Students are rehearsing for the admission recital, but Penelope seems to be having some issues as she attempts to sing her solo. Zoey looks annoyed as she gives the girl a sideways glance before calling a halt to the embarrassing display.
Penelope begins to choke, not with the song, by physically choking as she coughs several times, trying to clear it out.
“Penelope, your cold has gotten worse,” Zoey tells her. “Tomorrow night is the admission recital. I think you should go to the hospital.”
Cross stands up in front of the piano, “I don’t think Penelope will be able to perform tomorrow.”
That draws an angry glance from Penelope, though she could look angrier if he wasn’t correct.
Zoey slowly nods her head, “I know you practiced really hard for this. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to replace you in the solo. We really need a flawless performance, and with that cold, there’s no way you’ll be ready by tomorrow.”
Zoey rises in her seat to address the class, “We need someone to replace Penelope in the recital tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don’t have much time. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?”
Sloane raises her hand, “I’ll give it a try.” Mariah glances in her direction.
Zoey seems pleased, “Are you confident you can perform?”
Sloane smiles widely, “Of course. Please, I’d like to try.”
Zoey nods her head, “Great. We’ll have Sloane perform the solo….”
“I’d also like to try,” Mariah says, raising her hand as well.
Zoey seems shocked, while the others around her just scoff at her attempt to steal the lead.
“Have you lost your mind?” asks Juliana. “How about you remember your place.”
Zoey, while rather unhappy about this turn of events, keeps a smile on her face. “How about this? We will let you both perform, and the better singer will get the solo.” She looks from one to the other, “Who would like to go first?”
Mariah takes her place in front of the class, and as the instruments begin to play “The Voices of Spring.”
Sometimes we hear Mariah.
Sometimes we hear Sloane.
Sometimes it’s a split-screen with them both performing.
Their performances are nearly identical, practically flawless.
As the song finishes, Zoey seems pleased as she says, “I enjoyed both performances. Give me a moment to decide.”
There’s a brief moment before Zoey finally announces, “This song was better performed in all aspects by….”
Both singers stand there, waiting in anticipation.
“Mariah Oh,” Zoey finally finishes, to the surprise of nearly everyone in the room.
Sloane looks crushed.
“Mariah, tomorrow, you’ll be performing the solo,” Zoey tells her.
Mariah is ecstatic as she smiles, “Thank you so much, Mrs. Kline. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Zoey steps down from her platform and approaches Mariah as Sloane stares darkly at her nemesis. “I hope you won’t. You need to be flawless for this performance. All eyes will be on you tomorrow.”
Sloane continues to glare at Mariah, teeth clenched.
The next night, Mariah is trying on a very pretty pink dress as she stands in front of a mirror. Riley is next to her and looks over her daughter, “I was able to borrow this at the last minute, but it looks great on you,” she tells her daughter. “You look so beautiful, Mariah.”
Mariah looks a little intimidated, “I can’t believe I’m performing the solo tomorrow.” She covers her mouth for a moment, then asks, “This isn’t a dream, is it? I heard so many famous people will be in the audience.” She reaches for her mother’s hands, “I’m going to do great. Just like you did, mom.”
Riley couldn’t be more proud of her daughter. When she was told that Mariah was chosen over Sloane, she was skeptical, but she wouldn’t ruin this moment for her daughter.
Mariah wasn’t done talking either, “Those kids made fun of me, calling me Waiting List, but I’ll show them. Just you wait.”
Riley squeezes her daughter’s hand, “You do that. I am so proud of you.”
Mariah suddenly gets a concerned look on her face, “Mom? Why do you look so down these days?” she asks. “Is there something wrong?”
Riley isn’t about to share her problems with her daughter on the night before her special day. She just shakes her head, “Nope. Everything is fine.”
On their way to the recital, Mariah is warming up her voice as Riley pulls up to a stop light. She turns to look at her daughter, “Are you ready? We’re almost there.”
Mariah just nods her head, but it’s obvious she’s nervous.
Riley takes a deep breath, and as the light turns green, allowing her to turn left, she moves out into the intersection when someone speeds up and hits the car from behind, sending Riley’s car around and around until the car swerves right into a street light.
Everyone is arriving at the performance, dropping their cars off, handing their keys to the valet, and then walking inside.
Inside, Zoey is making sure everyone has the right sheet of music on the music stands. Her phone rings. She glances at the caller and then answers, “How’d it go? Okay. Perfect. Good work.”
She heads backstage, where Sloane is dressed up in front of a mirror, “Get ready, Sloane,” Zoey tells her. She leans over and checks Sloane’s hair and make-up. “This was supposed to be your stage. Your grandfather is here. You need to show him you are the future of the International School of Music.”
Sloane nods her head, turning to look at herself in the mirror.
Steam is coming from under the hood of Riley’s car as she slowly comes to. She’s a little disoriented, but as she turns and sees Mariah with her forehead against the dash, she suddenly remembers where they are and where they’re supposed to be. “Mariah!” she reaches to ease her daughter back in the passenger seat. “Are you okay?”
Riley starts fumbling for her phone, “We need to get you to a hospital!”
Mariah feels pain at the side of her head, and her hand goes to hold it, but when she pulls it away, there’s blood on her hand. She turns to look at her mother. We can see blood streaming down the side of her face, “I’m okay, Mom. I need to get to the recital.”
Riley shakes her head, “You’re injured. We need to get you looked at!”
Mariah starts to panic. This was her moment to shine and show those rich kids they aren’t better than her. This was supposed to be her night. “I’m telling you I’m fine!” She begins to cry, “Please, I need to get to the school! I can’t be late!”
Riley is conflicted but tries to start the car again, but it won’t turn over.
Mariah is just crying, “What am I going to do?”
Riley suddenly removes her seatbelt and opens her door, getting out. She gets right in traffic and stops a motorcycle. We see that Riley’s forehead was cut open as well.
The next thing we see is Mariah on the back of a motorcycle.
Riley is driving.
Unfortunately, they are stopped by a traffic jam.
Suddenly, Riley twists the accelerator, and she begins to drive between the two lanes of cars. When she can’t drive straight, she turns and gets on the sidewalk as folks get out of her way. Riley is honking the horn to clear the path.
She drives right up to the red carpet, and Mariah throws off her helmet and runs into the building, but security is blocking the way inside.
“The ceremony has already started. You can’t enter now,” one of them says.
Mariah is trying to get by them, “Get out of my way. I am performing on stage!”
Matthew hears the commotion and comes out and gets in front of Mariah, “The ceremony has already started. You cannot interrupt.”
Mariah isn’t having it, but in her struggle, Matthew pushes her a little too hard, and she falls to the floor.
Sloane is walking out on stage, ready to perform as everyone applauds. Zoey beams with pride at her daughter taking center stage.
There seems to be some confusion within the audience as people are questioning why Sloane is singing the solo when the program clearly states it’s Mariah Oh.
Jessica can hear them talking, but she’s starting to get an idea.
Earlier that day, Jessica was picking up Penelope’s dress. The one she was supposed to be wearing for the recital that night. As the shopkeeper sends the dress with an attendant to be packaged, the shopkeeper turns to Jessica, “I heard about Penelope. I hope she isn’t too disappointed.”
Jessica smiles up at the woman, “She’s got a severe cold. It’s just one of those unfortunate things.”
“I guess Sloane will be singing then,” the shopkeeper mentions, which confuses Jessica. She heard Mariah was going to sing the solo.
“I’m sorry?”
A single dress is left on the rack, “Oh, Sloane’s mother called to have this dress ready for her for tonight. I heard she was taking Penelope’s place.”
Jessica has a feeling that something isn’t going right for someone tonight. She begins to look around for Riley and Mariah.
Sloane bows towards the audience as the applause continues.
Zoey begins the count to start the orchestra.
Riley has finally walked in to see Mariah and Matthew struggling, and she starts running, “Mariah needs to go inside!” she snaps at the man.
As Matthew pushes her back, Riley isn’t taking his shit today, and she kicks him right in the shin. Matthew screams out in pain as the security guards with him attend to him.
Riley reaches for Mariah’s hand, and they begin to run down the hall. They find a back hallway and head that way, but four security guards are on their heels. Riley pushes them down, reaches for a fire extinguisher, and begins to spray the contents on them as Mariah runs.
Riley gets them past the entrance to the hallway and closes the doors on them, sliding the locking bar into place, then turns and heads after Mariah, coughing as her lungs are filled with the contents of the fire extinguisher.
A bloody, dirty Mariah gets to the side stage, but the song is over halfway through now as she stares in shock as Sloane is up there singing her solo.
Devastated, Mariah slowly sinks down to her knees.
Riley finally catches up, seeing Mariah on the floor, asks, “Are you okay?” But then she sees Zoey directing the orchestra with pride as Sloane sings Mariah’s solo.
Zoey had to do something. Her father was insistent.
Zoey stands in front of her father’s desk. Jan was very unhappy with how that dinner went and the video that was released that included his granddaughter, so he had an ultimatum for his daughter.
“You better sort this out. If you don’t, the foundation will go to your mother when I step aside.”
Zoey’s eyes go wide as she looks at her father.
“Sadie’s parents are well off, so it might be more beneficial to have her as the head of the foundation anyway,” Jan continues.
Zoey has to clear her throat before she can respond, “What are you talking about? You promised that I would take your spot as the head of the foundation.”
Jan glares at her, “Have you forgotten how Sloane embarrassed our family? On top of that, she’s not even doing the solo at the admission recital. Do you know how humiliating it is that my granddaughter is not good enough to sing an important solo? What have you been doing all this time with her? Instead, she’s going to sing at the back of the stage with everyone else. Is this how I taught you?”
He’s really giving to her, and Zoey knows that directorship is slipping away from her at this rate. “Please, give me another chance. I promise I won’t disappoint you this time.”
As Zoey walks away from her father’s office, she passes by her daughter’s classroom. However, in the window, she sees Cross slip an answer sheet behind him to Penelope.
Of course, Zoey gets an idea which brings her to Sebastian.
“I know I should discuss the twins’ matter with your wife. I thought you might have a better understanding of where I need to go with this,” Zoey tells him as she sits in his office. She drops some papers on the table between them.
Sebastian isn’t sure what she has in mind, but he reaches for the envelope and pulls out two score sheets. “What is this?”
“Those are Cross and Penelope’s exam answer sheets,” she tells him. “As you can see, they are identical. The same answers on both sides, whether right or wrong. As you can see, both are done in the same handwriting. I don’t need to spell out what’s happening here, do I?”
Sebastian places the sheets back into the envelope and drops it back to the table before turning to Zoey, “Thank you for bringing it to my attention first.” Of course, he knows how to handle this type of situation.
Zoey tells him, “I’d rather not pursue this any further. However, as the dean, I’m not sure I can turn a blind eye to this behavior.”Sebastian realizes now that she’s here to bargain. “What do you want?”
Zoey smiles at her lover, “I certainly can’t allow a student who’s cheating to stand in front of the audience at the admission ceremony.”
Sebastian nods his head slowly, “You want Penelope to give up her solo performance.”
Zoey brushes her hair to the side with her hand, “If you don’t want rumors, we can come up with a plausible excuse for her having to drop out. It would be a shame if she were to come down with a severe cold.”
This also explains why Penelope is in the audience, arms crossed over her chest as she scowls at Sloane up on the stage.
As the song comes to a close, everyone applauds. Kyle stands up, a proud father.
We see Jan clapping his hands, pleased his granddaughter was up on the stage, though Sadie next to him doesn’t seem all that pleased that Zoey was able to pull this off.
Even though she wasn’t the soloist, Amber applauded Juliana, “You’re so beautiful, Juliana!” she screamed from the audience.
Angel holds flowers as she looks up at her son, “How can you be so handsome, Carson!” Next to her, Chris is clapping obnoxiously. He turns to Kyle, “How’d she gets so good at that solo? It’s like she’s been practicing for weeks!”
Kyle has no clue what happened to make this happen, so he just smiles like a proud father.
“If you’ll take your seat,” an announcement comes over the PA system. “Mrs. Zoey Skye-Kline has an important announcement.”
As the applause dies and everyone returns to their seat, Zoey steps up to the microphone as a pedestal is pushed out onto the stage next to her. When the red cover is removed, everyone ‘oooos’ as underneath a glass cover is the trophy.
The same trophy that Zoey won years ago.
Backstage, Riley slowly rises back up, mouth opened. The year that Zoey won this award at the festival, the incident between Zoey and Riley was so bad, the festival was canceled.
“Hello,” Zoey says into the microphone. “My name is Zoey Skye-Kline. I am the dean at the International School of Music. For 50 years, the IMS has turned out numerous trained singers and musicians. The International Music Festival was the heart of the IMS. The festival celebrated all fields of music. It was a driving force that helped us teach and build up many worldwide artists. Unfortunately, a terrible accident brought a halt to the festival.
Riley slowly reaches for her throat.
“Today, I announce to you that the International Music Festival will be revived!”
There’s loud applause from the audience at this announcement. Backstage, watching on, Riley can’t believe it.
Mariah rises at the announcement. Her look of devastation has been turned to a look of determination.
Zoey slowly reaches over and picks up the statue, “Until now, everyone who received this trophy has gone on to receive fame and fortune. The revived International Music Festival will be open to students of all ages.”
More applause.
Zoey continues, “Equal opportunity, a fair process, and unlimited glory is waiting for you.”
Amber turns to Chris, “Doesn’t this mean she’s going to hold even more influence?”
Chris grins, “She has become the golden lifeline that God has sent to help our kids.”
Amber starts to wonder to herself, “Was I too rude to her?”
Riley and Mariah watch from the sidelines, still bleeding and dirty from the accident. “Let’s go,” Riley tells Mariah, but as Mariah is pulled away, she doesn’t take her eyes off the trophy.
The following morning, everyone gathers around the IMS foyer as Zoey places the trophy into a glass display case as everyone takes pictures. It’s the first time in 25 years the trophy has been in public.
Mariah isn’t the only one obsessed with this trophy as Sloane stares at the statue. She has grown up looking at this statue in her mother’s music room, but she has the chance to make it hers.
Behind Sloane, Penelope continues to stare daggers at the back of Sloane’s head. She’s still fuming about having to give up her solo.
As Zoey shuts the door, she turns and finds herself staring into the eyes of Riley Oh, standing just behind Mariah, who is staring at this trophy. Riley has a deep feeling that it was Zoey responsible for their accident the night before.
As Riley stares at Zoey, Zoey’s smile turns to a frown as she spins on her heels and walks off as Riley just scowls at Zoey’s back.
Matthew follows Zoey up the stairs, and as they turn the corner, Sebastian is there, doting on Jessica, which causes Zoey to frown. Jessica smiles, “The ceremony was great. Everyone worked hard. You must be proud.”
Zoey doesn’t so much as crack a smile, “I owe it to the parents who have contributed to our success. Thank you for attending.”
“Sloane’s solo was perfection,” Sebastian notes, though it pains him to say it. “She was quite impressive up there. Please pass along my congratulations.”
There’s another reason that Zoey is very unhappy at the moment.
The conversation continued between Sebastian and Zoey after she dropped the bomb that Penelope must drop out of the solo.
“It seems you prove to be more and more charming each time we meet,” Sebastian tells her.
Zoey seems flattered, “I guess this means we have a deal?”
Sebastian nods his head, “I’ll tell Penelope to drop out of the solo.” He rises from his seat and walks away from her, “This also means that our relationship ends here,” he tells her.
Zoey’s eyes go wide as she glances up at him, watching him walk away. He’s only walking so far as the door to his office as he holds it open for her, clearly sending the message that it’s time for her to go.
“It was fun while it lasted,” he says to her, a smirk on his face as he motions towards the door.
Zoey looks at him in shock. She lets out a small laugh, then another. Then she realizes that he’s serious.
As Zoey walks out of Sebastian’s office, she mutters under her breath, “That crazy bastard.”
That scene plays through Zoey’s head as she stares at Sebastian, “Cross was excellent at the piano. Beautiful,” Zoey tells him. She’s not going to give him the pleasure of seeing her wounded by his rejection.
Zoey watches with disdain as Sebastian puts his arm around Jessica and turns to her, “Let’s go, darling.” As they walk off, Zoey lets out a soft sigh and rolls her eyes. She turns and walks over to look over the railing back down to the foyer. “Mariah Oh.”
Mariah glances up, still looking at the trophy. “Hm?”
“Shall we chat?” Zoey doesn’t even wait for a response as she turns and walks towards her office.
“Community service and ten penalty points?” Mariah can’t fathom what she could have possibly done to be in trouble. The wounds on her neck and head are still very visible from the accident. “If this is about missing the recital, I’ve already explained, I was involved in an accident. By the time I got here, the concert had started, and I wasn’t allowed in.”
Zoey doesn’t seem all that sympathetic, “A performance is a promise you make with your audience. We have stressed in class the importance of being on time, have we not? If I were to forgive everyone late for a performance, we would have no discipline in this school. It’s clearly stated in the guidebook that anyone late to a performance will get 10 penalty points and 10 hours of community service.”
“You can’t go in there!” shouts Matthew from outside the office, but Riley Oh bursts in anyway, struggling with the man. Matthew glances apologetically towards Zoey. He did try.
Riley marches up to the desk, “Do you know why my daughter was late last night?”
Mariah is wide-eyed, even embarrassed by her mother’s outburst. She tries to grab her arm, but Riley pulls it back. She’s not holding back when it comes to Zoey Skye any longer. “You know better than anyone else, don’t you?”
Zoey just swivels from side to side in her chair, “What are you blaming me for now?”
“We were hit by a car that had been following us ever since we left home,” Riley tells her. She might be bluffing a bit here, but Zoey wouldn’t know that. “Because of that accident, Mariah arrived late to the recital. Your daughter just happened to be ready to fill in. I don’t tend to believe in coincidence. You did this, didn’t you?”
Zoey mocks her with a smile, “What an imagination you have, Riley Oh.” She laughs.
“I guess people never change,” Riley says, looking down at her.
Mariah is standing there wishing she were anywhere else but here.
That little comment annoys Zoey enough, she stands up, “I’m the one who should be angry. Your daughter almost ruined two months of preparations.”
“Bull shit,” Riley tells her, making Mariah take a step back. “Nothing was ruined. Nothing would have been ruined. Do you think I couldn’t tell that your daughter had been rehearsing that song for months now? Listen carefully, Zoey Skye. Kelly Allen stepping forward to offer to tutor my daughter. Making her learn a German song. Mariah ended up on the waiting list. The emergency parents’ meeting. Trying to cancel my daughter’s entrance admission. I know you are behind it all. You thought you were getting over on me, but I knew it all along. You did it because you think I’m powerless.”
“Nothing you say here changes anything,” Zoey tells her. “If you fight me on this, I’ll have you back in front of the disciplinary committee, and this time, Mariah will be tossed out of here.”
Finally, Mariah speaks out, “You can’t do that!” She turns to her mother, taking her hand, “Mom, please. Stop this! I don’t want to get kicked out!”
Riley just smirks, “Fine. Use what little authority you have. But don’t forget this. If you touch my daughter, I will make your daughter shed tears of blood.”
Zoey doesn’t seem to buy Riley’s threat. “I don’t know what you’ll do, but please, try your best.”
As the two women stare at each other, Riley then nods. Challenge accepted. She grabs Mariah’s hand, “Let’s go.” She drags Mariah out of the room.
As soon as Riley steps foot out of the office, Zoey grabs all the papers and books on her desk and shoves them onto the floor in a fit of anger, and glares in the direction Riley and Mariah left.
Sebastian is in his office, eyes closed as Requiem in D Minor by Mozart is playing on the record player.
Cross and Penelope enter the room.
“You wanted to see us?” Cross announces their presence.
Sebastian’s eyes pop open, and he reaches for the needle, lifting it from the vinyl as the music suddenly stops. He turns around, “You’re here.”
He grabs something from his desk, “Penelope, you wanted to go across the country to another college, right?” Sebastian offers her a plane ticket, “If that’s what you want, you will go.”
Penelope’s eyes light up, “For real?” She takes the ticket, “I can really go to another college? I don’t have to do music anymore?”
Cross doesn’t appear to be too happy about this. Something smells off.
Penelope turns to him, “Isn’t this great?” She’s absolutely beaming with happiness.
“But you’re going alone,” Sebastian tells her.
Penelope’s smile fades. She looks inside. Indeed, there is only one ticket to California. She looks up at her father with a confused expression.
Even Cross’s eyes go wide.
The twins have never been apart. Ever. Not in their entire life. Cross has always been there to protect Penelope, and now their father wants to separate them.
Stammering, Penelope asks, “What do you mean by that?”
“You can’t live in your brother’s shadow forever,” Sebastian explains. “I know he’s behind all of your good grades. You can’t keep putting him at a disadvantage.”
Cross takes Penelope by the hand and puts her behind him, shaking his head, “You can’t send her there on her own.”
Penelope isn’t going to stay behind him as she steps back out, “I only did it to get good grades to make you happy. I’ve never been good at studying, so I cheated.” She’s near tears now.
Sebastian snaps at her, “I don’t care that you cheated! I care that you got caught!” Sebastian calms himself with a sigh, “You both are tiring. There is no discussion. Pack what you need. A car will take you to the airport within the hour. I won’t have you hurting my reputation again.”
Sebastian starts to walk off, but Penelope drops to her knees, “It won’t happen again! I really won’t let this happen again,” she begs him. “Please don’t send me away!” Tears are flowing freely now.
“This won’t persuade me,” Sebastian says, not even bothering to look down at his child. “Stop this immediately. Rather than humiliate our family, I’d rather never set my eyes on you again.”
Penelope grabs his leg, “I won’t leave Cross!”
“If you want to send her away, send me with her too,” Cross pleads to his father. “I’ll teach her how to study hard. I’ll make sure she never embarrasses you again. You know she won’t survive on her own over there.”
Sebastian suddenly slaps Cross right across the face, sending him to the floor. “This is exactly why I’m splitting the two of you up! Do you think I’m disappointed in her? I’m disappointed in you because you’re letting her drag you down!”
Penelope’s mouth drops open.
“You need to snap out of this and start living up to your potential,” he yells at Cross. “You are no longer Penelope’s brother! You are my son!”
There’s a knock on the door.
“Come in!” snaps Sebastian.The door opens, and Jasper walks in, “Everything is ready, sir.”
Sebastian looks down at Penelope, “He’ll take you to the airport.” He then looks at Jasper, “Take her to pack and get her out of here.”
Jasper takes Penelope by the hand, pulling her to her feet and then towards the door. Cross hurries over to try and stop him, but Jasper quickly sends Cross to the floor.
“Cross!” Penelope screams out. It’s enough for Jessica to hear as she walks into the room.
“Are you okay, Cross?” she asks in complete surprise. She turns around and demands Jasper, “Let go of her right this minute!” she even pulls his hand off of her wrist. Then she turns to Sebastian, “What is the meaning of this?”
Sebastian had wanted to do this without Jessica’s interference, but she put her nose in where it wasn’t wanted. “They cheated on an exam. I am going to give them a life lesson so it’ll never happen again.”
“Fine! Punish them. But not like this,” Jessica snaps right back.
Sebastian shakes his head, “This is none of your concern. This is between my children and me.”
Jessica might not be their biological mother, but she’s damn well their mom. “They’re my kids too! You put too much pressure on them! Of course, they’re going to do what they have to do to make you happy. This isn’t entirely their fault, and you know it.”
Both Cross and Penelope can’t believe Jessica is standing up to Sebastian for them.
“Penelope isn’t going anywhere,” Jessica continues as she reaches out to place a comforting hand on her. “I will make sure this never happens again. But if you insist on sending her away, I’ll go with her.”
Sebastian takes a couple of steps towards Jessica, “Are you threatening me right now? You? Threaten me?”
“Dad, I promise. I’ll study hard from now on, okay?” Penelope finally speaks up.
Sebastian isn’t buying it. “You expect me to believe you?”
Penelope has an idea. “If I win the Festival trophy, will that be enough proof?”
Sebastian gets a curious look, “What?”
“I’ll win the International Music Festival trophy. I will win it.”
Sebastian shakes his head, “And how will you do that? You think you can outsing Sloane?”
Penelope knows she has his interest now. “Don’t forget, I was in second place. I scored higher than Sloane in the audition. That was my solo that she performed. I should have been up there, not her.” She reaches up and brushes some tears from her face, “If I fail, I’ll go away willingly.”
“Penelope!” cries out Cross.
Penelope shakes her head, “Don’t worry,” she says, turning to him. “I will win that trophy. I can do this, Cross.” She turns back to her father, “Do we have a deal?”
Sebastian just looks at her for a moment.
“Give Penelope another chance,” Jessica tells her husband. “Please.”
Sebastian snaps at her, “Stop coddling this loser! This is my decision to make as her father!”
Jessica is calm now, “You’re being too emotional right now. Saying hurtful words will only drive them away from you.” Jessica turns and takes both Cross and Penelope by the hands and leads them out of the office.
“What are you doing?” asks Sebastian as they walk out on him. “Get back here right now!”
Instead, the door to his study closes, leaving him standing there by himself. Angrily, he yells out, “Goddammit!” and he swipes everything off his desk, including his bottle of whiskey, as it crashes onto the floor. He storms out of his office, not finished with this conversation when he hears.
“Layla Kwon.”
Sebastian stops in his tracks and turns to see Cross leaning up against the wall. “What did you say?”
Cross doesn’t look at his father but asks, “Did you kill her?”
Sebastian seems annoyed by the question, perhaps even a little flustered. “What are you talking about?” he spits.
Cross slowly turns his gaze to fall upon his father, “I know she was in the mechanical room that night.”
“Cross!” Sebastian snaps and even walks towards Cross, but Cross isn’t intimidated. In fact, he walks right up to his father until he’s face to face.
“You will stop harassing my sister,” Cross tells him, voice low. He steps even closer, “I’ve had enough of it.”
As Cross walks off, Sebastian stands there absolutely taken aback at his son’s behavior.
Riley is hurrying up the long set of steps towards her apartment, but as she makes it to the gate, she hears a voice.
“Lady! You haven’t paid your interest this week.”
Riley turns around to see the loan shark she borrowed money from, along with a couple of his thugs. They step towards her, “When are you going to pay off this loan with interest?”
Suddenly, very nervous, Riley stammers a bit, “I said I’d wire it to you soon. I’m still waiting on my salary,” she explains. Technically, it’s the truth, though to be fair, she doesn’t seem to have a steady source of income. “I’m only a few days late. Can you give me a few more days? And, I think it’s illegal to harass someone at their home.”
The loan shark steps towards her, and she’s pressed as far back as she can against the brick wall. “Illegal? Really?”
Riley screams as the loan shark turns around and just clocks an elderly man who is just walking by. The man falls to the sidewalk, and he begins to lay in a few kicks, each time Riley tries to disappear into the wall behind her. When he’s done beating the innocent bystander, the loan shark turns back to Riley. “The principle and the interest by next week, or you know what happens next, right?”
Riley just nods her head without saying a word.
And if that wasn’t enough for Riley that day, as she walks into the house, Mariah is looking over a piece of paper. “What is this? Are you moving us to the southside? You borrowed money from a loan shark to buy a place on the southside?”
It’s been months, and Riley hasn’t mentioned that she purchased Layla’s old apartment. “Where did you find this?” Riley was certain she had it stashed someplace safe.
“Why are we moving to that place anyway?” asks Mariah. “I don’t want to live in the place where Layla died.” Then it dawns on her. “It’s not the same apartment Layla lived in, is it?”
Riley can’t bring herself to tell her, but that’s enough for Mariah to figure it out. “Tell me it’s not!”
“Well…” Riley starts to say, then changes her tactic, “What’s wrong with that?” she asks.
“What’s wrong with that? Are you crazy?” Mariah asks. “Why do you keep getting involved with her? I have never even met that girl, and I’m an outcast because of her. I almost lost my admission! And now you want me to move into her old apartment? What were you thinking? I won’t move there! I won’t!”
Riley reaches for Mariah’s hand, “It’s not like that, Mariah. The place is going to be redeveloped soon. Once that happens, the price will shoot up….”
Mariah snatches her hand away from her mother, “I don’t care about that! I’m not moving into that apartment! What could I have possibly done to make you do this to me? If you want to move in there, you move in there! I’m not going!”
“Mariah…”
But Mariah isn’t having it as she storms out of the living room and into her bedroom, slamming the door.
Exhausted from the past few days, Riley just drops down onto the couch with a big sigh.“Grandpa praised me today. He said my solo was just great!” Sloane has a big smile as she carries three large bouquets of flowers and sets them on her desk. Kyle and Zoey follow her in.
“You were perfect,” Kyle tells her. Sloane smiles even bigger.
Zoey, of course, has a different point of view, “It’s a little early for all this praise right now. For the moment, she’s only begun to make up for her past mistakes.” She turns to Sloane, “I hope you aren’t satisfied with just being the admission soloist. What’s your next goal?”
“The festival trophy, of course,” Sloane responds. She knows what her mother wants to hear.
Kyle turns to glare at his wife, well aware that she knows just how to ruin a good moment.
Zoey returns the glare as she turns and walks out of Sloane’s bedroom.
“If I win the trophy, mom will praise me then, right?” Sloane asks her father. Her smile has long faded, and that look of worry is back on her face.
Kyle doesn’t want to talk about Zoey right now. “How about we celebrate your success? I’ll grant you one wish. Is there anything you want?”
Sloane only has to think about it for a moment, “There is.”
“What is it?”
Sloane takes her father by the hand and leads him to sit down on the trunk at the foot of her bed. She sits down next to him. “Daddy. Can you try and get along with mom?”
Kyle hasn’t realized his issues with Zoey were making their way to Sloane. “What’s wrong between your mother and me? We get along just fine.”
Sloane isn’t buying that. “Don’t lie. You don’t think I can hear you fighting? Do you want to grant me a wish? My wish is for you and mom not to fight and to get along.” She reaches for her father’s hand, “You will grant this wish for me, right?”
Kyle wishes he could grant that wish, but all in all, it’s not solely in his control. Instead, he squeezes Sloane’s hand and smiles at her.
Zoey is sitting in a massage chair after a long day.
Kyle slowly walks in. It sounds almost painful, but he tells her, “You did well today.” If Sloane wants this, he’ll give it a try.
Zoey’s eyes open, and she glances up at him, “What’s wrong with you? Are you bored or something?”
“No, I…” Kyle stammers. Well, this was never this hard before. “Do you have any plans tonight? Would you like to go out for dinner, just you and I?”
Zoey seems confused.
“I mean, Sloane said she was tired and is going to rest, so I thought I could take you out for a nice dinner,” Kyle finally gets out.
Zoey slowly closes her eyes, so Kyle takes that to mean she’s not interested. He starts to walk away when she says, “I have a lesson that ends at nine.”
Kyle perks up, turning back, “Oh? Well, we can go after. I’ll book us a table at that place that you like.” When she doesn’t respond, he turns and walks off.
When he disappears, Zoey peeks one eye open and then the other. The expression on her face perhaps asks what has gotten into her husband?
Kyle finishes making the reservation when he gets a phone call. We only hear his side of the conversation.
“Drinks? I can’t tonight, Sebastian. I have plans.”
“Zoey and I are going out for dinner.”
“Of course, another time.”
As Kyle hangs up, he can’t see that Sebastian is none too happy to hear that things are going back to normal between Zoey and Kyle.
Zoey is in the music room, having just finished her lesson. She reaches into a desk drawer and spritzes on some perfume, then checks her hair in the mirror when her phone rings.
Without even checking to see who it is, she answers, “I’m on my way….”
“It’s me. Let’s meet.”
Sebastian.
Zoey looks up, face stone cold.
Zoey walks down the tall spiral staircase. As she nears the bottom, she stops when she sees Kyle sitting at the bar, waiting for her. She’s about to walk over when she gets a text.
“I’ll be waiting. I love you.”
Zoey’s heart begins to race now as second thoughts creep into her mind. She folds her phone over and again looks over at Kyle, who looks down at his watch. He sits up on the bar stool and looks back towards the staircase.
Zoey is gone.
Kyle looks at his watch again.
And again.
And again.
Suddenly, he gets a text from his wife.
“My father called me for an urgent matter. I won’t be able to meet you. I’ll see you at home.”
Kyle’s disappointed. He reaches for his drink and finishes it, motioning for a refill. But, as he sits there, something doesn’t sit right with him.
He reaches for his phone and reads the text once more.
Then he dials.
“Father, it’s Kyle. Did you make it home?” he asks.
“No. I’m working right now.”
“Oh! I see. You work very hard,” he tells his father-in-law.
“Zoey worked very hard as well. You should take her out to dinner tonight,” Jan tells him.
Kyle’s face hardens.
“I’ll do just that. Thank you, father.”
Kyle’s hand is shaking as he set the phone back down on the bar.
Zoey drives up to Sebastian’s villa and parks her car. Stepping out, she takes a moment to look over the vast piece of property, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she nods in approval.
“I’ll be late. Something came up at work,” she hears Sebastian tell Jessica on the phone as she walks into the house.
Sebastian sets down his phone just in time to catch Zoey walking into the room.
“How rude of you, Mr. Gaston,” she tells him. “You cut me off on a whim, and then you summon me in the middle of the night?”
Sebastian just smirks, “Yet, here you are standing in front of me.”
Zoey cuts him off, “Don’t misunderstand. I came to warn you.”
“I’ve come to realize something,” Sebastian tells her. “I have come to realize just what kind of woman you are. You are an attractive woman who does anything and everything she wants. Only when I’m with you do I become my true self. That’s what I love about us. I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not.”
Zoey hears the flattery but shrugs it off. “Let me be clear. I don’t need a man in my life. I could live very happily on my own. The husband I do have, well, he’s just for show. But, I have no complaints.”
“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Sebastian tells her. He rises from his couch, “You’re the type that will never be satisfied being married to a moron like Kyle Klein.” He walks towards her, “You need me as much as I need you.” As he gets right in front of her, he adds, “That’s why I will never let you go.”Zoey gives him a cold stone stare, “I decide what happens in our relationship. Whether we meet or break up.” She throws her purse on the ground and tells him, “You better not ever forget that, Sebastian Gaston.”
She grabs him around the neck, and they kiss.
Meanwhile, Jessica is looking at her tracking app.
She knows exactly where Sebastian is as she sees his car parked at his “secret” villa.
Jessica takes a sip of her wine.
Sebastian and Zoey continue to kiss as they move their way towards the bedroom.
Jessica walks over and pulls open a framed picture, which hides a safe.
She punches in her code and opens the safe up.
She reaches in and pulls out a photo album.
Sebastian pushes Zoey down onto the bed and removes his jacket as Zoey scoots back on the bed. When Sebastian joins her, they begin to kiss again.
Jessica sits on the floor, leaning against the wall, flipping through the photos.
“I have something to tell you,” Zoey says. They are outside on the patio, each wearing black robes. Zoey is standing near the railing, looking out over the vast expanse of property behind the villa.
“What is it?” he asks.
Zoey is silent for a moment. “It was my first time hearing it.”
Sebastian seems to already know.
“The words, ‘I love you,’” Zoey finishes. They seemed to have affected her deeply.
Sebastian sets his wine glass down, “I have something I need to tell you too.” He rises up and walks up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I have decided to break our rule as of today. Our rule about not being clingy or obsessive.”
Zoey slowly turns around to look at him.
Sebastian continues, “You are the first one to make me break that rule.”
Zoey leans in, and they kiss again.
Zoey has taken off her shoes to allow her to quietly enter her and Kyle’s bedroom. She gently closes the door before turning back to see that Kyle is asleep on his bed.
In fact, he is so asleep, he’s snoring softly.
With a smirk, Zoey turns and practically skips into the next room, humming a happy little tune.
As she disappears, Kyle’s eyes snap open, but he continues to make that snoring sound. He slowly turns his head to see her so happy as she begins to remove her jewelry.
Kyle has never seen her like that. Ever.
His hands clench the bedding as a pained expression crosses his face.
Holly brings another tray of breakfast foods to the dining room table, where all is silent around the Gaston family table until Penelope speaks up, “Father, I would like a new tutor. Someone who isn’t teaching Sloane. I want someone better.”
Before Sebastian can answer, Jessica sets down her coffee, “Isn’t that a mother’s job? I’ll take care of it for you, Penelope. Now that you’re ready to study hard, I’ll do what I can to help.”
Penelope looks conflicted. On the one hand, they kept it a secret for years that Jessica wasn’t her biological mother. On the other hand, it was Jessica who stood up for her the previous night. Penelope acknowledges the offer with a look and then places her napkin on the table, “I’m off to school then.”
Cross takes that as his cue as well, as he rises from the table. Sebastian glances at both of his children, still sour over what happened the night before. Jessica walks around the table and places a kind hand on Cross’s shoulder, “Have a good day.” She repeats this for Penelope as both of the Gaston children head out of the penthouse.
When they are gone, Jessica walks back to the table, “From this point forward, I will deal with the kids and their problems. If you continue to push them the way you have, you won’t like how it ends up. The more you push, the more they’re going to push back.” She reaches for his coffee cup and refills it for Sebastian. “Perhaps a kinder touch is what they need right now.”
Even in her kind voice, Sebastian knows when he’s being lectured to, and he doesn’t like it one bit as he sits there chewing his food.
Jessica sits back down, “There is something we need to discuss.”
Sebastian gives her a curious glance.
“I’m going to take over my family’s furniture business,” she tells him.
Now, this intrigues Sebastian as he finally turns to acknowledge her, “All of a sudden? Did something happen?”
Jessica sighs softly, “I’m having a hard time dealing with April’s death. I need a distraction.”
Sebastian considers it, “Isn’t there a professional running the business right now? Are you sure you can manage?”
“My mother worked hard to build that business, and she did it all by herself. I think it’s time for the family to run it again,” Jessica explains, reaching for his hand, “You don’t mind, do you?” she asks, adding a bit of sweetness to her voice. “I won’t bother you with it at all.”
Sebastian is very curious about this buttery sweetness that his wife is presenting to him this morning, especially after last night. “What’s with you today?”
“Does that mean you don’t mind?” Jessica asks him. She knows that for this to work, he has to give her his blessing. If she doesn’t, it’ll make things all that more difficult for her.
Sebastian just looks at her, and so she takes that as a yes. She tells him, “Finish up your breakfast. I bought a new shirt for you to wear today. I’ll get it ready.”
The moment she starts walking away from him, that sugary-sweet façade quickly fades.
Sebastian turns and watches her walk away. Ever since the night of the party, something has seemed off with her. He just can’t put his finger on it.
Mariah is stressing out. She knows she’s late as the bus pulls up in front of the college. She begins to run towards the entrance when she sees she’s missed the first bell. Seeing a few students already being punished for being late, she ducks behind a bush.
“I thought I’d make it. Now, what do I do?” Mariah wonders. She can’t afford any more penalty points. After you reach a certain number, you get sent in front of the disciplinary board. That’s one of the quirks of this school. It’s the most prestigious music university in the country, and most overlook penalty points and punishments just to attend this school.
Mariah is determined not to get any more penalty points, so she ducks around the other way.
Soon, we see her using a bench to try and climb up over a brick wall. However, the wall is just an inch or so too tall for her to reach.
“Are you late too?” comes a voice.
Mariah turns around to find her face to face with Cross Gaston.
Cross steps up to the bench and holds his hands out for her to step in. “Let’s get you up there.”
“What?” Mariah asks, looking a little flustered.Cross shakes his head, “Use my hand to step on my back and climb over the wall. You can’t afford any more penalty points, right?”
He’s right, and she knows it. “Okay, well, excuse me then,” she tells him as she places one foot into his hands, the next foot on his shoulder. She climbs over the top of the wall and drops down to the ground. “Can you pass over my bag?”
Cross picks up her bag and hands it over the top.
“You saved me,” Mariah tells him. “Thanks so much. Are you coming?” If she’s late, Cross is late too.
When there’s no answer, she tries to peek over, but Cross Gaston is gone.
Cross walks right by the teacher, giving out punishments and onto campus. He is a Gaston. He doesn’t get penalty points.
Mariah runs as fast as she can across the football field, and as she gets to the classroom, of course, the first voice she hears is Juliana.
“Your photos are everywhere on social media, Sloane!” Juliana squeals out.
But that’s not what Mariah is looking at. Sitting at his desk, Cross Gaston is chilling.
As everyone is fawning over Sloane for her performance, Penelope glances up at them, still pissed about having to drop out.
“Hey, Waiting List!” Juliana says, finally spotting Mariah and walking over to her, “For someone on the waiting list, you sure are late today.” Sloane walks over to stand next to Juliana.
Mariah wasn’t going to give Juliana the time of day until Juliana asked, “Did you chicken out yesterday? Performance anxiety?”
“Move your ass out of my way,” Mariah tells her, but as she tries to go around Juliana, Carson steps in front of her.
“Is it true or false?” he asks her. “Were you really in a car accident?” He lifts up her arm, inspecting her for any signs of damage. “You look fine to me.”