Written by: Dallas Walsh

"Good, you're here," Lexington Rockwell says as he opens the door to MacKenzie's office at Rockwell Mining and he spies the man he thought was his father for years sitting behind his desk. "We have to talk, and I think you have to hear me out."

Mac stops typing into his Apple Laptop and looks over at his youngest son. He can only imagine what Lex has to say as the last 10 months or so, his youngest son has taken some time for himself. After his former lover, Mateo Santos, kidnapped him in Cabo and tried to kill him, Lex returned to Kelsey Lake claiming he needed some time to regroup considering everything he had been through. Lex stopped working, which was a surprise to the family as he has always been a top performer in the business world. But, Mac knows that Lex's Cabo experience was traumatizing. At the same time, Mac returned to Kelsey Lake with memory loss but took back control of Rockwell Mining from his wife, Carmen Santos. After Carmen was arrested, Mac's memory quickly returned and things have, seemingly, returned to normal.

"It sounds serious," Mac stands up from behind his desk and moves over to the bar where he pours two brandies. "How about you tell me what's on your mind over a drink?"

"I'd love one," Lex nods back to him as he moves to the sofa in the office and takes a seat. Mac soon passes Lex his drink, and he immediately takes a sip of it.

"So, what is in your mind?" Mac asks him as he sits next to him.

"I'm ready to come back to work," Lex reveals to him as they lock eyes. "You know that Kent made Houston CEO of Blackmore Ltd," Lex continues to tell him, thinking about his biological father Kent Blackmore named his son, Houston Blackmore, the CEO of the company that Lex ran for a few years. "I was hoping that I could come back to work here? What do you think?"

"I think this is long overdue," Mac chuckles back to him as he takes a sip of his brandy. "You have taken a lot of time for yourself; I am glad that you feel like you're ready to work again."

"I am," Lex tells him. "After all the drama with Mateo, I needed time for me. No men, no work; I just needed time for me. But, I am ready to come back to work. I want to run a company like I did before."

"I can appreciate that, Lexington," Mac looks back at him. "That being said, if you got a job here, you wouldn't be running Rockwell Mining. I am not ready to step down, not by a long shot."

Lex sighs back to him. "Are you sure about that?" Lex quickly asks him back. "Celeste just had your baby, you two are engaged to be married, why not take this time to be with your new daughter and your wife to be? I could take over here while you enjoy this new chapter of your life?"

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?" Mac asks him, thinking about his fiancé, Celeste Baldwin, did recently give birth to their daughter, Charlotte.

"I have," Lex nods back to him. "It just seems like this would be the perfect time for me to take over for you since you have so much going on at home."

"I will discuss with this idea with Celeste and mull it over, Lex," Mac admits to him. "The fact is, I do have a lot going on at home. And, after Stacey lost her child, having Celeste and Charlotte in my life, it means so much to me."

"Great," Lex smiles back to him. "Think about it and let me know, Dad."

***

"Have you heard from Stacey lately?" Lydia Rockwell asks Houston Blackmore as she moves into the CEO office of Blackmore Ltd. Lydia knows that after Stacey lost her child, she skipped town and she has barely been in touch with her since; Lydia is worried that Stacey is going into a depression with the loss of her child and is desperate to know if her daughter has reached out to her former fiancé as she doesn't even know where Stacey left too.

Houston looks up from the stack of paper work that is in front of him and sighs back to Lydia. "I haven't," he admits to her. "And, to be honest, I am getting worried about her."

"You and me both," Lydia nods back to him. "She has left Drake at the Rockwell mansion; he is asking about his mother daily, and I am not sure what to tell him."

"Maybe he should come live with me for a while?" Houston looks back at her with intent. "There is more than enough room at the mansion that I live in with my mother."

Lydia looks back at him in shock; the last thing she wants for her grandson is to be living under the same roof as Vivian Blackmore. "Absolutely not Houston," she shrieks back to him. "Drake is going through enough right now, the last thing he is to be uprooted from the rest of his life."

"Okay, okay," Houston tries to calm her down. "For now, I'll agree to let Drake stay at the Rockwell mansion. But, if we don't hear from Stacey soon, that might change."

***

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you and Houston have made amends from all of that drama that went down between the two of you and Sabine," Vivian Blackmore tells her ex-husband as they sit across from one another in the country club, each with a drink in front of them. Vivian recalls how Kent had disowned their son after the truth about his affair with Kent's former fiancé, Sabine Andrews, was revealed. Once Stacey lost her child that Kent fathered, he and Houston seemingly reunited and Houston is now running Blackmore Ltd, which is thrilling for Vivian.

"I know that you're pleased by what has happened," Kent picks up his scotch and takes a sip of it. "I certainly seems like it is one of the good things that came from the tragedy of losing my child with Stacey."

"Oh Kent," Vivian reaches over and grabs his hand to squeeze it. "You must still be grieving the loss of the baby?"

"Of course I am," Kent admits to her. "The child died during Stacey's delivery. We were ready to bring home a new child and raise her as our own. For us to be so close to having the child, only for it to be ripped apart from us, I am devastated. I am just trying to keep my head above water."

"I wish I could help you with this, Kent. I really do."

"I appreciate that, but the fact of the matter is, there is nothing anyone can do. My child is dead and Stacey has left town," Kent sighs back to her. "All we can do is try to move and try to heal from this nightmare."

"Is that why you're with…"

"Don't say it," Kent cuts her off, not wanting to be lectured about the new woman in his life. "We've had a nice discussion this morning, Viv. Let's not ruin it by getting into that, okay?"

Vivian uneasily nods back to him. "Yea, of course, sure."

***

"You have no idea how much I missed you when I was in jail," Madison Stewart runs her finger over Cole Rockwell's muscular chest as they lay next to one another in his bedroom of the Rockwell mansion, fresh from an intense love making session with one another.

Cole looks over at his fiancé, his chest still glistening in a light coat of sweat from the energy he used while having sex with Madi and notes how after Mac and Celeste re-emerged together, all the charges were dropped against Madi for "killing" Celeste, because she was revealed to be alive. On top of that Celeste revealed that Mac's wife, Carmen Santos, is the one that attacked her that night in her office; Carmen, was since arrested, and Madi was freed.

"I have a pretty good idea," he replies to her. "Because, I was feeling the same thing as you. I am just glad that we have reconnected Madi, and that the truth came out about your parents setting it up to make me look like I slept with another woman. We have been through so much together."

"Ugh, don't remind me about that," Madi crawls out of the bed and grabs a silk robe to wrap her naked body in, as she thinks about how her parents, Vivian Blackmore and Chase Cooper, drugged Cole and put him in bed. Vivian then put on a blonde wig and crawled into the bed with him; Chase snapped pictures of them of them together and showed Madi, which lead her to believe that Cole slept with another woman while she was locked up. "I still haven't forgiven them about that, and I will make sure they know how furious I am with them."

Cole sits up in the bed as he looks at her. "What are you planning to do?"

Madi turns back to him and puts a devilish grin on her face. "I found out some information while I was in jail," she reveals to him. "I'm just waiting for the right time to tell Chase everything that I know."

"Just be careful," Cole warns his fiancé. "After everything you went through, wouldn't it be nice to keep the peace for a while?"

Madi smiles back to him. "Of course," she nods to him. "And, it will be peaceful once we get married Cole. Now that I know you didn't sleep with another woman, I really want to marry you, sooner rather than later."

Cole gulps heavily as he knows that he didn't sleep with another woman, but he did sleep with Casper Ross, more than once. He has tried to put it out of his head, but the fact is, he hasn't been able to get Casper out of his mind. "I want that too Madi, more than you'll ever know."

***

Mac sits behind his desk at Rockwell Mining as he reviews a large file that is on his desk. He looks up when he hears a knock on his door. His secretary ushers inside the office; Peggy Brownfield is in her late 50's and is a solidly built woman. After Mac got involved with his last secretary, Carmen Santos, he decided not to hire another young, beautiful woman as he thought he had learned his lesson.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Rockwell," Peggy says to her boss. "But, there is a Mr. Dane Ashby here to see you and he claims it is important."

"Ah yes," Mac stands up from his chair. "I was expecting him, please bring him in Peggy."

Peggy scurries out of the office and shortly Dane Ashby emerges inside the office. "Mackenzie Rockwell," Dane's booming voice announces to the CEO of Rockwell Mining. "How the hell are you?"

Mac comes up to Dane with a smile on his face and quickly shakes his hand. "Mr. Ashby, this is an absolute pleasure," Mac tells him. "I have been expecting you, please come and sit down. Can I get you a drink?"

"Only if you have Tennessee Bourbon," Dane replies to him as he sits on the sofa and waits for Mac to return.

Mac quickly comes back to the sofa and passes Dane his drink. "It has been aged 50 years," Mac smiles to him as he sits across from him. "Nothing but the best for my guests."

Dane takes a sip of it and chuckles back to him. "That's a damn fine bourbon," Dane looks back at him. "But, enough of this small talk. I must admit, Mackenzie, I was rather surprised to get a call from you requesting to meet. I'm not sure what an older oil tycoon could do to benefit you or your diamond company?"

Mac chuckles back to him as he thinks about Dane's history. In the late 60's, Dane hit the jackpot when he found oil on his ranch in Texas. Quickly realizing that he could make millions, Dane formed his own oil business, Ashby Oil Co, which has been one of the leading oil companies in North America ever since. The oil quickly made Dane one of the wealthiest men in America; this, of course, has had its down falls, including 5 failed marriages and many other woman come and gone from his life.

"I thought you'd never ask," Mac looks back at him with intent. "I know that oil is quickly becoming a thing of the past, Dane, but I thought we could help each other out, mutually."

"I'm listening, what did have in mind?"

"Every oil derrick that you have to uproot, let my company search the excavated the surrounding area for diamonds," Mac suggests to him. "We'll pay for everything that we do, of course, and if we find any diamonds, we will give you 25% of the profits we make from the sales."

Dane arches his eyebrow back to him. "Interesting proposition Mac," Dane nods back to him with a glimmer in his eyes. "I'll tell you what? Let me think this over and I'll get back to you."

"Will you stay in Kelsey Lake until you've your decision?"

"Of course," Dane nods back to him. "Believe it or not, I have a couple of old friends here that I'd love to see."

"Well then, I insist that you come to my son's wedding," Mac stands up and moves closer to him. "It'll be nice to have my new business partner there."

Dane laughs back to him. "You're confident, I like that," Dane nods back to him. "In any event, I'd love to come to the wedding. It would be my honor."

***

"How did it go with your Dad?" Grant Shaw asks Lex as they sit across from one another in the country club, having a late lunch together. The two exes have remained close since Grant saved Lex from Mateo Santos in Cabo; Mateo had kidnapped Lex and took him hostage on a catamaran to keep him from returning to Kelsey Lake to help his sister, Carmen, try to retain control of Rockwell Mining while everyone believed that Mac was dead. Grant can see still Mateo's dead body floating in the Pacific Ocean until it slowly started to sink to the bottom; the most important thing, however, is that Lex is safe and able to put the pieces of his life back together.

Lex takes a bite of his cobb salad and looks back at Grant, thinking about his conversation with Mac about returning to work at Rockwell Mining; not just returning to work, but running the company. "Honestly, I don't know," he admits to Grant. "I tried to convince him that he should spend time with Celeste and Charlotte but I don't know if I got through to him or not."

"At least you tried, Lex," Grant smiles back to him. "I guess if Mac says no, you can always try to go back to Blackmore Ltd?"

Lex rolls his eyes thinking about how Kent has made Houston the CEO of the company. "I don't know that Kent would kick Houston out of the CEO job now, even though I am way more qualified to run the company than he is."

"Sounds like you need to blow off some steam," Grant chuckles back to him as they lock eyes with one another.

"I totally could," Lex nods back to him. "But, remember that we tried that after we got back from Cabo and we realized that we should just be friends?"

"I remember," Grant tells him, as he recalls that almost immediately when they got home from Cabo, he and Lex hit the sheets many times. However, they quickly realized that they should remain friends instead of continuing to be lovers. "I guess I was thinking with the wrong head on my body."

"It happens," Lex admits to him. "I'm not saying I'm not interested, I would just rather have you as my friend then risk complicating things again, you know?"

"I get it," Grant says back to him. "Besides, we've come so far, I don't want to ruin it either."

Before Lex can reply, he looks over Grant's shoulder as he sees Carmen emerge into the dining room. He knows that she is staying in one of the rooms at the club, so he isn't surprised to see her but he still is drawn to his step mother. He knows he shouldn't, but he can't help but have a lot of guilt around Mateo's death in Cabo. He knows that Carmen has refused to forgive him for killing him, even though his death was an accident.

"If you'll excuse me for a minute," Lex tells Grant as he stands up and moves towards Carmen. Grant looks over his shoulder and sighs heavily at the sight of Carmen. "Carmen, hi."

"What the hell do you want?" Carmen sneers at him, as she looks at the man that she still believes killed her brother. Ever since she learned that Mateo died in Cabo, she has believed that Lex was responsible. "Here to kill me too?"

Lex sighs back to her. "I don't want to fight with you, Carmen," Lex insists. "I was just hoping…"

"What? You want some kind of sick truce?" Carmen cuts him off. "You can save your fake ass apologies for someone who actually gives a damn, okay? And, while you're at it, stay away from me or so help me God, I won't be responsible for my actions."

***

"You're home early," Celeste smiles as she turns around and sees Mac moving into the living room of the Rockwell mansion. She wasn't expecting her fiancé to come home until later in the day as she knows that he is always busy at Rockwell Mining.

"I wrapped up an important meeting earlier than expected and thought I'd come home to see my girls," Mac comes up to her and gives her a kiss on the lips. "Where is Charlotte?"

"She is sleeping," Celeste replies to him as she rests her hands on his chest. "But, I would think she should be awake soon."

"Why don't we go upstairs before she wakes up?" Mac winks back to her. "I would love to spend some time with you in the bedroom."

"That sounds really amazing Mac," Celeste purrs back to him. "But, I am wondering when this divorce with Carmen will be finalized? I am tired of waiting to marry you. I want to be your wife, you have to know that?"

"I know," Mac sighs back to her. "You know that she is being difficult with the settlement amount; she tried to kill you, the last thing I want is for her to get more money than she deserves."

Celeste uneasily looks back at him, knowing that Carmen knows one of her deepest secrets. All she wants is for Carmen to get her pay day so they can all move on with their lives. "I know you disagree with me," Celeste tells him. "But, I think we should just give her what she wants so we can put this chapter behind us. Mac, please, do this for me and Charlotte; let's end your sham of a marriage to her so we can be together?"

***
At the bar of the country club, Carmen sits alone with a champagne cocktail in front of her. She can't believe that Lex is walking around free despite killing her brother. She opens her phone and looks at a picture of her and Mateo and immediately feels her eyes swell with water. Everything that he did in Cabo, he was doing to protect her. She hates that her brother was killing trying to help her regain the power and money that she obtained the second she married Mac; she knows that she has to do something to get back at Lex for taking Mateo away from her.

"You won't get away with this," she whispers to herself before she takes a sip of her champagne cocktail. "You will pay for what you've done; the only question is, what the hell am I going to do to you to make you pay, Lex?"

She takes another sip of her cocktail while she thinks about her current situation: she is waiting to get an updated settlement offer from Mac for their divorce. Once he returned to Kelsey Lake with Celeste, she was arrested for attempted murder. Of course, she was able to get off because Celeste dropped the charges, which shocked everyone. All of this happened because she learned one of Celeste's darkest secrets and threatened to expose her to Mac and everyone else unless dropped the charges. Now, Carmen realizes that she has to use her power to ensure she gets a settlement. But, she realizes that if she does anything to Lex, it might impact her settlement from Mac. On top of that, Noel skipped town when it was revealed that Mac was alive as he realized that he wouldn't get a dime from the Rockwell's; she wasn't surprised that he left, but she has felt incredibly lonely since he became her friend and lover for months.

"I guess I can wait to make you pay Lex," she tells herself. "At least until Celeste can convince Mac to give me everything I deserve. I will get my share of the Rockwell fortune, and if I don't, Celeste and Mac's little world will blow up in their faces," she says with a devilish grin on her face.

***

Cole takes a deep breath as he prepares to knock on the front door of Casper Ross' condo. After he spent the morning in bed with Madi, Cole has realized that he has to come and end his affair with Casper before anyone finds out what he has been up too. He knows that he has to focus on his upcoming wedding and his future with Madi; after everything they have been through to get to this point, he doesn't want anything, or anyone, to stop them from being happy.

He gulps heavily when the door opens and Casper is only wearing grey sweat pants. His toned chest is fully on display for Cole to admire. "I couldn't wait for you to get here when I got your message," Casper licks his lips as he grabs Cole's hand and brings him into the condo, closing the door once they are inside. "I've been craving you."

Cole uneasily chuckles back to him. "We have to talk, Casper. This thing between us, it has to end. I'm getting married in a few days. I can't be carrying on with this affair behind my wife's back."

Casper moves closer to him. "Did you really come here to break things off with me? Because, the look in your eyes when I opened the door suggested otherwise."

"I could have said this to you via text message," Cole replies to him quickly. "But, we have shared many good moments together and I thought I'd give you the respect of ending this face to face."

"How big of you," Casper pouts back to him. "So, you're really going to leave here while I'm still craving you? Why not give me what I need, what we both need, one final time? After today, I won't bother you anymore, promise."

Cole feels his cheeks flush. "I should get going," Cole pushes his way past Casper.

Casper watches him walk to the door and quickly drops his sweat pants and turns around. "But Cole," he turns his head over his shoulder, as Cole turns and sees his bare ass exposed, bubbling out of the straps of a jock. "I put your favorite jockstrap on, just for you."

Cole gulps heavily and finds himself rushing towards his lover. Their lips connect as Cole grinds into Casper's backside. "This is the last time," Cole says in-between kisses.

"Of course baby," Casper purrs back to him. "Just make sure you give it to me real good then, okay?"
***

"I have a feeling that we are close to finalizing all of the details of the ceremony," Chase Cooper tells Vivian Blackmore as they stand in the living room of Vivian's large mansion as they work together to finalize the details of their upcoming wedding. Ever since they were able to get out from under Dyhannah Cooper's blackmail scheme to keep them apart, the couple has been planning their wedding. Of course, the fact that their daughter, Madi, was able to get out of jail, is also a joyous moment for them, since they were worried that she would spend the rest of her life behind bars.

"Yes, I agree," Vivian smiles back to him. "The only thing I have left to do is find my wedding dress."

"Do you need assistance with that?"

Vivian chuckles back to him. "Not from you," Vivian purses her lips together. "You aren't allowed to see the dress before the ceremony."

"You don't really believe in all of those superstitions, do you?" Chase asks her quickly.

"Chase," Vivian moves up to him and gives him a quick kiss on his lips. "After everything we have been through to get to this point, I don't want to take any chances on anything that might stop us from getting married."

Before Chase can reply, they hear a loud crash from the foyer. They look at one another in confusion before they walk into the foyer and see a suitcase on the base of stairs and Madi slowly walking down the stairs with another bag in her hand.

"Madi, what is all this? What's going on?" Vivian asks her daughter.

Madi glares at her parents as she is still furious with them for making her believe that Cole was having an affair on her; the reason she changed her plea to guilty at her trial for "murdering" Celeste is because she thought Cole had moved on from her; the fact that her parents did that to her makes her blood boil. However, she can't help but think about what she learned in jail: Chase and Kent had a secret alliance years ago when Chase ran for Senate; Kent paid for part of his campaign and in turn, Chase allowed Kent to mine for diamonds on restricted lands. Madi isn't sure how she will use this information, but she knows that it will come in handy when she finally gets back at her parents.

"This is the last of my stuff," Madi announces to them. "Now, I will never have to step foot in this house again."

"Madison, please, you simply can't stay mad at us forever," Vivian pleads with her daughter. "You and I, we've lost so much time as it is, please tell me that we can put this all behind us finally?"

"You think you lying to me and making me believe Cole was having an affair can just be swept under a rug?" Madi asks them back. "Because, if that's what you think, you have another thing coming!"

"Darling," Chase starts to say. "Please, listen to your mother for one moment. She has something important to ask you."

Madi turns back and looks at Vivian. "What is it?"

"I was hoping," Vivian slowly moves closer to her daughter. "That you'd be my maid of honor when your father and I get married. What do you say?"

Madi laughs back at her. "Never," she shakes her head back to her. "I will never stand next to you again, mother. Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not on your wedding day. Given your track record, the marriage will be over by Christmas anyways."

Chase stops Vivian from going after Madi, who storms out of the mansion carrying her mansion. Once the front door slams shut, Vivian turns to Chase with tears in her eyes.

"How are we going to get our baby girl back?" she asks him.

"Don't worry, she will come around," Chase pulls Vivian into a hug. "She just needs time."

***

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Marat Kafelinkov rests his head on the large headboard of the king size bed that is in the suite at the country club that Dyhannah Cooper is staying in. They just finished making love, and Marat could easily go for another round as he has been eager to get laid lately. When he and Dyhannah first met, there were instant sparks and he hasn't been able to get enough of her and by the frequency of their love making, she feels the same way.

Dyhannah finishes attaching her large diamond earning to ear before she turns to face Marat. "I'm afraid so," she tells him. "I have that meeting at Blackmore Ltd. with Houston; he wants to go over our latest designs that we have come up with."

"Right, I remember seeing that in my calendar," Marat licks his lips back to her. "Do you want me to join you in the meeting?"

"I think I can handle it," Dyhanna replies to him quickly. "Besides, you haven't even showered yet."

Marat chuckles back to him. "True enough. I guess I can head over to the Rockwell mansion and see Ivan and Ashlee."

"You're such a good father," Dyhannah moves closer to him. "It's part of what makes you so damn sexy."

Marat moves into her and kisses her passionately. Dyhannah responds to the kiss and closes her eyes. When she opens them, she jumps back as she sees Chase on the bed, not Marat. She shakes her head quickly and realizes that she was dreaming; Marat is still in front of her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Marat asks her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dyhannah forces a smile on her face as she tries to cover what just happened. Despite enjoying Marat's company and techniques in the bedroom, she knows that deep down, she is still in love with Chase. "I'm fine, I'm just realizing that if I get caught up in making out with you, I will be late for the meeting. And, I can't have that happen."

"I'll go shower," Marat kisses her once final time. "Good luck at the meeting babe."

"Thank you," Dyhannah smiles back to him, unable to stop thinking about Chase.

***

"I am so glad I got to spend some time with Charlotte," Lucinda Rockwell tells Mac as she pours herself a brandy from the bar in the Rockwell mansion. Lucinda is thrilled that she has another grandchild, even though she wishes the child's mother wasn't Celeste Baldwin. "She is a precious child; she looks so much like Stacey did at that age."

Mac chuckles back to his mother. "I was thinking the same thing," he admits to her. "I'm also glad that you're living here now mother. I know that you were only staying temporarily while your mansion was being renovated, but you should think about making this a permanent move. After all, you're not getting any younger, do you really need all that space for yourself?"

"I hate to admit it, but Mac is right," a voice calls out at the entrance way of the living room.

Lucinda and Mac turn and see Lydia moving into the living room. "Oh dear Lord, please tell me you two aren't going to start to gang up on me," Lucinda hisses back to them.

"Not at all mother," Mac moves up to her and kisses her cheek. "I'm telling you that I love you and I would love for you to be here, that's all. The decision is up to you, completely."

"I will think about it," Lucinda smiles back to him. "Besides, I will have to spend some time at my mansion while I'm working on this memoir. I have so many memories there that it will help me remember it all."

"Grant Shaw is still helping you write this book?" Lydia asks her as she pours herself a brandy.

"Yes, he is a gifted writer," Lucinda nods back to her. "Anyways, what are you doing here? I'm surprised you're not with that lover of yours…"

"Don't start with me," Lydia warns her quickly.

"Come on ladies," Mac chuckles back to them. "You two have been getting along lately, can't we keep the peace?"

"I am here because I am worried about Stacey," Lydia informs them. "She has been gone for weeks and I haven't heard from her. Where could she have gone?"

"I'm afraid I haven't heard from her either," Mac admits to his ex-wife and mother. "She was devastated when she lost her baby; a part of me understands that she needs space but I wish she wouldn't have pushed us all away."

Lucinda clutches her pearls for a moment as she seemingly thinks about another time and place. "I agree with Mac," Lucinda finally replies. "Stacey needs us right now. She should be here."

"That's why I'm here," Lydia reveals to them before she takes a sip of her brandy. "I've been thinking that we should hire a private investigator to look for her. I think Cole was using a guy named Casper Ross that I could call. What do you guys think?"

"I think it's worth a shot," Mac nods back to her. "Anything to get our little girl back."

***

"You just missed your Father and Grandmother," Lydia tells Lex as he moves into the living room of the and walks to the bar to pour himself a brandy. "They were gushing over Charlotte."

"That's nice," Lex takes a quick sip of his drink. "Did he say anything about Rockwell Mining to you or Lucinda?"

"No," Lydia shakes her head back to him quickly. "Why would he? What's going on?"

Lex looks back at his mother wondering if Mac is even pondering his offer that he made to him. "I told him that I should be running the company," he reveals to her quickly. "He should be at home with Celeste and Charlotte right now."

"I see," Lydia uneasily nods back to him. "And, what did Mac say about that?"

"He was going to talk to Celeste and get back to me," Lex takes another sip of his brandy. "But, Mom, I'm ready to go back to work. I've taken time for me after everything that went down in Cabo and I'm ready to get back to work. And, since Kent has given Houston the CEO job of Blackmore Ltd, Rockwell seems like my best chance."

"You can always work for one of the companies without being CEO, Lexington," Lydia tells him. "I don't think Mac is ready to step down and I have a hard time believing that Kent will overturn his decision to put Houston in charge of Blackmore Ltd, especially after everything they have done to rebuild their relationship after Kent's affair with Stacey."

Lex sighs back to her. "I don't think I want to settle for anything less than a CEO position, Mom," Lex admits to her. "Why would I downgrade myself that way? I ran Blackmore for years and Rockwell while Mac was away. I have what it takes to move these companies into the next generation."

"What are you going to do if Mac doesn't want to retire just yet?"

Lex shrugs back to her. "I guess I'll have to find a way to get Houston out of the CEO job."

"Lex," Lydia warns her son. "Don't do anything foolish. You and Houston already have a sorted history."

"I know," Lex nods back to her. "But look at you; you were single for a while and now you're…"

"Don't even say it," Lydia cuts him off quickly. "My love life is completely different."

"You're right Mom," Lex forces a smile on his face. "I am happy for you, I truly am."

***

Lucinda moves into the study of the Rockwell mansion and closes the door behind her. She moves behind the large desk that belonged to her husband, Mortimer, for years. Since Mac was getting older and Mortimer's health was worsening, Lucinda decided to move out of the mansion and into her home, but the Rockwell mansion holds so many memories for her as this is where she and Mortimer raised Mac. Mortimer, now, is in a assisted-living home to help deal with this Alzheimer's; when she does visit him, he doesn't even remember who she is and her heart breaks every time.

She picks up a picture of her and Mortimer from their wedding day and clutches it close to her chest. "I know I don't visit you often," she whispers to herself. "But, I can't take the heartache every time I see you but you have no idea who I am Morti. I have put such a strong shell around myself but inside, I am still wishing you would get better and come back to me."

She puts the picture back and then looks at another shelf. She finds a small box and pulls it down. She sets it on the desk and opens it up. She pulls out a golden locket and clutches it for a moment as she takes a deep breath.

She looks down at the locket and opens it; inside, there's a picture of man on one side and the picture of a baby on the other side. She closes it quickly and hides the locket in her hand when she hears a knock on the door. Grant soon appears and smiles over to head of the Rockwell family.

"Mrs. Rockwell, I hope I'm not interrupting," Grant says as he sets his bag down on the brown leather sofa in the study.

"Not at all Mr. Shaw," Lucinda purses her lips together as she tucks the locket into pockets of her pants. "I am assuming you're here to get started on the memoir?"

"I remember you said today would be a good day to get started," Grant nods back to her.

"It is a good day indeed," Lucinda nods back to him. "You have to forgive me, though," she looks back at him. "There are so many memories that I am just not sure where to even begin."

"That's fine," Grant replies to her. "You can take all the time in the world. I'm here to record everything you say and we can make sense of timelines later."

Lucinda uneasily nods back to him as she pats her leg, feeling the locket in her pocket. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?"

***

The next morning, Lex moves into the dining room of the country club hoping to grabs some food before he goes to see Mac to see if he has made up his mind about the position at Rockwell Mining. As he moves to his table, however, he can't help but notice that Houston is sitting at the bar by himself. He knows that he should avoid his half-brother, but he finds himself moving to the bar.

"Don't you have a company to run?" Lex asks him as he approaches Houston.

Houston turns around looks back at Lex and rolls his eyes. "Even CEO's have to eat, Lex," Houston huffs back to him. "What are you doing today? Taking more time for yourself?" he chuckles as he takes a sip of coffee.

"Actually, I think I'm about to get a job," Lex reveals to him. "I think Mac is going to appoint me CEO of Rockwell Mining."

Houston laughs back to him. "Mac isn't going to step down, especially not so you can run the company."

"I have a hell of lot more experience running companies than you do Houston," Lex spits back to him. "You only have your job because I was kidnapped in Cabo and needed time to get over the trauma. If I had been ready, you know damn well Kent would have given me your job. I was already doing the job for months."

"See, that's the thing with you Lex," Houston huffs back to him. "You think everything is about you when in fact, it has nothing to do with you. Kent and I worked very hard at repairing our relationship after his affair with Stacey was revealed. It wasn't until after Stacey lost their child that we really reconnected, you should know that. You know how devastated Stacey and Kent were when their baby died."

"I was there, I know," Lex nods back to him. "But, that has nothing to do with me. You know if I had been ready to work, Kent never would have put you in charge. I am a better CEO than you ever will be."

"Get out here Lex," Houston rolls his eyes. "I have to finish eating and then get to my office."

Lex feels his blood boil. "Fine, but you know I'm telling you the truth," Lex smirks back to him. "The look on your face says it all."

Lex turns and quickly walks away from Houston, hoping more than ever that Mac is ready to step down and put him in charge of Rockwell Mining.

***

"Hey, I am just getting to the Rockwell mansion as I didn't get too yesterday," Marat says into his cell phone as he parks his car out front of the large estate. He saw Dyhannah calling him and he wondered what she wanted since she was going to Blackmore Ltd. to have a meeting with Houston about their line that they worked on together; he hopes that nothing is seriously wrong. "How did it go with Houston?"

"I haven't seen him yet as he cancelled yesterday. We rescheduled for today," Dyhannah admits to him as she stands in the main office of Blackmore Ltd. "But, I had to talk to you. It's important."

Marat arches his eyebrow back to her. "What's going on?"

"We've been invited to a conference in New York," Dyhannah reveals to him. "It is going to discuss the opportunity of more international companies working with American diamond companies to create more unique diamond settings. I have a million things to do here; I was hoping you could attend for both of us?"

"Of course," Marat tells her. "When do I have to leave?"

"This afternoon," she says back to him. "I know you're going to visit your children, but once the visit is over, can you head to the airport?"

"I'm on it," he says with a sigh. "I guess that means I won't get to see you or have you later," he chuckles back to her.

"Ah, but absence makes the heart grow fonder," she giggles back to him. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Sounds good Dyhannah, take care of yourself while I'm away."

***

A short time later, Marat sits on the sofa in the living room of the Rockwell mansion with Celeste, Ashlee and Ivan all sitting with him.

"So, I need you guys to be good for your Mommy while I am in New York," Marat looks at his children. "I promise I won't be away for that long, and I will bring you back a special present from New York for each of you."

"Why can't we go to New York with you?" Ashlee asks him as she moves some of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

"Well, because," Marat looks back at her. "I will be busy working; I won't have time to hang out with you guys. But, I think a family trip soon would be a great idea."

"Okay you two," Celeste looks at Ivan and Ashlee. "Why don't you go get cleaned up before breakfast? I have to get Charlotte ready and we can eat together. How does that sound?"

"Did the chef make pancakes today?" Ivan pouts back to her. "With chocolate chips?"

"I am pretty sure I saw that on the menu, yes," Celeste smiles back to him. "Run off and wash up. I'll see you in the dining room."

The children scurry out of the room before the adults look back at one another. "They are growing up so fast," Celeste tells Marat.

"That they are. I am just glad that Ivan is coping better; he was really distraught while you were away with Mac all those months."

"I know and I am kicking myself for staying away for so long," Celeste admits to him. "I just got caught up in this scheme of Lydia and Lucinda's and then I had to help Mac."

"It's water under the bridge," Marat tells her. "What's important is that you're here now for our son."

"Have a good trip in New York," Celeste comes up to him and hugs him. "As soon as you get back, we will get together so you can see the children again."

"Thanks Celeste, I'd like that very much."

***

Kent slowly walks through the Kelsey Lake cemetery. The large willow trees are in full bloom and there are many bouquets of flowers that are at the base of the tombstones. As Kent walks on the path, he feels himself choking up at the thought of reaching the gravesite of the baby he and Stacey lost. For months, they were planning to have the child and raise it together. He knows that their relationship was complicated because of their respective histories with Houston and Lydia, but Kent and Stacey were genuinely excited at the idea of having another child. When she was born dead, they were absolutely devastated. Kent tried to support Stacey, but she pushed him away and seemingly disappeared. He has tried to reach out to her, but he hasn't heard back. He has no idea where she is or when she will be coming back, or if she will be coming back to Kelsey Lake.

He reaches the tombstone and slowly bends town to read it. "Poppy Dove Blackmore, our beloved Angel who will always be in our hearts."

He rests a bouquet of white lilies next to the tombstone and then runs his hand over his face. "I miss you my beloved Poppy," he whispers to the grave. "And, I know that your mother, where ever she is, is thinking about you, missing you and loving you."

A tear forms in the corner of his eye as he looks at the tombstone. "And, God help me, I think about her, miss her and even love her too," he admits to himself. "But, I have to put that aside because I've moved on. I had too for my own sanity. But, you, my baby girl, you're forever in my heart, okay? Just know that I love you, I always will."

***

Celeste opens the door to the country club and moves inside quickly. After having an eventful breakfast with the children, she decided to treat herself to a champagne cocktail just to calm her nerves. She left the children with the nanny and ushered herself here as quickly as she could.

She moves up to the bar and orders her drink. As she waits for it, she pulls her phone out of large Chanel purse and is about to send Mac a text when someone emerges from behind her.

"It's a bit early to start drinking, especially for a new mother, isn't it?"

Celeste freezes and puts her phone down before she turns around and sees Carmen standing behind her. "I need to find a new bar to have a cocktail at since I know you're staying upstairs," Celeste spits back to her.

"My lawyer told me that I should be expecting a new settlement offer from Mac," Carmen sits next to her and looks back at her. "You damn well better hope that he has come to his senses with his offers; I won't tolerate any further low ball offers, Celeste."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Celeste asks her before she takes a sip of her drink. "Mac won't listen to me about how much money he is willing to give you."

Carmen glares back at her and points her finger back at Celeste. "You better make sure he listens to you, Celeste," she whispers to her. "Because, if I don't get the settlement that I deserve, I am going to tell everyone what happened that night at the prison …"

"You wouldn't dare," Celeste looks back at her, trying to remain strong even though she is worried sick by her threats. "You have no proof."

"I don't need proof," Carmen chuckles back to her. "My word would be enough for people to start asking the right questions…this little fantasy world you're living in Celeste, it will be blown sky high. But, I'll keep your secret, if you make sure I get the settlement that I deserve. So, what's it going to be? Giving me money or you losing everything you've worked for? It's your call, Celeste. I trust you'll make the right decision."

***

Madi steps off the elevator and moves into the hallway of Blackmore Ltd, with her phone glued to her ear as she is chatting with Cole before she starts her work day.

"Yes, I got all of my belongings from my parents' house yesterday," Madi tells her fiancé. "They begged me to forgive them for everything they did to me, to us, but I'm not ready to do that just yet. I still want to get back at them for making me believe you were cheating on me. I know you would never stray to another woman."

"That's right, I wouldn't," Cole nods back to her as he stands in the living room of the Rockwell mansion. "But, Madi, I'm worried that you're focusing on revenge instead of moving forward."

"I just want to marry you, Cole," Madi tells him as Dyhannah appears behind her. "Once we are married, I think I'll be able to put all of this behind me. Or use the information I discovered about my father to my advantage."

Dyhannah arches her eyebrow and wonders if Madi has learned about Chase and Kent's torrid past; she had been blackmailing Vivian and Chase with the truth, but they called her bluff about exposing them as they knew that she would never ruin her son, Deacon Cooper's chances at winning the senate. If the truth had come out, Deacon's campaign would have been tarnished in the scandal. But, if Madi knows the truth, Dyhannah wonders if she can use the younger woman to get what she has always truly wanted: Chase.

"Just think about putting this entire mess behind us, okay?" Cole tells Madi. "Anyways, have a good day at work. We'll talk later."

"Love you babe."

"Love you too."

Madi smiles to herself as she puts her phone into her purse. She turns around and sees Dyhannah watching her. "That's creepy," Madi snaps at her. "You shouldn't be listening to my conversations with my fiancé."

"Then I suggest you don't have them in public spaces," Dyhannah quickly responds to her. "I couldn't help but overhear that you know information against Chase. I think I know exactly what you're talking about."

Madi arches her eyebrow back to her. "I highly doubt that and it's none of your business."

"That's where you're wrong," Dyhannah gets a grin on her face. "If you're looking at a way to get back at your parents, I might be your new best friend."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and I," Dyhannah smirks back. "We could work together to have an equally pleasing outcome. What do you say, Madison? Do you want to truly get back at Vivian and Chase for making you believe Cole was sleeping around on you?"

***

"Dad, hi," Lex announces as he opens the door to Mac's office at Rockwell Mining and scurries inside. "I was hoping to catch you before you had another meeting."

"Lex, good morning," Mac smiles as he stands up from behind his desk. "I was just about to have a cup of coffee. Would you like one?"

"Sure, that would be nice," Lex nods back to him. "I'm hoping you've had some time to think about my offer? I'm itching to get back to work."

Mac chuckles back to him as he pours two cups of coffee. He carries it over to Lex and passes it to his youngest son. "I have given it some thought, and I had a conversation with Celeste about it."

"Really? How did it go?"

"Celeste liked the idea very much," Mac admits to him before he takes a sip of his coffee. "She would love nothing more than to have me at home on a more regular basis."

"That's great, Dad!" Lex beams back to him. "I can get started today, if you'd like! Man, I'm so stoked."

"I hate to burst your bubble," Mac looks back at him quickly. "But, I told Celeste that I didn't feel like I was done with the company just yet. I still feel like I need to go out on a high, you know? I want there to be a big send off, and until I feel like I've done that, I'm not going to step down."

"But you just said…"

"I know what I said," Mac tells him. "Celeste was on board, I, however, I am not ready yet. But, Lex, that doesn't mean that I don't want you to work here. There are plenty of positions that you would be amazing in."

Lex sighs back to him as he sets his coffee down. "I will tell you what I told Mom yesterday; I've ran this company before and I've ran Blackmore Ltd; anything less than a CEO position would be degrading myself and I won't do that."

"Lex come on, don't be like that."

"No, its fine Dad," Lex looks back at him. "I get that you're not ready to leave this company, I really do. That just means that I'll have to find a new company to run because I know I can take a company into the future; I was born to do it."

Mac chuckles back to him. "You're taking this much better than I expected," he admits to him. "And, you're right, there are many companies you could work for. I wish you'd stay here though."

Lex uneasily smiles back to him, as he thinks about Houston running Blackmore Ltd and what a joke it is. "I know, but I have to find my own path," he tells Mac. "And, I already think I know what I'm going to do. I just have to figure out a way to get my old job at Blackmore Ltd back."

***

A short time later, Mac gets a huge smile on his face when he sees Celeste walking into his office. He is thrilled to see his fiancé coming to see him even though he has a million things to do today.

"What brings you by my love?" Mac comes up to her and kisses both of her cheeks. "Not that I'm complaining to see you."

Celeste chuckles back to him. "Well, since you aren't ready to leave this place, I thought I'd come and surprise you for a little visit. I know I'll see you at home, but we are so dominated by the children, it's nice to have some adult time."

"I like adult time with you," he winks back to her. "How's your morning going?"

"It's been eventful," Celeste nods back to him as she moves to the bar and pours herself a brandy. "I ran into Carmen Santos."

"Oh God," Mac groans back to her. "What the hell did she want?"

"She wanted to remind me that she was expecting another settlement offer from your lawyer," Celeste takes a sip of the brandy. "She is going to drag this damn divorce out until she gets the settlement she thinks she deserves, Mac. Can you, please, just give her the money that she wants so we can end this?"

Mac sighs heavily back to her. "That woman tried to kill you, Celeste!" he reminds her. "I still don't know why you dropped the charges against her."

Celeste uneasily looks back at him, knowing that Carmen blackmailed her into silence or she would expose her secret. She hates that she has to lie to Mac but she has to make him realize that Carmen needs the money or her world will crumble completely.

"I've explained this to you so many times," Celeste takes another sip of her brandy. "Madi was sentenced to jail for a crime she didn't commit; I know what Carmen did was wrong, but I just want this divorce to be finalized and over with. You know if I had pressed charges against her, she would have dragged her feet even more with the divorce. The last thing I want is for you to be married to that barracuda!"

"I know, darling," Mac comes up to her. "I too want this to be over, but I won't give her a single cent more than what I'm offering her. If she wants to go to court, she will lose; I know that with every fiber of my being."

Celeste takes another sip of her drink as she realizes that Mac won't budge. She forces a smile on her face. "I just hope this doesn't cost us everything else, Mac."

***

THE CAMPBELL BAR; NEW YORK CITY

Stacey Rockwell sits by herself at the bar of The Campbell, a higher end bar in New York City. She picks up her martini and takes a generous sip of it as she thinks about the whirlwind that her life has been the last few weeks. She was so eager and excited to give birth to her daughter; she and Kent had grown closer during her pregnancy but the still agreed that they wouldn't end up being in a relationship as they knew the complications that it would create with Lydia and Houston.

She still remembers the night that she went into labour; it was raining heavily outside and a loud crackle of thunder startled her and it broke her water. She was home alone but was able to drive herself to the hospital. While in the car, she was able to alert Houston and Kent that she was in labour. The rain, however, increased and she ended up driving off the road into the ditch. When this happened, she hit her head on the steering wheel and was knocked unconscious. The next time she awoke, she was told that her child didn't survive birth. Stacey has never felt the same since that moment in the hospital.

The following day, she demanded that she be released from the hospital, which she was. Kent arrived at the Rockwell mansion and they shared a moment where they named their daughter Poppy. However, Stacey couldn't handle the loss at all. She and Kent shared a tender kiss and then Stacey asked him to leave. The second he was gone, Stacey rushed to her room and packed her bags. She needed to escape Kelsey Lake and the pain of losing Poppy.

She left her family a short note in the living room and left without another word. Since then, she has received numerous calls, texts and emails from every member of her family but she hasn't responded to anyone. She needs to be alone; she needs to wrap her head around the fact that she carried Poppy for nine months but when she was delivered she was dead. Stacey still doesn't understand what happened; she just tries to keep her head about the water she feels herself drowning in every day.

She takes another sip of her drink as she recalls deciding to come to New York because she thought that the big city would be a good distraction. There are so many places that she could visit, explore and dine at; she could be completely anonymous among millions of other people. So far, New York has been the perfect place for her to try to ease her pain, even though she has a hard time forgetting about Poppy.

"Can I have one more please?" she asks the bartender as they lock eyes. "And, make it a double?"

"Coming right up," he grins back to Stacey.

"Thanks," Stacey nods back to him as she looks at her phone and looks at a picture of her, Kent and Houston from a few years ago. "What am I going to do?" she asks herself. "How long can I say here without talking to anyone?"

At the doorway of the bar, Sabine Andrews moves in with a handsome man on her arm. Sabine freezes when she sees Stacey sitting at the bar alone. She knows that her niece has been missing and the entire Rockwell family has been worried sick about her; now, she has seemingly found Stacey.

"Hey, are you okay? It looks like you've seen a ghost," the man next to Sabine asks her.

"I'm fine," she nods back to him. "But, I changed my mind about having a drink here. Let's go somewhere else okay?"

The man arches his eyebrow back to her. "Okay, we can try somewhere else. Come on, let's go."

They walk back to the door and Sabine looks over at Stacey one more time before she leaves, having not been since by the younger woman in mourning.

***

"Hang on, I'm coming," Kent calls out as he moves to the front door of the penthouse that he is living in. He has heard someone ring the doorbell three times in the last three minutes, so he knows it must be urgent.

He opens the door and looks back at the woman standing there in a trench coat. "You have a key, you didn't have to ring the doorbell," Kent smiles back to the woman, who slowly unties the trench coat and lets it fall to the ground, revealing her naked body.

"Get in here," Kent's eyes fill with lust as he pulls Lydia's naked body into his arms. "I need you."

Lydia smiles back to him as their lips lock again. "I've missed you Kent," she purrs back to him. "I'm so glad we found our way back to one another. Make love to me, please."

Kent shuts the door and picks Lydia up into his arms to carry her to the bedroom.

***

"We need to talk and it can't wait," Celeste announces as she moves into Houston's office at Blackmore Ltd and she closes the door behind herself.

Houston looks up from his stack of paper work and rolls his eyes at the sight in front of him. "I don't have time for this today, Celeste. I have a million things to do."

"You're going to make time damnit!" Celeste hisses as she comes up to his desk and puts her hands on the desk. "Because, if you don't, our little plan is going to explode."

Houston looks back at her in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about? We are in the clear, you know that!"

"No," Celeste shakes her head back to him. "Someone else knows what we did, and unless we do everything she says, she will expose us."

"Who knows?"

"Carmen," Celeste reveals to him. "She knows that I miscarried at the prison that day. And, she knows that you gave me Stacey's baby because you didn't want Kent raising Stacey's child. She knows everything, Houston. So, do I have your attention now? Because, I need your help or we will both lose everything thing we have worked too damn hard for."