Sloane’s eyes go wide, and she covers her ears and runs behind the workbench, squatting down and just screaming for dear life as the image of Layla Kwon terrifies her.
Slowly, her screams stop, and she turns her head to look down towards where she saw Layla, only to find nothing.
Her eyes dart around, and when she’s certain no one else is there with her, she begins to sing.
“Sempre libera degg'io
Folleggiare di gioia in gioia
Vo' che scorra il viver mio
Pei sentieri del piacer.”
Her voice cracks a little, but she keeps singing.
Outside the door to the mechanical room, Zoey has been waiting, and a look of relief crosses her face when the music begins to flow out from her daughter’s voice. She leans up against the door.
“Nasca il giorno o il giorno muoia
Sempre lieta nei ritrovi, ah, ah
A diletti sempre nuovi
Dee volare il mio pensier.”
Inside, Sloane rises to her feet and steps into the open, her voice becoming stronger and more confident.
Outside, Zoey is moving her head in time with the music. It seems her plan worked after all.
Riley walks into the small apartment, sighing softly. It’s been a day for her. She looks at all of their stuff, all stacked up from wall to wall. Layla’s apartment was so tiny there wasn’t room for all of their things inside. Despite all of the things moved in, something is missing. Riley pulls her phone out of her pocket and dials it.
“Hello?” Jessica answers.
“Sorry to bother you,” Riley says, “But Mariah hasn’t come home yet. I think something may have happened at school today.” Riley was there but was never told exactly what happened. Mariah stormed out of the meeting with Kelly and was nowhere to be found after class. Riley starts to cry, “What if she’s thinking of doing something… to herself?” Riley sobs. “I’m so worried about her.”
As for Mariah, she’s dreading going to that apartment.
She’s found a playground and is sitting on a swing, staring off into the distance.
“Don’t you know? Your mom threatened to kill herself when she was at this school. Why do you think they canceled the festival?”Sloane’s words ring in her brain, but when she pairs that up with words spoken by Zoey Kline the very first day she met the woman…
“It’s quite shameful, actually. I don’t blame her for not mentioning it to you. If you hadn’t wanted what you didn’t deserve, none of this would have ever happened.”As we get a closer look at Mariah, we see her eyes are red from crying, “Is that why Mrs. Kline hates me so much?” she wonders out loud. As she drops her head, wondering why her life has to be so difficult, she suddenly hears some barking.
Perhaps, yipping is a better word as a small white puppy comes running up to her.
Mariah’s eyes go wide as the puppy gets up on its hind legs and places its front paws on her knees, begging for attention.
“Where did you come from?” Mariah asks the puppy that we know to be Sugar. It whines and whines as Mariah reaches down to pet it. “You’re so cold and dirty. I feel so sorry for you. Don’t you have a home? Were you abandoned?”
Suddenly, Sugar drops down and takes off, still yipping.
“Where are you going? It’s dangerous out here,” Mariah says as she gets off the swing and runs after the puppy.
Sugar runs right out into the middle of the road, not paying attention to the car coming towards her. Mariah chases her out into the middle of the road, reaching down to scoop up the puppy as Jessica slams on her brakes.
Jessica watches as Mariah picks up Sugar, then gets out of her car, “Mariah?”
Mariah didn’t see her at first, the headlights blinding her, but when the woman speaks, she recognizes her voice. “Mrs. Gaston?”
“What are you doing here?” Jessica asks. “Your mother is worried sick.” She looks down at the puppy and recognizes it immediately as Layla Kwon’s puppy. She reaches for the puppy, taking her from Mariah’s arms.
Mariah is confused, “Is something wrong?”
Jessica clings to the puppy for a moment, then realizes what she’s done and shakes her head, “No. No. It’s nothing.” She hands the puppy back to Mariah, “Let’s get you home.”
When they pull up, Jessica is very familiar with this location by now. Mariah gets out of the car with Sugar in her arms. Jessica also gets out.
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Gaston,” Mariah tells her.
Jessica walks over to her with a couple of shopping bags, “Here, take these. You’ll need them.”
Mariah seems to be in much better spirits since she found Sugar, “Thanks again.” She starts to turn around when Jessica calls out.
“Mariah.”
Mariah turns back around.
Jessica reaches over and pets Sugar a couple more times, “Could you send me photos of this puppy every once in a while?” she asks. “I’m going to miss it.”
Mariah laughs, “Sure. I can do that.” She doesn’t realize that Jessica and Sugar have a connected history, and Jessica doesn’t let on about it. “Goodnight!” Mariah tells her.
“Bye, Mariah,” Jessica says.
Mariah starts to turn around when she hears, “Mariah!!” Riley is running towards her. “Where have you been?”
Riley smiles at Jessica, “Thank you for bringing her home.”
Jessica just smiles and gets back into her car.
“Do you know how worried I was?” Riley asks her daughter. “Where were you? Why did you turn off your phone?”
Jessica just smiles, watching how much Riley cares for her daughter, before putting the car in Drive and heading down the street.
Mariah is still angry at her mother and starts walking towards the apartment.
“Where did you get that dog?” Riley asks her.
Mariah is short, “It’s a stray. I don’t think it has anywhere to live. I’m going to raise it from now on.”
Riley is shocked, “What? How can you raise a dog in this tiny apartment?”
Mariah stops walking and turns to her mother, “It’s my one condition for living here. Don’t even think of saying no.”
Riley’s mouth drops open at how Mariah is speaking at her. “But…”
Mariah just turns and walks into the apartment.
Riley runs after her.
“What?” Riley asks.
Mariah and Riley are sitting across from each other, cross-legged on the floor since they haven’t really had a chance to put much away.
“I heard the story. About why you and Mrs. Kline are on bad terms,” Mariah tells her. “Why you quit singing and even about that scar on your neck.”
Riley can only imagine what she’s heard, “Mariah…” she says softly.
“I heard you hurt yourself,” Mariah interrupts her. “You hurt yourself to try and take the trophy for yourself.”
Riley reaches up and touches that scar on her neck, “Mariah. What you’ve heard, it isn’t true. I…” Riley’s starting to get upset that Mariah would even think such a thing about her. But she’s not even sure how to explain this.
“Why can’t you say anything?” Mariah asks. “Is it really true? Did you really stab your own neck out of jealousy for Mrs. Kline? Did you?” Mariah is insistent on an explanation.
“Even if I tell you, I don’t think you’ll believe me either,” Riley says as a tear rolls down her cheek. “No one believed me then, and no one believes me now.” She begins to cry. “If I tell you and you don’t believe me…” her voice trails off as she puts her hands up over her mouth and just begins to weep.
So, Riley tells her story.
Mariah watches her mother for a moment, concern written across her face. She leans over and just wraps her arms around her mother and hugs her.
Riley’s arms go up around her daughter as the two sit there in that embrace.
“No matter what it is,” Mariah tells her, “I’ll believe you. I believe you would have never done what they’re saying.” Mariah pulls back as Riley continues to cry. Mariah looks at her mom, “I’m going to win that trophy for you. It belonged to you and was taken away from you. I believe you beat her fair, so I’m going to make this right.”
Riley is so relieved that Mariah believes her. She leans over and hugs her daughter, still crying, “Thank you for believing in me, my daughter.”
“I’m your daughter,” Mariah tells her. “Who else would I believe?” They continue to hug, “About today,” Mariah continues. “I didn’t really have a choice in what happened. But, no matter what happens, I’ll endure it. I won’t let them win.”
For a long time, they just stay that way, embracing one another.
The next morning, Mariah is standing in front of the trophy in the school foyer. She doesn’t see that Sloane is also standing there until she glances to the side.
Sloane just stares at her and then turns and walks off.
Mariah doesn't sweat Sloane. She just turns and looks once more at the trophy and then heads to class.
“You will all be singing a chorus for your midterm exam,” Kelly tells them. “I will test your singing and then divide you into groups.”
Everyone groans. Ensemble singing is much different from solo singing. In solo singing, you only depend on yourself for your grade. However, ensemble singing requires you to get along with your team. One bad singer can drop your mid-term score. This was not the news this class wanted to hear today.
“Stop your complaining and get ready,” Kelly tells them.
So, one by one, each student gets up in front of the class and performs while Kelly critiques them.
Sloane was first. Kelly moves her baton along in note and even looks impressed when Sloane hits that last high note.Everyone applauds. Everyone except Mariah.
“Sloane,” Kelly tells her, “You were just amazing! You will sing soprano.”
Sloane beams, “Thank you, Ms. Allen.”
As Sloane goes back to her seat, Kelly looks at the audience, “Mariah, you’re next.”
Mariah barely gets three notes out when Kelly stops her.
“Wait, wait, wait,” the teacher says. “Mariah, you’ll be singing mezzo.”
Mariah looks confused, “What? Why are you making me sing mezzo? Anyone can see my voice is fit more for soprano.”
Kelly seems perplexed, “Who is this anyone you speak of?” She doesn’t let Mariah answer before continuing, “Since I’m the teacher, I get to decide who sings which part. Do not get sassy with me. You will sing mezzo.”
Mariah shakes her head again, “No. I don’t agree with that at all! My voice is best when I’m singing high notes. I don’t understand why you would make me sing mezzo.”
Sloane is scowling at Mariah.
Kelly rises from her seat, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you a song, and if you sing it perfectly, I’ll let you sing soprano. Fair enough?”
Mariah nods, “I’ll give it my best.”
Kelly scoffs as she slowly sits back down, “I want you to sing the last part of “Je Suis Titania” written by Mignon.”
The class just snickers. They know that’s a hard song, and there’s no way that Mariah can sing that.
Suddenly, Mariah looks concerned.
“She can’t sing that,” Juliana says with a chuckle. “Even the best singer in the world has a problem singing that song.”
“Are you ready?” asks Kelly.
Mariah just psychs herself up and then nods her head.
Kelly nods to the pianist, who begins to play.
When it gets to the vocal, Mariah slowly begins to sing. The first part is just a very acrobatic “ah” that takes Mariah throughout the scale, and as she reaches the high part of the scale with no issues whatsoever, Kelly’s smirk begins to fall.
Even the rest of the class stopped snickering and looked at her with amazement, some with disbelief.
When Mariah gets to the high high high note and nails it, Kelly has to rise from her chair, hand over her head as if she’s never heard such a thing before.
Sloane begins tucking her hair behind her ear repeatedly. She’s beginning to realize just how good Mariah is and how much competition she will be.
When she finishes, nearly the entire class begins to clap their hands.
Kelly is beside herself, having underestimated Mariah. Realizing she has no choice now but to give her a soprano spot.
“Is that so?” Zoey asks. She’s not happy. “You couldn’t give Mariah a mezzo part?”
Kelly is standing behind her, “I’m sorry. I had no choice. I gave her the hardest song I could find, and she sang it so smoothly. Even her nuances were perfection. I’ve never heard a first-year college student sing like this in my life.”
Zoey spins around on the teacher, “Is that your excuse? I told you that you can’t give Mariah and Sloane the same part. Those were my instructions.”
Kelly looks apologetic, “The entire class was watching. There was no way I could do anything but give her a soprano part. I’m so sorry.”
Zoey grits her teeth, “You can at least try and stop Penelope then, right? Sloane worries the most about competition from Penelope.”
Kelly steps closer and grins, “Sloane is improving every single day. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Penelope Gaston.”
Zoey glares at the teacher.
Kelly drops her grin. “I’ll be going now.”
Zoey turns back to the window, “Mariah Oh. I should have gotten rid of you from the start.” She walks out of her office and stops when she spots someone lying on a bench right outside her office.
Logan Lee is wearing a bright purple pair of sweatpants and a black and white windbreaker. He’s got some earbuds in his ear, and he’s tapping his foot as if he’s listening to music.
This was the last person that Zoey wanted to see that day, but Logan catches her out of the corner of his eye and sits up. “Oh, dear. Hello there!” Zoey just glances at him and keeps walking.
Logan watches her leave. His southern drawl seemingly has disappeared when he says to himself, “Well, well. Isn’t this curious? Why does Mrs. Kline hate Mariah Oh so much?” He slowly pulls the buds out of his ears. He wasn’t listening to music anyway.
Riley walks around Jessica’s showroom as Jessica fixes them both a cup of coffee, bringing it over to a coffee table.
“I didn’t know you worked here. I am so busy. I’ve never even been in such a fancy place as this before,” Riley tells her.
They sit on the sectional as Jessica explains, “It was my mother’s store. I’m running it now.” Then, before she forgets, “By the way, congratulations. I heard your apartment building will be part of the redevelopment on the south side. You’ve just moved there. How lucky is that?” Of course, Jessica leaves out the part where she instigated the entire thing.
Riley grins, “I guess I was kinda lucky.” She seems a little embarrassed by it now that it’s sunk in.
Jessica just shakes her head, “I envy you.”
This surprises Riley, “What’s there to envy? It really was pure luck.”
Jessica nods, “I was actually thinking of learning to auction to make some extra money.” Jessica sets her coffee cup down, “Could you help me?” she asks Riley.
Riley isn’t sure where this is going, “How could I help you? I’m not an auction expert or anything.”
“Let me ask you this. Where will you move down the road?” Jessica asks her. “I mean, you’ll have to move out of the southside when they start redevelopment.”
Riley nods her head, “I’ve been trying to figure that one out. I know we gotta move somewhere, but I haven’t quite gotten that far yet.”
Jessica smiles at her, “What about Madison Tower?”
Shock crosses Riley’s face, “What?”
Jessica covers her silence by taking a sip of her coffee.
“I am not qualified to live at a place like that,” Riley tells her. Yes, in her dreams, she’d love to bring Mariah to live at Madison Tower. She also knows it’s just a dream.
Jessica finds that statement to be a bit ridiculous, and her face shows it, “What are you talking about? A home is a home.”
Riley just shakes her head, “That’s not entirely true. You see, we live in a world where a house represents someone’s character, rank, and power.”
“That’s all the more reason for you to live at Madison Tower,” Jessica tells her with a smile. “For Mariah. You said a mom should do anything for the sake of her child.”
Riley isn’t sure she should even try and reach as far as Madison Tower.
“Are you free tonight?” Jessica asks, changing the subject. “I bought movie tickets, but my husband had to cancel. He said he has plans. Would you like to go with me?”
Riley would very much like to go.
Kyle’s shift at the hospital has long ended, but there he sits.
In the dark.
He has his jacket on as if he’s going to leave, but he just can’t bring himself to go back home, knowing what he knows.
His wife is cheating on him. He doesn’t know with who, but he knows there’s something.
What he does know is where she will be tonight.
With a determined look on his face, he finally rises from his seat and walks out.
Zoey is all smiles as she walks into the sushi bar that she agreed to meet Sebastian at. It’s out of the way, and Kyle would never accidentally bump into them there. It was the perfect spot.
As she’s led into a private room, she calls Sebastian. “Where are you? I just arrived?” she practically sings.
Unfortunately for her, Kyle has just arrived at the sushi bar as he walks down the hallway.
Doubly unfortunate is the fact that Sebastian has also just arrived and is walking down the opposite hallway.
He stops in front of the private room, adjusts his jacket, and walks inside.
Kyle walks by just in time to see that a man has walked into the room and closed the door, but he doesn’t see who it was.
He turns and walks up to the door.
Kyle takes a deep breath, and his hand shakes as he reaches for the doorknob. He slowly pushes the door open enough to see his wife holding hands with someone, but he can’t see who it is.
His eyes begin to tear up when someone walks up behind him.
“Sir, do you have a reservation?” the waitress asks.
Kyle takes a step back, trying to will his tears away as he tells her, “No.”
As the waitress goes inside, he looks once more. He still can’t see the man that his wife is smiling at so lovingly, but her happy face just breaks his heart.
Zoey glances up at the waitress. She sees a man in the hallway but can’t tell who it is, “Was there someone there?” she asks the waitress.
Outside in the hallway, Kyle is leaning with one arm against the wall, having difficulty catching his breath.
“No, ma’am,” the waitress tells her as she closes the door. As far as the waitress knows, that guy could be lost or just plain drunk. She’s not going to upset her customers and a chance for a large tip. She sets the plate of sashimi on the table. “Is there anything else?”
Sebastian reaches into his wallet and pulls out a $100 bill. “Please ensure we have privacy. We do not want to be disturbed.” He hands her the bill.
The waitress bows, “Yes, sir.”
As soon as the door closes, they both rise from their seat, lean over the table and kiss.
“I’ve missed your scent,” Sebastian tells her.
Zoey grins, “You’re getting bolder and bolder.”
Sebastian returns her grin, “I’m just getting started.”
“What are we doing,” Zoey draws it out, “after dinner?” Sebastian leans in, and they kiss again.
Riley takes a seat at a table in the movie theater's lobby as she waits for Jessica to arrive when she gets a text.
Jessica: I’m afraid I’ll be late. Can you go in and save my seat? When Riley walks into the theater, she’s practically in shock. Instead of chairs, each row is a pair of reclining seats, pillows, and all. “This is amazing,” she tells herself. “This place is great. I can’t believe I’m here.”
For Riley, movies meant small seats, cheap popcorn, and no air conditioning at the dollar theater, and that’s when she could afford it. Most times, she can’t.
She can’t help but giggle a little bit as she checks their reservation to find their seats.
Riley walks up and gets on the recliner, which is laid out almost like an adjustable bed. She lays down and puts a blanket over her, still giddy with excitement. She lays back with a dramatic, “Ahhhhhhh.”
When she looks up, her eyes go wide as she spots Sebastian and Zoey walking up the stairs towards her. She quickly rolls over onto her side to avoid being seen.
Sebastian has already ordered champagne and expensive cheeses that are sitting by their recliners. As Zoey and Sebastian take their seat, Riley slowly turns around but keeps her pillow in front of her face. She has to be sure of what she’s seeing right now. “It’s really Zoey Skye!” She can only see the back of Sebastian’s head. “Who is that?” she says to herself. Sebastian stands up and removes his jacket, and Riley sees him plain as day. “Is that Jessica’s husband?” She covers her mouth in shock.
She nearly has a heart attack when her phone begins to vibrate. She reaches into her purse and pulls it out.
“Are you at the theater?” Jessica asks her.
Well, fuck. What’s she supposed to say to this woman who’s just become her friend? Hey, your husband is here with his mistress? “Yes, but…”
“I’m on my way in,” Jessica tells her.
Riley whispers into the phone, “I’ll come out. Please wait there.” She quickly hangs up her phone and holds it against her heart. “What the fuck do I do now?” Why did she have to see this? “How dare they be so blatant out in public.”
She has to figure a way to get out of the theater without being seen. Riley grabs her large purse and holds it up in front of her face as she climbs out of the recliner. She ducks down and crawls down the stairs, pausing to see Zoey and Sebastian getting very cozy in their recliners.
Riley bursts out of the theater door, just in time to see Jessica walking towards her.
Jessica smiles at her, “Did you come to greet me?” She starts to move past Riley, “Let’s get in before the movie starts.”
“No!” shouts Riley. “I mean, we can’t go in there,” she stammers. It’s her first time out with her new friend. God, it would be a mess for her to see what’s going on in there.
Jessica seems surprised, “Why? Is something the matter?”
“Because…” Riley has no words.
Jessica looks at her curiously, “You can just tell me.”
Fuck. Riley is just going to tell her. “Your husband is inside.”
Confusion crosses Jessica’s face, “What would he be doing here? He told me he had a late meeting.”
Riley just stands there, nervously chewing her lip.
Jessica smiles at her, “I’m sure you’re mistaken.” Jessica moves past Riley, but Riley grabs her by the arm.
“Please, don’t go in there.” Riley takes a deep breath. “He’s in there with a woman.”
Jessica scoffs, “What are you talking about?”
Riley looks down, unable to look her new friend in the eyes. When she glances back up, Jessica’s face turns serious. She turns and storms into the theater.
Riley tries to stop her, but Jessica is already inside. “Dammit…” she goes in after her.
Jessica marches with a purpose down the darkened corridor.
Riley grabs her by the arm, but by that time, it’s too late.
Jessica stands there, watching Sebastian and Zoey making out, her mouth dropping open. The two lovers are so engrossed in their kissing, they don’t even see her.
Riley pulls on Jessica’s arm, “Let’s get out of here.” She pulls Jessica back down the hallway.
Riley fills a shot glass with clear liquid and slides it across the table to Jessica. “In times like these, vodka is the best medicine,” she tells her friend. “Drink. You need it.”
Jessica brings the contents to her face and winces as she smells the alcohol rising up from the drink. Bracing herself, she takes the shot down in one gulp.
“Just like that,” Riley tells her.
Jessica makes a few different faces as the liquid burns down her throat and into her stomach.
Riley looks at her own shot glass, “I know how you feel. My dead husband was the same. He got completely drunk one day, fell over a railing, and died.”
Jessica’s eyes widen as she hears this story.
“But up until that moment, he was a lying, cheating bastard,” Riley continues. “He never gave me a penny, his entire life. But he had money for his girlfriends. Expensive clothes. Expensive food. He even would give them money, just for the hell of it. When he died, he left me in debt.”
Jessica just shakes her head, “How could he do that?”
Riley starts to cry, “He’s dead, so I can’t even get mad at him for it. After he died,” she starts to get choked up as she pats her heart, “My hatred for him became so rooted in my heart.” She finally takes her shot.
Riley looks over at Jessica, her heart breaking for this woman, “How could he leave such a kind and pretty woman like you and have an affair with a bitch like Zoey Skye? I just can’t believe it.”
Jessica’s eyes are tearing up as she looks out the window of the bar.
“I feel like you’re a big sister to me, and I just met you,” Riley tells her. “Listen, whatever you need me to do for you? You just tell me. Seems like we both have a common enemy in Zoey.”
Jessica turns back to her, “Didn’t you go to the same school?”
Riley nods her head, “We both went to the IMS. I have always said, if there’s a God who would ever grant me the permission to kill just one person, that person would be Zoey Skye. I swear, I would kill her with my own hands.”
Jessica looks at this woman. To be frank, she knows more than she’s letting on, as earlier in the day, she was researching both Riley and Zoey. Of course, Zoey is a famous singer due to her win at the festival, while there isn’t much online about Riley. Every interview Zoey had, she milked the fact that she had a traumatic experience in college due to a jealous rival. She also knew that Sebastian and Zoey would be at the theater when she went through Sebastian’s phone and saw he had purchased two tickets.
Her arrangement to meet Riley at the theater was no accident.
Her asking Riley to reserve their seats was no accident.
In fact, Jessica was lurking nearby when Riley got to the theater.
She was lurking nearby when she saw Sebastian and Zoey walk in arm in arm.
Jessica planned the entire thing.
And the night isn’t over.
Riley is trying to hold in her tears, “Zoey is the one responsible for the accident that made us late to the recital. I mean, I don’t have any actual proof, but I’m 98 percent certain. This is how she is. If there’s something she wants, she gets her grubby little hands on it. She’ll do anything.” Riley is starting to get angry again, “You need to watch your back, Jessica, or she will steal your husband from you!”
Jessica’s hand goes to her mouth.
“She might even take all of your money!” Riley tells her.
Jessica begins to weep now, tears streaming down her face. “My daughter died not too long ago,” she tells Riley with a sniffle.”
Riley hadn’t heard. “You have another daughter besides Penelope?”
“I was just getting over it and finally standing on my own two feet,” Jessica nods.
Riley suddenly is furious, “Are you freaking kidding me?” she says, her eyes suddenly on fire. “That son of a bitch is cheating on you after you lost….”
Jessica picks up a napkin and wipes her face.
“Oh goodness!” Riley says, “Don’t cry over that bastard. He’s not worth it! How can he be out there carrying on when you are in so much pain? Seriously! I’ve been through this, Jessica. You can cry all you want, but he’ll just treat you like a fool.”
Jessica continues to weep.
Riley rises from her seat, walks around, and puts her arm around Jessica, “Stay strong, Jessica.”
Suddenly, Riley’s phone rings. “Who could that be?” she asks as she walks back to her seat and picks it up.
“Hello? Who is this?”
Jessica is watching Riley intently now.
Kyle has found himself at a bar and is drinking. A lot.
When Riley walks in, she sees him sitting there looking like a wounded dog, and she feels sorry for him. Especially after what she witnessed earlier.
Kyle forces down another drink, clenching his eyes shut as he forces the whiskey down his throat.
Riley blows out some air, knowing this is going to be hard. Scratching her head, she makes her way over to Kyle.
Kyle can barely keep his eyes open as he turns and sees her. A drunken smile plasters across his face as he laughs when he sees her.
“Why are you calling me so late?” Riley asks as she sits down on the barstool.
Kyle’s head flops from side to side as he slurs, “Thanks for coming.”
Riley sighs, turning to look at Kyle with a bit of sympathy, “Why are you so drunk?”
Kyle’s smile fades, but he doesn’t answer the question.
“Did you and Zoey have a fight or something?” Riley asks. Kyle shakes his head, chuckling, “No. Why would we be fighting? We are so happy!” he responds, drawing out the ‘so.’
Riley can’t tell if Kyle knows about Sebastian or not. It’s not like she’s going to be the one to break it to him. “So, why call me?” She decides she might be here for a bit and gets comfortable, “If you have something to say to me, say it now. I won’t have anyone spreading rumors about us.”
Kyle’s head bobs a little as he takes in a deep sigh, “I’m sorry.”
Riley looks straight ahead. If she’s honest, she’s not really interested in his apologies.
“Back then and even now, I always did you wrong,” Kyle tells her.
Riley smirks, “Is that all you gotta say to me? You’re drunk, so I’m going home.”
As she gets up from her seat to walk off, Kyle leans over and grabs her arm, “Riley….”
Riley turns around to face him.
“Don’t hate me too much,” Kyle says to her. “Okay?” Kyle is so drunk, he can’t keep upright, and his face falls onto the bar as he passes out there.
Riley’s eyes are starting to water as she scoffs at this asshole, “Is this really why you dumped me? For this?” she asks him, knowing he’s not going to hear it.
Chris backs into his parking spot in the Madison Tower parking garage and gets out, locking the car up. He’s practically skipping towards the entrance to go inside. However, something makes him stop.
Riley had hired someone to drive Kyle home. She’s struggling to carry him towards the door, “Kyle, I need you to stand up,” she yells at him.
“This is insane!” Chris says, his eyes lighting up with amusement. He had long suspected something was going on with these two.
As Riley pays the driver, Chris walks over, “What on Earth?” Of course, he doesn’t even try to help. “This is a very dangerous situation you’ve got yourself into, you know that? A man has his arms around his first love in the middle of the night?”
Riley is struggling to keep Kyle on his feet, so of course, his arm is around her neck. “Are you just going to stand there talking shit, or are you going to help me? He’s heavy!” Riley snaps at him.
Chris laughs at her and concedes, “Hand him over.” Kyle is transferred from Riley to Chris, and Riley winces as she massages her sore shoulder.
“Dr. Kline is so wasted. I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen him this drunk before,” Chris says, still amused. “You don’t seem drunk, so I’m guessing you didn’t drink with him.” Chris’s eyes go wide, “Or you know how to hold your liquor!”
Riley is not in the mood for Chris’s nonsense, so she hands him Kyle’s car key. “Here, please take him upstairs. I’m going home.”
She starts to walk off when Chris asks, “Are you two really dating?” He’s finding so much amusement in all of this.
Riley stops walking. She turns around and glares at him, “No. We’re not.” She turns and walks off, muttering under her breath, “What a disgusting asshole.”
Chris isn’t done, “Dr. Kline is such a kind-hearted man. Don’t you break his heart. He paid that settlement without hesitating!”
Riley stops walking again, confusion crossing her face.
“When he gave his wife that money behind her back, I told him it was true love!” Chris blurts out. He’s having trouble keeping Kyle upright.
Riley starts walking back towards them now. “What are you talking about with this settlement money? You told me that Zoey was going to drop the charges. Is that not true?”
Chris just smirks, “I can’t believe you fell for that. Do you think Zoey is just going to let that go? You ready to go, Dr. Kline?” Chris asks him as Kyle just staggers around in his arm. Chris turns back to Riley, who has her mouth wide open. “You should have a drink with me some time too!” He gives her a wink.
Riley scowls at him, “You’re a lunatic.” She turns and storms off.
“Have a good night, Ms. Oh!” Chris screams after her, causing her to roll her eyes as she keeps walking.
Chris starts to move Kyle inside now, “She better be damn good for one hundred thousand dollars. God damn, man. Stand up and walk!” He yells at Kyle when they almost fall over.
Chris drops Kyle onto the couch.
“Why did he drink so much tonight?” Zoey asks Chris, thinking they were out together. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this drunk.”
Chris grins, “That’s what I said!” He gets curious, though, “Did you two have a fight or something?”
Zoey seems indignant, “Why would we?” He goes to tend to Kyle, “Honey.” She starts taking off his shoes.
“Well, okay then,” Chris says. He leans towards Zoey, “You might want to keep a closer eye on him. Guys like him might find themselves doing things behind your back.”
Zoey gets curious.
“I heard a rumor….” Chris starts to say but then changes his mind. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll see you later!” Chris walks out of the Kline condo, “I hope my wife saved me some dinner.”
Zoey just glares at Chris’s back as he leaves. Angrily, she leaps to her feet and throws Kyle’s socks at him, “You little prick!” she snaps.
Kyle turns over on the couch, “I’m sorry, Riley,” he mutters under his breath and begins to cry.
Zoey’s eyes go wide.
“Riley?” she asks him. It cannot possibly be her. Her surprise turned to resolve as she watches him fall asleep.
Kyle is hurting the next morning as he walks to the dining room table. This hangover was a bitch. Sloane and Zoey are already eating as he reaches the table and pulls out a chair.
“Are you sober now?” Zoey asks.
Kyle nods. “Yes. I’m sober.” He takes a seat.
Zoey stares at him, “Who did you drink with last night?”
Kyle shakes his head, “No one special. Chris and Sebastian.”
Zoey doesn’t look up at him as she butters a piece of toast. She knows he’s lying, but she can’t tell him how she knows he’s lying. “I see. You shouldn’t drink so much. It’ll ruin your stomach.”
Sloane can feel the tension as she looks from one to the other.
“Eat your breakfast,” Zoey tells him. “I’m heading to work.” She turns to her daughter, “Sloane, let’s go.”
“Okay,” Sloane responds. She hasn’t finished eating, but she uses her napkin to wipe her mouth and gets up from the table.
“Have fun at school,” Kyle tells her.
Sloane smiles at her father, “Okay.”
As they walk off, Kyle’s face hardens. There was a part of him that wishes he had walked in to see who she was cheating on him with. There’s a part of him that doesn’t want to know.
Riley shows up at Jessica’s showroom with some food, “You need to keep your strength up if you’re going to fight,” Riley tells her.
Jessica just looks sad, “I’m not hungry. I can’t even look my husband in the eyes,” she tells Riley.
“This isn’t a time to be weak,” Riley tells her, trying to get her riled up. “I told you to brace yourself.”
Jessica nods and just sighs.
Riley looks at her, “I thought about this all night. Remember what you asked me yesterday?”
Jessica looks up at her, “What?”
“The auction,” Riley tells her. “You told me you wanted to get into it. I’ll help you, Jessica.”
Jessica even smiles a little bit as she reaches over and places her hands over Riley’s hands, “Really? You’re going to help me?”
Riley smiles, nodding her head, “I’ll do my best. Whatever you need, you just ask. Just don’t let a wench like Zoey ruin your life like this!” she says, getting serious again.
Jessica just grins, nodding her head, “You know, I saw something recently regarding an auction in my husband’s study. I think my husband is trying to buy this piece of property. I think it has to do with the redevelopment.”
Riley’s eyes light up. “In the southside?”
So, Riley begins to do some research for Jessica.
She goes around to different real estate agencies, requesting all the information she can get about this piece of property.
After she visits four or five places, she makes a phone call. “Jessica. You won’t believe this. There’s a rumor going around that there will be a major shopping center built soon in that area. I’m hearing it’s pretty much a done deal. The only thing holding it up is that piece of property that your husband wants. Jessica, you have to get this property.”
“So I can count on you?” Jessica asks Riley as she sits at her desk in the showroom. “Thank you.”
When Jessica hangs up the phone, she sighs softly, “I’m sorry, Riley. I have to use you for a little bit.”
“We’ve signed contracts with nearly every building in the area,” Kyle tells them. “It means we’ve finalized our investment of 150 million dollars.”
Chris nods his head, “The auction is tomorrow.” He turns to Sebastian, “Are you coming?”
Sebastian shakes his head, “No. You should go alone. If we go as a group, we’ll draw unwanted attention. We need to slip in there, win this auction, and get out as quietly as possible.”
Chris grins, “That makes sense. How much do you think I should bid?”
“With the owner having to file bankruptcy, it’s gonna go cheap,” Sebastian explains. “You shouldn’t have to pay too much. Just put in $10,000 over what’s expected. Then this will be ours.”
Sebastian holds up a remove control and clicks a button, and behind them, a hologram appears. It shows the shopping center surrounding not one but two towers. One of the towers has to be even taller than Madison Tower.”
Kyle and Chris’s eyes light up. “Whoa!” yells Chris. He gets out of his chair and walks towards the display, “What is this?”
Kyle is up next, following Chris over. “My God,” he says, looking at the impressive display.
Sebastian walks up behind them, putting an arm around each of their shoulders, “Pretty soon, we’re going to have more cash than anyone in America. Perhaps, even the world.”Chris just squeals in glee as he wraps his arms around Sebastian and squeezes him while Kyle stands there laughing at the hologram display.
At the auction, Chris steps up to the clear box, places his form inside, and blows out a breath of air. He’s never been involved in anything that involved this much money before, and he’s a tad nervous. This is a blind auction, so the highest bidder will win.
Suddenly an elderly man runs in, “This is illegal! A complete scam! My house has been in my family for generations, and now you’re going to take it from me!”
Chris is completely enthralled by this display as security rushes it to try and contain the situation.
We see Riley walk in and behind Chris, trying not to be seen by him as she takes her envelope and places it into the clear box as well.
Chris just shakes his head. “That old man has some passion, doesn’t he?” he says, mostly to himself. He turns to leave just as Riley slips out of the room. She pulls out her phone, “Jessica. It’s done. I used my name like you asked, so it doesn’t draw any suspicion to you. I raised it 30,000 dollars above expected price. There’s no way we won’t win this auction.”
Sebastian slams his fist down on his desk, “Are you telling me that Riley Oh somehow outbid us?” Oh, he’s more than a little pissed.
Kyle is shocked, “How can that be? She… she doesn’t have anything. And how would she know about that building?”
Chris stands up, screaming, “I swear it was Riley Oh!”
Kyle shakes his head, “Without that building, there’s no reconstruction.” He looks at Sebastian, “What do we do now? If construction is delayed, we lose our investment, plus interest! People I know took out high-risk loans for this project!”
Chris points at Sebastian, “We put in 150 million dollars into this project. 150 million dollars!!!” he screams.
Sebastian has had enough. He stands up and yells back at them, “90 million of that was from me! So, stop raising your voice at me. I stand to lose more than both of you!”
Chris smacks his hand on the table, “This was your brilliant idea in the first place!” He crawls up on Sebastian’s desk and grabs Sebastian by the jacket, “I put in 30 million dollars! I even got money from my mom! If I lose that money, she will kill me!”
“Take your hands off of me!” shouts Sebastian. Things are getting out of control. “How dare you touch me!” He pushes Chris, who rolls off the desk and onto the floor.
Kyle starts throwing shit around.
‘What are you doing?” Sebastian screams.
Kyle walks up to him, “I trusted you in this investment. You better take responsibility!”
“After all I’ve done for you? This is how you treat me?” Sebastian tells him.
Kyle nods his head, “That’s right.”
Sebastian grabs Kyle by the shirt, “You punk.”
“What did you just call me?” Kyle says as he grabs Sebastian back. “I’m going to lose all of my money! All of my friends' money!” He pushes Sebastian away.
Sebastian grabs a vase of flowers and smashes it on the conference room table, bringing everything to a half. “Shut your damned mouths!” he yells.
When things halt for the moment, Sebastian tells them. “You act as if this is over! It’s not over yet, so stop acting like it! From this point forward, I will handle everything about this deal.”
Kyle is acting like he might have a heart attack, trying to catch his breath.
Chris has started to cry real tears.
Sebastian is seething. “I’m going to go see Riley Oh.”
“Bravo!” Jessica says with a grin as she toasts Riley. They’re having champagne tonight over dinner as they celebrate their success.
They take a drink, and Jessica just lets out a sigh of relief, “I was so nervous,” she tells Riley. “I wasn’t sure if this was going to work.” She leans in closer, lowering her voice, “Do you think that building will really be worth something?”
Riley nods her head, explaining, “To carry out the reconstruction, they have to tear down that building. It’s right smack in the middle of their entire redevelopment deal. That’s why your husband was interested in it in the first place.” She laughs. “I wish I could have seen his face.”
Jessica smiles, “Thank you for everything. I’m starting to see you as a younger sister now. I’m estranged from my own sister, and I really don’t have much in common with the ladies at Madison Tower. I’m glad we’ve met.”
Riley smiles at that.
Reaching into her purse, Jessica pulls out an envelope, “I know we promised to split the money in half once the building is sold, but I wanted to show you my gratitude.” She offers the envelope over the table. “Please take this, Riley.”
Riley looks at that envelope, her smile fading. “I wish I could decline such a generous offer. I don’t know if you know, but we don’t have much money, Mariah and me.” Riley reaches and takes the envelope, “We’ll put this to good use. Thank you so much.”
Jessica smiles happily.
“Let’s have another drink,” Riley tells her picking up her glass and standing up.
Jessica stands up as well, and they clink their glasses together and yell…
“Cheers!”
“Mariah! I’m home!” Riley struggles into the apartment, carrying a lot of shopping bags.
Mariah moves to meet her mother at the door. “Mom, why are you so… did you drink?” she asks. When Riley gets close enough, she can smell her mother’s breath, waving her hand in front of her nose and making a face.
Mariah turns and stomps off.
“Mariah,” Riley sings out, “Guess what I got?”
Mariah sits down on the couch.
“This is for you,” Riley tells her as she sets all the bags on the coffee table.
Mariah gets curious as she leans to look into the bag, and she gasps. “What is all of this?”
Riley is just too excited, “I got you a new coat and some new clothes,” she begins pulling the items out of the bags.
“Really?” asks Mariah.
Riley nods, “I even bought you a fancy dress!”
“How were you able to buy so much?” Mariah asks. They’ve never had this kind of money before.
Riley doesn’t answer that question as she reaches into another bag, “Oh, I bought you this beautiful flower dress too. It’s in here somewhere,” she digs around until she finds it and holds it in front of Mariah, “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Mariah is confused and happy all at the same time.
Finally, Riley mellows a little bit, “Mariah, I know I haven’t been able to provide much for you growing up. But from now on, I’m going to make it up to you! You’re going to have a bright future ahead of you, so just trust me, okay?”
Mariah has a grin on her face at her mother’s goofy antics, but then she nods her head. “Okay.”
“I think I’m gonna hug you now,” Riley tells her and leans in and wraps her arms around her daughter, who squeals.
“Mom! You reek of alcohol!”
Mariah gets up, but Riley gets up too. “Let me give you a kiss!” she teases, but Mariah starts to run off.
“No! You smell!” she squeals when Riley catches her and hugs her tight, kissing her on the cheek.
“I love you, Mariah.”
“I love you too, mom.”
Riley is sleeping on the living room floor. There’s only one bedroom, and she’s let Mariah have it. But tonight, Riley is deep in a dream.
The elevator doors open, and a drunken Riley looks around, unsure of where she is as she steps into the hallway of Madison Tower.Bumping right into Layla Kwon.Riley squints her eyes, trying to recognize this girl.“Please help. Please help me,” Layla begs her. The girl has blood smeared all over her face, and she’s dirty and grungy.Riley’s eyes open wide, and she sits up, eyes wide.
“I remember now. I met Layla at Madison Tower that night.”
A bark suddenly scares Riley as she jumps, turning to look at Sugar. Sugar keeps barking, so Riley gets up and walks over to the puppy, “What’s wrong with you, Sugar? You can’t make this much noise at night.”
Riley picks up the puppy, who won’t stop barking, almost sensing something is wrong in the apartment. When Riley tries to cover the puppy’s mouth, Sugar nips her finger, causing Riley to release her, and Sugar runs into Mariah’s room.
“Sugar, where are you going?”
Riley walks into Mariah’s room, and someone is sitting at Mariah’s desk.
But it isn’t Mariah.
It’s Layla Kwon.
“Ma’am,” Layla says, turning around to face Riley. “I asked you for help.”
Riley lets out a blood-curdling scream, grabbing her head and falling to the floor. She shakes her head and just screams.
“Mom! Mom!” Mariah yells, kneeling down in front of her mother. “What’s wrong?”
Riley pulls her hands away from her face and looks at Mariah, “Mariah….”
Mariah is holding Sugar in her arms, and she begins to cry, “Mom, there’s something wrong with Sugar. She won’t breathe!”
Riley seems confused, “That’s not right. She was just barking a moment ago.”
Tears are streaming down Mariah’s face, “Sugar! Don’t die! Please don’t die.”
Riley reaches over and sees Sugar’s metal tags, not realizing there had been two before. She slowly separates them until she reads.
Owner: Layla Kwon.
“Sugar was Layla’s dog?” Riley thinks to herself. “Both Layla and Sugar have died in this house….”
Mariah is bawling as she cradles Sugar, “Please wake up. Please wake up.”
Riley’s eyes go wide as she wonders what is really going on here. Suddenly, the light in the room begins to flicker, and both Mariah and Riley look up.The window slides open, and the wind blows into the room.
The glass on some of Mariah’s photos begins to crack in their frames.
Riley covers her mouth as the clock on the wall begins to rotate backward. She leans in and draws Mariah to her, both scared out of their wits now.
In the kitchen, the faucet turns on, Riley snapping her head to look in that direction.
Mariah is terrified as she looks at her mother, “What is going on?”
“Mariah,” Riley says to her. “We’re moving out.” The lights keep flicking on and off. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.”
Sebastian is in the gym at Madison Tower. He is at a weight machine, lifting over his head. “Riley Oh. How dare you….”
Push.
“… interfere with my business.”
Push.