Chapter 1
COFFEE QUEEN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF BACK-FROM-THE DEAD CRANE HEIRESS.
"Prom Queen pictures from the 80's," Kay grimaced, "Nice touch." She crumpled the newspaper between her fists. Beth's wild eyes gave her the creeps.
A week.
Seven whole days she'd been 'gone,' and nothing.
NOTHING.
Was her face on a milk carton?
Yeah right. And there were MISSING posters all over Harmony.
A girl could dream, couldn't she?
Kay kept one hand over her tummy as she adjusted the strap of her knapsack on her shoulder and stuffed her hair under the baseball cap she'd 'borrowed' from Miguel and conveniently forgotten to return, "Don't worry, Kid. I'm going to get us out of this Hell-hole, and we're going to make our own damned happily ever after just as soon as we score some cash. Putting the screws to Ivy Crane should do the trick, don't you think?"
Getting into the Crane Mansion should be easy enough, Kay decided as she left the park bench she'd called home for the last week in Lighthouse Park behind her. Hey.if Theresa managed to make it past security.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You have NO right to throw me out of this house, Ivy! I'm the legal Mrs. Crane!" Theresa shrieked, wrapping her arms around the winding banister and holding on for dear life.
"That's your Aunt Theresa," Kay whispered, ducking out of sight behind the massive Christmas tree still standing in the foyer, "Trust me. You'll thank me for skipping the formal introductions. She's such a Drama Queen."
"No! No, Ivy, you can't make me leave! There aren't any divorce papers. I ate them, remember? You won't take what's rightfully mine away from me," Theresa blustered.
"Dear God," Ivy scoffed, "Ethan, are you even listening to the garbage spewing from Paracita's mouth?"
"Mother, I won't have you calling the mother of my child names," Ethan spouted, taking little Ethan Martin from Phyllis's waiting arms, "Apologize this instant."
Ha, Kay thought. At least he caught it that time. Still, her brother was unquestionably a complete dumbass, and it obviously wasn't from Ivy's side of the family. Miguel was no Einstein either. Geez, she hoped she wasn't carrying the second coming of Forrest Gump.
"Like hell I will," Ivy shrilled, circling Theresa with her wheelchair and giving her a menacing look. "Get out before I leave tire marks all over your scrawny lying greedy ass," Ivy threatened. "I mean it, Theresa."
"Ethan," Theresa cried, brown eyes huge and spilling over with crocodile tears as she unclenched her fingers from the banister and slid to the floor, Ivy's wheelchair circling her faster and faster.
"Mother, leave Theresa alone," Ethan hurried to his fiancee's rescue, pulling her to her feet. "Theresa, we'll be fine on our own. We have Ethan Martin and love, and that's all we need to be happy," Ethan tried to convince her. "We still have to work on our trust, but other than that."
"But I DESERVE all this, Ethan. I'm not ready for the clock to strike midnight yet," Theresa's blubbering could be heard all the way out the door.
"Did I mention she has this warped sense of reality?" Kay muttered under her breath, stepping out from behind the Christmas tree when she heard Ivy zip into the living room, bitching about Theresa in one breath and lusting over her father in the other, "She thinks she's the reincarnation of Cinderella."
A maid scurried past at that moment, breakfast tray held high, without even batting an eyelash, and a slow grin spread over Kay's face as she felt the beginnings of an idea form in her head.
She grabbed a candy cane off the branch nearest to her and stuck it in her mouth, making her way upstairs.
"Let Ivy enjoy her breakfast first.we'll deal with her later."
COFFEE QUEEN JAILED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER OF BACK-FROM-THE DEAD CRANE HEIRESS.
"Prom Queen pictures from the 80's," Kay grimaced, "Nice touch." She crumpled the newspaper between her fists. Beth's wild eyes gave her the creeps.
A week.
Seven whole days she'd been 'gone,' and nothing.
NOTHING.
Was her face on a milk carton?
Yeah right. And there were MISSING posters all over Harmony.
A girl could dream, couldn't she?
Kay kept one hand over her tummy as she adjusted the strap of her knapsack on her shoulder and stuffed her hair under the baseball cap she'd 'borrowed' from Miguel and conveniently forgotten to return, "Don't worry, Kid. I'm going to get us out of this Hell-hole, and we're going to make our own damned happily ever after just as soon as we score some cash. Putting the screws to Ivy Crane should do the trick, don't you think?"
Getting into the Crane Mansion should be easy enough, Kay decided as she left the park bench she'd called home for the last week in Lighthouse Park behind her. Hey.if Theresa managed to make it past security.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You have NO right to throw me out of this house, Ivy! I'm the legal Mrs. Crane!" Theresa shrieked, wrapping her arms around the winding banister and holding on for dear life.
"That's your Aunt Theresa," Kay whispered, ducking out of sight behind the massive Christmas tree still standing in the foyer, "Trust me. You'll thank me for skipping the formal introductions. She's such a Drama Queen."
"No! No, Ivy, you can't make me leave! There aren't any divorce papers. I ate them, remember? You won't take what's rightfully mine away from me," Theresa blustered.
"Dear God," Ivy scoffed, "Ethan, are you even listening to the garbage spewing from Paracita's mouth?"
"Mother, I won't have you calling the mother of my child names," Ethan spouted, taking little Ethan Martin from Phyllis's waiting arms, "Apologize this instant."
Ha, Kay thought. At least he caught it that time. Still, her brother was unquestionably a complete dumbass, and it obviously wasn't from Ivy's side of the family. Miguel was no Einstein either. Geez, she hoped she wasn't carrying the second coming of Forrest Gump.
"Like hell I will," Ivy shrilled, circling Theresa with her wheelchair and giving her a menacing look. "Get out before I leave tire marks all over your scrawny lying greedy ass," Ivy threatened. "I mean it, Theresa."
"Ethan," Theresa cried, brown eyes huge and spilling over with crocodile tears as she unclenched her fingers from the banister and slid to the floor, Ivy's wheelchair circling her faster and faster.
"Mother, leave Theresa alone," Ethan hurried to his fiancee's rescue, pulling her to her feet. "Theresa, we'll be fine on our own. We have Ethan Martin and love, and that's all we need to be happy," Ethan tried to convince her. "We still have to work on our trust, but other than that."
"But I DESERVE all this, Ethan. I'm not ready for the clock to strike midnight yet," Theresa's blubbering could be heard all the way out the door.
"Did I mention she has this warped sense of reality?" Kay muttered under her breath, stepping out from behind the Christmas tree when she heard Ivy zip into the living room, bitching about Theresa in one breath and lusting over her father in the other, "She thinks she's the reincarnation of Cinderella."
A maid scurried past at that moment, breakfast tray held high, without even batting an eyelash, and a slow grin spread over Kay's face as she felt the beginnings of an idea form in her head.
She grabbed a candy cane off the branch nearest to her and stuck it in her mouth, making her way upstairs.
"Let Ivy enjoy her breakfast first.we'll deal with her later."