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Carmen's face lost all it's color. She went as white as a sheet and the lack of color on her face against her black hair, made her look like a dead person. Danny eyed her carefully. Her face was frozen in shock. For once in her life, Carmen Santos appeared to be speechless.
It didn't last for long however and Danny knew that she was only formulating an answer to his accusation in that evil brain of hers and soon would be spewing filthy lies out of her mouth as if she were crooning the softest and sweetest love words.
"Daniel" she began. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Of course I am your mother. Where did you hear such nonsense?" she said trying to make light of the situation and disguise her nervousness.
It wasn't lost on Danny though. "Oh give it up Carmen" Danny said snidely. "It all makes sense now and I am thrilled" he said getting right in her face until they were practically nose to nose and she could see the disdain on his face, "do you hear me, thrilled to find out that none of your tainted blood runs through me" he said through clenched teeth. He wanted to make sure that she didn't misunderstand his disgust at her. "You make me sick" he added and then turned and walked away from her.
When he was safely across the room and the urge to strangle her was subsiding, he watched her. Her face completely crumbled and he saw that he had managed to hurt her. She was clearly devestated by his words and he almost felt sorry for her but then he remembered all the threats she had made against Michelle's well being. He would never forget how she had ordered harm to come to Michelle.
"Daniel" she cried desperately. "Who told you such lies?" she said and Danny couldn't believe she was still playing the innocent. Why couldn't she just show some class for once in her life and admit to the truth?
"It doesn't matter Carmen, but believe me when I tell you I know everything. I know you're not my real mother and my mother was a servant in my father's house, I know that Dietz is Mick's father and that you tried to trick papa into thinking he was his, I know about you faking my signature on the annullment papers, I know about the scare tactics you have been using on Michelle and I know about the will you have been trying to keep from me for the last two years" he said and with that revelation, Danny felt sure that Carmen was going to get sick right there on the expensive moroccan rug.
Carmen's face revealed her guilt. Danny wasn't about to let her off the hook either. "What's wrong Carmen?" he spat. "Can't you think of any more lies?" he shouted. "Has the truth finally caught up with you?"
Carmen took a deep breath and chose her next words very carefully. "Daniel, I don't know how you found out about all of this, but it is not as you have been told, I assure you" she said.
"And just what would you know about what I have been told?" he said. "Do you honestly think for a second that I would believe anything you tell me now? You let me live my entire life in a stinking lie. I was never your son. You never had any rights to me at all and you have tried to control me ever since I was a teenager. You cost me the woman I love on more than one occassion and YOU NEVER HAD ANY RIGHT" he shouted.
Carmen stood there motionless. What could she say? There was no way to come up with a reply to what he had told her. There was no way she could lie her way out of this. The only hope she had was to remind him of how much he used to love her. They had been very close when he was growing up and even more so once Manny had died. He had been her champion and had come back home to help run the business that she knew he didn't even want to be in. He did it for her. She had to play on his guilt and his sympathy. There simply was no other way.
"Daniel, I know you are upset, but if you would only give me a chance to explain" she said and she put on her best upset mother pout.
Danny looked at Carmen and wondered why he hadn't ever figured out before that he wasn't related to this woman. The idea of them not being related made him extremely happy. He would not feel guilty when she got what was coming to her and he just hoped he was there to see her downfall.
"No, Carmen, I don't ever want to hear anything you have to say after today. I can barely stomach being in the same room with you and the only reason I am still here is because he have some unfinished business we need to take care of" he announced. "Now, listen carefully because I am only going to say........" he started to say before they were interupted by Ben Warren walking into the study.
Danny was not pleased to see him in this room. He didn't want Carmen to have even the slightest bit of confidence and having Ben in the room with her might just give her some. He wanted noone in the room but she and him. This was between them and it would get settled between them and them alone.
Danny lifted up his arm and pointed at Ben " He leaves right now, understand" he shouted. He was not going to let Carmen gain any kind of leverage whatsoever.
Carmen looked at Ben who was silently asking her what she wanted him to do. She had no other choice but to ask him to leave the room so she could speak with Danny. "Ben, please....." she started but Ben interupted her.
"Look Danny...." he began and Danny lost all sense of reason.
"GET OUT" Danny screamed and the sound was so loud that Carmen jumped. Ben looked thoroughly amused and not the least bit intimidated by Danny whatsover.
"Okay Danny, whatever you say" he said and started back up the steps to the door in which he came, but not before he saying " I was just going to tell you Danny, that you had a phone call" he said smugly.
"Well, I don't want to talk to anybody. Tell whoever it is to go to hell for all I care" he said and turned his attention back to Carmen.
"I think I would rather just take a message" he said with an amused look on his face. He put the cordless phone that he had been holding in his hand and that Danny hadn't seen until now up to his ear and said "I'm sorry Michelle, he can't talk right now and there was something else he said" and Danny's head whipped around and he met Ben's eyes.
"Oh yes," Ben said. "He said you could go to hell for all he cared" and then he hung up the phone and left the stufy laughing as he closed the door.
Danny breathed in deeply and counted to ten. It was the only way he was going to be able to control the urge he had to go after Warren and beat the hell out of him. Michelle heard him tell her to go to hell. He didn't know she was on the phone. How could he have known that. She had told him to come to her which was just what he was planning on doing after his grandmother's service today. Now she thought he told her to go to hell.
Danny almost felt defeated. He almost gave in to whatever God, or the universe or the stars or whatever held his fate in his hands was trying to tell him. He almost felt like just hanging it up and walking away for good, but he held on to the hope that he and Michelle had one more chance. She loved him and he loved her. He hadn't told her that yet, but that would change later. This deal he was about to offer Carmen was going to buy their freedom. Hopefully, she loved him enough to believe he hadn't known it was her on the phone.
Danny turned his head back to face Carmen. She didn't look smug or like she was gloating at what happened. She looked....scared, that was it. She looked absolutely scared to death. Danny smiled to himself when he realized that she should be scared. She had no idea what he could do to her right now.
"Okay, no more distractions" he said and his gut clenched when he realized he had called Michelle a distraction. "Here's the deal. I know about the threats you have made about Michelle. I am not going to allow you to hurt her Carmen, understand. I no longer feel any loyalty to you whatsoever so this is the best offer you could hope for." he said and walked over to the other side of the room and picked up his leather briefcase, the one she had broken into and stolen the annullment papers out of.
Carmen looked pale when she saw he had it back in his possession. Danny's look told her he knew what she had done to get the missing papers out of his briefcase and that it had almost cost Dietz his life, may in fact still cost it. He wasn't improving at all since her pulling the plug on him in his room.
Instead of calling her on the hit she had ordered on Dietz, he pulled out the will and the title to the house that his father had left to him and had recently found in his dear grandmother's safe.
"What are those?" Carmen asked interested in the papers he pulled out of the briefcase.
"These are my offering to you to let me go and leave me and Michelle the hell alone. Think about it Carmen, you won't get a better offer. You get to keep the business that papa had left for me to run and you get to keep the house that is in my name. I will sign over everything to you in exchange for your signature on a document swearing that all vendettas against Michelle are over as of this second" he said and watched her expression as the news sunk in.
She still stood that motionless so he continued laying his bargain out on the table. "Think of it like this Carmen. Either way, I am out of your life. I am not your son and I have no desire to pretend to be. I plan to forget you and this family except Pilar. This way, you get to keep what you have. The only thing I ask in return is for you to sign the documents that I am going to get Ross Marler to draw up after the service this afternoon" he said.
He watched her reaction. He wasn't sure what she was going to say or do. He looked at his rolex and saw that it was getting near time to leave for the funeral. It was now or never. "I expect an answer by this afternoon Carmen" he said and started to leave. His foot paused on the step and then added menacingly, "Either way I am out of your life. You must now decide if your love for the company is stronger than your desire for revenge" he said and spun on his heel and left the room leaving her with her mouth agape.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle looked in the rearview mirror and checked her lipstick. It looked fine. She was so nervous, she was afraid she had licked it all off. She had heard Danny scream into the phone to tell whoever it was to go to hell, but she didn't think he knew it was her. What had been going on over there that made him so angry?
The Michelle of old would have turn tail and run away again but she was determined to fight for him. He loved her, she knew he did. She would just make him face his feelings but she was determined that he would have to come to her after today. She had to hold on to the hope that he would realize he couldnt live without her anymore than she could live without him.
The church was already filling up. She saw Danny's car and the Santos limo in the front. Danny had driven here by himself and not with Carmen. Had they had a falling out? She noticed Bill's car was here also. She was so thankful that he was there for Pilar.
She saw many business associates of Danny's standing outside the church and she knew they were here out of respect for Danny and nothing more. The underworld business was ruthless and cruel but they lived by a code of honor and they respected when someone cherished like a grandmother died. Michelle noted the irony in that.
She got out of the car and straightened her dress. She began to get nervous again. What would he think when she walked in there and sat with him? They weren't married anymore but her place was with him in his hour of need and he was going to have to tell her to leave if he wanted her to leave.
She started up the steps and noticed eyes watching her. She caught one man looking at her with an expression that made her skin crawl. She remembered Danny mentioning him. It was Bernard's son Nino. She felt his eyes all the way into the church.
An usher asked her where she would like to be seated. "I can find it thank you" she said. She saw Danny sitting on the front pew talking in hushed tones to Pilar. The casket had not been brought out yet and she looked at the clock and realized she had better get seating quickly. The somber funeral music began to chime out of the pipe organ on the wall of the church his grandmother had attended and the one that she had hoped to see Ray minister in one day.
As if thinking about Ray could bring him to the scene, he came out from the back in his ceremonial robe holding his Bible.
Michelle quickened her steps to get down front before the service began. The guests were just beginning to stand in honor of Mrs. Santos when Michelle slipped in next to Danny unnoticed. His head was still turned towards Pilar as he was listening to what she was saying. Michelle saw Pilar over Danny's shoulder and she smiled. Pilar smiled back and Danny turned his head to see what Pilar was looking at.
He looked at her and she would have given a million dollars to be able to know what he had been thinking at that moment when he first saw her. Relief was what she thought she saw but then it looked like apprehension. Was he happy? Was he mad?
She didn't have time to think about that now. She took his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder in a gesture of support.
Danny let Michelle lean into him. She felt so good against him. She was warm, and he was cold, so damn cold. He wouldn't question her motives right now but allow her to comfort him. His dear sweet grandmother was gone from this earth and he would allow her to offer him comfort. Then they would talk.
He would tell her everything. She would understand. They would have a future.
They heard commotion behind them and Danny turned his head to see what was going on. Frank Cooper was outside on the steps of the church and was trying to get in. Ben Warren was threatening to sue him for public harrassment when Frank produced a piece of paper that made Ben back off like a whipped pup.
Carmen was standing two rows behind Danny and Michelle. She too, was interested in what was going on in the back. Frank came up the aisle and whispered something to her and her face grew white for the second time today.
She was shaking her head no and he whispered something else to her and she nodded her head listlessly.
What was going on? Danny wondered. He looked at Carmen who then looked at the floor. His curiosity was piqued. Greatly so.
His thoughts of Carmen however were put on the back burner as they began to escort the casket that carried the body of his beloved grandmother to the front and her funeral began.
Ray's words were comforting and Danny felt peace that his grandmother was in heaven with papa. He doubted Mick had made it to heaven, but maybe there was a chance that he had asked for absolution with his last dying breath. Somehow Danny doubted he had.
The service was over and Danny started to ask Michelle if they could go talk when he heard someone scream.
He looked behind him amidst the sea of faces and heard another say" She's got a gun". His eyes scanned the church to see who this person was when he saw it. Carmen. She was standing two rows behind her and she was holding her papa's gun to her temple and she looked like she was getting ready to pull the trigger.