"So," Luke asked.
"I never imagined he would be so utterly inept at this." Ana's tone conveyed disbelief. "He is entirely ignorant of the rules. He is playing a game he's never played or has any knowledge of the rules. The basics even elude him. How does he hope to seduce me when basic human interaction eludes him. It's maddening as it is laughable." Ana shook her head, a mix of disbelief and disappointment washing over her. "I expected more from him. I thought he would at least pose some challenge, but it's clear he's playing a game he knows nothing about. How can he be so oblivious?"
Luke leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his brow furrowed in thought. "I'm not surprised. His entire sexual encounter with women has revolved around preset rules and a complete and utter lack of need for seduction."
"I never actually considered that," Ana admitted, contemplating Luke's words.
"You sound like you're reconsidering your approach," Luke observed, leaning forward slightly, a hint of concern in his voice.
"I am," Ana confessed, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "There was nothing to be gained from this except teach him a lesson. You do not play with people just because your brother told you a few home truths. How fucking childish can you be?"
"What could you possibly gain from this?" Luke questioned.
"This isn't a game or retaliation anymore, not for me. Whatever Grey's plans, he has little hope of succeeding. It seems all I have to do is beat him at every turn, and I hope he soon realizes how out of his debt he is. After tonight, I realized it was child's play." She stared out the window in thought. It was not her job to save Grey; knowing that doing so would not be a walk in the park, she still found she could not walk away.
"First thing first, where are we with Lincoln?"
"She has closed two of the salons. The salon at Bellevue is still hanging on. She spends every waking minute there trying to hang on to the clients she has left.
"You called it. Without her most experienced staff, Lincoln has lost a lot of clients." Luke informed her.
"Good, but we can do better. I want her destitute. I promised Elliot I would not get rid of her. I never promised to leave her intact." In truth, two days into her trip to New York, she put Operation Destroy Elena Lincoln into motion. Receiving that background check had all but put the final nail in that pedophile's coffin.
"Our contact at the bank has informed me that she paid off half the loan. We've been tracking her movements, and she sold some valuable items—two signed Warhol prints, a diamond necklace, and a Carlo Scarpa vase, among other things. All told, she netted just over four hundred thousand dollars. As it stands, she has about one hundred and eight thousand in disposable income. That could keep her afloat for six months, maybe longer if she cuts back on her extravagant spending," Luke reported.
"Get a list of the clients she has left and tell Hatton a promotion at Belle's is in order. Make sure Franco, Theo, and Evette are featured. Those three made Esclava what it was. Lincoln was too busy whipping boys young enough to be her children.
Instruct Whalton to divest her of that disposal income in the next three months. A string of bad luck would be rather apt." Ana continued staring out the window.
"Got it. But how do we ensure Grey doesn't come to her rescue?" That was the billion-dollar question.
"Therein lies the rub," Ana mumbled. There was no guarantee that even with the truth realized, it would change anything in the end. "Honestly, a huge part of me wants to slap the Greys silly. How the fuck and they let this bullshit go so far. Bad enough, a doctor and lawyer missed their son getting abused, but to let that woman continue to exert her influence is beyond me. They have the influence to completely destroy that fucking bitch. It took me less than two months to have her selling her shit to stay afloat. They've had three years to do it. Three fucking years."
"Fear as crippled them. They are terrified of driving Grey further into her clutches. Except, as it stands, I can't see how much further he can be driven into her clutches. I truly do not see how much worse it can get. Couldn't they have concocted a plan where he grew to hate her?" Luke grumbled.
"I do not know if hating her is enough. No, Grey needs to question every word she is ever uttered. He needs to realize everything she taught him was completely and utterly pointless. He must see that she offers nothing and is simply using him." Ana said with certainty.
"I take it that is your plan." Luke smiled as she stared out the window at the passing scene.
"It is now." Ana smiled. And if I'm right, I believe I have already planted the first seed of doubt. I won't know for certain until I next see him. The next one will, unfortunately, send him spiraling. If he can see the forest for the trees at the end of that, that will determine where we go from there. I would sooner rip him to shreds than have him help her in any way," Ana swore.
Christian Grey was now giving her sleepless nights. Two nights of thinking of how to proceed only produced sleepless nights, which served to piss her off all the more.
As she stood there, deep in her thoughts, the door swung open, and Carla beamed at the sight of her daughter holding a bouquet of delicate white and pink roses.
"Well, this is a surprise!" Carla exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.
"Hey, Mom, I forgot my keys." Ana greeted her with a warm hug before presenting the flowers.
"We weren't expecting you today," Carla remarked, although both women knew her mother meant they hadn't expected her at all. Ana only took weekends off if it was planned well in advance. Last-minute engagement would earn anyone an outright no.
"Honestly, I have too much work to justify the weekend off, but after tossing and turning for two nights, I needed a break," Ana admitted, a touch of annoyance creeping into her voice. While she wished her parents lived closer in Seattle, Montesano was home. With capable management at their businesses, they had no reason to relocate. Her parents' move to Seattle lasted only as long as Ana was at Seattle Academy.
"Don't tell me this is about that stupid boy," Carla said, rolling her eyes dramatically, which made Ana chuckle.
"Dad told you, huh? Unfortunately, it is about him. I seem to have convinced myself that I can help him," Ana confessed, the weight of her admission hanging in the air.
"Good," Ray chimed in from the kitchen, startling both women with his sudden presence. "Sorry, I thought you heard me."
Carla and Ana exchanged amused glances, knowing Ray had sneakily crept up on them.
"Mister, thirty years of marriage, don't even try to sell me on that," Carla retorted, a teasing edge in her voice.
"Hi, Dad," Ana said, her amusement bubbling over as she took in the dynamic between her parents.
"And what do you mean by 'good'? We're talking about the same boy who's targeting our daughter as some sort of revenge because he can't handle a few hard truths," Carla fumed, her protective instincts kicking in.
"Carla, come on. We both know he stands about as much chance with Ana as you do successfully boiling an egg without burning it," Ray quipped, causing Ana to stifle a laugh.
Carla, however, chose to ignore the comment about her cooking. "Seriously, though, helping him also means getting rid of that pedophile," Ray added.
"That's where I'm stuck," Ana said, her expression turning serious again. "I don't see how I can take her out without him stepping in to bail her out. Exposing her might harm GEH or, more importantly, its employees."
"Come on, your father just took his famous chicken pie out of the oven!" Carla exclaimed, attempting to lighten the mood as she wrapped an arm around Ana and guided her into the kitchen.
"Ah, yes, the pie that helped conceive moi," Ana quipped, her tone playful.
"Indeed," Ray replied, puffing up with pride. "Hence its fame."
Ana laughed. "Oh, I don't know. Sounds more like infamy to me. Getting knocked up out of wedlock," she teased, playfully dodging her mother's attempt to swat her.
"Granddad still hates you for it despite his valiant efforts to hide it from me," Ana added, eliciting laughter from both her parents. Albert Wilkes' pathetic attempts to pretend he didn't loathe Ray were laughable.
"Despite everything, he absolutely adores you," Ray said, his voice warm with affection. "It's the only reason I put up with his jabs." As though Ray hadn't made his own money in the intervening years.
"So, Grey?" Ray asked once lunch was finished, his expression shifting to one of curiosity. "What's the plan?"
"It's a solid plan," Ray intoned after Ana had explained what she had so far. "But I see your concern. You could do everything right, and he might still choose her."
"What! Is she all he has?" Carla exclaimed, her frustration evident. At that moment, they all recognized the significant hurdle ahead. The answer was yes.
"She is all he has. I suspect there's more to it; there is an affinity there. It's a relationship he feels he has control over. Elliot told me he's always kept his family at arm's length," Ana explained.
"His family is an unknown. They aren't under his control. He can't predict how they will react in any given situation. Can you imagine trying to control Elliot and Mia Grey?" Carla laughed at the absurdity of the thought. "Even if he hates Lincoln, he'll keep her around because she's a safe bet. Grey knows how she will react to anything he does. She's a known quantity; above all else, she needs him just as he needs her. I believe she supplies his submissives."
Ana nodded, the pieces starting to fall into place. "Then that's what we target next—his feeling of control." Ray offered.
"That's easy enough to do. But what comes after?" Ana sat back in her chair.
"Where are you with Lincoln?" Ray asked, shifting the topic as he began to clear the table.
"She's selling her valuables to pay off her loans. Luke tells me she now has some disposable income. I've got Hatton working on securing what remains of her clients. I've also instructed Whalton to make her life financially difficult," Ana explained, her mind racing with strategies.
"What about Hunt?" Carla inquired, her brow furrowing in concern.
"Hunt isn't on this," Ana replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. She had been wavering on whether to involve him.
"Why not? Annie, how else would you know what card to play if you didn't have all the information? Contact him, you know what, I'll handle it myself. You need to know every move she makes. And if all else fails and Grey still comes to her aid, you need that information as well," Carla insisted.
"What difference will that make? By then, it might be too late," Ana muttered, her annoyance at herself bubbling to the surface.
"No, that will be the perfect time to reveal the truth," Ray said confidently, though Ana felt a tinge of doubt creeping in. Would it make a difference in the end?