A/N – Thanks for the comments! – Guest – Glad you noticed re: Leticia. I like to taunt Sonny as much as I can. You'll see. * leasmom – her guard was there. It's a public place with lots of people walking around. Ronnie ducked out of sight. He didn't get near her.

Chapter 25

Luke downed a drink and then swirled the liquid around as he got lost in his thoughts.

"That good?" Lucky said as he and Nikolas moved closer.

"It was outstanding."

"That was not what I meant."

Luke sighed heavily. "Helena froze one of my accounts. Luckily, I had already moved the money out. The dragon lady is in rare form this time around."

"What's our next move?" Nikolas asked.

"No matter what we do, she's not going to stop. That puts lots of lives in danger. When does Gia get back in town?" Luke asked.

"Next week."

"Not good… Can you suggest that she doesn't?"

"Not if I want to live."

They laughed.

"She won't be staying on the island. I moved into a flat on the waterfront."

"Well, that's a surprise."

"I don't trust Helena and I can't keep Gia safe there."

Lucky sat on a stool. "Unfortunately, there really is no place to hide. She has eyes everywhere."

Luke patted his son on the back. "I'm doing everything I can. We just have to play it smart and think like the old bat."

"What if doing that makes her come after me more. Will you back away?"

Luke's mouth slightly dropped open as he stared at his son. "You want me to back down?"

"If it will save my life, then yes."

Nikolas observes them curiously. What Lucky is asking of his father goes against everything Luke believes in.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. She's already hurt you so much. At this point, I don't know if I can look the other way. I want to fight for you."

Lucky's eyes filled with tears. "She's going to try to break you by taking or hurting everything or anyone that is important to you." He stood dejectedly. "You can't fight for what you don't have."

He strode outside, leaving his father haunted by his words.

Nikolas cleared his throat. "He needs help. I called a specialist and he'll be here next week."

"Thank you."

"I love him too."

Luke watched him leave and then poured another drink and took it to the back porch. It's quite clear that this game needs to end, but what is yet to be seen is how much carnage Helena will leave in her wake.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Carly let out a tirade of curses just as Sonny entered the room.

"What happened?"

"Leticia quit."

"Because of what happened?"

She threw up her hands. "I don't know. She said she had a better offer."

"Did you try to throw some money at her?"

"I was going to, but she hung up."

Sonny rubbed his brow. "Well, if you find someone else, make sure Benny checks them out."

"Alright."

He pulled her against him. "You're too stressed. Perhaps I can help with that?"

She forced a smile, not really in the mood to be amorous. "You can try."

He smirked. "Where's Michael?"

"He's with my mom."

"Good. Let's go upstairs."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Lila called Emily into the sitting room.

"Hello, grandmother."

"Hello, darling. How was your day?"

"Great. I aced my exam and then I visited Elizabeth at her new place."

"She's living with the Corelli's, right?"

Emily grinned. Her family always knows all the gossip. "Yes. Nicole is really nice. She's going to interview with grandfather tomorrow for the new admin position."

"Is she tough? I can't even imagine putting up with my dear husband at work."

Emily chuckled. "Yes, she is and I think she can handle herself. She has the most beautiful little girl who you would adore named Alaina. Johnny is her boyfriend and Alaina's daddy."

"Interesting… Is he going to marry her?"

"I have no idea. She has been through a lot, so I think they are just getting back together."

Lila can tell from Emily's demeanor that it must have been something serious. "My husband, while he can be good-hearted at times, is a bully. Are you sure she can handle it?"

"I gave her the family breakdown and she didn't seem fazed."

"Well, I look forward to getting to know her."

"I heard Gia is on her way home."

Emily gestured wildly. "Okay, that's it! Who are your spies?"

Lila giggled. "A lady never gives away all of her secrets."

Emily groaned. "You always say that."

"I don't say things unless I mean it. Someday, you're going to find someone to give you a run for your money."

"Guys suck."

"Such language… Up until now, you've only dated boys who are clueless. Mark my word, you will meet your match and probably have no idea what to do about it."

Emily grinned.

Edward entered the room. "There will be no such thing happening under my roof. I'll run him off."

Lila smirked as she shook her head. "Edward, darling, while I let you think you have the last word on many occasions, Emily's love life is off limits."

"Pushaw. She's going to finish college and be brilliant once she figures out what the heck she wants to be."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, is it that difficult to pick a career?"

"It's practically for the rest of my life. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Happiness is subjective. Do I look happy to you?"

She snickered. "Only when grandmother is hypnotizing you with her eyes."

Lila chuckled. "I do no such thing."

"Oh yes, you do." Emily stood up and started to run. "Later, I have to study."

Edward grumbled as he sat next to his wife.

"What are you doing home? Isn't it early for you?"

"Can't I miss my wife?"

Her head tilted. "You could, but we both know that your love for me is not why you are sitting there looking perplexed."

"You could always read me like a book. Emily called me earlier and asked me to interview one of her friends for the admin position."

"I heard. Is there a problem?"

"I jumped the gun and did a background check."

"Edward, that is so unfair. You're not even giving her a chance to prove herself."

"Her resume is excellent, but she's a Corelli."

Lila rolled her eyes. "I've worked with Frank Corelli on a few innercity projects and he always came through for me."

"Do you know everyone?"

She tried not to grin. "Don't take that tone with me, Edward Quartermaine. Now, if her resume is stellar then what is the problem?"

"She's had it rough. I'm worried about her mental state after being through such a horrible ordeal and she possibly has a little girl from it." All of his intel hasn't come back yet, but he had enough to draw some lines.

"You can't let that affect your decision making. She would want you to be fair. Sometimes, life gives us lemons and all we can do is squeeze the heck out of them until all the bitterness is gone. Like you, she's a fighter. If you treat her with respect, she will give it back. Trust your instincts after you meet her. If it's not going to work out and she's not the best for the job, then send her over to me. I can always use help for the charity."

He patted her hand. "You represent the luckiest day of my life. You are everything that is good and I'll always cherish you."

"Do I get a kiss for being your lucky charm?"

He leaned towards. "You get a kiss for just being you." His lips brushed against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too, dear."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The next morning, Elizabeth finished getting things ready at the diner and then flipped the sign to open. About five minutes later, Laura came inside.

"How are things going?"

Liz smiled. "Great. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Luke is stubborn—you know, the usual."

"Some things never change… What can I get you?"

"A cup of coffee to go and a banana."

Liz quickly fetched a pot and poured some coffee into a cup as Laura watched. Once the lid was secured, she placed it in in the space between them. "Take anyone you want," she said pointing to the fruit bowl.

"Thanks. So, things have been quiet?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry you got hurt."

"Me too. I'm glad I wasn't alone."

"Are you and Lucky really over?"

Liz met her gaze. "Yes. I know that's hard for everyone to process, but I think it's for the best."

"Well, it's best for you. Lucky on the other hand—"

"—has a family to watch out for him and hopefully, will overcome whatever Helena did to him. Isn't it better that I'm honest with how feel instead of just going through the motions? Your son deserves more than that."

"It just seemed so sudden, Elizabeth. One minute you want him back more than anything and the next, you want nothing to do with him."

Liz started to wipe down the counter. "I know how it looks, but honestly, I don't care. It has been so long since I've felt right about something and centered. That rape threw my whole world off its axis and now, I feel like I have something to really look forward too."

"And you don't think you could have done that with my son?"

Liz shrugged. "It doesn't matter because I've moved on. I really like you Laura, but I don't want to have this conversation every time I see you. I get that you love your son and that you care about me and thought I was the one for him, hell, so did I, but fate stepped in and my heart is with someone else."

"Who is in jail…"

Liz threw the cloth down. "I didn't give up on Lucky, so why would I give up on Jason?"

Laura bit her tongue because in the end, to her, Liz did give up on her son.

Catching her look, Liz clucked her tongue. "Walking away for the right reason is not giving up. Look, it's my life, my choice." She walked away, leaving Laura wide-eyed and when she finally returns, there is money on the counter and a note.

Liz grabbed and then read it.

"I'll try to do better."

While she gets where Laura is coming from, she's tired of explaining herself over and over. Jason needs to get home soon.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Nicole sat in the lobby of ELQ bouncing her knee. When the secretary finally called her, she stood and took a deep breath before moving forward to try to gather her wits.

"Mr. Quatermaine will see you now."

"Thanks."

"Try to relax, dear, I don't really remember my CPR class."

Nicole smiled. "Good to know…"

She is led into an office where Edward is on the line barking at someone, so she sits and when he can't find his pen to write something down, she spots it on the floor and grabs it and hands it to him. When he can't locate his pad, she finds that too and places it in front him.

Two minutes later, he finishes and slams the phone down. "They are complete idiots and have no clue how to run a conglomerate." He stops to take her in. She is wearing a very nice suit which is not too short and modest. Her hair is neatly coifed and her makeup is just right. "Well, you must be Nicole."

"Yes, I am."

He stands and shakes her hands. "I have your resume right here," he said before returning to his seat. "You seem to have a lot of experience."

"I do. I have worked at several large companies and have reference letters." She placed a folder on his desk and he perused it.

"I know some of these people. Why did you leave?"

"I was in New York and then something happened and I had to move to Ireland for a while."

"That's a beautiful country."

"I loved it there but ended up moving back because of my brother. I wanted my daughter to have family around her and for us to feel secure. Her father is here."

There is hidden meaning in that sentence, but he lets it go.

"Well, I guess their loss is my gain. I'm going to be upfront with you. I know about what happened to you."

She grimaced, but he continued.

"My only concerned is how you are coping and if you can handle being around a gruff old man who sometimes needs to be put his place. There is also my daughter to contend with. They call her the dragon lady behind her back."

Nicole smirked. "I would like to say a few things."

"Go ahead."

"What happened to me was devasting, but it doesn't define me. I have good days and bad, but I fight because my daughter is worth it and it will not interfere with my work performance, so as far as I'm concerned, it's not relevant and I don't want to talk about it again."

"That's fair enough."

"I can tell your heart was in the right place, so I won't hold it against you, but that is my personal life and you shouldn't be privy to it."

"Okay." He likes her spunk. "I apologize if I offended you."

She takes a deep breath. "Look, I can handle your gruffness if you can handle me mumbling under my breath and an occasional eye roll."

He tried not to smile but failed miserably.

Averting her gaze, she closed her eyes, throwing him completely off balance when she focused in on him and showed her vulnerability. "I'm tough. I had to be to get this far. Unless it's an emergency, I won't use your daycare so it won't put anyone else in danger. I have guards that come with the package, but they can sit at a vacant desk and just occasional walk around. I promise that they won't be disruptive. If that's not good enough, then one can stay in the waiting room and the other in the stairwell. I really want this job. I'm good and don't mind working hard and I thrive under pressure."

Edward sighed. "Nicole, while the extra security gives me pause, I'm willing to work with it. The job is yours."

Her eyes lit up and a smile emerged that could melt his cold heart. "Thank you so much."

He chuckled. "Don't thank me yet. You haven't met Tracy."

As if on queue, Tracy barrelled into the office and took one look at Nicole and her eyes narrowed. "Oh, hell no."

"Tracy!"

"No, daddy. This will not work."

"You haven't even looked at her resume. Just because she is attractive doesn't mean she's vacuous."

Tracy crossed her arms in front of her. "Why don't you let me interview her."

"No. I already hired her, so be nice."

"I will not!" She leaned closer to Nicole. "I don't know how you wormed your way into here, but if you so much as breathe wrong, you're out of here."

Nicole's head tilted. "Last time I checked, Edward is my boss, not you."

"Excuse me?"

Nicole stood, towering over her. "You know, I read a lot about you and was even excited to meet such an accomplished businesswoman who is so highly respected. I was even warned about you and didn't believe them. Unlike you, I will give you the benefit of the doubt that maybe you are just having a really bad day." She turned to Edward. "Thank you again for the opportunity."

"You're welcome. See Cheryl on the way out and she'll take you to Human Resources."

"Thank you."

She brushed by a perturbed Tracy and then paused. "By the way, I'm Nicole Corelli. I'll see you three weeks."

Tracy's mouth dropped open. "You hired a Corelli?"

Nicole grinned all the way back to the receptionist area.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Ronnie approached Sonny. "From what I heard, Manny might have been involved in Carter's death."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, but maybe Corelli wants to see if he can get Jason over to his side and use him against us."

"That can never happen. Can you take Manny out?"

"No. He'll be sprung in the next week and has too many people around him. Besides, if he goes down, Francis will know it was you and it will be an all-out war that we don't need."

"True. We'll bide our time where Jason is concerned. He's not going anywhere anyway, so we'll let him think he's safe before we tighten the screws again."

Ronnie wanted to roll his eyes. He doesn't understand why Sonny has such a hard-on for Jason. "Scully went underground which probably means he ordered his men to do something stupid before he left."

"He needs to die—painfully."

"He will when the time is right and I'll happily be the one to torture him."

Sonny looked up and studied Ronnie for a moment. It's not in his nature to fully trust anyone and Ronnie is certainly an enigma. At some point, he'll have to get rid of him because he knows too much. Men like Ronnie can be bought, but for now, he needs him. Once Scully is taken care of, he and Ronnie are going to have a long talk and it probably won't end well.