The overhead light in the elevator flickers slightly causing Cynthia to crinkle her nose in annoyance. She's already told David and Travis that it needs maintenance work but they have both been so busy lately…wrapped up in their own problems.

Beneath her, she can hear the sound of tyres squealing and knits her brow. "I guess he was in a hurry to get away."

After another few seconds, the elevator doors slide open and Cynthia is glad to leave the confined space but the parking garage is filled with an eerie silence which causes her ears to ring. "Hello?" She calls out, hoping that a guard will come to her aid. Her car seems like such a long way away from where she is standing and the darkness begins to play at her nerves.

"Fine." She mutters and timidly makes her way across the garage. In the distance she can see a long black package on the ground. Is it a package?

Consumed with inquisitiveness, she hastens her step and as she gets closer, the object comes into focus. But it's not an object. It's a body, lying crumpled and lifeless. "Oh…my…God!" Stifling the scream that threatens to escape from her tightening chest, she rushes towards it and kneels down, rolling the body onto its side.

"David!" Cynthia gasps and touches his face. Her fingers come into contact with something warm and she knows what it is. There is so much of it, spreading out from David's head. His eyes are closed but there is no visible expression on his face, which is covered with the slowly congealing blood.

Hands shaking, Cynthia grapples with her handbag and pulls out a cellphone. She dials 911 and places it against her ear, smearing blood on the cold plastic casing.

"911 operator. What is your emergency?"

"I…I need an ambulance. Please…A man…he's been run down." There is a moment's pause as she struggles to get her thoughts together. "I think he's dead…"

Masters Mansion: San Francisco

The imposing white house is a welcoming sight for Adrienne as she pulls up her car on the driveway. Switching off the ignition, she remains still for a moment and reflects on the day. She certainly wouldn't want to live through it again but at least now she has done what she had to do.

Not that it will rectify the mistakes she has made in the past few months. I don't think anything could do that. But it has made her feel more at ease with herself and the burning flame of anger which consumed her earlier in the day is beginning to subside.

Her need for thought passes and as she gets out of the car, Adrienne notices Travis's Lexus driving through the wrought iron gates. She fumbles with her keys for a few moments, waiting for Travis to stop and sighs when he opens the car door.

"What are you doing out here?" He furrows his brow.

"I just got home and saw you arriving too. I thought it might look rude if I just went into the house and left you on your own."

"Fair enough." Stepping towards his wife, Travis puts an arm around her shoulders and leads her up the steps to the house.

Adrienne slides her key in the lock and remains silent until they are both inside. "I hadn't realized it was so cold outside." She exclaims and pulls at the sleeves of her jacket before walking speedily into the living room.

Travis raises an eyebrow as he shuts the door and follows her. "I wondered why you were shaking and you're so pale, I thought you were ill. Where have you been all evening anyway?"

"I…" Adrienne swallows hard and falters as she starts a fire. "That's better."

"Are you going to answer my question."

"Yes alright, quit badgering me. I just went out for a drive to try and clear my thoughts. Danielle leaving…well…it took its toll on me I think. What about you? I thought you were staying in tonight."

Travis grimaces, "I would have done if it wasn't for a prospective client. David was supposed to meet them but didn't turn up so I got a call on my cell phone demanding that I take care of it."

The comment hangs heavy in the air before Adrienne replies. "At least you were around. Where's the damn maid? I need a drink."

"I'll get you one…" Travis begins to head towards the drinks cabinet but Adrienne beats him to it.

"No I'll get it myself. Which maid is in tonight? No doubt one that Isabelle hired." Adrienne doesn't expect a reply as she shakily pours herself a vodka and tonic but at least it is a way of diverting the conversation away from David…and any other problems.

No sooner does Adrienne take her first sip than the phone rings making her jump. Travis picks it up beside the sofa and Adrienne watches him as his expression hardens.

"What is it?" She pesters him and he holds up a hand to silence her.

"Yes, yes of course. No there's no need for that. But thanks for letting me know. I'll speak to you later." His movements suddenly becoming sluggish, Travis keeps hold of the phone as he turns to face his wife. "That was your father."

"What did he want?"

"He was listening to the radio in the car…David's been run down."

Adrienne's eyes widen and she struggles not to spill the drink she is holding. "Is he…is he alive?"

"I don't know. Greg didn't say. But it didn't sound good."

Santadio Mansion: New York

"Oh God." Horrified, Julia begins to stumble away from the body and falls onto her hands. A sob rising in her throat, she fights back tears. "Please no."

But her protestations fail to change a thing. Bobby's body is still sprawled out in front of her, lifeless and ridden with bullet holes. The wounds seem to be a lot bigger now than they were before and Julia stares at them as she gets to her feet.

On the floor, beside Bobby is his cell phone which immediately grabs Julia's attention. Rushing towards it, she scoops it up off the ground and puts it to her ear. "Hello? Hello?" Jessica must have been cut off and all she is left with is the dial tone. It takes a few seconds for her to recognize this in her dazed state but the sound of another dog barking outside snaps her back to reality.

Dropping the phone back down to the ground, Julia bolts to the door and out into the hallway, taking a deep gulp of air as she does so. Her vision seems blurred and she clutches at the wall to guide her.

Suddenly, she hears the sound of thudding footsteps coming from the stairs and fights back the urge to scream. I have to get out of here. She casts her eyes over every surface as the footsteps get ominously closer. People are talking but it takes a moment for her to work out what they are saying.

"It came from upstairs! Yes! Gunshots!"

"Try the bedroom."

Left with no other alternative, Julia races down the hallway towards the spare bedrooms, quickening her pace when she realizes that the voices are coming from directly behind her. She almost makes it to a bedroom door but stops when she hears a click. Her heart pounds mercilessly.

"Freeze!" The order is clearly directed at her. "Put your hands in the air and turn around slowly."

Terrified for her life, Julia obeys the command and pivots slowly. The voice has come from a burly security guard who is aiming a gun at her chest. "I…" Julia is unable to force out another word, her mouth too dry to allow it.

"Hey Lenny!" Another voice sounds from the bedroom.

"What is it?" Lenny continues to glare at Julia.

"This is bad." The voice appears to come from another guard who steps out of the bedroom, his expression solemn. "Santadio's dead. She must have killed him."

"What the hell are we going to do?" Lenny panics.

"There isn't anything we can do. The cops are already on their way here."

Kingsley House: Cleveland

"What?" Peter Kingsley barks at Megan in dismay. "What do you mean she's your mother?"

Lauren steps forwards, "I know this must come as a shock to you both…"

"A shock?" Sheila laughs bitterly. "How astute of you."

"There's no need to let this get nasty. We need to sit down and talk about it. I had hoped to meet you under more appropriate circumstances."

"Who is she?" Peter points in Cassie's direction.

"She's my sister-in-law. She came to give me support." Lauren notices Cassie shifting uncomfortably.

"This is too much." Sheila turns away from the group and Megan goes to her.

"Please don't do this. She's my mother. I have a right to get to know her."

"No." Sheila spins back round and places her hands roughly on Megan's shoulders. "You have one mother and that's me."

"Don't say that!" Megan protests but Peter raises his voice to drown her out.

"Go to your room!"

"No."

Sheila chimes in, "Do as your father tells you."

"No!"

"Please." Lauren speaks up and holds her hands in the air to calm everybody. "I can see this was a mistake. I think it would be best if I just left. Come on Cassie."

She moves to the door but before she reaches the knob to open it, Sheila steps in front of her. "Oh no. You're not going anywhere. Not until you've told us why you're here and I want the truth."

Lauren takes a deep breath before replying frankly, her patience waning. "I've come to see my daughter."

Sheila puts her hands together and begins to fiddle nervously with her wedding band. "You expect us to believe that? You came to Cleveland from wherever the hell it is you live just to see her? I don't believe a word of it."

"Neither do I." Peter joins his wife's side and fixes his penetrating gaze on Lauren once again before sneering. "How do we know you didn't just turn up out of the blue to try and get her back?"

"She's sixteen." Lauren reminds him irritably and sees Megan watching her from the corner of the room. "And that is old enough for her to make her own decisions."

"Like you did you mean." Peter jumps in sarcastically. The words hit Lauren like a blow to the stomach and she remains silent, allowing him to continue. "Megan wouldn't want to see you anyway. She's happy here. So how did you get it into your head that she would want contact with you?"

"I'll tell you how." Lauren spits, her voice deep with anger. Flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder, she delves into her handbag and pulls out a wad of paper which she holds up in Peter's face.

Sheila's eyes well up with tears when she sees it but Peter is not phased. "What is this?" He reads as Lauren holds it but Sheila can't bare to look. "Megan? Are you going to explain?" He stares at her after finishing with one of the pieces.

"Dad…" Megan's voice trails off.

Lauren saves her the trouble of continuing and drops her arms to her sides, pulling the papers out of view, "I'll tell you what they are. They're letters Megan wrote to me over the last six months. All of them telling me that she wants to see me. She's not looking for a sudden second mother. Just the opportunity to meet me."

"These can't be real." Peter shakes his head.

"They are." Sheila speaks up, her voice almost a whisper. "I've read one before."

"What?" Peter turns on her and runs a hand through his dark hair. "You knew what was going on here and you didn't tell me about it?"

"I thought if I kept quiet about it, it might go away."

"When?" Megan interrupts. "I never left any of my letters lying around."

"A few weeks ago your father called you to do something and I found it whilst I was gathering washing in your room. I guess you weren't as careful as you thought."

"That doesn't change anything." Peter is adamant.

Lauren sighs and shakes her head. "We're not getting anywhere here. I'm leaving my number with you Megan. I'll be staying in Cleveland for the next couple of days so if you want to get in contact again, call me at my hotel."

She writes a number on the back of her business card and hands it over to Megan. The words Wheeler Corporation immediately strike her and suspicious, she runs a finger over the front of the card.

"Like hell." Sheila suddenly interjects. "I'll be dead before you see my daughter again. As long as you are in town, I am not going to let Megan come anywhere near you."

Lauren grits her teeth, "Well there's a simple solution to that. Megan could always come with me."

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

"I'm Lucas's father." Guy repeats what he has been told, barely able to believe it. Although the whole revelation makes sense. After all, it wouldn't be above Jake to tamper with a paternity test. But I've accepted Jake as his father. I was forced to.

"I know this must come as a great shock to you. I must admit, things like this don't usually happen here. I can't imagine how we could have given you the wrong test results." Dr Choi frowns.

"I think I have a fair idea." Guy feels his jaw tightening and clenches his fist tightly. "Are you absolutely positive that this hasn't been some kind of mistake? I need you to be certain."

"Believe me Mr Wheeler, I've analyzed it over and over again. It is biologically impossible that Jake could be the boy's father."

"That good for nothing bastard. How could he stoop so low?"

Dr Choi grimaces, "I don't know enough about the situation to comment. But now you really need to focus on Lucas and hopefully we can get in contact with your wife."

"I can't just let him get away with it." Guy spits and slams his hand down on the side of the chair before jumping up.

"Mr Wheeler please. You need to calm down." Dr Choi stands ready to act.

"Jake kept me from knowing I had a son. I'll be calm when I've finished with him." With that, Guy propels himself to the door and races out of the office.

Panicking, Dr Choi picks up his phone and dials the number of a hospital extension. "Security? I need you to get down to the nursery right away. I think something bad's going to happen." Without waiting for a reply, he slams the phone down and follows after Guy, hoping to stop him before it is too late.

Red Store Restaurant: San Francisco

Unable to suppress the grin which has taken hold, Mark rubs his chin as he peruses the restaurant menu. Nothing grabs his attention and he looks again at his watch, sighing in annoyance that Stephanie still hasn't arrived.

After another brief glance at the wine list, he looks up again and spots Stephanie hurriedly entering the restaurant. She raises a hand to acknowledge that she has seen him and a waiter leads her to the table.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." She apologizes breathlessly. "Traffic was bad the whole way here."

"Don't worry about it." Mark replies and dismisses the waiter.

"So what did you want to meet me for? It sounded important on the phone." A quick flick of her hair seems to calm Stephanie and she regains her composure.

"My latest deal with my publisher. I've been hired to write something which could…stir up some trouble."

Stephanie raises an eyebrow, "It's not a true crime thing is it? Tell me it's not about me."

"No it's not true crime." Her companion laughs. "Well not as such anyway. But it is more in the biographical field."

Impatient, Stephanie makes a rolling gesture with her hands. "Come on. Spill the beans."

"It's about the Wheeler family. The whole damn dynasty."

There is an uneasy pause as his sister takes in the news and her expression becomes unreadable. Is she happy about it?

"Why?" Is her only word of response, which makes Mark immediately uncomfortable.

"Because I don't want to get my ass sued. They've been pressuring me into doing this ever since I went back to LA. I held out until now because I didn't want to rock the boat any more but it's not as if I've got any bridges left in tact with the Wheelers. They all got burned a long time ago."

"I don't mean to sound callous as I'm the last to pass judgement but that was your own doing. Nobody forced you into sleeping with Morgan."

"Your point being?"

"My point being…" Stephanie chooses her words carefully, "Don't you think it might come across like sour grapes? You get excommunicated so to speak by Lauren and then you write something like this?"

"It's not like that at all." Mark shakes his head and looks away, running a finger up the stem of his empty wine glass.

"Yeah I know that and so do you. But for God's sake Mark, I tried to kill the whole damn lot of them! How are you going to handle that in the book? The press will grab a hold of it and eat you up the moment the book is published."

"But you're better now."

"What does that matter to them? Or the Wheelers? Did you see the look on Isabelle's face when I was granted parole? Any negative publicity for you will be positive for them. And they have enough money to bury you and your career if they get nervous."

"Jesus Steph. I didn't realize you'd be so against this."

Stephanie shrugs, "Maybe I'm being too harsh. But I can only see trouble coming from this. Have you told them yet?"

"Only Isabelle. She was the only one who saw fit to go into the office today. The rest are spread out around the country for some reason."

"What was her reaction?"

Mark hesitates knowing that his answer is only going to prove her point. Careful not to make eye contact he speaks, "She was angry. But I got the feeling she had something else on her mind. I told her and after it sank in, she threatened to sue me. Then she just…left."

"What? She just left you standing in the middle of her office? You didn't do anything unscrupulous I hope."

"No! What kind of a person do you think I am? I followed her. Or at least I tried to but she was in such a rush that I lost her at the elevator."

"Just be careful."

"I will. But this is going to be a major break for me…and I don't owe them anything."

"You owe Lauren something. Where's the waiter gone?" Stephanie furrows her brow and scans across the restaurant to try and find him. Half way across, her eyes meet something unexpected and she stares ahead.

By the main entrance, two darkly dressed men are consulting with the manager and wait as he looks through the list of reservations.

"What is it?" Mark notices that her attention has been stolen.

"Over there." She points. "They look like police officers to me."

"So?"

The men begin to walk forwards and seem to be looking in her direction. "I've got a nasty feeling about this."

They both remain silent and the men get closer. Within a few seconds, it is clear that they are indeed heading for the table. Rubbing her face, Stephanie stiffens as they speak.

"Are you Stephanie Elliott?"

"Yes." She replies meekly and Mark gives her a confused glance.

"Stephanie Elliott, you are under arrest for attempted murder."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

Jessica stares at the phone in disbelief and pulls at her hair nervously. She has no idea what she should do and for all she knows, her mother could be dead.

"John? John?" She screams out instinctively and puts the phone back down in the cradle.

There is no answer and rushing to the window she can see that his car has disappeared from the driveway.

"Damn!" Spinning back round she is about to call the police when the phone rings startling her. Worried that she might receive news she doesn't want to hear, she tentatively picks up the receiver. "Hello? Mom?"

"Yes it's me. Thank God I caught you."

"Where are you? What's going on?"

"I'm at a police station." Julia lowers her voice. "There was an accident?"

"What happened? You're scaring me."

"I killed Bobby…and I've been arrested. If you can get a hold of David, tell him to fly out to New York right away. And I need you to call Donna too. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." Jessica puts a hand to her forehead, confused. "Give me half an hour."