Chapter 2:
As she drove home to her new penthouse at The Rooselvelt in downtown Los Angeles, Caroline was still in shock over being fired. As tears continued to stream down her face, she began reflecting on everything.
Everything had been great. She and Rick were happy & in love. She was successful. Caroline had become the toast of the fashion industry. Several fashion blogs even declared her fashion's next great designer.
Then Maya Avant entered the picture, and everything changed.
Caroline began to feel like her life was spiraling out of control. Sure, her career was still going well, but she began noticing that Rick was losing interest in her. He was hanging out at Dayzee's Coffee House to be with Maya. Caroline noticed the distance growing between them and tried everything to keep her & Rick together.
Nothing worked. Not even talking with her uncle, publishing magnate Bill Spencer, seemed to work. Everything she did got her into trouble. Tehn when Rick broke up with her, Caroline was heartbroken. To her, getting Maya out of the way seemed more important then anything.
That plan ended up blowing up in her face.
Despite her best efforts, Caroline's attempts to get Maya to hook up with Carter Walton via the show "Room 8" failed. Maya's love for Rick and commitment to him was very strong, and even Caroline had to admit that maybe she was in over her head. Still, having Rick back in her life clouded her better judgement and she went ahead.
Now all her attempts to get him back had not only scandelized her in the press but also cost her dream job. Caroline had never felt so defeated in her life.
After parking her car and getting inside the building, Caroline pulled her phone out to see if she got any messages. She found only two. One form her mother Karen and another from her cousin Liam. She listened to Liam's first.
"Hi, Caroline. It's me. I'm at your front door because I need someone to talk to. Call me when you get this. Bye."
Caroline became concerned. "What's happened to him?" she thought as the elevator made its way to her two-bedroom penthouse. She quickly dialed his number. He quickly answered.
"Liam?" she asked. "Caroline?" he asked. "Are you still at my front door?" she asked. "Yeah I am," he said. "OK, I'm almost there," she said. "Thank you," he said & then hung up.
When the elevator doors opened, Caroline raced down the hallway and found Liam sitting by her front door. He quickly stood up when he saw her and embraced her.
"You OK?" she asked. "No," he said. "Why? What happened? Is it Hope?" she asked. Liam's answer surprised her.
"It's Hope. She & Wyatt ran off and got married."