideon and giving him a forced smile.

"It appears we are being given our marching orders" he says and Gideon nods.