I was becoming restless. I didn't think I could stand anymore of this anticipation. I looked at my watch impatiently. 3.03. About time. I looked at Grace who was looking at me inquiringly. I nodded once, indicating that she should start. Grace ascended the stage and lightly hit the champagne flute with a spoon. Hearing the noise, everyone fell silent. Grace smiled beatifically at everyone.
"Welcome!" She said exuberantly. "Welcome to all of you! Today, we have gathered here to raise the white flag, to tape up the breaches, to fix the cracks, to build the bridges. The very fact that you all accepted the invite and are here today is testimony to how much we all want peace and happiness in our lives. Thank you all for coming. I hope that all of our strained relationships can be non-therapeutically talked out, so Washington's community is harmonious once again." There was a round of applause for her. Then she did some acting as Falcon stepped up the Dias and whispered in her ear. She looked bemused. Then she frowned. She turned to the audience once more.
"It looks like we have our first entertainment segment for the day. One of our guests today, Ms Anastasia Steele has something to say to you all." She nodded at me and then got off the stage. I smiled at her demurely and too her place on the podium.
"Good evening to Washington's best." I said smiling. I saw everyone smile back. "I thank Grace Trevelyan for making this event possible to remove the animosities that many of us have been harbouring for a very long time, which has been eating into our insides. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to start with a clean slate. Thank you, Grace." There was another round of applause.
"Now, I am standing here in front of you to provide some much needed entertainment." There was some polite laughter. "I want to tell you all a fascinating, dark tale of a woman who had unfathomable capacities in the most... unique respects." My gaze landed on Elena Lincoln. She looked furious. Encouraged, I continued. "Once upon a time, there lived a woman... Let's just call her 'the woman' for now. The woman was a very ambitious individual who always desired to get what she wanted regardless of the consequences of her actions. She wanted a kind of lifestyle..." I glanced at Elena. "That was unmatched by any other. So she trapped a very rich man into marriage. She came from high society herself but more money is never a bad thing, is it?" A few more laughs.
"Right. So this woman married a rich businessman who owned a timber company which was flourishing. She became this man's trophy wife." Several eyes turned suspiciously to Elena now. The clue was too obvious. "The woman soon got bored. She was tired of her husband's busy schedule and tired of being alone all the time. So she hired a very good looking gardener, a fifteen year old boy at the cusps of his adolescence who was the son of a good friend of the woman. Suffice to say, she trapped the boy in a snake-like manner to join her lifestyle - the BDSM lifestyle. She saw nothing wrong in what she was doing.
"Slowly, the boy grew up without realising that he was becoming more fucked up than he already was, without realising that he was being exploited, used as a toy for her boredom. But the woman did develop an attachment towards this boy. However." I paused for a dramatic effect. "One day, our timber millionaire returned home to find his wife in a compromising position with a boy half his age. He immediately filed for divorce and the couple parted on bitter terms.
"Now this boy started his own business because of the start-up fund the woman gave him. She held a stake in his company and somehow managed to have stakes in other men's companies too. That remains a mystery. Then this boy grew up, married and had a child. The woman's old feelings of loneliness and rejection returned. With the ample of time and money she had left, she drove the couple apart cruelly and caused them to divorce, ruining the child's life forever.
"This wife, angry with her husband, split up from him, took their child and became extremely successful in life. Then she found out why her marriage had failed. She was hungry for revenge. So she hatched an elaborate plan to give the woman what she deserved in life. This plan, which I just mentioned is currently in progress. Let me show you right now how this wife got her revenge." The entire room was silent as a morgue. Everyone knew who I was talking about. No one dared to move, let alone speak a word, because they could sense the underlying wrath in my voice. I looked at my watch. 3.25pm. I signalled to Falcon to switch on the television. He switched it on and the huge screen behind me lit up. The news channel came on. It was bursting with scandal.
"...that Mr Dominic Edley and Mr Christian Grey, two of the biggest entrepreneurs of their time have filed a case of embezzlement against socialite Elena Lincoln, the accused in the drug peddling case recently."
"… in the news again, several unnamed have filed a blackmail and sexual abuse suit against Ms Lincoln this afternoon."
"…Elena Lincoln is again in the hot seat as Shellie Hale, the woman who recently went to the media saying theatrical she was the reason the Greys broke up, has also filed a case of blackmail against her. Ms Lincoln better have a good lawyer and a lot of money, otherwise she will never get out of this pit she has dug for herself." The newsreader said.
Pictures of Edley and Grey, of Shellie's interviews, of Grey and I, of Edley and I were splashed all over the news. Falcon changed channels to let the enraptured audience get a full picture of the situation. I turned to see Elena backtracking. "Ms Lincoln!" I called out. "I think, for your own safety, you'd better not exit this hall. Better wait for the police to come here and arrest you instead."
All of a sudden, there was a huge uproar as this dignified bunch began yelling and shouting in an outraged manner at this one woman. She looked enraged and frustrated, trapped in this huge hall. At that moment, the commotion outside increased as Edley and Grey entered the hall. The people cleared out the main hall and stood on the side-lines leaving the stage to the two women, Mrs Robinson and me.
Elena turned to me. Her eyes looked demented. "You fucking whore." She spat out.
The room smelled of despair. Ted was sullen. He hadn't seen his mother in a long time. He wanted to do something other than stay at home. He was so restless, he couldn't stand being alone at home. "Blake?" He said in his tiny, childish voice.
"Yes?" Blake said. Blake had been hovering around in the room for the past two hours. He hadn't left his side and this was irritating Ted. He wanted to get out of the house and play, or something.
"Can I go swim in the pool?" He asked mournfully, looking at Blake longingly. Blake's lips twitched.
"I'm sorry, no. Your mother's orders." He said.
"Can we play tennis?"
"Sorry, no."
"Basketball?"
"Not the outdoor one."
"Can I go to Ben's place?"
"No."
"Can I do anything outside the house?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because your mother said so."
"So what?"
"So she cares about your safety."
"But it will be within the grounds! Not outside!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No." Teddy sighed miserably.
"Okay, we will play basketball inside the house." He said resignedly.
"Sure." Blake said cheerfully. He went downstairs asking the two outside to keep a watch. The basketball thing took some time to set up. Ted was still in his room, clearing up the mess. He went to place his stuff on the table next to the window when suddenly, he saw something fly his way from outside. It was shining. Fire.