Written by: Dallas Walsh

Grant Shaw slowly opens the envelope that Kent Blackmore just passed him. They are standing in the waiting room of the hospital as they were waiting to get the DNA test results to see if Lucinda is truly Kent's biological mother. They both know that all hell would break loose if Kent is really a Rockwell, especially because both he and Houston Blackmore slept with Stacey Rockwell; if Kent is a Rockwell, it would mean that he is Stacey's uncle and Houston is her cousin.

"Oh my God," Grant reads the test results and looks back at Kent immediately.

"What? What does it say? Is Lucinda my mother?" Kent asks him nervously. "Come on, just tell me. I can't handle this suspense."

Grant looks back at him. "You're in the clear," he tells Kent. "Lucinda Rockwell is not your mother. Look," he passes him the test results.

Kent grabs the results and looks at it carefully before he breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank God," Kent looks back at him. "I don't know what I would have done if she had been my mother."

"I know, I'm glad this turned out this way," Grant nods back to him. "I know that it was weighting on you the fact that you could have been a Rockwell."

"It would have been a nightmare."

"Well, this is good news," Grant tells him. "But, I still don't know who is Lucinda's other son. Because, she told me that she had another child. So, who is he? And, where is he?"

***

Lexington Rockwell paces back and forth in the dungeon that he is trapped in since his half-brother Houston Blackmore locked him inside after he heard the truth about Houston and Celeste Baldwin talking about how they switched Stacey's baby with Celeste's; Lex still can't believe that Celeste is raising Stacey's baby while his sister believes that her baby is dead. He confronted Houston about the baby switch, but Houston knocked Lex out and when he awoke, he was in locked in the cage that Lucinda held Houston and Lydia Rockwell in for months.

"You son of a bitch," Lex whispers to himself as he thinks about his half-brother. "You won't get away with this. Mac, Lydia, Cole, Lucinda, everyone will start wondering where I am. They will start asking questions. And, someone will see my car is here. When I get out of here, you will pay for this Houston."

He moves up to the bars and puts his hands on it. "Do you hear me Houston?" he yells at the top of his head. "You won't get away with this! You won't keep me in here forever!"

***

The following day, Houston quickly moves into the country club looking to have some breakfast before he heads back to the office to work for the day. He hopes that Lex is doing okay in the cage, but he has no idea. He knows that he has to take him some food at some point, but he doesn't want to worry about that now. He also must go back to New York so he can try to get Stacey to come home with him, or at least try to reunite with her. The longer he goes without having her in his life, the more he feels like everything he has done is for nothing.

As he moves into the dinning room, he can't help but notice that Marat Kafelinkov is sitting at the bar. Houston quickly recalls how he asked Marat to woo Carmen Santos to keep her mind off the fact that she also knows the truth about the baby switch. He wonders if Marat has been able to start getting to know Carmen on a better level.

"Marat," Houston says as he moves up to the bar. "I'm glad I ran into you."

"Morning Houston," Marat replies to with a grin on his face. "I was hoping to run into you."

"Is that so?" Houston asks him with a chuckle. "Any particular reason, or do I have to ask? Does this have to do with Carmen?"

Marat looks around to ensure that Carmen, or anyone else he knows, isn't hovering before he looks back at Houston. "Things are going very well on that front," Marat admits to him. "We spent yesterday in her hotel room."

Houston gets a sly grin on his face. "Good, very good," he nods back to him. "Keep it up, at least one part of my plan is going well."

***

A short time later, Celeste moves into the front door of the country club and scurries inside. She had a hectic morning at the mansion and is desperate for some quiet time with a drink so she can try to put her thoughts together. She still wonders what Houston meant when he said that he knew that Lex wasn't going to say anything about the baby switch. She just hopes that he hasn't hurt Lex and that Carmen will be taken care of soon.

She sighs heavily when she sees her rival walking down the stairs of the country club. She hopes that today is the day that Carmen looks at Mac's divorce settlement offer and finally leave town.

"Oh great," Carmen rolls her eyes at the sight of Celeste. "This is exactly what I needed this morning."

"Good morning to you too," Celeste replies to her. "Have you received Mac's latest divorce settlement yet?"

"No?" Carmen looks back at her. "Does that mean that you've convinced him to give me a higher settlement?"

Celeste uneasily shrugs back to her. "I suggested it to him but you have to know that Mac is his own man; he makes his own decisions. At the end of the day, he makes the final call."

"I take that as a no."

"You should know this, Carmen," Celeste looks back at her with intent. "This is Mac's final offer; he won't increase your settlement amount. I suggest you take this offer so we can all finally move on from this nightmare."

***

"I can't tell you how impressed I have been with you during this," Dyhannah Cooper takes a bite of her toast before she looks over at Madison Stewart. Once Dyhannah realized that Madi knew the truth about Chase Cooper's past with Kent Blackmore, she pressed her to use it to break up Chase and Vivian Blackmore. To Dyhannah's surprise, Madi obliged and has broken up her parents. Now, Dyhannah only hopes that she will be able to reunite with Chase since her affair with Marat Kaflinkov ended abruptly because he learned that she still had feelings for ex-husband.

"I am just doing what I believe is right," Madi looks back at her before she takes a sip of her coffee. "My parents tried to ruin my relationship with Cole, so breaking them up is really karma biting them in the ass."

Dyhannah chuckles back to her. "What are your next steps with your plan?"

Madi shrugs back to her. "Honestly, I don't have any next steps," she admits to her. "I will continue to plan my wedding to Cole and marry him. What my parents do is up to them. All I know is that they will not be together."

"And, that's exactly what I wanted," Dyhannah smiles back to her. "My next step will try to me to reunite with Chase. I just hope he will want to get back together."

"You're a beautiful woman Dyhannah," Madi tells her. "I can't imagine why my father wouldn't want to be with you."

Dyhannah chuckles back to her. "If he loves Vivian, it might take some convincing."

"He's a man," Madi reminds her. "It shouldn't take him long to realize what is in front of him."

"That's kind of you to say," Dyhannah says back to her. "We make a good team, Madi."

"Yes, we certainly do."

At the entry way of the dining room, Chase stands gritting his teeth at the sight in front of him: Madi and Dyhannah having breakfast together. He immediately realizes who put his daughter up to breaking up him and Vivian.

"Damn you Dyhannah," he whispers to himself. "You will pay for this, mark my words."

***

A short time later, Dyhannah finishes collecting her belongings and puts them in her large Chanel purse before she stands up to leave the country club. As she moves towards the exit, she can't help but notice Marat sitting at the bar by himself. She sighs to herself as she thinks about how, in some ways, she does miss her former lover; she hates how things ended between them but she can't deny that she wants to focus on reuniting with Chase.

"Marat, good morning, I won't keep you, I just saw you and thought I'd come say hi," Dyhannah announces as she reaches the bar.

Marat turns to face his former lover and uneasily nods back to her. "Good morning."

"I'm glad you're still speaking to me," she replies with a chuckle. "I know that you have every right to be furious with me."

Marat shrugs his shoulders. "It is a small town, Dyhannah," he tells her. "We are bound to run into one another from time to time. There's no point in holding on to grudges, is there? Especially when I have already moved on with my life."

Dyhannah looks back at him in surprise. "What does that mean? You're seeing someone new already?"

"Indeed, I am," Marat winks back at her. "And, she can't seemingly get enough of me, especially in the bedroom."

Dyhannah gulps heavily thinking about his love making skills. "Well, I am happy for you. She is a very lucky woman."

"Good luck getting back together with Chase," Marat says to her. "If that's what you want, then that is what I hope happens for you."

Dyhannah forces a smile on her face. "I should get going," she tells him. "Have a good day, Marat."

***

"Please tell me that Lydia isn't home?" Vivian Blackmore says as she moves into the living room of the penthouse that her ex-husband, Kent Blackmore, lives in with his girlfriend. "She is the last person that I need to see today."

"She has already left for the morning," Kent replies to her as he moves to pour Vivian a cup of coffee. "When I got your message, I made sure she was out of the house. I know how you two get along."

Vivian accepts the cup of coffee and takes a sip of it. "I am guessing you haven't heard the latest?"

"No? Is it something about Houston? He is okay?"

"Our son is fine," Vivian looks back at him. "This has to do with Chase and I; we … we have called off the wedding."

Kent arches his eyebrow back to her in surprise. "Why would you have done that? You are head over heels for him?"

"Madison knows the truth about your arrangement with Chase all those years ago," Vivian reveals to him as Kent shakes his head in disgust. "And, because we tried to break up her relationship with Cole, she is using the information to keep us apart."

"Madison doesn't want her parents to get married? That seems like a surprising twist," Kent tells Vivian.

"She is hurt and upset," Vivian huffs back to him. "And, I have no idea what to do. I suggested to Chase that we just get married anyways, and he is worried that Madi will spill the beans and you and he would go to jail."

"You and Chase have never been able to get this relationship right," Kent admits to her. "Maybe it is a sign that the two of you aren't meant to be, Viv? Maybe it is time that you move on?"

Vivian looks back at him in surprise. "That is the last thing that I will do," she sternly tells him. "I will find a way to be with Chase, even if it is the last thing I do."

***

Dyhannah opens the door to her suite and quickly moves inside. She throws her purse on the bed and proceeds to move to the bar to pour herself a drink. Her mind is racing over the fact that Marat has already moved on with another woman and she has made no progression on getting back with Chase.

"What am I doing wrong?" she whispers to herself as she takes a sip of her brandy. "How did I lose Marat to another woman already but Chase is completely oblivious to the fact that I want him?"

She takes another sip of her drink before she sets it down as she hears a knock on the door of her suite. "I have to make him realize that we belong together."

She opens the door and sees her ex-husband standing in the hallway. "Chase, hi," Dyhannah says as she is surprised to see him. "I'm glad you're here, I was just thinking that we should get together today."

Chase moves inside the suite as Dyhannah closes the door behind him. "You know what they say, great minds…"

Dyhannah chuckles as she moves up to him. "That is exactly what they," she purrs to him. "Can I get you anything? A drink or…"

"I came here for one reason Dyhannah," he looks back at her with intent. "And, I think you know exactly what that one thing is."

Dyhannah licks her lips. "Are you saying what I hope you're saying?"

He moves up to her and kisses her passionately on the lips. "I want you so badly," Chase whispers in her ear as he starts to unzip her dress. "Tell me that I can have you?"

Dyhannah pulls back and looks into his eyes. "Is this really happening? I've wanted this moment for so long…"

"Then stop wasting time," Chase chuckles back to her. "Let me have you the way you have wanted me too."

Dyhannah kisses him passionately as they move closer to the bed and continue to undress each other, both eagerly wanting the other.

***

Casper Ross quickly steps off the elevator and moves into the hallway of Rockwell Mining. He makes a beeline towards Mac's office and peers inside, where he sees Cole Rockwell sitting behind the desk working quickly. He admires his former lover for a moment as he thinks Cole looks incredibly dashing in his suit and tie. The suit is a tight fit on Cole, still show casing his muscular arms and chest; Casper licks his lips as he thinks about all of the hot sex they had up until recently when Cole ended their affair.

"I hope I am not interrupting," Casper finally announces as he moves into the office. "But, we have to talk."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cole asks immediately as he stands up from the desk and looks Casper. "I told you that you were never to come here or the Rockwell mansion. It's far too risky, Casper."

"I know that," Casper nods back to him. "But, something has happened and you need to know about it."

Cole shakes his head back to him. "If this is another attempt for you to try to get our affair started again, you're wasting your time," Cole sternly tells him. "We are over, Casper. I am marrying Madison tomorrow, nothing will stop my wedding to her."

"Cole…"

"No, Casper," Cole cuts him off. "I need you to leave now before someone sees you, okay? And please, respect my decision to marry Madi. We shouldn't see one another anymore."

***

Carmen squeals in delight as Marat lets out a loud grunt as he finishes his climax. He looks down at his lover and then wipes his sweaty forehead before he smiles back to her.

"You were incredible," he says as he leans down and kisses her passionately. "I needed that this morning."

She runs her hand over his toned, damp, chest and licks her lips. "I needed it too, Marat. You hit every spot that really needed to be hit."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he lays next to her. "I can't believe how fortunate we have become, Carmen. To be in this place together now, you know?"

She nods back to him. "I get it," she says back to him. "It is amazing how things have a way of working out."

"I don't think this was an accident," he looks into her eyes. "Us meeting, I mean. I think this was our destiny."

Carmen chuckles back to him. "You really think that?"

"I do," he nods back to her. "You are just leaving your marriage; I was at a crossroads in my life; you and I, we just work so well together."

She leans in and kisses him on the lips. "I couldn't agree more with you, Marat."

"I have an idea," Marat replies to her as he looks deeply into her eyes. "Let's get married, Carmen. Let's make sure that we have this feeling for the rest of our lives!"

"Are you serious?" Carmen gasps back to him in surprise. "That was the last thing I thought you'd say to me."

"I'm dead serious," Marat tells her. "I want you to be my wife, Carmen. More than you'll ever know, so what do you say? Let's do this?"

***

NEW YORK CITY

Nathan Lockhart opens the door to the bedroom that he shares with Sabine Andrews in their Manhattan apartment and sees a suitcase laying on the bed. He moves inside the room and sees his lover looking into her closet before she turns and puts a blouse into the suitcase.

"Packing?" he asks her as he slides his hands into his pockets.

Sabine purses her lips together and looks back at Nathan. "I am," she nods back to him. "I have my flight later today. The wedding is tomorrow," she reminds him. "Have you given anymore thought to coming with me?"

Nathan sighs back to her. "I have been thinking about it," he nods to her. "And, I think you're right; this would be a good time to reconnect with Lucinda and MacKenzie. Enough time has passed."

Sabine gets a smile on her face as she moves up to Nathan and pulls him into a hug. "I think you're making the right decision," she whispers into his ear. "And, you have nothing to worry about, okay? I'll be with you the entire time."

Nathan uneasily nods back to her as they exit their embrace. "I just hope Lucinda and Mac are ready to see me," he admits to her. "Because, once I am there, there is no turning back."

***

LE BERNARDIN, NEW YORK CITY

Le Bernardin is one of the most expensive restaurants in all of New York City. The menu specializes in seafood and has an extensive wine list. At a table in the corner, which is the most private table in the dining room, Stacey Rockwell and Slate Lockhart sit across from one another with a bottle of wine on the table.
"I can't believe you were able to get a table here," Slate smiles over to Stacey before he picks up his glass of Pinot grigo. "This place is usually booked months in advance."

Stacey chuckles back to him. "My father knows the restaurant owner," she reveals to him. "Once he heard I was in town, he said he would make it happen."

"Impressive," Slate grins back to her. "Here I asked you out and you got us in the restaurant."

Stacey shrugs back to him. "It is a joint date," she winks back to him. "We can share duties."

Slate chuckles back to her. "That's fair."

"So, tell me about your family?"

"Not much to tell, really," Slate says before he takes a bite of the tuna tartare that they ordered as an appetizer. "My father, Nathan, raised me after my passed away during child birth."

"I am so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's all good," Slate looks back at her. "It's hard to miss something or someone you never had or knew, you know? My Dad told me about her when I asked but he was my parent. We are close."

"Did your father ever remarry?" Stacey asks him.

"He's has his share of women but no, he has not remarried. He built his career as a realtor in New York; he's one of the top agents in the city."

Stacey gets a sly grin on her face. "He sounds so much like my father; married to the company."

"You look so beautiful in this lighting," Slate looks deep into her eyes, which causes Stacey to feel weak in her knees. "Do you mind if I come over there and kiss you?"

Stacey breathes a sigh of relief. "I thought you'd never ask."

Slate moves around the table and caresses her cheek. He leans in and is about to kiss her when both of their cell phones ring at the same time.

"Whoever this is, they have awful timing," he laughs as he leans back to grab his phone. "It's my father, I should get this."

Stacey nods back to him as she looks at her phone. She sees a missed call from
Sabine and a text message. "I know you're in NYC, I'm heading to Kelsey Lake for Coles wedding - join me?"

Stacey sighs as she puts her phone down. She grabs her wine and takes a sip of it; is it time I go home? She asks herself. "Cole would

Love if I was there for his wedding," she whispers to herself, wondering if her running away should come to and end.

***

I am officially worried," Lydia announces to Kent as she opens the door to the penthouse and storms inside.

"What is going on now?" Kent asks her back as he pours himself a brandy at the bar.

"Lexington," she moves up to him. "I still haven't heard from him; it's not like him to be out of touch like this. What if something bad has happened like it did in Cabo?"

Kent takes a deep breath looks back at her. "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," he tells her. "He told me that he wouldn't settle for a job that wasn't a CEO; maybe he is job hunting outside of the Kelsey Lake?"

"I suppose that could be a possibility," Lydia nervously says back to him. "But, tomorrow is Cole's wedding day; despite the issues the brothers have had in the past, he wouldn't miss Cole and Madi's day."

"Then he has 24 hours to come home," Kent tries to reassure her. "Let's give him the benefit of the doubt? We can discuss next options after the wedding?"

Lydia pulls him into a hug. "Ok, I'll be patient. I just can't help but think something horrible has happened to our son."

***

Lucinda Rockwell slowly pulls out the golden locket that she has been keeping for weeks now and opens it. She sighs as she looks at the pictures of the two men inside as he mind thinks back to her yesteryears.

She jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She immediately clasps the locker closed and turns around to see Grant Shaw standing behind her.

"You scared me half to death Mr. Shaw," she informs him as she puts the locket back in her pocket.

"I knocked and said hi," Grant informs her. "But you must have been deep in thought and didn't hear me. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is just fine," she moves to the bar and pours herself a brandy. "This will calm my nerves. My heart is still racing!"

"I am sorry," he says back to her. "I never meant to scare you."

Lucinda waves her hand in the air. "Water under the bridge."

"I couldn't help but notice that locket in your hand," Grant tells her. "Who were those pictures of?"

Lucinda gulps heavily before she takes another sip of her drink. "That's not important," she sternly tells him. "You know what? This entire memoir was a horrible idea!"

"We are making such good progress. I know some of these memories are painful but ..."

"No buts," Lucinda cuts him off. "This book writing idea is officially over!"

Grant looks back at her in surprise. "What are you saying?"

"To be blunt, Mr. Shaw," Lucinda purses her lips together. "You're fired!"

***

A short time later, Lucinda swiftly moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and spies Mac pouring himself a drink.

"Is there enough there for me to join you?" She asks her son as she moves up behind him.

"Of course," Mac looks back at her and kisses her cheek. "Are you alright, mother?"

"I am fine, why do you ask?"

Mac passes her a brandy. "You never showed up to dinner last night, despite me hosting a guest that I am in business with. Then, I didn't see you a breakfast. And now, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Lucinda takes a sip of her brandy. "I was exhausted. But I am fine. Perfectly fine. Nothing will get in the way of Cole's big day tomorrow. Now, who was the dinner guest and why was it important?"

"His name is Dane Ashby and we have made a great business deal. I'll fill you in on the details later, right now I want to make sure that you're okay. Promise me that you aren't going to over do it?"

"I promise," Lucinda grabs Mac's hand. "Like I said, I am fine. You have nothing to worry about."

***

The next morning, Dyhannah slowly opens her eyes and immediately gets a huge grin on her face. The previous night, she and Chase made love and it was even better than she had remembered it being. She almost can't believe that Chase is the one who initiated the love making because he has been very standoff-ish with her as of late.

She moves her hand over to feel her lover, but jolts up in the bed when she doesn't feel anything but the mattress.

"Chase?" she calls out as she looks around her suite. "Where are you?"

She crawls out of bed and wraps her body in a silk robe before she rushes towards the washroom in her suite. She knocks on the door. "Chase? Are you in there?" she calls out, but doesn't hear any response.

She opens the door and sees the room empty. She turns around and arches her eyebrow. "Where the hell did you go? Why did you make love to me and leave quickly? What is going on here?"

***

"I am so glad that I ran into you," Vivian urgently announces to Chase as she spots him at the bar of the country club. She has been desperate to find him so she can discuss with him their next steps within regards to Madison. "We have to talk."

"Good morning to you too," Chase replies to her once he is done swallowing his waffle. "Today is the wedding day, are you ready?"

"It should be our wedding day," Vivian huffs to him as she sits next to him. "Chase, let's just go to the court house and do it: let's get married, what do you say?"

Chase uneasily chuckles back to her. "You know how I feel about this, Viv," he looks back at her. "We have to get Madi under control before we can get married. I know you want that badly, but I'm not willing to spend the rest of my life in jail."

"This isn't fair," Vivian groans back to him. "How could our daughter be so damn cruel?"

"Don't you worry about a thing," Chase looks into her eyes. "Our precious daughter is about to learn a lesson in the most humiliating of fashions."

"What are you talking about?" Vivian asks him as she arches her eyebrow.

"Wait and see," Chase says with a sly grin. "Just know that if Madison thinks she can play God, she has another thing coming."

***

"I hope you're up and ready to start the day," Cole says with a smile on his face as he opens the door to his bedroom at the Rockwell mansion. "I come with champagne!"

Madison looks back over at him and giggles back to him. "Champagne, at this hour?"

"It's our wedding day," Cole reminds her as he sits the bottle of champagne down on the dresser and pops the cork. "We are going to celebrate all day!"

Madi comes up behind him and puts her hands on his shoulders. "I love the sound of that," she admits to him. "I can't wait for us to be married, Cole. After everything we have been through, we deserve this."

Cole turns and looks into her eyes. "We most certainly do," he winks back to her. "By the end of the day, you will be Mrs. Cole Rockwell!"

Madi jumps into his muscular arms and hugs him. "I can't wait for that my love!"

***

Carmen opens the door to Mac's office at Rockwell Mining and uneasily enters as she spies her estranged husband behind his desk and Celeste off to the side, holding baby Charlotte in her hands. Carmen was a bit unnerved to get a message from Mac this morning as she knows that it is Cole's wedding day; she only can imagine that Mac is about to present to her another divorce settlement.

"I didn't realize that this was going to be a family affair," Carmen says to Mac before she looks over at Celeste. "Isn't she getting big? How sweet."

Celeste forces a smile on her face, knowing that Carmen knows the truth about Charlotte and Poppy. "We are headed to Cole's wedding after this meeting," Celeste tells her. "We just hope that this is one of the last meetings we will have to have with you."

"I take it this has to do with the divorce?" Carmen asks back as Mac stands up and nods back to her. "I guess it that will depend on this offer then?"

"I would suggest that you review his carefully with your attorney," Mac passes her an envelope. "As you can imagine, I am getting tired of this ring around the rosy with you, Carmen. This offer, it is the best that it will get, so I suggest you think long and hard about whether or not you want to continue with this game."

Carmen takes the envelope and then looks back at Celeste. "Don't you worry Mac, I'll make sure I read this very carefully and I'll let you know if I have any follow questions or details that I need clarifying. Enjoy the wedding, okay?"

***

A short time later, Carmen opens the door to her suite at the country club with a huge grin on her face. Marat, who is working at the small desk, turns to her and immediately stands up.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" he asks her.

"I accepted Mac's settlement," Carmen replies to him as she moves up to him and hugs him. "It wasn't the amount that I was hoping for, exactly, but based on our last conversation, I thought I should just get this over with once and for all."

Marat looks back into her eyes. "You mean the conversation where I suggested we get married? You never did give me an answer, by the way."

Carmen chuckles back to him. "I have to admit that it caught me off guard. But, if you're serious about having a future together, then yes, that is part of the reason that agreed to the settlement with Mac."

"This is cause for celebration!" Marat chuckles back to her. "Let's order a bottle of champagne?"

"I have a better idea," she winks back to him. "You were invited to Cole and Madi's wedding, right?"

"I am yes, why do you ask? It is starting in a few hours."

"Why don't I be your plus one?" Carmen suggests. "If there's anything better than drinking champagne to celebrate, it is drinking somebody else's champagne to celebrate."

Marat chuckles back to her. "That could be fun, only if I get to shower with you while we get ready."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she purrs to him as she leads him towards the shower.

***

The gardens at the Rockwell mansion are buzzing with wedding guests as the ceremony is scheduled to begin relatively shortly. Celeste picks up a glass of champagne from one of the circling waiters and takes a sip of it.

"You have a huge smile on your face," Houston says as he comes up to her. "Did Mac give you a good orgasm this morning?"

Celeste chuckles back to him. "Something even better happened."

"Something better than good sex happened?" Houston asks her in confusion. "What could that have been?"

"Carmen Santos is finally going to be out of our lives," Celeste whispers back to him before she takes another sip of her champagne. "She signed the divorce settlement, Houston. Carmen is going to be out of our lives once and for all."

Houston chuckles back to her. "You mean, my plan with Marat worked? Carmen signed because she wants to move on with Marat?"

"Exactly," Celeste nods back to him. "All that is missing is you getting back together with Stacey and our plans have worked perfectly."

"I need some champagne," Houston replies to her. "Because, you're right, this is cause for celebration."

***

Meanwhile, in the living room of the mansion, Lydia peers inside and sees Mac about to grab his own glass of champagne.

"Everything looks beautiful outside," she comes up to her ex-husband, who turns to face her. "And, you always look so incredibly dashing in a tuxedo."

Mac chuckles back to her. "Thank you, you look beautiful, as always."

"This old thing?" Lydia winks back to him. "Seriously, I can't believe that our son is getting married today. Time flies, huh?"

"Cole and Madi have been through so much, I just want this day to go off without a hitch."

"I can't imagine anything that would stop those two from saying 'I do'," Lydia takes a sip of her champagne. "By the way, have you seen Lexington today?"

"Come to think of it, I have not."

"I told Kent that I had a bad feeling about Lex," Lydia reveals to him. "He wouldn't miss the wedding; I don't care what kind of issues the boys had in the past, he would be here today."

"I am inclined to agree with you," Mac nods back to her. "You still haven't heard from him?"

"I'm afraid not," Lydia replies to Mac. "And, the longer I go without hearing from my son, the more worried I am."

***

Lex continues pace back and forth in the cage in the basement of Lucinda's mansion. He is racking his brain trying to figure out a way to escape this hell that Houston has put him in, but he hasn't been able to think of anything just yet.

"Don't worry," he whispers to himself. "I won't let get away with this, Houston. When I get out of here, I will make sure that you pay for what you've done."

Lex turns and looks at the metal bars in front of him. "Not only will you pay for locking me up, but you will pay for making Stacey and Kent believe Poppy is dead and you will pay for giving Poppy to Celeste so she could stay with Mac. I knew that I would be able to find something on you to prove that you don't deserve the CEO position at Blackmore, and look at this, you have proven me right once again. You're pathetic and when I'm done with you, the entire world will know that you're a joke."

He looks around the room. "Now, I just have to figure out a way to get the hell out of here," he continues to talk to himself. "How am I going to do this? Think Lex, there has to be a way to get out of here!"

***

Lucinda opens the door to the study and moves inside. She closes the door behind herself before she moves to the bar. She is desperately in need of a drink as she has been thinking about the last 24 hours non-stop.

First, Grant saw the pictures that are inside her locket and was asking her who the men were. She knows that she can never tell anyone about the people who are inside the locket; she was so worried that Grant was getting close to the truth that she fired him and told him that she was no longer interested in writing the memoir.

"I fired that son of a bitch because he was getting too nosy," she says as he takes a sip of her brandy. "I have to protect myself and this family."

She then turns her attention to the fact that Mac had dinner with Dane Ashby and revealed that they are in business together. She knows that she purposely skipped the dinner because she saw Dane in the living room with Mac.

"I have no idea what the hell he is doing here," she says before she takes another sip of her brandy. "He could ruin everything!"

"Lucinda Rockwell," a voice calls out from behind her. "It's been far too long, don't you think?"

Lucinda slowly turns around and gasps. "Dane," she looks back at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dane chuckles back to her. "Is that any way to greet the father of your child?"

***

Houston grabs a glass of champagne and notices Marat moving into the garden with Carmen on his arm. Houston gets a sly grin on his face thinking that he can't believe that his plan to have Marat woo Carmen actually worked; but, today she signed the divorce papers and will be out of their lives very soon.

Marat looks over and makes eye contact with Houston, who gestures for him to come over to him.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" Marat looks at Carmen. "I want to go find Celeste to see how Ashlee and Ivan are doing."

"Of course," Carmen smiles back to him. "I'll grab us some champagne and some seats?"

"Sounds good babe."

Marat makes a beeline towards Houston. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

Marat looks over his shoulder for a moment. "Only a minute, I'm here with Carmen."

"I'll make this fast," Houston tells him as they move towards the living room of the mansion.

Carmen, meanwhile, notices that Houston and Marat are together and arches her eyebrow as she thought Marat was going to find Celeste. "What is going on? He said he was going to find Celeste?"

Inside the mansion, the men move into the foyer and then look at one another.

"I just wanted to thank you," Houston tells Marat. "Thanks to you, Celeste and I are going to get everything we have ever wanted."

"I'm not sure what that means, exactly," Marat replies to him. "But, you're welcome. If anything, this plan has worked out for me too."

"Plan? What plan?" Carmen asks herself, as she listens to their conversation from inside the living room of mansion.

"I asked you to woo Carmen to get her off my back," Houston tells Marat. "But, if it has turned into more for you, then all the power to you man. I'm glad it all worked out."

"Me too," Marat nods back to him. "I know it started out as you needed my help but I have to admit, I have fallen for Carmen."

"You son of a bitch," Carmen whispers to herself as she leans up against the wall. "You used me, Marat! How could you do that to me? Oh, you think you've won but you're going to pay. You're all going to pay!"