AUTHORS NOTE: A short one but I didn't want to keep everyone hanging too long after the cliffhanger I left. I hope you all enjoy seeing Kate getting her comeuppance.
CHAPTER 22
(ANA)
I am stunned by what Kate has just said to me. I cannot actually believe that she called me one step up from White Trailer Trash. This woman is supposed to be my best friend and if anything, this confirms for me just how wrong I was about that. I am now determined to get as much evidence as I can for Elliot to bury this bitch. She has already said some pretty damning stuff and I pray that Jason has been recording it.
My levels of hurt at the way she has turned on me is only superseded by my anger which I was pretty much keeping under control, but is now fighting to get out. I very rarely lose my temper I'm not a volatile person like Christian and it takes a lot to make me angry but what Kate has said today has made me livid. I stare at Kate and realise I want to hit her. Not only for everything she said about me but also for what she said about Elliot and little Ava. As I think about how she called Ava a brat and how she dismissed her as irrelevant my anger bubbles over. I walk up to her and slap her hard around the face. The slap rings out and Kate looks stunned by my actions.
"That is for Ava who has done nothing to deserve a self-centred bitch like you as a mother, and also for Elliot who does not deserve a money obsessed gold digger like you as a wife, now get out of my house right now" I hiss at her.
"But" she stammers.
"I said, get out of my house right now, you are no longer welcome here" I say coldly.
Kate's eyes harden, she puts her hand on her hips and tilts her chin defiantly, "Oh come on Ana, stop taking everything so personally" she says.
I stare at her in utter disbelief, I cannot believe she is turning everything around on me. "Personally? You called me white trailer trash, how much more personally am I supposed to take that?" I say.
She shrugs dismissively and waves her hand in the air. "I didn't mean it, for god's sake Ana stop being so touchy. Now, just calm down and sit down and you can tell me all about how you found out about that sister of yours" she says and the patronising way she says that makes me even angrier, but before I can answer her I hear another voice in the room.
"What part of get out of her house are you not understanding Kate?"
I turn and see Eva leaning casually against the door frame of the room with her arms folded. But that casual stance is deceiving as her eyes are flashing dangerously and I know Eva is as angry as I am. As Kate sees her the colour drains from her face.
"How long have you been listening?" Kate says as she tries to recover, but she doesn't sound quite so brave right now.
"Ever since you came in, I heard everything. Every last offensive and disgusting thing" Eva says.
"I thought you'd gone back to New York" Kate says in confusion.
Eva grins at her, "Nope, as you can see I am right here and right now I am fucking pissed with you" she says.
Kate pauses and I can see her thinking. Then she turns towards me and points her finger at me accusingly. "You lied Ana! You said they had gone back to New York," Kate says turning her anger on me once more.
Eva clicks her fingers to get Kates attention back on her. "Hey!" she says, and as Kate looks at her she points her finger at her, "Just shut it! Don't you dare, don't you fucking dare! Not that it's any of your business what I do but Ana did not lie. She told you repeatedly this morning that Gideon was flying back to New York when you were too thick headed and stupid to realise that you weren't wanted here, but she never once said I was going too," Eva says.
I watch as Kate falls silent and she is obviously thinking about earlier. The look on her face changes as she realises that what Eva has said is correct but then it contorts in anger once more as she glares at Eva.
"Why are you interfering? I am having a private conversation with Ana; it has nothing to do with you" she says after a moment.
Eva laughs and shakes her head, "You want to know why I am here? You should be thanking me for being here because if I hadn't come out Christian would be out here right now and let me tell you he is really not a happy man at the moment. He has also heard every word you have said and lets just say he didn't take kindly to you calling his brother an asswipe and his niece a brat. I tell you he was fucking pissed! But when you called Ana white trailer trash I had to literally hold him back and so I said I would come out while he calmed down" she says.
Kate looks momentarily afraid and she glances towards the door as if she is expecting Christian to be standing there, but when he doesn't appear she regains her equilibrium and shakes her head angrily. "I didn't call Ana white trailer trash, I said she was one step up from white trailer trash" she argues, as if that makes a difference. I shake my head that she is being that picky and I look at Eva and she glances at me with an incredulous look on her face, before returning her attention back to Kate.
She laughs mirthlessly, "Well pardon me, that makes everything alright then doesn't it?" She turns towards me, "One step up sis, remember that - you are one step up from white trailer trash and that one step makes all the fucking difference" she adds sarcastically.
I hear the anger in Eva's voice and I wonder what is going to happen next. I stand still and watch as Kate opens and shuts her mouth like a goldfish.
Eva pushes off the doorway and walks closer, "So, if that one step makes all the difference to you then you won't mind if I say that you are one step up from a hooker?" she says looking at Kate questioningly.
Kate's eyes widen at that and she glares at Eva with unconcealed fury. "How dare you!" she splutters.
Eva ignores her and I can see that she is getting in full swing now. She paces around Kate looking derisively at her.
"No? You don't agree? Now don't be so touchy, stop taking things so personally!" she says throwing Kate's words back at her. "One step up remember. I didn't call you a hooker I said you were one step up from one. I mean, lets look at the evidence here Kate, I would hate to call you something you are not so let's go through everything. You are a person who marries someone she doesn't love - just for his money and the privileges his name gives her". Eva pauses and touches her chin thoughtfully which makes me smile.
"Hmmm… I suppose that would make you a gold-digging whore but not quite a hooker. So yep, I'd say that makes you once step up from a hooker, what do you think Ana? You are good with words do you think I've described Kate correctly?" she says grinning at me. I smile at Eva, but don't say anything as she returns her attention back to Kate and continues with her tirade.
"So, we have established you are a gold-digging whore. You slept with Elliot and gave him a child that you didn't want just to keep the money coming in. So, you basically slept with a man for money, now I don't know about you but that is the fucking definition of a hooker! So, taking all the evidence into consideration I think I have been generous calling you one step up from one". She pauses and grins at Kate who is just standing dumbstruck at the tirade being levelled at her.
Finally, we have the fact that you won't divorce him because if you do you know the money will stop just like that". Eva clicks her fingers together and pauses looking at Kate.
"So, I don't know about you, but that pretty much sounds like a prostitute to me. You married, slept with and had a child with a man you didn't love just for money and a name. A man who you can't speak about with a civil tongue. You can't even bring yourself to call him by his given name and instead you call him by a disgusting derogatory nickname".
Kate shakes her head but I see she has tears in her eyes and it surprises me. "My marriage is none of your business" she retorts and I hear her voice quiver slightly.
"True" Eva concedes, "But then again Ana's relationship with me is none of your fucking business either and yet here you are demanding to know every last detail of it" she says as she holds out her arms gesturing around her.
The vulnerability Kate was displaying a moment ago is now gone as her eyes flash angrily at Eva. "Ana is my best friend and I have known her far longer than you have" she says and I roll my eyes at her childishness.
"If I'm your best friend I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies" I say unable to keep quiet at that remark. Kate glares at me but quickly returns her attention back to Eva as she lets out a loud snort of laughter.
"Best friend? You have the fucking gall to call Ana your best friend after the way you have just spoken to her. Newsflash Kate! She slapped you and told you to leave her house so I think you may have lost the title of best friend. I'm pretty sure if someone spoke to me the way you spoke to Ana 'best friend' wouldn't be the way I would describe them".
"Well nobody asked you" Kate says desperately. I can see it is finally dawning on her that she isn't going to get out of this and that she is just digging herself into a deeper hole.
Eva takes a step closer to Kate and I smile as Kate is clearly intimidated by her and takes a step back. "You are going to leave here and you are going to leave my sister alone. You are never going to bother her again and if you ever come within ten feet of her trust me, you will regret it".
"Are you threatening me?" Kate says as she tries to compose herself.
Eva shakes her head, "No, not at all but just remember I now know all your secrets Kate and if you come near my sister again I will make it my business to call your husband and let him know exactly what you think of him and his daughter. I won't say your daughter as you don't want her, I mean what was it you called her… oh yes, a brat. So, just think about that Kate. If you don't want me to pay a visit to your husband and enlighten him as to what you really think of him you will leave here right now and leave my sister alone".
Kate looks afraid but there is still a level of defiance there and I am beginning to wonder what it is going to take for her to go.
"You're bluffing, and besides it's my word against yours. Ass…Elliot won't believe you" she says confidently.
Eva pulls out her phone and waves it at Kate, "You know, it's amazing what you can do with phones these days. Take photographs… listen to music… record voices" she says innocently.
I watch as Kate swallows hard and the colour drains from her face. She shakes her head, "You're bluffing" she says again.
Eva grins at her and waves her phone at her. "Want to stake your marriage, your unhappy sham of a marriage on that?" she says.
As she says that I hear footsteps and I hope that Christian doesn't come out if he is as angry as Eva said, which I am certain he probably is.
I put that thought out of my mind as I turn towards Kate. "I have repeatedly told you to leave and yet you are still here Kate. Let me make this clear to you, I want nothing more to do with you. You have disrespected and insulted me in my own home, you have repeatedly insulted and disrespected my husband on many occasions. You have tried to drive a wedge between me and Christian ever since we have been together and you have no respect for your own marriage. I do not want anything more to do with a person who has openly told me that their husband makes their skin crawl and that their child is an unwanted brat. Elliot does not deserve to be treated like that and Ava certainly doesn't" I say as I get angry on their behalf.
Kate shakes her head and snorts derisively, "Oh please! As if your marriage is so perfect, I'm certain you only put up with Christian and his controlling ways because of his wealth. So, don't get all self-righteous with me".
"You really don't know when to shut up and quit while you are behind do you?" Eva says.
Kate ignores that and continues to focus her attention on me, and she clearly has more she wants to say. "Yes, I hate Elliot and he makes my skin crawl. Yes, I wish I'd never married him. I certainly wish I'd never had that fucking brat with him. Do I wish I could leave and never look back? Every fucking day but there is one thing I love and that is his money and the way the Grey name opens doors for me so I am not giving that up. I will stay put and make the best of it. At least I'm not married to a controlling asshole like you are".
I shake my head sadly and open my mouth to say something in response but a familiar voice beats me to it.
"Well, if you won't leave me then I'll just have to leave you won't I?"
Eva and I spin on the spot to see Elliot standing with Christian in the entrance to the room. Christian has his hand on Elliot's shoulder and I can see he is trembling severely. He has a look of utter devastation in his eyes but his hands are balled into fists at his side, indicating his anger.
I can't help it, I hate seeing the usually so good natured and laid back man so completely torn up so I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his waist, "I'm so sorry Elliot" I whisper.
He relaxes slightly as his arms go around me. I look up at him and he manages to give me a weak smile and he gives me a gentle squeeze, "You have nothing to be sorry about Ana, I am so sorry she has put you in this position" he says gently.
Then he turns his attention to Eva, and grins at her "Thanks for the recording Eva, but the one Christian got Jason to do for me is far better" he says and I hear Kate gasp in shock.
Eva's face breaks into a huge grin and she shrugs, "I was bluffing" she says and Elliot lets out a loud snort of laughter.
"Yeah I know you were, but Jason wasn't! He has every word that bitch has spoken since she walked in here recorded complete with the visual. I think that will be enough for my lawyer to get me out of this hell" he says.
Kate is standing looking panic stricken as she looks between me, Elliot and Eva. "El" she whispers but Elliot holds up his hand.
"You have lost the right to speak to me. I don't want to ever see your face again or hear your voice again. Your belongings are all outside in rubbish sacks, don't try and come back home as you won't get in. The locks have been changed and if you try and contact me, my daughter or any members of my family I will get a restraining order placed on you. You will be hearing from my lawyer shortly".
With that Elliot turns and leaves the room with Christian and I turn towards Kate, "Now Kate, for the final time, get out of my house and don't ever come back" I say.
The enormity of the situation she is now in seems to hit her and she almost shrinks in front of me. "I… I have nowhere to go" she mumbles.
"Not my problem" I say coldly, "You should've thought about that before you disrespected and insulted everyone".
I watch as Kate sighs and moves slowly towards the door, Eva comes and stands by my side and wrapping her arm around my shoulder she watches her go.
"Bye Kate" she calls sarcastically.
Kate turns and gives her a filthy look before opening the door.
"Careful! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Eva calls and I let out a loud snort and elbow her in her ribs, which makes her laugh loudly.
"Stop it" I say.
"She deserves it" Eva says simply.
I nod as I really can't disagree with that.