Rome -August 2010
As she sat in her office looking over the contracts her lawyer had sent over, she couldn't seem to get her mind to focus. She hadn't gotten any sleep and her mind insisted on replaying last night's events on an endless loop. Over the years, she'd had her fair share of brushes with death but last night's attempt felt different. That guy had come way too close and had scared her more than she would ever admit to anyone. She had a sinking feeling that her past was finally catching up to her and she knew there was only one person who could help her. But she just couldn't bring herself to call him.
The ringing of her cell phone startled her out of her thoughts. She glanced at her caller ID half expecting to see his name flashing on the screen. As if maybe by some bizarre act of fate he would know that she needed him. She frowned slightly as she realized that fate had not intervened on her behalf.
"What the hell happened last night?" Sam's concerned voice greeted her before she had the chance to get a word out.
"Well hello to you too."
"Hello. Now what happened? And why did I have to read about it online?"
"Nothing happened. I'm fine. The bodyguards caught the guy before he got anywhere near me. It's fine, really." She wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure more, Sam or herself.
"How can it be fine? This guy tried to slash your face and from what I've been reading he damn well nearly succeeded."
"Well, you should know better than to believe everything you read on the internet. Why are you up this late anyhow? Isn't it like three a.m. in Port Charles?"
"I was working late and decided to see how fabulous my sister looked on her big night. Humanitarian of the year, that's pretty awesome you know."
"I guess. I'm just glad that the Foundation is getting more media attention." Out of everything that she had achieved since she left Port Charles, The Morgan Foundation was by far her most rewarding accomplishment.
"So how's everything with you?" she asked eager to shift the focus off of last night.
"Well now that you mention it, I was actually calling to let you know that I'm going out of town for a little while and you might not be able to reach me."
"You're not in trouble are you?"
"No, not more than usual, but I think Lucky might be."
"Is everything ok with you two? Did you tell him about us?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. He understands why we wanted to keep things to ourselves for a while." When she found out that she and Brenda were sisters, they had both agreed that it would be best to keep their relationship under wraps so that they could get to know each other without any outside influences.
"Good because if this deal goes through I'm going to end up back in Port Charles and we won't be able to hide it anymore."
"Yeah, well we both knew we'd have to leave our safety bubble one day," Sam teased.
Brenda burst into laughter at the visual Sam had just given her and felt herself relax a little for the first time since the attack last night.
"Anyways, it looks like maybe Lucky's gotten in over his head so I'm going to go help him out. I can't really talk about it though."
"Ok. Just be careful. "
"Always."
Brenda hung up the phone with a smile and tried not to worry about what Sam was up to. She was still getting used to the idea of having a little sister who was a danger junky. She couldn't believe it had already been almost two years since she had found out that she and Sam had the same father.
January 2008
"Wow, this is unbelievable," she said as she stared in shock at the documentation the other woman had given her. She had certainly been quite thorough in her investigation and it seemed fairly obvious that there had definitely been a connection between Harlan and Alexis. But Brenda still found it hard to believe that he father would have had a relationship with someone as young as his eldest daughter was. Julia was going to flip and would undoubtedly require more solid proof.
"Look, I know this sounds totally farfetched and you probably think I'm just looking for a payout or something but I'm not."
A few months ago Sam had finally worked up enough courage to ask Alexis about her father. She was shocked to learn that Alexis had had a brief affair with one of Mikkos' business associates. Harlan Barrett. The name was common enough that Alexis had never made the connection between her clandestine affair and the famous model that she had known for years. It hadn't taken long for Sam's investigation to lead her to Brenda. She knew though that it would take more than Alexis' word to convince Brenda and Julia that she was their sister. No doubt they would assume that she was conning them in hopes of earning a quick buck. So she had made sure that she had as much proof as she could get her hands on.
"Well I certainly appreciate your efforts. You obviously went through a lot of trouble to get all this evidence and while it's quite convincing, we're going to have to do a DNA test to be sure." Although Brenda was practically certain that Sam wasn't scamming them, she knew that a DNA test would be the only thing to convince Julia.
"Of course," Sam said with a small smile as she let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
After everything she had been through in the last few years, she was finally starting to take real control of her life and was discovering who she really was as a person. She still shuddered at the thought of how she had completely lost herself in her relationship with Jason. Her entire world had revolved around him and when he ended things it hadn't taken long for her to quickly spiral into self-destructive behaviour. She wished more than anything that she could erase the events that occurred that summer but she knew she couldn't. All she could do was move forward and try to repair the damage she had caused. While she and Jason had never been able to get back to where they had been, she was slowly mending her relationship with her mother. For the first time in her life she had a real family: a mother who genuinely cared for her and little sisters who admired her and looked up to her. And now her family also included two older sisters.
"So there's this really cute coffee shop down the street that has the best pastries. Maybe we could go grab a cup of coffee and talk. You know, get to know each other a little," Brenda said in an attempt to make the situation a little less awkward.
"That sounds great."
Sam looked around her apartment one last time before zipping up her duffel bag and grabbing her passport off the desk. She knew something was up when Lucky told her he was going after Luke and declined her offer to tag along and help him out. It had taken some convincing but she had finally managed to get Dante to tell her what he knew after she caught him on what was obviously a call with Lucky. She couldn't believe that Interpol had sent Lucky after someone like the Balkan with hardly any information and no back up. Trust was a huge issue for both of them, each having suffered their share of heartache as a result of deception from those they trusted most. But this was different, and despite being hurt by the fact that Lucky had lied to her, she wasn't about to leave him high and dry when he needed her. Thankfully, Spinelli had been able to uncover quite a bit of information about Ronan O'Rielly which was sure to be more than what Interpol had given Lucky. She just hoped she wasn't too late.
Kate walked into Jax's office and handed him the sales contract that had arrived this morning. She hoped that the generous offer would please him enough that he wouldn't ask too many questions about who she had chosen as her replacement. When she had been offered the position of Media Coordinator at Cartullo Fashion House she knew that this was an opportunity that she couldn't pass up. Ernesto Cartullo was one of her fashion icons and there was no way that she could turn down an opportunity to work with him even if it meant leaving Crimson. She hated leaving the magazine that had been her creation and was now one of the top selling fashion magazines in the state but she knew she had found the perfect replacement in Brenda. She and Brenda formed an amicable business relationship in the last couple of years, both sharing professional admiration for the other. The former model had created her own little media empire: Bella Enterprises. The conglomerate included a record company, a cosmetics company, a small fashion house as well as several fashion and lifestyle magazines. She knew for a fact that Brenda was actively involved in the success of each of those companies and that was why she was sure that Crimson would thrive as the latest addition to Bella Enterprises. The only caveat is that Brenda wants complete ownership of Crimson which means that she has to convince Jax sell his shares without revealing that Brenda is behind the buyout.
"What's this?" Jax asked as he looked up from his laptop.
"That's the offer for the buyout. You need to sign it so that we can send it out as soon as possible. I'm scheduled to be at Cartullo in less than a month and we need to make sure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible."
"Whoa Kate, slow down a minute," Jax interrupted. "Certainly you don't expect me to just sign over ownership of Crimson without going over the details do you?"
"Well there isn't time for that. You're just going to have to trust me. Crimson will be in very capable hands. And they're offering you ten percent above market value so you'll be getting a very substantial return on your investment." Kate said hoping to seal the deal quickly.
Jax sighed and grabbed his pen. He didn't like rushing deals like this but Kate had a point. He was going to get a substantial return on his investment and Carly would certainly be happy that he would no longer be involved with the magazine. Jax signed the last page and frowned, Bella Enterprises. Why did that name sound familiar?
"Is something wrong?" Kate questioned worriedly.
"Ah... no everything is fine. I have every confidence that you wouldn't hand over Crimson to just anyone." He said as he handed back the contract to her.
"Thank you."
Kate grabbed the papers and headed for the door as quickly as she could without arousing any suspicion. She had to messenger these back to Rome before Jax changed his mind.
"Spinelli!" Jason yelled as he entered the penthouse and went straight to the safe.
"Yes Stone Cold. How may the Jackal be of service?" Spinelli said as he stumbled down the stairs.
"I need you to get me on the first flight to Rome." He ordered as he grabbed his passport and some cash from the safe.
"Rome? What urgent business could Stone Cold have in the city of love?" Spinelli questioned as he opened his laptop.
"Don't ask questions. Just get me on the next flight out. Now."
He'd gone to Kelly's for some coffee and hadn't meant to look at the forgotten tabloid lying on the counter but for some reason it had drawn him in.
Brenda Barrett attacked at awards ceremony
The headline made his blood boil and had him rushing back to the penthouse. With any luck he'd be in Rome before nightfall. He knew that she probably wouldn't be happy to see him and it was possible that he was overreacting but he just couldn't take that chance.