Episode 12: Revelations
Previously
Julia told
David that Mark's mother was responsible for Leo Fielding's death
possibly explaining Stephanie's mental instability. Lauren found
Morgan in the office and rushed her to hospital. Cassie told Guy
that Stephanie did not receive and he sent her another copy.
Leslie intercepted it and placed it under the Christmas tree. The
doctor told Morgan that she was pregnant and she broke the news
to Mark. He accused her of lying because they used protection but
she told him it is not always efficient. On Christmas Day, Jake
told Julia he would set a trap for Lauren to find out about the
baby. Stephanie watched the video of David and Julia making love
in disbelief.
Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley
It’s
New Year’s Eve and after the reasonably muted Christmas
celebrations, Lauren is in the mood to party. She is up early for
a Sunday ready to guide Pilar if necessary for the evening’s
preparations. Around a hundred friends and business associates
will be transcending onto the Wheeler Estate for New Year.
Lauren is not the only person awake. Outside, Jessica is drinking her usual orange juice. "Hello!" she shouts, looking up and placing her glass on the table. She quickly stops it from sliding across the icy white surface.
"Isn’t it a bit cold out here? It’s very early you know." Lauren rubs herself and takes another seat.
"Not really. You can go in if you’re cold. I’ll be okay on my own."
"Actually I kind of wanted to talk to you. Since you started going to the therapy sessions on your own, I haven’t found out how you’re doing. So…how are you doing?"
Jessica lets Lauren have a sip of her juice before replying with a nonchalant, "Fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Jessica smiles, "Can’t you tell?" She raises her arms in the air flamboyantly as if to prove that she does not have a care in the world. "Everything Anita…and you have done for me…well it’s helped me more than you can imagine. I’m taking my relationship with Tommy slowly and I’m coping well. You went out of your way to help me and I really should thank you."
Lauren keeps her eyes on her niece, "No problem. I understand what you’re going through." As soon as she lets the words slip out, Lauren regrets them.
Jessica hesitates, "What do you mean?"
"Oh God, it doesn’t matter." A sudden need to tell the truth changes her mind, "Damn it there’s no use hiding it anymore. If I tell you, I don’t want anyone to know. Not your mother, Michael, Mark…nobody."
"Okay I understand. What is it?"
"Follow me." Lauren heads into the house and heads up the stairs to her bedroom followed by Jessica. Mark has left to run some errands in the city so they need not worry about disturbing anyone.
Jessica sits on the unmade bed as Lauren takes out a leather journal from her closet and hands it to her. "This is what you need to know."
The pair sit in silence for several minutes as Jessica quickly reads all the pages. The horror of what she has read silences her temporarily. Eventually, she places the journal on the bed and looks at Lauren. "Why have you never told anyone?"
"Because I was ashamed…scared. I went to LA soon after it happened and there was no use digging up the past. I was terrified that if I let my ex-husband know I had been raped he would hate me." Laughing at the irony she continues, "But he left me anyway. After so many years of keeping it a secret and not coming back here, there never seemed any point in telling anyone."
"You came back when Grandpa Martin died. I remember you being at the funeral."
"And I didn’t say one word to my mother. I haven’t spoken to her in 15 years. Maybe I just can’t forgive her for not caring."
"I’m sure she did. And she probably regrets what happened just as much as you do. You know my mother isn’t perfect, but whatever she does, I always know that she loves me. I’m sure it’s the same for you."
"Yeah." Lauren stands up and wipes a tear from her eye. "Maybe."
"Why don’t you call her."
"No, I can’t. I don’t want to talk to her. I have to think about it some more first."
"Okay."
The conversation is interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Lauren picks it up and composes her voice, "Yes?"
"Ms Erikson? It’s Marge. I came in to check your messages and there was a note from Mark on your desk. He must’ve known you were coming in today briefly because he wants to meet you here in about an hour."
"Sure. Thanks Marge. Have a happy New Year."
"I will. Bye."
Outside of the bedroom, Julia hurries down the hall from her listening point before Lauren catches her. Are people never careful in this house? She thinks to herself before smiling, Fortunately not…
Elliott House: San Francisco
The
house is now quiet again. Stephanie acted normally until Robert
and Leslie left but kept a very icy composure. Now she wants
answers.
"What do you mean you ended it?" Stephanie roars without caring that Tommy may hear.
"What I just said! I broke it off with Julia weeks ago. That tape must be at least a month old. Where the hell did you get it from anyway?" David replies, sweating.
Stephanie ignores the question, "You told me that once before remember. And things didn’t have a very happy ending."
"I’m telling the truth. If you don’t want to believe me it’s your problem. But you were the one who planned to make the marriage work until Tommy left."
Stephanie points a finger at him, "I made my plans at the altar and they haven’t changed since."
"Fine." David heads out of the door. If he told the truth, Stephanie would try and murder Julia. Yet he lies and she still isn’t happy.
"No! Wait!" Stephanie grabs him from behind and kisses him roughly on the lips. "I’m sorry. Please don’t go. Please. I love you."
David does not reply.
Wheeler Corporation: San Francisco
Lauren
has been waiting in her office for ten minutes but there is no
sign of Mark. She looks at the note and wonders why it has been
typed. Annoyed at his lateness, she picks up the phone ready to
call Mark on his cellphone.
Jake continues to talk to Julia from his office but keeps an eye on the telephone lights. He swapped Lauren’s phone connection so that she was on the same line as him. She would hear every word…
Picking up the phone, Lauren prepares to dial but is surprised to hear voices. Jake and Julia. Why are they on her line? Before she cuts in, Lauren hears the name Mark mentioned and against her better judgement decides to listen in.
"She’s left the hospital?" Jake asks.
"Yes, she left this morning. She called from her apartment." Julia replies.
"And the baby is okay?"
Baby? What baby? Morgan never told me anything about a baby…Lauren awaits the reply.
"Yes. No problems there. Mark is going to be the father of a beautiful bouncing baby."
What? Lauren takes a deep breath keeping her hand over the phone so that they cannot hear her.
"And Lauren will be left out in the cold…again." Julia continues with deliberate spite, fully aware that Lauren is still listening. "She couldn’t hang onto her first husband and now Mark has had sex with his editor! Oh dear, some people really don’t handle relationships very well do they…"
Lauren slams the phone down, not wanting to listen further to the sickening conversation. Fighting the urge to scream, she grabs her purse from the desk and runs towards the elevator. Morgan better have some answers…
Scorpio Studios: Los Angeles
"Cut!" the director yells, ending the torturous session under the burning lights. "I know it’s New Year’s Eve but you all stink!" John Erikson may only be an extra but he has to keep his composure if he ever wants to hit the big time. No answering back. His second marriage should have been his meal ticket for life. It would have been if his damn wife Mindy hadn’t caught him sleeping with the maid…
"Phew." John sighs picking up a bottle of mineral water from the Kraft table. He turns to his favorite pert, blonde make-up artist Kelly. "Reading something interesting?" he asks glaring at her with his legendary eyes and brushing a hand through his golden brown hair. How could she resist?
"Absolutely. Society pages. A namesake of yours is throwing a huge New Year’s bash in Napa." Kelly adjusts her revealing top, stopping it from riding up her flat stomach.
"Really? What’s the name?" John asks not remotely interested. But Kelly could be very interesting in bed. He has to pay her some attention.
"Lauren. Some daughter of the Wheeler family. Don’t they have some finance empire?"
"Yeah." John answers, stunned. So she finally went back to the valley.
"You know she has a fortune. What I would give to be her…she’s not a relation by any chance is she?"
John moves his eyes back to Kelly. "Uh…no. Sure wish she was though." Or at least I wish she still was.
John taps the table, deep in thought as Kelly saunters away, obviously disappointed with his answer. Screw this. Lauren sweetheart, I’ve missed you…
Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley
"I’m
coming! I’m coming!" Morgan stuffs the rest of a prawn
cracker into her mouth and races to the door which is shaking
violently from the knocking. She opens it to see Lauren standing
there, her eyes widened, and filled with anger.
"Get out of my way." Lauren pushes roughly past Morgan and enters the apartment.
"What’s going on?" Morgan shuts the door and attempts to place a hand on Lauren with a false sense of concern.
Lauren draws back, "Don’t touch me." She spits.
"Well are you at least going to tell me what’s wrong?"
"You! You are what’s wrong! I heard from Jake that you are pregnant."
"And that’s the problem? I’m sorry but…"
Lauren whips her hand back and lashes out violently, striking Morgan squarely across the face. "No that’s not the problem. The problem is that you slept with my fiance to get pregnant in the first place!"
"You hit me!" Morgan gasps in disbelief.
"Believe me…" Lauren’s figure looms over Morgan who backs away, "If you weren’t carrying an innocent child, I would do so much worse."
"I want you to leave."
"I’m not going anywhere until you admit what you’ve done. Don’t try to deny it. I overheard a phone conversation between Julia and Jake this morning. They just loved making me a laughing stock. So…are you going to tell me how you pulled it off? How did you manage to drag Mark into bed?"
"Listen Lauren. It takes two to tango you know."
"Oh yes." Lauren laughs, "That makes it so much better!"
"No listen! Mark wanted me! He seduced me!"
"Don’t talk crap!" Lauren grabs a vase from the table next to her and drops it, crashing it onto the floor.
"When you were in New York with your brother, he was frustrated. He couldn’t take it any more and he took me to bed."
"In my house? In my bed? You make me sick!"
"Please, you don’t understand. It wasn’t like that…it was…no!" Morgan screams as Lauren grabs a poker from the fireplace and points it at her.
"If you think I believe a word you say," she bellows, shaking the poker violently, "Then you’re wrong. You can have him. Take Mark. Because if he is capable of getting trash like you pregnant then I don’t want anything to do with him."
"That’s your choice." Morgan snaps, rubbing her throbbing cheek.
"Yes it is. And you’ve told me everything I need to know to make it."
Lauren drops the poker on the ground and Morgan lets out a relieved sigh as she storms out of the apartment.
Elliott House: San Francisco
After
watching David drive off down the street, Stephanie takes a
newspaper from the living room and walks upstairs to the bedroom.
She flicks through hurriedly until she finds the page she is
looking for. Society. The whole page chronicles the plans for
Lauren Erikson’s New Year’s Eve party and a family
photograph, sans the poor dead Douglas and illusive Isabelle
takes pride of place. Stephanie scans her eyes across the grainy
black and white image. All of them smiling…all of them happy,
including the supposedly grieving widow. She fixes her eyes on
Julia who is standing regally at the front of the picture next to
Lauren, dressed in white. She is smiling too but that’s not
surprising. She has David…of course she is happy.
Taking a pair of razor sharp scissors from her dresser, Stephanie cuts round Julia’s image with distinct precision and when she is finished, tosses the remaining paper onto the floor. It is only this picture that she wants. This is where it starts. Stephanie takes her box out of the closet and neatly presses out the newspaper cuttings of Angela Mitchell’s murder. She must keep it neat…it’s time to start a new collection. She pushes the articles to one side of the shoebox and on the other empty side, drops in the first photograph of Julia Wheeler. In an almost robotic trance, she places the top back on the box and grins contentedly.
"You’re next…"
Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley
Julia
walks down the hallway and sees Morgan’s door open. "Morgan?"
she calls out, looking bemused as she notices the smashed china
on the ground.
"I’m here." Morgan walks in with a dustpan and gets on her knees to clear up the mess. Julia shuts the door behind her. "What are you here for?" Morgan asks without looking up.
"To pay you of course." Julia waves an envelope in the air. "Three hundred thousand dollars as we agreed. You should be grateful I could get it. Thankfully Douglas didn’t leave me completely destitute."
"Leave the money and get out." Morgan sweeps the last piece of china into the dustpan and heads towards the kitchen.
"I beg your pardon?" Julia shouts after her.
Morgan returns, "I told you. Get out."
"What’s with the sudden rudeness?"
"It’s not sudden. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. I love Mark and I want us to start a life together…with the baby. I don’t want you involved."
Julia laughs, "Mark? He despises you! You ruined his relationship with his precious Lauren. Are you seriously deluded enough to believe he would want a life with you? Oh my God!" She makes no attempt to stifle her continuing and uncontrollable laughter.
"What I believe is no longer any business of yours." Morgan grabs the envelope from the older woman. "I am no longer on your payroll."
Julia stops laughing, angered at Morgan’s rudeness. "You’re making a very big mistake sweetheart."
"No you are if you don’t leave here now. I never want to see you again and if you come within a mile of here, I’ll tell your family exactly how you were involved in this little drama."
"You wouldn’t dare…"
"Wouldn’t I? Why does everybody say that when they feel threatened? There is nothing stopping me from driving to the estate now and spilling the beans. But I’m willing to keep quiet. If you stay away." Morgan smiles as if an idea has hit her, "And perhaps a few more payments would really clamp my mouth shut."
"I’ll clamp your mouth shut you little…" Julia raises her hand ready to strike but Morgan grabs it.
"Uh uh. I don’t think so. I know you can get the money. Your family may not know about your business dealings but I’m not stupid. Now I want five hundred thousand by the end of the month. That way we’ll all be happy."
"You thieving little bitch."
"It’s called surviving."
Julia watches Morgan stonily and opens the front door, "That’s going to get a lot more difficult from now on."
Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley
"You
paged me?" Guy enters Lauren’s bedroom. She is standing
with Jessica and clothes are strewn all over the room.
"Yes." Lauren replies. "I need you to help me pack up a few things. Mark won’t be living here anymore and I want you to help me and Jessica get rid of his belongings."
Guy looks suspicious, "I don’t want to get involved in anything…"
"Don’t worry." Lauren raises a hand. "You don’t have to join in the argument, I just needed a man’s help. Okay?"
"Sure."
The room bustles with energy and Jessica directs Guy around. Lauren is emotionless, more concerned with getting rid of every trace of her former fiancé than thinking about what is happening.
"Ok Mrs Erikson. Now what would you like me to do?" Guy asks. But she does not respond.
Jessica clears her throat and steps in gesturing to Guy. "Just start taking these things downstairs. Leave them outside the front door for now."
Guy leaves and Jessica turns back to her aunt who is silently pacing the room. "Lauren? Hey just sit down a second will you?"
Lauren looks up realizing that someone is talking. Desperate not to lose her composure she responds with a desultory, "No, I’m fine."
Suddenly, they can hear muffled shouting outside and race down the stairs to see what is going on. Mark is home and he is bellowing at Guy.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing? Take my stuff back inside now!"
Guy looks at Lauren questioningly. This was exactly what he did not want to get involved in.
"It’s okay Guy." She says. "Mark, I want you to leave. I don’t care where you go but you’re not staying in my house any longer." She turns to go back inside and Jessica places a comforting arm around her shoulders.
But Mark bolts forward towards them and Guy is forced to hold him back, "Wait! We can talk about this! Why are you doing this?"
Jessica keeps a hand on Lauren’s arm to stop her from lashing out. "Because you slept with another woman, you idiot! I don’t think I need another reason!"
"No!" Mark tries to wrestle his way out of Guy’s stronghold and after succeeding, pushes Guy out of the way.
"Mark would you just leave!" Lauren shouts. Guy gets back up from the ground and places a hand on Mark’s shoulder.
"Do as she says." He murmurs in Mark’s ear.
"Let go of me!" Mark swings round with a clenched fist ready to strike Guy but his opponent is too quick. Using his left arm to block the punch, Guy brings his other fist back and smashes it into Mark’s jaw. Mark stumbles backwards as blood begins to drip from his mouth.
"Now do you get the message?" Lauren asks rhetorically, keeping her icy glare on Mark and locking eyes with him. Then she turns and guided by Jessica, walks back into the house.
Guy keeps watch as Mark silently packs his bags into the car and sets off down the driveway.
Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley
As
darkness begins to settle over the valley, Morgan switches on the
lights of her apartment and moves over to the ringing phone,
picking it up.
"Hello?"
"Morgan? It’s me." Mark answers gruffly.
"Oh…what do you want?"
"Lauren kicked me out of the house and all the good hotels are booked for New Years. I…need a place to stay." Mark realizes how ridiculous this sounds after only telling her yesterday how much he despises her.
"You want to stay with me. Okay. I don’t have a problem with that. I’ll be here all evening so turn up when you want to."
"Thanks. Morgan, you know this doesn’t mean…"
"I’m not reading anything into it Mark." Yet.
"Good. I’ll see you in about an hour."
* * *
As Mark unpacks his bags in the spare bedroom, Morgan opens a bottle of champagne smiling. It won’t hurt the baby to have a little. As the cork pops out of the bottle, there is a knock at the door and Morgan goes to answer it.
"What are you doing here?" she asks angrily. It’s David.
"I want to see Mark. Are you going to let me in?"
"How do you know he’s here?"
David sighs, "That doesn’t matter just let me in." He pushes past her and calls out for Mark.
"God why is everyone being so rude today?" Morgan comments as she shuts the door.
"I’m here!" Mark yells as he walks down the hallway into the living room.
David reaches out a hand and Mark accepts it bemused. "Hi, I’m David Elliott. The Wheeler attorney. You may remember me."
"What the hell is this all about? Is Lauren suing me? You have got to be kidding."
David laughs, "No this isn’t about Lauren. I think you should sit down."
Mark concedes and winces as he hears Morgan slamming around angrily in the kitchen clearly annoyed that she is not being included in the conversation. "What is it you want Mr. Elliott?"
"I’m going to cut to the chase. Your parents were Leo and Maureen Fielding right?"
"Yes." Mark responds hesitantly to the questioning.
"Were you aware that they…had a daughter several years before you were born? They gave her up for adoption."
"I knew about it yes."
David is surprised by the answer. He had always assumed that Mark did not know. Well that would make it easier then. "Well I’ve been looking into my wife’s background. It appears…that she is your sister."
"What?" Mark jumps up. "Your wife? The one that attacked Julia?"
David grimaces, "Yes, her."
"I don’t believe you. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here…whether it’s some sick joke you’ve cooked up with Julia but I want you to leave."
"I have proof." David answers quickly before he is thrown out. He produces an envelope and hands it to Mark who slips the papers out. David is telling the truth. The birth certificate proves that Leo and Maureen did have a daughter named Stephanie Fielding and adoption papers show she was taken by Robert and Leslie Grainger.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Mark murmurs quietly. His head is spinning. Why did he have to find this out now?
"I want you to break it to my wife. I was going to…but I think it would be better coming from you."
"David, to put it bluntly, your wife is deranged. Why would I want to get involved with her?" Mark does not mince his words.
"Because she is your sister, whatever you may think about her. It’s your choice." David stands up and moves to the front door, picking the papers up from the table. "Make the right one."
After David has left, Mark sinks into the sofa, clasping his head in his hands. Why did it have to be her?
Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley
The party is in full swing. Convinced by Jessica to show a brave face and desperate not to let Julia have any satisfaction, Lauren is joining in, dressed seductively in a black velvet dress clinging to her svelte figure. She has been told by many of the men at the party that she is the most beautiful woman there, no doubt sending Julia into a homicidal rage. Jessica is also dressed in black and Cassie in red, although she does not seem to be around anywhere.
Holding a glass of champagne, Lauren eases herself through the crowd of people in the living room, ignoring the leering eyes of several middle aged businessmen.
"You’re having quite an effect." Julia’s voice comes from behind.
Lauren turns, "Thank you. You look very nice too."
"Very kind of you to say."
"Weren’t David and Stephanie supposed to be here?" Lauren asks, a deliberate hint of bitchiness creeping into her voice.
"Yes." Julia replies, "But I believe they have other engagements."
Both women’s eyes are diverted to a new arrival. Guy Richardson is standing in the doorway, looking completely unlike his usual self. Dressed in a tuxedo, he immediately has an effect on all the women in the room. Julia decides to move in for the kill and walks towards him, "Guy!" she holds out her arms. Why did I ever let him get away?
Lauren pushes past Julia and picks up another glass of champagne from the tray Pilar is holding, passing it to Guy. "It’s good to see you." She hands it to him.
"Thank you." He accepts the glass and takes a sip. It does not cease to amaze him that she still has not realized who he actually is.
"Care to dance?" Lauren purrs. Perhaps this is one man who can take her mind of Mark. And after what he did this afternoon, she is greatful to him.
"Of course."
Jessica smiles at Lauren but Julia seems to have disappeared. The party move away to watch the couple and Guy moves expertly to the music holding her tightly. He hopes Cassie isn’t watching. When the music stops, there is a round of applause and Lauren feels a tap on her shoulder.
"Yes?" she turns round.
Julia is smiling, "You have a visitor."
A figure moves out from behind Julia and grins.
"John?" Lauren cries out in disbelief.
"Hey babe. I’m back!"
Next on Power and Deception
John makes a move on Lauren...
Cassie meets with Stephanie...
Mark breaks the news to Stephanie...
David finds Morgan's former pimp in LA...
Stephanie sets her murderous plan in motion...
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