A/N: Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
WARNING: This chapter will contain depictions of abuse.
Chapter 4: Moving Forward
~1 Year Ago~
Ana knew it was a bad idea.
She had tried to convince herself that Jack would be fine with her going out with her friends for a night out, but that didn't stop her from feeling nervous that he would find out. However, Jack always worked so much that he was almost never home, and her old college friends, Jose and Lacey, were in town just for the day. They had asked her if she wanted to go out for a drink with them, something they had all liked to do together at WSU, and Ana eventually agreed.
She was a free woman after all. Right?
It had been a hard decision to agree to their invitation, but Ana honestly missed her friends: she had lost contact with them and Stephanie after graduation. Jose and Lacey had apparently gotten married last year in a small intimate ceremony and were now in the process of buying a house. They also started a boutique photography art gallery down in Portland, and had commissioned the work of a famous local photographer. They were truly establishing themselves in the world… and Ana couldn't help but feel utterly jealous. She was happy for them, honestly she was, but amidst that happiness was a distinctive feeling of melancholy she couldn't deny. She would have given anything to be like Jose and Lacey, having an exciting career while enjoying a happy relationship with a future together.
The starry-eyed 'honeymoon' phase of her and Jack's early relationship had definitely faded for her at this point. It had probably faded for Jack as well – the beautiful gifts, fancy dates, and loving attention he had given her early on hadn't happened for a long time now. For the last few months, it was just stony silences between them as they sporadically ate meals together or him constantly nitpicking her about the state of the apartment and her appearance. He also got angrier a lot more often, which Ana initially attributed to stress, but now she wasn't so sure. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she was too afraid of him blowing up at her and she didn't want to cause more problems for herself.
Ana now stood in front of her vanity, checking the time on her phone as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. She was meeting Jose and Lacey at the bar in about twenty minutes, and she felt excited yet anxious. Were they going to be happy to see her? Had they changed at all since college? Had she? Ana looked at her reflection and tried to see if she recognized the hopeful college girl she had been two years ago. The one who'd had so many exciting plans for the future.
Maybe she was still in there somewhere.
Ana checked her hair one last time in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading toward the living room, pulling out her phone so she could check the status of her Uber driver. She opened up the app and immediately a message popped up saying that her ride had been canceled.
"What the hell?" she muttered, frowning as she tapped the message on her phone screen, trying to see what was going on. She definitely hadn't canceled her ride, and the only other person who had access to this Uber account was…
"Where are you going?"
Ana startled before whipping around toward the kitchen, where she saw Jack standing and fixing himself a drink at the bar area. It looked like he had just gotten home, and his restrained demeanor told Ana that he was angry.
She swallowed, quelling the fear that threatened to rise up her throat as she forced a smile. "Oh, Jack! I didn't know you were home. Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
Jack didn't answer as he finished making his drink (whiskey on the rocks) before lifting the glass to his lips and downing half of it in one gulp. He tucked his free hand in his pocket before turning and walking toward Ana, his eyes unreadable. Ana felt her heart pounding in her chest. "I asked you a question," he said after a moment. "Where are you going?"
Ana blinked, trying to appear more calm than she felt. "Oh, yeah… my old college friends, Jose and Lacey, are in town tonight and they invited me out for drinks. I was going to tell you, but I thought you were going to be working tonight."
Jack didn't respond right away as he took another sip of his drink. "I saw on the Uber account you had scheduled a ride, so I canceled it. You're not going out tonight."
Ana felt her heart drop to her stomach. She didn't like how calm he was acting. "Um… I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my friends being in town, Jack, but you don't have to –"
She didn't finish her sentence as Jack suddenly lifted his arm and hurled his whiskey glass at the wall, shattering it. Glass shards and ice flew in all directions, and Ana jumped back, shielding her face as her heart thundered in her chest.
"YOU THINK I FUCKING BUY THAT?!" Jack yelled, and the next moment he advanced at Ana and grabbed her right arm. She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he slapped her across the face, causing her to nearly fall down while crying out in pain.
"Please Jack," Ana sobbed, cringing away from him. "I swear, I'm telling the truth! You can check my phone if you don't believe me!"
"Shut the fuck up," Jack growled, grabbing her other arm and shaking her, which caused her to whimper. "I know you're a fucking whore, Ana Steele. I've known it since the day I met you."
Ana began to cry, tears blurring her vision as she tried to keep herself from throwing up. "I'm not, Jack. I-I swear – I've only been with you. I only want to be with you!"
The words tasted vile coming out of her mouth, but she didn't know what else she could say.
"That's fucking right," Jack bit out. "You're mine, and everybody knows it. I'm not sharing you with anyone else!"
"No, never. I promise," Ana assured him, her tone pleading. "I promise, Jack. Please…"
That finally seemed to calm him down, and he released her. "Good. Now get changed. We're going out."
Ana blinked in confusion at that sudden pivot. "Wh-what?"
"You heard me. We're going out," Jack insisted, giving her appearance an unimpressed onceover. "Thornton and the team are throwing me a farewell dinner at Triviata's tonight and you're coming with me. It's black-tie, so be sure to dress up."
Ana still felt confused as she stared warily at him. "What do you mean farewell dinner? Did you quit?"
"I got headhunted by Congressman Malkiewicz and his team about a month ago," Jack explained, looking annoyed that he even had to tell her this information. "I'll be starting up with them in the next election. The pay's better since congressional elections are more frequent than senatorial ones, and in this position I'll have more control over the campaigns."
Ana had about a million other questions swirling around her head, but any one of them she was afraid would anger him again. "Um… when were you planning on telling me this?"
"I'm telling you now," Jack said, giving her a look that dared her to argue. "I was planning on surprising you tonight… until I found out you were trying to sneak out without telling me."
Ana felt a guilty lump form in her throat, even though logically she knew she had nothing to feel guilty about. "I wasn't sneaking out."
Jack ignored that comment. "There was another part to the surprise too," he said, glancing at the apartment around them. "I've decided we're moving out of this place."
Ana froze, unsure if she heard correctly. "What?"
"The congressman's headquarters is out near Bellevue. There are a few houses on the market out there that I've been looking at," Jack explained in a tone that suggested he was merely talking about the weather. "I plan on putting a bid on one soon, and if it's accepted, you'll need to start packing this place up."
Ana felt almost dizzy with whiplash. "But–"
"Don't argue with me," Jack growled, and Ana went silent. "I didn't tell you about this earlier because I knew you would try to fight me on it. But it's done, and I don't want to hear any balking from you about it. Now go get ready for the dinner – I expect you back down here in twenty minutes."
Jack turned around and began to walk back toward the kitchen. "And what if I say no?" Ana asked, her voice sounding bolder than she felt. Jack stopped in his tracks, and he slowly turned back around to face her; Ana's heart pounded in her ears, but she held his gaze as he stepped toward her.
"And where would you go?" Jack asked, his voice deceptively quiet as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Hm? Where would you go, Ana? You've got no money and no job. The only family you've ever had is dead and your friends have all left you. You've got no one but me in this world… so tell me, where would you go? Because I'd love to hear it."
Ana said nothing as a feeling of nausea rolled over her. She desperately cast her mind around for what her options were… maybe Jose and Lacey would be willing to help her? Or maybe she could seek help at a battered women's shelter? Whatever she did, though, deep down she knew Jack would end up finding her. He had the resources to find anyone he wanted, and his political connections made him virtually untouchable in the justice system. This wasn't the first time she had contemplated leaving Jack, and she always came to the same conclusion.
Over the past two years, she had centered everything in her world around Jack. And now she was trapped in a prison of her own making.
Ana lowered her eyes, and Jack let out a low chuckle. "That's what I thought," he said, satisfied. "You're mine, Ana Steele, and you always will be. Now go get ready for dinner like the good girl you are. Don't make me tell you again."
Ana was silent as she did just that.
~Present Day~
Christian ended up staying in his father's office for the better part of two hours, going over the finer details of the case while Carrick offered his professional insight wherever he could. He had some good suggestions that Christian would definitely bring back to his legal team when he got back to the office today, but at this very moment, all he could think about was Ana and the fact that she had a boyfriend.
A fucking boyfriend.
Not just that, but she and him were apparently living together in a house here in Bellevue. This told Christian that their relationship was pretty serious, and also that they were probably well-off financially. The fact that Ana had a rich and successful boyfriend didn't necessarily make him feel better, but it did make him curious as to why she was seeking out employment as a private chef here at the Grey Estate. Typically, people who lived in this neighborhood were the ones hiring the help, not becoming the help. Was money really the reason? Or maybe something else was going on? Christian desperately wanted to text Welch to run a background check on Ana just so he could work out all these questions he still had about her, but he knew that would be inappropriate while she was right downstairs. He would be sure to do it as soon as he got back to GEH later today.
As Christian and Carrick were wrapping up their meeting and Christian had packed the case file back into his briefcase, Carrick glanced at his watch. "You know, it's almost noon. Would you like to stay for lunch before heading back to the office? I'd understand if you and Taylor need to get back to work, but your grandparents and Ana should still be here."
Christian bit back a smile, trying not to show how eager he was at the prospect of seeing Ana again. "Taylor had to swing back to GEH to meet with the security team, but I could stay for lunch. What are we having?"
"Not sure yet," Carrick said as he led the way out of his office. "But I'm sure your mother and grandmother will come up with something delicious."
The two of them went downstairs and headed toward the kitchen, and Christian was immediately hit with a delicious smell of grilled chicken and Italian spices. Once they turned the corner into the kitchen, they were met with the sight of Grace and Margaret together on one side of the kitchen, chopping vegetables for a salad, while Ana stood at the luxurious Viking range while stirring something sizzling in a cast iron pan. She had her beautiful chestnut hair pulled back in a low ponytail and a black apron over her clothes, and she didn't seem to even notice Christian and Carrick enter the kitchen as she focused entirely on the food she was preparing. Christian couldn't help but be utterly mesmerized by her.
"It smells amazing in here, ladies," Carrick said brightly as he and Christian approached the kitchen. Grace and Margaret glanced up, smiling at the two of them.
"That's all thanks to Ana over there," Grace said with a smile, nodding at Ana standing at the stove. Ana looked over at Grace and smiled, blushing slightly. "I asked if she wanted to stay and help with lunch, and she said she had the perfect idea for a meal."
"You mentioned you had some chicken thawing in the fridge, and I knew I could make this recipe that I like to cook for myself at home," Ana explained, turning back to the stove. "It's roasted chicken with an Italian herb tomato and caper sauce. It's really tasty and not that hard to make."
"Well, I for one am very excited to try it," Margaret said, turning back to the salad she and Grace were preparing. "Everything's almost done, so let's hurry up so we can finally dig in!"
"I'll set the table," Carrick went to get some plates and cutlery. "Margaret, where's Theo? Is he joining us for lunch?"
"Oh, he went to the spare bedroom to lie down for a bit," Margaret explained. "His back has been really bothering him today and he just needed a little rest. I'm sure he'll be alright in a few hours, but he said it would be fine if we all ate without him."
"That's too bad, I hope he's okay," Carrick said, looking concerned.
"I keep telling him he needs to go see his doctor," Grace said ruefully, shaking her head. "But he always says that a bad back is just part of getting old…"
As the others talked, Christian wandered over to Ana, his hands tucked into his pockets as he observed her cooking. "That really does smell amazing," he complimented her, and Ana looked over at him. "Did you come up with the recipe yourself?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "Sort of. I made some alterations to an already existing recipe in a cookbook I have. I can give you the recipe if you'd like to try making it."
Christian couldn't help but grin. "Thank you, but I'm afraid it would be wasted on me. My culinary skills don't extend past making toast and cereal… maybe scrambled eggs if I'm feeling daring."
Ana laughed, and Christian suddenly wanted to hear that sound over and over again. "Well, if that's the case, maybe you can leave this one to the professionals."
"I think that would be best," Christian agreed. "If it's ready, I'd love to have a taste."
"Of course," Ana said, reaching for a nearby fork.
Christian watched as Ana stabbed a piece of chicken and dipped it into the tomato sauce it was cooking in before moving it toward Christian, holding her other hand underneath to keep sauce from dripping on the counter. "Careful, it's hot," she warned.
Ana's eyes met Christian's briefly, and he felt his heart start pounding in his chest and an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. God, she was beautiful – he would be happy to just stand here all day and stare at her, admiring her beauty. Christian instead reached up and took the fork from Ana's hand, his fingers brushing against hers as he did so. He noticed the blush that spread over her cheeks as he did that, and he couldn't help but grin as he ate the bite of chicken.
As he had expected, it was absolutely delicious: the chicken was cooked to perfection, with a crispy skin on the outside and soft meat on the inside. The tomato sauce had the perfect balance of spices too, and Christian shook his head.
"Oh my God, this is incredible," he said sincerely as he chewed, and Ana beamed at him. "Seriously – I'd pay a lot of money at a restaurant for chicken this good."
"Really?" Ana asked, looking pleased by his praise.
"Hey, are you trying Ana's chicken before the rest of us?" Margaret called from the other side of the kitchen. "No fair, Christian!"
Everyone laughed. "Sorry, Grandma, but I couldn't resist. If Mom and Dad don't hire Ana for the private chef position, I'd be more than happy to take her," Christian said seriously, smiling at his grandmother before looking back over at Ana. She was smiling at him in a way that made him feel about ten feet tall.
"Well, let's not stay in suspense any longer," Grace insisted, picking up the bowl of salad and bringing it over to the table. "Let's eat!"
Ana plated up the chicken as everyone gathered around the table. She arranged everything beautifully on a platter with some parsley and sprigs of rosemary before bringing it over and setting it down in the middle of the table. Everyone clapped at the delicious-looking dish, and Ana smiled brightly as she removed her apron.
"Bon appetit, everybody," she said, and she began serving a piece of chicken with some of the tomato sauce onto everybody's plates.
"…Wow, Ana. Christian was right, this is absolutely delicious," Grace praised as they all began to eat. "I'm glad to hear my mother didn't exaggerate your abilities."
"See? What did I tell you?" Margaret insisted, smiling over at Ana, who smiled back. "She's a phenomenal chef."
"So, Christian, do you think Ana's food is better than Mrs. Jones'?" Carrick smirked up at his son. Everyone laughed, including Christian.
"I don't know, it's a pretty tough call," Christian chuckled, meeting Ana's questioning gaze. "Mrs. Jones is my housekeeper, and she also cooks all my meals. I've often said her food is some of the best I've ever had, but you might be able to give her a run for her money, Ana."
"Oh, well – thank you," Ana said sincerely, smiling shyly at him. Christian felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he had to keep reminding himself that she had a boyfriend.
"I completely agree. And if she would like, she'd be welcome to work here as the official private chef here at the Grey Estate," Grace said, smiling over at Ana. "What do you say, dear?"
Ana blinked, looking almost caught off-guard as the others looked at her. "Really? You mean it?"
"I agree with Grace. I think you'd be perfect for this job," Carrick said, taking another bite of his chicken. "This food you made is delicious, Ana, and both Margaret and Theo can vouch for other things that you've made. I think you working here makes perfect sense."
"Absolutely," Grace said without hesitation. "So what do you say, Ana dear? Will you accept the job?"
Ana hesitated a moment before giving Grace a smile. "I think… I'd love to be your private chef."
Grace, Carrick, and Margaret all cheered, and Christian couldn't help but smile too. Despite Ana being in an apparent relationship, he couldn't deny wanting to see her as much as possible. Now that she was going to work for his parents, Christian was mentally planning on visiting the Grey Estate as many times as he could in the foreseeable future.
As the others chatted around them, Christian looked over at Ana. She still appeared happy at getting the job, but her initial smile had now faded into another expression. A flicker of what almost looked like trepidation and fear crossed over her features before she turned back to her meal and picked at her food.
Christian didn't say anything as he turned back to his own food. What had that been about?
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! If you did, please leave a review :)
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