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No, she's barely been out of the house since she was grounded, only getting to escape once to register for summer classes at Fordham Bay University. At first, she'd been looking forward to college. Hoping to get as far away from home as possible. But since her studies took a nosedive at the end of her last high school semester, she was rejected from Northwestern and forced to matriculate with godawful people at a school that might as well be a community college.
She enters the boutique, almost afraid to make eye contact with the security guard. The same one who arrested her and found a stolen scarf and coke in her purse. Neither of which were her items, but every time Akilah protested she fell on deaf ears.
Akilah had no idea who put the scarf in her purse, but she did know that the person responsible for the coke could only be Matt Holden. Her ex-sorta-boyfriend, and current pain in her ass.
When she gets the chance to see him, she'll probably kill him.
"Hi..." Akilah whispers softly, hurrying past the guard and approaching the front desk where she's met with Farrah Louis, busy at work folding garments. Her golden tresses hang just at her neck, where she wears a sexy halter above knee-high shorts.
Farrah stares at Akilah intently, "What do you want? To steal something else?"
"You mean like someone's husband?" Akilah shoots back.
Farrah smacks a piece of bubblegum loudly. "Security!"
"I'm here to see Miss Sanchez," Akilah answers. "It's not a complicated order."
Farrah laughs. "Come to beg her to drop the charges, you coke fiend?"
"You know, I don't know what Alec ever saw in you." Akilah heads toward Gabrielle's office. "I'll go talk to her myself."
Farrah steps out from around the counter, grabbing Akilah's arm. Akilah's gold jewelry shakes wildly as Farrah pulls her closer. "I don't think so! Security!"
"Get off me, you white trash!" Akilah shouts, pushing Farrah away from her.
"I'll give you white trash!" Farrah says, leaning her head back and spitting at Akilah's face. Luckily, Akilah thinks quickly and grabs one of the shirts from the counter, covering her face. The spit, mixed with Farrah's bubblegum, hits the silk blouse, slowly dripping down it.
"Que demonios!"
Akilah and Farrah spin around as Gabrielle Sanchez stomps out her office toward them, a fiery look on her face. Her short black hair is spiky and made up, perfectly complimenting her red vest and leather pants. Her heels clack against the floor as she storms over to Akilah and snatches the shirt.
"Que demonios es eso?!" Gabrielle cries, pointing at the bubblegum on her expensive shirt.
"It was...it was an accident," Farrah says. "She..."
"Quedas despedido!"
Farrah is dumbfounded. "What does that..."
"It means you're fired, Akilah says, smiling until she catches the look from Gabrielle's eyes. "And...I will just write you a sorry note."
She hurries out the store, leaving an upset Farrah alone with Gabrielle. Gabrielle sighs loudly before storming back into her office.
"I'll get you, Akilah," Farrah says, her eyes zeroing in on the door. "If it's the last thing I do."
"Are those Louboutins?"
Natalie spins around to find an irritated Felicia Bale staring at her, arms folded. Felicia's strawberry blonde hair sits in a bouffant atop her head, several necklaces shaking above her bosom.
"Si," Natalie beams, taking a gander at her heels as if she were in a showroom.
"So nice for you to be able to afford those shoes on a cleaning woman's salary," Felecia continues. "You must give me the name of the store you lifted them from."
Natalie shakes her head in irritation, but keeps her mouth shut as she continues to push the trash cart. Felicia, however, isn't satisfied with the response she's gotten from Natalie and follows her down the hallway.
"Ms. Bale, I'm trying to get some work done," Natalie insists.
"You don't seem to work so many hours," Felicia continues, whispering as they are passed in the hallway by two executives. "Tell me, what kind of secret dealings have you had with Michael?"
"Felicia..."
"No, that's Ms. Bale in the office," Felicia snaps. "Hanley Enterprises is a media conglomerate. We make the big bucks in fashion, television spots, and the Chicago theatre scene...not in trash."
"Hija de puta," Natalie mutters under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"You know, I used to think you were a lot different from your daughter, but she probably learned from the master," Felicia says, grabbing hold of Natalie's cart. "That daughter of yours swept into my family and ruined my son's life."
"Dios mio!" Natalie says, laughing. "You are not a well woman, Felicia."
Fuming, Felicia tosses the folder in her hands onto the floor, creating a flurry of white as papers slip from the folder and scatter across the floor. She clearly wants more than a rise out of Natalie.
"Pick that up!" Felicia shouts.
"Mujer del Diablo!" Natalie hisses, pulling her cart away from Felicia.
The sudden ripping of the cart from her grip causes Felicia to stumble back, nearly tripping over her heels.
"Dios mio!"
Natalie rushes to Felicia's side, but she is pushed away as Felicia tries to regain her composure.
"Don't touch me!" Felicia says. "I can... I can..."
Felicia feels a shortness of breath that causes a momentary disorientation. She clutches at her chest, attempting to take large breaths and fill her lungs with air, but it appears to be futile.
"Felicia, are you okay?!" Natalie cries.
But she elicits no response from Felicia, who sinks to the floor and passes out. Natalie removes her cell phone from her pocket, quickly dialing a number as she crouches next to Felicia. "Michael! It's Natalie... I need your help!"
CASA DE MADDOCK
A pinata dangles from a tree in a yard, nearly whacking Ryan Phillips in the head as he darts toward Aaron Maddock's mansion at the end of the block. In his efforts to avoid a collision, however, Ryan slips and stumbles, falling flat on his face in a clump of dirt.
Shit.
As he climbs to his feet, the first thing he notices are a pair of heels walking toward the mansion's front door. He pans his vision up, noticing the sexy pair of legs, enclosed in a tight skirt. Atop the skirt is a blouse, open just enough to display the woman's cleavage.
And as his eyesight rests on her face...
He recognizes her.
"Vanessa?" Ryan gasps softly.
His ex-wife.
This was unexpected. Ryan had come to Aaron's house with all the intention of wresting information from Alexis Lopez. With the report he got from Katharine Dexter about the threatening notes he received coming from Marquette Cove, he knew that Alexis was somehow behind them. She'd fooled everyone into thinking she had somehow reformed, but he remembered when she pulled the same stunt years ago, pretending she had amnesia before she systematically destroyed his marriage to...
Vanessa. And here she is now. Back in town, and this is the first Ryan has heard of it.
He hasn't seen Vanessa since she left for France. With their son. Well, the son she believed was Ryan's at least.
"What in the hell are you doing here, Vanessa?" Ryan wonders aloud.
He wants to confront her. Demand to know why she has returned to the country. Why she has ignored all of his correspondence since departing. The part of him that knows Eamon isn't really his son doesn't do much to dissuade the part of Ryan that feels hurt and abandoned by one of the few allies he had in town in the wake of the Alexis debacle.
Ryan watches as Vanessa rings the doorbell, tapping her right foot on the doorstep as she waits for a response. When the door finally opens, Ryan catches a glimpse of the dark-haired Alexis Lopez.
They speak words that Ryan can't hear or read upon their lips, and then Vanessa finally steps inside. As the door slams shut, Ryan quickly reaches for the nearby tree to gain his balance.
"That bitch is up to something..." Ryan says, speaking gravely as all his angry thoughts of Alexis boil to the surface.
"Policia! Policia!"
Ryan turns to find a Hispanic woman, perhaps the maid from her attire, emerging from the house of the lawn he currently stands on. He holds up his hands.
"I'm sorry, I just...I'm just cutting through!" Ryan insists, standing up tall.
However, as he stands, his head collides with the pinata, smashing it into the tree. The contents of the pinata, candy and other assortments, tumble out onto the lawn. And as if he weren't feeling worse enough, the woman is joined outside by several children wearing party hats.
One young girl in particular spies the broken pinata and bursts into tears. Ryan, glancing down at the mess, and then back at the girl, frowns in distress. "Feliz cumpleanos..."
EMERALD SQUARE
"Ooh, muy caliente!" Jessica Bale says, fanning her mouth as she tries to digest the spicy nachos she just shoveled into her mouth. She sits at a table in the center of Emerald Square, hair tied back to keep her neck cool amidst the day's staggering heat.
Kane Li sits across from her, nodding in agreement while chewing nachos as well. He wears a black tank top, his muscles glistening under the harsh sunlight. "Shouldn't you be used to spicy foods?"
"What, because I'm a Latina picante?" Jessica asks, smiling.
"Yes," Kane jokes. "Mama warned be to beware those Latin lovers!"
"And I am full-blood Boricua," Jessica says, taking a moment to wipe her lips with a napkin. "Thank you for this."
"For the nachos? They were only five dollars."
Jessica laughs. "No, I mean taking me out! Helping me forget about all the shit I've had to deal with since... It's still hard."
"I'm sorry," Kane insists. "Two months is barely enough time to get over a loss like that."
"I just feel so numb. My marriage to Alec was all but over, but it still hurts. And losing Phillip like that...but you must know what it's like to lose a family member, someone you care about."
Kane frowns. "Huh?"
"Your father had that heart attack at the hospital last year," Jessica says.
"Oh, right," Kane says, nodding. "Yeah...that's still tough. My mom and I think about him all the time. Good old Eric Li."
"I thought your father's name was Aaron?"
"His middle name was Eric," Kane says quickly. "But um, let's change the subject. I hear your best friend is in town? Isn't that what your mother said the other night?"
"Alexis," Jessica says. "Yes...she's...she's in town. Living with Aaron Maddock, who I guess is her uncle now. No wait, cousin. Kyle is her uncle."
Jessica fails to notice Kane tense up at the mention of Kyle.
"So how's she doing?" Kane asks.
"I wouldn't know," Jessica says. "I haven't seen her yet."
"You haven't...you haven't seen her?"
Jessica shakes her head. "It's just with everything with Alec and Phillip...and with how Alexis went away four years ago... I don't even know what I'd say to her. What can I say to her? Sorry you were crazy, I guess you're not now! Let's go see a movie?"
"Jessica —"
"I don't want to talk about it, Kane," Jessica snaps. "So just... just drop it."
MARQUETTE COVE CLINICA LIBRE
Simon Holden wipes the sweat from his forehead as he slams his hand against the fan in his office. It's once again on the fritz, but it tends to fix itself once Simon smacks it. Unfortunately, it's not working at all today.
"Shit," Simon mutters, opting to fan himself with the stack of papers in his hand. "It's going to be a long day."
Almost as if in response to his comment, there is an urgent knock at his office door. He sets the clipboard down and goes to answer it, nearly bowled over as Michael Hanley rushes into the office.
"Michael!" Simon says, startled. "What do you want?"
"It's Felicia," Michael says, as his sister slowly enters the room, helped inside by Natalie.
Simon's face falls. "Felicia? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Felicia insists. "I just fainted...everyone's overreacting. It's probably just the weather."
"Well, let's just check you out to make sure," Michael says, gesturing for Natalie to help Felicia to a seat.
"Thanks for your concern," Felicia mutters, slumping into her seat. She furiously fans herself with her hands. "It's so goddamn hot in here, it's like we're in the barrio or something."
"Perra," Natalie says, just above a whisper.
"I heard that."
"Ladies," Michael snaps. "I told you two to cut that out in the car ride."
"Can I be alone with Felicia?" Simon asks.
Michael narrows his eyes. "Why?"
"Because she's a patient," Simon responds.
"Felicia's a Hanley. We stay by each other's sides."
"Well, I'm certainly glad I don't have that burden to bear anymore," Simon says, getting the news of his divorce from Valerie across loud and clear. "And family or not, I want to examine my patient alone."
"I think you've done enough examining..."
"Michael," Natalie says, reaching out to touch his arm. "Vaya."
Michael clasps Felicia's hands in his own. "I'll be right outside. You'll be fine, okay?"
"I know that already," Felicia insists. "But thanks for the concern."
Simon ushers Michael and Natalie out the office, before closing the door. Felicia takes the opportunity to advance on him, planting a kiss on his lips.
"Congratulations," Felicia says.
Simon moves away uncomfortably, snatching up his clipboard.
Felicia watches him, a confused look on her face. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Let's just get you checked out, okay?" Simon says, turning away from Felicia. Eye contact is not a luxury he can afford at the moment.
CASA DE MADDOCK
Alexis Lopez opens the door to the mansion, her beautifully made-up face and hair cut short at her shoulders from a few snips administered by Rebecca belying her emotional state. She is fearful of who could possibly be at the door. The recent parade of people descending upon her new home weren't exactly a galley of guests she looked forward to seeing.
But this person at the door...this is quite the surprise.
Mierda.
"Mrs. Phillips," Alexis says, not even sure her voice registers as more than a whisper.
"Just Watson now," Vanessa responds.
Alexis nods softly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
They remain silent for a few moments, then Vanessa finally speaks again. "May I come in?"
"Okay."
Alexis steps aside to let Vanessa enter the mansion, then closes the door behind her. She walks into the living room, taking a seat on the couch, legs crossed. "What's up, Miss Watson?"
"I just recently got into town, and I heard you were released from the hospital," Vanessa says. "And I haven't spoken to you since...well, since you kidnapped my son."
The silence that hung over the women outside now creeps into the living room. Alexis uncomfortably uncrosses her legs.
"I'd love to say I'm sorry, but it's all... no puede recordar. I can't remember."
That's a lie.
Vanessa nods. "I know. I understand the mental state you were in, and I understand that being released...you've obviously come to terms with that. But I just want to let you know that I forgive you. For all past transgressions."
Gracias.
"Thank you."
"I just wanted to make sure I said that before I left town."
Vanessa turns toward the door.
"How's Eamon?"
"He's fine," Vanessa says, turning back around. "He's staying with a nanny in Paris, while I'm...well, I'll be back home soon enough."
"Is Ryan in his life? Mr. Phillips?"
"No."
"That's a good thing," Alexis says.
Alexis doesn't mention that one reason for that is because he's not Eamon's father. But Vanessa doesn't know that. And admitting that would mean Alexis would have to atone for all of the sins she committed.
But knowing Marquette Cove as well as she does, Alexis still remembers that atonement often requires a pound of flesh.
"Have a safe trip."
"Thank you," Vanessa says, going to the door.
She leaves the mansion, shutting the door and heading toward her rental car. But for the second time, in as many days, she fails to notice that someone watches her intently. And while the man this time may not be a stranger...
He's just as dangerous.
EMERALD SQUARE
"Pare el hablar!" Jessica snaps, storming away from Kane and their table of dripping nachos. "Me haces enojar!"
"Jessica, please," Kane says, abandoning the table as well. "I'm sorry! I just want to try and help. I know what it's like to not know what to say to someone you love. You've done everything you can for them...but they keep making mistakes. And you just can't reconcile them."
Jessica stops just outside the water fountain in the center of Emerald Square. She brushes her hair back, nearly catching the strands in her bracelets. "You mean your father?"
"Yeah," Kane answers. "You're a very perceptive young lady."
"So I've been told," Jessica says. "And you know...maybe you're right. It couldn't hurt to stop by and see Alexis. She has to be so alone right now."
"You're a good person," Kane says, pulling Jessica into an embrace and kissing her forehead.
Jessica is momentarily lost in Kane's embrace until she hears someone clearing their throat. She spins around to find Akilah Moore on the edge of the fountain, a glum look on her face.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Akilah says. "But I was sitting here wallowing, and didn't think I should keep listening."
"Thanks. I appreciate you not sending our conversation to Gossip Girl," Kane laughs.
"She didn't interrupt anything," Jessica says, quickly stepping away from Kane. "I mean...we were just talking. We're friends."
Akilah nods, confused as to why Jessica is overreacting so much. "Um, okay?"
"What's with the sad face, kiddo?" Kane asks, taking a seat next to Akilah.
"Kiddo?" Akilah scoffs. "I'm fine. Just the usual criminal charges to worry about."
Kane stands bewildered. "Yeah, that's rough."
"You two can go on ahead," Akilah says. "Really. No need to make my horrible day yours too."
"Perfecto," Jessica says, grabbing at Kane's arm. "Let's get going."
Kane pulls his arm away, resting it instead on Akilah's shoulder. "Jessica, remember that good person talk we had?"
Before Jessica can respond, a shrill voice interrupts their conversation. "Well, this is a sight. When are you two not involved in a love triangle?"
Jessica, Kane and Akilah glance up in order to see Farrah fast approaching them. Kane smiles eagerly at her approach, yet Jessica and Akilah are much more disappointed, to say the least.
"Dios mio," Jessica mutters. "God, I sound like my mother."
"No one's involved in a triangle, Farrah," Akilah says, rolling her eyes. "But now that you're here, you can be the sleazy fourth wheel. Just like you were with Alec."
"Is this about how she slept with Jessica's husband?" Kane asks.
"He's not her husband!" Farrah snaps.
"Well no, he's dead," Akilah says. "But he was married when you sank your claws into him."
"I can't deal with this," Jessica says. "Someone get this basura away from me."
"Puta," Farrah shoots back. "I know what that word means."
"All right, ladies," Kane says, rising to his feet. "Why don't we all just settle down?"
Akilah whips out her Blackberry and aims it at Jessica and Farrah. "No, please. Don't. I need a new YouTube addiction."
"You're the only slut I see," Jessica says, pushing Farrah away from her.
Farrah grabs Jessica by her hair, pulling her head closer. "I just got fired today. And this is so gonna make me feel better!"
She shoves Jessica forward, knocking her into Kane and sending both him and Jessica into the fountain. A large splash of water shoots into the air, hitting Akilah and nearly causing her to drop her phone.
"You crazy bitch!" Akilah shouts.
"Go to hell," Farrah says, shoving Akilah back into the fountain as well.
Akilah tumbles into the water, crashing into Kane and Jessica. The three rest in the fountain, sputtering as water continues to pour down on them, all the while staring at Farrah with searing anger.
Farrah smirks at the trio, clasps her hands together and leans forward. "Adios amigos!"
And with that, she spins in her heels and sashays away from the fountain.
