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Dark chocolate ganache trufflesRaspberry lemon tartsRed velvet cake with vanilla bean frostingIt had taken many days of planning and hours upon hours of baking late into the night, but Ana had settled on these three baked goods she felt properly represented her bakery – and happened to be some of her best-selling treats since her shop opened last year. This tactic was actually working well.Though perhaps a bit too well.Ana currently had a small booth set up at the Seattle Small Business Expo, which was taking place at a large trade show floor in the downtown community center. The whole building was absolutely packed today, with hundreds of local businesses having set up booths here in the hopes of expanding their clientele and perhaps finding some investors.That was precisely why Ana was here today too: her bakery in Pike Place Market was still rather new, and she was hoping to grow her customer base by networking a bit here. This was the first time she had ever done something like this, and so her booth was rather small and innocuous. However, she had decided to splurge on a professionally-printed sign posted to the skirt of her table: "The Royal Treatment" written in pretty gold cursive along with her company logo, a cupcake with a tiara placed upon the frosting. On her table was the beautiful assortment of baked goods she had chosen as well as a three-tier platter of cupcakes under a glass cloche as a display.A stack of her business cards were on the table as well, and even though Ana tried to engage visitors by handing them out, a majority of the people stopping by her booth weren't interested in those. They only had eyes for the treats."…Ooh, those look amazing!" a stout middle-aged woman passing by her booth said, smiling as she eyed the tarts. "May I?""Of course," Ana said brightly, and the woman picked one up. "And if you enjoy that, my bakery also does catering events...""Thank you, dear," the woman smiled at Ana before turning and walking away, her treat in hand. Ana's shoulders slumped slightly, feeling disappointed. This sort of thing had been happening for the past couple hours now, with Ana constantly having to replenish her baked goods on the booth table and nobody really wanting to learn more about her business.She let out a small sigh and glanced down at her outfit: she wore a cute yet professional pink a-line dress with a white apron tied around her waist, her logo printed on the pocket. She liked this dress a lot, as she had worn it when she secured the small business loan she needed to open The Royal Treatment, but also just because she enjoyed dressing up. The rest of her wardrobe consisted almost entirely of frosting-stained leggings and flour-smudged tees she wore in the kitchen.Ana now pulled out her phone to see if Kate, her second-in-command and the only other employee at The Royal Treatment, left any messages about the bakery. There were a few Snapchats from her, including a picture of some frosted sugar cookies she had baked as well as a few selfies of her making silly faces behind the counter, wishing her good luck at the expo.Ana smiled when she saw them, though a part of her felt a little disheartened: Kate goofing off on her phone like this meant no customers were coming in. Their profit margins were already razor-thin, and if this kept up, there likely wouldn't even be a bakery in the next couple years.
Don't think like that, Steele.
"Oh my gosh – is that red velvet?"Ana immediately looked up from her phone to see a pretty red-haired woman in a gray business suit approach her booth, gazing eagerly down at the treats sitting on their sample plate. Ana put on a professional smile, slipping her phone back into her apron pocket."Yes, it is. Would you like a sample?" she asked politely, gesturing to the table."Oh, I really shouldn't…" the woman said, though she immediately reached for a nearby plate. "Thank you so much. This looks delicious."Before Ana could say anything, a male voice spoke up from nearby:"Stopping again, Ros? I swear, a golden retriever has a better attention span than you."Ana looked over to see a tall, extremely handsome man in a charcoal gray suit step out of the crowd and move toward her booth, a small amused smile on his face as he gazed at the other woman. He had reddish-brown hair swept messily across his forehead, and a very handsome chiseled jaw accentuated by a slight five o'clock shadow. Ana had seen attractive men before, but something about this guy's presence made her freeze and blush; several other women in the vicinity seemed to have a similar reaction as they would stare openly at him in undisguised admiration."What? We've just had three hours of networking meetings – I'm starving," the woman named Ros said defensively, apparently immune to this guy's absurdly handsome face. "And look: it matches my hair."She held the half-eaten sample of red velvet cake up to the side of her head as if she was posing for a model shoot, and Ana giggled. The guy finally seemed to register Ana there, and he fixed her with an intense gaze that made Ana blush once again."Hello," he greeted her, walking forward and glancing over the booth. "'The Royal Treatment'," he read her sign before looking back up at her. "Is this your business?""Oh – yes," Ana said, feeling a bit flustered as she glanced back at her booth as well. "It's my bakery. We're a new small business located down in Pike Place Market.""Hey, that's near us," Ros said brightly, grinning at the other man before turning back to Ana. "We're the executive team for Grey Enterprise Holdings. I'm the CFO Ros Bailey, and this here is the big boss, Christian Grey.""My title is actually 'CEO'," Christian Grey said to Ros, his voice half-exasperated, half-amused. "But 'big boss' has a nice ring to it, I suppose."He moved forward to shake Ana's hand, and Ana automatically reached forward to take it, feeling even more flustered knowing who she was speaking to. She may have only been a small-time baker, but even she knew GEH was one of the largest mergers & acquisitions companies in the country as well as the tallest skyscraper in the city.Pull yourself together, Steele, Ana told herself sternly. This could be the business opportunity of a lifetime."It's a pleasure to meet you both," Ana smiled professionally at them. "And if your company is ever holding an event that's in need of some delicious baked goods, just know we also do special orders and catering events. I'd be happy to give you my business card.""If all your treats taste as good as this red velvet cake, we might take you up on that," Ros said with a grin, popping the rest of her cake in her mouth. "This is seriously delicious.""May I?" Mr. Grey asked Ana, pointing to the chocolate ganache truffles."Oh! Of course," Ana said eagerly, picking up a sample plate and handing it to him. He accepted it, thanking her, before picking up the truffle and taking a bite. Ana tried not to stare at him, but it was difficult considering how ridiculously handsome he looked while eating a simple baked good. Also, it didn't help that her life and business could change forever if he liked it.Mr. Grey chewed for a moment or two before raising his eyebrows, looking down at the half-eaten truffle. "Wow," he said, sounding surprised. "Ros is right. This is seriously delicious.""I told you," Ros said confidently, and Ana felt herself glow with happiness and pride. "Think we could consider her for a catering event or two?"Ana's excitement spiked, and she had to fight not to let out a joyful squeal while jumping up and down."Maybe. Mia's always been adamant about vetting all of our food vendors," Mr. Grey stated, popping the rest of the truffle into his mouth and chewing. "I think she'd be pretty upset if I went behind her back and brought on a new bakery she'd never heard of before."And just like that, Ana felt her happiness deflate like air being let out of a balloon. Her hopes and dreams of being a successful baker were dashed in an instant. She should have known catering for a company like GEH was too good to be true…"…But I do think Mia would love this place if she tried it," Mr. Grey went on, glancing over Ana's booth one more time. "I'll definitely tell her about it. Can I give you her card, Miss…?""What?" Ana blinked. "Oh! Steele. Ana Steele," she said quickly, realizing that not all hope was lost. "And yes, of course you can give me her card. I can give you my card as well if you would like to pass it along to her?""I'd be happy to, Miss Steele," Mr. Grey smiled, and Ana beamed back. This may not have been a solid job offer yet, but this type of networking was definitely a start. Ana plucked up one of her business cards, and she handed it to Mr. Grey just as he handed her one."Thanks," Ana said, glancing down at the surprisingly girly-looking card that had a pretty rose gold trim along the edges and the name 'Mia Grey' in swirly script. "Her last name's Grey?" she couldn't help but ask."She's my little sister," Mr. Grey explained, and Ana looked up at him. "And don't worry – she's the nice Grey sibling."He gave her a rather charming smile and a wink, and Ana couldn't help but giggle, blushing once again. "I'll, um… I'll keep that in mind.""C'mon Christian – we're running late. Marcus is waiting for us," Ros said, glancing at the watch on her wrist. "It was lovely meeting you, Ana. Your red velvet cake was delicious.""Thank you very much," Ana smiled. Ros turned to walk away, and Christian shot Ana a smile before following her.Ana stared at them until they disappeared into the crowd, and then she looked down at the card in her hand. Another smile broke out across her face as she once again fought the urge to jump up and squeal.

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~The next morning~

BEEP BEEP BEEP
Ana's alarm clock blared loudly from her cell phone lying on her bedside table, and she groggily pulled herself awake. Her room was still pitch dark, but that was typical for 4:30 in the morning: being up at the ass crack of dawn was all just part of her glamorous life as a baker.Wishing (as she always did) that she could stay in her warm, soft bed a little bit longer, Ana reluctantly pulled her covers off and dragged herself to her feet, yawning sleepily as she shuffled into her kitchen. Her tiny one-bedroom apartment was a converted attic, so it was a little dilapidated, as demonstrated by the creaking floorboards under her feet and the lack of heat as she shivered in the early morning cold. This place wasn't perfect, but it was hers – and the fact that it was located directly above her bakery made it the best possible situation for her.Ana made a pot of coffee, and as it brewed, she went over to her bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. As she waited for her water to warm up, her mind drifted to yesterday at the small business expo, and she smiled to herself. She felt she had gotten a few people interested in utilizing The Royal Treatment in some catering events, but the one she was really excited about was from Christian Grey at Grey Enterprise Holdings. A part of her still couldn't believe such an important executive and his CFO happened to be at the expo, and she felt incredibly lucky to have been noticed by them.Ana couldn't help but remember Christian Grey's piercing gray eyes and handsome face as he looked at her, and her heart beat a little faster. How could a man who was already so rich and famous also look like a sex god? Life really wasn't fair sometimes.Ana finished up her shower and got dressed in some leggings and a long-sleeve tee, which was her usual outfit when working in the bakery. She clipped her hair back into a cute yet functional French twist before putting on a little makeup, hoping to look at least a little presentable for the day. She then poured herself a cup of coffee in her favorite travel mug – a white Yeti with the word's 'Sugar Momma' written in gold script along the side and her company logo underneath. It was a gift from Kate in honor of the grand opening of The Royal Treatment, and she adored it.Ana then grabbed her keys before stepping out her front door, locking behind her. She stood on a small landing, where a narrow staircase led down to the first floor to where her bakery was located. This little area was rather cramped, but at least Ana didn't have any annoying neighbors to deal with.She hurried down the narrow steps and unlocked the door that led to the back of her bakery's kitchen. Once inside, she flicked on the fluorescent lights, which lit up her small, yet clean and orderly kitchen.She set her keys down on a nearby table and smiled to herself. It was time to get to work.~/~Several hours later, after Ana had been baking away in the kitchen, Kate arrived to help open up for the day. She greeted Ana with a tired yawn and a wave, her Starbucks cold brew in hand."'Morning Ana," Kate slipped off her coat off and hung it on a nearby rack. "It smells great in here.""Thanks," Ana said, drizzling some chocolate on a tray of croissants on the counter. She gestured to the table next to her, where all the other baked goods she made were sitting in their trays. "Wanna help me get those bagels and danishes to the display cases?""You got it, boss," Kate said, dutifully walking over and starting to load up a nearby cart with the trays. "So how was the expo yesterday? You mentioned you got some leads?""Maybe," Ana said, concentrating on her croissants. "Would you count the CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings as a lead?""Wait – what?!" Kate yelped, nearly dropping the tray of bagels in her hands as she gaped at Ana in excitement. "You're joking! Christian Grey himself was interested in our bakery?!""He was. And no, I'm not joking," Ana looked up and grinned at her friend. She knew Kate would be shocked and delighted by this information, which was why she decided to hide it until now. "He and his CFO Ros Bailey were at the expo, and they both stopped by my booth. I thought I was going to faint, I was so shocked.""Oh my God, that's incredible!" Kate squealed happily, setting down her tray so she could run over and hug Ana excitedly. Ana hugged her back, grinning. "But you're so mean for hiding this from me! So what are we doing for them? A catering event for a fancy soiree?""Well, no. Not exactly," Ana said, her smile fading. "I actually didn't get a firm offer from them or anything. Mr. Grey wanted his sister to vet us before they utilize our services."Kate stopped, frowning at Ana. "What? His sister?""I guess she works for him," Ana shrugged. "She apparently vets all his company's food vendors. If she likes The Royal Treatment, then he'll consider using us for some GEH events.""I suppose that makes sense," Kate said thoughtfully, walking over to continue loading up the cart. "But how do you know he wasn't just being polite? Maybe he isn't actually interested in our bakery and he's just passing us off to his less-important sister."Ana felt her heart sink slightly at the thought, but quickly pushed it aside. "It wasn't like that. He and Ms. Bailey seemed genuinely interested in our bakery."Kate grimaced. "I hope you're right."The two of them were mostly silent as they continued opening up for the day, filling up the display cases with baked goods, opening up the cash register, wiping down the tables, and writing today's specials on the little chalkboard hanging behind the counter. The sun was out today, with beautiful morning light filtering through the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the bakery.Once they were open, a few customers came in and ordered some baked goods. However, it was pretty quiet this early in the morning, and things likely wouldn't pick up for a couple hours.Once the store was empty again, Kate was on her phone and googling Christian Grey and GEH. "It would be seriously cool if we got a catering deal with them," Kate said, thumbing through some images of the GEH building she found. "If Christian Grey's sister would reach out to us, we'd have it in the bag.""He gave me her card, so I could reach out to her first if I wanted to," Ana said, reaching into her apron pocket and pulling out Mia Grey's business card. "I just figured it would be more polite to wait a day or two before I did.""Probably smart. But the last thing we want is for Christian Grey to forget about us," Kate said, setting down her phone and leaning a hip against the counter. "What was he like, by the way?""Tall. Intimidating," Ana said, thinking back to when his gray eyes bored into her own. She blushed. "And way too handsome to exist."Kate let out a laugh. "I know, right? I'm surprised the guy didn't make his fortune as a GQ model.""I guess the rich and famous are just more blessed in the looks department," Ana giggled. "If his whole family is rich, then I bet his sister is beautiful too.""Or maybe he doesn't even have a sister," Kate threw up her hands. "I mean, what are the odds of a famous CEO like Christian Grey having a sister who happens to be an expert in the culinary arts?""Pretty high, actually."Kate and Ana turned just as a young, dark-haired woman entered the bakery, smiling at them. She was dressed quite fashionably this morning, in a dark green day dress, a gold necklace and brown suede ankle boots."Hi, I'm Mia Grey," The woman introduced herself. "And yes, I am Christian Grey's sister."She smiled in a friendly manner, but Ana felt mortified that they were caught talking about her. "Oh my gosh, I… I'm so sorry," Ana apologized to her quickly, her face going red. "W-we were just talking about me meeting Mr. Grey and Ms. Bailey yesterday. We didn't think… I mean, uh…""Don't worry. It's totally fine," Mia Grey waved off, still smiling. "Trust me – living in this city, I'm very much used to overhearing people talking about my brother.""Still, we're sorry about that. I'm Kate Kavanaugh, by the way," Kate introduced herself quickly before gesturing to Ana. "And this is Ana Steele. She owns The Royal Treatment and baked all these amazing treats you see before you.""Yeah, I've heard a lot of great things about your baked goods," Mia said kindly, walking forward to shake Ana's hand before shaking Kate's. "Christian and Ros said they were some of the best they'd ever tasted."Ana couldn't help but beam, feeling delighted that her food had made such an impression. "That's very kind of them. Mr. Grey had mentioned that you vet his company's food vendors?""More or less," Mia said with a shrug, her eyes roving over all the baked goods in the display cases. "I don't work for GEH or anything, but I like to help out when I can."Ana and Kate glanced at each other, not sure how to respond to that."Ooh. Those red velvet cookies look divine," Mia said, pointing at the dark red cookies sitting near the top of the display case. "Could I have one of those? And one of these chocolate croissants too, if possible.""Of course," Ana said professionally. "Would you like them for here or to go?""For here, please."Ana grabbed a white stoneware plate from under the counter and then picked up a pair of tongs. She plucked up a red velvet cookie and a croissant before arranging them nicely next to each other on the plate."What do I owe you?" Mia asked, rummaging around in her purse for her wallet."They're on the house," Ana said with a smile, handing her the plate. "Enjoy."Mia raised her eyebrows, though she smiled as she accepted the plate from Ana. "Really? Wow, thank you so much.""You're very welcome."Mia took her plate and walked to a small two-top table near the front window and sat down, pulling out her phone and taking a quick picture of her treats. Ana, not wanting to look like she was spying, went in search of her wallet so she could pay for the cookie and croissant she had given to Mia."I hope you know what you're doing," Kate whispered to Ana, who rang up $12.75 on the cash register."If she likes them, then it'll all be worth it," Ana whispered back, slipping her change back into her wallet. She hoped so, at least.For about thirty minutes, Mia sat at her table, taking careful measured bites of her treats while jotting down notes on a small notepad. Several other customers walked in and out while she ate, which was a nice distraction for both Ana and Kate. Ana felt her heart pounding with nerves as she continuously glanced over at Mia, wondering what she thought about her food.Finally, Mia got up from her table and walked back over to the counter with her empty plate. "Here you go," she said, handing the plate to Ana. "Thank you so much. I'll be in touch, okay?"Ana blinked, a bit surprised. "Oh. Okay."Mia waved goodbye before turning and leaving the bakery. Ana and Kate simply watched her walk out the door."So… did she like the food?" Kate asked, looking bemused as she stared at the closed door.Ana glanced down at the empty plate, feeling her heart sink down to her stomach. "I have no idea."

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For the next few days, Ana hadn't heard a single thing from Mia Grey or from anyone at GEH. A small part of her felt resigned to the fact that nothing was likely going to happen in terms of a new business opportunity, but her heart didn't want to give up just yet. She kept telling herself that these things took time, and it would likely be several weeks before she heard anything from anyone at GEH.She promised herself that if she hadn't heard anything after a week, she would take the initiative and reach out to Mia Grey hersef. She hoped she wouldn't have to wait that long though.Friday morning soon came around, and Ana headed downstairs to the bakery at around 5 AM like she always did, ready to get started for the day. She mentally planned to bake her usual batch of croissants, danishes, cookies, tarts, and cake pops – there were other pastries she liked to make in addition to those, but she typically made those around holiday seasons like Christmas or Fourth of July.Once she had more money (and perhaps another chef in the kitchen) she hoped to expand her bakery and make it into more of a cafe, offering fancy lattes and breakfast sandwiches for her customers. That likely wouldn't be for awhile, but a girl could dream.Ana busily worked away in the kitchen for about an hour, mixing dough in her standmixer, rolling out sheets of butter for her croissants, and mixing up the different icings for her cake pops. She was so focused on her work that she almost didn't notice what was going on outside her bakery. That was, until she walked past the kitchen door leading to the main part of the shop.She froze.
What the…?
Ana peered out the small circular window of her kitchen door, where she had a clear view of the front door and the floor-to-ceiling windows leading outside. She saw about five or six people standing outside on the sidewalk by her front doors, clearly waiting in a line.Ana frowned in confusion before checking her watch. It was barely six o'clock, and the bakery didn't open until eight. Why were customers here two hours early? Ana glanced back up at them: it was barely dawn so it was still a little dark out, but she could make out that these people looked like they were in their early to mid-twenties. It must have been a bit chilly out since most of them wore hats with coats or sweatshirts, and all of them were idly browsing on their phones as they waited.Ana wasn't quite sure what to make of this. The Royal Treatment would get busy on occasion, but they had never had customers waiting outside in a line this early before.
How strange.
Shaking her head, Ana turned and headed back into the kitchen to continue baking. She'd have to text Kate about this before she came in today.The next couple hours passed by, and Ana continued to work away in the kitchen. Whenever she glanced out toward the front doors, however, more and more people seemed to have lined up in front of her bakery. Ana knew she had to focus on her food, but she couldn't help but stop and stare in bewilderment as she saw at least forty or fifty people line up outside her bakery's front doors.
What on earth is going on?
Ana covertly snapped a couple pictures of the line of people and sent them to Kate, who only responded with a shocked face emoji. Ana implored Kate to come in early today since they would likely have a busy day ahead of them, and Kate agreed.The oven timer dinged, and Ana hurried over to take out her croissants, feeling excited yet also a bit nervous. Hopefully the amount of pastries she made today would be enough for all these customers.About fifteen minutes later, Kate walked in. Her eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she rushed into the kitchen. "Holy crap, Ana – I passed by like a hundred people out there!""I know," Ana said, feeling bemused and overwhelmed. "I have no idea what the hell is going on.""I think I do," Kate said, taking out her phone and tapping on the screen. "I figured this wasn't a coincidence, and that we might have gotten a mention on social media or something. I searched the name of our bakery and I found this."She turned her phone and showed Ana a website called Seattle Savoreaux. Onscreen was an article titled: "SEATTLE'S NEW CROWN JEWEL: THE ROYAL TREATMENT BAKERY" by Mia GreyA headshot of Mia was placed to the side of the article, and Ana, in shock, roved her eyes over the contents. Mia wrote about her experience eating at The Royal Treatment, a charming little bakery that recently opened near Pike Place Market that had some of the best pastries she'd ever tasted. The tone of her writing was extremely complimentary, and she even included the picture of the croissant and cookie she had taken when she was here. There was even a picture of the exterior of the building, leaving Ana in no doubt that Mia was talking about her bakery."Oh my God," Ana couldn't help but eek out. The long line of people outside made a lot more sense now, but she still felt like she was in shock. "She wrote an article about us?""Yeah, it just came out yesterday. Mia Grey is apparently a super famous food blogger," Kate explained, bringing her phone back and scrolling down the article. "I didn't put it together before that she was Christian Grey's sister, but I've definitely seen her posts on Instagram before. She's got a massive following, and she's even made some guest appearances on The Food Network. I literally had no idea!"Ana glanced out the window again toward the massive line of people outside her bakery. "Me neither.""I also checked our company website," Kate went on. "Y'know, that little template site I built last year and it got like ten hits last month?"Ana's heart pounded in her chest. "Yeah?""It crashed overnight, it got so much traffic," she insisted, grinning excitedly. "I got it back up, but it was insane! I checked our analytics and it got over a thousand searches in a matter of hours, as well as over a dozen contact forms for future cake and cookie orders. Isn't that amazing?"Ana's eyes widened, shock and excitement filling her body as a huge smile broke out across her face. "Are you serious? A dozen? That's incredible! I don't think we've gotten a single contact form through that site in over six months!""I know – this is like a dream come true!" Kate exclaimed, and she and Ana embraced with excited squeals. "But come on, we should really get a move on. We're opening in twenty minutes and we've got a busy day ahead of us.""Yes. Let's go."For the next twenty minutes, Ana and Kate worked busily to get the bakery and display cases ready for the day. Ana also had to run back into her walk-in refrigerator to make sure she had enough ingredients in case she had to make more baked goods later today, which she likely would.Finally, it was time to open. Ana stood behind the counter as Kate unlocked the doors and a flood of people swarmed in."Good morning," Ana smiled at the first girl in line. "What can I get for you?""Hi. Can I get six of those chocolate croissants, please?" she asked."Sure. To go?" Ana asked."Yes please."Ana pulled out a bakery box and opened it, placing six croissants inside it. "Okay, that'll be $32.50.""…Excuse me?" the guy behind the first customer piped up. He was bald with a soul patch and hipster-looking glasses. "Are any of those croissants gluten-free?""Oh. No, I'm sorry," Ana said apologetically to him. "The only gluten-free items I have are those chocolate chip cookies over there. Would you like one of those?""Sure. I'll take three of them, actually," the guy said once the croissant lady left. "And half a dozen assorted cookies, please. To go.""Of course," Ana said, moving to grab a few more bakery boxes. "I am sorry about the croissants. If you'd ever like to special order gluten-free croissants for a future date, you can fill out a contact form on our company website and I can make them special for you.""Thank you so much. I just might do that," the guy smiled. "My girlfriend can't eat gluten, and she and I have heard so many good things about your croissants. I'd hate for her to miss out.""I'm happy to accommodate," Ana smiled, boxing up his cookies. "Alright – for the nine cookies, that'll be $36.40."The guy paid before leaving with his cookies, and the woman behind him stepped forward. "Hi, could I get a dozen of those danishes?""Yes, of course," Ana moved to get another bakery box."Are any of them vegan?"Ana stopped. "Oh. No, they're not.""Shoot," the woman's face fell. "Are any of your baked goods vegan?""No, I'm sorry. Everything here is made with butter, milk, and eggs."The woman looked even more dejected. "Seriously? Okay. Well… I'm going to have to think about this.""What's there to think about?" the guy behind her said, sounding annoyed. "She said nothing's vegan. There's nothing here you can eat.""Well, I've been waiting outside for hours. I want to try something," the girl said peevishly.Other people in the line groaned, and Ana met Kate's eyes. They grimaced at each other, both of them knowing they were in for a long day.~/~The customers that had lined up outside the bakery seemed to respawn every hour or so, coming in waves and leaving Ana and Kate without so much as a break. The croissants were by far the most popular item, likely because Mia had specifically named them in her blog post, and by ten o'clock the bakery had nearly run out. Kate soon had to take over the cash register by herself so Ana could run back to the kitchen and start making more.As the day wore on, all of Ana's excitement from having so many new customers had completely disappeared, morphing into anxiety and overwhelm. The bakery was so flooded with customers that Ana felt like she was drowning – her little shop, which typically only saw about a hundred customers a day, was now way over capacity with crowds of people swarming in. Not to mention, the bakery was running low on ingredients: Ana had had to rush back to the kitchen three times now to make more batches of baked goods after customers pretty much cleaned them out. Her supply of butter and eggs was almost gone at this point.Ana couldn't help but think that this crowd would probably be more manageable for a bigger bakery that had more people on staff. However, Ana and Kate were all alone here, and handling all these people by themselves was getting to be far too much.By some miracle, they made it to two o'clock – closing time. There were still people lined up outside the bakery, but Ana and Kate made it clear to them that the remaining treats were going to be the last ones of the day. All the croissants were gone at this point, and the slightly dejected customers who had come to try them ended up having to settle for the remaining cake pops or cookies.The last customers finally left with their treats, and Kate closed the door, locking it and flipping the Open sign to Closed."Jesus fucking Christ," she heaved out a sigh, collapsing to the floor in exhaustion. "This has been the craziest day of my life!""I know," Ana cast her eyes around her bakery, which looked like a storm had run through it. Napkins, crumbs, and receipt paper littered the floor, and stacks of plates piled up next to the overflowing garbage cans. "I don't think Mia Grey realized what she did.""I'll say. But I bet the money we made today was insane," Kate said, looking up at Ana. "What if it's like this again tomorrow?"Ana felt her stomach clench in anxiety at the thought of going through all of this again. "Then we'll make a ton of money again tomorrow.""True," Kate conceded, finally getting to her feet and surveying the bakery. "How long would we be able to keep this up, though? If today was this insane, I don't want to think about what the coming days could bring."Ana said nothing, the overwhelmed feelings she had experienced all day today creeping up on her once again.

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If Ana and Kate felt that they could relax after the crazy hectic day at the bakery, they were both sorely mistaken. After spending over an hour cleaning up the lobby area, sweeping the floors, wiping down tables, and taking out the garbage, they both then had to go into the back kitchen and take inventory of all their ingredients. They had to see what needed to be ordered before tomorrow, which was a lot: they were pretty much out of eggs and butter, and chocolate and sugar were both running low too. There was still a decent amount of flour, but Ana had ended up blowing through a third of their entire supply today, so she would likely need to order more within the next few days.The kitchen was a mess too, so after taking inventory, Ana and Kate had to spend the next few hours doing even more cleaning: they washed all the dishes, mopped the floors, and cleaned the standmixers. They finally finished up around six o'clock, and both of them practically collapsed at the work table in the back, feeling both exhausted and starving."Let's do UberEats tonight," Kate declared, pulling out her phone and tapping on the screen. "It'll be my treat – we can celebrate our most profitable day ever. How do burgers sound?""Anything sounds good right now," Ana said, burying her face in her arms on the tabletop so her voice sounded muffled. Despite how hungry she was, she felt like she could fall asleep right then and there. "Thank you.""No problem. Did you want to head upstairs to your apartment while we wait for our food? We can check the website and see if any more contact forms came in," Kate suggested.Ana brought her head up again. "Oh God, I totally forgot about the website. If our store was this crazy today, I don't want to imagine how insane our website traffic is.""I know it's a lot, but this is only temporary," Kate said placatingly. "I'm sure we'll go back to a more reasonable amount of customers soon.""I know," Ana sighed. "This all just feels so overwhelming right now. So much has been thrown at us all at once, and I'm just trying to juggle it all. There's the low inventory and the online orders and the special customer requests… it's all happening so fast. And it's not like we can bring on new staff tomorrow to help us with it all.""I know," Kate grimaced. "Maybe in the future we can hire and train some new people, but for right now I think we have to power through this ourselves.""Maybe Ethan can come home from college early to help us out," Ana joked, referencing Kate's younger brother who had helped them move all the appliances into the bakery when they first opened. Ethan currently attended NYU on the other side of the country, however, and Kate laughed."Maybe. Or maybe you could give Jose a call? I'm sure he'd love to help."Ana let out a snort, rolling her eyes. Jose Rodriguez was Ana's ex-boyfriend, and their relationship had begun falling apart once Ana started throwing all her time and energy into The Royal Treatment. According to Jose, Ana never had time for him anymore, which had caused many fights and late-night arguments between them. One particular fight led him to go out and sleep with one of his coworkers, which Ana found out about the next day when he confessed. This resulted in a huge fight that led to her breaking up with him once and for all – a fact that felt devastating at the time, but she now knew was for the best. Ana had had no contact with Jose for over six months now, and she really wasn't eager to reach out anytime soon."Yeah right. We're not that desperate yet," she said derisively, and Kate snickered."Or ever.""It almost feels like with all this extra publicity we got through Mia Grey's blog, we don't really need a contract with GEH anymore," Ana admitted, though she felt her heart sink slightly at the thought. She wasn't entirely sure why."Don't talk like that. We'll get through this busy time, and we'll also get to work with GEH," Kate reassured her, and Ana felt slightly better. "Christian Grey himself told you he liked our treats, so we have to believe it's going to happen.""Maybe Christian Grey can help us find some more staff. And a bigger kitchen," Ana said, only half-joking, but Kate smiled regardless."Or better yet, he can marry one of us so we'll never have to work another day in our lives," she suggested, smiling dreamily off into space. "And we can take a plane to the Bahamas every weekend while knocking back Mai Tais.""Kate," Ana couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at such an absurd idea."What? If we're daydreaming about impossible scenarios, I figured I could have a little fun with it," she shrugged, grinning."You are absolutely ridiculous.""I know I am. But it's all for nothing, anyway," Kate shook her head. "Christian Grey is apparently engaged to some bougie architect lady, so she's gonna be the one jetting off to the Bahamas every weekend."Ana felt an odd clench in her stomach at that information. She didn't know why, since she'd only met Christian Grey briefly at that expo, but the thought of him being engaged felt almost strange. "Really? I didn't know he was engaged.""Yeah. To Gia Matteo, I think her name is," Kate said, looking thoughtful. "I've read a few articles about them, and they've had some public appearances at charity events and stuff. It's usually the Seattle Times that covers them.""Ah," Ana said knowingly. Jose was one of the head photographers for the Seattle Times, and she avoided that newspaper like the plague since the two of them broke up. "That's why I haven't heard anything about their relationship.""Probably," Kate smirked, and she finally stood up from the table. "C'mon – let's wait for our food upstairs. We can check the contact forms on our website and make sure we haven't crashed again.""Okay," Ana sighed before also getting to her feet. No rest for the wicked, she couldn't help but think wearily as she followed Kate upstairs.
~The next day~
"…Her bakery should be just a few blocks from here.""I know, Mimi. I actually know this neighborhood pretty well… having run my business in it for nearly nine years now, it's become pretty familiar to me."Christian spoke with an amused tone, glancing over at his sister in the passenger seat, and Mia rolled her eyes with a smirk. It was a surprisingly beautiful day out today, and the warm weather brought out a lot of people to Pike Place Market for lunch this Saturday afternoon. Christian was wearing aviator sunglasses, and he had taken off his tie so the collar of his button-down shirt hung open."I know you do. And I appreciate you giving me a ride," Mia smiled. She really did love her brother, especially when he did kind gestures like this for her. A lot of people only ever saw him as a cold, heartless businessman, but Mia was one of the few lucky people who saw the sweet guy underneath. "And thanks again for lunch. I really do love that new chef you got at the Mile High Club – that roasted duck he made was absolutely divine.""I'm glad you approve," Christian smiled. "You did find him for me, after all.""No I didn't. I just gave you his name and a few others as suggestions," Mia said airily. "Other than that, I left the choice entirely up to you.""Right," Christian said, his voice humored."I hope Ana doesn't mind that I'm popping by her bakery again, especially after the article I wrote about her food," Mia said, gazing out the window again. "Have you been to The Royal Treatment yet?""No," Christian said simply, keeping his eyes forward. He didn't elaborate."Oh," Mia said. "Well, it's a very cute place. Are you sure you don't want to come in with me? You might get a free croissant out of it."Christian gave a small, amused smile. "No thanks. I think Claude would kill me if I undid all the cardio he's been having me do lately."Mia laughed. "You don't have to eat anything if you don't want to. You could just come in and say hi."Christian's smile faded, and he cleared his throat, looking a bit off. "Thanks, but I need to get back to Escala soon. Gia's coming by with the wedding planner."Mia felt a bit surprised by that, but didn't comment on it. She liked Gia well enough, but Christian seemed to be moving this wedding along with her rather quickly. Her brother's relationship with Gia wasn't really any of Mia's business, however, so she didn't say anything. "Okay. I understand."Christian turned the corner, and they were met with a huge crowd of people milling around on the sidewalk outside of a large brick building. There were several businesses around this area, and Mia recognized The Royal Treatment logo over the doorway where people were lining up outside."Oh my God," Mia exclaimed, her eyes wide as she stared at the crowds of people gathered around. "Are those all customers for the bakery?""Looks like it," Christian said, staring at the doorway with a frown on his face. "Is it usually this busy?""It wasn't when I was here the other day," Mia said. She couldn't help but vaguely wonder if she had caused this with her article, but brushed that thought aside. "It's probably busy since it's the weekend.""Right," Christian said, still gazing at the front entrance of the bakery with an odd intense look on his face."Thanks for the ride," Mia said, moving to open the car door. "Have fun with the wedding planner.""Do you need me to give you a ride back?" Christian asked, still frowning over at the bakery."No, that's okay," Mia waved off. "You're gonna be busy. I'll just get an Uber."Christian still looked concerned as he glanced over at her. "Are you sure? I don't mind.""I'm sure," Mia said assuredly, and she stepped out of the car. "Bye Christian. Thanks again.""No problem, Mia."She shut the car door, and she watched Christian drive away, navigating slowly past the crowd of people before disappearing around the corner. Mia then made her way into the bakery, pushing past the crowd of people so she could get inside.The crowds were almost worse inside; there didn't seem to be any semblance of a line or proper conduct as people shouted their orders over one another, pushing toward the front counter. Mia couldn't help but feel stunned by this amount of foot traffic: it seemed almost unbelievable that this bakery could see this amount of people on a regular basis."Everyone! Please come forward one at a time!" the blonde woman Mia remembered as Kate shouted from behind the counter. "We promise we'll get to everyone! Just please line up one-by-one!"She looked exhausted, as if she had been putting up with this unruly crowd for hours now, and the discouragement showed on her face when people basically ignored her request to line up in an orderly fashion. They kept pushing past each other, shouting things to Kate:"…I ordered two dozen danishes on the website last night, I just need to pick them up. Can I speak to someone about that?""Where's the manager? I want to order a sheet cake and two dozen cupcakes for my nephew's birthday…""…Are you guys out of the croissants? When is a new batch coming out?""Does your chocolate have nuts in it? My daughter's very allergic…"Mia watched the people in the crowd shouting over each other before glancing at Kate, feeling perplexed: was she the only worker here? Where were the other employees?"Mia?"Mia turned to see Ana step out of the kitchen, looking just as haggard as Kate, and she walked over."Hi Ana!" Mia moved toward the other woman, stepping past a group of people. "I just wanted to see how you guys were doing. Sorry to come when you're so slammed with customers."Ana gave a tired but appreciative smile, glancing at the crowd. "Thanks, but we've kind of been like this since your article came out the other day."Mia stared at her, stunned. "What?""You gave the bakery a lot of positive exposure in your article," Ana explained. "Which we really appreciated, but it has come with some… unintended consequences."More people in the crowd shouted their orders at Kate and Ana, and Mia glanced at them. "Where are the other employees?""Kate and I are it," Ana said. "I've never needed another employee before, and we haven't been able to find anyone to help us last-minute."Mia felt guilt clench her stomach, realizing this pandemonium really was all her fault. "There's no one else?""No, and what's worse is that our truck can't come until tomorrow, and we're nearly out of everything," Ana said, looking completely worn down. "I need to run out and buy more ingredients, but I can't leave Kate to deal with this pandemonium all by herself."Feeling resolved on what she should do, Mia stepped behind the counter. "Where's an apron? I'll help you guys."Ana's eyes widened as she stared at Mia. "What?""You both are clearly overwhelmed right now, and it is technically my fault," Mia said firmly. "I've worked in pastry kitchens before, so I can help you. I'll work the kitchens while you run out to buy ingredients, and Kate can deal with the customers.""Oh my God, you're a lifesaver," Kate said gratefully, quickly handing Mia an extra apron. Mia took it and slipped it on, tying it around her waist."Are you sure you want to do this, Mia?" Ana asked skeptically. "I could never ask you to give up your afternoon like this.""It's no problem," Mia insisted. "Now go – we have customers to serve."Ana stared at her for a moment before smiling, giving a short nod. "Thank you."Ana then hurried to grab her keys and coat, and Mia rolled up her sleeves, ready to get started. "Let's do this."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Mia working in the kitchen for the rest of the day ended up being a huge help, Ana couldn't help but feel. She felt bad knowing that there were hardly any ingredients left in the walk-in at this point, but that was why she needed to run to the grocery store down the street to buy some more eggs, butter, and sugar. Mia insisted she go get whatever she needed from the store and Mia would make do with whatever was left in the kitchen.Ana was only gone for about twenty minutes, but in that time Mia was able to whip up some batter for chocolate cupcakes, jam filling for the danishes, and some cookie icing with the remainder of the sugar and milk. Once Ana returned, laden with shopping bags of ingredients, the two of them were really able to lock in and start baking as a team.For Ana, it felt a bit odd working with someone else in the kitchen: it was usually just herself working the stand mixers or rolling out the dough. However, Mia proved herself to be a very efficient and skilled baker, as well as a good team player, seeing as she did whatever Ana directed her to do without complaint or protest. She rolled out the sheets of butter as Ana prepped the croissant dough, and together they were able to get the croissants cut, rolled, and in the oven in about half the time it usually took Ana to do by herself.
All the more reason I need another baker on staff.
As Mia and Ana worked together in the kitchen, Kate was able to get the crowds (somewhat) under control. She was finally able to communicate to them that there would be a delay with some of the baked goods due to high demand, and if they were patient, they would get their treats ASAP and fresh out of the oven. A few of the more impatient customers left at this point, but most of the crowd of people finally seemed to settle down a bit and wait patiently for their turn.The next few hours went by surprisingly quickly, with Mia and Ana cranking out multiple batches of croissants, cookies, danishes, and cupcakes with their newly replenished ingredients. The line of people slowly moved forward, and shrank smaller and smaller as the afternoon wore on.Finally, when it was over an hour after closing time, the last customers left and they were finally able to close."…And that's a wrap," Kate locked the door and turned the sign from Open to Closed. "Great job team.""Thank God," Mia said as she and Ana both weakly pumped their fists in the air, exhausted but happy."Perfect timing, too, since we're almost out of everything again," Ana said, glancing at the nearly empty display cases."Yeah. You seem to have gotten the perfect amount of ingredients at the store," Mia noted, also looking at the display cases. "You guys did a great job.""We did a great job?" Kate said incredulously, walking back over to the counter where they stood. "Girl, you really stepped up to help us out today. I don't think we would have made it through this insane day without you!""She's right," Ana said to Mia. "You really saved our asses today. Thank you."Mia gave them a small smile, though there seemed to be something like guilt in her eyes as well. "It was no problem. But I do feel like it was my fault that you've been so slammed with customers these past couple days. If I hadn't written that article about The Royal Treatment, none of this would have happened.""It's not your fault, Mia. You had no way of knowing your article would have had that sort of effect on our business," Ana shook her head. "And it's not like I'm going to complain about getting more customers or anything.""I might complain," Kate snorted, crossing her arms. "I had to be the one out here dealing with all their bullshit today.""Until you're able to get more employees, I don't think having more customers is helping you guys all that much," Mia grimaced. "With this amount of foot traffic, it's pretty clear you guys are seriously understaffed.""Tell me about it," Ana sighed. The thought of doing all of this again with just her and Kate was already giving her anxiety."I'm free for the rest of the afternoon if you guys need help cleaning everything," Mia offered, glancing around the messy lobby. "I'm sure it'll go along faster with all three of us.""That would be really helpful. Thank you," Ana said gratefully. "Although I feel like we should pay you for all the work you've done today.""No. Absolutely not," Mia insisted. "I already told you, this mass influx of customers was my fault to begin with, so this day was me making up for that.""You never need to apologize for bringing us business," Ana insisted incredulously."How about this," Kate said, cutting off Mia's response. "All three of us work together to clean up the bakery, and once we're done, we all head over to that café down the street for some lattes and to relax a bit. It'll be my treat."Mia nodded, happy with that compromise. "I'd be down for that.""Me too," Ana agreed. She still felt it would have been better to pay Mia for her work today, but if she insisted on refusing money, this would have to do. "Thanks Kate.""You're very welcome," Kate smiled, satisfied. "Now let's get this place cleaned up."~/~Cleaning the lobby and kitchen area went by much faster today since there were three of them working. It also helped that Ana didn't need to take a record of their inventory, considering the fact that their supplier was coming by tomorrow morning for a full restock. However, the truck wasn't scheduled to come by until 7AM, meaning Ana couldn't get started on baking for the day until at least 8, which was when they opened. For that reason, Ana was seriously considering holding off opening the bakery tomorrow until 11 o'clock so she could have time to bake."I still think we should just close the bakery all day tomorrow," Kate said peevishly. The three of them had finished cleaning up, and they currently sat together at the café, which was relatively empty this late in the afternoon. Mia and Kate had both gotten lattes while Ana opted for some earl grey tea."If we opened at 11, we'd only be open for three hours," Ana pointed out. "It wouldn't be that bad.""We made more than enough money over the last few days. Taking one day off isn't going to kill us," Kate insisted. "Whereas I think one more day like today is going to kill us.""Kate's got a point," Mia said fairly. "You guys mentioned that you had to shut down your online form due to the high demand. I'm sure customers would understand that your bakery's been overwhelmed with business these past few days and you need an extra day to restock.""Restocking the kitchen won't take more than a few hours," Ana said stubbornly. Truthfully, she was worried that this surge of new customers was bringing too much attention to the bakery, and that attention would bring negative online reviews. With how much she and Kate had been struggling to keep the bakery afloat these past few days, the last thing she wanted was to give unhappy customers something more to complain about."We're already exhausted today. Imagine how much more exhausted we're going to be after lugging a shit ton of boxes into our walk-in?" Kate stated. Ana sighed, realizing there was no use fighting her on this."Fine, we'll shut the bakery down tomorrow," Ana said, exasperated. "But I'm going to offer a 10% off coupon on all items for any customer who shows up tomorrow.""I think that's a good plan," Mia nodded approvingly. "If you'd like, I can come by tomorrow morning to help you unload your truck.""No, Mia. That's really not necessary," Ana insisted. "You've done more than enough for us.""Oh please. I don't mind at all," Mia waved off. "In fact, I could probably–" she paused mid-sentence, seeming to realize something as a wide grin suddenly spread across her face. "I could probably get my brothers to help us out tomorrow."Before Ana or Kate could say anything to that, Mia whipped out her phone and tapped on the screen a few times. Ana, who was sitting beside her at the table, saw her pull up the FaceTime app and tap on a group called 'Brothers Grey'."You're gonna get your CEO brother to help us restock our kitchen tomorrow?" Kate asked skeptically, though her voice sounded amused. She and Ana exchanged a glance."Of course," Mia grinned. She propped her elbow up on the table so her phone was right in front of her face, and a moment later, Christian Grey's handsome face appeared on the screen, looking like he was sitting in a home office. A second later, the screen divided into two and another guy appeared, this one blonde but equally as handsome as his brother, although he was clearly at the gym.Why are all the Grey men so damn attractive? Ana couldn't help but think."Hey guys," Mia waved, grinning."Hey Mia," Christian said, sounding amused. "Long time no see.""Mimi, what's up?" the blonde guy asked, and there was a tinge of concern in his voice. "Is it Mom and Dad?""No, no – Mom and Dad are fine," Mia assured him. "I'm calling you guys to ask for a favor. Are you free tomorrow morning?""Depends on what the favor is," Christian said, his voice skeptical. Ana let out an involuntary giggle."It's actually to help my new friend Ana, here," Mia said, leaning over to wrap an arm around Ana's shoulders and tugging her so she was visible in frame. Ana smiled a bit awkwardly, waving at the two brothers on screen. "She's the owner of The Royal Treatment. Christian, I believe you've met her before.""Oh, yeah," Christian Grey said, blinking in surprise upon seeing Ana sitting there. "I remember her from the small business expo. Hello again, Miss Steele.""Hi," Ana smiled, blushing for some reason."Hey, I'm here too!" Kate declared loudly from the opposite side of the table. Mia giggled before turning the phone screen to face Kate."And over here is Kate Kavanaugh," Mia introduced. "She works at the bakery too and would like to be acknowledged.""Why hello there," the blonde Grey brother said, a clearly flirtatious lilt in his voice."Hi," Kate grinned, also acting flirtatious as she propped her chin on her palm. Ana had to fight not to roll her eyes. "What's your name?""I'm Elliot… the handsome Grey brother," Elliot said silkily, and Kate giggled."Okay, weirdo," Mia rolled her eyes, bringing the phone back so the screen was facing her again. "I was hoping the two of you would be available tomorrow morning to help us restock the bakery when the supplier comes by. Are you guys free?""Why are you helping them to begin with?" Christian asked. "Did Miss Steele hire you or something?""We were slammed with customers earlier today and Mia offered to stay and help us out," Ana piped up. "We pretty much ran out of all ingredients so we need to fully restock the bakery tomorrow morning. I told Mia that she doesn't need to help us out but she's pretty insistent.""Sounds like our sister," Elliot mumbled."Guys, it's pretty much my fault that The Royal Treatment's been completely slammed with customers these past few days," Mia said, frowning. "I wrote that article about them, and it became way more popular than I intended. The least I could do is help them out when they most need it."There was a short silence on the other end. "Fine, I'll help," Christian spoke up after a moment. "I don't have much to do tomorrow anyway, and I saw firsthand how slammed the bakery can be.""I'm in too," Elliot stated. "You ladies could really use a few big strong men to help you move those heavy boxes.""Great, do you know any?" Mia asked dryly, and Kate and Ana laughed. "But seriously – thanks guys, I appreciate it.""You're welcome. And after this, you can owe us one," Elliot smirked. Mia rolled her eyes."Fine.""See you tomorrow, Mimi," Christian said, and he flicked his eyes over to look at Ana. She blushed."See you tomorrow, guys," Mia said, and they waved goodbye before hanging up.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

That evening, after Kate and Mia headed home and Ana went up to her little apartment above the bakery, she wanted more than anything to just collapse on her bed and sleep for twelve hours straight. However, there was still a lot of work to do before tomorrow: most importantly, she had to double check her inventory list and make sure the truck coming tomorrow would have everything she needed. She also needed to check the online orders she had gotten so far and see which ones she could get started on tomorrow. And for the customers, she wanted to create a printed sign with a QR code to place on the front of her bakery offering 10% off any item once they reopened.Needless to say, she had far too much to do before she could sleep.Due to all these tasks Ana had to finish before tomorrow, she didn't get to bed until after midnight, and she practically collapsed onto her comforter before passing out from sheer exhaustion.She slept soundly until she woke up at 6AM the following morning – considering the fact that she woke up at 4:30AM most mornings, before the sun was even up, this felt like a particular luxury. Feeling very well-rested, Ana showered and dressed for the day before heading downstairs to the bakery, eager for the truck to arrive and for all of them to get started for the day.Unfortunately, there were a couple customers hanging around outside already this morning, clearly waiting for when the bakery would open. Feeling a bit awkward, Ana had to open the front doors to let them know that The Royal Treatment was going to be closed all day today to restock ingredients, but they were going to be up-and-running by tomorrow. She showed them the sign she made offering a 10% off discount on any item, and while the customers looked a bit peeved that they had come out here for nothing, they seemed understanding about it. Ana posted her sign to the door, and the customers scanned the QR code with their phones before leaving.She honestly hoped they weren't too pissed off, but the thought of not having to deal with massive hordes of customers today was a welcome one.Ana closed and locked the door before texting Kate and Mia to let them know they could come by whenever; Ana had made sure to get Mia's phone number before leaving the cafe last night. She didn't have Christian and Elliot's phone numbers, but she supposed they were both going to arrive with Mia.Her mind lingered on the Grey siblings… namely, on Christian. Her heart pounded at the idea of seeing him again, although she mentally scolded herself for it. He might have been a gorgeous billionaire who had genuinely liked her baked goods, but he was way out of her league. Not to mention engaged to another woman.
Get thoughts of him out of your head, Steele.
Ana was busy wiping down the front counter when she heard someone knocking on the front door. Thinking it was more customers, she glanced up to see Mia standing there with Christian and Elliot, holding a tray of coffees in one hand while waving with her other. Just like how Ana had imagined him a few moments ago, Christian Grey looked extremely handsome this morning in casual jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt. They locked eyes and he smiled at her, lifting a hand to wave at her.Trying to quell her pounding heartbeat, Ana hurried over and unlocked the front door so they could enter."Hi Ana!" Mia grinned, moving over and giving Ana a big one-armed hug as if they were the best of friends. Ana couldn't help but giggle and hug her back."Hey Mia. Thanks again for agreeing to come by so early," she said gratefully as they broke apart."Oh it's no problem at all. I'm sure you usually have to be up and working here much earlier most days," she said, waving it off. "Anyway, these are my brothers – this is Elliot, and you've already met Christian.""Hi, nice to officially meet you, Ana. Even at this ungodly hour," Elliot grinned, reaching forward to shake her hand. Just like when she saw him over FaceTime yesterday, Elliot Grey was blonde and had a broad handsome face, reminding her of the cute jocks she knew in high school. Ana could completely understand why Kate was already so taken with him."I appreciate you both being here," Ana smiled at Elliot before turning to Christian. He was gazing into her eyes with an unreadable expression on his handsome face, and he gave her a small smile once again as he reached forward to take her hand. Ana felt tingles shoot up her arm as soon as they touched."It's my pleasure. I'm usually up this early anyway," Christian admitted, his eyes soft as he gazed at Ana, who blushed. They finally let go of each other's hands."I can imagine. Being a CEO and all," Ana said, smiling a bit nervously as she glanced down at her hands."I guess you and Chris are just built different because I had to practically drag myself out of bed this morning," Elliot stated, suppressing a yawn with his hand. "Mia, give me one of those coffees, will you? I need to wake up more.""Here you go," Mia handed him one. "I bought coffees for everyone, Ana, in case you wanted to wake up a bit more before the truck comes.""Oh, thanks Mia. That was sweet of you," Ana smiled.Suddenly, there was another knock on the front door, and everyone turned to see Kate standing there, wearing a t-shirt and jeans with her blonde hair thrown up in a ponytail. She smiled at all of them before turning and pointing behind her: a white dry van had just turned onto their street, headlights flashing in the dim early morning light as it pulled up to their curb."Sweet. Looks like the truck's here," Mia said, moving to place the coffee tray down on the counter. "Let's get this show on the road.""Sounds good," Elliot grinned, taking a swig of his coffee before setting the cup down next to the tray. "Let's do this."Ana and Christian's eyes briefly met once again before they followed Mia and Elliot out the front door.~/~Ana and Kate had unloaded inventory for the bakery countless times before, but this was by far the most product Ana had ever bought in one go. There were boxes upon boxes of flour, sugar, brown sugar, spices, salt, heavy cream, eggs, and milk that they had to unload. Ana had also decided to purchase a couple new baking pan trolleys, a new immersion blender, a set of new utensils, and a new chalkboard sign to place out on the sidewalk. It was all a lot more money than she was used to spending in one go, but she had to remind herself that with all the money the bakery had made in the past few days, and would hopefully continue to make in the coming days, this haul wouldn't break her budget too much.Luckily, the truck had a dolly they could use to load up at least four or five boxes at a time, and the girls ended up utilizing that quite a bit. Elliot and Christian, on the other hand, were perfectly comfortable lifting two or three heavy boxes at a time in their muscled arms and carrying them into the bakery themselves. Ana and Kate couldn't seem to take their eyes off of them."Would it be weird if I kissed Mia as a thank you for introducing me to her brother?" Kate asked Ana as she watched Elliot lug a couple heavy boxes of sugar into the bakery, his muscled arms flexing as he walked."Yes, it would be rather weird," Ana snickered, picking up a box of flour and loading it on the dolly. "Is he single, do you know?""We were chatting earlier, and he implied that he is," Kate said, moving to help Ana load more boxes onto the dolly. "But, I dunno… I get the sense that he's just a player who makes women swoon all over him without committing to any of them.""Are you looking for a commitment from him?" Ana couldn't help but ask, surprised. Kate had always insisted that she never wanted to be tied down by a man, so this statement from her was rather surprising."More like I don't want to be confronted by his angry secret girlfriend," Kate said glibly. The two of them pushed the dolly down the ramp and onto the sidewalk. "Are these the last boxes?""Looks like it," Ana said, glancing behind her toward the now-empty truck. "I was starting to think it would never happen.""You really went on a shopping spree this week, girl," Kate joked, and Ana laughed. They pushed the dolly into the bakery, where they saw Christian and Elliot unloading some of the boxes near the front counter."The truck is finally empty," Ana announced, and the guys looked up at them."Awesome," Elliot smiled brightly. "Now all we have to do is unpack every single box that we just unloaded.""Great. That should only take another four hours," Kate groaned."It shouldn't be that bad," Christian said, glancing around at all the boxes. "We made sure all the perishable food items were placed in the walk-in – milk, eggs, cream, etc. Everything else we placed in the main kitchen or out here in the lobby.""That's perfect. Thank you," Ana smiled at him. "Unpacking everything might take awhile, but I think we can take a short break right now. If you guys are hungry, I can bring out some cinnamon coffee cake I baked yesterday. It was the one baked good I managed not to sell out of completely.""Oh my God – yes!" Mia exclaimed, suddenly bursting out from the kitchen and gazing at Ana with a delighted grin on her face. "I adore coffee cake, and I definitely want to taste yours!"The others chuckled. "Sounds good, Mia," Ana smiled."Mimi and Chris have been singing the praises of your baked goods for days now, Ana. I feel like I have to try something of yours now," Elliot grinned. "But fair warning – I'm an extremely harsh critic."Mia and Christian both laughed at that ridiculous statement. "Elliot Grey, I have watched you eat a half-finished burrito from the goddamn trash," Mia said. "You are such a liar."The others laughed as Ana headed into the kitchen to take the tray of leftover coffee cake out of the walk-in and bring it back out to the front. "I don't want your guys' expectations to be too high," she said modestly, setting the tray on a nearby table and peeling off the saran wrap cover. "It's not fresh-baked, but it should still be good. If you'd like it warmed up, too, I can just pop it in the toaster oven."The others insisted that it was perfectly fine the way it was, and they each grabbed a stoneware plate and accepted a piece of coffee cake before moving to sit at a nearby table. They each took a bite and practically moaned in delight."Oh my God. Ana, this is incredible," Mia said, her mouth full of cake as she shook her head. "Wow.""Wow is right," Elliot insisted, taking a second, even bigger bite of coffee cake. "This is delicious.""It is very good," Christian said sincerely to Ana, looking at her and smiling. She smiled back, blushing."Thanks everyone," Ana said, taking a bite of her own piece. To her, it tasted like all the other coffee cakes she'd made in the past, but she was happy the others seemed to enjoy it."I swear, I have to be so careful working here," Kate said, taking a bite of her own coffee cake. "I can't let myself eat too much of what Ana bakes or else I'd be as big as a house.""You could never be as big as a house," Elliot said sweetly to her. "And if you were, I'm sure you'd still be cute."Kate gave him a disparaging look, but didn't respond as Ana fought not to laugh."It's probably gonna be tough finding another baker who's as good as you, Ana," Mia said thoughtfully, chewing on another bite of cake. "You said you wanted to hire another baker, and pretty soon too.""Yeah, I know," Ana said, thinking with some dread about how much she still needed to do for the bakery in the coming weeks."Why can't you do it, Mimi?" Elliot asked his sister. "I mean, you're not exactly Ana Steele, but you're not half-bad as a baker.""Gee, thanks Elliot," Mia said sarcastically."Even if she wanted to, she couldn't," Christian piped up, and the others looked at him. "Mia's an established food critic, and she already wrote a glowing review of The Royal Treatment. It would be unethical if she were to begin working here in an official capacity.""Yeah, that's true," Mia nodded at her brother, grimacing. "It would look like I was being paid by you guys to say those nice things.""So I guess it's back to square one," Kate said, glancing at Ana. "We can put a job posting online or something.""I know some people, actually," Mia said, looking thoughtful. "There are some pastry chefs I went to school with but I'm not professionally affiliated with. There's Margaret Chang, but she's based out in New York now. Paolo Perez is also very good, but he and his husband just moved to France…"Mia thought for another moment or two before her eyes widened in excitement. She whipped around to face Christian. "Oh! Who's the girl making your wedding cake again? She's based in Seattle, I think."Christian blinked, looking almost like a deer in the headlights. "Oh. Um… I-I don't…""Claire!" Mia announced, turning back to Ana with a grin. "Claire Mathieson. A friend of mine worked with her, and she's supposed to be really good. I'm pretty sure she just works for herself at the moment, making cakes for weddings and big events and stuff, but she might be interested in working for you guys.""Oh," Ana said, unsure of what to say about that. This Claire woman might have been a good fit, but Ana wasn't sure about working with the woman who was apparently making Christian's wedding cake. She glanced at Christian, and he was starting determinedly down at his coffee cake. "I mean… yeah, we could consider her. If Christian's okay with it.""I'm sure it'll be fine. Christian's wedding isn't for months," Mia waved off, plucking up her phone and typing on it. "I'll find Claire's contact info for you and see if she'd be interested."Ana gave a small, forced smile. "Thanks Mia," she said. She avoided Christian's gaze as she looked down at her coffee cake, suddenly not feeling very hungry anymore.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Unpacking all the boxes thankfully didn't take too long with all four of them working together, and by noon they were pretty much done. Even though Ana had initially wanted to open up the bakery for a couple hours today, she was actually glad they decided to remain closed; however, she did feel a bit guilty whenever she saw customers walk up to the front door and then immediately leave, looking dejected as they realized the bakery was closed for the day. She hoped they weren't so put off that they wouldn't still come back tomorrow.The Grey siblings all decided to head out in the early afternoon after the boxes were all unpacked, and Ana and Kate thanked them profusely for their help. Ana even gave them the remaining coffee cake, which they all seemed very happy about – particularly Elliot.Christian had also thanked Ana for the cake, but his demeanor had been a bit off since Mia had mentioned his wedding, even though the subject hadn't come up again. Ana decided not to address it since Mia had made sure to give Ana Claire's contact information, which Ana was grateful for. She was going to try to give Claire a call tomorrow so she could officially get the ball rolling on finding another baker.Once the Greys left, Ana got working on some of the online orders that were going to be picked up within the next couple days. She was eager to start using some of the newly-replenished ingredients they had just gotten, and Kate decided to hang around to assemble the new bakery carts and set up the chalkboard for tomorrow.The two of them chatted happily for the rest of the afternoon as they worked, and, despite keeping the bakery closed today, Ana felt like this day had been a very productive one.
~The next day~
The bakery opened at its usual time the following morning, and, as had become the norm, they immediately had customers lined out the door. However, Ana and Kate felt a bit more equipped today to handle the hordes of people coming in – Ana had made sure to bake extra batches of everything before opening, and Kate had made sure to add several pieces of tape to the floor so people would have a place to queue up. While it was still crazy busy, this day felt marginally more manageable, and Ana felt glad once the last customers left and they closed their doors at around 2:30PM.Ana and Kate took only about two hours to clean up, and once they were done, Kate headed home while Ana went up to her apartment. Just as she entered her living room, she felt her cell phone buzz in her pocket with an incoming call.Ana pulled out her phone and saw it was an unknown number. "Hello?" she answered it."Hi, may I speak with Ana Steele?" a female voice asked politely."This is her," Ana said, walking further into her apartment and toeing off her shoes. "Who am I speaking to?""This is Claire Mathieson. Mia Grey gave me your number."Ana perked up. "Oh, yes! I was planning on calling you today. How are you?""I'm great, thank you," Claire said brightly. "I just wanted to reach out and ask about the new baker position you were looking to fill at your bakery.""Yes, I was talking to Mia about it yesterday," Ana said, her heart pounding in her throat. "That's when she mentioned your name. Would you be interested in interviewing for the job?""Yes, absolutely," Claire insisted, and Ana let out a silent sigh of relief. "I've just been doing my own thing for the past few months now, baking cakes for weddings and special events and stuff, but lately I've been looking for something that's a bit more stable. I'd heard about The Royal Treatment and I'd love to learn more about you guys.""That's great to hear," Ana grinned brightly. If this Claire girl was a good fit, they might just have a new baker on staff by the end of the week. "When can you come by for an interview?"They chatted for a minute or so about when they were both free, and they agreed on Wednesday at 3PM, after the bakery had closed for the day. They said their goodbyes before hanging up."Yes!" Ana squealed, hopping in the air a couple times while clapping her hands excitedly. She couldn't help herself – all of her dreams for her little bakery seemed to finally be coming true. She was getting more business than she ever thought possible, she had made a positive connection with an esteemed food critic here in Seattle, and now she was taking steps to hiring a new baker. All of these things would undoubtedly help her on the road to success.
This calls for a celebration.
It wasn't even five o'clock yet, but Ana hadn't eaten anything all day. While she was usually content to just make something here at home, she decided she wanted to treat herself for dinner. There was a lovely ramen shop a few blocks away from The Royal Treatment which Ana liked to go to sometimes, and she decided she wanted some authentic Japanese take-out to celebrate all the wins she'd had lately.After changing into some comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, she slipped on her tennis shoes and grabbed her purse before heading out the door.It was a lovely evening out, and pedestrians filled the busy sidewalks as Ana walked along. It was rush hour, so cars filled the streets, and she couldn't help but gaze at the bustling city around her. She smiled to herself, thinking about how fortunate she was to own a small business in such an amazing city.The ramen shop was just outside Pike Place Market, so when Ana turned the corner, she saw a familiar skyscraper that she had seen countless times before.Grey Enterprise HoldingsAna had never really appreciated before how beautiful that building truly was up close: it was all bluish-gray steele and glass, with large metallic channel letters spelling out Grey House above the front doors. There were wide shiny stone steps leading up to the building, and since it was the end of the work day, tons of men and women were streaming out the front doors, clearly eager to head home for the day.Ana was just about to continue walking to her destination when she heard someone saying her name:"Ana?"Ana turned toward the street to see a black Audi pull up on the curb near the building. She almost thought the voice had come from somewhere else when she noticed the back window of the Audi had rolled down and Christian's face appeared, smiling at her.Ana stared, her heart suddenly pounding a thudding rhythm against her ribcage. Oh God, did Christian really just catch her standing and staring up at his building?"Ana. I thought that was you," Christian smiled, opening the car door and stepping out, looking tall and gorgeous in his dark gray business attire. He was wearing aviator sunglasses, and he took them off so he could fix Ana with his gray-eyed stare. She couldn't help but notice a couple of female pedestrians stopping and staring at this Adonis of a man.
And here I am, looking frumpy as hell in a t-shirt and jeans.
"Oh. Hi Christian," Ana said after a moment, composing herself as she blushed. "It's good to see you again.""Yeah, you too," Christian smiled at her. "I was just heading home for the evening, and I was thinking of stopping by The Royal Treatment for more of that coffee cake you made. Although I had just remembered you guys close at two o'clock."Ana couldn't help but giggle, feeling rather flattered that he had wanted to come by her bakery again. "That's true, but Kate and I would've made an exception for you."Christian grinned at her again, and Ana couldn't help but think how handsome his smile made him look. "That's good to know. So where is it you're heading now?""I was just going to grab dinner at that ramen shop outside the Market," Ana nodded down the street where she had been walking. "I was going to pick it up before heading back home.""Oh. Well, would you like a ride?" Christian asked politely, gesturing toward the Audi behind him. "Taylor and I were just heading that way anyway."Ana blinked, surprised. "Oh… no. That's okay, I don't want to inconvenience you.""It's no inconvenience," Christian assured her. "In fact, I was thinking of grabbing dinner somewhere tonight too. Maybe I'll get some ramen as well… if that's alright with you, of course."Ana stared at him in surprise. He actually wanted to get some ramen with her? The thought was oddly thrilling."Oh – of course it's alright," Ana assured him, and she gave him a smile. "But what I meant to say was that a car ride is unnecessary. The ramen shop is literally half a block away from here, and walking there would make more logistical sense than getting into a car and driving there."Christian regarded her, and after a moment he offered her a small smile. "Fair point well made, Miss Steele," he finally said, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "I guess we'll walk there."He turned back to his car to say something through the front window, and the guy named Taylor said something back before driving several yards ahead and parking next to a meter."Lead the way," Christian said, turning back to Ana, his hands tucked in his pockets. She smiled at him."Let's go."
So I guess this is how my evening's going.
The two of them began walking together past the GEH building and toward the ramen shop, which really was a very short distance away. "Did you really not know about the ramen shop here?" Ana couldn't help but ask him. "It's practically right next door to your building.""I suppose I have seen it before, but I've never gone," Christian explained. "There are only a handful of food establishments in this area I frequent. I suppose your bakery can now be counted as one of those places."Ana blushed slightly before smiling. "I'm honored. You, your family, and Miss Bailey are welcome to come by anytime."Christian laughed. "Oh, Ros would definitely love that. She's been raving about your red velvet cake ever since she tried it last week.""Red velvet is actually one of my best sellers," Ana admitted as they approached the ramen shop. "It tends to be one of the first things I run out of during the day.""Then I'll have to let Ros know to get it first thing in the morning, then," Christian said, and Ana laughed.They walked inside the ramen shop, which was a small restaurant with authentic Japanese artwork and wooden tabletops. Ana already knew she wanted to get her usual order, but she decided to wait for Christian to decide what he wanted.Christian perused the menu board for a few moments before looking at Ana. "I'm not sure what to get. Do you have a recommendation?""Oh. Well, I usually get the basic tonkotsu ramen with a side of vegetable gyoza," Ana said, pointing to where that was on the menu. She felt a little self-conscious about her order for some reason. "It's kind of a boring dish, I know. You can customize your ramen if you want, and I know that any of the food can be made spicier if you ask."Christian gave her an amused smile, his gray eyes twinkling. "I don't think I'm brave enough to take any chances with spice, but tonkotsu ramen does actually sound good."Before Ana could say anything, Christian approached the front counter and asked for two orders of the tonkotsu ramen with veggie gyoza. He took out his credit card and paid for both of their meals – Ana wanted to protest, but decided not to, feeling it would have been rude to argue inside the restaurant.Christian was a billionaire, after all, so buying her ramen probably wouldn't break him.A few minutes later, the guy behind the counter handed them their takeout bags, and they thanked him before leaving the shop."Thank you for buying my food. You really didn't have to do that," Ana said to Christian once they stepped outside."It was my pleasure, Miss Steele. Think of it as a thank you for the coffee cake the other day," Christian said, smiling at her. Ana smiled back and they continued to walk along.This is nice, Ana couldn't help but think to herself, and she felt Christian's arm gently brush against hers as they walked along. Her heart seemed to catch in her throat.
He's engaged to be married.
And just like that, Ana's pounding heart suddenly sank to her stomach. His apparent relationship with Gia Matteo was very much public knowledge, and Claire, the woman making his and Gia's wedding cake, Ana was considering hiring for her bakery. Any sort of relationship between Ana and Christian could not go any further than this.The thought was depressing, but Ana didn't see any way around it."This ramen smells amazing," Christian noted, glancing down at the takeout bag in his hand. "I can't wait to try it. Maybe we could do this again sometime?"Ana's heart rate seemed to skyrocket upon him saying that, and she cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable. "Um… are you sure your fiance would be okay with that?"Christian didn't say anything right away, and Ana glanced over to see a stoic, unreadable expression fall across his handsome face. He looked over at her. "Ana…" he began, but faltered before falling silent, his expression pained.Ana shook her head. "It's fine," she assured him. "I understand, Christian. You both are in the public eye, and I just don't want to cause any problems for you two if people see you and I out in public together."They arrived at Christian's Audi, and they stopped. Christian turned to face Ana. "Ana, look," he began. "About Gia…"He hesitated again, frowning, clearly unsure about how to proceed, and Ana suddenly realized that she didn't want to hear whatever explanation he had to give. "It's alright, Christian. Really," she insisted, although she felt her heart pound against her ribcage as she forced a smile. "I should really get going, though. Thanks again for dinner."Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking away back to the bakery.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Christian could only watch as Ana walked away, his heart clenching with regret and about a million other emotions. A large part of him wanted to go after her, to explain things to her and to beg her to see it from his perspective, but he knew he couldn't. The last thing he wanted was to create a public spectacle, and there were too many people around right now. She simply walked away, probably thinking he was just a creep who would willingly cheat on his fiance.
God, how did my life get to this point?
From the very moment Christian saw Ana at that small business expo two weeks ago, standing at her booth, looking so pretty yet so nervous as she tried to garner more business for her bakery, he knew he was a goner. The fact that she was a young entrepreneur doing everything in her power to support herself and her small business made Christian want to do whatever he could possibly do to help her.That's why Christian was happy to give Ana and her bakery a business opportunity like doing some catering events for GEH. And it didn't hurt that her baked goods were some of the best he'd ever tasted – even without the popularity boost she got from Mia's food blog, Christian knew Ana could have been very successful in her own right.Ana now disappeared around the corner, and Christian let out a small sigh before making his way over to the Audi, his heart in his stomach. Taylor got out of the driver's seat so he could open the back door for Christian."I apologize if this isn't the best time, sir, but I was just informed by security that Ms. Matteo is waiting for you at Escala," he informed Christian.Perfect, Christian couldn't help but think in slight annoyance as he got into the car. "Thanks Taylor."He knew it wasn't necessarily Gia's fault: she'd been coming by Escala more and more often since they'd announced their engagement and began planning the wedding. It was understandable, considering everything that still needed to be done, but it made Christian miss having his own space in his 'ivory tower', as Mia had always liked to call his penthouse.He supposed he would have to get used to sharing his space now, considering the fact he was getting married.Taylor drove them back to Escala, and Christian busied himself with checking his emails on his phone. It was a short drive, and soon they were pulling into the underground parking garage of the Escala Towers. Once Taylor parked in the assigned space, they got out of the car, Christian carrying his takeout bag of ramen, and headed toward the private penthouse elevator, which would take them straight up to the top floor.The elevator ride was silent, and after a minute or so the doors slid open to his foyer. There were the sounds of pots and pans moving around the kitchen, and two women's voices talking with each other. Christian and Taylor made their way into the main room and saw Gail Jones, Christian's housekeeper, busily working away in the kitchen while Gia stood nearby at the dining room table, some file folders spread out in front of her.Gia looked perfectly and beautifully put-together, as she normally did, in a tan blazer and pencil skirt, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a professional-looking chignon. Gia was, objectively, very beautiful, and she projected the sort of classy elegance that made her an ideal partner to take to charity balls and galas. Everyone at these parties always told Christian how lucky he was to have snagged such a stunning woman.Both Gia and Gail looked up upon hearing the men enter."Welcome home, Mr. Grey," Gail smiled at the two of them, though her smile faltered when she noticed the takeout bag in Christian's hand. "Oh. My apologies, sir, I didn't realize you were going out to eat tonight. I made chicken cacciatore for dinner.""Don't worry about it, Gail, it's my fault. I… ran into a friend after work, and we decided to pick up some ramen." Christian handed the takeout bag to Taylor, who brought it over to the kitchen island. "I can eat this while you guys enjoy the chicken cacciatore.""Of course, sir," Gail nodded agreeably.Christian made his way over to Gia standing at the dining table, and she glanced up from the file folder she was reading. "Hello Gia. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked politely."Our wedding venue," Gia said, cutting right to the chase as she handed Christian the file folder in her hand. "My parents found this one and they really like it: The Imperia over on Eastlake. It's a nice space that's not over-the-top lavish, and they have an opening in a few months on the day of our wedding."Christian grimaced, looking at the venue pictures in the folder Gia handed him. The last thing he felt like discussing right now was this wedding, but he supposed he didn't really have a choice. "I still don't see why your parents won't just let us have the ceremony at my parent's house. The Grey Estate is a perfectly decent place to hold a small wedding, and we won't even need to put a deposit down.""Yeah, well, my parents want us to have a 'real' venue," Gia shrugged, clearly also not happy with this compromise. "They are paying for this whole thing, after all. They agreed that the rehearsal dinner could be at your parents' place, at least.""Whatever," Christian shook his head. He had been hoping this wedding planning business would go by without any headaches, but he supposed that was too much to ask for. "If they insist on a real wedding venue for us, I'm surprised they're not going the whole nine yards with it and booking the finest hotel in Paris or New York.""If we had agreed to a multi-year long engagement, then that's probably what they would want to do," Gia said, crossing her arms. "But we're only waiting months, not years. They're just going to have to deal with it."Christian didn't answer as his eyes drifted over the pictures of the wedding venue he was holding, taking in the beautiful flowers and the smiling, happy people. His mind, for some reason, cast back to a half-hour ago, when he was walking with Ana to the ramen shop. She was smiling and giggling at something he said, and his heart felt like it was going to pound right out of his chest as he gazed down at her.Suddenly, looking at wedding venues felt completely and totally wrong."You just need to sign the deposit for the venue. Here," Gia said, producing a packet of papers from another file folder and handing it to him. "I already signed it. Do you need a pen?"Christian didn't answer as he simply took the packet from her, staring down at it. A sick feeling suddenly twisted in the pit of his stomach, and signing this felt like he was signing his own death warrant.
I don't think I can do this.
"Christian?" Gia asked, noticing his hesitation. "Is everything alright?"Christian looked back up at her, unsure of what to say, and he instinctively glanced toward the kitchen, where Gail and Taylor were standing. He had a sudden desire for them to leave.Sensing his strange mood, Gia moved past Christian and walked toward the kitchen. "Mr. Taylor? Mrs. Jones? Do you mind giving Christian and I a minute? We'll call you back when we're done.""Of course, Ms. Matteo," Gail said politely, turning off the stove and moving her pan off the burner. She and Taylor then made their way toward the servants' quarters, giving Christian and Gia some privacy.Once they were gone, Gia turned back to Christian, levelling him with an assessing look. "Are you alright, Christian? You're acting very odd today. You're not rethinking our arrangement, are you?"Christian sighed, setting the papers back on the table before perching himself against the edge of the table, crossing his arms. "This is all just getting to be a lot. The wedding venue, the amount of money your parents are spending… and I know my own parents are contributing to our wedding as well. I just feel bad for lying to everyone.""We knew getting into this that we were lying to people," Gia said fairly, walking forward before stopping in front of him. "My father wasn't going to give me access to my trust fund unless I was 'married and settled', as he put it. Since neither you nor I have ever had aspirations for marriage, and I'm willing to invest in GEH with my new architectural business, we agreed that the two of us getting married was a mutually beneficial situation.""I know," Christian said, not meeting her gaze. It all sounded so clinical when she laid it out like that, but when they had agreed to this arrangement, it had all made perfect sense to him. "I guess I'm just wondering if you're still willing to go through with all this. A whole wedding and marriage is a lot to ask from someone, and we agreed that we're going to have to put up appearances for at least a year before we announce our divorce.""I promise, Christian, I don't have a problem with this arrangement," Gia insisted. "I've been completely honest with you from the beginning, and I haven't changed my mind about any of it. I only care about getting access to my trust fund and starting my business – that's it. If you're rethinking this whole arrangement, though, please let me know now. I don't want to go through with all of this if you're having doubts."Christian didn't answer, and Gia simply looked at him for a few moments. "Is there someone else?" she asked gently. "Because we agreed that dating other people is perfectly acceptable during this arrangement, so long as we're discreet about it.""No," Christian said quickly, feeling a flush grow on his face as he cleared his throat. "No, that's not… I'm not seeing anyone. It's not that.""Okay," Gia said slowly. "Then what is it?"Christian grimaced, unsure of how to properly verbalize what he wanted to say. While it made sense to date other people during this sham of a marriage, Christian could only think of one woman he wanted to be with. However, he didn't think he would be able to do something so disrespectful to Ana. She made him not want to go through any of this anymore, but he knew that wouldn't have been fair to Gia. He had made a promise to her, long before he had even met Ana, and he felt obligated to see it through.Christian finally sighed, shaking his head. "It's nothing," he said, and he picked up the packet of papers again. "I'll sign the deposit. Do you have a pen?""Yup. Here you go," Gia pulled a pen out of her breast pocket and handed it to him. "Thank you, Christian. I promise you, all of this will be over sooner than you think.""I know," he muttered, scrawling his signature on the paper and feeling that timing was hardly on his side at the moment.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

On Wednesday morning, Ana got up at her usual early hour to go downstairs and start baking for the day. The last couple of days had been rainy and cold, making it feel a bit darker and gloomier than it had been for the past few weeks. Ana wasn't complaining, however: yesterday saw a slight downtick in customers due to the bad weather, which gave Ana and Kate a small break for the first time in over a week. Ana could only hope today's rainy weather would allow the same sort of reprieve, especially since she was meeting with Claire after the bakery closed today.The quiet hours Ana spent alone in her kitchen often gave her some time to think, and these past few mornings, her mind dwelled on Christian. She was almost annoyed with herself with how much she was thinking about him – he was engaged to another woman, after all, so she needed to get him off her mind.
"Ana, look…" he had said to her. "About Gia…"
Ana grimaced to herself as she mixed the croissant dough in her standmixer. She had been thinking a lot about her parting interaction with Christian the other day: he had clearly been trying to tell her something about Gia, but she had walked away before he could say what he wanted to say. She had felt too emotional and uncomfortable to hear him out at the time, but now it was starting to bother her.What had he been about to tell her? He might have just been trying to apologize, saying that he didn't mean to mislead her in any way, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was something else.Ana had never met Gia Matteo in person, but she had seen multiple photos online of her and Christian together at public events. They were a very attractive couple, Ana couldn't deny, but she also couldn't help but think that every photo of them felt very… sterile. Ana may have been reading too much into it, but she couldn't detect any sort of love or affection between the two of them. They obviously weren't going to engage in PDA in front of the cameras, but they were barely touching in their photos together. All the pictures were of them standing with visible space between them, not looking at each other as they smiled at other people. Gia would sometimes have her hand lightly hooked through Christian's elbow as they were walking, but that was pretty much it.There was no hand holding. No shared secret smiles with each other. No outward signs of love or affection between two people who were apparently getting married in a few short months. Nothing.
Maybe this was an arrangement or something?
Ana admittedly didn't know anything about how the one-percent lived, but according to Kate – who came from an old money family – that sort of thing was more common than people thought. Wealthy parents would often try to ensure their children married within the same social class by making informal arrangements with their rich friends. These kids would grow up and get married to each other, often staying together for no reason other than to retain access to each other's money.Money and status were the main sticking points for these people, and they would go to great lengths to ensure they made alliances with people who wouldn't rob them blind.
Perhaps that's the situation with Christian and Gia?
Ana now rolled her eyes to herself as she cut the dough for her pastries. She really was reading too much into a relationship she knew absolutely nothing about. It would be best if she focused on something she did know and understand completely – her bakery.Ana now began rolling her croissants and placing them on her baking sheets, mentally tallying up how many batches she would have to make today so as not to run out.~/~"…Alright, for the three cupcakes, that'll be $15.75."The guy at the counter handed Kate his credit card, and she rang him up. It was almost closing time now, and he and about a dozen other people still lingered inside the bakery, hoping to snag the last of the treats that were available. Ana, having closed down the kitchen for the day, was sweeping the lobby floor and making sure it looked somewhat presentable before Claire arrived later.The rain had thankfully abated in the afternoon, but the sky remained cloudy and gloomy with a slight chill in the air. Ana could see pedestrians walking up and down the sidewalk outside her bakery, their umbrellas still shielding their faces from any potential rain.Ana looked up just in time to see a woman standing across the street. She was in a dress and heels with a purple raincoat on, her hood up over her head while clutching a pink bakery box in her arms. She waited for a car to pass by in front of her before hurrying across the road toward The Royal Treatment.The woman now entered the bakery, the bell chiming as she stepped inside. She pulled her hood down, and Ana saw it was a beautiful black woman with dark curly hair pulled back in a low bun at the base of her neck.
Claire Mathieson
Ana had done a bit of cursory research on Claire, and realized instantly that this was her. She was about an hour early for the interview, but Ana couldn't bring herself to be too upset about it as she approached her."Hi," Ana greeted Claire with a friendly smile, and the other woman looked over. "Are you Claire Mathieson?""Yep, that's me," the girl said brightly, holding out her hand to shake. "You're Ana, I presume? It's a pleasure to meet you.""You as well," Ana shook her hand. "I'm sorry it's still a bit busy here. I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so.""Oh no, please. It's my fault," Claire said insistently. "I had a cancelled meeting this morning, so I had some extra time to get here early. I even made you guys some macarons as an apology. And as a thank you for interviewing me."She held out the bakery box, and Ana accepted it, lifting the top lid and seeing a row of six beautifully-arranged pink and chocolate macarons. "Wow, these are beautiful," Ana said sincerely, smiling down at the treats. Macarons were something she very much enjoyed making, but she didn't often sell them at the bakery since they could be finicky. "Thank you so much. Are macarons your specialty?""I like to think so," Claire smiled modestly, shrugging. "I did some research about The Royal Treatment and saw that you didn't sell macarons here, so I decided to make some and show what I could bring to the table if you were to hire me."Ana couldn't deny feeling a bit impressed by Claire's initiative, and she laughed. "I like that," she said truthfully, and she gestured to a nearby empty table. "Would you like to take a seat?"The two of them sat down and began chatting about the baker job. Claire had brought along a copy of her resume, which Ana looked over: Claire was twenty-six years old and had a Bachelor's in food science from USC, and she had previously worked at a bakery in Sacramento before moving up to Seattle eighteen months ago. Ana also tasted one of her macarons, which was delicious."So what made you decide to move up to Seattle?" Ana asked curiously, chewing on her bite of macaron. "You seem like you were doing pretty well down in California.""As much as I loved it there, the cost of living was getting to be too much," Claire explained, smiling sadly. "My roommate had moved in with her boyfriend, and the rent for our place was too high to pay by myself. Since I have family in Seattle and I know the area, I decided to pack up and move up here for a fresh start. I've been doing my own thing for the past year and a half, but I'd love the opportunity to work at a bakery again."Behind Claire, Ana could see the last of the customers leaving the shop and Kate closing the doors, locking them. Kate then untied her apron before moving over to where Claire and Ana were sitting."Well, with your experience, and with how delicious your macarons are, I think you'd be perfect for this position," Ana said truthfully, and Claire beamed with delight."Did someone say macarons?" Kate asked eagerly, plopping down in the seat beside Ana. She plucked one up from the box sitting on the table between them. "I'm starving."Ana giggled. "Claire, this is Kate Kavanaugh – the other employee here at The Royal Treatment."Claire smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Kate.""You too. And oh my God, these are amazing," Kate complimented, chewing on her bite of chocolate macaron. "Ana, if we hire her, can we sell these?"Claire and Ana both laughed. "I hope so. If she were to start right now, though, she would likely help me with all the online orders I've gotten so far. Designing large cakes for parties and birthdays, stuff like that.""I could do that," Claire perked up. "I'm sure you already know, but for the last few months I've been making special order cakes for multiple clients all over the city. I was also hired to make Christian Grey and Gia Matteo's wedding cake in a few months."Ana forced a small smile. "Yeah, Mia told us about that. As long as their wedding doesn't conflict with any of the work we're doing here, I'm totally fine with you making their cake as well.""Of course," Claire insisted. "Their wedding was the last job I took on, so if I were to start working here, I wouldn't accept any other work. Unless it was through The Royal Treatment, of course.""So how did you end up getting the Grey-Matteo wedding?" Kate asked Claire interestedly. "That's really impressive. I'd think you'd need some super high connections to be able to do something like that.""I know, right? Honestly, I'm still in shock about it," Claire laughed. "I didn't know either of their families personally, so I was confused as to why they wanted me to make their wedding cake. Apparently, Miss Matteo just wanted someone local to Seattle, and so they settled on me. I'm still surprised that they didn't have any contacts through Mia Grey or something, but it definitely worked out for me in the end."Ana raised her eyebrows, unable to hide her surprise. So Claire was just randomly chosen to make their wedding cake? The idea Ana had this morning that this wedding was just an arrangement between Christian and Gia Matteo flashed through her mind, but she quickly tried to shove it down."Well, either way, it's a really cool opportunity for you," Kate said honestly.Claire seemed to hesitate for a moment or two before turning to Ana. "Look, Ana… I know we don't really know each other that well yet, and you haven't exactly made me a firm job offer, but do you think you would like to help me with this wedding cake? I'm still rather new to working with rich, high-society clients like the Greys, and since you're already sort of acquainted with them, I think you would be the perfect person to help me with their cake. I'd split the money with you, of course, but is that something you think you'd be interested in?"Ana blinked, staring at Claire in surprise. "Oh," she said after a moment, unsure of what to say to that. "I, um…""Are you kidding? Ana, that would be perfect!" Kate said, grasping Ana's arm excitedly. "I'm sure Christian would love to have you help out with his wedding cake."Ana looked at Kate before turning back to Claire, feeling like a lot was being thrown at her all at once. "Well… I suppose I could think about it. How far in the process are you right now?""Not far. I met with them for the first time a few weeks ago to get a feel for what they wanted, and since then I came up with a few mock-up sketches of how their cake could look," Claire explained. "I'm actually scheduled to meet with them this Saturday morning to settle on a final design, and you're totally free to join me if you'd like."Ana didn't say anything for a moment. Saturdays she was usually working here at the bakery, but an opportunity like this didn't come along very often. She would be a fool to pass it up… and to be honest, a small part of her was rather morbidly curious as to what Christian's relationship with Gia Matteo was actually like. Perhaps she could take this opportunity to find out more?"I'll tell you what," Ana said to Claire after a moment. "I'll help you with this wedding cake and I'll go with you to your meeting on Saturday… if you agree to start here tomorrow."Claire stared at Ana for a moment, her eyes wide, before a huge grin spread across her face. "Oh my God – yes! Yes, absolutely! I'd be more than happy to start tomorrow! Thank you, thank you so much!"Ana smiled, feeling rather pleased with her decision. "You're more than welcome."

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Saturday came around much sooner than Ana had anticipated.She had agreed to help Claire with Christian and Gia's wedding cake, but a large part of her couldn't deny that she was very nervous when the day of their scheduled meeting finally arrived. She didn't even know if Christian knew that she was helping Claire with the wedding cake. Would he protest to her involvement in making it? Would Gia Matteo? Ana didn't know how this day would go, so she felt incredibly anxious once Saturday rolled around.Days at the bakery had been going along faster since Mia had published her article, but Ana knew the faster days could also be attributed to Claire working alongside her in the kitchen. Having another skilled baker like Claire, who had learned the ins and outs of Ana's kitchen very quickly, made the busy days feel much more manageable. Ana knew that, in time, she would feel comfortable enough with Claire and Kate running things at the bakery that she could take a day or two off at some point.
An actual day off? Such a novel concept.
But now it was Saturday, and Ana and Claire were leaving the bakery this morning at around 10:30 to head over to the Grey Estate out in Bellevue. Christian and Gia were apparently holding their rehearsal dinner at Christian's family's estate in a few months, but today, multiple vendors were meeting with them there to hash out all the wedding details.Just to be safe, Ana and Claire had made sure to bake double batches of everything before opening, and Kate was allowed to close the bakery early if things got too chaotic to handle by herself. Ana was a bit nervous leaving things to Kate, but Kate assured her everything would be completely under control.So at 10:30, Ana and Claire left the still-busy bakery and got into an Uber to head over to the Grey Estate. Ana had decided to borrow a nice work-appropriate dress from Kate: a belted black number with three-quarter sleeves and buttons down the front. It looked designer and elegant, yet also modest, something Kate said would be perfect for this type of meeting. Kate also wanted Ana to wear strappy heels with the dress, but Ana opted for flats, not trusting her clumsy feet in high heels.Claire looked similarly nice in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her hair in its usual low bun, which Ana had learned was how she typically wore her hair. Claire also seemed a bit nervous for this meeting, so the two of them were mostly silent as the Uber took them out to the Grey Estate.They arrived at the entrance of the gated community in Bellevue, and Claire thankfully had the email pulled up on her phone to show the security guard that she and Ana were allowed to be here. He opened the gate for them, and the car made its way through one of the nicest neighborhoods Ana had ever been in."You mentioned some of the other vendors were going to be at the Grey Estate today too, right?" Ana asked Claire, her eyes glued to the beautiful mansions they passed by.
Oh, to be this rich.
"Yeah. The wedding planner, the florist, and the caterer are all going to be there too, according to the email I got from the Matteos," Claire said, glancing down at her phone screen. "Hopefully this meeting will go by quickly, but it's hard to say with all the other vendors being there.""I'm sure it won't take too long. They just have to pick a wedding cake design, and the mock-ups you came up with are all beautiful," Ana said truthfully, glancing down at the messenger bag sitting between them. "I'd be very surprised if they didn't pick one of them today."Claire gave her a smile, looking grateful yet nervous. "Thanks Ana."They were silent as the Uber turned onto a long circular driveway, and he pulled up to one of the largest and most beautiful stone mansions Ana had ever seen in her life. Perfectly trimmed hedges lined the driveway leading up to the house, which had gorgeous vines and morning glory flowers creeping up the exterior; a gorgeous fountain also sat in the middle of the circular drive. Ana knew that the Grey family was well off, but this place was almost ridiculous with how opulent it looked."Oh my God," Claire said, looking stunned as she stared up at the house through the car window. "This place is huge!""You haven't been here before?" Ana couldn't help but ask, also gazing up at the house. "I thought you met with the family already.""I did, but that was at Christian Grey's penthouse condo at Escala," Claire explained. "That place is pretty opulent, too, but it has nothing on this house."Ana and Claire got out of the Uber once it stopped and they walked up a set of wide stone steps. They reached the front doors, and Ana was just about to knock when one of the doors opened, a familiar face peeking out at them with a grin."Elliot?" Ana said, surprised to see him. The blonde grinned even more brightly, opening the door fully."Ana! How the hell are you?" He stepped outside and swept her up into a big hug, surprising her once again. "I didn't know you were coming by today. Why aren't you at the bakery?""I'm helping Claire with Christian's wedding cake," Ana explained, hugging him back with an amused smile. She hadn't expected Elliot to be this overly friendly with her, but she supposed that was all part of his personality. "I didn't realize you were going to be here too.""I usually swing by and visit my parents on Saturdays. I wasn't made aware that Chris and Gia were gonna be here in full wedding planning mode today, though," Elliot explained, stepping away from Ana and smiling at Claire. "I'm Elliot Grey. Christian's brother.""Claire Mathieson. It's nice to meet you," Claire smiled politely, shaking his hand. "Is everyone inside then?""Yup, I can take you to them."Elliot gestured for them to follow him inside, and they complied. Ana couldn't help but gaze at her surroundings, taking in the high vaulted ceilings, the large windows facing the vast backyard, and the sweeping grand staircase leading to the upper floors. Ana could hear people talking and moving about deeper inside the house - a house that hardly seemed real, it was so beautiful."The others should be in the dining room," Elliot explained, and he started leading them past the staircase and down a wide hallway. "So Ana, who's running the bakery right now?""Just Kate," Ana explained, still taking in her beautiful surroundings. "I felt bad leaving her by herself, but hopefully this meeting won't take too long so we can get back and help her out before closing.""Or I could swing by and help out," Elliot offered, looking over his shoulder at Ana with a wide grin. "I wouldn't mind seeing dear Kate again… especially when she's all alone and desperately needs my help."Ana and Claire glanced at each other before snickering. "Sure Elliot," Ana said in amusement.They made their way through the gargantuan house before turning into a massive open kitchen and dining room area. Multiple well-dressed people milled about, talking quietly with each other: a bald man and bespectacled woman sat together at the dining table, holding up scraps of lace fabric while talking about patterns. A few men in catering uniforms stood at the kitchen island over plates of delicious-looking gourmet food, one of them talking about the plating. A couple middle-aged women in the corner of the dining room were discussing floral arrangements, holding up bouquets and switching out some of the flowers to make them look as nice as possible.In the center of the busy room were a group of people, standing and talking to one another. Among the group was Christian, standing beside a beautiful blonde woman Ana guessed was Gia Matteo.Ana felt her heart catch in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to tamp down her nervousness."Hey Chris," Elliot said, and Ana and Claire trailed behind him. "Look who's here."Christian turned and practically froze the moment he laid eyes on Ana. He seemed stunned to see her there, and Ana now knew that he'd had no idea she was helping Claire with the wedding cake."Ana," he said, seemingly on instinct. He cleared his throat before walking over, glancing between her and Claire. "I… uh… what are you doing here?""I'm here with Claire," Ana said, nodding to Claire standing beside her. "She asked for my assistance with your wedding cake.""Just for when we bake and decorate it," Claire explained, gesturing to the messenger bag in her hand. "I have the cake design mock-ups with me here today, but I thought it would be helpful for Ana to be here at the meeting with us today."Christian blinked, and Ana had the impression he was avoiding her gaze. "Oh. Of course.""Elliot, can you come in here?" a middle-aged woman poked her head around the corner from the living room, where Ana saw a few other people hanging around. "I'm scheduling the tuxedo fittings for you and your father, and I want to see what time works best for both of you.""Sure thing, Mom," Elliot called back, and he grinned at Ana and Claire before walking away."Hello," Gia Matteo and another woman Ana guessed was her mom walked over to them, standing on either side of Christian."Ms. Mathieson. It's good to see you again," Mrs. Matteo said, shaking Claire's hand before turning to Ana, fixing her with a shrewd gaze. "And you are?""Mrs. Matteo, this is Ana Steele," Claire introduced Ana. "She's my employer over at The Royal Treatment bakery and she agreed to help with the wedding cake design.""Oh," Mrs. Matteo said, giving Ana a onceover. "Well, I suppose if Ms. Mathieson trusts you, Ms. Steele, then you can be involved. In the future, though, I'd prefer all vendors keep me up-to-date on who they're bringing on for anything wedding-related."Claire blushed, looking uncomfortable. "Of-of course, Mrs. Matteo. My apologies.""Ana is an acquaintance of mine, Lorraine," Christian piped up, looking at Mrs. Matteo. "She and my sister are friends, so I can vouch for her."Mrs. Matteo's face cleared as she smiled up at Christian. "Ah, excellent! Well that certainly is a relief," she turned back to Ana and Claire. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Steele. Why don't we all move into the kitchen? There's a small table set up where we can go over the cake designs.""Sounds good," Claire agreed, looking relieved.She, Mrs. Matteo, and Gia all began making their way into the kitchen. Christian held Ana back, however."Ana," he said, and Ana looked up at him. He had lightly grasped her elbow, and they both looked down at his hand on her. He quickly let her go."Is everything alright?" Ana asked, looking up into Christian's eyes. She could tell there was something he wanted to say to her, but didn't quite know how to articulate it."I…" he began, but then hesitated, glancing up at Gia and the others in the kitchen. "Are… are you sure you want to do this, Ana?"Ana felt her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at him. "What do you mean? I bake cakes, Christian – it's what I do. In fact, I do it pretty well. Why wouldn't I want to do this?""No, Ana, that's not what I'm saying," Christian insisted, running a hand through his already messy hair. "I know you're a great baker. I just… I don't know if this is a good idea."Ana stared up at Christian. Deep down, she knew what his concerns were, but if he wasn't willing to verbalize it, neither would she. "I'm doing this for Claire," she said firmly. "That's it. If you really don't want me to be involved in any of this, then tell your future mother-in-law. Otherwise, I'm only here to talk wedding cakes."With her heart still pounding in her throat, Ana turned and followed the others into the kitchen, leaving behind Christian with a stunned expression on his face.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Goddammit, why did Ana have to be here today?
Christian could only be silent as he followed the others into the kitchen, his heart pounding a furious tattoo in his chest as he watched Ana walking ahead of him. He had fully expected this day to be yet another dull wedding planning day that would be completely run by his and Gia's parents, leaving him to stand there feeling bored and uncomfortable all morning. He had already been mentally planning on faking a work call from Taylor to get out of this, but had been completely blindsided the moment he saw Ana standing in his parent's house, looking beautiful in a black work dress that exuded elegance and professionalism.
Shit, this is a mess.
It felt almost surreal seeing Ana here at the Grey Estate, standing only feet away from where Gia and her mother were currently discussing seating arrangements at the wedding reception. Christian knew it shouldn't have mattered, but goddammit, he couldn't deny that having Ana here complicated things. No other woman had ever made him feel the things he felt for Ana, and now he had to be in the same room as her and his 'betrothed'.Christian frowned to himself. Nobody could know about his feelings for Ana, least of all Gia and her family. It wasn't like he was having an affair or anything… but his rather unprofessional feelings for Ana were only compounded by his other secret that this engagement to Gia was all a sham.All he could do was keep his mouth shut.The next half hour or so were extremely uncomfortable for Christian as they all sat at his parents' kitchen table and pored over Claire's wedding cake sketches. They were all beautifully done, with most of them having similar six-tier designs with flowers and drapery designs along the sides. Lorraine had also insisted on a basic vanilla bean flavor frosting for the cake – Christian honestly would have preferred chocolate, and if this were his real wedding he would have pushed the issue, but since this was all a farce anyway, he said nothing. Gia hadn't said anything either, so he figured she was fine with her mother taking the lead.Christian turned his eyes over to Ana, who was sitting opposite him at the table. She kept her eyes down on the notepad she was writing on, her long legs crossed underneath the table as her foot jiggled slightly. She would occasionally glance over at Claire or Lorraine, who were both engrossed in discussing the wedding cake designs in front of them. Christian might have been imagining it, but he felt that Ana was avoiding his gaze.Just as he thought that, however, he caught Ana peeking up at him through her eyelashes. He met her gaze, and she blushed before looking resolutely back to her notepad.Fighting a small grin, Christian turned back to the wedding cake discussion at hand.~/~
Goddammit, why did I have to look at him?
Ana had been trying her hardest to avoid Christian's gaze as she took notes on Claire and Mrs. Matteo discussing the wedding cake design, but was distracted by the man himself sitting across from her. She could practically feel his eyes on her during the entire meeting, but had convinced herself that it was all in her head. She tried to prove her theory by covertly peeking up at him, only to see his gray eyes fixed directly on hers.
So I wasn't imagining it.
Ana immediately averted her eyes and kept them down on her notepad for the rest of the meeting, focusing as much as she could on the task at hand. She was angry at herself for her weakness, but tried her best to push past those feelings so she could take notes on the cake design.Claire was running the meeting very well, and Ana opted to speak up only when Claire directed a question at her – even though Ana was technically Claire's boss at the bakery, the last thing she wanted to do was attempt to upstage her in front of the Greys or the Matteos. Ana knew these were important clients to Claire, so Ana made a deliberate point to take a step back."…Alright, I think we got it," Mrs. Matteo said brightly after about forty-five minutes of intense discussion about cake designs. "We agree we'll do the six-tier cake with the white and lavender calla lilies and draping. How does that sound, darling?"Gia, who had hardly spoken throughout the meeting, smiled lightly. "Sounds good, mother."Ana looked at Gia, who had been mostly silent throughout this meeting as well. Ana felt a bit surprised by Gia's silence, since she'd figured that the bride-to-be would be excited about planning her wedding cake, but the expression on her face told Ana that she would rather be anywhere but here."Oh, cheer up darling. This cake is going to look beautiful," Mrs. Matteo chided her daughter, also clearly picking up on Gia's mood. "Now that we've got this out of the way, we can focus on finding you a dress!"Gia smiled again, and Ana saw an almost forced quality to her smile. "Great."All of them got up from the table, and Ana continued to avoid Christian's eyes as she tucked her notebook away in her purse. Thankfully, Christian's mother came into the kitchen at that moment to pull him away, wanting to talk about his tux for the big day."Sorry Ana. I know we need to get back to the bakery, but I wanted to talk to some of the other vendors before we leave," Claire said to Ana in a quiet, apologetic voice. "Just to see what they're doing with the flowers and décor, y'know? It'll help me get a feel for the overall wedding vibe, and we'll have an easier time when we get around to making and decorating the cake.""Yeah, of course," Ana said, though a part of her felt a bit disappointed they weren't going to leave this place just yet. "Take all the time you need.""Thanks Ana. I'll try to make it quick," Claire said before turning and hurrying away.Ana was now alone in the kitchen, apart from the caterers still standing at the kitchen island. With a small sigh, she took out her phone and opened the Uber app so she could order a ride back to the bakery. She figured Claire would be done with the other vendors by the time it arrived.She had just finished ordering the Uber when someone entered the kitchen. "Ms. Steele?"Ana looked up and froze when she saw Gia Matteo enter the kitchen, and she was looking at her with a smile. It looked more genuine than the forced smile she gave her mother earlier, but that didn't stop Ana's heart rate from speeding up rapidly upon seeing her."Ms. Matteo," Ana greeted her, putting her phone back in her purse. "Um, how can I help you?""Oh, no. I don't need anything," Gia waved off. She really was elegantly beautiful, Ana couldn't help but notice, and a small sliver of jealousy spiked through her body that she quickly tried to tamp down. "But I just realized I hadn't properly introduced myself to you yet and I didn't want to come off as rude.""Oh," Ana said, momentarily surprised. "I-I didn't think you were being rude at all, Ms. Matteo."Gia smiled at her. "Well, that's good to know. I'm just trying to make a point of introducing myself to all the vendors for the wedding so I know who I'm working with, you know? It can all get to be a bit confusing, working with people I've never met."Ana gave a weak smile back, unsure of what to say to that. She was honestly a bit surprised that Gia was talking to her one-on-one like this."So… you're friends with Christian, then?" Gia asked casually after a moment, looking interested.Ana's heartbeat skyrocketed to a frenetic pace as she stared at Gia with wide eyes. Oh God, was Gia about to confront her about Christian? Was she suspicious about them? She had no reason to be suspicious, though, since nothing had technically happened between them."Uh," Ana eeked out, feeling completely tongue-tied."Sorry," Gia quickly shook her head, correcting herself. "He said you're Mia's friend, and he met you through her. Is that right?"Ana blinked, and after a moment felt her heart rate calm down. It didn't sound like Gia was jealous, and she was genuinely trying to make conversation. Ana took that as a good sign."Oh. Yeah, I know Mia," Ana admitted. "We met a few weeks ago when she wrote a really nice review of my bakery.""Yeah, that sounds like Mia," Gia chuckled. "The girl loves her baked goods.""You know Mia well, then?" Ana asked politely, but then silently berated herself. Gia was marrying into the Grey family, so of course she knew her own fiancé's sister!
Stupid
"Yeah, I do. We were actually friends for awhile," Gia admitted. "Or rather, we were in the same friend group. Same circles and all that," she said, waving a hand as if Ana was supposed to understand how rich people socialized. "I knew our friend Sienna from when I went to college.""Oh. Cool," Ana said, not quite sure what to say to that."It's been awhile since I've seen Sienna," Gia went on, looking down at her hands and picking at something on her fingernail. She quickly shook her head and looked up, as if coming back to herself. "Or anyone in our group, really. Wedding planning has kind of been taking up all my time lately."Ana looked at her, feeling a bit confused. If she missed her friend, why couldn't she make her a bridesmaid or something? Before Ana could ask, Mrs. Matteo called Gia from the other room:"Gia, darling, could you come in here to pick out the petals for the flower girl?" she asked. "We have a few options I want you to look at."Gia let out an exhale before smiling politely up at Ana. "Looks like I'm needed," she said apologetically. "I won't keep you. It was nice meeting you Ana.""You too," Ana said as Gia walked away. Ana simply watched her, feeling a bit confused by that interaction but deciding to just push it out of her mind. At least she didn't seem upset about Ana's relationship with Christian.And speaking of Christian…He had emerged from the other room, where he had been talking to his mother about a tux fitting, and their eyes met. There were about half a dozen vendors standing around in the dining room between them, but Ana could only seem to focus on him.She instinctively blushed and glanced away, having a sudden urge to escape his gaze.There was a small side hallway leading out of the back of the kitchen, which Ana turned and walked into. The hallway was thankfully empty, and looked to just lead to a few out-of-the-way rooms, including a bathroom and den area. She also noticed the walls were lined with old Grey family pictures.Ana slowed to a stop halfway down the hallway to examine some of the pictures: a majority of them were pictures of Christian, Elliot, and Mia as little kids, opening gifts at Christmas, having a fun day at the beach, or posing in front of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. There were also several of them all when they were older, Elliot posing in his cap and gown at his college graduation, Christian standing with what looked like his rowing team at Harvard, and Mia smiling with a group of girlfriends in a sorority house.Ana was so distracted by these family pictures that she almost didn't notice someone else step into the hallway and approach her.Ana nearly jumped in surprise when she saw Christian stopping mere feet away from her, not saying anything as he also looked at the pictures she was staring at."Sorry. I was just going to the bathroom," Ana lied, her face red as she turned back to the wall. "I didn't mean to pry.""It's okay," Christian said lightly. "My mother would be delighted to see you've discovered the family picture wall.""They're good pictures," Ana admitted, smiling at an old photo of a young Christian cuddling a baby that was clearly Mia. "Your parents must really cherish these memories.""My mom especially, yes," Christian chuckled. There was a short silence between them as they continued to look at the pictures."I hope Gia wasn't bothering you back there," Christian said after a moment, and he brought a hand up to run through his hair. "I'm not quite sure why she approached you, but I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable at all."Ana looked over at Christian, taking in the expression on his face. He looked nervous as he met her gaze, and once again Ana couldn't bring herself to look away."...Can I ask you a question?" she asked before she could stop herself.Christian looked surprised. "Of course," he said, almost on instinct.Ana hesitated, suddenly wishing she had just stayed silent. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out right away. "You and Gia…?" she began after a moment, but clammed up, unsure of what she wanted to ask. Unsure of how she could ask.Christian took a step toward her. "Yes?" he prompted, now standing very close to her. Ana had to look up in order to meet his gaze. Still, she remained silent as she stared into his eyes.Christian reached a hand up slightly and brushed his fingers against her hip, causing goosebumps to flare up where he touched and Ana's pounding heartbeat to skyrocket.
Why does he have to affect me so much?
"It's nothing," Ana whispered. She could feel the weight of what she really wanted to ask, and somehow Christian seemed to know."You don't need to ask," he said quietly. "You know the truth, don't you?"Ana swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat, and something heavy seemed to settle in her chest. She nodded, and Christian let out a low breath. Was it relief?"Do your families know?" Ana asked quietly, still gazing up at him. "That it's not real?""No," Christian said, and left it at that.They continued to stare at each other, and something electric seemed to crackle between them. On instinct, it seemed, Christian leaned closer to her, and Ana leaned up toward him, feeling the irresistible pull…"Ana," Christian whispered, his nose brushing up against hers. Ana let out a breath, her eyes fluttering closed.
BZZZ BZZZ
Ana's phone buzzed loudly in her pocket with an incoming text, and she blinked open her eyes. She didn't know if it was the Uber announcing its arrival or Claire telling her she was finished, but either way, it killed the moment.
We can't do this here.
"I need to go," Ana whispered, and she took a step back, and his hand dropped to his side. Christian still gazed at her, a pained look on his handsome face."Ana," he whispered again, but Ana didn't respond as she hurried away from him and into the kitchen.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Claire and Ana headed back to the bakery in the Uber, Claire talking to Ana excitedly about some of the beautiful and unique designs she saw in the floral arrangements that she wanted to try incorporating into the cake. Ana mostly listened to her talk, smiling and nodding along, though her mind was a million miles away.Christian had actually admitted to her that his and Gia's relationship wasn't real and that this wedding was a farce, and then the two of them had almost kissed. It was almost surreal to think about… they had almost kissed! In his parents' house, with at least a dozen people in the other room! What on earth had they been thinking? Ana tried her best to keep the blush out of her face as she thought about it, but it was proving to be difficult.
"Ana," he had whispered to her, staring into her eyes.
Remembering the way he had whispered her name like that caused her to shiver.It was pretty clear to Ana now that Christian liked her, whether or not he wanted to admit it yet. She most certainly was attracted to him too, but where did that leave them? It wasn't like he could take her out on a date or anything. Christian was engaged to Gia, and considering the sheer number of vendors at the Grey Estate today, it really seemed like this wedding was going to move forward whether he wanted it to or not.
What if he wants to go through with it?
The thought caused a pit to form in Ana's stomach. She still had no idea why Christian and Gia were getting married in the first place, and she wished more than anything that she could know Christian's feelings about it. However, she didn't know how to bring it up to him in a way that didn't sound pushy or invasive.Whatever Christian's reasons were for getting married to Gia, Ana doubted she was reason enough for him to not go through with it. The thought was depressing, but there really was nothing she could do about it.They arrived back at the bakery close to one o'clock, and it was still rather busy with customers. Ana was eager for her and Claire to get back to work, but once the two of them entered the shop, Ana immediately noticed a familiar face behind the counter."Mia?"Mia Grey's head popped up over the top of the display case, which she was standing behind, and grinned brightly upon seeing Ana and Claire. "Hey guys! Welcome back. How was my parents' house?""Mia, what are you doing here?" Ana asked in bewilderment. She and Claire wended their way through the crowd of people and stepped behind the counter, near where Kate was ringing up customers. "Kate, did you call her?""Of course not," Kate said, giving her a commiserating look while raising an eyebrow. "I have everything well in hand, thank you very much. She just stopped by to say hi like half an hour ago.""Not just to say hi. I actually have news to share with the three of you," Mia insisted, and Ana saw that she was wearing an apron while refilling the glass display cases with baked goods. "I can share it with you guys when we're less busy."Ana glanced over at Claire as they shared a smirk. Mia coming in and acting as if she were employed here (again) was rather amusing, though not entirely unexpected. But whatever news she had for them, Ana knew she wanted to hear."Alright. Let's get to work then," Ana conceded, and she and Claire headed back into the kitchen.For the next hour or so, the four women worked busily to help all the customers who came in. The bakery was still rather busy up until closing time, which Ana was grateful for: the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on thoughts of Christian more than she already was today. Baking was always a great distraction.Finally, the last customer left after closing time, and Kate closed the bakery door before locking it."Thank God," Mia sighed, untying her apron and slipping it off over her head. "It was so busy again today! I thought after a few weeks the customers would die down. I didn't realize my article was going to continue bringing in so many people.""At least it's better compared to when your article first came out," Ana said sardonically, also taking off her apron, which was smudged with flour and frosting. "You said you had something you wanted to tell us?""Ooh, yes!" Mia said excitedly, also turning to Kate and Claire. "This is for all three of you, actually. Have you ever heard of Dessert Wars?""Of course," the three of them said together. Every baker knew about the famous food festival that hit multiple major US cities throughout the year. Ana had always wanted to have a Dessert Wars booth, but they never came to Seattle."Well, I got some insider knowledge that a Dessert Wars pop-up will be at the Seattle Expo Center tomorrow," Mia said, grinning in excitement. "And I got a free ticket with three extra passes! Would you guys like to come with me?""Oh my God!" Kate said excitedly, clapping her hands together and bouncing on her toes. "Are you serious? That sounds incredible!""Dessert Wars in Seattle?" Claire asked curiously, voicing Ana's thoughts. "They don't usually come here, do they?""It's not an official Dessert Wars event, but they are looking to soft-launch one of their locations here," Mia explained. "That's why it's not being as heavily advertised. A lot of important people in the Seattle baking industry got invited, including myself, and they gave me a few extra passes. It's in the afternoon, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for you ladies of The Royal Treatment to come by after the bakery's closed and check out some of the booths.""I'd be down for that," Ana said, exchanging a smile with Claire."Me too," Claire said. "I went to a Dessert Wars down in California one time and it was amazing. I'd totally like to go to one again.""Sweet," Mia grinned brightly, and she whipped out her phone before typing feverishly on it. "I'll email you guys all the details. I'm so excited – we're gonna have an awesome time!""It would be even more awesome if we got to have our own Dessert Wars booth," Ana joked, and Kate and Claire both giggled."That's true. But hey, if this pop-up is a success, you guys might actually get an opportunity next year," Mia stated, looking up at Ana with a grin. "Fingers crossed."Ana smiled back, unable to help feeling excited at the prospect of someday being a part of a famous food festival.~/~
~The next day~
The Seattle Expo Center was absolutely packed.Ana remembered the trade show she had participated in here a few weeks ago had been pretty busy, but today, this place was filled well beyond capacity."Holy shit, it's crazy in here!" Kate shouted to Ana over the crowds. She, Ana, Mia, and Claire were all pushing their way through the swarms of people milling around the foyer of the expo center. "I thought this event was invite-only?""I guess a lot of people were invited," Ana said, glancing up at the huge Dessert Wars logo above the interior doors of the main room."It should be a bit less crowded inside!" Mia shouted from the front of the group, and she pointed toward the doors. She slowly led them through the crowds toward the doors, and Ana made sure to stay close to Kate as they walked.Finally, they made it to the main doors, and Mia showed the four passes to the female security guard standing there. She nodded at them and opened the door, allowing the four of them to walk inside.Ana stopped and gazed at her surroundings, feeling both delighted and shocked at how different this place looked compared to when she was last here. It was thankfully a little less crowded here, and dozens of booths and tables were set up throughout the large space, containing some of the most delectable treats and baked goods imaginable. Off to the side, Ana saw a backdrop wall with the Dessert Wars logo and some large plastic ice cream cones where groups of people were posing and getting their photos taken."Um… Ana?" Kate said, looking awkward, and she pointed toward the backdrop."What is it?" Ana said, looking toward where Kate was pointing. A moment later, however, she saw what Kate had seen, and her face paled:The photographer taking the pictures… it was her ex-boyfriend, Jose.
Oh God, why me?
"Shit," Ana muttered, turning away so her back was to him. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. "Did he see me?""I don't think so," Kate said quietly, surreptitiously glancing over at him. "He's facing the opposite direction. C'mon, let's go before he turns around.""What's going on guys?" Mia asked curiously, gazing toward where Kate was looking. Kate quickly shushed her and led them all toward the booths."We just saw Ana's ex," Kate explained simply as they walked. "He's a cheating scumbag and we don't want to interact with him.""Oh my God," Mia's eyes widened with surprise and concern as she looked at Ana. "Holy shit, I'm so sorry Ana. I had no idea.""It's not your fault," Ana assured her, though she still felt sick to her stomach. She refused to have Jose's appearance ruin her day, however. "Let's just go check out the desserts."The four of them began moving their way through the various dessert booths and stalls, looking at all the delicious treats around them. Ana wished she could taste all of them, but visitors were allowed only a limited amount of samples. They were each given a container big enough to carry only four treats, and by the end they had to vote for their favorite one. They all agreed they would try to get different treats for their respective containers so they could all sample each other's.They made her way through the booths, and Ana gazed at all the beautiful displays of elegantly-decorated cakes, delicious-looking frosted cookies, tiered platters of multi-colored macarons, and rows upon rows of every donut imaginable. Ana couldn't help but feel inspired by all these amazing desserts, and she mentally planned what she would serve if The Royal Treatment ever got to have a booth here.The four of them continued moving through the various stalls, debating with each other about what looked best. Ana ended up settling on a miniature strawberry-mango cheesecake, an interesting chai cookie spiced with cardamom, a decadent dark chocolate cupcake brushed with gold leaf, and an adorable marzipan candy shaped like an orange slice."Does everyone have their four treats?" Mia asked after about an hour. Ana noticed Mia's container held various treats, including coffee cake, which made her smile."Yup, I think we're good," Claire said, looking at her own container, which were all macarons of various sizes and colors. "I can't wait to try these – they all look so good!""I know, right? Come on, let's go find a table," Mia said, leading the way through the crowds back toward where they had come in. Ana felt a bit nervous walking back over here, knowing Jose might still be hanging around, but she kept her mouth shut as she followed."Here we are," Mia said, finding an empty standing table that could fit the four of them. They all set their containers down, preparing to taste each treat and swap them with each other.Just as Ana was about to pick up her cupcake to take a bite, she heard a familiar voice speak up behind her: "Good afternoon, ladies. Do you mind if I get a picture of you four?"Ana felt as if ice had settled in her chest as she slowly turned to look at who had spoken. Jose, who had his large professional-looking camera held up in front of his face, slowly lowered it as he stared at Ana, his face pale with shock. He clearly didn't realize who she was when he approached the table."Ana," he said her name after a moment."Jose," Ana said back.An awkward silence hung over them for several protracted seconds.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ana wished she could just disappear into the floor. Or rather, she wished Jose would just turn around and walk away, and they could act as if this random meeting hadn't just happened.Neither of those things occurred, unfortunately."What are you doing here, Jose?" Kate finally asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them. Her voice was flat and hard, which was understandable considering she was there with Ana during the fallout after she and Jose broke up. Kate wasn't Jose's biggest fan, to say the least.Jose blinked and looked at Kate standing there. "Oh – hi Kate. Long time no see," he said, giving her an awkward smile. She narrowed her eyes at him, saying nothing, and Jose's smile faltered."I'm, uh… I'm photographing the event for The Seattle Times," Jose explained, holding up his camera. "An article about Dessert Wars coming to Seattle is going up on the website tomorrow morning, so I'm just taking some shots for it.""Cool," Mia said simply. She and Claire clearly understood that this was Ana's ex that Kate had mentioned earlier, and remained quiet as a result.There was another awkward silence, and Ana knew the polite thing for her to do would be to introduce Claire and Mia to Jose. She wasn't about to do that, however – they could stand here in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the day as far as she cared."Um… so, do you think I could get a picture of you guys?" Jose asked, not looking at Ana as he scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to get some shots of people with their baked goods, and the four of you have a nice variety. It should only take a few moments –""Sure, that's fine," Ana interrupted him. She wasn't super fond of the idea of Jose taking a photo of them, but she figured letting him snap a quick picture would get him to leave sooner. She turned to the others. "Are you guys cool with a picture?"Claire, Mia and Kate all glanced at each other, looking rather uncomfortable. "Um, sure," Kate finally said after a moment, and the other two nodded."Great," Jose smiled, looking rather relieved at their acceptance. He took a step back and lifted his camera up. "Alright, you guys can just smile at the camera. You can hold up your treats too if you want, but it's not necessary."Ana, still feeling supremely uncomfortable, shifted in her seat to face Jose. She forced a smile as the camera clicked multiple times, and she wished more than anything this moment could be over."Great. Thank you, ladies," Jose said gratefully, finally bringing his camera down and checking the screen. "I appreciate it.""No problem," Ana said, and she turned back to the table along with the others, hoping against hope that Jose would walk away without another word."So Ana, you're not participating in the festival today?" Jose asked, and Ana's heart sank. Why couldn't he just go away? "I would've thought The Royal Treatment would have a booth here or something."Ana felt her heart clench when he mentioned her bakery. The very bakery that drove them apart and what he blamed for causing him to cheat on her.
Bastard
"We were just invited to attend, " Mia piped up, and Jose looked over at her. "Dessert Wars can be pretty selective on who participates, and it can take months before a vendor is approved. Hopefully, next year The Royal Treatment can have a booth here along with all the other bakeries."Ana smiled at Mia, thankful for her support. "Yeah, I hope so too.""How is the bakery, by the way?" Jose asked, looking genuinely interested as he gazed at Ana.
Did he seriously just ask me that?
Ana looked at him, trying her best to hide the anger his words immediately evoked in her. This asshole did not get to just walk up to her here and act all polite in regards to her bakery. The last time they saw each other he had spit all these awful, vile things about how all she cared about was 'the stupid fucking bakery' and how she never had time for him or anything but baking.Ana now gave him a sarcastic smile, her heart pounding in her ribcage. "Still spending all my time there," she said in a saccharine sweet voice. "Like you always said."Jose blinked, realizing what she was referring to, and a pained frown marred his face. "Ana…" he said quietly, stepping toward her.Kate, who was sitting closest to Ana, held out her arm in front of Ana so Jose wouldn't come closer. "I think you need to leave, Jose," she said coldly to him. Ana felt a rush of appreciation for her best friend.Unfortunately, Jose didn't seem put off by Kate's rebuff as he continued to look at Ana. "Can we just talk, Ana?" he asked seriously, gazing at her seriously. "There's a lot I said back then that I really regret…""I'm sure there is," Ana said, her voice hard with suppressed anger. "But there's nothing I want to say to you anymore, so I think you should just leave. Go and take your pictures somewhere else.""Ana…""You heard her," Claire piped up firmly, surprising Ana. "She wants you to go away."Jose looked at Claire before glancing at Kate and Mia, who were also glaring at him. Ana suddenly felt incredibly bolstered by her friends surrounding her, supporting her.Jose didn't say anything for a moment or two before looking back at Ana, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Finally, he stepped back and walked away."Thank God," Kate sighed as soon as he was out of earshot. She turned back to her treats. "Just forget about that loser, Ana. Let's just enjoy our day."Ana didn't respond as Kate, Mia, and Claire began chatting about the various baked goods they got. That interaction caused an uncomfortable pit to settle deep in her stomach – clearly, seeing Jose again for the first time in months affected her more than she wanted to let on. Her mind automatically cast back to all those late-night fights between them and the awful accusations he hurled at her. She remembered that horrible feeling when he confessed to cheating on her and her whole world seemed to come crashing down around her in an instant…Ana suddenly got to her feet. "I need some air," she said without thinking.The others looked at her in concern. "Ana?" Mia asked, but Ana ignored her as she immediately headed for the doors nearby.Ana pushed through the doors leading out to the atrium, which was still packed with people. She almost wondered if it had gotten more packed as she began to push her way through the crowds toward the front doors leading outside.It was only a few seconds after walking into the mass of people that she was starting to regret her decision. People were pressed up against her on all sides, pushing her this way and that, and Ana was trying her best not to stumble or fall over.Ana was about halfway to the door when she realized there was no way she could push her way through this crowd anymore. She decided to shift toward the edge of the room, where she could see some extra space, and began walking to her left."Whoa! Whoa! Hey!"Ana had barely turned to see the commotion when she noticed at least a dozen people falling to the ground, one after the other like dominoes. Someone fell directly into Ana, and she crashed to the floor, instantly feeling pain shoot up her leg as she fell on it awkwardly."Ah!" she cried out, feeling overwhelmed by the shock and pain of it all. What the hell just happened?"Ana!" Mia had shoved her way through the raucous crowd, which was still riled up from what had happened. She kneeled next to her. "Are you okay?""I don't know," Ana pushed herself up to her elbows and glanced around. "What just happened?""I think a guy tripped and fell, and it caused a chain reaction of people falling into each other," Mia explained, frowning at the crowds of people still pressing in all around them. "Seriously, it is way too crowded here. We should leave."She grasped Ana by the arm to help her to her feet, but the moment Ana put weight on her right foot, she felt a sharp pain shoot up her leg."Ow!" she yelped, falling back to the ground and grasping her leg. "Shit, that hurt!""Oh my God, did you break something?" Mia asked in alarm, looking at Ana's leg with immense worry. She met Ana's eyes, and Ana swallowed."I don't know," she said, her voice low and shaky.
God, could this day get any worse?
~/~
~Several hours later~
Christian idly ran a finger around the rim of his whiskey glass as he sat in a chair on his parents' expansive backyard patio, listening to his mother going on and on about the wedding. It was just him and his parents at the Grey Estate now – Gia had been here earlier since the both of them often came by for Sunday dinner, but she had to leave early due to a work call. He honestly wished he were somewhere else now, however, since both his siblings were busy and there were about a million other things for GEH he would rather do right now. Anything but sit here and listen to his mother gush about his upcoming wedding with Gia."…And the flowers Lorraine picked out were simply gorgeous! Oh my gosh, I don't know if you saw them Christian, but they are perfect," Grace said happily, holding a glass of Pinot Grigio as she, Carrick, and Christian lounged on the patio after dinner. It was a warm summer evening out, and Christian watched the sun set over the trees in the distance as he sipped his whiskey. "I initially wanted roses, but Lorraine insisted on calla lilies, and she was absolutely right. Don't you agree, Cary?""Yes, those flowers are very nice, dear," Carrick agreed idly, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading. Grace simply rolled her eyes at her husband.In the past, Christian felt he could sit through his mother's fawning, figuring that his wedding with Gia was the only opportunity she would have to plan a wedding for her middle son, so she might as well enjoy it. Now, however, he wished more than anything he could leave and not be reminded that he was going to be hurting his mother when all this was over.Not for the first time, Christian wondered why he had agreed to this stupid arrangement with Gia. It's not like he needed her money – he just thought he was doing a favor for a friend, while also making an advantageous business move. It was a win-win.
Doesn't feel like it so much, anymore.
Before Christian could dwell on his melancholy thoughts for too long, however, his phone rang. He looked at his screen and saw it was his sister."Mia's calling," Christian said to his parents before answering the phone. "Hey Mimi.""Hey Christian," Mia said, and Christian thought she sounded exhausted. "Sorry to call you out of the blue like this. Am I interrupting something?""No, I'm just at Mom and Dad's," Christian said, glancing over at them. "What's up?""I just thought you should know I'm at St. Vincent's Hospital right now," Mia explained, but added quickly: "I'm fine, I promise. I was with Ana, though, and she fell and broke her ankle."Christian felt a shock run through his body as he immediately jumped to his feet, surprising both his parents. "What? Ana's hurt?!""She's okay now," Mia assured him. "But we had to take her to the emergency room. They splinted her ankle and gave her some painkillers. She's probably going to be discharged soon, but I thought you should be made aware since this is probably going to affect business in the future…""Don't leave the hospital," Christian insisted firmly, his heart hammering in his chest. "I'm coming by.""Christian," Mia said, clearly shocked. "You don't have to do that -""I'm coming," Christian said firmly, almost angrily. "And that's final. Don't move, I'll be there soon."He hung up the phone before Mia could protest, and he turned and hurried off the patio and toward the front door, ignoring his parents calling after him as he left.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Christian felt like he was in a daze as he and Taylor hurried out to the car. Taylor, having overheard the phone call and clearly reading Christian's urgency of the situation, immediately got in the driver's seat of the Audi as Christian got in the backseat. Taylor drove the car out of the Grey Estate's long driveway and began speeding toward St. Vincent's Hospital.Christian's leg bounced anxiously as he gazed out the window, still clutching his phone in his hand while watching the world speed by. His mind was on Ana, casting up horrible images of her lying in a hospital bed, weak and alone, her leg wrapped up in a sling as she cried out in pain. Even though Mia didn't make her injury out to be that bad on the phone, the very thought of Ana getting hurt enough to have to go to the emergency room was deeply upsetting to Christian.He kept glancing down at his watch before looking back out the window, impatiently watching the buildings pass by as they drove. At this point, the sun had already set and darkness was starting to settle over the city, causing Christian's mood to sink even further.
Why can't we move faster?
The ride to the hospital seemed like it was taking forever, even though in reality it was probably only about fifteen minutes. Finally, Taylor pulled up to the front doors of the emergency room, and Christian immediately jumped out, rushing through the automatic sliding doors toward the nurse's station while Taylor went to go park."I'm here for Anastasia Steele," Christian immediately said to the nurse sitting there, his tone urgent and demanding. "Where is she?"The nurse, a thin middle-aged woman with glasses, blinked up at Christian for a moment before seeming to come back to herself and turning toward her computer screen. "Um, of course, sir. Do you know the reason why she was brought here?""She broke her ankle. I think she came through the emergency room," Christian said, gazing down the corridor to his right. Was she down there?The woman typed on her keyboard for a few more silent moments, and Christian had to restrain himself from shouting at her to hurry up. "Ah yes, Anastasia Steele. She did come through the emergency room about an hour ago. She's down that hallway to your right in Room 15…"Christian said a quick 'thanks' before he was off, rushing down the hallway in the direction where the nurse indicated. There were several doctors and nurses milling around the ER, watching him in surprise as he hurried past them. Christian peered into each room, which contained hospital beds, a few chairs, and bulky medical equipment.Christian finally saw the doorway labeled Room 15 up ahead. From his vantage point, he could see the door was slightly ajar and could hear voices talking from inside."…just wanted to see that you're alright, Ana," a male voice was saying. "I saw your friends practically carrying you out the door, so of course I was worried.""We have it all under control, Jose," a female voice that sounded like Kate piped up, and Christian thought she sounded annoyed. "You really don't have to hang around here anymore."Christian finally walked into the room, knocking lightly on the open door to announce his arrival, and five pairs of eyes turned to look at him. He noticed Mia, Kate, and Claire sitting on one side of the hospital bed, and a guy Christian had never seen before standing at the other side. Christian figured this was the Jose guy who had been speaking a moment ago.Christian then set his eyes on Ana, who was lying in the hospital bed looking miserable; her right leg was bound up in a cast and boot, and an IV bag hung from a rack off to the side of the bed with a tube leading to her arm. His heart broke for her."Christian," Ana said, giving him a weak smile, and Christian felt his heart flip in his chest. "Mia said you were coming by.""I told him he didn't need to come," Mia said, shooting her brother a look. "We've already got more than enough people crowding Ana in this room.""Well, when you told me Ana had to be taken to the emergency room, what did you expect me to do?" Christian asked seriously, moving past Jose so he could sit at Ana's side. He looked at her injured foot, feeling a well of anger and emotion in his chest, and he resisted the urge to pick her up and hold her to his chest in a tight embrace. "Are you okay, Ana? What happened, exactly?""I'm okay. I'm mostly just upset about this whole situation," Ana admitted, frowning down at her boot. "Mia invited us to go to Dessert Wars at the Seattle Expo Center earlier today, and it was super crowded. I was in the middle of the crowd of people when someone nearby tripped and caused a bunch of people to fall over. Somebody fell into me, and that's how I fractured my ankle."Christian clenched his jaw, biting back the sudden surge of anger he felt. Logically, he knew that this was just an unfortunate accident that could have happened to anyone, but another part of him wanted to sue Dessert Wars and the Seattle Expo Center into oblivion for allowing this to happen to Ana. He clenched his hand into a fist, but said nothing."The doctor said it was a simple fracture," Claire explained. "So her ankle should heal within the next six to eight weeks.""Yeah. And I have to walk around on crutches with this massive thing on my leg," Ana pouted, looking miserable as she gazed at her booted leg. "How the hell am I supposed to run my bakery like this?""I've been telling you forever, Ana, you should really consider taking a break," the guy piped up, and Christian finally looked over at him. He was gazing at Ana with sad, emotion-filled eyes that made Christian feel immediately pissed off. "This could be the perfect opportunity for you to take some time off from the bakery. Maybe shut it down for a few weeks or something…?""And how exactly am I supposed to pay my bills, Jose?" Ana snapped with more coldness than Christian had ever heard from her before. "Do you even know what it's like to run a business?"Jose flinched slightly. "Well, n-no, but –""I'm sorry, but who are you?" Christian interrupted this Jose fucker before he could respond to Ana. "Why exactly are you here?""I'm Ana's friend," Jose said stiffly, shooting Christian a look. "And I was actually at the expo center when she fell. I saw her friends take her to the emergency room, and I wanted to come by to make sure she was okay."He's her ex, Christian thought immediately. The thought made him sick with anger and jealousy, but he forced himself to tamp it down."Well, I'm sure Ana appreciates your concern," he said coldly, getting to his feet so he was facing Jose. Christian was inordinately pleased to see that he stood about four inches taller than him. "But I think it's time for you to leave."Jose glared back at him. If he was intimidated by Christian, he didn't show it. "And who are you exactly to order me around?""I'm Ana's friend too. Got a problem with that?" Christian snapped."Christian, sit down," Mia said to her brother firmly. "Mom would kill you if she found out you were starting fights in hospital rooms.""He's the one with the problem – not me," Christian stated, not looking at Mia as he continued to glare at Jose."I don't have a problem," Jose glared back at Christian before glancing over at Ana. "I already said, I'm just here to check on Ana and make sure she's alright.""I'm fine Jose, now can you please leave?" Ana asked, sounding exhausted and stressed."You heard her," Christian said firmly to Jose. "Leave. Now.""Back the hell off, man," Jose snapped, stepping forward as if he and Christian were about to square off."No," Christian narrowed his eyes. "Not until you respect Ana's wishes and get the hell out.""Don't fucking tell me what to do!" Jose snapped."Jose!" Ana shouted. "Get out!""Is there a problem in here?"The others turned to see a doctor and a security guard step through the doorway, both of them looking at Christian and Jose with scrutiny. Jose took a step back from Christian, holding his hands up."There's no problem," Jose said, shooting one last glare in Christian's direction. "I was just leaving.""Like I asked you multiple times," Ana said angrily to him. Christian had to fight a small, triumphant smile as Jose looked upset by her words."Come on, then. We'll escort you out," the doctor said firmly, and he and the security guard led Jose out of the room. Jose didn't so much as glance back as he left down the corridor."Finally, he's gone," Mia sighed in relief, looking over at Christian. "Thanks for getting rid of him, Christian. He wouldn't listen to any of us.""Assholes like him need to be told things multiple times before they get it through their thick skulls," Christian said darkly, sitting back down in the chair beside Ana's hospital bed. "Ana, please tell me if he continues to bother you in the coming weeks. I hate the idea of you being injured while also being harrassed by that dickwad."Ana gave him a tremulous smile. "Thanks Christian. I will," she said, but then glanced down at her lap, her expression troubled. "Jose is… well, he's my ex-boyfriend, and we broke up because of my bakery. Now that he's come around again, I'm afraid he's going to do something to sabotage my business."Christian felt his heart catch in his chest, and didn't think before reaching down and grasping her hand in his own, squeezing it gently, reassuringly. "I will never let anything happen to you or your business, Ana," he said firmly, the conviction in his voice making Ana's eyes raise up to his. "I promise. You'll never have to worry about your ex bothering you again."Ana blinked before giving him a small grateful smile. She seemed to genuinely believe his words. "Thank you, Christian."Christian smiled back. Neither of them noticed the three other women in the room watching the two of them, with Mia in particular staring at their joined hands.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Within the next hour or so, Ana was discharged from the emergency room with firm instructions from the doctor to stay off her foot as much as possible in the next few weeks. She was also given a prescription for some strong painkillers, and since Christian and Taylor were giving them all a ride home, Christian agreed they could swing by a 24-hour pharmacy on the way back to fill out the prescription for her.As they left the emergency room, Ana insisted upon trying to walk out the door herself with her new crutches. She struggled quite a bit, clearly never having walked with crutches before, which made Christian want to pick her up and carry her so she wouldn't have to walk with her injured ankle anymore. She insisted upon maintaining some semblance of independence, however, so she slowly and gingerly made her way down the corridor with Christian, Mia, Claire, and Kate all walking beside her, ready to catch her if she fell. Thankfully, she made it to the front doors with little incident, and allowed Taylor and Christian to help her into the backseat.It was a tight squeeze with Ana, Claire, Kate, and Mia all piled in the backseat, and Ana's giant boot wasn't helping matters. Thankfully, her crutches were able to fit in the trunk so they could be out of the way. Christian rode in the passenger seat as Taylor navigated the car through Seattle traffic; Christian remained silent as he periodically glanced at Ana in the rearview mirror, making sure she wasn't in too much pain where she sat.Christian found himself thinking of Jose, and having to clench his fists while counting to ten in his head, breathing deeply to calm himself down. He was still angry about that confrontation earlier in the hospital room, and a large part of him shared Ana's concern that Jose was going to cause trouble for her and the bakery. As soon as he was back at Escala, Christian was going to call a security meeting to run a background check on Jose and help ensure The Royal Treatment stayed safe from that asshole.Taylor dropped off Claire and Kate at their respective apartments before swinging by the pharmacy drive-thru for Ana's painkillers. Christian once again glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing his sister beside Ana in the backseat, both of them looking a bit more comfortable now that there was more room back there."Mia, would you like us to drop you off at your place first?" Christian asked his sister as Taylor pulled back out onto the street."No, I want to help Ana up to her apartment," Mia said, looking at Ana and giving her a compassionate smile. "I know you live above the bakery. All those stairs won't be easy to maneuver.""Yeah," Ana sighed, looking unenthused at the prospect of having to go up and down a staircase every day. "Thanks Mia, I appreciate it.""Are you sure other arrangements can't be made for the foreseeable future?" Christian asked, feeling profoundly anxious at the thought of Ana trying to walk up and down a flight of stairs with her boot and crutches. "I would hate for Ana to re-injure herself by falling down those stairs.""I'm sure it won't be that bad," Ana said, clearly trying to project more confidence than she felt. "It's just one flight of stairs – I'll just be a bit slower than usual, and hopefully my ankle will heal quickly so I won't have to deal with it for too long.""Maybe you could ask the building manager to install one of those chairlift things made for old people," Mia joked, and Ana giggled."That'd be pretty nice."Christian was barely listening, his mind running in circles. More than anything, he wanted to figure out a way to bring Ana to Escala and have her stay there with him. His building at least had an elevator, and at the penthouse he, Taylor, or Gail would be able to watch over Ana and help her move around, making sure she didn't hurt herself. That arrangement would give Christian much more peace of mind, but he knew that it wasn't feasible. There was no way he would be able to explain to others why he would take Ana into his home when he had no obligation to help her. Not to mention, he knew Ana would refuse his help in a heartbeat if he offered.There was nothing he could do. And that frustrated him to no end.Finally, the car pulled up to The Royal Treatment, and Taylor parked on the curb. Christian quickly hopped out, and he and Mia helped Ana out of the backseat and into the bakery, with Taylor following behind them holding her crutches."I think Mia and I can manage up the stairs," Ana said to Christian once they reached the back of the kitchen, where the doorway to her apartment stood. "The stairwell's kind of narrow, so I don't think all of us would fit."Christian wanted to argue, but Mia shot him a look, silencing his protests. "Okay," he finally said reluctantly. "We'll wait down here, then.""Okay," Ana said, turning to Mia. "Mia, I have a spare key to the bakery in my apartment. Do you mind taking it and locking up behind you when you guys leave? ""Of course, no problem," Mia assured her, accepting the crutches Taylor handed to her. "Let's go up right now."Christian held the door open as Mia and Ana slowly made their way up the stairs side-by-side, Mia awkwardly holding Ana's crutches in one of her hands while wrapping the other around Ana's waist, stabilizing her as they moved. Christian simply watched the two of them slowly make their way up the stairs, only feeling relieved once they reached the top landing without incident.Mia and Ana disappeared into her apartment, and Christian, wanting to distract himself from Ana, pulled out his phone and dialed Welch."Sir?" Welch answered on the first ring."Welch, I need a background check on someone," Christian said, glancing around the bakery. "Ana Steele's ex-boyfriend, Jose. I'm sorry, I don't have his last name.""Rodriguez," Taylor piped up."Rodriguez," Christian repeated to Welch."Yes sir. If he has a connection to Ms. Steele, I shouldn't have an issue finding info on him," Welch said, and Christian heard him typing on a keyboard. "When do you need this by?""ASAP, if possible.""Consider it done," Welch agreed."Thank you," Christian said, and he hung up the phone before turning to Taylor. "How possible would it be to get a security detail for The Royal Treatment?""Pretty possible, if we wanted to use our own security team," Taylor said. "Sawyer and Reynolds would be best for this kind of work, unless you wanted to outsource.""No, I'd be more comfortable with people we know," Christian said. "Call Sawyer and let him know the plan.""Yes sir."Taylor stepped outside just as Mia came back downstairs, the bakery's spare key in hand. "Okay, Ana's all settled upstairs. She gave me her key so we can lock up.""Are you sure Ana's okay up there by herself?" Christian asked seriously. "I'm not comfortable with her trying to get around her apartment without anyone assisting her. And what's her plan for tomorrow? She can't exactly move around her bakery like she normally would, especially when she's slammed with customers.""She said she's going to coordinate it all with Claire and Kate," Mia said. "Ana said she can probably do a little baking with her limited mobility, but Claire will have to shoulder most of it. Kate's probably going to end up doing most of the opening and closing too."Christian scowled to himself, running a hand through his hair. "I still don't like that she has to work like this. Maybe she should close down the bakery for a week or two. I could pay her whatever her usual profit would be during that time…"Christian began pacing the bakery floor, thinking, and Mia let out a sigh before crossing her arms. She looked out the bakery window to make sure Taylor was still on the phone before fixing Christian with a piercing look. "Christian, do you have feelings for Ana?"Christian froze in his pacing, his heart pounding in his chest, before turning to look at his sister. "What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her."I'm not stupid, Christian," Mia said, rolling her eyes. "I can see the way you two look at each other. And the way you practically flew to the hospital the moment you heard Ana had been hurt and then got all up in her ex's face made it pretty obvious."Christian felt an embarrassed flush creep up his face, and he cleared his throat, not meeting his sister's eyes. "I do care about her, Mia, but just as a friend. And you shouldn't say stuff like that when you know I'm marrying Gia.""That's right. You are marrying Gia," Mia conceded. "Which is why I've always found it odd I've never heard you say you love her."Christian's eyes snapped up to meet Mia's. "What?" he practically snapped. Could his sister really know the truth?"You know it's true. None of us have heard you say it, and I don't think we've ever seen you two even kiss. I always figured you guys just had more reserved personalities," Mia shrugged. "But seeing the way you act around Ana makes it abundantly clear that you never really had feelings for Gia. Or am I wrong?"Christian wanted to counter what she said, but knew whatever argument he made would only sound hollow. He remained silent, his heart pounding with shame and a myriad of other emotions."So is it like a business arrangement?" Mia asked after a moment. "Or a publicity thing? Because I swear, if you're lying about all this just to make Mom happy…""I'm not," Christian assured her. "Although I do feel bad about lying to her. Gia has a trust fund she can only access if she's married, so I agreed to help her. She wants to start her own architectural firm, and she's agreed to do work for GEH once her company's been established."Mia nodded slowly, understanding. "So it is a business arrangement," she said, looking thoughtful. "That… makes a lot of sense.""Why? Because of my reserved personality?" Christian couldn't help but ask sarcastically. Mia rolled her eyes again."No, not because of that. It's…" she hesitated, looking unsure. "Gia used to hang out a lot with our friend group. I probably shouldn't be saying this, but some of us were under the impression that Gia and our friend Sienna were, well… together."Christian stared at his sister, feeling more than a bit surprised by that information. "Really?""They never explicitly said, but we all kinda knew," Mia explained. "Even though we were all fine with it, we wanted to respect their privacy. And when Gia stopped hanging out with us, we thought maybe the two of them had broken up."Christian blinked, absorbing all of this new information. A part of him wondered if Gia seeking him out for their fake marriage arrangement had anything to do with her break-up with Sienna. "If you knew she was a lesbian, why didn't you say anything to me?""Maybe I should have," Mia sighed, looking a bit guilty. "But I figured it wasn't my place. I hardly ever spoke to Gia, and for all I knew, she was bisexual. I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner."Christian shook his head. "It's not your fault, Mia. It's not like my heart is broken over her or anything.""What are you going to do, though?" Mia asked seriously. "Do you still want to go through with this sham marriage when you know you have feelings for someone else?"Christian let out a breath, feeling like his heart was too heavy in his chest. When did his life get to be so fucking complicated? "I don't know," he said honestly."Well, figure it out," Mia said firmly, and with an angry edge to her voice that surprised Christian. "Ana's a wonderful person, Christian, and you'd be lucky to have her, and I don't want to see her be strung along by your indecisiveness. As much as I love you, don't think I won't call you out for being a complete idiot."Christian let out an involuntary chuckle. "I know you won't, Mimi.""Good," Mia nodded before starting to move toward the door. "And I don't know if you need to be told this again, but try not to start any more fights with Jose. It's not worth it."Christian snorted. "I'm not afraid of that asshole.""I'm serious, Christian," Mia looked at him, her eyebrows raised. "Jose works for The Seattle Times. You know better than I that that paper has run plenty of stories about you and Gia. And one thing I've learned since becoming a food critic is that you really don't want to piss off people who work in media."Christian said nothing as he followed his sister out the bakery doors, his mind mulling over everything she said.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

~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.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ana felt like she was in some sort of nightmare.That was the only explanation for the situation she currently found herself in. Because here she was, inside her bakery, which was currently filled with at least two dozen customers, standing with a broken ankle while her cheating ex-boyfriend was being restrained by two security guards. Everybody in the bakery was staring either at Jose or at Ana, clearly unsure about what was going on or what to do. Ana noticed a few people near the back pulling out their phones to record what was happening.Jose struggled against Sawyer and Reynolds for another moment or two before looking up at Ana, a pleading and confused look in his eyes. "Ana, what the hell's going on? Why do you have security here?"Everybody's attention turned to Ana, and her face burned with embarrassment as dozens of pairs of eyes looked at her. God, why did this have to be made into such a spectacle? "Jose, you need to leave. Now," she said firmly, awkwardly avoiding everyone's glances."I just wanted to see you, Ana. Why the fuck am I being detained?" Jose snapped, once again trying to wrench his arm out of Sawyer's grip, but to no avail. "Loosen up, will you?" he snarled at the taller man, who just ignored him."Jose, we're not doing this here," Ana insisted, already wondering how she was going to smooth all this over with the customers who were witnessing this unfortunate situation. "Please leave and we'll talk about this somewhere else.""Yeah, I don't buy that," Jose stated, narrowing his eyes at her. "I've been trying to get in touch with you for days, but you've just been ignoring me this whole time. Why won't you just talk to me?"Ana frowned. She'd blocked Jose's number on her phone right after they had broken up, so it made sense she hadn't gotten any messages from him. "Why would I want to talk to you, Jose?""I wanted to make sure you were okay," Jose said insistently, looking down at the boot on her foot. "I didn't get a chance to see you after I left the hospital.""Are you serious? Did the fact that you were thrown out by hospital security clue you in to the fact that Ana doesn't want to see you?" Mia snapped from her side, and Ana felt inexplicably grateful for her support."That wouldn't have happened if your piece of shit brother wasn't getting all up in my face!" Jose snapped back."So your reaction was to write a defamatory article in the Seattle Times about him?" Mia asked angrily. "That was pretty fucking low, even for you."Jose's expression seemed to falter slightly as he glanced between Mia and Ana. "You guys saw that?"Ana felt her face burn as she looked down, embarrassment coursing through her bloodstream. The very last thing she needed was to be accused of being the 'mystery girl' mentioned in the article who'd potentially ruined Christian's relationship. All the people standing around her suddenly felt suffocating."Alright – everybody out."Ana looked up, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw Christian enter the bakery with Taylor at his side, a calm yet determined look on his face. Christian was naturally a pretty tall guy, but he seemed to completely dominate this space even with all these other people around."Do you know what's going on?" someone in the crowd piped up."Yeah, is the bakery closed?" someone else asked."The Royal Treatment is closing early today," Christian announced to everyone in the shop, and shocked whispers began to fill the place. Ana hadn't given Christian permission to say that, but that hardly seemed to matter at the moment. "We apologize for the inconvenience, but this man here is trespassing and the local authorities are going to be called. We would like this area to be cleared as soon as they arrive.""What?!" Jose snapped, once again trying to yank his arms out of Sawyer and Reynold's grasp. The customers, not questioning Christian's authority, all began filing out of the bakery, muttering amongst themselves: most of them clearly figured Christian had a better grasp on what was going on and didn't question his directive. The people who had been recording the incident on their phones put them away before following, muttering to each other about what they thought was going on.Ana watched them all leave, feeling a mixture of gratefulness and also sadness that she was losing business.
None of this would have happened if Jose hadn't turned up today.
"I'm sorry for all this, Ana," Christian addressed Ana for the first time, seeming to read her mind, and she looked at him. The last customers filed out and Taylor closed the door behind them. "I promise I'll compensate you for a typical day's profit so this day won't set you back too much."Ana blinked, surprised by his generosity. "Oh. Th-thank you.""Why the fuck are you calling the cops? I haven't done anything except walk into a bakery!" Jose snapped, ignoring their conversation. "How could I be trespassing?""Relax, asshole. I only said that so everyone would leave," Christian said smoothly, looking down at Jose with a disgusted sneer. "We won't call the cops… as long as you behave yourself."Jose seemed to calm down slightly, though he continued to glare up at Christian as if he were a disgusting insect he found on the bottom of his shoe. "You can't restrain me here, man. That's illegal."Christian nodded toward his security, and the two men finally released Jose with a slight push. Jose stumbled forward a bit before righting himself, rubbing his wrists while glaring over his shoulder at them. "Thanks a lot," he growled."Shut the hell up, you piece of shit," Mia suddenly snapped, surprising Ana. "You deserve this kind of treatment after what you published about Ana and Christian in The Seattle Times this morning. Did you seriously think we wouldn't figure out this was you?""I didn't –" Jose began heatedly, but then stopped, seeming to rethink his words as he took a deep breath and looked at Ana. "I wasn't trying to defame you, Ana, truly. That's why I asked the author not to publish your name and to keep you anonymous."Ana bristled. "So it was you," she snapped, feeling anger surge up inside her. "I don't care if you kept me anonymous, you had no right to smear Christian and Gia like that!""The Seattle Times publishes articles about me all the time," Christian stated, fixing Jose with a piercing look. "What were you hoping to accomplish with this little hitpiece, huh?"Jose glared back at Christian, his face morphing into disgust. "Is it still considered a hitpiece if it's true?" he asked, rather boldly. "Our people have had their eye on you for a while now, Grey, and the author I spoke with has evidence to suggest that your marriage with Gia Matteo is all a sham. Considering how valiantly you came charging into the ER the moment you heard Ana was hurt, and the way I see you looking at her right now, I would say the evidence of a fake marriage is looking pretty damning right now."Ana felt her face burn and her heart rate skyrocket once again. If Christian felt flustered by what Jose said, however, he didn't show it."Fake marriage or not, a newspaper publishing an article about some rich guy's love life is hardly news," Christian stated, giving Jose a disgusted onceover. "And you know that. So you went ahead and showed 'evidence' that made me look like a cheating scumbag. All because you're a jealous little piece of shit – does that sound about right?""You want to say that to my face, asshole?" Jose spit out, moving forward to get in Christian's face."Jose!" Ana snapped. "Get out of here!""I'd suggest you listen to her," Christian said in a voice of deadly calm as he glared back at Jose. "Or you might regret it.""Oh, I will, will I?" Jose taunted back.For several tense seconds, the two men stared at each other. Finally, Jose reached up and shoved Christian's shoulders, causing him to stumble back a few steps.The next moment, Christian righted himself, reeled an arm back, and punched Jose directly in the face. A sickening smack sounded throughout the bakery as Jose fell back and landed on the ground with a loud thump.Ana gasped as Kate and Claire let out a yelp. Mia cried out, "Christian!"Christian ignored them as he moved down to the ground, grasping Jose by the lapel and punching him in the face over and over again. Jose immediately began grappling back, punching Christian in the stomach or in the face whenever he could. Sawyer and Reynolds immediately tried pulling the men off each other as Mia, Claire, and Kate all moved away from the commotion, shouting over each other:"Guys, stop it!" Mia cried out."Holy shit!" Claire yelled, looking horrified at the brawl happening in the middle of their bakery.Kate moved over to Ana's side and hugged her, and Ana hugged her back while still staring at the two men fighting with wide eyes. She felt so helpless, standing here with this broken ankle, but her fear of Christian getting hurt trumped everything right now."Christian!" Ana cried out, tears in her eyes and her heart thudding in her chest. Jose might have been an asshole, but she hated seeing Christian fighting like this.Finally, Sawyer and Reynolds were able to pull Christian and Jose away from each other, both men struggling against the security guard holding them back. Ana saw Christian had a bloody lip and a red mark on his jaw, while Jose had a large black eye blooming on his face already."Uh oh," Kate muttered from beside Ana, staring out the windows.A police cruiser with flashing red and blue lights turned the corner and pulled up in front of the bakery, the siren ringing out as soon as they parked. Ana felt her heart sink, realizing someone actually had called the cops.This day was about to get even messier.~/~The two police officiers who had arrived spent several hours at The Royal Treatment, taking statements while questioning both Jose and Christian over what happened. Apparently, Taylor was the one who had called the cops, clearly suspecting something was going to go down, and he had been right: Ana was at least thankful Christian had the foresight to get all the customers out of the bakery before all this went down.Ana and Kate ended up having to retrieve the security camera footage to prove that Jose was the one who had started the fight by shoving Christian. The cops asked Christian if he wanted to press charges against Jose, and Christian ultimately decided not to, which surprised Ana. Jose was free to go, and he left the bakery as soon as he was able, not even bothering to look in Ana's direction as he left.
Good riddance.
Ana now approached Christian, limping slightly with her booted foot. "You're not pressing charges against him? But he split your lip."Christian looked down at Ana, a rather tender look in his eyes as he smiled at her. He brought his hand up to touch his lip. "Nah, he's not worth it," he said, shaking his head while bringing his hand down. "I'll still have my men keep an eye on him. I'm actually more worried about him approaching you again.""Well, the security goons you stationed here seemed to have done their job exceedingly well at keeping him away from me," Ana said, smiling in a humorous way. "Thank you for doing that.""You're very welcome," Christian said. His smile faded into a more contrite expression as he gazed at her. "I'm really sorry it all went down like that. I'd hoped he and I could just talk, but he decided to provoke me, and… well… I'm sorry.""It's okay," Ana grimaced. "At least no one was seriously injured.""Trust me, I could've put him in the hospital if I wanted to," Christian said, his tone dark.Ana gazed up at him, a plethora of emotions running through her body. "So where do we go from here?" she couldn't help but ask. "What's going to happen with that article Jose put out?"Christian didn't say anything, and his face remained unreadable as he looked at Ana. After a moment, he surprised Ana by reaching a hand up and lightly cupping her face, brushing a thumb along her cheek. Ana could only stare up at him, her heart pounding."There's just something I need to do first," he said quietly, gazing at the spot his thumb grazed on her cheek. He blinked before bringing his hand back down. "I'm sorry."Before Ana could ask Christian what he meant, he turned and walked out of the bakery.