"Why do we have to be so cruel to her, Michael? I love her," Maria sighed, putting her glasses on.
"Because honey.... she will be happy when we tell he the truth," Michael said and put his arm around his wife.
"Did you get the results?" Marie said a tear falling out of her eye.
"Yah."
"And?" she said nervously.
"Her real parents are the Fatone's in Brooklyn," he said breathing hard...he didn't want to lose his baby girl but he was and all she would remember of him is how cruel he was.
"Why do we have to give her up, Michael? I know we haven't treated her the best and everything, but she's still like our baby," Maria cried into Michael's shirt, not wanting to lose Mandie to people she barely knew herself.
"Honey, she belongs to her real family, not people like us who treat her like shit," Michael replied.
"Couldn't we change Michael?" she sobbed lightly.
"It's too damn late for that, Maria," he whispered.
"I don't care...I want our little girl back...I want to brush her hair like I did when we adopted her at 2 years old...I wanna teach her to sing again...Michael, I don't think I can live knowing that she no longer is my daughter," she cried on his shoulder.
"Honey, we're going to have to," Michael wrapped his arms around his wife, feeling the beginning of the pain he was about to experience losing Mandie.
Mandie shut her eyes tight when she heard her parents saying this 'they really do care about me' she thought to herself 'but I'm adopted?' she was crying on the inside.
"Mandie," a strong deep voice came over her thoughts, "Are you ok?"
"Yah...I'll be ok," she whispered.
"Are you sure, dollface?" Lance asked as the elevator doors closed in front of them.
"Yeah, I just didn't think they actually loved me," Mandie whispered once again, "What's Joey going to think? Oh god, he's my brother. My real brother."
"I'm sorry we had to find out this way," Lance hugged her tightly, "But you'll have parents that will treat you right."
"Why'd they get rid of me Lance?" she cried, "If they are so good, why did they get rid of me?"
"I don't know hun...do you wanna go back to the states�I think way too much has happened here."
Mandie couldn't say any thing she just nodded her head
" When we get back you and Joey could sit and talk ok?" Lance kissed her forehead.
"Ok."
*Meanwhile*
"Why do I have to go get Justin?" Cass said to herself, "That's why I'm so upset in the first place," she shuffled her boots on the sidewalk. She didn't know why he was giving her such anguish. It shouldn't be so hard just to tell the guy she was in love with him. She was just afraid he wouldn't give acknowledgement to it, like some of her asshole ex-boyfriends had done when she had been open with them.
When she arrived back at the hotel, the hotel clerk called her over, "Mademoiselle, there is a package here for you."
"Thank you," she watched as the clerk pulled something out from under the desk and put it on the counter before her. Right in front of her was the most beautiful bouquet of roses. She picked up the card and read it:
Dear Cass,
Turn around
Love Me
The card said and she did what it said... when she turned Justin stood looking at her.
"How do you like the flowers?" he asked simply.
"How did you know my favorite was yellow?" she asked in utter shock.
"Reference," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but melt inside.
"But why?" she stuttered out.
"To show you how much I really care about you."
"You mean it, Justin?" she said and looked into his blue eyes.
"Yes," he leaned down and their lips touched and the kiss grew deeper.
She suddenly pulled away, remembering the harsh memory of kissing Brad and thinking it was Justin and pulled away quickly, a frightened look in her dark brown eyes. Justin looked down at her in sincere confusion and asked, "What's the matter, Cass?"
"I can't fall in love with you! I just can't!" she suddenly burst out of his embrace and started to run towards the elevator.
"Shit, not this again," he whispered to himself then walked up the stairs to the penthouse. He opened the door and walked in seeing Cass on the couch. He walked straight to his room avoiding her at all costs and started to pack up his things. He was gonna take the quickest flight home. Yes he wanted Cass but he couldn't handle the way she always would find some reason to push him away, yet he knew she liked him.
Mandie and Lance were walking back happily to the penthouse suite and walked in the bedroom, seeing Justin frantically packing and Mandie asked, "What's the matter, Blondie?"
"She's the matter," he pointed in the direction of the other room where Cass was sitting on the couch.
"Did you give her the roses?" she asked
"Yah she loved them... we kissed�she backed away�told me she couldn't love me and ran away... the normal."
"I'm so sorry J," Mandie pulled him into her embrace, "She can be one self centered bitch�she likes you J...she's just afraid to love again."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was going out with Brad she developed a little crush and fell in love and after he hurt me and her she doesn't want to love," Mandie saw a tear roll out of Justin's eye so she wiped it away, "Don't worry she'll come around."
"But she knows I wouldn't hurt her," he sighed as another tear fell out of his eye, "Why can I be such a dumbass sometimes?"
"You're not a dumbass, she just has to realize she has to trust you," Mandie replied, "Brad said he wouldn't hurt her either, and then came the abuse."
"God, what am I going to do?" Justin sighed again, sitting down on the bed next to his bag of things, "I want her to realize I love her."
"J, I don't know what else you can do to then what you've already done but sit back and wait...but don't sit�pack. We're leaving in a half an hour. Lance got us a private jet from Jive," she said as she gave him one last hug and started to walk out the door.
"Mandie," he said, "Thanks."
"Anytime J," she smiled at him then walked back out to Lance.