This took much longer to update this than I ever planned but I was down with pneumonia (again!) last month. Next update will be much sooner. I just have to say that this chapter has to happen in order to get to the Elsanna.

The early morning marine layer was slowly burning off outside the windows of the boardroom at Everstad International. The peaks of the buildings downtown broke through the thick layer of fog and began to reveal the familiar skyline bathed in sunlight. Alex stoically walked alongside the floor-to-ceiling windows, shiny black shoes skimming across the floor, thinking how he'd done so so many times before but never as solemnly as he was now. The company he'd grown from just one small hotel was about to be stripped away from him, forever, and for a reason he couldn't entirely blame the board for causing. That was the worst part of Hans' deceit. He may have been exaggerating the details, but he wasn't lying about the illness.

Even now, as Alex could smell the piping hot coffee over at the refreshment table wafting through the air, he could feel the cuff of his sleeve shaking against his wrist. And no matter how hard he tried to control it, his attempts were futile. The only comfort he found in the whole ordeal was that he was doing this on his terms and depriving Hans of a grand reveal. He didn't know the details of what had happened between Hans and Elsa, but losing his company wasn't as painful as knowing that he'd hurt his beloved daughter. No matter what happened at the meeting, Alex was going to make sure that Hans didn't get what he'd so desperately tried to gain from Elsa.

The room was set, seeming perfectly in order. Two long rows of black leather chairs lined each side of the dark wood table. Every seat had its own itinerary placed in front of it, along with a chilled bottle of water and a sparkling stemmed glass.

Alex smiled as his eyes gazed down at the three colorful centerpiece arrangements along the length of the table. Adding flowers throughout the office had been Elsa's idea years ago when she thought it would bring a more welcoming spirit to the imperious boardroom. And he relished the sight of the soft purples and yellows, because they reminded him of Elsa. Like she was in the room with him, reminding him for whom he was doing all of this for.

The members of the board filed in, one by one, Hans towing behind his father with a great deal of pride worn about him like a medal of honor. Alex opened by thanking everyone for gathering on such short notice and said that he had an announcement to make about his health and the well being of the company.

Most weren't shocked to hear that he had been keeping some kind of medical condition from them. They'd all seen the tremors and newly-developed ticks on his face. But they were stunned to learn that it was something as serious as Parkinson's. The unnerving hush that settled over the room was the first bullet to his chest. Alex was the backbone of his company; and, to appear weak, for any reason, was almost too much for him to bear.

"I should be honest and remind you that while my current scans and assessments show that I am more than capable of making decisions on behalf of this company, it is a progressive disorder. There's a neurological component to it. But I urge you to keep in mind the daily interactions you've had with me over the past several years since I was first diagnosed. It is my primary intention to be forthcoming with all of you, but I humbly ask you to allow me to stay on as CEO and head of this company."

Silence fell over the room as a few members exchanged bewildered looks. But as heartbreaking as the news was, there were billions of dollars at stake and sympathy couldn't outweigh sound business practice.

"Alex, we hear what you're saying," one member finally said. "And believe me, no one in this room wants to see you step down. You're the face of this company. It's founder. None of us would be here without you." Alex begrudgingly gave a weak smile at the compliment, knowing there was more to the man's statement. "Unfortunately, we find ourselves in the awful position of having to think about how this news will affect our shareholders' interest and how the public will react once the media learns of it." It was an argument to which no one could object. "Harold. As the second largest holder of Everstad International, and given your personal relationship with Alex, I'd be interested to know your thoughts."

Hans' eyes flicked to his father, the elder man's face long and heavy with turmoil. "It's a risk, but perhaps a calculated one," Harold added, optimism piercing through the grim mood cast over the room.

While the rest of the members waited for Harold to elaborate, Hans seized the opportunity to launch his campaign of self-righteousness right then and there before it was too late, pompously raising his hand to interject.

"If I may, how can an unpredictable condition be a calculated risk?" Every brow in the room rose to Hans, and he smiled to himself at how easy this all was for him. "Gentleman, this isn't just about how to best handle this tragedy but also about how Everstad International will move into the future. This is the twenty-first century, and perhaps a changing of the guard is in order. As much as I respect Alex, leaving billions of dollars in the hands of someone who may be mentally competent one day and not the next, is a risk that I, as well as our shareholders, am not willing to make." The nodding of heads only heightened Hans' passion, his imperious attitude skirting the line between presidential and arrogant as he prepared to go for the kill. "I respectfully disagree with my father. It is not a calculated risk. It's confirmable destruction of a thriving and prosperous company."

Alex knew then that Elsa had been right about Hans. This was a man, a vile man, that he had never seen before. One that would truly stop at nothing to get his hands on Alex's company and his daughter.

"We must put it to a vote then," another man declared as Alex steadfastly braced himself for the moment of impact. "Are there any nominations for the office of CEO of Everstad International?" All eyes immediately fell to Alex's most trusted partner. "Harold, you know this company almost as much as Alex."

"Yes, but I have my own business to run. I can't very well be CEO of two companies at the same time," the elder Westergard argued.

Another member spoke out. "Gentleman, I believe Hans Westergard would be a good candidate. Harold has been training him to take over Westergard Investments, and he's young enough and close enough to the family that the public would embrace a move like that, given the circumstances."

Several members rumbled in agreement as Hans cracked a smile, causing Alex's teeth to click together as his jaw tightened with anger.

"I'll make it official," an older member proclaimed. "I hereby nominate Hans Westergard. Anyone to second it?"

Alex's lips pressed into a line as he waited in torturous silence. It was the slow descent of the guillotine with Hans as the disgustingly delighted executioner.

An anxious member at the end of the table motioned to raise his hand but was interrupted by the sound of the door and a familiar voice before he could second Hans' nomination.

"Gentleman, forgive my tardiness." Alex's worried eyes lifted up to the door to see none other than his beloved daughter, dressed in an impeccable black dress suit and strutting into the room like she owned the damn place. Exuding a smoldering confidence and looking positively smashing, every person in the room stood to greet Elsa's presence as she pulled up a seat next to her father.

"What are you doing?" Alex turned and whispered to Elsa under his breath.

"I'm not letting you lose your company. Not like this." The determination in her voice was enough for him to press no further, and he sat back in his chair to see how this would affect the meeting.

Elsa swiveled back to the infinitely long table of suits and flashed them her most endearing smile, which always won them over. She may have been the owner of a small chocolate shop, but the blood of a CEO flowed through her veins, and, sat at that table like it was her natural born right to be there.

"Good morning, everyone. Again, my sincerest apologies for missing the start of the meeting. Would someone be so kind as to bring me up to speed?" As if she'd been running a multibillion-dollar company her entire life, Elsa made herself at home and glanced over the notes sitting in front of her, helping herself to a glass of water as she did so. She was so incredibly smooth in her ways that even Alex was taken aback.

"We were about to vote on a replacement for CEO. Hans Westergard has been nominated, but we were waiting on a second."

"There's been no vote?" A tableful of heads shook in response. "Good. Then I'm not too late."

Another man chimed in. "We thought Hans would be the best choice, given his grooming and affiliation with the family."

"Affiliation?" Elsa inflected and masterfully maintained her composure in the wake of Hans' heated glare. It was like he was trying to keep her quiet with his facial expression alone.

"Your upcoming marriage," he clarified. "It would be a fresh start for the company's image, and what better way to do that than with a big white wedding?" The man's eyes were as big as saucers, casting all his hopes and ambitions onto Elsa like she was nothing more than a PR ticket for the company.

"I'm sorry to inform you that my relationship, and wedding plans, with Hans Westergard have been terminated. To put it bluntly." No statement had been more gloriously freeing in Elsa's life. In that one second, she felt like she'd reclaimed a huge part of her dignity and self-respect. And it felt ridiculously good.

Most of the people in the room knew Elsa on various levels and had never seen her in such complete control. She was the epitome of a perfect protégé: classy and beautiful, she exuded it all with such remarkable eloquence. It was like they saw a new Elsa. But what they really witnessed was a woman who was determined to stand by her father's side and win back the love of her life by shaking the rat from her leg. This wasn't only for Alex, or for Anna, but for herself as well. And she refused to show any weakness in front of Hans or the board.

The petite older man continued. "Personal matters aside, I still think he's the best option."

The moment Elsa prepared for was upon her. The one she'd debated over with Kristoff until the wee hours of the morning. The one she knew would be their last hope.

As she aligned her spine and swallowed any last hesitation, Elsa played the last card she had in her deck. "Gentleman, I'd like to make a proposal. Since the question at the forefront of everyone's mind is my father's mental capacity, why not give him the chance to prove it to you? He may be ill, but he's still right as rain and sound enough to make executive decisions. Submit him for any testing you'd like if it will quell your doubts."

"Elsa, while that would satisfy us, it may not be enough to sway the public."

Without missing a beat, Elsa stoically made the statement she'd thought long and hard about. "Then I offer myself as collateral."

"I'm sorry?" The man questioned with a confused shake of his head.

"Let me help him," Elsa pleaded. "Whether you want to appoint me as active co-CEO or not, let me help him run this company and give him time to hand it over to a suitable candidate," fiery eyes flicking over to Hans. "One that can be molded over time to meet Everstad International's expectations. I will be by his side, as much as I can, to ensure the company's faith in him. His right hand man, well, woman, if you will. Whatever you require of me so that he can stay on long enough to properly step down, in a respectable fashion, you have my word that I'll do it to the best of my abilities. Instead of forcing him out like some sort of white collar criminal."

Alex fervently tugged at her sleeve. "Elsa, no," he gritted sharply. Protective father shrouding his objection.

She gazed down at him, his blue-green eyes begging her to reconsider. "This is my choice, Papa." It was that moment other parents had warned Alex about. That day when his child would take care of him instead of the other way around. And she was doing it so well, but he feared that Elsa was agreeing to more than she was willing to give.

"She's not even qualified," Hans protested curtly, much to his father's surprise. Harold's cheeks were already coloring with embarrassment. "A small boutique business isn't exactly the same as a Fortune 500 company."

Elsa let his smug statement flow over, choosing to keep her attention directed at the board and not on her former lover-turned-capturer. "I have been helping this company since the day I was born. And many of you know I was by my father's side while I was studying business and made a lot of headway in my time here."

"A degree she never finished," Hans quipped bitterly.

"Hans!" Harold chided, having had enough of his son's blatant disrespect.

Except that Hans didn't know when to concede. "I'm sorry, but you can't ignore the fact that she's entirely unfit for this position. She was just in an automobile accident and suffered severe head trauma. You're swapping one incapacitated Everstad for another!" raising his voice to an uncouth level.

"That will be quite enough of that, Mr. Westergard," one of the members demanded.

Another disgruntled member sighed out of frustration, wanting to get on with the meeting at hand. "I second Hans' nomination. Let's vote. Hans Westergard or Alex Everstad, on the contingency that Elsa act as co-CEO. All those in favor of Alex, raise your hand."

There were nine members of the board of directors, including Elsa's father. With her at his side, his vote would count, leaving them needing just four more for a majority decision. The clock ticked as two more hands went up into the air. Elsa could feel the terror creeping into her bones, trying to keep herself still as she held her father's trembling hand under the table.

Two more.

Another hand on the other side of the table went up, and Elsa breathed another sigh of relief, giving her father's hand a comforting squeeze. It was customary at Everstad to go around the table, and all members had voted except for Harold Westergard. It appeared that they were tragically going to be one vote short, and Elsa could already feel the sadness threatening to explode from her chest.

"Last call," a member announced, palms of both Everstads now sweaty with fear.

"Harold," Alex pleaded quietly across the table. Not that he expected him to vote against his son, but he was their last hope.

"I got this, Dad," Hans whispered to his father and winked crudely at Elsa. Harold turned and saw the chill that ran up her back and caused her to shiver at Hans' lewd gesture. Something in her eyes didn't feel right to anyone there, and Harold knew what he had to do.

"I'm sorry, Hans." Harold frowned at his youngest son as he raised his hand into the air.

"Final?"

"Final." Harold answered and smiled back to Alex and Elsa.

"With a five to four majority, it is hereby decided to allow Alex Everstad, along with Elsa Everstad, to remain on as active CEO, with plans to recruit and train a replacement in one year's time. Meeting is adjourned."

Elsa's dainty hands flew over her mouth as she gasped in excitement. "Papa! We won!"

"Yes, Elsa darling. But at what cost?"

"Papa, it's only a year. I'll be fine. I owe you this, and there's nothing you can do to stop me now anyway. Forever Chocolate will still be there when this is all over."

It was difficult for Alex to allow his daughter to leave her own business to help his, but he knew there would be no changing her mind. Before he could give it any more thought, Elsa pulled him into a congratulatory hug, and they quietly celebrated their victory. The blackmail was over, and Elsa was free. It was such an overwhelming feeling that she instantly felt exhausted instead of elated. Every bit of tension in her body began to slowly unwind as Alex finally saw a real smile unfurl across her face. Two long months of harboring a terrible secret and living in fear had all but drained her, but they both knew that the worst was over. Well, almost.

The room grew quiet as board members began to trickle out into the hallway and make their way to the elevators. All but Hans remained as Harold left his seat to congratulate Alex and Elsa. She thanked him profusely, cheeks spilling with color as he watched the life return to her features.

Once Harold left, Elsa finally allowed herself to look at Hans, slumped back in his chair in defeat, like a crumpled paper bag, trying to comprehend how the entire meeting, and his father's loyalty, had gotten away from him.

Alex pulled away from one last hug with Elsa and followed the path of her gaze, directly over to Hans. "Papa, I need to talk to Hans, alone." Alex hesitated for a moment, wanting to give the conniving bastard a piece of his own mind, but eventually he just patted Elsa on the arm and left the two alone. There was still some unfinished business between the two, despite the way they had parted on the day Elsa moved out, and Alex knew that this was something she needed to handle on her own.

The door clicked shut behind Alex; and, all at once, Elsa dropped the perfect posture she'd been holding, shoulders visibly rolling forward out of fatigue as she carefully regarded him.

"I have something I want to tell you," she began evenly and rose from her seat, slowly approaching Hans with a newfound confidence in her gait. "A few things, actually."

Hans held her gaze briefly before tipping his head and sighing in time to a pathetic shrug. "This day can't get any worse. My own father just voted against me," motioning towards the sound of Harold and Alex jovially conversing outside.

"He voted against you because I told him what happened." Sheer terror flicked across Hans' face faster than the adrenaline shooting through his veins. "Not everything," Elsa added quickly, "but obviously enough. I haven't slept very well the past few nights, constantly worrying about this meeting. And I had a feeling that it would play out this way. That my father's job would come down to one or two votes and my presence wouldn't be enough to convince those members. So, I went to Harold...and I told him."

Hans' mouth hung open, and he waited for the elaboration that never came. "Told him what?" He swallowed. She definitely had his undivided attention now.

"I told him that we tried. That I tried, but that you had...changed." The bitter expression creeping across his face signaled that he knew exactly what changes to which she was referring. "I told him how you pushed me, how your impatience got the better of you. How you frightened me." Her lip betrayed her guise and trembled as painful images from the past three months flashed through her mind. "That was enough for him to get an idea of what I've been going through. What you put me through," grating out the words that invoked such blinding anger in her. But she was getting slightly off track. "I'm not pregnant," she declared proudly and awaited his reply. Strangely enough, Hans only smiled weakly. More a morose twisting of his lips than anything mirthful.

"I know you're not," He said after a while. Elsa couldn't even manage words and stared back at him with her mouth slightly open in surprise. "We never slept together that night. I wanted to. I wanted to get you pregnant and just… be with you again. But I hesitated when you passed out." As genuine as he sounded, she had a hard time believing what he was saying. Or confessing, rather. "I may be a lot of things, but…" He could hardly say the word. "...a rapist isn't one of them." That ugly word hung above them as Elsa struggled to contain herself. "I carried you upstairs, and when I started undressing you, you were talking about Anna in your sleep. How much you loved her... and I couldn't. You didn't mean it when you said yes. No matter how badly I wanted you to. " It was the first glimpse in months of there being a real person inside Hans. He couldn't even look her in the eye and spoke only to the caramel-colored carpet a few feet in front of Elsa. "You were never going to love me again."

Her scoff cut through the room like a knife, eyes dramatically rolling before they clapped back onto Hans with a blazing fury. "How could I ever love someone like you?" She spat in return. "You let me think you took advantage of me. You held me against my will, threatened me, blackmailed me," she was losing control of her voice, "raped me-"

"I didn't rape you!"

"Which was only confirmed just now!" Her hand shook as she held it up against her mouth, forcing back every vile word she wanted to scream at him, reining in her unquenchable loathing for him as she gritted her teeth together to stop herself from saying any more.

After a minute, Elsa took a deep breath, chest shuddering profusely as she regained her composure, and continued as the poised, confident, and classy woman she knew she was.

"I don't want to do this. Not like this," she said calmly, glancing away to the panoramic view of the city as she collected her thoughts, a little more courage blooming inside her chest. "There's one last thing I wanted to tell you." Hans' brows quirked as he waited. "I remember you. I remember us. I have, for quite some time." Elsa said it liked she'd been holding it back for a while. He could tell by the way she nearly teared up at the confession.

Hans sank further back into his chair, cushioned by soft black leather as he cowered at the way she spoke so candidly. "How could you?" She quavered, sounding so much like the old Elsa that it startled him, giving further truth to what she was saying. "Whatever chance there was to get our lives back, you destroyed it. Not only did you get impatient and go crazy, but I also learned what real love was with someone else. And real love isn't about me changing to be who you want me to be. It's not about you doing that for me either. It's not about lying, or cheating, or money." A beat passed as Elsa circled around to a conclusion. "I don't know if I ever really loved you," she mused. "I don't even know who are; how could I ever love you?"

Emotion nipped again at Elsa, taunting her to the point where she could feel her strength thinning with each passing minute. She didn't want to break down in front Hans. She didn't want to cry and drag out their past in a way that exposed her vulnerability or gave him more satisfaction in seeing her crumble. Hans wasn't the kind of man from which one could get closure. The healthy kind, anyhow. This was to be done on her terms, with dignity and grace. To show him that while he may have tried to crush her spirit, he gravely underestimated her stamina.

"How long have you remembered? And how much?" Hans asked flatly, realizing how badly he botched everything in retrospect.

"Most of it. I can't remember the accident. But I remembered trying on my dress at the seamstress', and I knew then that I didn't want to marry you. And one night, Anna took me out, and I had too much to drink. That's when the memories of you started coming back." It was also when the lies started weaving their way between her and everyone she knew. Elsa learned the hard way that denial was a terrible part of survival.

"So that cobb salad thing. It wasn't a slip?"

"It was a slip; but, yes, I remembered more than I let on at the time," Elsa admitted unashamedly. "And I've been asking myself ever since, how I could have never known this person. This despicable excuse for a human being, lived under your skin. You came along at the perfect time in my life. You knew I'd been burnt before by others. Who used me." And how that hurt Elsa to remember. "You swept me off my feet, and I trusted you. I trusted you because I thought you were different. And for a while, I was happy. Deliriously happy. You and I made sense. We were a perfect fit in every way, and it made everyone around us happy. I thought you were different than the others." There was such unspoken lamenting in her voice. Not for their relationship, because it had been fractured long ago. But a sadness at the betrayal. For what could have been. For the shattering of trust.

When Elsa stopped and thought about it, she hated how Hans had lied to her. How he played her. She couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. Sorry and angry, for having ever having trusted him. All those good times between them, she'd never know if they had been genuine. And even if it didn't matter now and everything was dust between them, even though all hope and expectation hinged on Anna, it still hurt.

Elsa glanced back over at Hans, and he could see the old Elsa staring back him. But she didn't recognize him anymore. His eyes that once held hopes of the future, of memories of happier times that she wished she'd never gained back, where now distant and cold. Fishing for remorse in his expression was futile, and she wasn't even sure this man had a soul anymore. If he ever had.

"I'm well aware that you could still come after me. That you could go the hospital and tell them about me and Anna. You could even out my relationship with her to the media." If they still had a relationship. However, leaving Hans for a woman wasn't exactly the headline she wanted to accompany her becoming co-CEO at the moment. "I don't know what you're capable of or what you're scheming in that sadistic mind of yours. But if you ever try to so much as bother Anna or me again, I will slander your name through every outlet in town. And I won't censor my story like I did with your father." He knew what she was implying. Not just that Elsa would give her story in an Oprah-style tell-all, but that she could easily twist the truth to keep him quiet. Especially about what happened that night with the absinthe. Resorting to such threats wasn't Elsa's style, but it was the only way to ensure her freedom. Desperate times called for desperate measures; and, after two months of Hans' blackmail, she'd learned from the best.

"Goodbye, Hans."

After two years and a handful of months, Hans left the boardroom and walked out of Elsa's life without so much as a mutter of a single word to her in reply. It was just as well. Her lungs filled with sweet air as Elsa bowed her head and congratulated herself on the hard-won victory against Hans. As much as she wanted to dwell on what had been lost, how badly he'd hurt and betrayed her, she earned that precious moment of triumph and basked it like a climber who'd just conquered a mountain, savoring the magnificent view after a perilous journey. It was a joyous revival for Elsa, setting her future in motion and marking the moment she would rebuild her life and reclaim her happiness. And it began with getting Anna back.