Chapter 6 Back at the brownstone , Anastasia tucked her ID and documents into her desk drawer . The marriage certificate ? That was another story . Cassian had pocketed both copies with the ridiculous explanation that he was " preventing any unfortunate misplacement incidents . " He'd insisted on storing them in his private safe at Rhodes Tower . Anastasia had rolled her eyes at his high - handedness . Whatever . It's not like she needed it for her daily coffee run anyway . She found Elisabeth in the kitchen , already prepping for lunch , the radio playing softly in the background . Anastasia slipped on an apron to help . Despite being in her eighties , Elisabeth Paige still moved around the kitchen with the confidence of someone who'd been cooking for decades . " There you are , sweetheart , " she said , handing Anastasia a bunch of carrots to chop . " Playing hooky from work today ? You should tell Jasper to come over this weekend . I'll make my lasagna - the one he raved about at Christmas . " Anastasia nearly cut her finger at the mention of Jasper's name . " Got some personal stuff to handle this morning , " she said , recovering quickly . " Heading to the office after lunch . Jasper's crazy busy with the spring collection launch . Probably won't see him for dinner anytime soon . " Elisabeth sighed , her disappointment evident . " That boy needs to learn to take a breath . You're too good to him , Ana . Remember , marriage is a two - way street . Both of you need to bend a little or everything breaks . " As her grandmother continued dispensing relationship wisdom , Anastasia focused intently on dicing vegetables . Chapter 6 Understanding ? Compromise ? Funny how those expectations had only ever applied to her , never to Jasper . In three years , had he ever once compromised on anything important ? It didn't matter now . By tonight , she'd be free of the need to make excuses for him . After lunch , Anastasia headed straight to J & A's SoHo headquarters , mentally rehearsing what she would say to Jasper about her 40 % ownership stake . When they'd founded J & A Jewelry together , she'd insisted on maintaining significant equity - a business decision that had proven wise : Jasper , determined to prove his worth without his family's connections or money , had eagerly partnered with her after they'd been dating for a year . What had started in a tiny studio with five employees had exploded into a company of over 120 staff , with their pieces featured in Vogue and worn at the Met Gala . The company now had a full design department , but Anastasia remained both Design Director and the brand's signature creative force . Her collections consistently sold out within days of release , driving the company's remarkable 300 % growth over the past two years . Yet somehow , Jasper seemed pathologically incapable of acknowledging her contribution , crediting their success to his " strategic vision " and " market disruption . " His ego had inflated in direct proportion to their profit margins . The success had finally earned him the approving nods from his father and brothers that he'd desperately craved . But after today , everything would change . 13:58