CHAPTER 9
Three days later…
(CHRISTIAN)
"Sir, the Cross Industries jet appears to have arrived".
I pull my attention from my phone and look up at Taylor's comment to see the huge black Cross Industries jet taxiing to a halt. I sigh deeply and move to get out of the car.
"Thank you, Taylor," I mutter as I climb out and button up my jacket.
I watch as the steps are brought over and after a few moments the doors begin to open. I watch as Gideon and Eva emerge and walk down the steps of the plane. Eva is smiling widely but Gideon looks grim. I watch him closely and I know the reason for that expression as he looks how I feel. He is concerned about this meeting, as am I. I realise that he loves Eva completely and much like me with Ana he is incredibly protective of her.
I have to say I am surprised by how quickly I warmed to the man considering my perspective of him was that he was a complete and utter arrogant asshole… much like myself. There is something about him though… there is something he is hiding. I noticed the vulnerability when we first met that day in Chicago, I spotted it only very briefly but it was there. I only noticed because he tried so hard to hide it, anyone else would've missed it but I noticed because it reminded me of myself and my raft of vulnerabilities that I try desperately to hide behind my asshole CEO facade.
I have no idea if we will ever become friends as such, I was surprised by his offer to make Nexus available to me but that was a sensible business decision and certainly not based on personal sentimentality. He is a very difficult man to read. I pride myself on being able to read people well but apart from the odd flashes of vulnerability here and there which I recognised as it reminded me of myself, he is a closed book. Therefore, I have no idea if he is contemplating the idea of friendship between us or if he is just merely tolerating me for Eva and Ana's sake. But I am rather surprised to realise that a part of me hopes that we can become friends, I have never had thoughts of this kind before and have always actively avoided friendship. As they reach me Eva surprises me with a hug and I momentarily freeze, but I quickly manage to hide my aversion to being touched and return the hug. Thanks to Ana, I have taken huge steps in conquering my fear of being touched but unexpected gestures like this do still unnerve me. I turn my attention towards Gideon and hold out my hand in greeting which he quickly accepts.
"Welcome to Seattle" I say and I watch Gideon smile politely.
I turn and gesture towards the car, "Shall we?" I begin, but Eva quickly interrupts me before I can say anything else.
"Where's Ana?" she asks looking around.
"She's waiting for us at Grey Publishing" I explain and Eva nods in understanding.
The drive to the Grey Publishing premises is a pleasant one. I am sitting in the front with Taylor while Gideon and Eva are in the back. The chat is casual and superficial but there aren't any awkward silences. Eva tells us that she and Ana have discussed getting together as she wants to introduce Ana to her father, Victor who lives in San Diego. Apparently, the girls have talked about their fathers and they have come to the conclusion that they are very similar and would probably hit it off if the introduction was made.
I glance at Gideon and I know that he would bend over backwards to facilitate this. Just as I would, as the indulgent smile, he is giving Eva is identical to the one I give to Ana on a regular basis.
The first thing I see when we arrive is Ana waiting in the reception area. She has a look of excited anticipation on her face and as soon as she sets eyes on Eva the two women embrace warmly.
"Hi sis!" they say in unison and then burst into a fit of giggles. I glance at Gideon who has an amused smile on his face and when he meets my gaze, he rolls his eyes. After Ana has greeted Eva she turns to Gideon and hugs him tightly.
"Hi Gideon, thank you for doing this" she whispers to him and I watch as he greets her warmly and presses a friendly kiss to her cheek. A surge of jealousy goes through me as I hate it when any man touches Ana, but I manage to keep myself in check.
"No problem, I've been looking forward to seeing Seattle again, it's been many years since I was last here" he says warmly.
Ana then turns to me and wraps her arms around my waist and presses her head against me. My arms automatically circle her protectively and I bury my nose in her hair and inhale her familiar scent.
"Hi" she whispers to me.
"Hi baby" I reply. "Are you ready for this?" I ask as I watch her carefully.
I watch as she takes a deep breath and nods her head firmly as she looks up at me.
"I am, I'm quite looking forward to it actually. Ray is here too as he said he wants to see Frank again, just to give him a piece of his mind for what he did".
Ana leads us all to her office where Ray is already sitting nursing a mug of tea and we all sit down. A few moments later, Hannah appears with a tray of coffee and tea and some biscuits.
"What time is Frank due to arrive?" Eva asks between munching on her biscuit and drinking her coffee.
I watch as Ana looks at her watch, "His appointment is in ten minutes so there is still time" she says.
"What's the plan?" Eva asks and Ana smiles.
"I'm going to take him into the conference room and once he is in there I will go in and see how the land lies and try and find out if he knows who I am, before I spring everyone else on him" she explains.
As she says this her desk phone rings and she looks at Eva before she answers it. "Ana Grey" she says and then she nods at Eva. "Thank you, Claire. If you could show him into the conference room and offer him some refreshments and I will be with him shortly".
Ana puts the phone down and takes a deep breath, "Ok then this is it" she says as she is visibly bracing herself.
Ray stands and gives Ana a swift hug, "Just take your time Annie" he says gruffly and she smiles gratefully at him.
"Thanks dad" she replies, she looks at me and I press a swift kiss to her cheek and squeeze her arm. Finally, she looks at Eva who smiles and nods, before offering some words of encouragement.
"Go for it!" she says and this makes Ana giggle again.
As she makes her way to the conference room I lead everyone else to the small room next door which is basically just a storage facility, but the reason for us being here is because there is an adjoining door which leads into the conference room, which at this moment is ajar so we can hear everything that is being said. We all crowd in and stand listening to what is happening in the next room.
(ANA)
I take a deep breath and push open the conference room door and as I do so I get my first glimpse of my… dad? No, Ray is my dad… biological father? No, that title seems too good for the man who faked his own death to avoid parenthood… Sperm donor? Yes, that pretty much sums him up, my sperm donor.
I glance towards the door in the corner which is ajar and it gives me the strength to continue into the room; as I know just beyond that point stands my father, my husband and my sister. My mind then wanders to Gideon of all people, Gideon… my brother in law! That thought nearly makes me let out a small chuckle but I manage to contain myself.
"Mr Lamb" I say as I make myself known. Frank immediately turns and looks at me and stands up. He has a wide bright smile which is completely fake as it doesn't reach his eyes and I take a moment to really look at him and take him in. He is dressed casually in well-worn jeans and a T shirt and I know immediately that these are Walmart clothes as Ray has the same thing. I'm not a snob as for years I relied on Walmart for my own clothing but it makes me wonder if his reasons for suddenly approaching me are down to financial gain. I examine his face, searching for any resemblance to myself or Eva. I spot Eva in him immediately as she has his eyes, the colour and the shape. I see myself too, but far more subtly.
"Hello" he says nervously, and I thrust out my hand towards him.
"Anastasia Grey, CEO and Senior Fiction Editor" I say briskly.
"Francis… Francis Lamb" the man says.
I gesture to the seat, "Please sit down Mr Lamb" I say.
"Frank… call me Frank" the man says and a chill goes through me at his words and before I can stop myself, I blurt out the thoughts going through my mind.
"Frank… so while we are at it why don't we call you by your real surname as well - Mr Lambert!" I say.
I watch his reaction and the smile vanishes from his face.
"You are looking very well, for a dead man" I quip sarcastically.
I watch as he puts his head down and sighs. "So… you know who I am" he states.
I don't answer immediately and after a moment he looks up and meets my gaze. I nod, "Yes I do. You are my sperm donor who decided it would be a better idea to fake his own death rather than accept any parental responsibility" I say coldly.
"It wasn't like that" he mumbles.
"Really? Well… why don't you enlighten me then, come on I'm all ears. I'm dying to hear your side of the story" I say as I emphasise the word dying.
"It was your mom, she told me she was having you and then she just vanished. I searched and searched, then I heard she had run off with my so called best friend and was playing happy families with him… it broke my heart and I felt I just couldn't continue, I had to get away. I couldn't face Ray every day knowing he was with my girl and playing happy families with her… so I admit I faked my own death to get away and start again… to pick up the pieces and to try and rebuild". He pauses and looks at me hopefully. I try and keep a straight face as I cannot believe the verbal diarrhoea coming out of his mouth.
I can't do it and I let out a rude snort of laughter and I shake my head as I slow clap him. "Oh, that was good, I'm sorry but that was one of the funniest things I have ever heard in my life. Will you listen to yourself?" I say.
I watch him frown; he clearly wasn't expecting this reaction from me. I lean forward and look him in the eye, "Shall we try that again and this time shall we go for the truth, remember I am a fiction editor and so I can spot a fairy tale a mile away and that has to be the best work of fiction I have heard in a long while".
"But… but" he stammers and shakes his head.
I open the file and pull out a copy of one of the letters he sent to Jose Rodriguez senior and push it towards him, then I pull out another which he sent to Ray and push that towards him. I watch as his face drains of all colour and he swallows deeply.
"This wasn't you… this was before, this was years previously" he argues and I nod.
"I know it was" I say simply, "That was when you sweet talked Monica Trammell into letting you into her panties. You got her pregnant and she had a daughter… my sister Eva, would you like to meet your other daughter?" I say, and before he can respond I look towards the door, "EVA, come on out sis as daddy dearest is dying to meet you" I call, the sarcasm dripping from my words as I once again emphasise the word dying.
I watch as the door pushes open and Eva strides in. I stand and embrace her and she whispers in my ear before sitting down beside me.
"You are killing it" she says.
I smile at her words of encouragement and then look at Frank who looks really quite ill now.
"Hi daddy" Eva says in a saccharine sweet voice, "Where have you been all my life?" she adds.
"I… I… I…" Frank stammers and he looks wildly around the room.
"Let me tell you how I think this went down, and feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong" I say. I hear Eva let out a small giggle at this and I glance at her to see she has her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.
"Ok… You are a fantasist; you are a self-absorbed narcissistic misogynistic user of women. You believe women are put on this earth for you to stick your dick into and nothing more. You tell women what they want to hear for you to get your own way with them. But as you were thinking from between your legs and not with the brain in your head you failed to realise that sticking your dick into women has repercussions… my sister and I were those repercussions. Eva's mother told you that you were going to be a father and your response to that was to apply for a transfer to another unit in the military to run away and to write disgusting things in letters to your friends. But lo and behold a few years later, you did the same thing again… you'd think you would've learnt from the last time". I pause a moment and the significance of those words are not lost on Frank as his eyes widen.
"But clearly you didn't, as you were still thinking with your dick not your brain and it was mom you sweet talked into opening her legs for you and I was the result. This time you decide to go one better and fake your own death to get out of your parental responsibilities. Fast forward a few years and you see in the media that your old army buddy, Ray is in the media because his daughter is marrying a rich billionaire businessman. Curiosity gets the better of you and you investigate only to discover that his daughter is actually the unborn baby you had abandoned years previously. Dollar signs start flashing before your eyes and the thought of being biologically related to all that money makes you suddenly develop a paternal instinct and you devise a way to reach out to her. You find out she is the CEO of a publishing house and so… you sick fucking bastard, you write a story about a man faking his own death – you tell her the very story of what you did to abandon her to try and cash in on it and make money out of it, so tell me daddy did I get that pretty much right?" I stop and raise my eyebrows in question and I watch as Frank cannot meet my gaze and I know I have hit the nail on the head.
"I was always aware of you, I kept tabs on Ray and I knew he took up with Carla and raised you as his own" he mutters.
I stare at him in disbelief, I actually feel a little bit sick now. He had known about me my entire life. That disclosure has rendered me speechless. I look at Eva and she reaches for me and grips my hand tightly. Then she turns her attention to Frank.
"Well you fucked that one up didn't you!" she states bluntly and lets out a sharp bark of a laugh.
Frank frowns and looks confused at that. Eva leans towards him, whilst still keeping her hand firmly in mine.
"You are clearly motivated by money and greed. So, what I'm saying is you reached out to the wrong kid! I think its about time you were introduced to your sons in law" she pauses and looks towards the doorway. I am actually quite impressed that neither Gideon or Christian have made themselves known yet.
I watch as Eva calls out, "Christian come and meet your father in law, Ace come and meet yours!"
I smile at Eva's nickname for Gideon and I watch as Christian and Gideon stalk into the room, their faces are a picture of menace as they glare at Frank.
I stand and go to Christian and he immediately pulls me to his side, "Are you ok baby?" he whispers with obvious concern and I nod.
"I'm fine" I say reassuringly as I press my hand to his chest and he responds by kissing my temple.
Eva stands and walks towards Gideon; Frank's eyes widen as he takes in Gideon and it is clear he recognises him.
"Well daddy, you plumped for Ana to try and fleece but I married the richer billionaire, meet my husband - Gideon Cross". She looks apologetically at Christian and shrugs, "Sorry Christian but Gideon is two places higher than you in the Forbes list!"
I watch both Christian and Gideon smirking at Eva's words and then Christian acknowledges her with mock despair.
"There's someone else here today who would like to see you Frank" Eva says returning her attention back to Frank who is looking as though he just wants to leave.
I ease myself away from Christian and turn towards the doorway. "Dad!" I call and as Ray steps into the room Frank gasps in shock.
"Ray!" he breathes and steps forward, "How are you buddy?" he says as he plasters the fake overly bright smile on to his face once more. We all stare at him in shock, wondering how he has the nerve to say that after he had previously bad-mouthed Ray and told lies about him, this man is delusional.
Ray just glares at Frank for a second before turning his attention to me, "Annie sweetheart… I'm sorry but I'm finding it really difficult to control my temper right now".
I wrap my arms around him, "It's ok dad, I get it" I say carefully.
I turn back to Frank who actually looks mystified as to Ray's reaction. "Are you for real?" I blurt out as I take in his demeanour.
Frank shakes his head, "You sat and told me that it was all Ray's fault you were not in my life when you said and I quote 'she had run off with my so-called best friend and was playing happy families with him' end quote. Do you not recall saying that a few moments ago?" I stare at him as he squirms and he opens and shuts his mouth like a goldfish.
Eva smiles sweetly at Frank, "Take a good look as this is the last time you will be in the same room as any of us. You failed Frank, you failed as a father years ago when you ran away from your responsibilities and you failed when you came to try and cash in on your biological link to Ana".
Frank grins and shakes his head, "Oh I don't think I have, I can go to the media and broadcast the fact who my two daughters are and how I long to build bridges with them and they refuse to even acknowledge me" he says smugly.
I hear Christian laugh and Gideon rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief. Frank frowns at their reaction as it was clearly not what he was expecting.
Gideon looks derisively at the pathetic excuse of a human being in front of him. "No, you won't do that Frank. As the moment you do, we will furnish the military police with your details and everything that our security has dug up on you and you will be court marshalled for desertion and dereliction of duty and anything else I help them to get to stick to you. You faked your own death Frank. You have been living a lie for over twenty years, so everything you have done in those twenty years, every form you have filled in and everything you have put your fake name to has been fraudulent. So, believe me when I say that Christian and I will stop at nothing to protect our wives, we will set up an unlimited fund to help prosecute you to the full extent of the law for every last fraudulent thing you have done". Gideon stops and glares at Frank, I am watching him totally mesmerised by him. He hasn't raised his voice once, but he got his point across loud and clear.
I didn't think Frank could look any paler but he does and he looks from Gideon to Christian who just glares right back at him. Then he looks at Ray, who just folds his arms and also glares at him. Then he turns to me and then he looks at Eva. I see the realisation dawning on him that not only is he not going to get what he had planned but also how badly this will turn out for him if he should continue to rock the boat.
"I think you should quit while you are behind Frank" I say coldly. He turns to face me once more and shakes his head sadly.
"I never expected you to behave like this" he mutters.
I stare at him in shock, "What did you expect Frank? You are nothing more than a parasite on humanity. You are the poorest excuse of a human being that I have ever had the misfortune to spend time with". I pause and look at my watch, "I have spent nearly 25 minutes with you in this room, that is 25 minutes I am never getting back. You are nothing to me, my dad is Ray Steele. He was the one who raised me and loved me and who has been there for me my entire life and Eva's father is a man called Victor… oh and just for the record in case you get any more crazy ideas, he is a cop!" I say with a grin.
Frank looks totally defeated as he hears that, and Eva steps forward. She gestures to me and then to Gideon and Christian. "This is my family, this is my husband, my sister and my brother in law". Then she turns to Ray and grins at him, "And if you'll have me Ray, I'd be honoured if I could be your favourite niece or something like that?"
My dad's face breaks into a massive smile and he nods at Eva just once. Eva grins back before turning back to Frank.
"We are family… and as family we look out for each other, if you hurt one of us you get all of us coming down on you like a fucking ton of bricks… just remember that before you try any more games in the future".
I move towards the door of the conference room and open it, "After careful consideration and after meeting with you today Mr Lamb, I'm sorry to inform you that I won't be looking to publish your novel. You may leave now" I say as I wave my hand out of the open doorway.
Frank hesitates a moment and then scowls at me before turning to Eva. "You haven't heard the end of this – you two owe me!" He points at Eva, "I had to move to Washington because of your fucking mother" then he looks at me and points at me, "and yours ruined my life, I had to pretend to be dead to shake the fucking leech off me, she was a psycho… like a fucking stalker. They both got pregnant on purpose so you two owe me for what your mothers did to me".
His outburst complete, he then barges past me and out of the conference room. Ray looks at me and Eva before running after him.
"I'll make sure he leaves the building" he says as he passes us.
I turn to Eva and she has a stunned expression on her face. "Eva" I say quietly and she shakes her head.
I walk up to her and pull her into a hug. As we stand holding on to each other I feel our husbands surround us and their strong muscular arms around us both, silently protecting and comforting us.