Treadwell had been trying to get hold of Kara for the entire day. She wasn't answering phone calls on the private number she'd given him, and he'd been hiding in his hotel room, not sure whether to alert Emily or remain as discreet as ever and wait. But his recorder had definitely been stolen. He never went anywhere without it. If someone had broken in so easily once, they knew where he was and could come back for him any second from now. So he called Emily anyways. "Hello?"

-Someone came in my room last night. I can't find Kara. What is this shit? Now I know I said I would keep a low profile, but I figured that it implied for you to update me on any change of plan, so what the hell are you doing?

-What are you talking about?

-I told you, someone came in my room and obviously took some of my belongings and I've been wasting all day making the list of what material's missing as well as whom I should worry about. Two things: One of them is you and you know what you took from me. You guaranteed my safety. Kara did too, and now she's gone, and you're threatening me. So I'm asking you again, what the fuck is happening?

-Listen to me, I have no idea what you're talking about, but if what you say is true and if someone really broke into your room, they weren't sent from me. This means we're probably being listened to and recorded at the present moment.

-You know my patience is wearing thin, Miss Thorne. I've trusted you and I've been trying to show my loyalty but if you cannot ensure my safety as promised, then the deal is off. I'm sorry, but I have nothing to lose at this point, so find another writer.

-Mason, you have everything to win in following our plan. Wait for me and don't do anything until I've arrived. I'll be there in a minute. Okay?

Emily waited for a reply, but all she heard was the sound of something heavy, or someone's body, falling on the floor. "Mason? Hello?"

Suddenly there was no one on the other line...

"Ems? What's going on? You told me to come quick."

-Nolan, I think the Graysons have found Mason, and made him disappear.

-What? How do you know?

-He called me two hours ago, said someone had broken into his room and he wasn't safe, and then I think I heard someone knock him down, drag his body, and hang up on me for him.

-Are you sure?

-Positive. Whoever did that also got a hold of his writing and proof. I don't really care about that, he doesn't have anything we don't, but I didn't wish for anyone else to either, not until the whole world did. And most importantly,

-We need him.

-Yeah. As much as he has no credibility without his sources, we don't either without him to tell the real story.

-You think the Graysons killed him?

-I'm not sure, but I doubt it. If they think he's working alone and on his own terms, they may have. But they have more strategy. They'll keep him alive and try to find out his real intentions before getting rid of him. In the meantime he remains out of the picture. Call Aiden, he needs to know about this.

-Sure. What about you?

-Right now I have to take care of something else. I'll see you later.

"It's done. Good job Mr. Mathis, you were right, he was staying at the place you indicated." Victoria had brought two glasses of champagne for them two drink on the roof of an apartment building. "and now he's out of the portrait."

-Who, who's out... Porter?

-No, but his main asset is in my hands now, and I will make sure to reward you as soon as I get what I want from it.

-Wait, what do you mean in your hands? Victoria, I thought we said that Treadwell was to be sent back in jail to avoid arousing suspicion on his disappearance.

-Yes, well change of plan. You see, before anything else, we put his room under electronic surveillance, and it appeared as though he was chased down for a while now, just as well as Amanda Clarke's mother, Kara Wallace, whom, I'm sure you've heard about, is the one who actually got him out.

Victoria, with a smile on her face, just hands Aiden the newspaper, on which he can read "Kara Wallace avenges the death of her husband Gordon Murphy, by making Mason Treadwell, accused of Murphy's murder, untraceable."

As Aiden's face slowly crumpled, Victoria went on: "It seems that not too long after Treadwell was out of jail, he'd gone missing. They soon made the link with Kara. They arrested her yesterday, and accuse her of his kidnapping and murder. Now they think she killed Treadwell, but I've got him locked up somewhere safe, and I intend on getting the information I want.

-What about Jack Porter?

-Patience, Mr. Mathis. I thank you for your help. We won't meet again until we need to.

Victoria saw that Aiden started to feel dizzy and struggled to stay on his feet, and she smiled and started to walk away. "Wait, Victoria, where did you hide Treadwell?"

-To make sure you don't follow me there and find out, I put enough drugs in your drink to put you to sleep. Goodbye Mr. Mathis. Don't try to contact me when you'll wake up, I will if necessary.

Victoria walked back to the limo that was waiting few meters away for her. Aiden fell down and closed his eyes. He woke up at 4 a.m. in an alley, freezing. Things hadn't gone as planned and Aiden stood there, fuming, feeling like an idiot. He'd wanted to fool her, but he'd been fooled. All he wanted was Jack gone, and Treadwell behind bars, still within reach for Emily to deal with him when she needed to. Nonetheless, his motives had been selfish, and now Emily's mother was behind bars, Treadwell was gone, yet Jack wasn't. But the worst part was that Emily's whole mission and the secret of her identity were now jeopardized. And he had to tell her. At this point, she deserved to at least hear it all from him.

"Jack, I came here to apologize, again. Talk to me."

-Emily, I know what you came here for. You want to know what I intend on doing because you saw me at Grayson Manor last time.

-That too. I don't know what you're plotting, but partnering with Victoria cannot be too good, don't you think?

-For me? Or for you?

-For anyone else than Victoria! Carl could be caught in the middle of this.

-Okay listen, the only reason I let you come in tonight was because you said you would tell me the whole truth, and that it would change everything. Now I'm listening, here's your drink, fill me in, let's see if I believe you.

The noise they were making downstairs awakened baby Carl whom they could now hear crying.

Emily remained silent for a few seconds, and looked in Jack's eyes, searching for a familiar trace of friendship, maybe hoping that he would guess what she was about to reveal to him, before saying "Jack, come on, look at me, you know who I really am. It's me, Amanda," and she had already started crying, like Baby Carl, for different reasons, although the current situation was enough a reason, and buried her face in her hands. Jack was almost as moved as her, but didn't make much of a move, still processing it. There was no longer any trace of harsh feeling in his expression. "Now as a friend, who really and truly cares about you, I beg you, don't do anything stupid, don't go after Conrad, don't mess with the Graysons you know how dangerous they are. For Carl's sake, and yours, let me deal with this. It's my business to finish, Jack. Think about Carl."

She stood up and gave one last look at him on her way out, with a pained smile, and left.

Yes she'd been wanting to tell him for so long, yes it was a huge weight off her shoulders, but something else had been the cause, if not partially, of the loss of control of her emotions, and her name was Victoria. She came home to find Aiden. "Emily, I have to talk to you."

Mason Treadwell was tied up to a chair, in a damp room, facing a mirror, which he assumed separated him from his abductor. Whoever that was, he thought, could probably see him through that thing. He definitely couldn't. "Miss Thorne, do you really think I'm impressed by your low and ridiculous tactics? After all, you know me. I usually work better on command when I'm bought, not sequestered. And this isn't exactly what I would call a "golden cage".

He was still trying to keep his cool, but hearing no response, seeing no door open, only got him irritated and his next words, if not chosen carefully, would probably betray his nervousness.

Victoria was looking at him like a predator waiting for its prey. She had the tape on which we could hear his last conversation with Emily on the phone. She was waiting for him to open his big mouth a little more and spit it out: What was his business with Emily Thorne? Was he leaking information to her? Or perhaps she was the one providing it to him. God only knows what that twisted woman was capable of. What was in it for her, except ruining the Graysons? Was she doing it by friendship for Amanda Clarke? Aiden had obviously lied about Jack being the orchestrator. Victoria knew it all along. But that Emily would go so far as to get Treadwell out of jail to hire him and hide him, only went to prove that she had no interest in the Graysons' fortune, and was definitely going after them. Knowing this should be enough to hate the woman. Instead, it was a turn-on. Somehow, for God knows what reason, it made Emily more attractive to Victoria, for she was not some cheap bimbo looking for gold. She was a real badass, maybe a master of the same ilk. No. No no no. What was wrong with Victoria? She needed to focus here, in order to beat the woman to her own game.

Victoria would never show her face to Treadwell. As long as he thought his abductor was Emily Thorne, he would speak.