Joseph stood frozen as the world around him played out in some sort
of bizarre suspended animation. He could see the speeding sedan barreling
toward Cassandra as he watched her about to step off the curb. The shrill
sound of the pedestrian signal blared overhead, and Joseph felt as though
he was in the midst of a "B" rated movie. However, somewhere between his
trance-like state and reality, Joseph pulled his wife out of the speeding
car's path. They both landed hard on the cement sidewalk among gasps from
all those standing around them. "Cassandra?!" Joseph's voice held a note
of panic as he gathered his wife in his arms. "Cassandra," he repeated as
he gently touched her face.
"Joseph?" her voice questioned as her eyes began to flutter.
"Thank god," he sighed with relief. "Do you think you can stand?"
"What happened?" Cassandra asked as she looked up at all those who were peering down at her.
"You were almost run down," a bystander offered.
"What?" She sounded confused.
"Here, let me help you." The man who had just given an explanation of what happened brought forth his hand to assist Joseph in lifting Cassandra from the ground.
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Joseph returned. "I can take of my wife. Thank you again."
With the excitement over, the crowd around them finally dispersed. "Are you sure you can walk?" Joseph questioned placing his arm around Cassandra.
"Yes." She smiled and gently caressed her husband's concerned face. "I am fine."
Instinctively, Joseph took Cassandra in his arms. He was thankful that she had been unharmed. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you as well."
Jason looked across the room at the ornate clock perched on the bar. It read half past two in the morning. He let his eyes rest on Elizabeth's sleeping form next to him. Guilt consumed him instantly. The earlier events of the evening weren't what he had planned when he secretly brought Elizabeth to his penthouse again. All Jason's good intentions had been washed away by her pleas and tears. Jason lightly pushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. He couldn't stop the smile that filled his features. How he had wished that he could truly enjoy the rapture that he felt when he was with Elizabeth. How Jason longed for those feelings not to be clouded by the ever-present danger that lurked around every corner. "Elizabeth," Jason softly shook his sleeping beauty. As much as he wanted to spend the night with her in his arms, that wasn't how it was to be. The image of Anthony's spy was burned into Jason's memory. By now, he was certain that the man had reported all he had seen to Anthony. Jason wasn't about to keep Elizabeth out all night and give the maniac he knew Anthony to be any more ammunition that could be used against her.
"Huhmmmmmm," she sighed as she moved closer against Jason's warm body.
"Elizabeth, baby, you have to wake up. You have to go."
The word "go" caught her full attention. She sat up quickly, almost as if an ice-cold bucket of water had been thrown on her. "What do you mean I have to go?" Elizabeth didn't disguise her anger. She thought they were right back where they had begun hours ago.
"You can't stay here," Jason remarked.
"Why?"
"Anthony, that's why!"
"Oh Jason," Elizabeth cried. "Can we not do this again?"
"We aren't," he countered in a confused tone.
"That's not what it sounds like to me."
"Elizabeth," Jason rubbed the back of his hand against her soft skin. "I'm not sending you away like you think I am but with what happened earlier at Blue Chicago, I can't let you stay here."
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked with bewildered eyes.
"One of Anthony's men was at the club tonight."
"WHAT?!" Elizabeth wanted to hide her panic but couldn't.
"That's why I pulled you out of there. You have to go home tonight."
"Jason....." Elizabeth reached for him. Those words mixed with Anthony's cryptic phone call had her on edge.
"Easy," he said as she fell into his open arms as her tears got the better of her. "You just go home....."
"But...."
"Shhhh," Jason said placing his finger to her lips. "You go home and pretend like nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight. If Anthony even mentions my name, you tell him you thought you were meeting Emily. That isn't a lie. You tell him that I took her place since there was a mix-up with the flowers for her wedding."
"Jason....." Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if this would really work. Anthony's words of her not being as smart as she thought she was played over and over again in her head.
"Don't be afraid," Jason said pulling her closer to him. "I promise you that I will take care of Anthony."
"But..." The idea of Jason taking care of her husband frightened her as much as her having to face Anthony did. Elizabeth knew just how much he hated Jason. She could only imagine what lay in store for her husband's enemy as well as herself.
"No buts. You go home and play your part, Elizabeth. Do exactly as I have told you. I will make sure that our story is iron clad." Jason smiled a not so convincing smile and kissed her forehead.
After Elizabeth had left Jason paced the rooms of his penthouse. He tried to clear his thoughts so that he would be able to construct a plan of action. Jason knew it was a vain attempt at best after the scenes Anthony's man had been able to witness that evening but Jason still needed to provide Elizabeth with a bit of a buffer against her husband. Jason knew if he did things in the manner he was thinking about, Rocco Malucci would be privy to a scaled down version of events at the club. That would be enough to keep Anthony from striking, at least for a little while longer.
Jason looked at the large bed in his room then back at the leather sofa as he contemplated where to spend the night. It didn't take much thought on his part. The sofa was the obvious destination. Jason pulled a thin throw over his body as images of Elizabeth danced before the dark canvas of his closed eyes.
After a less than restful night's sleep Jason stood at the corner waiting for the taxi that Ronald had summonsed to take him back to where his Porsche sat near Blue Chicago. He toyed with the cell phone in his hand, wanting so much to call and check on Elizabeth. He couldn't shake the feeling of doom that consumed him. Wild thoughts paraded around in Jason's mind. What if his plan to cover his and Elizabeth's tracks the previous evening didn't work? What if Anthony had been sitting up waiting for Elizabeth to return home that night? What if?? Jason's mind was full of so many questions beginning with those two words. He slid into the back of the taxi and let out a labored sigh. Not only did he have Anthony to be concerned with, but also Jason imagined that by now his father had gotten wise to Emily's scheme. That meant yet another confrontation with his father. All Jason could do was shake his head as he watched the city streets pass before his eyes.
Elizabeth's BMW climbed the long drive toward the Malucci mansion. She held her breath and hoped and prayed that, for once, Anthony was out with one of his many goomahs. Elizabeth felt her heart sink when Anthony's Jaguar came into her line of sight. Luck really wasn't on her side that night.
She took a deep breath as she turned the knob on the door leading to the room she shared with Anthony. Her eyes were drawn to his sleeping form. Elizabeth navigated the dark room in silence, not wanting to do anything that might wake Anthony in the process. With a quick change of clothes, she slipped between the cool crisp sheets and settled in for a not so good night sleep.
Elizabeth rolled over as the morning sunlight beckoned her eyes to open. She wasn't quick to relinquish her dreams of the life she wanted with Jason for the reality that was her life. She stretched her arms and finally let the bright light of day engulf her. A quick glance sideways showed that Anthony was no longer sleeping beside her, a fact that immediately filled Elizabeth with relief. She hadn't wanted to face her husband any more now than she had the previous night when she slipped quietly into bed with him.
She pulled her cream colored silk robe over her shoulders as she absently paced the room. So many images and thoughts bombarded her, but Jason's admission of his love for her was the only thing that she wanted to concentrate on. Those were the only words she wanted to recall from last night. She hadn't wanted to remember the sadistic way Anthony's voice had cut through the background noise at Blue Chicago, nor did she want to think about Jason's statement that Vincent was having her followed. If she was to let her mind focus on those realities, Elizabeth knew that the rapture she had felt upon hearing Jason say those three small words would have gotten lost in a sea of terror. She wasn't about to let that happen. Elizabeth wanted to bask in the glory for a little while longer.
Stepping out of the shower Elizabeth wrapped the large white towel around her damp hair before she turned the knob of the door that separated the master bathroom from the bedroom. It was at that same moment that she heard the sound of Anthony's voice. Quietly she eased the door closed, leaving it ajar just enough that she was able to hear what he was saying. It only took a minute for Elizabeth to wish she hadn't.
"I want to see you this morning." She heard Anthony order. "We have a little unfinished business from last night." Elizabeth wondered if he was talking to the man that Jason had seen spying on her at Blue Chicago. "Yeah ... black lace, red lace... makes no difference to me," Anthony said offhandedly.
Those words were all Elizabeth needed to hear to know that this conversation had nothing whatsoever to do with her or Jason Morgan for that matter. Elizabeth shut the door all the way now. She had no desire to listen to her husband making plans with another woman. She swallowed hard against the lump that was now sitting at the back of her throat. No matter where she was in her life now, that didn't stop the hurt that stabbed at her heart knowing that Anthony had so little regard for their union. It was almost like she had been thrown back in time to the very first night that she came to realize that she wasn't the only woman in her husband's life. The memory of that event still stung her heart.
... ... It had been the night of Elizabeth's birthday. She had been cleaning out the pockets of one of Anthony's suits that needed to be taken to the cleaners. In doing so, she came across a receipt from H. Horowitz Jewelry Company. The little girl in Elizabeth got the better of her and she unfolded the tiny piece of paper, curious as to what gift her husband was going to give her that evening. Elizabeth had felt the tears well up in her eyes as she read the description of a tennis bracelet that she had mentioned liking to Anthony. They had only had that conversation a day or so before her birthday and Elizabeth was elated to find the receipt. She hugged Anthony's suit jacket as if it had been him standing there before her. It was then that she took notice of the dinner reservation that Anthony had scribbled on the opposite side of the scrap of paper. It was a seven thirty table reservation at a new Italian bistro across town. Elizabeth thought that she and Anthony were going to celebrate her twenty- first birthday in style, yet that wasn't how it played out at all.
Anthony had never bothered to come home that evening. She tried the office several times, but no one knew anything about his whereabouts. Elizabeth had a sick feeling in her stomach that night. At first she had been truly worried that something might have happened to her husband. Without thinking, she had gotten in her car and traveled the streets of Chicago to look for Anthony. Elizabeth finally ended up across town at the restaurant where she thought she and Anthony were to have dinner that evening... ...
Elizabeth wiped the tears that now fell on her cheeks, tears that never came that fateful night.
... ... She watched Anthony place the diamond studded tennis bracelet, the one that she had assumed was hers, on another woman's arm. From then on, Elizabeth had come to understand that she had been sold to the highest bidder and nothing more... ...
She tried to shake off that memory as she stood with her back against the door and wondered why she was crying. This wasn't something that should have surprised her, but there were still times when it hurt like hell.
She waited until she heard the heavy thud of the outer door of the bedroom as it closed before she made her way into her dressing area. Elizabeth had planned on talking to Anthony so that she could address the issue of needing money for the benefit, but now she was seriously considering Jason's suggestion of speaking with Rocco instead. She found it odd that Anthony had yet to say anything to her about last night or question her on her whereabouts in his usual attempt at tripping her up or catching her in a lie. It all gave her an eerie feeling, a feeling as though she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Elizabeth dressed quickly and made her way to the dining room. She was sure that breakfast was just about to be served.
"Good morning," Rocco smiled at her as she took a cup filled with coffee from the sideboard.
"Good morning," she replied with her own smile. Hesitantly, Elizabeth took her seat next to Anthony who hadn't picked his head up from the morning paper to so much as glance at her. She found his silence was a bit unnerving to her.
"So, Elizabeth dear, how was your evening?" Rocco asked as Helena placed a platter in front of him.
"Very nice, thank you," Elizabeth answered keeping her eyes focused on her own plate. There was still no movement from the man next to her. It was almost as if he hadn't even been in the room.
"How was the band? Were they all you expected?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, they were exceptional." Elizabeth took a long sip of coffee.
"Then there will be a blues band playing for the benefit?" Rocco teased.
"I hope so," Elizabeth paused, looking for an opening to discuss the fact that she needed Malucci Manufacturing to pick up the remaining expense of the band.
"Is there a problem?" Rocco eyed his daughter in law curiously.
"Possibly," she hesitated.
"What is it?"
Elizabeth couldn't stop herself from turning to stare at Anthony, who through this entire exchange had never once lifted his eyes from the newspaper in his hands.
"Elizabeth?" Rocco questioned again.
"Well according to Dr. Harner, we are nearing the hospital's budget limit for this event. I am afraid that we are lacking the money that we need to cover the entertainment. I know that Malucci Manufacturing has done so much already," she paused, 'but do you think it would be possible for the company to ... ..."
"NO," Anthony said before Elizabeth was able to finish her question to Rocco.
"Excuse me?" Rocco directed his comment to his son. "I do believe that your wife was speaking to me."
"Malucci Manufacturing isn't sinking another dime into this benefit," Anthony countered with a sneer.
"WHAT!?" Rocco's voice grew louder.
"You heard me......"
"The band is already booked," Elizabeth gasped. "We can't back out now!"
"You should have thought about your lack of money before you made the commitment."
Elizabeth stared at Anthony with disbelief in her eyes. Here he sat cool, calm and collected. He was nothing like the man she knew him to be.
"Elizabeth not to worry. I will be sure that the arrangements are made for the band to be compensated for their time," Rocco said in total disregard of what Anthony wanted.
"Like hell you will!" Anthony's voice rose to the caliber that Elizabeth had grown accustomed to.
Without thinking, the words fell out of her mouth, "Fine then!" she spat. "If you aren't going to help me, well, then I will just have to take Jason up on his offer and have Morgan Enterprises pay for the band."
Anthony's hands tightened around the thin newspaper as he tried to remain composed. "Jason Morgan, huh?" Anthony shot daggers in the direction of his wife. "Just what does Jason Morgan have to do with this?"
Elizabeth could hear her heart beating in her ears as her hands began to sweat. The explanation that Jason had instructed her to give totally escaped her at the moment.
"I would imagine that Jason Morgan has a great deal to do with this benefit considering that his family, like us, is a major benefactor in the event." Rocco offered the explanation that Elizabeth was unable to grasp.
"I would rather hear from my wife!" Anthony said through clenched teeth. Ralphie's words of Jason and Elizabeth in a compromising situation haunted him.
"Jason – he well, he met me at Blue Chicago....."
"I thought you were meeting Emily?" Rocco interrupted.
"I was." Elizabeth stuttered as she felt all eyes in the room come to rest upon her.
"I think I am a little confused," Rocco stated.
Elizabeth looked at her father in law and wanted to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to him, even if it was only a half lie. Rocco's urging her to find happiness where she could rang in Elizabeth's ears, yet the look on his face told her that Jason Morgan wasn't the happiness Rocco had intended for her to find. "There was a mix up with Emily's floral arrangements for her wedding. She and Zander had to go do damage control of some sort." Elizabeth's voice shook and took on a rapid response as she tried to remember the lie that Jason had told her to say.
"That still doesn't explain how Jason ended up with you." Anthony placed his emphasis on the word you.
"Apparently, Emily asked him to take her place. I was to meet her at the club. She must not have wanted me to be unescorted."
"That was very nice of her," Anthony retorted sarcasm dripping from each word.
"So, Jason offered to take care of the expense of the band?" Rocco inquired.
"Yes he did, but I declined ... ..."
"WHY?!" Anthony bellowed.
"I assumed you had had enough of the Morgan generosity," Elizabeth shot back at her husband.
"Don't do me any favors... ..."
"Excuse me," Helena said as she entered the room. "Mrs. Malucci, Ms. Emily Morgan is on the phone. She wanted to apologize for last night's mix up. I told her that the family was sitting down to breakfast... ..."
"That's fine Helena, I will be right there." Elizabeth got up from the table with a triumphant smile on her face. Jason had said that he would take care of things, and it looked as though he had done just that.
"Joseph?" her voice questioned as her eyes began to flutter.
"Thank god," he sighed with relief. "Do you think you can stand?"
"What happened?" Cassandra asked as she looked up at all those who were peering down at her.
"You were almost run down," a bystander offered.
"What?" She sounded confused.
"Here, let me help you." The man who had just given an explanation of what happened brought forth his hand to assist Joseph in lifting Cassandra from the ground.
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Joseph returned. "I can take of my wife. Thank you again."
With the excitement over, the crowd around them finally dispersed. "Are you sure you can walk?" Joseph questioned placing his arm around Cassandra.
"Yes." She smiled and gently caressed her husband's concerned face. "I am fine."
Instinctively, Joseph took Cassandra in his arms. He was thankful that she had been unharmed. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you as well."
Jason looked across the room at the ornate clock perched on the bar. It read half past two in the morning. He let his eyes rest on Elizabeth's sleeping form next to him. Guilt consumed him instantly. The earlier events of the evening weren't what he had planned when he secretly brought Elizabeth to his penthouse again. All Jason's good intentions had been washed away by her pleas and tears. Jason lightly pushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. He couldn't stop the smile that filled his features. How he had wished that he could truly enjoy the rapture that he felt when he was with Elizabeth. How Jason longed for those feelings not to be clouded by the ever-present danger that lurked around every corner. "Elizabeth," Jason softly shook his sleeping beauty. As much as he wanted to spend the night with her in his arms, that wasn't how it was to be. The image of Anthony's spy was burned into Jason's memory. By now, he was certain that the man had reported all he had seen to Anthony. Jason wasn't about to keep Elizabeth out all night and give the maniac he knew Anthony to be any more ammunition that could be used against her.
"Huhmmmmmm," she sighed as she moved closer against Jason's warm body.
"Elizabeth, baby, you have to wake up. You have to go."
The word "go" caught her full attention. She sat up quickly, almost as if an ice-cold bucket of water had been thrown on her. "What do you mean I have to go?" Elizabeth didn't disguise her anger. She thought they were right back where they had begun hours ago.
"You can't stay here," Jason remarked.
"Why?"
"Anthony, that's why!"
"Oh Jason," Elizabeth cried. "Can we not do this again?"
"We aren't," he countered in a confused tone.
"That's not what it sounds like to me."
"Elizabeth," Jason rubbed the back of his hand against her soft skin. "I'm not sending you away like you think I am but with what happened earlier at Blue Chicago, I can't let you stay here."
"What happened?" Elizabeth asked with bewildered eyes.
"One of Anthony's men was at the club tonight."
"WHAT?!" Elizabeth wanted to hide her panic but couldn't.
"That's why I pulled you out of there. You have to go home tonight."
"Jason....." Elizabeth reached for him. Those words mixed with Anthony's cryptic phone call had her on edge.
"Easy," he said as she fell into his open arms as her tears got the better of her. "You just go home....."
"But...."
"Shhhh," Jason said placing his finger to her lips. "You go home and pretend like nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight. If Anthony even mentions my name, you tell him you thought you were meeting Emily. That isn't a lie. You tell him that I took her place since there was a mix-up with the flowers for her wedding."
"Jason....." Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if this would really work. Anthony's words of her not being as smart as she thought she was played over and over again in her head.
"Don't be afraid," Jason said pulling her closer to him. "I promise you that I will take care of Anthony."
"But..." The idea of Jason taking care of her husband frightened her as much as her having to face Anthony did. Elizabeth knew just how much he hated Jason. She could only imagine what lay in store for her husband's enemy as well as herself.
"No buts. You go home and play your part, Elizabeth. Do exactly as I have told you. I will make sure that our story is iron clad." Jason smiled a not so convincing smile and kissed her forehead.
After Elizabeth had left Jason paced the rooms of his penthouse. He tried to clear his thoughts so that he would be able to construct a plan of action. Jason knew it was a vain attempt at best after the scenes Anthony's man had been able to witness that evening but Jason still needed to provide Elizabeth with a bit of a buffer against her husband. Jason knew if he did things in the manner he was thinking about, Rocco Malucci would be privy to a scaled down version of events at the club. That would be enough to keep Anthony from striking, at least for a little while longer.
Jason looked at the large bed in his room then back at the leather sofa as he contemplated where to spend the night. It didn't take much thought on his part. The sofa was the obvious destination. Jason pulled a thin throw over his body as images of Elizabeth danced before the dark canvas of his closed eyes.
After a less than restful night's sleep Jason stood at the corner waiting for the taxi that Ronald had summonsed to take him back to where his Porsche sat near Blue Chicago. He toyed with the cell phone in his hand, wanting so much to call and check on Elizabeth. He couldn't shake the feeling of doom that consumed him. Wild thoughts paraded around in Jason's mind. What if his plan to cover his and Elizabeth's tracks the previous evening didn't work? What if Anthony had been sitting up waiting for Elizabeth to return home that night? What if?? Jason's mind was full of so many questions beginning with those two words. He slid into the back of the taxi and let out a labored sigh. Not only did he have Anthony to be concerned with, but also Jason imagined that by now his father had gotten wise to Emily's scheme. That meant yet another confrontation with his father. All Jason could do was shake his head as he watched the city streets pass before his eyes.
Elizabeth's BMW climbed the long drive toward the Malucci mansion. She held her breath and hoped and prayed that, for once, Anthony was out with one of his many goomahs. Elizabeth felt her heart sink when Anthony's Jaguar came into her line of sight. Luck really wasn't on her side that night.
She took a deep breath as she turned the knob on the door leading to the room she shared with Anthony. Her eyes were drawn to his sleeping form. Elizabeth navigated the dark room in silence, not wanting to do anything that might wake Anthony in the process. With a quick change of clothes, she slipped between the cool crisp sheets and settled in for a not so good night sleep.
Elizabeth rolled over as the morning sunlight beckoned her eyes to open. She wasn't quick to relinquish her dreams of the life she wanted with Jason for the reality that was her life. She stretched her arms and finally let the bright light of day engulf her. A quick glance sideways showed that Anthony was no longer sleeping beside her, a fact that immediately filled Elizabeth with relief. She hadn't wanted to face her husband any more now than she had the previous night when she slipped quietly into bed with him.
She pulled her cream colored silk robe over her shoulders as she absently paced the room. So many images and thoughts bombarded her, but Jason's admission of his love for her was the only thing that she wanted to concentrate on. Those were the only words she wanted to recall from last night. She hadn't wanted to remember the sadistic way Anthony's voice had cut through the background noise at Blue Chicago, nor did she want to think about Jason's statement that Vincent was having her followed. If she was to let her mind focus on those realities, Elizabeth knew that the rapture she had felt upon hearing Jason say those three small words would have gotten lost in a sea of terror. She wasn't about to let that happen. Elizabeth wanted to bask in the glory for a little while longer.
Stepping out of the shower Elizabeth wrapped the large white towel around her damp hair before she turned the knob of the door that separated the master bathroom from the bedroom. It was at that same moment that she heard the sound of Anthony's voice. Quietly she eased the door closed, leaving it ajar just enough that she was able to hear what he was saying. It only took a minute for Elizabeth to wish she hadn't.
"I want to see you this morning." She heard Anthony order. "We have a little unfinished business from last night." Elizabeth wondered if he was talking to the man that Jason had seen spying on her at Blue Chicago. "Yeah ... black lace, red lace... makes no difference to me," Anthony said offhandedly.
Those words were all Elizabeth needed to hear to know that this conversation had nothing whatsoever to do with her or Jason Morgan for that matter. Elizabeth shut the door all the way now. She had no desire to listen to her husband making plans with another woman. She swallowed hard against the lump that was now sitting at the back of her throat. No matter where she was in her life now, that didn't stop the hurt that stabbed at her heart knowing that Anthony had so little regard for their union. It was almost like she had been thrown back in time to the very first night that she came to realize that she wasn't the only woman in her husband's life. The memory of that event still stung her heart.
... ... It had been the night of Elizabeth's birthday. She had been cleaning out the pockets of one of Anthony's suits that needed to be taken to the cleaners. In doing so, she came across a receipt from H. Horowitz Jewelry Company. The little girl in Elizabeth got the better of her and she unfolded the tiny piece of paper, curious as to what gift her husband was going to give her that evening. Elizabeth had felt the tears well up in her eyes as she read the description of a tennis bracelet that she had mentioned liking to Anthony. They had only had that conversation a day or so before her birthday and Elizabeth was elated to find the receipt. She hugged Anthony's suit jacket as if it had been him standing there before her. It was then that she took notice of the dinner reservation that Anthony had scribbled on the opposite side of the scrap of paper. It was a seven thirty table reservation at a new Italian bistro across town. Elizabeth thought that she and Anthony were going to celebrate her twenty- first birthday in style, yet that wasn't how it played out at all.
Anthony had never bothered to come home that evening. She tried the office several times, but no one knew anything about his whereabouts. Elizabeth had a sick feeling in her stomach that night. At first she had been truly worried that something might have happened to her husband. Without thinking, she had gotten in her car and traveled the streets of Chicago to look for Anthony. Elizabeth finally ended up across town at the restaurant where she thought she and Anthony were to have dinner that evening... ...
Elizabeth wiped the tears that now fell on her cheeks, tears that never came that fateful night.
... ... She watched Anthony place the diamond studded tennis bracelet, the one that she had assumed was hers, on another woman's arm. From then on, Elizabeth had come to understand that she had been sold to the highest bidder and nothing more... ...
She tried to shake off that memory as she stood with her back against the door and wondered why she was crying. This wasn't something that should have surprised her, but there were still times when it hurt like hell.
She waited until she heard the heavy thud of the outer door of the bedroom as it closed before she made her way into her dressing area. Elizabeth had planned on talking to Anthony so that she could address the issue of needing money for the benefit, but now she was seriously considering Jason's suggestion of speaking with Rocco instead. She found it odd that Anthony had yet to say anything to her about last night or question her on her whereabouts in his usual attempt at tripping her up or catching her in a lie. It all gave her an eerie feeling, a feeling as though she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Elizabeth dressed quickly and made her way to the dining room. She was sure that breakfast was just about to be served.
"Good morning," Rocco smiled at her as she took a cup filled with coffee from the sideboard.
"Good morning," she replied with her own smile. Hesitantly, Elizabeth took her seat next to Anthony who hadn't picked his head up from the morning paper to so much as glance at her. She found his silence was a bit unnerving to her.
"So, Elizabeth dear, how was your evening?" Rocco asked as Helena placed a platter in front of him.
"Very nice, thank you," Elizabeth answered keeping her eyes focused on her own plate. There was still no movement from the man next to her. It was almost as if he hadn't even been in the room.
"How was the band? Were they all you expected?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, they were exceptional." Elizabeth took a long sip of coffee.
"Then there will be a blues band playing for the benefit?" Rocco teased.
"I hope so," Elizabeth paused, looking for an opening to discuss the fact that she needed Malucci Manufacturing to pick up the remaining expense of the band.
"Is there a problem?" Rocco eyed his daughter in law curiously.
"Possibly," she hesitated.
"What is it?"
Elizabeth couldn't stop herself from turning to stare at Anthony, who through this entire exchange had never once lifted his eyes from the newspaper in his hands.
"Elizabeth?" Rocco questioned again.
"Well according to Dr. Harner, we are nearing the hospital's budget limit for this event. I am afraid that we are lacking the money that we need to cover the entertainment. I know that Malucci Manufacturing has done so much already," she paused, 'but do you think it would be possible for the company to ... ..."
"NO," Anthony said before Elizabeth was able to finish her question to Rocco.
"Excuse me?" Rocco directed his comment to his son. "I do believe that your wife was speaking to me."
"Malucci Manufacturing isn't sinking another dime into this benefit," Anthony countered with a sneer.
"WHAT!?" Rocco's voice grew louder.
"You heard me......"
"The band is already booked," Elizabeth gasped. "We can't back out now!"
"You should have thought about your lack of money before you made the commitment."
Elizabeth stared at Anthony with disbelief in her eyes. Here he sat cool, calm and collected. He was nothing like the man she knew him to be.
"Elizabeth not to worry. I will be sure that the arrangements are made for the band to be compensated for their time," Rocco said in total disregard of what Anthony wanted.
"Like hell you will!" Anthony's voice rose to the caliber that Elizabeth had grown accustomed to.
Without thinking, the words fell out of her mouth, "Fine then!" she spat. "If you aren't going to help me, well, then I will just have to take Jason up on his offer and have Morgan Enterprises pay for the band."
Anthony's hands tightened around the thin newspaper as he tried to remain composed. "Jason Morgan, huh?" Anthony shot daggers in the direction of his wife. "Just what does Jason Morgan have to do with this?"
Elizabeth could hear her heart beating in her ears as her hands began to sweat. The explanation that Jason had instructed her to give totally escaped her at the moment.
"I would imagine that Jason Morgan has a great deal to do with this benefit considering that his family, like us, is a major benefactor in the event." Rocco offered the explanation that Elizabeth was unable to grasp.
"I would rather hear from my wife!" Anthony said through clenched teeth. Ralphie's words of Jason and Elizabeth in a compromising situation haunted him.
"Jason – he well, he met me at Blue Chicago....."
"I thought you were meeting Emily?" Rocco interrupted.
"I was." Elizabeth stuttered as she felt all eyes in the room come to rest upon her.
"I think I am a little confused," Rocco stated.
Elizabeth looked at her father in law and wanted to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to him, even if it was only a half lie. Rocco's urging her to find happiness where she could rang in Elizabeth's ears, yet the look on his face told her that Jason Morgan wasn't the happiness Rocco had intended for her to find. "There was a mix up with Emily's floral arrangements for her wedding. She and Zander had to go do damage control of some sort." Elizabeth's voice shook and took on a rapid response as she tried to remember the lie that Jason had told her to say.
"That still doesn't explain how Jason ended up with you." Anthony placed his emphasis on the word you.
"Apparently, Emily asked him to take her place. I was to meet her at the club. She must not have wanted me to be unescorted."
"That was very nice of her," Anthony retorted sarcasm dripping from each word.
"So, Jason offered to take care of the expense of the band?" Rocco inquired.
"Yes he did, but I declined ... ..."
"WHY?!" Anthony bellowed.
"I assumed you had had enough of the Morgan generosity," Elizabeth shot back at her husband.
"Don't do me any favors... ..."
"Excuse me," Helena said as she entered the room. "Mrs. Malucci, Ms. Emily Morgan is on the phone. She wanted to apologize for last night's mix up. I told her that the family was sitting down to breakfast... ..."
"That's fine Helena, I will be right there." Elizabeth got up from the table with a triumphant smile on her face. Jason had said that he would take care of things, and it looked as though he had done just that.