CHAPTER 55
"Mrs Grey, if you could tell the court in your own words the events of that day as you recall them" our lawyer says kindly.
I nod and take a deep breath, "My name is Anastasia Grey and I am Christian Grey's wife, on the day in question I was in New York meeting with Gideon Cross helping with an issue with an author at Cross Publishing because at that point in time I was employed by Mr Cross as an editor at the Cross Publishing, Washington Office. When I arrived at the Crossfire building in New York I was met by a lady calling herself Deanna Johnson, she approached me as she wanted to talk to me about Jose Rodriguez".
I pause and look across at Jose who is sitting with his head down.
"Apparently, she was an ex girlfriend of Jose, and she had come to warn me about how unstable he is. She had a file of information on him as to what he is capable of. She had come up with links between Jose and Jack Hyde a former boss of mine who had sexually assaulted me before being fired from Seattle Independent Publishers where I worked at the time. It appeared that Jose and Jack had made contact and that there was a link between Jack and my husband going back to when they were both children in the Michigan State Child Protection Services foster system. There were also photographs in the file Deanna provided which showed Jack and Jose meeting with Tony Garrett. All the relevant details which Ms Johnson gave me have been supplied to the court and were shared on the first day".
I pause and let that hang there a moment, just like Christian and Gideon did, and giving the jury chance to process everything I have said.
"Anyway, it was during these revelations that Luke thought it prudent to include Jason as we both thought he should be in on the call to hear what Deanna had to say and he tried to call him it was at this point that we discovered that we were unable to make contact with Jason. We weren't too concerned at first, as we assumed that his phone was off due to the flight to Portland – Christian always insists that all cell phones are switched off when in the air for security reasons. So I called Welch and got him involved instead. By the end of the call with Welch we realised that Christian and Jason should really have arrived at Portland by that point and so I asked Welch to find out what had happened. He called me back a short time later to tell me that Charlie Tango was missing, and he didn't know what had happened to my husband. But after hearing Christian's testimony I believe that was lie as Christian had sent out an SOS to him and he had ignored it".
I pause as our lawyer stands up and speaks gently to me.
"If you could just concentrate on the events of the day Mrs Grey," he says.
I nod and mentally kick myself for my outburst, "I'm sorry" I say.
"No problem Mrs Grey, when you are ready please continue" he says.
"Where was I… oh yes, I got a call from Welch saying that Charlie Tango was missing and he didn't know what had happened to my husband".
I shoot Welch a filthy look as I say this, then continue.
"I told Gideon that I had to return to Seattle right away and he agreed, he was marvellous about everything," I look at Gideon and smile.
"He cancelled the meeting with the author and arranged everything for me to return, Raul – Gideon's security man was with us and they were constantly on the phone or on a laptop throughout the journey back and I can't thank Gideon enough for his support, or Raul. Before I left New York, I called Gail who is Jason Taylor's wife, and asked her if Welch had been in touch with her as I assumed he would, considering the fact her partner – as he was at that point, was also missing. However, she had no idea what was going on as Welch hadn't told her anything so I told her what I knew and then I called Welch again and tore him off a strip for not telling Gail what was going on. When we arrived in Seattle it was really late, and I went straight to Escala to see if Gail was ok and had heard anything from Welch. Shortly after I arrived, Christopher Ryan and James Fisher arrived as they had heard what was happening and although they were off duty came in to help. Raul and Gideon were liaising with the team that Gideon had sent ahead and trying to find out what the latest was. I realised I needed to call Grace and Carrick – that's Christian's parents, and tell them what was happening and shortly after that call I got a call from Jose, and I could hear Jack in the background. Luke Sawyer taped the call, which was played to the court on the first day and Jose said a number of weird things, asking me what I would do if Christian didn't come back which set alarm bells ringing and made me think he was involved in the crash. Luke sent Christopher Ryan and James Fisher to Boeing Field to pull the security footage and see if they could find out anything. I had just hung up from Jose, when word came through that Christian had been found and that he and Jason were both alive, but badly hurt and had been airlifted to hospital in Portland. Gideon arranged for me to fly to Portland hospital to be with Christian, and it was at that point it occurred to me that the one person who should be contacting me and telling me Christian had been found hadn't done so. So I called Welch again and I lost my temper with him and fired him". I pause and give Welch another filthy look.
"He was rude to me and challenged my authority, but Luke Sawyer stepped in and basically told him that he was fired, he deserved it and to get over it. Gideon had called in Stephan – Christian's pilot who flew us to Portland, and then Gideon and Stephan left us to go and help with the salvage of Charlie Tango. Jez Hamilton arrived and introduced himself to me and Luke told me that Chris and James had found something on the security cameras at Boeing field, after that I was escorted up to see Christian and the doctor told me the extent of his injuries".
I stop and take a long drink of water I look up and meet Christian's eyes and he looks at me with concern. I smile reassuringly at him and continue.
"I told my husband that there was no way on earth I was going to leave him, no matter how injured he was, I told him I loved him and wasn't going anywhere, and eventually I got that fact through his thick skull" I look directly at Christian as I say this and I smirk at him and I see a small amused smile pull at his lips. Then I return my attention back to the lawyer.
"I spent some time with Christian and told him of everything that had happened and everything we knew up to that point. I remember that I touched his legs at some point and he told me that he could feel it, he could feel my touch even though he was unable to move his legs and a doctor came and ran some tests and we were told that based on that small amount of feeling he had the prognosis looked good. Christian asked me to go and find out how Jason was for him so I went up the ICU and found Jason. Gail was with him and he was in a coma, I spent some time with him while Gail went to see Christian. I went back down to Christian and he persuaded me that I needed to go and get some sleep as it was nearly 5am in the morning and I hadn't rested at all so I left the hospital and went to the Heathman hotel. We - that is Luke and I were accosted by the media as we left and I gave them a brief statement," I pause and take another small sip of the water next to me.
"The next day I was briefed by Raul, and he had arranged for all Christians security team to be present for a meeting they told me their concerns about how Welch had been running things or not as the case was. Raul also told me of what he had uncovered about Welch and the changes to the system that he and Gideon had implemented. Over the next few days more and more came out about what had been going on and it culminated in Tony Garrett trying to kidnap me from the hospital one night when I was leaving after visiting with Christian".
I stop and think, and then satisfied I have covered everything I look at the lawyer, "I think that's everything," I say quietly.
Our lawyer stands up, "Thank you Mrs Grey for that detailed account of what happened". I nod at him and brace myself as the defence lawyer gets to his feet.
"Mrs Grey can you tell me how you know the defendant Jack Hyde?" he asks.
I stare at him, "Yes I can, he was my boss. My first job out of college was as an intern at Seattle Independent Publishers, and part of that was being his assistant, he was a fiction editor at the company," I stop and wait for the next question I know what is coming.
"Tell me Mrs Grey isn't it true you had a relationship with Mr Hyde while in his employment?" the lawyer asks.
I shake my head, "No, it's not true. There was a publishing exhibition in New York and SIP had a stand there. Jack asked me to accompany him to New York for this – I had been warned of his reputation, and rumours about his previous conduct towards female members of staff, so I had forearmed myself with some self defence classes from my father, and I told my father where I was going. I also made sure I had a seat away from Jack on the plane and that my room at the hotel in New York was two floors below his. I did everything humanly possible to distance myself from Jack, but he still harassed me and tried to sexually assault me" I say.
"Yes this alleged assault can you explain to the court what actually happened?" the lawyer asks.
Our lawyer stands up "Objection irrelevant – this line of questioning isn't relevant to this case this is a separate incident which happened last year and was dealt with at the time".
"I am just trying to establish the history between the defendant and Mrs Grey" the lawyer says smugly.
The judge looks at him closely, "well make your point then, this line of questioning is going nowhere" he says harshly.
The defence lawyer nods. "Is it not true Mrs Grey that you were keeping Mr Hyde dangling while pursuing a relationship with both Mr Grey and Mr Cross at this time?" he asks.
Out the corner of my eye I see Christian try and struggle to his feet only to be dragged back down again by Carrick, John and Gideon. I shake my head and I feel my anger rising.
"No, Jack was my employer and he abused that position when he tried to sexually assault me, he tried to forcibly remove me from the restaurant and take me to a room at the hotel and he told me that he was and I quote 'going fuck me' and I was equally adamant that was not going to happen, so I defended myself accordingly and I caused quite a scene in the restaurant area of that hotel and struggled free. At that point I wasn't in a relationship with anyone. I had only just met Gideon Cross, very briefly, for the very first time the night before when I had literally walked into him as I was sight-seeing in New York, when he was leaving the Crossfire building. I did see him again that day though, because of the fact it was his hotel that the sexual attack took place in and he had been informed of the matter. He approached me because he wanted to help me, he knew my bosses boss - Jerry Roach, in Seattle, and informed him of the situation that had happened and he helped me deal with Jack. Christian and I... Christian and I were just friends at that point. We weren't in a relationship, although he was pursuing me pretty comprehensively".
I glance at Christian and smile at him.
"The details of the assault are all a matter of public record in New York" I add. I know I have omitted a few facts but I am happy that what I have said was the truth.
"If you could tell me the nature of your relationship with Jose Rodriguez now?" he says.
I sigh, "I thought Jose was a good friend, we met at university and I looked on him like a brother, I never had any romantic feelings towards him, and I thought he knew that our relationship was purely platonic," I say firmly.
"Come now Mrs Grey did you not notice that Mr Rodriguez held the notion of a romantic relationship with you?" he pushes.
"With hindsight yes, but we are all wiser with hindsight. I never felt about him that way, and never gave him any indication that I did. It appears he became obsessive as time went on, he and Jack were responsible for a car accident that my father was involved in when he was run off the road, and then recently, Jose started a relationship with my late mother and he admitted to me that if he couldn't have me, she was the next best thing. He stalked me and sent me disgusting gifts, and he sent me photographs which he had covertly taken. They were of me getting undressed in my apartment when I was at college. He was trying to get my attention and he generally behaved like a total creep," I say.
I watch as the colour drains from the lawyers face, it is clear he was unaware of all this and I hold my ground as I add, "and I can prove all I have just said, we have documentary evidence of everything," I say.
The lawyer pulls himself together and asks me the dumbest question of all, "and can you tell me your relationship with Mr Garrett?" he asks.
I give him an incredulous look before I let out an unladylike snort.
"That low life? Until a few months ago I was unaware he even existed, and I would have been happy to stay in that ignorance, but he is the man who tried to kidnap me to extort money from my husband and when I defended myself and was trying to get away from him, I shot him with his own gun in the leg so that is the extent of the relationship I have with him".
I watch the defence lawyer swallow hard but I continue un-fazed.
"Having said that, he is also the man who I despise with every fibre of my being. That is because he is also the man who tortured my husband when he was defenceless toddler. He was a pimp and drug dealer who had his claws into Christian's biological mother which has already been mentioned by Mr Welch in his testimony and when Christian the toddler got in his way he kicked him across rooms, punched him and stubbed lit cigarettes out on him".
I stop as the jury gasps at this and I realise what I have just done.
I turn to Christian who is staring at me, "Oh god, Christian I'm so sorry," I gasp.
He shakes his head, "No baby its fine" he answers quietly.
The defence lawyer looks at me like I have just hit him, "Do you have proof of these claims Mrs Grey?" he asks.
I feel the anger well up inside me once again and I let rip.
"Proof? He admitted it to his brother we have the recording of that conversation which I am sure our team would be willing play right now, but if you want real undeniable proof, my husband has the best proof of all on his body, he has 16 round cigarette burn scars on his back and chest, which that animal inflicted on him when he was a toddler, and he has his medical records, which describe in detail the horrific list of injuries he had when he was found with his dead mother, and when we first met I was unable to touch him as he suffered from severe Haphephobia as a result of that childhood trauma and abuse".
I stop and glare furiously at the defence lawyer who has the grace to look uncomfortable.
"No more questions Mrs Grey" he says quietly and he sits down shooting a filthy look at all three men beside him.
I feel sick I try and gauge Christian's mood and reaction to what I have just done, but he has that damned impassive mask in place and that makes me feel even worse.
I walk over to my seat and I collapse into Christian's arms, "I'm so sorry" I whisper again.
"Hush baby, its fine" he answers stiffly.
The sense of shock is still reverberating around the courtroom, Our lawyer quickly stands and capitalises on it, by giving his closing statement for the prosecution, when he has finished the judge adjourns, and states that the defence will present their case tomorrow.
We all move into the side room which we have been occupying since the trial started, I feel totally mortified, I have just broadcast some of my husbands most personal and darkest childhood experiences to a courtroom filled with press waiting to eat up every word.
I can feel Christian is tense as he walks beside me and I can't bring myself to speak or even look at him. As soon as we are in the sanctuary of the side room I turn to Christian with panic filling me. I take his hand but still don't look him in the eyes as I am afraid of what I will see there, I can imagine the disappointment and hurt that I too have betrayed him.
"Christian, I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me, that idiot got to me, he was saying that I was having a relationship with Jack and then he tried to make out that there was more between me and Jose, so when he started on the same tack with Garrett who I didn't even know until recently I just lost it, I'm sorry can you forgive me?"
The words tumble out of my mouth in a rush and I wait for Christian to respond. I stare at his hand which I am caressing gently with mine, and when he pulls it from my grasp my heart falters and I wait for the inevitable rage.
Instead I feel him pull me close and wrap his arms around me and kiss the top of my head.
"Ana look at me" he says quietly.
I look up and for the first time I realise we are totally alone, everyone has quietly melted away, I look into his beautiful grey eyes and I am shocked by what I see, I don't see reproach or hurt I see love.
"Ana, it's ok, really its fine, you nailed it baby. I know you didn't mean to say all those things, I saw your expression when you realised what you had done, you were mortified, but really it's absolutely fine I don't mind" he says to me.
"But, the press?" I begin.
Christian holds his hand up and shakes his head, "Fuck the press, they will make a big thing of it for a couple of days, and then something else will be more interesting and newsworthy" he shrugs dismissively.
"You really don't mind?" I ask.
"No baby, truth be known you have probably done us a favour, the defence start their case tomorrow, we can use this information in questioning to prove his motive, we have the recording Welch gave us which we can now use, and my mother is going to provide photographs which were taken of me when I was first taken to the ER, as a toddler which show my injuries in all their raw infected glory, this is helping baby and... this is giving me my closure against what that man did to me, and for that baby I thank you and I love you even more. You gave me closure with Elena and now this, there is nothing more left in my past now which can affect us, you have cleared out all the ghosts for me and I love you for it".
The tears are falling freely and I cling to Christian as he comforts me and runs his hand rhythmically up and down my back. After a moment or so has passed there is a knock at the door and Christian tells whoever it is to come in.
I look around and see Kate and Eva coming in, followed by Gideon and John Flynn and then everyone else who has been at the court supporting us follows. Kate and Eva both make a beeline for me asking me if I am ok, I nod and manage a smile and I sniff loudly and wipe away the remains of the tears on my damp cheek.
By the time we leave, everyone has assured me I did well and our lawyer is overjoyed at the turn of events today.
When we arrive back at Escala, Christian runs us a bath and we spend a long while relaxing in the warm water. Christian cares for me, gently washing me and kissing me and telling me how much he loves me.
There is nothing remotely sexual about it, this is Christian just loving and caring for me. He pays close attention to my small bump and when he has finished washing me he circles my stomach protectively with his hand, and we just lie there in silence.
When we both decide we have been in the water long enough, we are both pruny and Christian wraps a towel around me and carefully and almost reverently dries me, I do the same for him and it is nice, it's like we are affirming our love for each other.
When we are dry he leads me into the bedroom. I stand and watch him as he produces a brush and then he gestures towards a chair, I sit down and he slowly moves behind me and then leaning his crutches against the chair he carefully brushes my damp hair and then dries it. Hardly a word passes between us and when everything is done I slip my feet into a pair of flip flops.
"Are you hungry baby?" Christian asks suddenly.
I nod, "I am now, I wasn't but now I'm relaxed my appetite has returned" I admit.
"Come on then" he says and retrieving his crutches we head out to the kitchen, as I go to open the freezer he shakes his head and pulls out a chair and points at it.
"No baby, tonight I am taking care of you" he says.
I smile at the thought of Christian cooking, and a giggle escapes me, he turns and looks at me his eyebrows raised in question.
"What's so funny?" he asks.
"Nothing, well... the thought of you cooking is quite amusing!" I say.
"You wound me" he says with mock hurt and I giggle again.
He shuts the freezer door and walks towards me, "I love that sound" he says as he strokes his hand through my hair.
I open my legs and pull him closer and rest my head on his chest.
"And I love you, with all my heart" I say quietly.
After a moment Christian pulls away from me, "Food Mrs Grey, lets get back to the task in hand" he moves slowly back to the freezer and I watch him rummaging through it.
There isn't anything which he approves of and he moves to the fridge, I see his face light up as he reaches in and pulls out a large tub and looks at me questioningly.
"Mac and Cheese?" I ask.
Christian nods enthusiastically "yep, Gail said she had put some fresh Mac and Cheese in the fridge" he says.
"Ok" I say and Christian's answering smile is blinding.
I watch as he heats it up and carefully divides it into two bowls, I go to stand and help him as he is struggling coordinating his crutches and the food, but he shakes his head and point back at the chair, I sit down again and watch as he carefully brings me my bowl of food, after retrieving his own, he joins me on the seat next to me and there we sit in companionable silence eating our food.
"Where did the love of Mac and Cheese come from?" I ask.
Christian smiles a sad smile.
"It was the first thing I had to eat at the hospital, after I was found and taken there, it was the first thing I had eaten in god knows how long, apart from the frozen peas I had found in the freezer, and eaten when I was alone with my birth mother".
My heart lurches as he tells me that and I pause and gaze at him as he remembers.
"Grace and a nurse had bathed me and tended to my injuries – I had made the whole thing quite an ordeal for them as I recall, and Grace put me into the hospital bed, and while the nurse sat with me and read me a story to calm me down, Grace went to fetch me some food, she brought it to me and I was so hungry I ate it too fast and made myself sick. I was terrified I would be punched or slapped for it, so I jumped out and hid under the bed, but she was so calm and gentle, she told me not to worry and after she had coaxed me out, she cleaned me up and the nurse got some fresh bedding. Grace gave me a drink, and brought me another bowl full, and told me to take my time, that no-one was going to take it away, and to eat it slowly. I did, and it was the best thing I had ever tasted. When I was eventually adopted by Carrick and Grace and left the foster home, the first meal I had in my new home, with my new mom and dad was Mac Cheese, mom remembered I had enjoyed it and I have always enjoyed it since then, it has always been a favourite".
He stops talking and I can't say anything after hearing that and I stare at him, what he went through defies belief and to see him now and the man he has become, at this moment I don't think I could love him any more than I do.
Christian turns and looks at me, "Hey, it was a long time ago baby, don't get upset, please," he says concern filling his face, he puts down his now empty bowl and reaches for me.
"I'm not upset Christian, I'm just thinking how amazing you are," I say.
Christian snorts at me and stares at me as if I am crazy.
"You are Christian" I say resolutely, I put down my bowl and reach for him.
"I don't think I could love you more, and be more proud to call myself your wife, what you have accomplished after what you have been through in your life is astounding, and you should be so proud of yourself".
I watch as he shakes his head and turns away. He eases himself off the chair and reaches for his crutches. I know he has dismissed what I have said as he doesn't believe a word of it.
The next day there is a sense of apprehension in the court, and it appears to be coming from the defence side. Their lawyers look concerned, and then they ask for a discussion with our legal team. We wait and when our lawyers return they look smug.
"They know they are screwed" our lawyer says bluntly.
"He has been pushing for a plea bargain, but despite their lawyers advising them of this, all three want to take the stand and testify, and it appears that in doing so could seal their fate, but we can't be complacent because it could also convince the jury that none of them are the full ticket, and that could be a worry for us as we may not get the convictions we are hoping for if there is reasonable doubt to their sanity".
I go cold "so all this could be for nothing if the jury believe that they are nuts!" I gasp.
Our lawyer nods, "We need to prove that they knew exactly what they were doing, and it was all a cold calculated plan by three men coming together with assorted underlying motives," he says.
"But, you can do that?" I ask.
"I can do my best Mrs Grey, and I have things I can use, but I will need you and Mr Grey to give me some direction on this as we go along, as you know these characters better than I do".
Both Christian and I nod, "I can do that" I say firmly and Christian echoes my words.
The defence start with their opening statement which clearly doesn't hold water with the weight of evidence we have offered to this point.
Christian stares at the folder containing the photographs his mother provided, he won't let me look at them, and I wonder if it was a good idea to have them brought in. I'm not convinced we will be able to use them as its new evidence and the defence will object to that.
The first person to take the stand is Jose, I watch as he walks over and states his name. His behaviour and part in all this is still the one which hurts the most.
The defence lawyer speaks "Mr Rodriguez can you tell the court how you know Mr and Mrs Grey?" he asks.
Jose nods and opens his mouth to speak.
"I met Ana at WSU, she shared an apartment with Kate Kavanagh and we used to hang out, she was a good friend, we discovered our fathers were old army buddies and it brought us closer together, when she got with Grey I was worried, not about his wealth, as money had never interested Ana and she wasn't that sort of person to be influenced by it, but he seemed so controlling and I was worried he would swallow her up. I didn't want to see her hurt. She didn't listen to me, and I admit I may have crossed the line a few times in my concern for my friend".
He stops and waits for the next question, it is clear he has been coached by the defence to sound the concerned friend who crossed lines but with the best of intentions.
"What made you so worried, were there any particular reasons behind this concern?" the lawyer asks and Jose nods.
"Yes, we all went out for a drink a group of us from the college, Grey had been pursuing Ana, quite aggressively so, after she had interviewed him for the student newspaper for Kate, he had sent her gifts and things, then this particular night, we were all a little drunk not excessively so but you know we were enjoying ourselves and Ana drunk dialled him and he tracked her down by her cell phone and came to the bar to fetch her. He attacked me and practically demanded that she left with him," Jose says.
"Mr Grey attacked you?" the lawyer prompts.
"Yes he did" Jose says firmly.
"May I ask why and how he attacked you?" the lawyer asks, he is gaining more confidence by the second.
"Yes, as I said we were all a bit the worse for wear, and I stupidly made a pass at Ana, she said no and tried to push me away, and the next thing I know Grey was right there and he pulled me off her, I know I behaved badly that night and I don't condone my actions at all and I totally regret what I did, but I would never ever hurt Ana. We were both drunk, but the way he reacted wasn't right either".
Jose stops, I lean towards our lawyer and whisper in his ear.
"He's talking bullshit, Christian didn't lay a finger on him that night, he pulled me away from him and Jose was so wasted he almost fell over, also Jose left me with Christian that night when I started throwing up, he jumped back in disgust and then disappeared back inside, and it was Christian who took care of me and cleaned me up". I whisper.
Our lawyer nods and makes a quick note of this.
"When it became clear that Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele was embarking on a relationship with Mr Grey did you try and warn her or step in?" the lawyer asks.
Jose nods, "Yes, but I couldn't get near her, he had security surrounding her and I tried to call her numerous times but her number seemed to be disconnected, one night after I heard they had married, I called her and got Grey instead and he refused to let me speak to her, so I asked him to let her know I had called, but he didn't".
He stops and shakes his head sadly, I am disgusted by his performance.
Again, I lean towards our lawyer, "that's a damn lie, I wasn't there that night I was out with Eva and Kate so I wasn't there to speak to him and he damn well knows it. Also it was Christian he called not me, and yes it's true that Christian didn't tell me about the fact he called, but that was because he genuinely forgot about it. Also, he knows I changed my number, Gideon bought me a new phone as a present, and I sent out a round robin text to everyone informing them of my new number, and besides I wasn't actually in a relationship with Christian when I got my new phone – although he was still pursuing me at that point, so how could I be surrounded by his security?" I say, and I pull my phone out of my purse and call up the original round robin message which is still in my records and show it to him. Our lawyer nods again and makes more notes.
"Thank you Mr Rodriguez" his lawyer states and sits down looking satisfied if not relieved at how it went.
Our lawyer stands and looks carefully at Jose. "Mr Rodriguez, the night you say Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele was drunk – were you aware of the fact Miss Steele was drunk?" he asks.
Jose nods, "I was, but I was drunk too. I'm not proud of what I did, I tried to kiss her and she said no but Grey came charging in like a Neanderthal, anyone would think I was raping her the way he over reacted" Jose says.
"So in your opinion, you didn't think Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele was safe to be left with Mr Grey?" our lawyer asks.
"No I didn't" Jose answers firmly.
"Well if that is the case Mr Rodriguez, why was it when Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele began to vomit and was clearly in a vulnerable state, did you do just that? Is it not true Mr Rodriguez that you did leave her alone with Mr Grey, the man who you say you had so many concerns about, and went back inside the club?" our lawyer asks mildly.
Jose looks dumbstruck, "I... I... I" he stammers.
"I would remind you, that you are under oath" our lawyer says.
Jose glances at me and then simply nods his head, "yes I did" he whispers.
"I'd like to move on now Mr Rodriguez, you have just stated that you tried numerous times to contact Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele and were unable to?" our lawyer says
"That's right" Jose answers, trying to pull himself together.
"Were you unaware that she had acquired a new cell phone and had a new number?" our lawyer asks.
"Erm, yes I was" Jose answers.
"So, you are telling me, you did not receive this text from Mrs Grey, then Miss Steele?"
Our lawyer picks up my phone and reads out the brief message and the list of people I sent it to. "I have a new cell phone number please amend your records, Ana - and this was sent to Kate, Ray, Christian, Jose and Mom," he looks at Jose questioningly.
Jose shuffles uncomfortably and doesn't say anything, but our lawyer continues. "Also the date this was sent, Miss Steele wasn't actually in a relationship with Mr Grey at this point they were merely friends, so how could she be surrounded by Mr Grey's security?"
"I must have been mistaken about the time line" Jose mumbles.
"Not to worry Mr Rodriguez, everyone makes mistakes" our lawyer says.
"Now Mr Rodriguez I'd like to ask you about a few things a little more recent, and relevant to this case - they are all linked, first of all the accident involving Mrs Grey's father Ray Steele, and the sabotage of Charlie Tango".
Jose nods, but pales considerably.
Our lawyer takes out a copy of the letter Jose sent me admitting to everything and begins to read it to the court, we had originally released this with all the other information at the beginning of the trial, but its contents were purposely glossed over when the security team gave their evidence as our team were concerned as to why Jose was actually standing trial when he had effectively confessed. So this will be interesting, to see not only Jose's reaction but that of the defence lawyers and Garrett and Hyde.
"I have here a letter which you sent to Mrs Grey after you were arrested over the sabotage of Charlie Tango when evidence put you at the scene, it is has been logged with the court and listed as evidence L4376, anyway this letter reads as follows:
Dear Ana
I am writing to you to apologise, I have been involved with something terrible and I am so ashamed I don't know where to begin to explain.
I realise by doing this I am going to lose what ever friendship we had but it is all I deserve in the circumstances. My confession is that I first met up with Jack Hyde quite a while ago. Kate told me about what went down in New York between you two and I was furious that he tried to attack you, I loved you I wanted to kill him but when I talked to him I realised it wasn't you he was after, it was your husband – although you weren't with him at the time that man was pursuing you and Hyde realised that you meant something to him and he wanted to take it away from him.
Jack Hyde and your husband go way back, he told me they were in a foster home together in Detroit and that when the Grey family came looking to adopt, your husband stole away his chance of getting out of that place, when they picked him. He has held a grudge ever since and when you got with him he felt history was repeating itself, he took away his parents and the chance of a good home and then years later he took away a woman he was interested in – namely you and then eventually his job as well.
I agreed to help him get back at your husband, I was so angry I wasn't thinking straight, I wanted to hurt you so when he was released and it coincided with your father coming to visit my dad, the plan came together in my mind. I am not proud of myself Ana, and I know what I did was despicable but I wanted you to hurt like I was hurting, I wasn't thinking straight. I realised how far I had crossed the line when I saw you at the hospital, surrounded by your friends and him, and realised I had lost you for ever and it destroyed me. I have confessed everything I did and I have told the police everything I know about the plot with Hyde regarding the helicopter.
I don't know who Tony Garrett is but Hyde turned up with him one day and assured me that he had the power to bring Christian Grey to his knees, so I agreed to help them. In my mind it was a win win situation for me, they got their revenge on him and in the process I had a chance of getting you back, if something happened to him I could step in and be the friend you needed. But against the odds he survived and you will never want me now, so I am telling you all this, hopefully in a small way to make some amends for the pain and distress I have caused you and to say goodbye, I realise now you love him and nobody will ever come close to him in your mind. I hope he realises what a wonderful woman he has and treats you the way you deserve to be loved.
Goodbye Ana and I hope that although I don't deserve it you will find it in your heart one day to forgive what I did.
Jose"
Our lawyer stops speaking, the defence lawyer is looking distinctly ill and rifling through his papers to find his copy of the letter, he knows he has dropped the ball on this one. There is a deathly silence which has fallen over the courtroom, our lawyer waits and looks at Jose.
"Tell me Mr Rodriguez, do you remember sending this letter to Mrs Grey?"
Jose looks wildly around the room, he looks at me and his shoulders slump, "yes I did" he whispers.
"Thank you Mr Rodriguez and can you confirm that what you have written here is truthful account of events as you saw them?" Our lawyer asks.
Jose looks around the court room again and sighs "Yes its true, every last word," he says in a defeated tone.
