A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update! For those of you in the States, Happy Thanksgiving!

/

"Bianca."

The woman in question nearly jumped out of her skin and looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "M … Mom. Hi. What are you doing here?"

"A lunch meeting that has since been cancelled. I might ask you the same question. What are you doing here? Are you meeting Marissa?"

"Did I hear my name?" Marissa smiled brightly seeing her wife and mother-in-law. The redhead leaned in and gave Bianca a quick kiss. "Hey. Hi, Erica. This is a really nice surprise, B. I didn't think I would see you until tonight. What brings you here?"

While Marissa was looking at Erica, Bianca gave her mother a panicked look. Erica, on the other hand, was wearing an amused expression.

The diva decided to take pity on her daughter. This wasn't to say, however, that she was going to let Bianca off easy, far from it. There would be a price for her daughter to pay for getting her off the hook. "Bianca and I are having lunch together. It's been a while since we've spent some time with just the two of us. Why are you here, dear? Meeting a client?"

"Yes and no. I'm meeting Charles Miller for lunch. He's the COO of Meyers Tech."

"Oh yes, Jack has mentioned him."

"Then you know that he's not really a client yet, just one we're hoping will become one."

"I do. Are you leading the negotiations?"

"No, I'm not. That is not my area of expertise. I do need to discuss something with Charles though, and don't want Meyers around when I do it. When I got the announcement about the donation to the school district, I figured that this was the perfect opportunity since Meyers will be at the ceremony for the check presentation."

"I heard about his donation. That was very generous."

"Yeah, it was."

"You don't appear that impressed, dear."

Marissa shrugged. "It's generous, but I just don't know that it is all it appears to be."

Bianca had to agree with her mother's assessment of Marissa's muted response to the donation. The brunette didn't think her wife wouldn't be overly impressed by it, but to actually hear Marissa's take on it was a huge relief. Bianca felt a weight being lifted from her.

Erica observed her daughter's reaction. Interesting. There was definitely something going on with Bianca, and the diva was going to find out what it was.

"Getting back to meeting with Charles, I ran it by Caleb on my way out, and he agreed." Seeing Caleb had been a stroke of luck for Marissa. He walked with her to her car, and the two devised a quick plan for her last minute lunch.

"I'm getting the impression from you that there is some sort of problem with this Meyers fellow."

Bianca finally managed to snap out of her daze and joined the conversation. "Do you think talking with Charles will help?"

"That's the hope. As for Meyers, Erica, I don't know that there is an actual problem with him. It's hard to put into words, but something just doesn't feel right."

"I've learned over time to trust my instincts, or as Caleb would say, to go with my gut. What I've learned about you is that you have excellent instincts. Trust them."

Marissa cocked her head and smiled. "Thank you, Erica."

/

"What the hell was that?" Kendall whispered.

"Crap. I think someone is trying to get in. Hide."

The duo glanced around the room frantically looking for a place to hide. Greenlee's eyes settled on what she hoped was the solution to their current dilemma.

"The closet."

The women dropped the papers and file and darted into the closet, closing it just as the door to the room opened. Peering through the slats in the closet door, Kendall watched a man with gray hair enter.

"What's going on?" Greenlee whispered.

Kendall glared at her friend. "Shhh."

Charles Miller entered the suite being used by his friend and coworker to pick up a file. After he received Marissa's call, Charles decided to grab a file for their lunch meeting. Brady had surprised him late the night before with the donation to the school district. While Charles had no problem with the donation itself, he did have one with the reasoning behind it. Brady had told him it was good PR for the company, but Charles knew better. He knew his friend wasn't doing it for the company's image. He was doing it for his own benefit, to make him look good to a certain redheaded lawyer. This latest development had made for a late night for the COO. He had done a great deal of thinking and had to admit that he was relieved when Marissa had called him asking to meet. That simple phone call helped him make up his mind, and as a result, he needed that file. So after he put in his name in at the restaurant, he ran up to Brady's room to retrieve it.

"What the hell?" Charles almost ran right into a maid's cart. Not seeing anyone as he glanced around the room, the man simply shrugged and went over to the desk. He was relieved the file would be out there rather than in Brady's bedroom. The man may be brilliant, but Brady's personal life was a train wreck. Charles looked at the desk and saw its usual mess. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a piece of paper on the floor and bent down to pick it up.

"What's he doing?"

"He's reading something. I'm pretty sure it's what you were reading. Now, quiet. He's going to hear us."

Charles cocked his head thinking he heard something. Satisfied there wasn't anything, the man started to read again. This was something new, and he definitely wasn't happy about it. He checked the time and realized Marissa would be there any minute so Charles quickly grabbed the file he was looking for along with the paper he had been reading and left.

"Is he gone?" Greenlee whispered after hearing a door close.

Kendall peered through the door's slats. "I think so." She cracked the door open and poked her head out. A quick survey of the room provided the needed confirmation. "Yeah, he's gone. The coast is clear."

Both women sighed in relief as they exited the closet.

"That was way too close. Did you recognize him? Was it Meyers?" Greenlee asked.

"I'm not sure who it was, but I do know it wasn't Meyers. I'm guessing that's why we didn't hear from Bianca."

"If not, she better have a damn good reason."

"It's gone."

"What's gone?"

"The outline that Meyers had drawn up. It's gone."

"Dammit. We really could've used that. Do you remember what it said? Any of the details?"

Kendall nodded. "A few. Let's take some pictures of his research on Marissa and get out of here. That was too close for comfort."

"On it." Greenlee snapped the photos while Kendall looked for any other evidence. Finding nothing else, the duo decided to leave.

While Greenlee held the door open, Kendall pushed the cart into the hallway. As the cart was just clearing the entrance, it ran straight into a gray-haired man.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry! Are you all right?"

The man rubbed his shin. "Yeah, I think so. Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. Wait. Were you just in that room?"

Kendall and Greenlee glanced at each other, both slightly panicked. It was only an instant however since both were experts at thinking fast on their feet.

"We were."

"That's odd. I was just in there and didn't see anyone. I saw the cart but not you."

"Oh, that's because we weren't in there."

"We were there earlier though but got called away for an emergency."

"A housekeeping emergency?" Charles asked skeptically.

"Yeah. Bachelor party gone really bad."

"Then why did you leave your cart?"

"We weren't sure how bad it was going to be until we got there. It was quicker for us to just leave this in the room while we checked things out."

"Yeah, we were hoping it wouldn't be as bad as we were told so we could get back here. That's not the case though."

"So true, Millie." Greenlee leaned in and lowered her voice. "Between us, I think the owner may sue. They did some serious damage to the suite."

"Really? It's that bad?" Charles had taken the bait.

Kendall nodded and picked up where her friend had left off. "Definitely. Ethel's right about the extent of the damage. If you ask me, I think someone watched too many of those bachelor party type movies. Idiots."

"And we get stuck cleaning up their mess. That's going to take us all day. Looks like overtime."

"Yes, it will, and we have to wait around until Security has everything documented before we can start."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So, our rooms …"

"We won't be doing them, but someone else will. Did you need something?"

"If it's not too much trouble, could I get a few more towels? I was hoping to hit the gym later."

"Of course. What room are you in?"

"Great! I'm in room 411, Charles Miller. Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. We better get back, Ethel."

"You're right, we should, Millie. Have a nice day, Mr. Miller."

"Thank you. The two of you have a nice day as well."

The women watched as Charles walked towards the elevators and were finally able to relax when he got into a car and the doors closed.

"Pretty smooth if I do say so myself, Ethel."

"Not our first rodeo, Millie. So, this Charles Miller is somehow connected to Meyers. I wonder how."

"Well, I'd say we could check out his room since you have that keycard, but I don't want to press our luck any more than we already have. You google him, and I'll push this."

"Sounds good to me." Greenlee pulled out her cellphone, opened the Google app, and typed in the name of Charles Miller in the search bar.

As they walked down the hallway, Kendall saw a maid looking at them strangely. "We're taking our break now. Room 411 could use some extra towels."

The maid was left standing confused in the hallway in the duo's wake.

/

"Marissa, hi. I'm sorry. I had to run up and get a file. I hope you weren't waiting too long."

The redhead waved the man off. "It's fine, Charles. I just got here a few ago myself, and I had some very good company. I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Bianca …"

"Tasker-Montgomery." Bianca chimed in. She was proud of the name she shared with her wife, and Marissa felt the exact same way.

Marissa smiled. "Tasker-Montgomery. Bianca, this is Charles Miller, the COO of Meyers Tech."

Bianca held out her hand and smiled. "Mr. Miller, it's a pleasure."

Charles took her hand and shook it. "The pleasure is all mine, and please, call me Charles."

"Only if you call me Bianca."

"Done."

"And this is my mother-in-law, Erica Kane."

Charles was immediately in awe and struggled not to make a fool out of himself. "Ms. Kane, it is an honor to meet you."

Erica gave him a gracious smile. "Please call me Erica, that is if I may call you Charles?"

"Uh, of course you can. You can call me anything you want. I am a huge fan, and my wife is an even bigger one. She is not going to believe that I met you."

"Well, there is one way to rectify that. Do you have a cellphone on you? We can have Marissa take a photo."

"Seriously? Yes, yes, of course." Charles began to fumble for his phone while Bianca and Marissa did their best not to laugh. This was a scene they had witnessed many times before and would undoubtedly witness again.

/

"Crap!" Kendall stopped dead in her tracks causing Greenlee to plow into her.

"What the hell, Kendall."

The taller woman pulled Greenlee over behind a pillar. "Look."

"Crap! What's Miller doing talking to your Mom and Bianca?"

"You think I know?" Kendall deadpanned. "I've been with you."

"Oh yeah. Well, that probably explains why we didn't hear from Bianca. With Erica and Marissa there, she didn't have a chance to call us."

"You're right. Come on. We need to get out of here."

/

Out of the corner of her eye, Erica spotted her oldest daughter and Greenlee dressed as maids. The diva watched amused as they scurried through the lobby using pillars, potted plants, and luggage carts for cover along the way. Bianca's earlier behavior started to make sense. The three of them were in on whatever was going on. Her youngest daughter would definitely be facing some questions.

"Here it is." Charles handed his cellphone to Marissa. "I really appreciate this, Ms. Kane, I mean, Erica."

"Of course."

Marissa was about to snap the photo when she saw two figures who looked like Kendall and Greenlee darting from behind a pillar to a giant potted plant.

"Is something wrong, Rissa?" Bianca asked.

The redhead glanced over to her wife and then back to the plant. There was no one there. I must be seeing things. "No, no. I thought I saw someone I knew. Okay, smile." Marissa took the photo and handed the cellphone back to Charles.

"This is great. Thank you."

Erica smiled. "You're welcome. I suppose we should let the two of you get down to business. It was nice meeting you."

"Yes, you're right. Marissa and I need to talk. It was a pleasure meeting both you, Erica, and you, Bianca."

"It was nice to meet you too, Charles." Bianca smiled.

Marissa gave Bianca a quick kiss. "I'll see you at home." The redhead turned to her mother-in-law. "Erica, good to see you as always. Maybe we can do dinner this weekend."

"I would like that. Bianca and I will arrange something. Have a good day, dear."

When Marissa and Charles were out of earshot, Erica turned to her youngest daughter. "Now, would you like to tell me exactly why you are here and why Kendall and Greenlee were dressed as maids?"

/

After Charles and Marissa were seated and their drink orders taken, they began to chat.

"I hope I didn't make too much of a fool of myself with your mother-in-law."

Marissa smiled and did her best to reassure him. "Don't even give it a second thought. You were just fine, and were very respectful. Since I've been with Bianca, I've become used to people being awestruck by Erica and also Bianca. My wife is pretty famous in her own right."

"Yes, she is. I've heard wonderful things about the Miranda Center. It's very impressive."

"It is, and it's all Bianca. She founded it, and has put her heart and soul into it. She is remarkable. I will freely admit that I am completely biased."

Charles chuckled as he listened to Marissa's admission. "I'm the same way about my wife. I'm curious about the last names."

"Oh, Bianca and I use our maiden names professionally. Since we were both established in our careers when we got married, we decided it was simpler to use them for work. In our personal lives though, we both go by Tasker-Montgomery. The kids have both of our names as well. That was their surprise for both of us a few months ago."

"How did they manage something like that?"

"They contacted Caleb and hired him." Marissa stated proudly.

"Wow. You have some pretty impressive and resourceful kids."

"Yes, we do."

Charles noted the smile on the lawyer's face as she spoke about her wife and kids. He had pretty much made up his mind on what he was going to do, but seeing the way Marissa lit up and meeting with Bianca sealed it for him. After the server returned with their drinks and took their lunch orders, the two got down to business.

"I'm really glad you called me today. There are a few things we need to discuss, things that you should know."

/

Bianca started to say something, but Erica cut her off.

"Please spare me whatever story you were about to tell me. I'm going to assume those two are waiting for you. So before they manage to get themselves into any further trouble loitering in the parking lot, I suggest we go get them. From the looks of things, I don't believe we'll be missed." Erica glanced over to where Marissa and Charles were sitting.

Bianca followed her mother's gaze, and saw Marissa and Charles engaged in what could only be described as an intense conversation. She noted her wife wasn't happy. Marissa was doing a good job not showing that to Charles, but Bianca knew her wife well enough to know when something was bothering her which left her to wonder what exactly the two were discussing to evoke that feeling. "I think you're right. Rissa is definitely focused. Now is probably the best time to leave."

The mother and daughter slipped out without anyone being none the wiser.

/

"Do you think it's safe to text Bianca?"

"It should be. I wonder what Mom is doing here, and why were they talking to Meyers?"

"Do you think any of them saw us? This would be kind of hard to explain to them, especially Erica."

"Why don't you give it a try, Greenlee? I would love to know why the two of you are here dressed like that." Erica raised an eyebrow as she smiled at Kendall and Greenlee.

"Crap."

"Look, Mom, why don't we have this conversation somewhere less public? We could go to my house." Kendall suggested.

"I believe that is a good idea, dear."

"Great. We'll meet you there."

Erica smiled again. "Oh, I had a car service drive me here and dismissed it already. We'll be driving to your home together."

"Crap." Greenlee muttered under her breath. So much for coming up with any type of plausible explanation. She glanced at Kendall who was thinking the same thing, and they both knew that was exactly why Erica was doing this.

/

A/N: I had intended to wrap this particular arch up in this chapter, but work has been hectic. I'm also fighting a cold, and have been dealing with health issues concerning my mom. I hope to wrap this up in the next chapter. See you soon!