, small semi-circle around Catherine. Yeah, I may be feeling a bit panicked myself. We never have meetings like this.
But I feel a ten-ton weight is being lifted from my shoulders when I see Catherine compose herself to speak to us like she always does. Okay, well she's smiling a bit.
Let's hear what she has to say. Maybe it’s not so bad.
"It may be over."
Okay. Never mind. Scratch that.
What the fuck does that mean? Catherine seems so calm, but turns out what I thought was a smile is actually a grimace.
Fuck, now I know exactly what it means. The realization dawns on me as I hear Charlie's voice squeak out a question, something like "what may be over?" Through my stomach-dropping anxiety, I only make out a few words in Catherine's response: website, jobs, mansion residency, sold.
This doesn’t make sense. I thought I had it figured out. I'm here because I'm goddamn amazing at what I do. As is everyone in this room, including Catherine the Great.
The life we have here is incredible, but it didn’t come easy. Things don’t just fall onto our laps. Everything we enjoy is well-earned through genuine dedication and endless hard work.
It's not like somebody can just take it away.
Can they?
I'm at a rare loss for words. That won't keep me from speaking the fuck up, though.
"Selling Bennet Babes? Seriously? There’s no other site of our quality. And that's because of us. How could anybody just let that all go?"
I feel flushed and legit furious, but Catherine seems calm and starts smiling for real as she responds.
"Oh, my sweet child. You're worried about quality and fairness? This is a business. You know that."
"A business? We're more than just fucking assets!"
I can see that Mary, Jane, Charlie and Lydia are transforming from fearful to confident with my lead. They're not going to sit through this shit, either. Good.
"So, when are we going to get a say in this whole shitstorm?" Mary finally pipes up, with Jane supporting her: "Yeah, when?"
I do my best to keep the heat on.
"It's too late for that. Isn't it, Catherine?"
"Lizzie…" Catherine trails off. She can't think of what to say. I almost feel bad for her as I look into the faces of my fellow Bennet Babes.
Catherine's own stint on the site wasn't that long ago, and I realize that she's handling this the best she can. She’s just as upset about the idea as the rest of us.
"There's nothing anyone could have done, is there?" Fuck, I can't let myself tear up. I can see Catherine already is.
"I'm so sorry. You're right. There's nothing I could have done or can do now, realistically. But, the paperwork isn't finalized. They’re not shutting us down necessarily. Just taking over."
"Who's 'they'?" Now it's Lydia's turn, and she’s asking the right questions.
"Will Darcy." Catherine is back to deadpan, now.
"Who the fuck is that?" I snap. "And who else?"
"George 'Hawk' Wickham is the other gentleman."
I chuckle at the name despite everything. I can almost see the quotation marks on whatever fucking contract they're waiting to sign. I'm relieved to hear the other girls laugh, as well. Yeah, we all know about former porn star Hawk Wickham.
Catherine, on the other hand, plays it serious as she continues. "You may yet get your say. I did convince them to visit while the site is still in operation. I marked it on the calendar."