Heart & Soul
Episode 26
The Morning
After
By Allan
Craig
"Morning,"
"Yeah
I noticed that. Maybe he just couldn’t be bothered walking the whole five
meters to the guesthouse. Coffee?" Leo raised an empty mug.
"Please,"
"What!
Carrie’s pregnant," Leo nearly choked on his coffee, "You’re kidding!
I’ve been away way too long. What else have I missed?"
"Well,
Uncle John and Aunt Diane are getting divorced, so are Uncle Joe and Aunt
Margo. And now Greg and Carrie must not be getting on that way. I guess
Sterlings and marriage are a bit of a plaid and polka dot."
"Huh?"
"They
don’t go."
"Oh right," Leo rolled his eyes, catching on to his sister’s
metaphor, before realizing how stupid it is, "Wait, John and Diane are
divorcing? You sure about that?" Leo remembered what he had heard the day
before.
"It’s going to take
time, Diane, we cant rush this, or Kendall will suspect something and we’re
both out of here, and then it’s no money for anyone," John warned.
"Oh come on, if
brains were dynamite that girl wouldn’t be able to blow her nose." Diane
smirked, "Besides, she thinks I’m her loving aunt Diane, she doesn’t have
a clue that anything’s going on, and if she did I’d be able to talk her round
in no time at all. Trust me John, I’ll get us everything back, but I want my
cut."
"Apparently. That’s why Uncle John signed everything over
to…our dearly departed mother," Kendall took the cup of coffee from Leo,
"What a stupid move."
"I don’t understand," Leo sat down at the table.
"Well obviously if John and Diane were about to start the
divorce, John wouldn’t want to have anything that Diane could get her hands
on," Kendall took a sip of her coffee, "Although I don’t know why
not. He should be giving her a hell of a lot of stuff the way he treated
her."
"So what are your plans for today?" Leo took another
drink from his mug.
"Dunno yet. Might hit the shops…might phone a few friends.
God it’s so boring in Oakridge. I haven't seen anyone in weeks. Just like mom
to die on us when my life was getting good. Felicia Porter got pregnant, and
Kelly got one hell of a bad nose job."
"What a shame you had to miss all that gossip ‘cause mom
died, eh sis?"
"That’s not what I meant," Kendall shot her brother an
icy look, "What about you? Anything happening for you today?"
"Yeah ‘cause I know so many people and places in
Oakridge," Leo rolled his eyes, "I might explore, though. You up for
it?"
"Pass. I’ve seen everything there is to see. You’ll be home
in about fifteen minutes," Kendall joked. Oakridge was big, but it didn’t
compare to New York or LA.
"I’m sure it’s not that bad," Leo took another drink of
his coffee, "And if it is then I’m gonna have to liven it up a little,
aren't I?"
Kendall raised an eyebrow, "You just can’t help getting
yourself into trouble Leo, can you?"
"I guess I like living on the edge," Leo winked.
The Abbot House:
Bathroom
Alex splashed her face with cold water, waking herself up. Not
that she was asleep, quite the opposite in fact. She hadn't slept all night,
trying to think of ways to end things with Matt. Every idea that came into her
head ended the same way; with a huge fight, and she didn’t want that. She
didn’t want Matt to hate her. She still loved him, she just wasn’t in love with
him.
"Well," she thought to herself, "Today’s the day.
It’s now or never Alex. You have to end it with Matt."
The Sterling Mansion:
Conservatory
Greg and Leo sat looking out across the lawns. Leo’s attention was
focused on the pool, while Greg’s was on the guest house. The curtains were
still shut, either Carrie was still asleep, or she just didn’t want to talk to
Greg.
"So," Leo began, "How about we go out today? You
can show me around Oakridge."
"No thanks," said Greg distantly. His attention was
still fixed on the guest house, "I’m gonna hang around here today. I need
to think about stuff…clear my head…you know?"
"Yep, go ahead cuz. So do you wanna tell me why you’re
sitting in here instead of over there with that wife of yours?"
"Not particularly," Greg’s eyes were still fixed on the
guest house, suddenly, he snapped out of his daze, "Sorry, I’m being a
total jerk."
Diane sauntered into the room.
"Greg! Kendall called and told me you spend the night on the
sofa," Diane rushed over and sat by her son, "Whatever happened? Leo,
could you excuse us please? I know I’m being rude considering you’ve only been
back five minutes, but I just need to be alone with my son for a while. But
we’ll speak later on, we’ve got lots to catch up on," Diane smiled at her
nephew.
"Cant wait," Leo faked a brief smile before leaving the
room, closing the door behind him.
"Well , do you want to tell me why you were on the sofa and
she was in the guesthouse?" Diane rubbed her son’s bare shoulders, "I
hope you two haven't had a fight…you have, haven't you? Is it serious?"
"It was nothing mom," Greg got up, picking up his
t-shirt and putting it on, "We just had a little argument. Everything will
be fine. One way or another."
"And what was this…little argument…about?"
"Nothing. Carrie was just refusing to believe you might have
changed," Greg looked out the window at the guest house again.
"What do you mean?"
"Like I said, nothing."
"No Greg, what’s this about Carrie refusing to believe I’ve
changed?"
"You visited her yesterday, right? She was just saying she
thinks you’re up to something. I tried to reason with her that you were just
being friendly, but she wouldn’t listen. It got pretty intense, things were
said, the usual. You know what I mean."
"No, I don’t. Care to elaborate a little further?"
"Not particularly mom, look, I’m gonna go for a swim, clear
my head a little. I’ll speak to you later."
Greg walked out of the room, and Diane turned to face the
guesthouse, her eyes filled with rage.
Josh and Jessica’s
Apartment
Jessica rushed to answer the door whilst attempting to put on an
earring. She reached for the doorknob and pulled it open to see a man standing
before her. He stood slightly taller than Jessica, with long, tousled, hair,
piercing eyes and a beaming smile.
"Hey sis…well…aren’t you gonna invite me in?" he smiled,
opening out his arms for a hug.
Jazz & Co
Josh and Will sat in the quiet bar, each holding a chilled bottle
of Miller. Will opened a full packed of cigarettes and took one out, lit it up
and started smoking it frantically.
"Since when did you start smoking?" Josh raised an
eyebrow, questioning his friend in a concerned tone.
"Since yesterday. Man I really don’t know what to do," a
cloud of smoke emerged from Will’s mouth, "Megan totally blew me off, I
thought we were really getting somewhere, you know, but I totally misread the
signals and now I’ve totally blown it."
"I’m sure it’s not that bad," Josh attempted to reassure
his friend, "Maybe you just surprised her."
"Yeah, more like shock and utter disgust. What if that’s it?
I might have totally blown it with Megan for good."
Sterling Enterprises:
Kendall’s Office
Kendall sat behind a mountain of paperwork at the dark mahogany
desk. The office, one that previously belonged to a powerless executive who had
recently moved to Miami, still smelt of paint and Kendall tapped her Jimmy Choo
stilettos against the shiny hardwood floor. A knock at her door caused her to
look up, facing her was Greg.
"Hey cuz, how you holdin’ up?" asked Greg, entering the
office and walking round behind Kendall, peeping at the paperwork over his
cousin’s shoulder. He had tried to block out the whole mess with Carrie, at
least until he got home, but somehow every thought he had ended with her.
"This stuff is, like, totally confusing," Kendall rolled
her eyes as she looked up, "I mean why am I paying fifty thousand dollars
a year for a paper shredder? Someone gets paid fifty thousand bucks to stuff
paper into a machine. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to put little desk shredder
thingys at every desk?"
"Maybe. Look if you want I’ll take care of all this for you.
Why don’t you head into the city and buy yourself some new threads," Greg
suggested, crouching down at the desk, hoping the extra workload would help him
forget the fight, even if it was just temporarily.
"So that’s all I am? Just a ditz with a credit card?"
Kendall turned her attention back to the documents, "I’m fine Greg. It’s
my company. Uncle John hasn’t showed up today and until he does, I’m in charge,
and even if he does decide to make a cameo, he has got some serious groveling
to do."
Outside the office, John came strolling down the corridor looking
happier than he had done in a while. He was dressed in a smart suit and his
hair was neatly combed into place. He stopped outside Kendall’s office to tie
his shoelace.
"Well in that case, what about Uncle Joe?" Greg sat down opposite
Kendall, "I mean I know my dad’s my dad and everything, but maybe he’s to
attatched to the company and a clean break might just be for the best,"
Greg suggested, unaware that his father was listening to his every word from
the corridor, "Why don’t you give Joe power of attorney over the company,
just for a while, until you get over everything."
"Do you think I’m really that utterly brain dead?"
Kendall looked at her cousin with an icy stare, "My mom left it to me for
a reason. Obviously she didn’t think Leo would make a good job of running this
joint, so I got it instead. I’m not going to let her down Greg, so just do what
I pay you for and keep your nose out, kay?"
"Whatever Kendall, it was just a suggestion," Greg
looked at his watch and got up, "Look I gotta go, I’m expecting a
conference call in like ten minutes. I’ll talk to you later."
Greg got up and walked out of the office. Once in the corridor, an
arm protruded in front of him, stopping him from walking away. Greg looked up
to see his father standing in front of him.
"Well, I gotta hand it to myself. I really did do a fine job
of raising a total rat!" John looked at his son, his eyes filled with
rage, "Not only have I lost my entire fortune, my company, everything I’ve
worked my whole life for, but now, my only son, is, instead of trying to help
me get it back, suggesting that it be given to my brother! You’re some piece of
work Greg, do you know that?"
"Dad, it wasn’t what you thought. I was just-"
"I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT!" John cut off his son mid
sentence, his voice echoing a yelling tone without actually raising his voice,
"You’ve betrayed me. That’s all there is to it. I hope you’re proud of
yourself Greg, cos I’m not. I don’t wanna be in the same room as you, so get
out of my sight before I do something I regret."
"But dad-"
"GO!"
Greg walked away from his father, his heart sinking to the pit of
his stomach.
Jazz & Co
Josh handed Will another beer and lowered himself into the steel
and leather chair.
"Thanks man," Will took a swig from the bottle,
"Although I could use something a lot stronger."
"Nuh-uh," Josh wafted the cloud of smoke surrounding
them away, "Not on my watch amigo. Don’t get wrecked just ‘cause things
didn’t work out with Megan. There’ll be other girls. Besides, can you imagine
having Diane Sterling for a mother in law?"
"But I love Megan, Josh," Will insisted, opening the pack
of cigarettes only to find it empty, "I can’t believe I was so stupid. I
should have realized she just wanted to be friends."
"Megan’s a Sterling, Will," Josh looked at his friend
with deep pity, "They like attention. She was leading you on, how were you
to know she was just playing a game?"
"But she wasn’t, that’s the thing," Will took another
drink from the glass bottle, "Megan’s not like the rest of the Sterlings.
She doesn’t play games."
"Well you know what they say about all women turning out like
their mothers,"
The Abbot House: Alex’s
Bedroom
Alex sat in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She
knew it was the right thing to do, ending it with Matt. Wesley was the father
of her children, her first love, her true love. Her eyes wandered to a photo of
herself with Matt. They looked so in love.
"No. No," Alex took a deep breath, "I have to break
up with Matt. It’s for the best. For me, and for my family."
The Sterling Mansion:
Conservatory
Diane sat sipping a cup of coffee from a white china mug whilst
flipping through the paper. Leo entered the room and leaned against the door
frame.
"Correct me if I’m wrong," Leo began, folding his arms
as his gaze was transfixed on his aunt, who looked up instantly, "But you
don’t live here anymore."
"Leo," Diane put her cup back on the table, resting it on the saucer.
She put the newspaper on the coffee table and got up from her seat, extending
her arms for a hug, "It’s been too long. When did you arrive?"
Leo hugged his aunt, "Yesterday. And my, what an arrival it
was. I came across some very interesting information."
"Oh do tell," Diane sat back down on the sofa, patting
the seat next to her for Leo to sit there.
"Well, if you must know," Leo began…
"It’s going to take
time, Diane, we cant rush this, or Kendall will suspect something and we’re
both out of here, and then it’s no money for anyone," John warned.
"Oh come on, if
brains were dynamite that girl wouldn’t be able to blow her nose." Diane
smirked, "Besides, she thinks I’m her loving aunt Diane, she doesn’t have
a clue that anything’s going on, and if she did I’d be able to talk her round
in no time at all. Trust me John, I’ll get us everything back, but I want my
cut."
…"care to explain yourself, Auntie Di?"
Diane gulped, the colour draining from her face. Her brain began
entering overdrive, her eyes moving from side to side as she tried to think of
an excuse.
Josh & Jessica’s
Jessica handed her brother a glass of water. That was all Marc had
ever drunk since she could remember. He’d always made sure he looked after
himself; didn’t smoke, didn’t do drugs, visited the gym four times a week, ate
healthily. Jessica had always envied his self control.
"So…it’s been a while," Jessica sat down opposite her
brother, "Dad said you were working in Germany."
"Yeah, it wasn’t all that. I mean, the money was good and
everything, but it’s a whole other world there," Marc took a sip of the
ice cold water, "The language, the food, everything. It just wasn’t me.
When mom called last week and told me about everything I decided to call it
quits."
"You mean you’re back for good?" Jessica tried hard to contain her
excitement.
"You bet!" Marc smiled, his piercing eyes and perfect
features had definitely benefited from his healthy lifestyle.
"Great, so we have to decide what we’re going to do about mom
and dad!"
"What do you mean Jess?" Marc rubbed his hands up and
down his thighs nervously. It had been a while since he’d been dragged into any
of his sister’s crazy schemes, "They’re divorced, end of."
"You’re kidding," Jessica got up and walked over to the
balcony, resting her hands on her hips, "Marc, they’re our parents. They
can’t split up."
"Jessica, there’s nothing we can do about it. They’re grown
adults. We’re grown adults," Marc rolled his eyes, "Besides, aren't
you glad that they’re finally being honest with themselves and are finally
happy after all these years?"
Jessica sighed, infuriated by how much sense her brother was
making, "That’s not the point, Marc. When you get married you make a
vow," Jessica lied, "’Til death do us part."
"Jessica, I don’t think you realize, mom and dad gave up a
huge part of their lives to make us happy, even though they weren't. Forgive
me, I thought you had gotten a bit more mature since the last time we spoke."
The Sterling Mansion:
Conservatory
"Well?" Leo tapped his pristine white K-Swiss’ on the
floor, folding his toned, slightly muscular arms.
"It’s John. He’s behind it all," Diane breathed a sigh
of relief as she let her excuse out.
"Huh?"
"He’s forcing me into everything," Diane lied, her brain
continuing to try and think of and excuse, "Getting close to Kendall, I
mean don’t get me wrong I love the girl to bits so getting close to her is no
chore, but John’s pushing me into it for all the wrong reasons. He wants me to
get information from Kendall, and get her trust so that she wont suspect it
when I, I mean John, gets everything that he believes is rightfully his."
"You’re lying," Leo looked at his aunt with an icy
stare.
"Leo, why would I lie?" Diane rested her arms on her
nephew’s broad shoulders, "If I was behind such an intricate and detailed
plan I’d be shouting it from the rooftops. You know how important family is to
me."
"Then why not tell John where to go? Why go along with
it?"
"Because…because I’m broke," Diane hung her head in
false shame, neglecting to mention the stash she had put away upon her trip to
England, "John promised me I’d get a share of the money, and I need it. I
mean I have no qualifications, no work experience, no nothing. I need all the
help I can get."
"Well it stops now, got it?" Leo turned away, "I
wont tell Kendall, it would hurt her too much. You can stay in the mansion, and
you’ll get a credit card, with a limit of course, but if I so much as get an
inkling that you’re up to no good you’re out on your ass, got it Diane?"
"Thank you so much Leo," Diane hugged Leo, breathing a sigh of
relief, "I don’t know what I would have done without you."
Leo knew Diane was lying, but he loved Kendall and didn’t want to
see her get hurt. This was the only way, for now, to stay ahead of the game.
The Abbot House: Kitchen
Alex walked down the kitchen stairs, facing her was an elegantly
laid out table, with candles and flowers and a bottle of champagne chilling in
an ice bucket.
"Well?" came Matt’s voice from the opposing doorway, "What do
you think?"
"Matt, you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,"
Alex tried hard to mask her feelings of guilt and embraced her fiancée in a
deep hug.
"Why not? I’m engaged to the most beautiful, amazing, woman
in the world? I don’t need a reason to celebrate."
Alex gulped, questioning whether leaving Matt was for the best.
The Sterling Mansion:
Guesthouse
Carrie walked over to the door following a gentle knock on the
glass door pane. She turned the knob and pulled the door towards her, but tried
to shut it as soon as she saw Diane’s face staring back at her. Diane shoved
one of her designer shoe clad feet in the house before the door was closed. She
pushed the door open and shoved her way into the house, closing the door behind
her.
"I don’t know what you want Diane," Carrie backed away,
scared by the look of rage in Diane’s eyes, "But I’m really not in the
mood."
"Oh you’ll be in the mood alright. I don’t know who the hell
you think you are Caroline Masters," Diane edged closer to Carrie, calling
her by her full maiden name, the first time Carrie had been called Caroline
since she was fifteen, "But you are way out of line saying to MY son that
he was nothing more than a reason to save MY marriage."
"Well it’s true isn't it?" Carrie straightened up,
holding her head high, she had had enough of being threatened and talked down
to by Diane.
"Excuse me? You’re being awfully brave considering you’re
with child! Tell me, how much money do you have of your own?"
"That’s none of your business Diane."
"I know, but you’re gonna need a lot of it for a good lawyer
when my son sues you for custody of his child when it’s born."
"What?"
"Oh come on," Diane laughed, "You didn’t seriously
think he’d take you back after what you said, do you? Oh, you did? That’s
pathetic!"
"My relationship with Greg has absolutely nothing to do with
you Diane," Carrie cleared her throat, her voice getting louder,
"Greg loves me because he wants to, he loves you because he has to."
"How DARE you!" Diane’s right arm lunged forward and in
a split second she was holding Carrie against the wall by the neck,
"You’re nothing more than a jumped up piece of trailer trash!"
"You’d know all about that," Carrie looked Diane dead in
the eye, "At least before I married Greg I had money. My father had more
money than this family will ever have. The real trash here is you, Diane. And
pretty soon you’ll be right back in the gutter, or whatever hole you crawled
out from."
"Just be grateful you’re carrying my grandchild or you’d be
dead right about now," Diane threatened, realizing Carrie had won the
argument, "And you mark my words, as soon as you’ve given birth, you’ll be out of this family before
your feet touch the ground."
Diane let go of Carrie and stormed out of the guesthouse, leaving
Carrie trying to catch her breath.
TO BE CONTINUED…