At around 7:45pm the next night, I dress myself in a silver satin dress and matching mask and look myself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back.
Wow. Taylor has good taste, I think to myself. Christian instructed him to get me some options for tonight since I've never been to a masquerade ball before. I think he chose well for it.
As I stare down at my knotted fingers, I suddenly feel very nervous about tonight. Why? I'm going to be divorcing Christian Grey tomorrow.
And yet for some reason, the thought alone makes me feel nauseous.
Why the hell am I feeling this way? I never wanted to marry the guy in the first place.
But what about my writing?
I sigh.
I will admit, though, that ever since I went on this journey with him, my writing has not only improved, but I've also been doing it a lot more often. He seems to be some sort of inspiration for me, although why, I have no idea.
But still, though, I guess being with him could be a lot worse.
Yet for some reason I find it hard to believe that.
But as I'm pondering over my thoughts, I hear a faint knock on my door and after calling for them to enter, I see that it's Taylor.
"You look lovely, Mrs. Grey," he says, making me blush.
"Thank you, Taylor. And it's Ana," I remind him.
"Ana. Christian asked me to escort you to the party."
"He's not coming with us?"
"He thought it'd be better if you went separately." Oh?
"Taylor, do you think I can do this?" I ask suddenly.
"It's not my place to say, Ana. Although we have enjoyed having you here," he smiles.
"Even Christian?" I ask with my brow raised.
"I wouldn't go that far," he chuckles and I laugh.
"Are you ready?" he asks and I nod as he offers his arm for mine and leads me downstairs to the great room. I take a deep breath.
Don't fuck this up, Ana.
Whatever you do, don't fuck this up.
About forty-five minutes later, Taylor pulls up with me and Sawyer outside what looks like a mansion and Sawyer opens my door for me and starts leading me to the front entrance.
"If you need anything, just let me know, Mrs. Grey."
"I will and thank you, Sawyer. And please call me Ana."
"Ana," he smiles and after leading me inside, he leaves to check security, at least that's what I'm assuming.
"Wow," I breathe as I take in my surroundings. The entire place is covered in silver and gold light strings covering every entrance, as well as matching tablecloths, at least four crystal chandeliers shimmering in the dim light, a large wooden stage in the back and every single participant is dressed head to toe in fancy suits and dresses, all with matching party masks. Christian advised me not to remove my mask no matter what.
"Champagne, ma'am?" a young woman asks me as she holds a tray of glasses in front of me in what I assume is an expensive wine.
"Yes, thank you," I say as I take one and she walks away.
I step closer and take in my sights, hardly believing how beautiful it is.
"Holy cow," I say to myself as I stare upward at a gorgeous chandelier as I hear a band playing as I walk inside.
Under My Skin, I think? It sounds familiar.
I scan the room looking for Christian, but before I have a chance to spot him, a blonde woman takes me by surprise by pulling me in for a hug and squeezing me tight.
"Hi," I choke out. Who is this?
"Hi, Ana. I'm Mia, Christian's sister," she explains. Oh. I thought the blonde hair looked familiar.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I respond.
"Welcome to the party. If you need anything, just let us know."
"I will, thank you," I reply. I like her already.
"By the way, I know all about your arrangement with Christian, but don't worry, I won't say anything about it." Why does everyone in his family know about our arrangement?
"I appreciate that, thank you, but I don't think that we'll be married for much longer."
"Oh? Why not?"
"The thing is that I never agreed to this marriage in the first place and I was only doing it as a favor to my dad, and after tonight, I can walk away."
"So, we won't be seeing you again after this?"
"I don't think so. At least that's the plan anyway."
"Ohm I see," she says and I can tell she sounds disappointed. Why?
"Well, in any case, I really hope you enjoy tonight. Come, I'll show you around," she says, but before I can respond, she takes my arm and starts introducing me to some of her friends, all while being careful to keep my secret.
"So, Christian offered to help you?" one woman, Laura, asks me.
"Yes he did," I explain. "I'm looking for a career in writing, but I needed to secure a job first before that happens."
"What genre have you chosen to write?" Laura asks.
"Romance."
"How nice. Please let me know when you release it as I would love to have my own copy of it."
"Of course, I'll be sure to let you know," I smile and she smiles back.
"Come, I want you to meet Candy," Mia interjects and after waving goodbye to Laura, she starts leading me through the crowd to find her friend.
"Is this an open event?" I ask Mia.
"Only by invitation. There's only a couple of reporters who are just here to document the occasion."
"Do I have to speak with any of them?"
"Not if you don't want to, no. Don't worry, they're only worried about the event." Thank God.
"Do you have any idea where Christian is?"
"I think he's talking with some business partners, but I'm honestly not entirely sure. Did you want to see him?"
"No, thank you, it's fine," I reply because it's the truth.
"Trust me, he's not so bad once you get to know him," she grins. Why does everyone keep saying that?
"Excuse me, ma'am, can I get a picture with you two?" a photographer asks me and I'm almost hesitant to answer him.
"Sure, just one second," Mia answers for me and before I can react, she wraps her arm around me and pulls me in closer as the photographer snaps a few photos before thanking us and heading on his way.
"Trust me, you'll get used to it," Mia winks at me and I smile in response. She leads me through the crowd and we start mingling with more of her friends as the night goes on.
Some time passes and I meet most of Mia's friends, all while not catching one glimpse of Christian for most of our conversations.
"What can I expect from tonight?" I ask as Mia grabs another glass for me and then one for herself.
"First we'll have an auction, then dinner right after that, and then a final dance to end off the night, but you can stay longer than that if you want to. These parties usually last for a few hours."
"Where can I make a donation?"
"You can just write a check and hand it off to Christian or any of the Greys, or any of the bouncers if they're around at the time."
"When does the auction start?"
"In about an hour or so. Can I show you more of the grounds?"
"Yes, please," I grin excitedly.
"Great," she grins with glee and same as before, she takes my arm again and leads me outside to the gardens.
About an hour later, Mia left me to go mingle with some of her friends and as they're preparing for the upcoming auction, an older man in a black and white mask takes the stage and the guests quiet down immediately.
"Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the annual charity ball. This event is hosted by the generous Mr. Christian Grey and founded by our gracious partners, Carrick Grey and Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey." The crowd applauds politely.
"As you all know, the proceeds from this evening go the charity, Coping Together, which has long been dedicated to helping children of parents addicted to drugs, as well as a serviceable foundation of leading the parents to a road of recovery. We hope you enjoy the festivities of tonight and be sure to make a donation to any of our bouncers at the exits, or the Grey family at table two." The crowd applauds again.
"We thank you again for your time and dedication to this special occasion and with all that being said, let's start the bidding off at $2,000."
The auction continues for about half an hour, raking in around $100,000 and then another $10,000 after the next item has been sold.
"And sold," the announcer declares and we all applaud in reaction.
"So, Ana, tell me how you came to know Christian," an older woman asks me as I take a sip of my champagne.
"I was looking for work to become a writer and Christian offered to help me out."
"Really? I didn't think he did anything like that."
"Christian has shown many signs of helping out when necessary and he was very willing to lend a hand to me, even when I asked him not to."
"Has he always been this generous?" the woman continues.
"Always," I reassure her. "If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be in the situation that I'm in now," I say and for once, I actually mean it.
"I also heard that he got married. Do you know anything about the woman at all?" I shrug.
"I haven't met her, so I wouldn't know anything about that."
"Do you know if she came here tonight?"
"I don't think she could make it, but once again, I have no idea," I shrug and that seems to work for now.
The auction finishes and the speaker announces that they raised an additional $125,000 and we all applaud accordingly. Christian and his family must be pleased to hear this.
"Ana," I hear a voice call out to me and I look up to see Carrick taking a seat beside me, wearing a shiny silver mask and dark suit.
"Hi, Carrick. How are you tonight?"
"Very grateful, I must say, considering how much money we're making so far tonight."
"How much do you usually make at these?"
"Last year, we made over two million dollars." Wow.
"You must be so proud of Christian."
"I am," he smiles warmly and I can easily tell that he means it. "He's always been very passionate about this fundraiser, and I'm sure we'll raise more money by the end of it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why does this charity mean so much to Christian?" Carrick frowns and once again I feel guilty for asking.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be pry," I say quietly.
"Oh no, it has nothing to do with that at all," he grins reassuringly. "It's just that Christian's past has always been a touchy subject for him and us."
"Is it personal?"
"You could say so, yes."
"I understand you formed Coping Together when he was really young?"
"Fifteen, and yes we did. Let's just say that something from his past caused Grace and I to start it up for him."
"Is she here tonight?"
"Unfortunately not, but there's been a rising case of fevers and she promised to help out at the hospital as much as she can. But she did write a check out to Christian and apologized to him personally."
"Are you all close?"
"As close as any family could be. I'm honestly surprised that Christian's still talking with us after what happened when he was fifteen."
"What was that?" I ask, but before he can answer, an older gentleman taps his shoulder and after whispering in his ear, Carrick excuses himself from the table just as Christian comes to sit beside me.
"Enjoying the festivities?" he asks.
"Yes I am, Mr. Grey. Fortunately, nobody seems to know who I am."
"Good, let's keep it that way. Don't take off your mask no matter what until we leave my parent's property."
"I know," I assure him. "Can you please tell me why this event is so important to you?"
"It's smart business," he shrugs. What?
"What does that mean?"
"It's none of your business, Ana. We won't be seeing each other again after tonight."
"And I'm sure you'll be very happy about that."
"As any man would be," he smirks, but the look in his eyes tells me otherwise. Before I can respond to him, the announcer takes the stage again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for dinner to be served. Please remain in your seats as the staff serve you the first course," he addresses as everyone takes a seat and the servers come out of the next room over.
"You'll need your salad fork for this," Christian whispers and I look down at my cutlery and select what I assume to be the right one.
"The other one," Christian points with his chin and feeling embarrassed, I pick up the other fork.
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it," he says just as the servers place our salads in front of us and leave to let us dine in peace. Did he actually just give me a compliment?
We finish our salads and the staff take away our plates to present the main course; Garlic and Rosemary Crusted Cornish Game Hen, served with a Wild Rice Dressing and Rosemary Roasted Root Vegetables.
"Now you can use the previous fork," Christian directs me and I take the fork in my hand as I take another sip of my champagne.
"Am I presentable enough for tonight?" I ask.
"Hmm, you could be worse, but we'll see how far it goes tonight," he responds the look in his eyes tells me he's joking. I laugh in response.
"Then I might as well give you a good show," I wink and for the first time since I've met him, I see a real, genuine smile.
"Have you made a decision yet about our proposal?" he asks after I take the first bite. It's delicious.
"I'll let you know about it tomorrow. And Christian…" I start and he looks over at me after taking a bite. "I'm sorry about what happened at Clayton's," I say and I really mean it. He stops chewing his food and I can tell he looks surprised by my comment.
"Me too," he mumbles and clears his throat before continuing. "I guess we both acted like jerks that day."
"I guess we did," I say because it's the truth.
"Good luck with your writing," he says and now it's my turn to look surprised.
"Thank you," I smile and he smiles in return. Before I can respond, we suddenly hear a commotion coming from the entrance and look to see about a dozen photographers heading our way and flashing their cameras. What the hell?
"Christian Grey, is this the woman you married as a charity case?" one of them asks him. Oh no.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Christian growls as he stands to face them.
"That's her right there, Anastasia Steele," another one exclaims. What? How do they know my name?
"I can assure you, gentlemen; I'm not married," Christian explains.
"We got an anonymous tip that the woman would be wearing a silver satin dress and matching mask," one says and before I can react, he undoes my mask and pulls it off my face. Oh shit.
"That's her! That's his wife!" another photographer exclaims and they start snapping away just as Christian helps me to my feet.
"Let's get out here," he orders and we struggle to make our way out of the crowd just as startled partygoers stare at us and we try to find Taylor and Sawyer.
"Get in," Christian orders and I quickly do as I'm told. He barks orders at Sawyer and Taylor and they quickly clamber in the front seats. Christian slides in next to me just as the several reporters rush outside and continue flashing us as we pull out of the driveway.
"What the hell, Taylor?!" he yells in Taylor's direction. "I thought we agreed to keep this a secret?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey. I have no idea how they got inside," Taylor replies and I can tell he sounds ashamed. Oh, Taylor…
"Do you have any idea who might've tipped them?" I ask Christian as Taylor pulls out into traffic.
'I have no fucking idea," he growls. "Only a limited number of press was supposed to be here tonight."
"Maybe it was Jack?" I inquire as my scalp tingles at the mention of his name.
"No chance in hell. I heard he left Seattle this morning." He did?
"What about the woman who visited your apartment?"
"Veronica? She doesn't have the guts to try something like that with me and I haven't heard from her since I last saw her."
"I'm sorry," I say sincerely and Christian takes a deep breath as he tries to rein in his temper.
"It'll be okay. The press have ruined my life before, but they're not doing it again tonight."