The following is intended for mature audiences and may contain material that is not suitable for some readers. Discretion is advised.
Christian’s hands shake and he takes a tentative step towards her, but Gia doesn’t respond to his approach. Her face is curious, like she’s merely interested in what he’s going to do next rather than worrying about trying to stop him and maintain her position of power. It’s eerie because, gun aside, Christian could easily overpower her, but she doesn’t seem to have any concern over that. Maybe that’s because she really intends to make good on the obvious threat she holds in her hands and Christian approaching is only going to goad her. Or maybe there’s someone else in the house. Is someone watching us? Someone armed who will come to Gia’s aid the moment Christian steps over whatever imaginary line they’ve drawn around her? Luke won’t come upstairs for at least an hour. If she has reinforcements, we’ll be on our own. Unless… where’s Kommer? Is he dead too? Like Ava?
“Gia, please.” His voice trembles and I wonder if that’s because he’s come to the same conclusions I have. “You and I will work this out. I will give you whatever it is that you’ve come here for, just… please. Give me my baby and let her and my wife leave.”
She laughs. Not for show, but legitimately, heartily, laughs, and it sends a cold chill up my spine. Christian stops and glances around the still mostly dark apartment before taking another step in her direction. The moment he moves, she pulls back the hammer of her pistol and lifts it carelessly up into her lap, right next to my baby.
“No, please!” I shriek. Christian turns back and shoots me a sharp, warning glare and holds his hand back to keep me still. I sink to my knees on the hard, marble floor, tears pouring from my eyes as fear overcomes me, and reach out desperately for Calliope.
Gia’s eyes flit down to me, and she lets out her final cruel laughs before sighing and shaking her head. “Go? No. No one is leaving.” She twists the gun in her hand so she can look at the watch on her wrist and then frowns. “We’re in for a little bit of a wait though, so why don’t you two have a seat?”
“Gia…”
“I said take a seat, Grey.” Her expression suddenly grows hard, menacing, and her voice turns to ice. Calliope reaches out her tiny little hand for the silver barrel of the gun, which is too long because of the silencer attached to the end. When her fingers wrap around it, Christian’s whole body tenses and I do everything I can not to vomit.
“Okay,” he says. “I’ll sit. It’s fine. We’ll negotiate on your terms but please, stop pointing that at my daughter.”
“Negotiate?” She laughs again, before reclaiming her stony demeanor. “Sit. Down.”
He holds his hand up in front of him in surrender and backs up to the couch behind me. I try to get up and slide into the seat next to him, because I know that listening to her and complying with her demands is the only way to keep my sweet, innocent little baby from being harmed, but I’m frozen. Her eyes narrow in on me and then a second later, I feel Christian’s hands wrap around my body. He picks me up, lifts me onto the sofa, and clings tightly to my hand, rubbing his thumb along the length of my index finger as if to silently promise everything is going to turn out okay.
My lip trembles as I stare singlemindedly at Calliope. My motherly instincts are in overdrive, feeling as though they’re burning me for keeping still and allowing her to remain in danger, but while I sit here running through a million different scenarios of how to get her out of Gia’s hands, I can’t think of even one that is safe or guaranteed to be successful. I’m paralyzed, impotent. Gia has the ultimate leverage in her hands and she knows it.
“I’m going to need your phones…” she says, and while Christian nods and then slowly reaches into his pocket to withdraw his iPhone, I shake my head.
“I don’t have it. It’s i-in my bag. I dropped it when I fell. It’s in the foyer.”
“You think you’re in a position to play games with me, Anastasia?”
“No.” My voice is high, the fear I feel coursing through me clinging to every word. “Gia, I swear to you, I don’t have it.”
She narrows her eyes at me and then waves her hand at Christian. He leans over to slide his phone across the floor to her and once her hands wrap around it, she gets out of her chair and gives us both a warning look.
“I swear to god neither of you better fucking move.”
We both nod and she turns to the foyer, taking my baby with her. The moment her eyes are no longer me, I start gasping for air, sure I’m about to succumb to a full blown panic attack, and Christian tightens his hand around mine. He looks around the apartment again, examining dark corners, focusing on what little of the upstairs we can see from where we sit on the couch. There’s nothing, but it doesn’t feel like there’s nothing.
“It’s going to be okay, Ana,” he breathes so softly only I can hear him. “I’m going to get you and Calli out of here.”
“What about you?” I hiss back.
“I’ll be fine.”
“What are we going to do?” He shakes his head, unsure how to answer, and I begin shaking again. “They said he. Leila, Jack, Carter… they all said he. I heard him, Christian.”
“She’s not in charge. If she was, we’d already be dead. She’s just here to babysit us until he gets here. That’s what we’re waiting for.”
“What?”
He glances to our right, where Gia is returning from the foyer with my bag in her hand, and then opens my tightly clenched fist in my lap. With his fingers, he begins tracing letters into my palm.
J-A-N-E-D-O-E
Jane Doe. The woman who’d sent those photos of me. The woman who’d received a $10 million transfer this morning… It was Gia. But if she was being paid, that means that he’s still out there and since she’s still here even after the FBI’s pursuit tonight, he must not really be Gresham.
My eyes follow Gia as she moves across the room and finally sets Calliope down in the bassinet next to her chair, which she must have taken from my bedroom. There’s a tiny hint of relief in the knowledge that her hands are no longer on my baby, that Calliope is no longer staring down the barrel of a gun, but it’s not enough. Not nearly enough. Especially because, while she’s set the baby down, the gun is still in her hand and her finger is tapping absentmindedly against the trigger. Still, Christian shifts in the seat next to me. Preparing himself.
“Awh, you missed a call from your daddy, Ana. That sucks.” Gia gives me an obviously fake look of sympathy. “Maybe if you’d listened to your stupid fucking mother, you’d get to call him back.”
The redirection of her attention makes Christian shift again, but this time she notices and she once again raises the gun. Not at him, at me, and he’s paralyzed once more.
“Is that uncomfortable for you?” she sneers. “Knowing that if you’d just let her go, she wouldn’t be here right now? That if you weren’t so selfish and possessive, you’d be here with me and Ana and Calliope would be… oh, I don’t fucking care. Not here.” Christian starts to shake and his visible anger makes Gia’s eyes twinkle. “You should have fucked me when you had the chance.”
He squeezes my hand and then lets it fall into my lap, empty.
“Is that what this is about? Rejection? Because I turned you down?” She raises a challenging eyebrow and, after staring at her for a long time, his lips curl into same outrageously sexy half-smirk that has had me shamelessly chasing him for years. “I thought about it, you know. Last winter. I really, really thought about it.”
“Really?” She doesn’t believe him, but he nods all the same, slowly, and then drags his tongue over his bottom lip.
“Oh yeah. Every time I had you in the gym upstairs and you were in those tight sports bras or those tiny little shorts with your ass hanging out…” He pauses as though the memory makes him uncomfortable. Good uncomfortable. Delicious even. When he looks back up at her again, his eyes are blazing. “When you were sweating on the bench beneath me, I wondered what it would make you taste like. What it would sound like to hear you moaning, not from the weight, but from taking my cock. I wondered how much you’d be able to take down your throat or what I’d have to do to make you come. To make you scream.”
Gia swallows so hard, I can see her throat move and Christian leans toward her.
“Do you want to go into the bedroom and find out?”
She unconsciously reaches up and brushes her free hand across the back of her neck. When she drags it back down her body, she begins gnawing at her lip. “I–”
“You what, Gia?” His voice drops to a whisper. “Tell me what you want.”
“You, uh…” Another swallow and then her eyes meet his. “You must think I’m a special kind of stupid.”
Christian’s seductive act immediately drops. “What?”
“What do you think? I’m just going to turn around and skip my way to the bedroom, overcome with lust and desire, leaving Ana and Calliope completely unsupervised, and then you’ll… what? Wrestle the gun away from me? Maybe even tie me up with your little bondage toys so you don’t have to worry about me until the Feds get here? Then you come out here, the big hero, all ‘oh I didn’t mean it, Ana. I was just trying to save your life. I love you so much…’ Please.”
“No, I-I–”
“We need to get something straight between me and you, Grey.” She sits back down into the chair and spins it toward us, spreading her legs open and then leaning forward with her elbows rested on each of her knees. The gun dangles from her hand in between her legs. “I never wanted you, ever, because I know you’re a bad person. I know the things that you have done, and quite frankly, you disgust me. The flirting, the inappropriate touching, the giggles, the batting of the eyelashes, the sports bras, and the too short shorts, those weren’t for you. Those were for Elliot.”
“Oh really?” Now it’s Christian’s turn not to believe her.
“Yeah. I think you think my job was to spy on you and Ana, but it wasn’t. Ana was Leila’s responsibility. I was in charge of Elliot.”
“And why was that?”
“To isolate you. Everyone else in your life is just begging for a reason to jump ship. We already saw that right? I mean, your entire family cut you out for years. But not Elliot. Elliot is your ride or die, probably even more so than Ana since she left you too, so he had to go. It was too obvious just to kill him and his death probably wouldn’t have hurt you as much as abandonment. We just needed to find a way to make him abandon you. So, I put myself into his life and then threw myself at you. If you fucked me, it would be a betrayal. A personal betrayal against the person who had never betrayed you, who stood by you no matter what you did or how bad you fucked up. How could he continue to fight for you after that? He couldn’t, and once he was gone and we’d gotten Ana, you’d have no one else to turn to. You’d be alone. Vulnerable.”
She sighs before continuing.
“Unfortunately, Elliot was never really interested in me. He thought he was, he tried to tell himself that he was, but deep down, he was only ever with me to get Kate’s attention and no amount of blow jobs or nights spent having absolutely phenomenal sex could change that. So, he didn’t care that his girlfriend was practically begging his brother to fuck her because he always had one eye on Cambridge.” She shrugs. “It did make communication easier for me though, not having him watching me all the time. God he’s so fucking stupid.”
Christian’s jaw tenses and he stares back at her so intently it’s like his eyes are trying to bore holes right through her. “Isolation, huh? I’ve heard that one before. Tell me, is Elena really dead or is she on her way over here now?”
“Oh, no. She’s dead.” A wicked smile crosses her face. “He had a lot of fun with that one.”
“You psychotic bitch.”
She laughs, but it’s cut off by the ping of the elevator. Gia’s hand tightens on her gun and she practically jumps out of her chair, so I feel a rush of hope that someone knows we’re here and in danger and has come to save us. And for a brief second that hope is fueled when I see that it’s Luke who steps into the foyer, but that hope is dashed when Gia smiles.
“Baby!”
No. No, no, no. I refuse to…
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Gia raises her gun, pulls the trigger three times in quick succession, and Luke absorbs each of the bullets, one by one, into his chest before falling to his knees and collapsing on the floor. In his place, immediately behind where he’d been, Kommer stands with his own gun raised. Calliope starts to scream at the noise but I can’t look away from what’s in front of me to turn to her.
“No!” Without thinking, I leap from the couch and try to launch myself across the room at my fallen best friend, but Christian grabs me around the waist and pulls me back down.
“No,” he hisses. “You can’t help him. Don’t move, Anastasia.”
“Gia!” Kommer says, giving her a what the hell kind of look, but she brushes him off.
“Oh, please. I already had my chance at money-man taken away, it’s only fair that I get Sawyer. I’ve wanted that since New York. You were this close, Anthony. This close!”
A slow smile creeps across Kommer’s face. “Bloodthirsty.”
They laugh and she scurries across the great room to let him envelop her in his arms, but I don’t watch as they kiss. My eyes are wide and focused only on the floor where my best friend lies face down, not moving. I can feel my heart beating wildly in my chest as I struggle to breathe. I want to cry, and scream, and throw up, but I can’t. There’s too much shock. Too much fear. Not only does his motionless body mean that I’ve lost one of the people I love and care most about in the entire world, it means that Christian and I truly are alone. No one is going to come for us. Luke is dead, and Kommer is the one holding the gun.
I’m so absorbed in grief and the heightened severity of our situation that I don’t notice when Christian slinks off the couch behind me and creeps across the room. There’s no sound to alert me to his movements and he almost gets all the way to the bassinette before Kommer calls out to stop him.
“That’s far enough, Grey.” But Christian doesn’t falter under the threat of Kommer’s weapon. He looks defiantly back into his eyes and moves to place himself between our assailants and our child.
“No, no, baby,” Gia says. “Like this.” She pulls back the slide to make of show of ejecting one bullet but drawing another into the chamber, points the weapon at me, and then gives Christian a dark smile. “I’m a really good shot, Grey. Are you sure you’re want to test me?”
He freezes and glances uneasily back at me, but I want to scream for him to take the baby and run. The service entrance is just on the other side of the utility room, maybe I could head Gia and Kommer off long enough for him to get through the door. I’d take whatever they did to me, gladly, if it meant my husband and child would be safe. But he doesn’t run. He doesn’t move.
“Why don’t you go stand by the window, huh Grey? Hands up. Keep yourself out of trouble.” Kommer gestures for Christian to move away from the bassinet with this gun, and slowly, Christian steps back to the dark glass.
“I trusted you. I trusted you with the thing I care about most in the world. Tell me, Kommer, was it all a lie? Did you come onto my team knowing this is where we’d end up, or did he buy you out from under me?”
“He didn’t do anything. I’m not here for him. I’m here for her. She needed my help and there’s absolutely nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Even murder?”
“Would you, for Anastasia?”
He swallows, and I think it’s because he’s unwilling to answer that questions specifically because he’s trying desperately to keep us both alive, not coax him into what we can only assume they have planned. But then, to my surprise, he nods. “Yes, I would. And I can’t say that I’d care about the reason either, right or wrong. If that’s what she needed me to do, I’d do it. Absolutely. Because I love her.”
What the fuck is he doing?!
“But I would also die for her if I could, because what I actually care about is that she’s safe. I would do anything for that, hire an entire security team to shadow her every step, move across the country and jeopardize the entire stability of my company… Anything I could do to protect her, I would. Do you love Gia like that?”
Kommer just stares back at him for a moment, clearly confused. “Of course I do.”
“Then why are you here? What do you think is going to happen when this is over? You think you’ll just walk out of here and go on with your life with the woman you love and more money than you could ever spend? Don’t you think that’s the exact same thing he told Leila Williams? That he told Charles Gresham, or Jack Hyde, or Elena Lincoln. He promised Carter Reed Harvard and he was gunned down in the street.”
“They didn’t do their jobs…”
“They were loose ends. And that’s all you’ll be after this is over. Someone who could one day identify him. He’s coming for me tonight, and then it’ll be you. It doesn’t have to be like that. Help me, and I’ll protect you.”
“Look at him,” Gia says, squirming playfully under Kommer’s arm. “All confident like he has the first clue about what he’s talking about.” She kisses her lover’s thumb and then pushes him off of her before sauntering back into the great room, the arrogant smile back in place on her face. “There’s a big difference between me and Leila Williams, Grey.”
“You really think so, huh?”
“Mhm. You see Leila Williams was hired because she loved you and she wanted to make Anastasia pay for taking you away. That’s why she got Ana, not you. Charles Gresham and Jack Hyde were blackmail, Elena Lincoln wasn’t really given a choice since we had her packaged up in a little box that we had absolute control over, and Carter Reed… Well, Carter Reed was future planning. He was never supposed to be there the night Ana’s mother was whacked. That was punishment. Carter’s job was going to be to stay in touch with Kate so we’d be able to monitor your progress in tracking us all down once this was over, but then he showed he couldn’t be trusted by immediately running off to you so we had to do away with him too. Just like Isaac when he sent Elena’s book to Ana instead of me. We all have a role, and we’re all chosen very specifically, and very carefully. And the thing that keeps me here, that’s protected me even though I failed to break up you and Elliot, is much stronger than anything the other’s had.”
“Bullshit.”
Her smile falters and spiteful anger flares in her eyes. “You did a background check on me when I started dating Elliot, right?”
“Of course.”
“And what did you learn?”
Now it’s Christian’s turn to be confused, and it’s clear on his face that he doesn’t know what she’s getting at. Her gaze is insistent though, so he takes a breath and starts. “You were born in 1987 in New Jersey to Holly Paine, a single woman who died during childbirth and left no record for the father. They shifted you into the foster system until you were 3 weeks old, when you were adopted by Peter and Connie Matteo, both of modest income, but a hard working blue collar family. You graduated with a 4.0 from Oakcrest High School a year early and decided to attend the University of Washington to study graphic design in the hopes you’d earn an internship with one of the Seattle local tech giants, but then changed your focus to interior design your sophomore year. In 2010, you were selected for a post-graduation internship at my company and moved into the construction division where you proved to be a valuable asset working on a low income housing project GEH had been contracted to build for the city, so your position was made permanent. That’s how you met my brother. He’d put you in charge of interior design for the new GEH headquarters.”
He stops, probably wondering how much longer she expects him to go on or into how much detail, but she just keeps staring expectantly at him.
“Mhmm.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what the point of this is.”
“The point is…” She flops down into the same chair she was sitting in when Christian and I had come into the apartment earlier in the evening and begins to spin. “Pete and Connie were not my parents. I had a daddy out there somewhere and when I turned sixteen, I decided I wanted to try and find out who that was. It took a year, but eventually the private investigator and team of DNA experts I’d hired got me a name. That’s why I chose to go to the University of Washington, not because I wanted to work at Microsoft.”
Christian’s face falls. “You’re his daughter.”
“Yep. And Daddy’s got a whole lot of money that’s going to be all mine if I just help him take care of you. At first it was just pictures, compromising pictures that were meant to break up you and your girlfriend, but then it turned into something… else. Something much more exciting.”
There’s another ping from the elevator but it doesn’t give me hope this time. I know there’s no one coming for us. Instead, it ignites a new level of fear inside of me because I know in the deepest part of my soul that this is it. This is what they’ve been waiting for. He’s here.
I can’t see into the foyer, but I can hear his footsteps and each one feels like the seconds ticking away on a timebomb.
“Kommer!” A wave of cold washes over me as the voice from the phone, the voice from my nightmares, rings loud and clear in the foyer.
“Yes, sir?” Kommer answers.
“There are cameras in the garage.”
“Uh… yes, sir. They’re Grey’s. For the cars… I disabled them this evening after Sawyer left. Before Gia got here.”
“And in the elevator.”
“Grey had them turned off months ago. He uh… he likes to fuck her in the elevator.”
“I see… Well shut it down. No one else gets up that elevator tonight.”
“Yes, sir.”
The footsteps sound again, then the man enters the great room and my body entire body seizes. He looks different than I remember, much less put together. His hair is longer and no longer perfectly coifed. His clothes aren’t as fine, he has facial hair now, and the practiced arrogance he used to carry himself with is gone, replaced now by something more careless and sloppy. But it’s none of those things that make it initially hard to recognize him, it’s the eyes. Once warm, they’re now cold, menacing, and entirely unfocused.
“Linc.” Christian’s voice is soft, devoid of any inflection, and the man standing in the entryway between the foyer and the living room smiles.
“Hi, Christian. It’s been awhile, well… for you. I’ve actually seen quite a bit of you and your life over the past few years.”
“So it would seem.”
They lock eyes for a long beat. Christian refuses to show fear or back down, but Linc seems to care very little about whatever kind of power play is going on between them. He turns and glances over to me, and the moment our eyes meet, a hungry kind of smile crosses his face. One I don’t like at all.
“Look. At. You.” His voice is husky and the intensity in his eyes terrifies me, but when I look down to break the overbearing eye contact between us, I realize for the first time since I looked into Ava’s eyes on the foyer floor that I’m sitting here only in a bra and a pair of panties, still covered in blood. Automatically, I move my hands up to try and cover as much of my body as I can but he doesn’t drop his gaze. Christian moves towards me, slowly, so he doesn’t draw attention to himself, but Lincoln doesn’t seem to care. He simply lets out long, energetic breath and takes a step forward until he comes even with Luke’s body.
“Who got Sawyer?”
“That would be me,” Gia replies, proudly, but Linc narrows his eyes at her.
“You really need to control this.”
Gia’s giddiness immediately dies out and when she speaks, her voice is flat and accusatory. “I thought you’d be happy.”
“I would have been had Kommer done it. But what did we talk about?”
“I-I-”
“I told you to calm down.”
“They’re still here aren’t they?” She holds her arms out to gesture to Christian and I, but Linc just takes a deep, calming breath and shakes his head, as if to dispel his annoyance.
“Where’s the helicopter?”
“En route. It’ll be here any minute.”
Linc’s ravenous eyes move to me again. “Then let’s get to it.”
His words hit me like a jolt of electricity and when he moves again I find myself scrambling onto the couch, just to get farther away from him. Christian’s hand closes around my wrist and he quickly pulls me up so that I’m standing, and moves in front of me, protectively. It’s both relieving and infuriating, because while he’s protecting me, he’s leaving Calliope exposed. She’s at least six feet away from either of us, and now there are three of them, at least two of them armed. If Christian and I don’t get out of this, what will happen to her? Will he hurt her? Will he take her? Will she simply be found with our bodies, the way Christian was with his mother all those year ago?
Gia begins digging in a bag from the counter that I hadn’t noticed before while Linc marches through our living room like he owns the place. I begin to tremble as he moves to Calliope’s bassinette and then hold back an anguished scream when he reaches inside and pulls her out, grunting slightly as he settles her weight into his arm.
“Pretty baby,” he whispers. “You sure caused a lot of trouble coming into this world, you know that?” There’s a stark contradiction to his almost adoring tone and the sweet way he bounces her and tickles her tummy to the heaviness and terror that hang in the air because of his presence. My fingers curl into Christian’s arm, digging into his skin, and he reaches up to place a comforting hand over mine.
“Put her down,” he commands.
“In time,” Linc replies, and then uses his finger to tickle her under her chin. “First, we’re going to talk about some of your choices, Christian. That’s what tonight is going to be about. Your choices. What you chose then, and what you’ll choose now.”
“Choices?”
“Yes. You see, things have been a little one sided between us. A bit unfair really, and I’m here to rectify that. I made the choice to protect you, to turn my entire life upside down and inside out to fight for you, and you repaid me by lying, taking money from me, and stealing my company. You took my whole life away from me. Would you say that was a good choice, or a bad choice?”
The condescension in Linc’s tone clearly doesn’t sit well with Christian. “I didn’t steal your company, I–”
“I know how acquisitions work, Christian. I get it. Your business had a need and you had to fulfill it. But you didn’t have to come for me. Not after what you’d already taken from me.”
Christian exhales slowly, his body relaxes, and he nods. When he speaks, his voice is conciliatory. “You’re right. I didn’t have to come for you. Your company was the best fit for what I needed, the easiest to take on, and the most financially viable option, but you’re right. I didn’t have to take Lincoln Timber, and maybe I shouldn’t have after the history between us. I’m sorry. But I can’t give it back to you. It doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I understand that, I don’t expect you to.” He lets out a hard sigh and begins to pace. “It doesn’t really matter. Hell, I hadn’t taken any joy in work for years anyway. I’d lost my passion for it. So, maybe it was best in the end that it went to you. My people have good jobs in a thriving industry, I got a very generous pension, and that’s because of you. I can forgive Lincoln Timber.”
Christian nods, but neither of us relax. He hasn’t done what he’s done to be satisfied by an apology and he isn’t here to give his forgiveness. This is all just the preamble for what he’s really after.
“But it’s not just Lincoln Timber that you took from me,” he continues. “Not even close. You ruined me, Christian. You have no idea what you did to me, not in the slightest. I had to run, flee the state and re-headquarter my company because of the way you humiliated me. I lost half of the fortune I’d spent my entire life building. You took everything. And so tonight, I’m going to give you the chance to make it right by giving you a choice.”
“Which is?”
Linc smiles. “Your money or your family.”
I feel a pair of hands wrap around my arms and then violently yank me backwards. Both Christian and I had been so focused on Linc that neither one of us noticed Kommer sneaking around behind us, and now he had me restrained against his body with his gun pressed into my throat, just below my jaw.
“My family!” Christian shouts immediately. “My family. I choose my family.”
“Good choice.” He looks over to Gia and nods. She pulls a phone or maybe a small tablet out of the bag and turns to face us, but Christian quickly shakes his head.
“Let her go. You get nothing as long as you have a gun to my wife’s head.”
I shake again, wondering if Christian is in the position to make any kind of demands or if he’s just going to make the situation worse. Linc though, seems non-plussed.
“Let her go, Kommer.”
“And get the fuck away from her,” Christian growls.
Kommer’s hands drop from my body and I feel my fingers begin to throb at the rush of blood that had been choked back by his tight grip on my wrist. He stares Christian down as he saunters away from me and moves to the chair next to where Gia is still standing, making a show of slumping down into the seat and rocking back and forth.
“And Calliope…” Christian says, but this time, Linc’s eyes narrow. He’s losing patience.
“I think I’ve made enough concessions, Christian. It’s your turn. One hundred grand, if you please.”
Christian seems to do a double take. “Wait… a hundred grand? All you want is a hundred grand?”
“Weren’t you listening? Tonight is about making things fair. You stole $100 thousand from me, I want it back.”
“You stole $65 million from me two fucking days ago!”
“Let me rephrase. I want you to give back the $100 thousand dollars you stole from me. I want you to make a choice, Christian.”
“You’ve killed people, Linc. You’ve destroyed lives, families… all over a hundred grand?”
“Sound familiar?”
Christian shakes his head with disgust at the challenging look Linc gives him and then reaches for Gia and the tablet in her hands. She smiles broadly as she moves towards him, but as she stretches out her hand to give the device to Christian, he suddenly lunges forward, grabs her by the arm, and pulls her against him the same way Kommer just had me. They struggle for half a second while Christian forces her to drop the gun and then grabs her by the throat, squeezing so tightly she starts to gasp for air and gag over the pressure.
“You have my daughter,” Christian says in a voice that is more menacing than anything I’ve ever heard from him before. “I have yours. Give her to me and I’ll let her go.”
What remained of the patient look Linc has worn since he first arrived vanishes. His eyes darken, the lines in his face seem to deepen, and his mouth stretches into a thin line.
“You always choose the money,” he says darkly. “You’ll always choose the money.” Everything that happens next plays out too quickly for either Christian or I to react, but so purposefully it’s like I’m watching it in slow motion. Linc reaches behind him, removes his own weapon from the back band of his jeans, and thrusts it forward at Christian. I scream as he pulls the trigger and the sonic boom of the bullet leaving it’s chamber echos through the room.
The glass behind me shatters. My face is showered with a burst of hot, fresh blood, like I’ve stepped out into a stormy summer night and tilted my face to the sky. I can’t move. I’m held in place by the sheer brutality of what has just happened.
Christian’s face is colored with shock and flecks of blood. He doesn’t shake the way I am, but he immediately withdraws his hold and let’s Gia’s body slump unceremoniously to the floor. Her skin makes a sickening slapping sound as she falls hard against the marble, and the lifeless arm that reaches out towards me is soon surrounded in a pool of deep, dark crimson.
“You have nothing to hold over me, Grey,” Linc says. “Nothing in the world matters to me. All I have left is hatred and anger and an overpowering need to make you pay. I’m not even a man anymore.”
My lungs tighten and I realize it’s because I’ve stopped breathing, but the silence that settles in after Lincoln’s threat is suddenly broken by Kommer’s cry of agony. The shock has passed, and he’s only just now processing what has happened right in front of him.
“No!” He’s at Gia’s side in the time it takes me to blink and pulls her into his arms, shaking her, calling her name, refusing to believe what his eyes tell him. Eventually though, the reality of the situation to too much for him to deny, and he starts to shake with fury.
“You son of a bitch!” Kommer leaps from the ground to lunge at Linc, but with two more quick pulls on the trigger, which seem almost lazy, the threat is neutralized. Kommer staggers and reaches to touch the red stains growing across the front of his shirt, then coughs a bubble of blood and falls to the floor next to Gia.
All I can do is stare. My mind registers nothing, my ears ring with the sound of the gunshot still echoing inside my head, and every part of me is numb. It’s a defense mechanism I think, protecting me from the brutality of what I’ve had to witness tonight, and it holds me until a loud whirring sound fills the apartment and a bright light comes through the broken windows and catches my eye. We all turn to face the helicopter sweeping up the side of the building to the roof, where Christian’s helipad is waiting.
“That’s my ride,” Linc says. “We don’t have long,” He moves back to the bassinet to dispose of my baby, who is once again screaming her little lungs out. She’s hurt and I can only imagine it’s because of the gun firing too loudly for her little ears right over her head. But I can’t get to her. She needs me, and I can’t get to her.
Once Calliope no longer in Lincoln’s arms, he reaches down to gather the bag Gia had, and then slides the tablet she’d dropped back across the floor to Christian’s feet.
“You make the transfer. Gresham has already set it up, all you have to do is press the button. Ana can take your precious baby.”
It’s the only thing that could have broken the trance. I let out a strangled cry and shuffle forward, arms already outstretched for her.
“Ana, no!”
Christian’s cry is too late. The moment I’m within reach of the bassinette, Linc is on me. His hands wrap around me like pythons, squeezing me, violating me, his gun pressed tightly against my temple, and the low groan of pleasure he gives at my anemic struggle against his hold makes bile creep up into my mouth.
“Okay!” Christian screams. He leans down to pick up the tablet and presses his finger into the glass. Once the transfer is sent and he has the proof of it depicted on the screen, he turns the tablet so Linc can see. “It’s done. You have your money, a willing gift from me. I’m sorry I ever took it. Now, let her go.”
“No, I told you tonight was about your choices. You made it, and you chose wrong. You don’t get to give me anything anymore.”
He nods in agreement. “You’re right. Not a gift. I took the money from you, you took the money from me. Fair is fair.”
“Fair is fair? Fair is FAIR?” His grip tightens around me, making me whimper with pain, and Christian takes a cautionary step forward.
“Linc, please…”
“I will make this fair! You took my money, I took yours. You fucked my wife…”
Christian’s face sallows the instant the words escape Linc’s lips, but when he speaks again, the anxious quiver is gone, replaced by restrained but growing anger. “Let her go, Linc.”
“How long did you have my wife, huh Christian? How long were you shoving your filthy cock inside of her behind my back? Four years wasn’t it?”
“Let. Her. Go.”
“You’re not making demands! I am the one who makes demands!” He shifts the gun, moving away from me and pointing it directly at Christian. “This is how it’s going to go. You can have your company, and your pristine reputation, and your daughter, but I am leaving with your pretty little bride tonight. She’ll stay with me until she’s satisfied the debt your disgusting affair with Elena has put you in. I will use her every night, in whatever way I see fit. Just the way you did with my wife. I will come in every one of her tight little holes, and at the end, if I haven’t gotten her pregnant and my baby hasn’t ripped her apart the way yours tried to, I’ll send her back to you. What’s left of her anyway. Let’s see how much you want her then.”
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Christian shouts, his teeth bared, and his entire body trembling with rage. All sense of self preservation gone, he strides forward like a bear, ready to maul and destroy, but before he even gets within arms reach, Linc’s hand squeezes the gun, and a shot rings loud and sure through the apartment.
Christian stumbles backward, looking stunned, and then his knees crumple until he falls backwards. Through the opening in his tuxedo jacket, I can see the red starting to spread over his pristine white shirt.
“No!” With everything I have I fight and pull against Linc’s grip. He tries to reach around me, to restrain me, but I’m no longer threatened by the gun and the tightness of his grip no longer causes me any pain. I’m sure I do as much damage to myself as I do to him while I kick and punch and knee every part of his body that I can reach, and finally, when my teeth sink deep down into the hand he tries to cover my mouth with, he roars in pain and releases me.
“You little fucking bitch!”
I fall to the ground and scramble on my hands and knees to get to Christian. His breathing is ragged, shallow, and his eyes move wildly back and forth. I pull the jacket away from him to get a better look at his wound, then refuse to let the startling amount of blood coloring the shirt across his entire abdomen mean anything.
“You’re okay,” I whisper in panic, using my hands to press down on where I can see the bullet went through his shirt. “You’re going to be okay.” It’s not an assumption, it’s a demand. Because he has to be okay.
“Ana,” he croaks. “I love you.”
“No, you’re not saying goodbye.”
“You need to run…”
His words choke off as he continues struggling to breathe and tears prick my eyes. “I’m not leaving you. Don’t you dare leave me.”
His entire body shudders with pain and I feel the blood gush up through my fingers. He needs a hospital, now, or he’s going to bleed out.
“Anastasia, run!”
My rejection of his command is cut off with a scream of pain as Linc’s fingers twist through my hair at the back of my head and he yanks me backwards off of Christian. I feel his hands trying to wrap around me, to pull me back and away from my husband, so once again I begin fighting against him as if my life depended on it. Because Christian’s life does.
“No, no, no!” I scream, kicking him away and scratching against the marble floor to try and crawl my way back to Christian. His hand secures around my ankle and he pulls, hard, dragging me away again. My hands leave blood colored streaks across the floor as I search for something, anything to grab onto.
There’s nothing. And I am no match for Linc’s strength.
He leans down over the top of me and takes hold of my arms, finally pinning me to the floor. “You want to do this the hard way? Good. The harder you fight me, the more you struggle, the harder I get.” He grinds his pelvis into, proving he’s not speaking metaphorically. I start to sob as grief and terror begin to overwhelm me and he shifts his grip, holding both of my wrists above my head with one hand and subduing the rest of my body with his. I feel his free hand come down and begin to grope my breasts over my bra and then he leans in to drag his tongue over the lobe of my ear. “Should we start now? Maybe Christian should see the first time. That way, he won’t have to imagine what’s happening to you later. He’ll know, and he’ll get to feel what it’s like to have everything he’s ever wanted or cared about stolen away from him. Just like he did to me. I want him to wake up every morning knowing that I have what’s his. That I have you.”
“Ple-ease… let me go.”
He groans. “Fuck yes. Beg me to stop, Ana. God, you’re going to be fun. Mmm, it’s been a long time since I’ve had pussy as young as yours. I can’t wait to taste it.”
His hand moves away from my breast and then moves down. At first, I think he’s going to try and remove my panties, but when he reaches into his own pants and pulls out a syringe with clear liquid inside from his pocket, the fear that bursts inside of me is so much more palpable than anything I could have ever imagined. Whatever he tries, I can still fight him. I can still try to escape. I can still try to stop him. That needle is the kill switch to whatever hope there is left.
I squirm and thrash beneath him but his grip is so sure, it doesn’t even seem like he notices me struggling. He lifts the syringe to his mouth and uses his teeth to pull off the cap, then twists it in his hand and brings it down hard and fast into my thigh. I scream both from pain and defiance, but he’s only pushed the plunger halfway down when something hard hits him and he’s knocked onto the ground at my side, ripping the needle from my skin.
My head swims and my eyelids start to feel extremely heavy. It’s like a fog that has taken hold of my consciousness that I can’t shake away. It makes everything around me feel like a dream that I’ll only half remember in the morning.
With great deal of effort, I turn my head toward the movement I can see out of the corner of my eye and realize that the thing that hit him was Christian. He has Linc pinned beneath him and he hits him across the face so hard it sends a splatter of blood from his mouth across the pristine floor.
“No one threatens my wife,” Christian growls. He lifts his fist to punch him again, but Linc strikes first, hitting him in the side where he’s been wounded by the bullet. Christian lets out a horrifying yell, filled with pain, and it’s exactly the opportunity Linc needs. He shoves Christian away and then clamors over the top of him before he begins delivering his own rain of blows. A voice far in the back of my head screams at me to do something, to intervene, but my body is so heavy with the drug that I can’t get anything to move. Everything in my field of vision starts to move, like the colorful swirl of light on the surface of a bubble. I shake my head again, fighting desperately to stay alert, but it’s getting harder.
“Ana.” The almost ghostly sounding call comes from the other side of the room and when I turn to look, I see Luke struggling to pull himself across the floor.
“Luke!” I gasp with relief. He’s hurt, I can see that in his face and the way he can barely move, but he’s alive. And alive is help…
With a heavy groan, he pulls his hand back and then thrusts something forward at me. As it skitters to a stop at my side, I can only just make out that it’s a gun. My eyes move back to him, panting and struggling to stay conscious through the pain of his wounds, and I realize that he’s giving me the weapon because he’s not going to be able to get close enough or aim well enough in his state to be sure he won’t hit Christian.
But how could I?
I reach for it, struggling against the blackness that is trying desperately to cloud over my eyes, and wrap my hand around the handle of the gun. It’s heavy, maybe too heavy for me to lift while I’m fighting off the sedative, but before I even have the chance to turn back to the life or death fight taking place only feet away from me, another gunshot rings through the apartment.
And then everything goes black.
wishingmrgreywashere 
Hey can you please give me the run down of what happened in chapter 48.
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It WAS Andrew Lincoln. He wanted Christian to PAY and experience EVERYTHING that he went through. Which meant he was going to rape Ana. He injected Ana with a date rape drug, but Christian, even AFTER being shot himself, fought Andrew long enough for someone ELSE to come in and shoot a gun, before Ana falls unconscious.
But FIRST, Gia turned out to be Andrew’s daughter. She never wanted a Grey man, after all. She just wanted daddy’s love. BUT when Christian grabbed Gia and basically told Andrew that he would trade daughter for daughter (Calliope), ANDREW shot his OWN daughter, telling Christian that NOTHING meant more to him then his revenge against Christian.
And KOMMER was in a relationship with Gia. So he did it all for her, and Andrew then shot Kommer. BUT ANDREW obviously FORGOT THAT HE NEEDED KOMMER TO STOP THE ELEVATOR from running. So SOMEONE came into the apartment and (probably) just shot Andrew Lincoln!
Oh yeah, Sawyer was shot THREE TIMES by Gia, but is still (barely) alive and was able to slide a gun to Ana. But the date rape drug made it too impossible for Ana to use the gun before she passed out.
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Oh my fucking god!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I FUCKING CANTEEN MOVE OR BREATHE! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT??? UFFFFFFF SCARED THE SHIT OUTTA ME, I AM TRULY SPEECHLESS I DUNNO WHAT TO SAY.. OH GOD I JUST HOPE NOTHING HAPPENS TO CHRISTASIA THEY BETTER BE FINE AND ALSO TO LUKE!
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MY WHOLE BODY IS SHAKING , I FEEL AS IF IT HAPPENED IN FRONT OF MY OWN EYES! GOD TARA, KUDOS TO YOU GIRL FOR SUCH AMAZING WRITING!
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Omg omg omg omg. What happens next I️ need to know!!!!!
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AHHHHH, I AM LITERALLY SHAKING, THIS CHAPTER SCARED AND HORRIFIED THE FUCK OUTTA ME!
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I had a chill when I saw the image with the blood. Speechless. I knew it was Linc but I did not expect to see how deranged he was. I don’t have any theories now, I only hope everyone is alright.
I’m crying, and I know most of them will be fine but I do not know if Christian or Luke will really survive.
Would it be too much to ask for a sneek before next Monday? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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They all said he was crazy.
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Knowing it and really seeing it’s different. Brw, I thought that he was going to get to rape Ana, but like I said in the warning post, I couldn’t imagine any way Christian would let it happen…
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Crazy is a compliment to Linc, he really was a psychopath. He only saw that Christian had sexual relations with Elena, but not the fact that she was a pedophile who raped and abused a 15 years old kid and involved him in a lifestyle that wasn’t for kids.
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GigiM,
I can’t say enough bad about Andrew Lincoln. Calling him a “psychopath” is almost too kind. A “psychopath” can actually make it WORK for him, in that a psychopath will just try to do what he can get away with BUT won’t risk HIMSELF in the process.
HERE, Andrew Lincoln’s “revenge/consequences” was to try to rape Ana for FOUR YEARS, try to get her pregnant, and HOPE that the child actually managed to kill Ana in the process. AND he thought that was somehow justice, when HE was a full adult and Ana an innocent. PLUS, he didn’t care ANYTHING for his OWN daughter, even when she had committed heinous CRIMES on his behalf! I mean, Gia literally allowed her father to pawn her out to sleep with Elliot when she had no real interest in him at all. She did it ALL for HER FATHER. And he rewarded her with a bullet, JUST to show Christian that she “meant nothing” to him if he couldn’t get his revenge.
Which means that Andrew Lincoln probably never REALLY tried to help Christian back in the day—he just didn’t want Elena getting away with “pulling one over” on him, when he, himself, had OBVIOUSLY had extramarital affairs, just as Elena said.
So I see Andrew Lincoln as being a sociopath as well as being diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder AND borderline personality disorder (where you can ONLY see anything through YOUR OWN eyes and can’t or won’t empathize with anyone else). YES, Andrew Lincoln went “insane” in the process, but that seems to be out of obsession that someone kept getting the best of him.
At the end of the day, Christian never set out to deliberately hurt Andrew Lincoln. Andrew Lincoln, however, not only set out to hurt Christian, BUT he tried to cause pain to as many people as possible in the process. Even his most loyal were nothing more than cannon fodder for him. So he was just REALLY evil BY CHOICE.
What is sad is that Andrew Lincoln’s actions at least got rid of about everyone left that could be of any threat to Christian or Ana. So in the end, he actually HELPED get rid of the other snake-in-the-grass people in Christian’s company AND personal life! But CRAZY can never be Andrew’s excuse—he KNEW what he was doing was WRONG, but he chose to move forward anyway.
(And THERE is the difference between Christian and Andrew—Christian never intentionally harmed Andrew, even when taking his business from him. HOWEVER, Christian’s LACK of feeling or thought for how Andrew WOULD be harmed, at least as far as the affair with Elena goes, was that Christian was still A CHILD when it all went down. AND he was psychologically manipulated by an expert, who KNEW how to be the perfect predator. ALL of which was KNOWN by Andrew, YET Andrew thought he was “entitled” to revenge, despite his OWN affairs. So Andrew DESERVES the ending I’m sure he will get. ANDREW made the choice of KILLING all those that DID seek to love him and keep him alive. So it is only FITTING that Christian’s people and family —Taylor and Ray–be the ones to come in and take Andrew out.)
AND I hope Sawyer makes it. He probably didn’t even try to fight Kommer off when he first put the gun to him and demanded that he come into Escala because Sawyer HOPED to be given a chance to defend Ana and Christian, once let in to the penthouse. And he kept fighting, even AFTER being shot three times at point-blank range. So I hope he survives. I really do.
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OMG I’m gonna be sick with anxiousness under the next chapter is posted.
Tara you are brillant!
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I am hoping and praying Christian and Luke survives, it will kill ana is something happens to either christian or luke. Please please dont let anything happen to them.
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Yep, I knew it was Andrew Lincoln.
At this point, I’m hoping that Kommer or Gia or SOMEONE just shot Lincoln.
And yeah, that was a painful chapter to read, as I figured that Lincoln was going to try to hurt Ana to retaliate for what Christian did with Elena. I’m literally trembling all over, since there was seemingly nothing there near the end that could help Ana.
BUT the fact that GIA SAID ANA’S DAD CALLED made me believe that it was because Ray was on the way with Taylor, having figured out that it was ANDREW behind everything.
So I’m assuming RAY was on the other end of that gun. Or Taylor.
Just wow. I need to stop shaking first before I can comment further.
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They probably would have heard the ping of the elevator. But I hope that that is the case… I think that Ana ended shoting, but in her state we couldn’t know if she hit Lincoln or Christian.
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Or maybe Christian got to shot Lincoln with his gun…
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Also, Linc still has a gun too.
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But Lincoln isn’t likely to shoot Christian with a kill blow unless there IS no other option. After all, HOW could Christian suffer then? Andrew wants him conscious enough to SEE his violation of Ana, so he isn’t likely to be shooting to kill.
AND I am still betting on the SHOT coming from Ray or Taylor. BOTH are military trained and may have forced the elevator open from the roof and climbed down into the penthouse, ALL without triggering the elevator. So Kommer MAY have actually had time to turn OFF the elevator. So while the elevator may not have MOVED, that doesn’t mean that Ray or Taylor couldn’t pry it open and come through it.
The MISSED CALL from Ray is because he and Taylor figured it out AND realized that Ana was in danger. AND we all ASSUMED that the helicopter was Andrew’s ride, when it MIGHT have been Taylor and Ray.
But the REALITY is that SOMEONE probably just got shot. AND I am going to believe that it was a bad guy until told otherwise. The TIMING of that call from Ray is too TELLING to me for it to be otherwise.
Sawyer, at least, is still alive. Probably fleeting to hope he lives through this, but Taylor survived a shootout, so I can hope that Sawyer does as well.
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Just remember there was a Plan B…we just don’t know what it is yet. Would imagine it involved Ray, Taylor and possibly Carter.
I’m concerned about Callie’s hearing. Yikes.
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I agree. The first thought that came to my mind was Ray or Taylor.
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Oh Fuck Me what a chapter unbelievable Tara somuch has been cleared up what a clifee
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OMG – so good – more – please dont make us wait a week.
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Oh God God God.. You cannot leave me like this hanging.. Please please please please please please please please please nothing happens to the baby she been crying.. Since Ray can’t talk to Ana hope he try to contact CG or Luke n he contact Welch and let there be someone come n help them.. Please need to know what happen next..
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I’m betting Ray was calling Ana to tell her that he and Taylor had figured it out. They realized that JANE DOE was Gia—after all, CHRISTIAN wasn’t surprised to see Gia and apparently already KNEW that she was “Jane Doe.”
And it is BECAUSE he couldn’t reach his daughter that Ray obviously FEARED the worst. AFTER ALL, Ray and Taylor couldn’t reach SAWYER in the end, either.
THAT is where Andrew Lincoln ACTUALLY FAILED the most in his plot—sending Kommer down to bring Sawyer up. Because Sawyer was NOT going to come into Escala for an hour. And anyone getting Sawyer would have been assured that Ana and Christian was fine. But Kommer’s being behind Sawyer means that he had gone down to where Sawyer was and brought him back up to the penthouse at gunpoint. WHICH meant that Sawyer was UNABLE to respond to Ray OR TAYLOR. And he would NEVER do that UNLESS HE WAS IN TROUBLE.
SO WHEN RAY WAS UNABLE TO REACH ANA, HE UNDOUBTEDLY TRIED SAWYER. Which clued EVERYONE in to Ana and Christian’s danger.
So Taylor used his time to hack the rest and realized that it was Andrew Lincoln. So he checked himself out of the hospital and flew straight to Seattle. Then came directly to Escala, probably by chopper, because it was quicker. So THEY were the helicopter on the roof. And even IF Kommer had managed to turn OFF the elevator, then the elevator would have STILL been on the penthouse level, meaning that Ray just had to open up the elevator hatch and then pry open the penthouse doors, ALL without triggering the elevator’s “ping,” since it had been turned OFF.
So my bet is that RAY just came in to save the day. And he WON’T go easy on Lincoln, seeing what he OBVIOUSLY intended to do to his daughter!
So my feeling is that the NEXT chapter will begin with Ana waking up in the hospital. Because while we all SUSPECT it was a date-rape drug that she was injected with, Christian and Ray would want to make SURE. PLUS, Christian has to go to the hospital anyway, due to being shot.
(And Tara already confirmed Christian lived by accident in a comment that she made WAY back when about Christian dealing with Calliope as a teenager. It was actually ANA that we never had a confirmation that she would survive all this.)
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Don’t say it too loud thay maybe Tara reads it and get to change her mind. Hush!
Really, thanks for saying it… I know he has to survive because he’s too awesome and too cute and too sex on legs to die, but having some type of confirmation would be good.
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I’m usually a silent reader but OMFG! As I was reading I could picture everything in my head. This chapter had me on the edge of my seat and causing me to pause and say “What the Fuck?!” Please can we fast forward to next Monday or could you give us a sneak? Pretty please with a Christian on top?
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I’m usually a silent reader but OMFG! As I was reading I could picture everything in my head. This chapter had me on the edge of my seat and causing me to pause and say “What the Fuck?!” Please can we fast forward to next Monday or could you give us a sneak? Pretty please with a Christian on top?
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There are no words!! I won’t be able to make a whole week. Incredible.
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Holy shit… My heart was in my throat this whole chapter. Amazing. Amazing! Sawyer. Christian. Ana. I hope they all survive. Just wow. Can’t tell you how many times I was trying to hold back my tears reading this. Super anxious for the next chapter. I don’t think I can wait till Next week
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The fact that Sawyer was able to still move AND even plan and communicate with Ana indicated to me that nothing major was hit, although he could still die from blood loss, infection, shock, etc. is he isn’t gotten to a hospital quick. You can only lose so much blood before you die, but the fact that Sawyer hadn’t gone into shock yet seems to be a good thing. At least it is reason to HOPE, assuming that the good guys arrived and just shot Andrew Lincoln.
My concern is that Ana DID fall unconscious in the end, which may have come if Andrew’s gun went off prior to him being finished off. After all, his LAST thought would be to make Christian PAY, so he would aim for Ana.
Believe it or not, though, the drug in Ana’s system could be like what happens to a drunk in a car accident—the drunk often survives due to the alcohol keeping the person calm, rather than going into shock or flailing around. And wtih the calvary here now (I refuse to believe otherwise), then the helicopter can be used to get people to the hospital quickly.
But Sawyer’s refusal to quit trying to protect Ana means he was exhausting what little strength he had AND probably accelerating his blood loss. BUT help should be on the way now, so I REALLY hope he lives.
But with everything that happened, Flynn will be seeing A LOT of Ana and Christian for the foreseeable future. And probably the whole Grey family, given how Gia was treated as part of the family, even when no one could really stand her. PLUS, when you know that even your SECURITY was compromised, it will make it hard to trust new people.
But RAY should know some ex-military people that he fought with and can recommend to Taylor and Christian. So THAT would be the way to go with new security people. Because you KNOW that Ray will have EARNED the right to be a part of security recommendations. (Because I’m STILL assuming that he and Taylor figured out everything AND came charging in to the rescue. After what happened to Carla, Ray is OWED the right to be the one to SHOOT ANDREW dead!)
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ToriK…..thinking Sawyer had a bullet proof vest on….Ana didn’t see blood from him, just that he fell after being shot. I hear taking a bullet with one of those things on STILL hurts like a MFer and be took THREE shots. Yeesh.
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I said the same, there was no description of blood and Ana is big on describing every detail. I think the impact obviously made him unconscious and I think Sawyer was waiting for something big to happen.
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Allie and TNJ,
I’m hoping you are both right, but you would THINK that Kommer would CHECK to see if Sawyer was wearing a vest. AND since Sawyer was EXPECTING a possible shootout earlier, he SHOULD have been wearing a vest, quite frankly, and should NOT have had the chance to take it off.
HOWEVER, the concern I had with the “vest” theory is that Sawyer seemed unable to get the gun himself, so had to try to knock it over to Ana, even KNOWING that she was obviously unable to fully control her actions after being drugged. The LAST thing he would want to do was give Andrew another gun, particularly if Sawyer didn’t have any other guns left to access.
The “clue” that Sawyer might just HAVE had a vest or some protection is that Sawyer let Kommer take him. After all, Sawyer could have used any number of moments from the garage to the elevator to take advantage of trying to fight Kommer for the gun. After all, the elevator of Escala is not that big of a space, and Sawyer could have lunged backwards at some point and probably gotten the gun away.
HOWEVER, Sawyer NEEDED to get into Escala, and he probably assumed that Andrew Lincoln would have the elevator covered. So Sawyer probably LET Kommer take him so that he could get back into Escala and have a chance to help Ana and Christian and Calliope. (After all, Sawyer truly LOVES baby Calliope, and he would WANT Kommer to think that he was unarmed or completely surprised by Kommer’s showing up with a gun trained on him.)
Gia STILL shot Sawyer at point-blank range. Even a bullet-proof vest can do only so much. So we just don’t yet know how injured Sawyer is. BUT I want to believe that Sawyer being able to move around and do as much as he has so far, AFTER Gia had shot him, means that he didn’t take the FULL impact of the three bullets (or Gia’s aim was pathetic and missed all the major organs and arteries).
But given that everyone was EXPECTING an attack, Sawyer SHOULD have been wearing that vest. I can’t imagine ANYONE going into a possible abduction/gun-battle scenario WITHOUT a vest, ESPECIALLY when they were so short-staffed on security. So let’s HOPE that Sawyer is injured but okay.
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Holy shit….I have chills from the intensity of this chapter! I hope the missed call from Ray means they figured something out and called for reinforcements to go check on everyone…but I don’t know who is left. Maybe he and Taylor had time to make it to Seattle and get to Escala in time. How great would it be if it was Mia who ultimately saves her family after keeping so many secrets….but why would she be there with a gun? So many different possibilities going through my head! As others have said, please don’t make us wait a week! You truly outdid yourself this time!! Wow!
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MIa wouldn’t have a way to get into Escala. And I wouldn’t wish her seeing that amount of carnage on top of all that she has been through. AND Christian would probably never forgive himself if MIA, too, was dragged into all that.
Plus, Mia doesn’t know how to fire a gun. BUT RAY does, and he and Taylor BOTH are ex-military. AND I imagine Ray was ALREADY on his way when they learned that “Gresham” was supposedly planning things for that night.
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Holy. Fuck. (that was awesome)
I know you gave us a trigger warning, but I didn’t know I was going to need a Xanax, my blankie and session with a therapist. Wow!
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Hah, Jacque! Love it.
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Wow!!! This chapter was so intense!!! Never would have guessed it! Amazing amazing update! Now I’m dying to know who ended up getting shot!
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I’m banking it was Andrew that just got shot. AND Taylor AND Ray are BOTH due the right to put bullets in Andrew Lincoln. After all, Taylor has lost almost EVERYONE in his direct chain of command, and he took Kommer onto his security staff. And Andrew was literally in the process of trying to violate Ray’s daughter, so Ray was OWED getting to shoot the man.
And I’m hoping Taylor DID figure it all out in the end, with Ray’s help, given all the security mistakes thta had been made that nearly cost TAYLOR his life. Like I said, those men are DUE being able to take down Andrew Lincoln.
(I just hope Christian was out of the way of the flying bullets, but I can’t see Taylor risking taking Christian out in the process. We just don’t yet know if Andrew got ahold of his gun again before being completely taken out.)
But Ana may have gotten a shot off herself, for all we know. We will just have to wait for next chapter to determine JUST who killed Andrew Lincoln. Because I DO think the calvary arrived, with guns blazing!
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Sawyer has been shot three times. ONLY if the bullets, by some miracle, missed organs and major arteries will he have a chance to survive, AND only if help comes quickly.
A HELICOPTER has arrived, and that MAY be Linc’s intended ride. HOWEVER, it could ALSO have been Taylor and Ray. AFTER ALL, GIA COMMENTED that Ana missed a call from her father. For RAY TO HAVE CALLED THEN, it was to undoubtedly WARN Ana and tell her that he was on the way.
The fact that Ray did NOT receive a return call was probably ALL the verification he needed that Andrew Lincoln was already there. I figure Taylor and Ray used their time in the hospital to FINALLY crack the codes, which undoubtedly led to GIA and ANDREW LINCOLN.
So I’m going to assume the GOOD GUYS have triumphed. AND that Ana will wake in the hospital to learn that Andrew Lincoln is dead. Because NO ONE would blame Ray for shooting Lincoln, given the state that Ana is in.
WHERE was Christian shot? I don’t think I can re-read this chapter, as icky-painful as it was, to determine that. I’m assuming that Lincoln would DELIBERATELY shoot Christian in a way MEANT to leave him alive, in order for Christian to be tortured, knowing what Andrew had planned for his wife.
And the SAD thing is that ANDREW was correct in saying that he WAS once a good man, in that he TRIED to protect Christian. He even admits that his company had ceased to mean anything to him AND that he was well-compensated. BUT he could NEVER get past Christian having benefitted and gotten the best of him with Elena at his side AND never having suffered the consequences.
But Elena WAS right that Andrew had cheated on her over the years AND that he had a child. Elena MIGHT have even been trying to give Christian a “hint” about Gia. BUT Andrew supposedly DID kill Elena, AND made sure her death was particularly horrendous. I can’t feel any sorrow for Elena, particularly as she chose NOT to help herself by giving Christian Andrew’s identity when she had the chance. ELENA is the one who TRULY died over MONEY, as Elena would have LIVED had she just FREELY given the name to Christian.
But Gia was one more sick puppy. Sadly, she had SO MUCH going for her. And you DO feel a little sorry for her, in that she apparently did it all for the love of her father. She had a man that loved her and apparently didn’t mind that HER FATHER LITERALLY PIMPED HER OUT TO ELLIOT. I mean, seriously? HOW did Kommer still love someone who was willing to do this kind of sick stuff?
So Kommer and Gia got what was coming to them both. I really hope neither of them survived. And I REALLY hope that Andrew Lincoln doesn’t survive. But I can’t imagine Ray allowing Andrew to live, anyway, after what he was obviously fixing to do to Ana.
But yeah, I THINK IT IS RAY AND TAYLOR coming into Escala. And Christian can clue them in on Andrew’s people still coming to pick him up. And the POLICE can’t IGNORE all the bodies in the apartment. I REALLY HOPE that Christian gets the policemen that Andrew bribed FIRED AND prosecuted, given the extent of carnage and loss of human life.
Still just wow. I hope Ana AND Calliope won’t have any long-term damage, but I imagine Ana will need some extensive therapy. As will Christian. After all, Christian now has to live with the knowledge that he seemingly started Andrew Lincoln on a REALLY DARK path. BUT Andrew is still responsible for HIS OWN choices, which were FAR worse and did FAR MORE damage than Christian’s ever did!
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So, now that it’s all out, I have one major question for you. Obviously, you’ve known who it was the whole time but you’ve also said that I find a way to make something shocking happen at the end. So, even though you knew it was Linc, did I shock you?
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Uhhhhh….YEAH, consider us shocked, Tara. As in zapped, electrified, stunned.
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I was shocked either way, even knowing it was Linc. Just so you know.
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YES, because I had convinced myself that GIA was Andrew’s NEW MISTRESS. After all, she was blond like Elena. So I figured that he had wanted some young Elena look-alike to mold into his perfect match. I had figured that Christian would try to come in between the two by pointing out to Gia what Andrew planned to do with Ana, and that Andrew would want to REPLACE Gia with Ana in the end to try to turn Gia against Andrew. And THEN Andrew would shoot Gia and take her out of the equation!
Under the above, I was just wondering if Gia had WILLINGLY become Andrew’s mistress, or if she had been twisted into becoming JUST like Elena, in other words, because ANDREW did to her what Elena had done to Christian. THAT seemed to me to be where the story was going. (I figured Andrew had wanted to make HIMSELF into an Elena-type, which in the end, he actually WAS preparing to do. And THEN some, as Elena AT LEAST made Christian THINK that what they were doing was consensual.
So I 1) expected Andrew to come waltzing into Escala, 2) expected Kommer to have been working for him all along, AND 3) expected Gia was working with Andrew. BUT I did NOT expect Gia to be ANDREW’S DAUGHTER. Even though Elena OBVIOUSLY threw that clue in back at the prison. I figured THAT clue was just the “red herring.” NOT the actual way this was all possible!
AND I didn’t know WHERE exactly Kommer fit into all this. I NEVER expected him to be WITH GIA. ESPECIALLY being a security officer while Gia was pimped out to Elliot. I mean, WHAT KIND of guy is okay with that???? Makes you wonder what kind of sick and twisted past KOMMER has! OR what Gia said to him to make him THINK that it was okay to do all this.
So the Andrew-daughter angle NEVER occurred to me. Which threw me off, wondering HOW Gia would be killed. However, I LOVED that it was ANDREW who shot Gia. After all, with all the heartless betrayal going around, I couldn’t see HOW Gia could remain loyal, no matter what. Gia really WAS a cold-hearted witch. Makes you wonder at HER full background and WHY she was willing to do so much for a man that so heartlessly threw HER away a long time ago!
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Okay, good. Your spot on analysis all these months has made me question my ability to plot. Haha!
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Wow this is interesting because I still didn’t quite believe it was Andrew because I do need it explained to me how he had the resources originally to pay off people like he did?
And how did Ana and particularly Christian not know the voice from the recording Sawyer got from the graduation. That’s what screwed with me for sometime because it was Linc on the line not a lackey and I can kinda understand Ana not knowing but Christian grew up with him and heard this recording as well. That’s why I always doubted it being definitely Linc. Though it all makes sense to the why it would be him and h had all the right motivations etc but I hope you can get why it was a bit for me ‘a really moment’ that it actually was Linc. I just assumed somone from Ana’s past because they expected her to know their voice.
But did you shock me with how it played out yes you did!
I kinda wondered when Gia was revealed and it seemed obvious that Christian knew it was Linc that it all made sense from Elena’s comment in jail about Linc which at the time of reading an rereading it made me wonder that even though she wanted money and wasn’t giving up a name unless she was paid she hinted Linc had children, which made me think she knew who Gia was his but was also giving Christian a sort of hint to who Me C was. I assumed if it was Linc then a surprise child would be used. How did Taylor/Welch not know about Kommer and Gia’s ast through. Ackground checks?
I knew everyone else was a pawn who ever it was and they were all a means to an end. When Elena said there is ‘nothing that won’t stop him’, we’ll never words spoken truer. The fact he killed Gia proved that and well Kommer had the opportunity because we all knew by this stage whomever Mr C was saw everyone as collateral damage.
I am certainly not making excuses for Linc because he is every sense of the mentality deranged what’s ever out there he is all of them a psychopath, sociopath etc but I guess the clue for me was in the out take from Andrew side about how vulnerable he thought Christian was and he would do everything to help him after what Elena did to Christian. However, yes Christian did make Linc loose half his fortune but he must of known that the kind of relationship Elena had with Christian was unhealthy not just because he was underage but that she used BDSM on him as minor to manipulate him. Linc knew what Christian had dealt with and saw him grow up and he know all the bad stuff from Carrick and Grace. Any sexual relationship with an adult and minor goes without saying is wrong but let’s face it Elena crossed a line. Also, how did Linc not know his wife had a dungeon in their home? Like I said not making excuses but it was like he wanted Christian to learn a harsh lesson because essentially if it wasn’t for Christian lying on the stand he’d never had GEH and I guess Linc despite everything gave Christian a choice family or money, I wish Christian hadn’t tried to play hero and I guess like most normal people he assumed Linc would want to save his own child but again as Elena said nothing will stop him and Gia was another example of this. I hope people know I am not defending a mental Linc but I can see why he did what he did. I’d love to know what happened for Linc to be able to carry out such an elaborate plan because even if he is still alive I am pretty sure everyone that was helping him is dead now?
Whatever escape plan Linc had I don’t think he cared if he died, but died knowing that he had hurt Christian by hurting Ana in front of him -truly deranged!
I did love the bit though when Sawyer walked in and Gia went Baby? Not realising Kommer was behind. You really had me there. I think while we all wanted to know who Mr C for me it was who was trustworthy. That whole thing with Welch, Barney and Roz showed that the seeds of doubt were easily cast given Christian’s trust issues -smartplay on Elena for her part in trying for Christian demise but in the end it sounded like Linc gave her gruesome death which she deserved on so many levels. I hated Elena fucking Lincoln and prison was never good enough for her, she is someone whose death actually makes the world a better place.
In the trigger warning section I made the comment I wanted everyone to suffer slowly by being locked up Hannibal Lecter style never to see the light of Day with all privileges denied. However, after reading this chapter I am sure Gia, Kommer and Linc are dead and you know what I am fine with that actually. Christian made some bad choices but those choices were guided to him by a manipulative bitch who was a friend of the family, who played on his fears as a child of abandonment that carried over to adulthood, she told him he was unloveable and she made his life hell when he finally realised that he was was allowed to love and be loved back. After all Christian and Ana are both only 22 and ate parents at that I think they have had their fair share of bloodshed and it’s time for them to have some fun, be parents to their beautiful little baby and get on with a life without drama. God I could go another book with just pure warm and fuzzies for them right now where the biggest drama is that they are both late for work because they have had all night hot sex,!, because they have had enough drama not just in this moment in time but in general. Christian has dealt with so much from his birth mother and her pimp, to Elena molesting him and then manipulating him so that he had no relationship with his family for many years and then of course his break up with Ana. Ana too lost her real father so young, was then put in a situation of an abusive step parent and Carla was never the best mother to her even if she did love her in her own way she still always put Ana second. I mean they are only just 22 they are practically babies themselves in lots of ways. I think it’s time for Ana and Christian to live a happy life, enjoy all the pleasures life has to offer them and be rewarded because they have both worked hard despite everything and have a new born who we all know we want to see them have more children and grow old together.
Ok this may be of left field but Linc’s appearance and his commment ‘I’m no longer a man anymore – is Linc transitioning?
Oh and I think Like had protective vest on and Plan B is Ray and Taylor. I think Ray just shot Lincnin the head?!?!? And if so good riddance he deserved to die I wish more painfully though.
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If it isn’t money, then what triggered Lincoln to take such drastic measures??
Considering he was d 1 who first disclosed Elena’s deeds in d open. coming out 4 yrs later doesn’t makes sense.
Also m still confused y d police didn’t help Christian??
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I knew it was gonna be Linc. After you showed it wasn’t Hyde I just knew it! What a great chapter God you’re a great writer!
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annu43,
Elena directed Andrew Lincoln to GRESHAM, Christian’s financial advisor. When Christian thought he was going to jail at the end of ABSOF, he had Gresham set up a secret, off-shore account for ANA that contained 65 million dollars.
So Christian trusted Gresham, NOT KNOWING that Gresham had been a CLIENT of Elena’s bar AND had been the man that tried to rape Mia. IN FACT, Gresham would have KNOWN that Christian did NOT know about him being a client of Elena’s, since Christian set up the account with him. Christian EXPECTED his assets to be seized if he was found guilty, so the SECRET account would have been known ONLY to Gresham. BUT Gresham told Elena, obviously.
So Elena KNEW where to tell Andrew Lincoln to find the funds. Gresham could be BLACKMAILED, as ELENA obviously knew his identity and had NOT disclosed it to Christian.
AND ANDREW CONFIRMED in this chapter as well that he had the SUBSTANTIAL buyout price for his company as well. He had been HANDSOMELY compensated previously, BUT ANDREW WANTED TO SPEND CHRISTIAN’S OWN MONEY in the conspiracy against him, so he used GRESHAM to get the 65 million.
So the money PAID for all the surveillance work and monitoring anything Grey-related. BUT THEN Mia LEARNED Gresham’s name when she saw him speak on television. Gresham got REALLY scared that Mia would REVEAL his name to Christian, and Andrew would then KILL him to keep him from talking. So THAT is when Gresham used some of the surveillance footage to try to SCARE Mia into silence.
NOW, this is MY theory, based on Lincoln’s comments:
Andrew Lincoln expected to WIN and EMBARRASS Elena in court by having it REVEALED that she had used BDSM on a MINOR. Andrew COULD NOT TAKE anyone “getting the best of him” and pulling the wool over his eyes. HE SAW CHRISTIAN AS A VICTIM, UNTIL Christian screwed him over by LYING ON THE STAND.
Christian’s LIE made Andrew suffer a HUMILIATING defeat in court AND lose HALF his assets, since Elena would NOT trigger he pre-nuptial agreement clause of forfeiting ALL the money due to having an AFFAIR.
AND Andrew LOST the trial BECAUSE ELENA PAID CHRISTIAN from ANDREW’S OWN BANK ACCOUNT. That was WHY Andrew was so “hung up” on the 100 thousand dollars. WHICH Christian then used to START HIS OWN COMPANY. And that SAME company later took Andrew’s company, WITH ELENA’S HELP.
So Andrew, who is OBVIOUSLY outraged when a WOMAN gets the best of him (after all, this was the man that REFUSED to allow Elena to work, even though she had her masters degree from PRINCETON), just LOSES IT that Christian has seemingly put his past with Elena behind him AND STILL WORKS with her and listens to her FINANCIALLY. (So CHRISTIAN had enough sense to use Elena’s business acumen to his advantage.)
So Andrew LOST everything, was humiliated, ALL because CHRISTIAN flippantly allowed ELENA to destroy him, beginning with the trial. AND ANDREW INFORMED CARRICK, his attorney, with the information that CHRISTIAN got the hundred thousand dollars. And Carrick did nothing to report Christian for the felony crimes of taking a bribe and committing perjury. BUT ANDREW DID NOTHING as well, probably because he was so HUMILIATED that it was HIS OWN MONEY that was used.
So Andrew COULD NOT STAND TO LOSE TO a woman AND a kid, as Christian had BARELY obtained adulthood, quite frankly. AND it rankled him to KEEP losing to Elena and Christian, PARTICULARLY since he tried to help get Christian AWAY from ELena.
SO ANdrew may have even felt PLAYED since the beginning. AND he thought Christian basically CONDONED HIS OWN ABUSE in EXCHANGE for money. AFTER ALL, Elena’s contract PROMISED Christian money later on in exchange for the “services” being given to her, so Andrew probably came to see Christian as Elena’s prostitute.
Andrew obviously could NOT See Christian being a victim anymore after all the damage Christian had done to him. AND to his oWN family. I mean, Christian seemingly chose Elena AND MONEY over EVERYTHING, including Ana and family.
So Andrew seemingly saw Christian as being a cutthroat money-loving businessman above all else. THAT is why Andrew FIRST tried to isolate Christian AND STEAL GEH out from under him. Andrew wanted Christian to “feel” the pain he felt. HOWEVER, raping Ana for YEARS, as he planned to do, and KILLING people was NEVER something that Christian ever did. BUT ANDREW was using anYTHING to justify his revenge fantasies and lust for Ana.
Andrew was a REAL sick puppy in the end, and seemingly Elena’s equal in attrocities. BUT JUST LIKE ELENA OBSESSED FOR YEARS in taking Andrew’s company from him AND using Christian to do it JUST TO GET “REVENGE,” she apparently failed to realize how ANDREW was PLANNING THE SAME.
Hope the ABOVE explains why Andrew became OBSESSED with Christian’s LIE at the trial that allowed ELENA to get teh best of him. And Christian’s SUCCESSES, while Andrew felt OSTRACIZED by the community he previously controlled/headed, in face of Andrew’s FAILURES AND ISOLATION just broke him. Andrew could let NOTHING go. (Neither could Elena, which was AGAIN another reason why they were so PERFECTLY paired!) Andrew’s sense of “entitlement” and privilege AND feeling of being “wronged” just became too much for him and overwhelmed him. Leading to his insanity and compulsion for revenge no matter WHAT it cost or who died in the process!
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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD LORD CAN’T WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONDAY PLEASEEE!!!!!!!¡!!!¡!¡!¡!¡!!
SAWYER THANK GOD!!! 😭😭😭😢😢😢😭😭😢😢😢
PLEASEEEEEE I JUST HOPE NOTHING HAPPENS TO ANA, CHRISTIAN AND CALLIE! PLEASEEEE!! THEY BETTER BE FINE AND LUKE ALSO, PLEASEEEE! I’M STILL SHAKING!!! THIS CHAPTER IS THE MOST HORRIFIED AND SCARED FOR ME! WHAT A CHAPTER! THANK YOU TARA! I’M STILL SHAKING AND MY POOR HEART… PLEASE DONT MAKE US WAIT A WEEK…
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Bravo Tara. Heart wrenching thrilling amazing sad and just WOW!!!
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Omg. You are killing me! ❤️❤️
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🤯😳🤭😲😲😲😲😲😲
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At least it was CONFIRMED that Elena died horribly. And I can’t even feel sorry for her, even though her death would have been PARTICULARLY gruesome, given that it was HER that really STARTED all of this AND WAS RESPONSIBLE for everything that happened as a result of her awful choices.
But I imagine that Christian will STILL feel the blame, particularly after Andrew Lincoln came SO CLOSE to living out his horrific revenge fantasy with Ana. And THAT makes me truly ill, since ANDREW became the VERY kind of predator that his wife had been, when he was previously disgusted by what Elena had done!
But Andrew clearly was hurt by Christian’s taking Elena/Andrew’s MONEY and letting Elena get away with what she had done. AND ensured that Elena walked away with HALF of his assets in the process. AND Andrew confirmed that he had to MOVE due to all that had happened, yet was still pursued by Elena in HER quest for revenge, and she, once again, used Christian to do it.
So I rather hope Christian does NOT get all the money back that he has lost. Quite frankly, it IS blood money now. And Christian SHOULD see what a preoccupation with money causes. After all, it was never MONEY that made Christian truly happy—it was Ana and his family. Christian saw Elena’s original payout as the MEANS to secure the future that he wanted for himself and Ana. Had he just WAITED and graduated Harvard, presumably NONE of this would have happened.
Sadly, though, Elena would have NEVER been taken down. And OTHER victims would have undoubtedly followed. So Christian CAN’T mull over what-if’s. But I still think he will need MANY hours on Flynn’s couch to absolve himself of his part in all of this.
BUT Andrew got the shock of his life, way back when, in discovering how much his wife hated and resented him, AND apparently knew of all his indiscretions, which Andrew just shrugged off, while NEVER being able to forget or forgive when she did the same to HIM. AND Andrew clearly couldn’t ever get over CHRISTIAN getting the best of him either. At some point, Andrew just snapped. So he really WAS as insane as everyone said.
But HOW many people died ultimately over this revenge plot? After all, IN THE END, Andrew showed that he cared for NO ONE other than himself, even his daughter, who LITERALLY LET HIM pimp her out to a man she had NOTHING but contempt for, KNOWING that Gia did it to make him happy. AND Gia’s own “honey,” Kommer, was sent in to WATCH it all happen. Seriously, HOW could Kommer think that he and Gia would get out of this alive after KNOWING what had happened to everyone ELSE?
And I’m wondering HOW the press will cover this. After all, NO ONE knew what Elena had done to Christian previously. Now, the whole sordid mess is likely to be front-page news. HOWEVER, it may be that Christian can spin it as Andrew just wanting revenge for the loss of his company. Hopefully, the rest will NOT be public knowledge, as that could follow poor CALLIOPE around forever.
But after all THIS, it will be no WONDER that Christian and Ana will be hyperprotective of Calliope moving forward. They won’t risk a predator-type getting to HER, if in anyway possible. Let’s just hope that Ana AND Christian understand teh importance of COMMUNICATING wtih Calliope and EXPLAINING why protections are necessary.
But I always expected Andrew to come walking through Christian’s door and that HE would be the one to be the head of the Conspiracy. But I wasn’t expecting GIA to be his daughter. (Quite frankly, with HOW MUCH she acted like Elena, I had expected Gia to be Andrew’s MISTRESS. A new, younger version of Elena that he had taken to REPLACE his ex. AND I’d figured Gia’s “jealousy” over Andrew’s intentions towards Ana would be enough friction to trigger some sort of betrayal.) Gia being Andrew’s daughter SHOULD make more sense, but I just still can’t stop SHUDDERING over teh fact thta Andrew had his OWN daughter use her BODY to attempt to enslave Elliot and come between the brothers. I mean, to go to THAT length? Just ICK! And HOW could Gia even WANT a father that would do that to her?
So Tara made Andrew Lincoln an even WORSE villain that I could even imagine. So he earned that bullet(s) that I suspect Ray just put into him. And I can’t feel for Gia, not after what all she did. And Kommer got his, after all, in seeing Gia killed right in front of him. Serves them all right.
But Calliope’s parents are in NO condition to comfort her right now or for the very near future, as both should be hospital-bound. AND there is literally no security left OTHER than Taylor, who should still be needing some bed-rest.
So Kate and Elliot OR Ray will probably be tasked with caring for Calliope for a few days at least, although Ana will undoubtedly want her daughter by her side as soon as possible. AND Ana will want to be close to Christian. PLUS, I’m still hoping that ANA wasn’t shot as well before Ray could kill Andrew.
My OTHER last wish is that all this is FINALLY the wake-up call that Elliot needs, as Carter truly now seems to have been a good guy. So there IS someone willing to risk everything AND put his OWN needs aside to do the right thing, and a guy like that had already tried to ask Kate to marry him. Kate DESERVES someone that will put her needs above his own petty reasons against real commitment. ANd I hope that Christian is able to make good his promises to Carter and at least provide Carter with real friends and a second family, since it sounds like Carter’s own father fails to value the fact that his son is a GOOD man. I hope Elliot really DOES feel like an idiot over Gia. I really do.
Still reeling. BUT I am not like others who are sweating the next chapter. Ray’s call came in for a REASON, and it was to clue Ana in that they were close. I will maintain THAT belief until told otherwise!
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To me it would seem that Elena were a match made in heaven. I wish they had taken it out on each other then hurting all these people like they both did in the process. Andrew who knows may not have been with young girls that we don’t know of but he has certainly acted like a predator and it makes me wonder if there are more children like Gia who know that he is their father and under what circumstances did their mother become pregnant after what Linc planned to do with Ana?
I would also love a bit more of a back story to Andrew as in the out take where he said he wanted to protect Christian made me think he was a good guy. But know we know he did at least have a child and Elena hinted there were more what do we know about Andrew Lincoln? Did he just really snap because of what Elena did and then blamed Christian for all his loses or was there some deep seeded ugly behaviour we never knew of like we know the backstory of Elena’s past but not Lincs. I always think that predatory behaviour doesn’t just happen there are always signs that it was there. Not to go to back to my favourite topic of harping on about Carrick and Grace being clueless people especially given their professions, but they didn’t see Elena’s behaviour toward their own son and daughter, so what if Andrew Lincoln was the same it’s just we always focused on Elena because we knew she was doing it.
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And THAT is where the “psycopath” and “sociopath” terms come into play. After all, Andrew basically believed his PUBLIC persona of being the wonderful family man, friend and husband. When in reality, he was anything BUT. And he would do ANYTHING to protect his public image. HOWEVER, the divorce not going his way HUMILIATED him. Andrew CLEARLY COULD NOT STAND to lose to a woman! Andrew preferred the “image” that he somehow “rescued” Elena rather than what he ACTUALLY did, which was to refuse to let her work or do anything else but help HIM in social situations, planning parties, looking like EYE CANDY on his arm.
And psycopaths’ have their OWN moral code that applies to the world but NOT them. So ANDREW felt ENTITLED to have affairs, even producing a CHILD that he REFUSED to acknowledge OR support when she was born. YET Andrew wanted a divorce when he found his wife had done the same. So Andrew felt ONE STANDARD APPLIED TO HIM and another to the world.
Andrew was CONSTANTLY away on business and OBVIOUSLY having affairs. And WHERE was GIA’S BIRTH MOTHER in all of this? Andrew could have THREATENED her, making her put the baby up for adoption. AFTER ALL, his “mistress” would have received enough money in CHILD SUPPORT from Andrew to be able to take care of Gia. BUT THE FACT that Gia was put up for ADOPTION makes you wonder if Andrew had this woman “taken care of” to ENSURE that no one learned of his “indiscretions.”
And Andrew was seemingly motivated by REVENGE rather than REALLY helping Christian. Andrew could not stand that ANYONE got the better of him, so he determined that it was “FAIR” for him to take Ana and rape her for 4 years, TRYING to get her pregnant, in the hopes that the child WOULD kill her. And this was FAIRNESS to him???? Ana had NEVER done ANYTHING to him or against him, yet making HER a rape victim was “fair” and “justified” to Andrew!
So Andrew has undoubtedly done ANY NUMBER of crimes over the years. He was even MISTREATING HIS EMPLOYEES at his company, as we learned in ABSOF. But Andrew could turn a “blind eye” to anything HE did AND the crimes that HE committed. AND Andrew could even STILL use Elena, ALL while planning to kill her horribly.
So I’m thinking Andrew had MANY undiscovered crimes, especially as it relates to WOMEN and those employed by him. Yet he could “rationalize” or “excuse” anything he did, while being absolutely intolerable of any OTHER mistakes or slights against him, rather real OR imagined.
And when Andrew’s PUBLIC persona was destroyed, he no longer seemingly found ANY reason to pretend to conform to ANY type of morality at all but what made HIM happy. So since he cared nothing more for how society saw him, Andrew could do ANYTHING that he wanted.
“The Godfather” and Stephen King’s “The Stand” come to mind when dealing with characters that “think” that they are trying to be good people and members of society when they are anything BUT. Andrew became so CORRUPTED that even Elena almost seems to pale in comparison. And THAT is saying something!
But given the things we have NOW learned about Andrew, there should undoubtedly be OTHER skeletons in his closet. AND they were there before he ever even learned about Christian and Elena.
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Oh my God. I knew it was Linc. I didn’t know how. I didn’t figure out Gia. But I knew. Damn it. And then you leave us like that for a week. Not cool dude. Lol.
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Wow! Omg you had me at the edge of my seat the entire chapter. You are such a great writer and I praise you…..see you next week.
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ToriK
I agree but I always wonder as much as people say ‘oh they just snapped’ because you kid I lost everything. I think some people are I guess people would call split personality i.e. balance of their good and evil side. Let’s face it we all have a good and bad side. But dear I say normal people there bad side is they get cross and move on. it’s like when a small child says to a parent ‘i wish you were dead’ we all know thatt hey are to young to know this is being bad but once we know right from wrong we know that just because something awful happens even if it’s unavoidable to you, you don’t act out on it and plot some evil revenge even on a small scale to hurt someone. It’s like domestic violence situations ‘I didn’t mean it, I won’t do it again tin some case there is no remorse you deserved it because you upset me and therefore I am justified by my actions’.
We all make a choice when we deal with in justice and what Linc did obviously goes beyond the pail, but what in his background don’t we know about that would make him do something like this. You don’t just wake up one day and conduct an elaborates scheme of revenge which includes killing of innocent lives.
Yes, it’s been my personal experience that some people can cover up their bad side which is downright evil and they hide it well for years because they are manipulative and good at hiding who they really. Yes, Elena covered her tracks well compared to Linc’s behaviour but to me they are both peas in and preying on the innocent and pretending thei actually good people and fooling everyone.
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Ho-leee mo-lee! Omg! I am still trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. Fantastic job. Now you made me anxious for the next update. I don’t even get to enjoy funny, “aww man, it’s Monday again” meme’s bc I look forward to Monday’s now.
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Tara – You Are Amazing!….WOW!
Your writing is killer! (excuse the pun) and your ability to captivate your audience is rivaled by none. I barely exhaled during the entire chapter!
I can only hope that the Service Elevator (or, even the Helicopter) delivered Ray and Taylor or ?? at just the unbelievably last second. Although, it would be poetic justice if Taylor or Ray contacted Elliot to alert him Calliope, Ana and Christian were under siege and they feared they could not get there fast enough and Elliot (with or without ‘troops’) was able to save the day!
I cannot even begin to comment on all we just learned as my concern for Calliope, Ana and Christian still hasn’t fully sunken in and I am hanging by a thread to hear that Sawyer, too, will survive. Words for commenting just will not formulate at the moment – too much to digest.
If ever your devoted readers will be imploring you for a Bonus, it is definitely with Chapter #48! Please, please, hear our pleas!
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Yeah, as I said above, Taylor and Ray are OWED being able to put that FINAL bullet into Andrew, when you really think about it.
Taylor has had to see virtually ALL of his security team killed. AND he had FOUGHT with some of these men in the military and trusted them all. He will really feel the fact that he FAILED to see Kommer’s role in all of this earlier. AND Taylor is deprived killing KOMMER, so it is only FITTING that he get a shot or two off at Andrew for all he has done.
And NO ONE can argue that RAY doesn’t have the right to avenge Carla AND what Andrew was trying to do to his daughter. AND the really sick plan of Andrew to DELIBERATELY try to impregnate Ana. He didn’t care for the physical AND psychological damage that he planned to do to ANA, who was entirely innocent and deserved NONE of this! After all, Ana ALWAYS wanted Elena to pay for what she did. It was ONLY ever ANA that finally got Christian to SEE THROUGH ELENA.
So yeah, Ray AND Taylor are OWED the right to put some bullets in Andrew Lincoln. And Taylor would NOT have wanted to sit out the plan to nab Gresham, so he would have been on his way back to Seattle, I am convinced, before he even knew for certain that it WAS Andrew Lincoln!
Taylor would NOT let something like this go down without him. NOT after what has happened to HIS security team! And neither would Ray. PARTICULARLY after what had happened to Carla and the effect it had on him AND Ana.
So YES, I remain CONVINCED that the calvary arrived in time. AND shot Andrew Lincoln. To miniscule little bits that will NEVER be able to harm anyone further!
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I agree. Taylor and Ray to the rescue.
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Oh my God! I’m still trembling, and I have palpitations. What an intense and amazing chapter, congratulations Tara, you really are a wonderful writer, you made me feel like I was there in that apartment, unable to help them, I wanted to shoot Linc, Gia and Kommer, I wanted to help Ana, Christian and Luke, call 911 and take Callie from the bassinet and run down the stairs, so many mixed emotions, but please I’ve never asked you to post before Monday because I understand all the work that you have to do, but please after this huge cliffhanger could you please post before next Monday? Thank you Tara for a great story.
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Omg I should of known it was Gia, I k ew Christian and Luke wouldn’t die, it I wonder if this was a setup that Christian and Luke both knew about and didn’t want Ana to know….. it’s amazing how your mind works I love it! The angst in this chapter and poor Callie, I know she has to be scared from all the loud noise… I wonder if anyone else in the apartment building has heard all the gunshots and alerted the police or maybe that is the helicopter!!!! Monday can’t get hear soon enough
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Great chapter
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I always thought it was Linc. A lot of carnage caused by Christian’s lies and stupidity.
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And what a heartless being to shoot his own daughter.
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ESPECIALLY when Gia did EVERYTHING she could for her father’s love. I mean, the ten million wasn’t wired to her ahead of time–it only came right before the end. So Gia certainly did it all for her father. And she seemingly WAS Andrew’s carbon copy, since she didn’t care who got killed or harmed as part of this plot.
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Oh, my God! That was an intense and incredible chapter! I was on edge reading it. Not even going to guess what’s next…you are so full of surprises. Sooo love this story and your writing is just incredible. Can’t wait for Next Monday for the next chapter!
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That is a mother fucking way to end it. I hate clift hanger and we have to wait a whole week.. Shame on you. Great chapter.
Crystal
USA
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The entire time was so nerve racking, so worried and frightened for them especially after Linc’s arrival, no chance, felt defeated after Christian was shot and Ana down. Never expected Gia was Linc’s daughter! Had to be Ray/Taylor coming for them. Truly hope our beloved are not hurt and is Linc who was shot. Tara, you more than outdone yourself. C48 is like watching a thriller, every part so real and unable to stop reading because it is so good. Can’t wait for next to find out. Thanks so much, Tara, you’re fantastic. Xoxo daytona
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So this is what we’re doing now? You’re just going to leave us hanging like this? Lol. I never suspected Gia was tied to it like this, but I suspected Kommer and Linc. Ana’s instincts were right about Kommer, all along. She did not like him. Poor Luke. I hope he makes it. Have none of these folks ever heard of bullet proof vests? Lol. Was Gail still in the apartment with Ava and Callie? This chapter was awesome. I cannot wait for Chapter 49. I knew Linc’s whole revenge plot was that Christian lied on the stand about Elena and Elena and Christian were screwing. If he had only told the truth and not lied for the $100,000.
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OMG Tara I don’t hate you at all. We all knew it was going to be bloody and bad for Ana and Christian before they get their HEA. I knew Linc was involved as well as my gut suspicion on Kommer and Gia. But what did not expect was for Gia to be Linc’s biological dad. I was totally thrown off by that. This was nothing short of marvelous stupendous and brilliant writing. I know you won’t let anything happen to our favorite characters. I just hate we. We’d to wait until next week for the aftermath. Great freaking job Tara really the best piece of work I think anyone’s done on these characters and their have been many.
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Holy crap batman!! I don’t think I can wait until next Monday to find out what happens. So good!!
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I’m not sure how I feel about this chapter. Idk, it almost feels anticlimactic to me. Don’t get me wrong, I’v enjoyed reading this story and the shocking twists and turns that came with it, but…I think I’m going to play the devil’s advocate for a moment. In the tiniest bit, I can understand Lincoln wanting to get back at Christian. Not saying that the extremes he used to get back at Christian was justified, but Christian had humiliated Lincoln on so many levels and all for money and propelling his agenda.
I asked in a review for a earlier chapter why was Christian buying out Linc’s company. It seemed so petty and underhanded, especially considering that Christian got his money from Elena because he lied in court for her. And the kick was that Lincoln was willing to stand by Christian when the truth came out about him and Elena but Christian spit in his and his families faces, and took LINC’S money and ran. Putting into motion Linc’s revenge against him and his wife and daughter in danger.
To be sure, Lincoln is bat shit crazy and truly took things to the extreme and if he is killed I won’t feel sad to see him go, but I can’t help feeling that Christian has some blood on his hands as well. Of course this is only my humble opinion and in no way am I trying to justify Linc’s actions , but I just wonder when the dust has settled and everyone really starts to analyze all that has happened, will they be able to pick up the pieces and move on, or will there be more repercussions to come?
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The PSYCHOLOGICAL ramifications are going to be with Christian AND Ana for sometime to come. Because Christian at heart IS a good man, he WILL feel that he somehow started something that led to this.
HOWEVER, Christian never initiated the affair with Elena. ELENA chose to go after a PARTICULARLY injured boy that was truly suffering from the ISOLATION that came with his touching issues and the leftover issues from his past. Christian literally mentally thought he DESERVED abuse, quite frankly, in my opinion.
So Elena knew JUST who to target AND how to groom Christian for the abuse AND to make him think he “needed” her. And Elena could rationalize ANYTHING. And Elena chose to go after Christian, KNOWING or not caring what Andrew would feel if it ever came out. Elena was SO CONFIDENT in her mind that Christian would NEVER find anyone that he would open up to. So she never really FEARED someone like Ana coming along until too late.
And while Christian DID take Andrew’s company, Christian, himself, could see that Andrew cared nothing for his workers’ grievances. AND that Andrew had about run the company into the ground ON HIS OWN. Plus, AS EVEN ANDREW acknowledges, he was MORE than adequately paid for his company. In fact, Andrew didn’t even WANT the company back.
So for Andrew, it all came down to Christian getting one over on him. And ANDREW thought that he, himself, should be the ONLY one able to succeed.
What Christian will need to be told and re-told is that Andrew cared NOTHING for ANYONE. He didn’t just kill people—he made them SUFFER. And Andrew cared NOTHING for the INNOCENTS that were gunned down in the process.
Andrew’s use of psychological intimidation just shows that he really WAS a perfect MATCH for Elena! Neither cared about who they USED in the process. BOTH just wanted to WIN at the “game” of triumphing over people AND getting away with things, such as affairs. You NOTICE that Andrew obviously EXCUSED his own affair, even when it led to the birth of a child that he allowed to be adopted out.
And the SAD thing about Gia is that it DIDN’T MATTER ultimately that she was adopted out as an infant—BIOLOGY triumphed in regards to GIA. She was JUST as uncaring and unfeeling as her birth father.
SO CHRISTIAN’S CHOICES were always of a WHOLE different kind from Andrew’s. Christian NEVER set out to deliberately hurt anyone. In fact, he accepted Elena’s offered “payout” in the first place because she REALLY convinced him that reparations were OWED to Christian (which they legally WERE, quite frankly).
So Christian saw the money as OWED to him for the abuse. AND he didn’t think of it as HURTING Andrew, unfortunately. Even taking Andrew’s company wasn’t something that kept Christian up at night considering how LITTLE Andrew seemed to value it at that time. AND Andrew was MORE than paid for said company, as he, himself, acknowledged.
So it ALL came down to a woman, Andrew’s WIFE, who he felt should ALWAYS be SUBSERVIENT to him and NEVER get to use her educational degree, getting Christian to “pull one over on him.” Andrew couldn’t stand to LOSE. So THAT was the REAL REASON he did everything that followed, NOT any of the reasons that it SHOULD have been. He really WAS massively evil AND controlling at heart, caring for NO ONE else in the process, even his own flesh and blood.
So Christian’s REASONS BEHIND HIS CHOICES were for GOOD reasons—or at least he thought he was OWED the money originally for Elena’s crimes AND said money could ensure a good future for those he LOVED. AND remember, he had ELENA convincing him that it was FOR THE BEST, which Christian believed at the time, as Elena KNEW he would. ANDREW’S CHOICES were made to SPITE THE INNOCENT and get revenge, NO MATTER the cost. And Andrew WILLINGLY and happily killed along hte way, something Christian NEVER considered, unless Ana or his family was DIRECTLY threatened.
So there IS a definite difference in what CHristian did AND why he did it. But BECAUSE Christian is a good man, he WILL feel the pain of regret, PARTICULARLY since he WILL feel that he put this all in motion. BUT THE truth is that ELENA chose to put all this in motion, NOT Christian. AND Andrew is still responsible for ALL his choices that he made. AND Andrew WILLINGLY and happily went down the Dark Path. So hopefully, in the end, Christian WILL get through this and be a better man for it (after all, “that which doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.”).
But yeah, Christian will undoubtedly need A LOT of therapy, particularly given the facts surrounding teh first 4 years of his life, which made him believe that he somehow “deserved” bad things and abuse happening to him. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, Christian needs to make sure that his OWN history does NOT affect his PARENTING negatively. He needs to AVOID absolutes like Carrick gave to him with no further understanding of a child’s desire to see his/her own dreams. After all, Carrick made the SAME mistakes wtih Mia taht he made with Christian. Christian needs to learn how to TALK with his daughter rather than bark orders. But he will have ANA to help him with it all. And as we have seen, Ana has GOOD INSTINCTS, though she sometimes tries to talk herself out of them.
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Yeah I’ve voiced similar, I agree Linc is a crazy mofo and wanted revenge except that I think Linc must of known Elena had made a deal with Christian because she was evil.
As much as I loved the twist and turns finding out it was Linc the whole time was a bit anticlimactic only because they had a recording of his voice which Christian should of known at least. It kind of played onvious in the end but having said that it was written brilliantly.
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I think it goes to show how little time Christian ACTUALLY spent with Andrew Lincoln. It was ELENA that was always at his mother’s home and “her best friend.” Andrew was basically ignored by Christian, since Andrew really interacted more with Carrick and Grace then the children. You see that when you go back and read the vacation portions in ADSOF. Seriously, WHEN did Andrew say anything of note to Christian. He was a VOICE in the BACKGROUND that Christian never really listened to or cared about, especially given Elena’s obvious contempt and hatred of her own husband.
So Andrew seemingly did NOT spend actual QUALITY time with Christian—THAT was what ELENA did. So I get why Christian seemingly didn’t recognize Andrew’s voice, which ALSO may have changed over time. After all, a businessman would be expected to sound differently then a psychotic lunatic.
But Andrew was CLEARLY furious that ANA didn’t somehow remember him. Somehow, I think he EXPECTED Ana to secretly lust and fantasize about him from back in the day rather than the REALITY, which was that Ana NEVER had an actual CONVERSATION with Andrew. He was a voice in the background in Aspen, nothing more. So NO WONDER Ana didn’t remember Andrew after all that time! AND I think that probably annoyed Andrew to no end!
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ToriK
I agree wit you on general points but there is always a but, Elena may have been involved in Chritians’s life more then anyone and Andrew even describe’s their special relationship Christian and Elena’s had from the minute they met as this scared little boy who played with his wife’s platitnum locks. It is. It is no secret that Christian had difficulties with men even including Carrick a the beginning because of the pimp. While Andrew had a relationship with the other children he was very aware of the struggles Christian had because of the way he was treated as a child and Andrew felts sorry for him and hoped that he would have similar relationship with Christian that he had with the other kids and even wondered if in fact that he and Elena maybe missed out on by not having their children.
The reason this has been an issue for me that it was Anderew the whole time is that Andrew and Elena were an extended part of the family they spent Christmas and all special holidays and family celebrations with the Grey family. I just can’t imagine Christian wouldn’t recognise his voice from someone who was in his life from the minute he was adopted by the Grey family until the big reveal. Like I said I can imagine Ana not knowing but even then I am a little surprised because both Ana and Christian are practically genius’s she knew his voice as soon as he went to Escala.
I think Linc’s furious was because he was psychotic in the end and he he jad this eye for an eye thing going on. You slept with my wife now I sleep with yours. While Linc did take the $65 million to fund his elaborate scheme he really seemed to want Christian to pay the $100,000 start up money Elena had given him. Also now that I think of it how did Linc know the exact number or was that just again common knowledge that everyone knew Christian started GEH with just $100,000? I know Christian mentions you took $65. Illinois from me and all you wanted was the $100,000? It’s like he wa ted I let Christian know that because of his need to teach Christian a lesson and show him see what you caused (again not justifying Linc’s behaviour) all for money but it cost Christian more then money hence the comment about you Walsh choose money over family. Even though he snot Gia I can’t say I am surprised because everyone as Tara pointed out to everyone ‘they said he was crazy’ and Elena said ‘there is nothing that won’t stop him) even a long or not so long lost daughter, he obviously knew of Gia’s existence for her to have found out at 16 – 17 given a year and dna testing that he had a daughter and they must have had contact for sometime for him to recruit her into this plot.
I agree that wince someone becomes me mentally unstable they assume you know why they are the way the are and just assume their existence is all important hence why he expected Ana to know who he was.
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Wow, just wow! No words, but yet so many. Totally stunned. Never “enjoy” a triller this much. Even though Linc is the only possible one behind everything, the thoroughness and the complexity of the plot still schock the hell of out of me. The way you write and plot is amazing. No one in Fifty-land utilize EL’s entire characters in any ff as thorough as you. I’ll call you Mastermind Tara from now on. Bow down to you, Tara, Fifty-ff goddess.
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I am going to have to read again because I want wizzed thru ! But what a chapter! Hopefully that is Ray and Taylor to the rescue! What a crazy bitch Gia was ! Andrew Lincoln it’s all on him. Looking forward to Monday!
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Well, that was exciting! Finally we know. This is what happens when you cross a psychopath. The one who crossed the psychopath was his wife, but he doesn’t see it that way. He blames his wife’s victim, and of course the victim made his own major bad decision and it had more consequences that most of us envisaged at the time. I hope that shot was fired by a goodie, not a baddie. Can’t wait to find out.
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Aaaaaa
Please say it won’t be a complete week of chiffhanging… 🙏🙏
Hopefully the shot got Lincoln any Sawyer Christian and Ana make it to the hospital.
Can’t wait for more. Thank you.
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Most exciting thing I’ve ever read! I need a sedative now.
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No don’t leave it at this cliffhanger!! I can’t wait a week!!! Please don’t let Luke, Christian, Ana, or Cali die!!!!!
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I waited to read this until I got home from work today…I normally don’t! And I am shook! This is one of the VERY rare times, that I can’t wait for a Monday to get here! Bravo! 🤯😳👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
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Also…I need a Xanax after that chapter! Lol!
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Omfg!!! I need a stiff drink after that chapter!
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