Pg8
Running a brush through her unruly curls, Elizabeth prepares herself for the meeting that she's been looking forward to almost as much as she had been looking forward to meeting Jake, knowing that this is the first impression that'll set the tone for how the other woman will step to her in the future. Now, she's not one to want to step on any toes when it comes to people in Jason's life, but this one is unavoidable.
From what people have told her, Carly Corinthos considers herself a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to the men in her life. Of course, from what she's heard, the woman was more along the lines of a natural disaster, a hurricane, if you will, leaving others to clean up the mess she leaves in her wake.
Though it's been made abundantly clear that not many people challenge her authority, Carly will learn tonight that Elizabeth's going to be that opposing force that's more than ready and willing to get in her path, especially where Jason's concerned. Past or no past, Carly no longer holds the position of being the only woman in Jason's life like she'd like, Elizabeth now taking claim to that spot. A truth she's more than happy to drive home if needed.
"Ready?" Jason voices as he stands behind her, allowing her to lean back to look up at him, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead when she does. "I love you."
"I love you," she replies with a soft smile. "How long do you think this will take?"
"It's just introductions," Jason assures her. "Shouldn't take long. Why?"
"Just seeing if a ride is possible tonight," she explains. "The meeting took a lot out of me today, you know how they get."
"Yeah," he says knowingly. "However long it takes, you'll get your ride tonight, that's a promise."
Waiting long enough for her to rise to her feet, Jason pulls her in for a long embrace, knowing that while she's one of the best negotiators he knows, negotiations always take a toll on her. To come out on top of any meeting she enters, Elizabeth has to put herself aside to stand toe-to-toe with some ruthless people, ensuring that she gets the best results for Maximus. When it's all said and done, she walks away on top but drained, something he's thankful to be able to alleviate with a simple ride on the back of his bike.
"Hey, Ritchie," Elizabeth greets the guard at Sonny's door as they approach him. "How's the family?"
"Good," Ritchie replies with a smile. "My daughter sends her thanks for the painting you sent for her birthday. She shows it off to everyone that comes by the house."
"I'm glad Mia loves it," Elizabeth says wholeheartedly. "You'll let me know if she ever wants another, yeah?"
"Appreciate it," Ritchie accepts. "I know she'll be happy to hear it."
"They ready for us?" Jason questions once he's sure they were done.
"Just finished dinner," Ritchie replies. "Should be cleaning up, last I checked."
"Right," Jason shakes his head, not even wanting to know why Sonny was behind schedule, especially when it comes to dinner. "Thanks."
"I'd say good luck," Ritchie smirks when Elizabeth meets his eyes, a knowing smile on her face. "But I'm sure Mrs. Corinthos is the one that'll need it."
"You know me too well," Elizabeth says before following Jason into the penthouse, the door closing behind her, not at all surprised to find Sonny waiting for them at the door. "Hey, Sonny."
"Liz," Sonny replies, giving her a hug in greeting before shaking Jason's hand. "Jason."
"Sonny," Jason counters. "Where is she?"
"She's...occupied at the moment," Sonny explains but doesn't elaborate. "Why don't you guys get comfortable? I just have a few more dishes to clear up and I'll be right back."
Looking at each other as Sonny goes back to clearing the table, they both decide to let things stand and walk over to the wet bar where Jason pours them both a drink. From Sonny's demeanor alone, Jason can tell that Carly's most likely in one of her moods, making this simple introduction into something else entirely. Handing Elizabeth her drink, meeting her eyes, they both find themselves thankful to have their ride to look forward to.
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This had to be some kind of joke, right? There's just no other reason that Sarah could think of that her grandmother would be saying all the things she's saying to her in this moment. She wants to push further, to question her grandmother's thought process, but the elder woman gives her no room for discussion. She simply lays out the terms and walks off to continue going about her business. This had to be a joke. It just had to be.
"Yes! Finally!" Sarah blurts out when she looks at her cell phone and finds her parents' base number pop up. "Mother, finally, what took you so long?"
"Try again," her mother, Carolyn, voices before ending the call, making Sarah groan aloud.
"Hello, mother," Sarah does her best to put forth the proper tone expected of her when her mother calls again. "Thank you for getting back to me."
"That'll suffice," Carolyn replies. "Now what is it that has you calling us at all hours of the day? Don't you know that your father and I have quite important business to attend to? The last thing we need is constant alerts that calls are coming in for us at the base."
"Does no one listen to my messages?" Sarah groans out, seriously rethinking leaving a message at all anymore. "What's the point of having not only voicemail but also a secretary to take messages if you're never going to listen to your messages?"
"Watch your tone, Sarah," Carolyn snaps. "The next time I hang up, you'll have your father to deal with, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, mother," she replies sheepishly. "I was calling because Elizabeth has purchased a building in town to open an art gallery. I haven't seen her in person, so, I'm assuming she hasn't arrived in town just yet. From the talk around town, many companies are vying to go into business with her. Even Edward Quartermaine is itching to get into business with her despite the disrespect she's shown him and his company."
"Is that all?"
"Wha-I...what more needs to be said?" Sarah questions dumbfounded. "Port Charles is not Elizabeth's town to make her home. This is our hometown. My home. She doesn't belong here."
"Clearly, you feel strongly about this," Carolyn states plainly. "Your father and I will discuss the course of action to take place. Now, I ask again, is that all we need to be aware of as we discuss things?"
"I don't know if it's relevant or not..."
"Leave it to me to decide."
"Well, apparently, Grandmother has decided to downsize and move to a retirement home," Sarah gives as her last bit of information. "She's already found a new owner for the house and is working on clearing the place out for them. She says I have to have my own place within a week's time or face possible homelessness."
"That's hardly news," Carolyn replies. "Audrey has been talking about such a move since Steve's passing. Your father and I have advised you on many occasions to seek housing elsewhere, but did you listen, no. Now, look at you, panicked about housing when you could have been well on your own for years now. It's not as if you are tight for money. Your father and I keep you well endowed, if I'm not mistaken, which I rarely am. You have no one to blame but yourself for not preparing for this day though you were well aware of it for years."
"I wanted to be here for Grandmother," Sarah defends her decision. "Something she clearly hasn't taken into consideration after all the years I've spent here with her."
"Audrey is getting on in age, you can hardly expect her to maintain the house and care for you indefinitely," Carolyn scolds her daughter. "You've been living there free of charge for years, meaning you should have enough saved up to purchase yourself a place to live. Audrey's free to do as she pleases with her assets. I suggest you use the time given to you to find yourself a place before it's too late."
"But...this is my home," Sarah counters with a heavy heart. "The least she could have done is give me the chance to either buy it outright or give it to me while I paid for her stay at the retirement home."
"That's an argument for you to raise with Audrey though I doubt you'll get anywhere given the fact that she no longer owns the place," Carolyn says after some thought. "If your purpose was to seek my advice, though I doubt you'll actually heed it, I would advise you to cut your losses and move on from that place. It was hardly your home, to start with, so, it shouldn't weigh on you that it's no longer a place for you to stay."
"I guess..."
"Yes...are you sure...clearly, I don't agree...no, that's not what I'm saying...I understand that, but that's hardly the deciding factor here...very well," her mother voices, though Sarah's certain it's not directed at her, hearing the faint sound of what could only be classified as her father's voice in the background. "Your father has decided to help you in this instance, given the short notice on Audrey's part and, though I disagree on that point, I'm inclined to accept your father's decision. Expect a call from a trusted real estate agent come morning. With us as your backing, it shouldn't take long to get you into a new home in time for Audrey's deadline. Now if that's all, your father and I have much to discuss. I suggest you refrain from calling us while we deliberate. We'll reach out to you once we've made our decision."
As always, her mother's definitive tone marks the end of the conversation, the line going dead before Sarah could say much more. As much as she loves her parents, which is quite a lot, they're her heroes in all aspects of the word, she sometimes finds it hard to accept the matter-of-fact attitude that they maintain at all times. With all the years of their diplomacy, her parents have found it difficult to remove that aspect of themselves even in regard to their family. Looks like she'll just have to accept her advice and move forward, regardless of her grandmother's lack of respect in her regard.
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"Grandfather, you wanted to see me?" Emily voices as she stands in the doorway of his den.
"Yes, come in," Edward instructs her, gesturing to the seat for her to sit. "How are things coming along with the matter we spoke about?"
"I'm still looking into it," Emily assures him. "All I know for sure is that Sarah had nothing to do with it."
"If you believe that, so be it," Edward says simply. "I'll take your word for it."
"Really? Just like that?" Emily looks at him skeptically before letting out a sigh. "How did you find out already?"
"I have my ways," Edward shrugs. "Now I know I've never found much use for that husband of yours, but this is quite the chance for him to prove his worth."
"That's a business connection, Grandfather, you can't honestly expect me to use my husband for his connections."
"Have you not been the one saying that he's part of this family now?" Edward counters firmly. "Facilitating this partnership with our family and that woman will foster many more opportunities for growth within ELQ. Don't you want that for our family's legacy?"
"I can appreciate what you're trying to do, but I honestly don't think Sarah's sister is someone you should do business with," Emily says seriously. "The family business is doing well enough, we'd hardly be hurting in any capacity if we just bypass this one instance."
"So, it's perfectly fine for your husband to enter into a partnership with the woman but not me?" Edward counters, growing frustrated with her train of thought. "The accounting department has run the numbers and this project can potentially bring in seven figures easily. Not to mention that once there's a cultural establishment, such as an art gallery, in town, more are sure to follow. More projects mean more connections and more money, inevitably turning this family's legacy into a staple business the world over. Now I'm only going to say this once, I'm not asking, get your husband to set up a meeting for me. Preferably before any of the major contracts are taken, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, grandfather."
Rising to her feet, Emily leaves the estate and makes her way back home, unable to believe that her grandfather could put such a demand on her. She just didn't get it. With the woman being Sarah's sister, that made her a Webber, which made her Audrey's granddaughter, so, why could he just put that demand on his history with the elder lady? Why did it have to be her husband to make that connection? It's not fair. Her husband is the last person she wants that woman around, especially after the conversation they had about her, this is the last thing she wants.
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She was well aware of the kind of person Carly Corinthos is, the kind of person she thinks she is, and the kind of person she could only wish to be. Even with all her pre-knowledge of the woman, Elizabeth truly believes that nothing could truly prepare her for the kind of audacity that lives in this woman. The kind of entitlement she believes she's owed when it comes to the men in her life. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she'd never believe anyone capable of such extreme feats. Bravo to her, Elizabeth thinks to herself as she stands toe-to-toe with the other woman, the men having stepped out to discuss business.
"I don't know who you think you are, but I've been in Jason's life a lot longer than you have," Carly states. "If you think that you matter more than Sonny and I do, you have another thing coming."
"That's cute," Elizabeth counters. "You think that you've known Jason longer than I have?"
"Are you stupid, of course, I have," Carly snaps. "You just got here. I've been here for years!"
"Yeah, I just got to town, I'll give you that," Elizabeth says with a hint of laughter, she truly is giving the blonde stereotype some credibility. "But I've been with Jason for many years. So many that I was aware the moment you first popped up on the scene."
"You're lying!" Carly growls. "This is the first I've heard of you! There's no way that you've known Jason longer than me."
"You met Jason when he was already an enforcer," Elizabeth points out. "I started dating him while he was still a rookie."
"Now I know you're lying," Carly snaps. "He was dating that Robin wench when he was a rookie."
"He went on like two dates with her," Elizabeth corrects. "Something that was over when he went to Italy for the second time and we started dating. For someone that knows Jason as well as you think you do, you sure don't know anything about his love life."
"You bitc..." Carly starts to say but is cut off by the men walking into the room.
"That's enough!" Jason snaps, clearly knowing what was about to come out of her mouth. "Don't ever call her that again."
"You're defending her?!" Carly growls. "She's the one lying to my face! She's the one spreading lies about you!"
"She's just upset that I've known you longer than she has," Elizabeth says simply when he looks at her curiously. "She doesn't believe that we've been dating since your rookie days."
"Because it's a lie!" Carly states. "Tell her she's lying, Jason."
"She's not lying," Sonny intervenes, knowing he should have mentioned it before, but having known what her reaction would be. They both did. Which is why they never mentioned it until now. "They've been together longer than we have."
"You have to be kidding me," Carly looks at her husband dead in his eyes before letting out the most banshee shriek imaginable. "And you're just telling me this now?!"
While Carly's attention is diverted to her husband, Jason slides his hand into Elizabeth's to signal it's time to leave, both making a silent exit with the help of Ritchie at the door. Making their way to the bike, Elizabeth can't help but laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation. The woman really is a natural disaster. Though she's a headache to deal with, Elizabeth is not too worried about further encounters with the woman, finding that the woman reminded her a lot of Sarah Webber when she doesn't get her way or she feels like she's getting duped.
"Sorry about her," Jason voices when they make their way onto the bridge. "She can be quite the handful."
"That's okay," Elizabeth assures him. "She's bearable."
"About what she said..."
"You know me, I've got thicker skin than that," Elizabeth assures him, fitting herself in his arms. "I appreciate that you stood up for me, though, regardless of whether you needed to or not."
"Deal's a deal," he replies with a shrug. "She's technically part of my circle. Which means, it's on me to handle her."
"True."
"No different than the time you stood up for me with Max," Jason reminds her. "Never thought the guy would ever shut up."
"Fair point," she smiles, melting into him when pulls her close and takes claim to her lips. "I love you."
"I love you."
"Between Carly and this ride, I can definitely say the effects of that meeting is long gone," Elizabeth laughs, laying her head against his chest. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. It always helps."
"Anytime."
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Author's Note: Whew, this took a little longer than expected, but the time away was definitely well spent. Turning 32 was quite the emotional rollercoaster with reconnecting with loved ones. Can't wait to hear what you think of this and, as always, thanks for reading.