A/N: Thank you all for your continued love and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 16: Dark Chocolate
~3 days later~
Ana woke up in pain.
That had been the norm every morning since she came home from the emergency room several days ago, but it was still a bitch to deal with. Ana had never broken a bone before, apart from when she was six and fractured her collarbone after falling from the monkey bars, so this was a relatively new experience. She couldn't say it was a pleasant one, however.
Ana clenched her teeth as her broken ankle throbbed in pain, and she checked the time on her bedside clock – a little before seven o'clock. It was time to take her prescription painkillers, which were a combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen. The doctor prescribed her these for the first couple weeks of the healing process, and then instructed her to move to over-the-counter Tylenol for the last four weeks. Ana could only hope her pain levels would go down enough by that time that she wouldn't still need the stronger stuff.
After Ana took her painkillers, she slowly and gingerly moved to sit up off the side of the bed, grabbing her crutches before pulling herself to her feet. She couldn't help but stare at the sunlight streaming through her small bedroom window; she had been so used to getting up in the pitch darkness every morning for the bakery that waking up to sunshine like this was almost a strange experience.
I might be in pain, but at least I'm well-rested.
She had been sleeping in like this every morning since she got back from the emergency room. Claire had been the one to come to the bakery at five o'clock in the morning to start on all the baked goods, and Ana would come down to help once the bakery was open. Kate, too, was also being very helpful as she shouldered most of the opening and closing duties that Ana would typically do. There hadn't been any issues with this arrangement yet, and Ana was very much considering giving Claire and Kate a raise if they continued to help as much as they were. She really didn't know how she could run the bakery without them.
And then there were the Greys.
Even though Mia wasn't on Ana's payroll, she was stopping by every day at The Royal Treatment to make sure it was running smoothly and they had all the help they needed. Christian, meanwhile, had made sure to send several deliveries to the shop that included a rolling stool that Ana could sit on throughout the day, soft memory foam underarm pads for her crutches to make them more comfortable, and no-slip tennis shoes that helped her move around on her good leg better without the risk of falling. It was all very thoughtful of him, and Ana couldn't help but appreciate his kindness.
After Ana had gotten dressed – slowly and with great difficulty – she hobbled into her kitchen for breakfast. She began to brew a pot of coffee, and then opened her fridge, which was practically filled to the brim with new groceries. Ana couldn't help but smile as she looked at it all: yesterday afternoon, Christian had had an Instacart delivery of about two weeks' worth of groceries sent to her apartment. It was such a thoughtful gesture that it had made Ana tear up slightly: she hadn't even considered how difficult simple things like grocery shopping would be with her broken ankle, but Christian seemed to have thought of everything.
She wanted to thank him personally for his thoughtfulness, but he hadn't come by the bakery in person yet. Maybe she could ask Mia to bring him along sometime, since she couldn't exactly jog on over to GEH to see him.
Ana now grabbed a Greek yogurt cup before closing the fridge door. She ate her yogurt just as her coffee finished brewing, and she moved to pour it into her favorite to-go cup. It was now a quarter to eight, and the bakery was going to open soon, so she began to head downstairs to help Claire in the kitchen.
Going down the stairs balancing her coffee cup and one of her crutches was a challenge, but Ana felt she was getting a little better walking up and down steps with this clunky boot. It helped that her painkillers had kicked in and the achy throb in her ankle had tamped down quite a bit.
She was about five steps from the bottom when the door opened and Claire peeked through. She smiled. "Hey Ana, I thought I heard you coming down. Need any help?"
"No, I think I got it. Thanks," Ana said, and she hobbled down the last few steps. Claire stood back so Ana could get through into the kitchen. "Are we open yet?"
"In a few minutes," Claire said, checking her watch. "Kate's prepping everything up front, and I just finished loading up the display cases. I noticed a short line of people outside already, so we might have another busy day ahead of us."
"What else is new?" Ana sighed, limping over to the rolling stool and settling herself down. "Thanks for shouldering most of the responsibilities, Claire. I really do appreciate your help."
"Are you kidding? I love doing this kind of stuff," Claire grinned. "And I know that accidents happen. None of this is your fault, Ana, and I'm sure you'll be back to normal in no time."
"I feel bad that I can't do more," Ana sighed. "But I will say it has been nice getting a small break."
"Totally. I remember when I left my baker job in California, I thought it was so awesome not having to bake at five in the morning every single day," Claire laughed. "After about a month, though, I really started to miss it."
"I know, right? I swear, bakers' heads are just wired differently," Ana giggled.
At that moment, Kate walked through the kitchen doors. "'Morning Ana. We're ready to open up soon. Christian's goons have arrived too, so we should be good to go."
Ana gave an understanding smirk. Christian had been sending two security guards, Sawyer and Reynolds, to the bakery every single day since their confrontation with Jose in the emergency room. While Ana, once again, appreciated Christian's thoughtfulness for her and her safety, none of them thought that security was necessary. Kate in particular felt pretty annoyed by their presence since they just loomed near the back walls and made the customers uncomfortable.
"Do you think we could talk to Christian about maybe loosening up his security measures soon?" Kate grumbled, crossing her arms. "The bakery has cameras, so I feel like his reinforcements are unnecessary."
Before Ana could respond, they heard a sharp and urgent knock on the front doors. Frowning, Kate moved toward the kitchen door and opened it, all of them peering out to see what was going on.
Mia stood outside the front doors, which was odd since she usually didn't come by this early. She was clutching her phone in her hand, looking rather upset, and Ana felt concerned.
Did something bad happen?
Kate hurried over to unlock the doors and let Mia into the bakery. The customers already standing in line protested, obviously thinking she had skipped, and Kate quickly apologized to them before locking the door once again.
"Mia, what's going on? We're about to open in like three minutes," Kate said as they both hurried back into the kitchen.
"I know, and I'm really sorry to barge in like this," Mia said apologetically, turning to Ana. "But I figured you'd seen the news."
Ana frowned. "No. What news?" she asked, feeling anxious.
Mia bit her lip, clearly unsure what to say. "The Seattle Times published something about Christian," she said hesitantly, holding up her phone. "And you."
Ana stared at Mia, feeling her heart drop into the pit of her stomach before pounding a furious tattoo against her ribcage. The exact thing she had been dreading seemed to have happened. "Are you serious?"
Kate checked her watch, looking nervous. "Ana, it's eight o'clock. We need to open."
"Go," Ana nodded, and she and Claire hurried out of the kitchen to let the customers in.
"I'm really sorry. I thought you'd seen it," Mia said apologetically, moving over to her side while tapping on her phone screen. "The article doesn't name you specifically, but I'm sure Jose is behind the whole thing…"
"Mia, just show me," Ana said firmly, feeling her anxiety growing. Finally, Mia handed her phone over to her, and Ana saw an article headline:
CHRISTIAN GREY SEEN VISITING 'MYSTERY WOMAN' AT HOSPITAL, RUMORS ABOUT BROKEN ENGAGEMENT LOOM
Christian Grey, CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings, was seen Sunday evening visiting the bedside of an unknown woman at St. Vincent's Hospital. While his reason for visiting is not known, several witnesses stated the two of them seemed 'rather affectionate' with one another.
Gia Matteo, Christian Grey's fiancé, was not seen with Grey or the other woman at any point during the hospital visit…
The short article went on about the state of Christian and Gia's engagement while speculating the two of them were cheating on one another. There was also a picture taken from outside the hospital: it showed Christian helping Ana into the backseat of the Audi, Ana's face turned away and obscured by her hair while Christian's face was clearly visible. Kate and Claire were already inside the car, so it was just Christian and Ana standing a little too close together. Out of context, this picture definitely looked like they had just embraced.
Ana felt like the blood had drained from her face as her eyes roved over the picture. "Oh God."
"I know," Mia said anxiously. "The article came out just this morning. I texted Christian about it, but he hasn't responded. I'm not even sure if he's seen it yet."
Ana shook her head, feeling numb. "If Jose is really behind this, why didn't he name me in the article?"
"Maybe Jose's goal wasn't to humiliate you, but rather Christian," Mia suggested. "It makes sense, too – the two of them looked ready to kill each other at the hospital. I guess Jose decided to retaliate by spreading a rumor about Christian being unfaithful."
Ana grimaced uncomfortably, deciding not to mention what she knew about the true nature of Christian and Gia's relationship. Ana doubted Jose knew the truth, but this rumor would be enough to expose them. "We should call Christian," she said, wishing more than anything that they didn't have to deal with this today. "He'll know what to do about this."
"Agreed. I'll try getting in touch with him again," Mia said, taking her phone back from Ana.
Before she could call him, however, they heard a commotion in the lobby: a loud shout followed by the sound of several people tussling with each other. Mia hurried to the door as Ana heaved herself to her feet, hobbling quickly toward the lobby.
Mia opened the kitchen door, and immediately saw what the commotion was: the crowd of customers that were already here had moved away from the front doors and were shuffling away from three men: Reynolds and Sawyer, restraining a struggling Jose.
Jose looked up to meet Ana's eyes, and her chest immediately burned with shock and anger.
A/N: Uh oh! What do you think is gonna happen next?
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