It was a long battle but after 3 years of intensive therapy and counseling, Stephanie's life was getting back on track. She suffered from a cognitive disorder that damaged her brain due to the drug use but with therapy she was able to lead a normal life again. She witnessed the graduation of her eldest daughter, Aurora and moving onto middle school. Both Murphy and Vaughn took their state exams and scored highest in their grades.
She took time off from working and Vince had informed her that she can come back whenever she feels ready. He set up a private addiction counselor to stay at their guest house and that Stephanie would visit the guest house daily for rehab. Aurora eventually found out what had happened and understood that her mother needed help. She was as helpful as could be to ensure that her mother would be better in no time. Murphy and Vaughn were still too young to understand and the family did their best to try and conceal it from them.
She never contacted Peter or Aaron ever again. She changed her phone number and deleted any numbers that were related to her dark past. She swore to herself that she'd never go through that again and hurt her family.
On a quiet summer day, Stephanie grabbed the mail and looked through it.
"Paul, look. We're invited to the Summer Gala this year." She said as she read the invitation card. "Oh nice. Who's hosting the event this year?" Paul asked as he looked at his computer doing his work. "Hmm… oh! Steele Corp." She answered. Paul stopped his work and looked at her. "Adam Steele? That Steele Corp?" he asked. "I guess so." She answered.
Adam Steele was known in Connecticut as not only one of the richest men in the state, but also a shark in the boardroom and a playboy. He lived a lavish life of luxury along with being connected wild nights of parties. His formal events were exclusive and one would be considered honored to be invited. His gala events were usually the biggest events on the year with hundreds of guests coming from wealth and fame attending. Usually a charity event was hosted and this year was for children's cancer.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to go, Steph." Paul said. "Oh come on, Paul. It's for the kids. Besides, it's also a great opportunity to network with other businesses for future proposals." Stephanie suggested. Paul thought about it and nodded. "Okay. We'll go but under one condition. You stay near me. I don't want anyone to say anything to you since the incident. It'll be our first appearance together in 3 years." Paul advised. "It'll be fine." Stephanie assured him.
A month later was the gala. All eyes were on Paul and Stephanie. They have not been publicly seen since her episode. Many wanted to ask how she was but feared that it was too personal. Instead, they respected her presence and welcomed her. All night Stephanie and Paul talked business and networked with potential business partners along with contributing large donations to the children's hospital for cancer and diseases.
She had her arm around his and Paul looked over at Stephanie. "You okay?" he asked. "A little nervous still but I'll be fine. So far so good." She replied referring to the alcohol that was all around her. She fought her urges and requested water all the time. Paul was not only proud of her but happy to see she is able to live the life that she once again.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna run to the bathroom to fix my make up. My eyes are killing me." Stephanie joked. She stepped away and went upstairs to find the ladies room.
When she entered she walked over to the large mirrors and sat on a stool. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She fixed her make up and when she was done, she got up but just when she was about to exit, she saw a group of young women huddled together talking very quietly. One woman looked behind and noticed who it was.
"Well if it isn't Stephanie McMahon!" she announced.
All the other women turned around and greeted her.
"Come on over, Stephanie. How are you?" another young woman asked.
Stephanie was a little hesitant. A woman walked up and guided her over to the group.
"What is going on? What's with the huddle?" Stephanie asked.
"Oh, the usual boring gala events. No fun anywhere. So we decided to bring the fun to the event." A third woman answered.
"It's not that bad, you know. Meet new people. Connections are good to have for business." Stephanie explained. "For you, yes, because you do run a business. We're just the tag-alongs. We don't need to hear any more talks of profit gains and marginalization and equities. Blah, blah, blah." The first young woman explained. "And just how do expect to make the time pass? It's a 6 hour event." Stephanie replied. "Simple. We bring the fun and no one ever notices." The third young woman answered. She stepped aside and on the counter revealed several lines ready made for them to take in. Stephanie couldn't take her eyes off the white powdery substance. She gulped hard and shook her head.
"No. No, I need to go. My husband is downstairs and we are supposed to meet with someone for a potential business proposition any minute now." She said. "Hey, it's your loss but think of how great and confident you'd feel after taking some of this. You'd be invincible. Imagine the deals you could make because of the ideas you come up with all thanks to this." The first woman replied.
The door opened and out came Stephanie with a big smile on her face. She spotted Paul downstairs and made her way down. When she arrived, without giving Paul a chance, she introduced herself to a future business partner.
"Well now, I see someone is excited for this deal." The older man joked.
"You have no idea." She answered.
Paul laughed and held Stephanie by the waist. As the man spoke with Paul, Stephanie whispered something in his ear. His smile suddenly vanished and he looked at Stephanie with grave concern. All she did was smile back.
If you're confused about the ending… don't be. I purposely wrote it that way because it is up to you to decide what her fate should be.
It's safe to say that Stephanie told him about the women upstairs doing the drugs but the real question is: did she do it too? Is Paul's facial expression meant for a concern that she is back to her old habits or meant for a concern that he's afraid she is now exposed to it again and some time during the night she may end up doing it?
Back to Square One could mean 2 things: back to her old life or back to her addiction life.
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