A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! It's appreciated. I was sad to hear earlier this week that David Canary passed away. For those of you who don't know who he is, he is the actor that played Adam and Stuart Chandler. I hated Adam, for the most part, but loved Stuart. He was a talented actor who was able to play two different characters at the same time who were polar opposites, and give them both such depth and the viewers such conflicting feelings about them. This also gave me an idea for something. You'll have to stay tuned for that. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

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.

Kendall and Greenlee sighed as they accepted their fate and joined the other two women in Bianca's car.

/

The drive over to Kendall's had been a quiet one. Erica had kept a close eye on the two women in the backseat which prevented them from talking and preparing an appropriate explanation for their current predicament. When they all settled inside Kendall's home, Greenlee decided to break the silence.

"Why were you talking to Charles Miller, and who exactly is he?"

"He's the COO of Meyers Tech, and he was meeting Rissa for lunch. Wait. How do you know him?" Bianca asked.

"We may have run into him."

Erica eyed her eldest daughter as she waited for more detail to her response.

Kendall sighed as her mother's eyes bored into her. It was a thousand times worse than going to the principal's office. "Fine. We ran into him outside of Meyers' room."

"Literally." Greenlee smirked.

"Excuse me?"

"I might have hit him with the maid's cart. In my defense, I didn't see him, and now that I think about it, it was more like he ran into the cart then the other way around. So, it was actually his fault. He ran into the cart."

Greenlee nodded. "I have to agree with you. He did run into you. You were completely innocent."

Erica rolled her eyes. "I don't really care who ran into whom although I seriously doubt either of you were innocent. Why were you there to begin with, and why are you dressed like this?"

"Oh."

"They were there because of me." Bianca admitted before turning to Kendall and Greenlee. "I'm sorry. I didn't see him or I would've called to warn you."

"It's okay. We figured it was probably something like that. I'm also guessing you had your hands full with Mom and Marissa."

"Yeah, I did."

"Enough! What is going on?"

Bianca took a deep breath and explained what had been going on with Meyers and his numerous attempts to monopolize Marissa's time. She also detailed her feelings regarding his recent donation to the schools. It was the combination of all of these things that led her to enlist Kendall's and Greenlee's help.

As Erica listened, she definitely detected more than just a tinge of jealousy in her youngest daughter. Taking everything in, the diva could easily understand why Bianca felt that way. Jack had mentioned his concern about Meyers asking too much from them, but he hadn't said anything about Marissa. To be fair, her husband probably didn't notice. For a smart man, he could be somewhat dense at times when it came to certain things. "Am I safe in assuming you haven't spoken with Marissa about any of this?"

"No, I haven't. I know, I probably should have, but I didn't want to come across as …"

"Jealous."

Bianca sighed. "Yes. Plus, it looks like I don't trust Rissa, but I do. It's just I don't trust him."

"That, I can understand and also agree with. I'm going to be honest with you. I do think you are slightly jealous, but what I don't understand is why. Sweetheart, why would you be jealous of him?" Erica asked.

"He's extremely intelligent, obviously. He's on all of the lists of sexiest and most beautiful people, and he's also among one of the wealthiest people in the world. Those are all things that most people find attractive and want in a partner."

"Bianca, you are all of those things yourself and more."

"I'm with Mom on this, Binx. Out of that list, you're forgetting the most important thing you have that he doesn't. You have the biggest heart there is. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, has your heart. You are the kindest and most generous and loving person I know." Kendall added.

"I have to agree with your sister. You are the best of us and remind me so much of your grandmother. I also think you need to speak with Marissa about all of this. Talking with her this afternoon, I got the distinct impression that she is not that impressed with him and that you have nothing to worry about on her side."

"As much as this pains me to say, and it really does pain me, Erica's right."

Erica gasped and placed a hand over her heart dramatically.

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get used to it though."

The four women laughed. Erica and Greenlee would always have an interesting relationship. It had gotten better over time however because they recognized they both loved and cared for the same people, the two women in front of them being among them, and they would fight tooth and nail for them.

"What I was trying to say, before I was interrupted, is that you are everything Kendall and Erica have said and a hell of a lot more. We can tell you that all day long, but you need to hear it from your wife. Then, you'll believe it. Marissa is anything but a fool. Trust us, we saw her test scores. She knows what she has and isn't going to throw it away for anyone, especially for the likes of Brady Meyers."

"I do believe it is my turn to say as much as it pains me, and you have no idea how much it does, Greenlee is right."

"I think hell has finally frozen over." Kendall smirked while Greenlee chuckled.

"Thank you, Erica."

"I never thought I'd live to see this day." Bianca smiled. "Thank you all, and I will talk with Rissa. I just don't want to do anything to jeopardize this deal for the firm. It's a huge opportunity for them."

"Good, I'm glad you're going to talk with her. Marissa won't care about the deal. Nothing is more important to her than you." Erica turned her attention back to Kendall and Greenlee. It was good to see how protective they were of both Bianca and Marissa. "Now for the two of you. What did you find?"

"What did you mean about Rissa's test scores?"

"And let's not forget about running into Charles with the cart. I suggest you start at the beginning."

Kendall and Greenlee glanced at each other and sighed. They knew it was time to come clean.

"Okay. Greenlee managed to get a master keycard for the Yacht Club as well as these uniforms. We got into Meyers' suite and started looking around."

"I'll just say right now that you don't want to know what I found in his bedroom. Kendall, however, had some luck."

"I found a file on Marissa."

Bianca was instantly on alert and could feel her blood pressure increase. "What about her?"

"He had her investigated. There was a lot of stuff about her past." Kendall held up a hand to stop Bianca. "But nothing about the massage parlor incident."

The younger brunette sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for that. He had her test scores from school?"

"Yep. If you didn't know it already, Red's pretty smart. I mean those scores were way out there." Kendall chuckled when she saw Bianca's 'I told you so' smile.

"I was able to get some pictures of that file but not something else we found because of our first brush with Charles Miller."

"Would you care to expand upon that?" Erica asked.

"We were looking at something I found when we heard him trying to get in. It turns out he had a keycard to Meyers' suite. We were able to duck into a closet before he saw us. I think he took that paper when he left because I couldn't find it."

"What was on that paper?"

"I'm sorry, Bianca, but it was notes about Marissa and detailed a plan to …"

"Get her to sleep with him. That son of a bitch." Bianca's jaw was clenched tightly as fury was building in her.

Erica placed a hand on her daughter's arm in an effort to calm her down. It wasn't because she didn't believe Bianca didn't have the right to be angry, far from it. Erica knew that if the roles were reversed she would be fit to be tied and out for the other person's head. The diva just didn't want Bianca to do something she might regret later when she had a cooler head. "As much as I don't want to hear it, we need to know so we can plan our countermeasures. Tell us what he had planned."

Kendall nodded. "The first step was the donation. Then …"

/

"How is Charles doing? Does he need anything?" Bryce asked Marissa as she rejoined him, Geoff, Caleb, and Jack. The firm's partners were currently gathered in Caleb's office. They had been there since Marissa returned to the office along with Charles, and called for an emergency meeting. Charles was now in one of the firm's small conference rooms.

"Busy, very busy. Charles wanted to set up a video conference, and I had Ellie help him."

"Excuse me, Marissa?"

The redhead turned to see her secretary in the doorway. "What is it, Ellie? Does Charles need something else?"

"Not at the moment. You have a phone call from Brady Meyers. I told him that I would need to track you down, and he said he would wait. He's on hold. What do you want me to do?"

The lawyers looked at each other for a moment before Caleb spoke up. "Wait another couple of minutes and then send the call here."

Ellie glanced at her boss for confirmation.

Marissa could tell a plan was forming in Caleb's brain. "Do what he says, Ellie, please."

"You got it."

When Ellie left, Marissa turned to her friend. "What do you have in mind, Caleb?"

"I think you should see what he wants. We would be listening, of course."

"Of course. Plus, we can buy Charles some time."

"Exactly. It also gives us more information, and that is always a good thing." Caleb's phone rang. "Are you up for this?"

"Yes, I am. I may need a shower afterwards, but I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

/

"Wow. That guy is unbelievable." Geoff shook his head in disbelief after Marissa hung up.

"I don't like that he's requesting Marissa handle the negotiations alone. No disrespect, Marissa, but this isn't your specialty, and he knows that."

"None taken, Jack. You're right, it's not. It's Caleb's. Meyers should be trying to wine and dine him."

As soon as the words left the redhead's mouth, the others looked at each other and smiled as if they all had the same germ of an idea. It would turn out that they did. It also wasn't the only thing they agreed on. During the call with Marissa, Meyers suggested he was ready to have the firm represent Meyers Tech. He had one stipulation, he wanted Marissa to handle the final negotiations that night over dinner, just the two of them. He gave the excuse of being the most comfortable around her and that he worked better one on one. Marissa didn't buy it for one second and neither did any of the partners listening in on the call. The redhead stated she was away from her office at the moment and would have to check her schedule before giving him an answer. That bought her a little time to discuss the situation with her fellow partners.

It was a close competition as to who, next to Marissa, was the most upset about all of this, Caleb or Jack. Caleb was her mentor and saw Marissa as the closest he would have to a daughter. Jack was, for all intents and purposes, her father-in-law.

"His motives are so obvious. I can't believe that he actually asked if you heard about his donation. I've got to give you credit. You handled that far better than I could or would have. I think what galls me the most is that he thinks we would be okay with any of this." Jack ranted.

"He's used to getting his own way." Caleb paused for a moment. "I think we all agree that Marissa was on to something before. This type of negotiation really is my specialty."

Marissa grinned. She had a very good idea of where Caleb was going with this. "You're serious about this?"

Caleb shrugged. "I'm always up for a good meal."

"What would Jessica say? Think she'll be jealous?" The redhead teased.

"Good point, but given the circumstances, I think she would be more than okay with it."

Marissa knew Caleb was right. Jessica would be completely onboard with whatever plan they came up with for Meyers. "I've got a call to make then."

/

"Dinner alone in his suite for negotiations? You've got to be kidding me. God only knows what he could do." Bianca was starting to panic. She couldn't allow this to happen. There was no way Marissa could go in there with no protection.

"Bianca, we don't even know that Marissa is going over there tonight." Greenlee tried to reassure the younger woman.

"She's right, Binx. We …"

The ringing of a cellphone had them all stop.

"It's mine." Bianca saw her wife's smiling face appear on the device's display. "It's Marissa."

"You better answer it."

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. I was wondering if you could pick up Danny from daycare. I'm going to be late. Negotiations ramped up after I saw you, and we're hoping to wrap everything up tonight."

"Oh, negotiations are going that good? Who … who all will be there?"

"Surprisingly, they are. Pretty much everyone is going to be here. I'm sorry about all of this. It's not even my area of expertise, but someone at Meyers Tech wants me there. He seems to trust me."

"That … that's gr … great." Bianca tried her best to keep her voice calm and even, but she wasn't having much success. She couldn't stop her mind from going to places she desperately didn't want it to go to.

Marissa detected a tremor in her wife's voice. "Is everything all right, B?"

"Y …" Bianca cleared her throat. "Yeah, of course it is. Why do you ask?"

"Just something in your voice. What's wrong?"

Erica mouthed to her youngest daughter. 'Tell her.'

Bianca started to reply to her wife when she was interrupted.

"What? Okay, I'll be there in a minute." Marissa said to someone. "Sorry about that. It was Geoff. So, what's going on?"

"I'm okay. Go. It sounds like he needs you." Bianca felt a little better hearing that Geoff was there.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. They're waiting on you."

Marissa was torn. She knew something was wrong but not what it was. While she wanted to continue this discussion, the redhead knew it wasn't good to push her wife. Bianca would tell her when she was ready. "All right. I want to talk to you later. There are a few things going on that I really need to tell you about. So, you're good with getting Danny?"

"Yeah, of course. Good luck on the negotiations."

"Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too."

Erica looked at her daughter as she disconnected the call. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"There wasn't time. Geoff needed her. Plus, I should really talk to her in person."

"What did she want, Binx?"

"She needs me to pick up Danny. They are in negotiations."

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Did she where they were?"

Bianca shook her head. "No, she didn't. She only said that someone from Meyers Tech wanted her to take part in them because they trusted her."

"According to Meyers' master plan, he's planning on dinner in his suite with her." Greenlee remembered that part of what she had read earlier that day.

"I need to go over there."

"No, Bianca, I don't think you should."

"Mom, I can't leave her alone with him. I won't risk him doing something to her."

"And we won't, sweetheart. I have a plan." Erica turned to Kendall and Greenlee. "Do these uniforms or the keycard have to be returned anytime soon?"

"No."

"So, you can have them for a while longer."

The pair smiled as they caught onto what Erica was really asking.

"We can have them for as long as we need them. What do you have in mind, Mom?"

"He needs room service to deliver dinner, and he has yet to meet either of you. I think Mildred and Ethel should make another appearance, one he won't soon forget." Erica said with a slightly evil smile.

"I do like how you think sometimes, Erica."

"That's my Mom." Kendall stated proudly. "I know you want to go over there, Binx, but let Greenlee and me handle this. We'll make sure nothing happens to Marissa. I give you my word."

"You have mine too, Bianca. We'll make sure Marissa is safe." Greenlee promised.

"Listen to them, sweetheart." Erica advised.

Bianca was torn. She wanted to go over there herself. Marissa was her wife, and it was her job to make sure she was safe and protected. Bianca also knew that it would look like she didn't trust Marissa if she rushed over there and interrupted what could be a business discussion, and nothing could be further from the truth. She trusted her wife completely. Bianca also trusted her sister and Greenlee, and knew they would do whatever was necessary to protect Marissa. "Okay. I trust you. Promise me you'll call me the minute anything happens."

"We promise. Greenlee and I will head over to the Yacht Club now so we can get in place."

"I guess I'm going to go pick up Danny."

"Would it be all right if I went with you?" Erica asked.

Bianca nodded. She could use the moral support right about now. "Thanks, Mom. I'd appreciate it."

/

Brady glanced around the room and smiled. Everything was in place. Candles, flowers, music, lighting, wine, and a feast fit for royalty ordered and on the way along with the final touch of a copy of the story detailing his extremely generous donation to the Pine Valley schools. "Perfect."

A knock on the door drew his attention away from the perfect setting. He rubbed his hands together anxious to get this evening started. Brady walked to the door and opened it with his most charming smile. In a million years, he was not expecting the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door.

/

"Oh, Bianca, hi."

"Hi, Lauren. I'm here to pick up Danny. He didn't give you any problems today, did he?"

"No, he was pretty good like usual. If you'll wait right here, I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Bianca heard a voice she loved.

"Hey."

Bianca glanced behind her, the surprise at seeing her wife was evident. "Rissa? What are you doing here?"

"I work here, in case you forgot. Hi, Erica. Long time no see."

"Marissa. Indeed, twice in one day."

"Rissa? How did you know I was here?"

"Ah, I asked Lauren to call me when you arrived. Danny's not here."

"He's not? I thought you needed me to pick him up. I'm confused. What's going on?"

"That's a very good question, and one I want you to answer as well. For now, I'll go first. After we got off the phone, I called Susan and asked her to pick him up. I didn't call you back and tell you because something seemed off when we were talking. I knew that if I told you that Susan was going to get him that you wouldn't tell me what was wrong, and I kind of think you would come up with an excuse when we were home. I figured the best way to get you to talk was to get you here so you wouldn't have any excuses. Let's go up to my office." She turned to Erica. "Jack is upstairs if you would like to surprise him. We took a break."

Erica looked between the two younger women and decided to give them some much needed time alone to talk. "That is an excellent idea."

/

The ride up on the elevator was quiet and short. Bianca was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Marissa was here with others and not at the Yacht Club alone with Meyers.

"Bianca?"

The younger brunette was jolted from her thoughts by her wife's voice to find the elevator doors open. "Sorry. I'm just trying to figure out how you're here."

"Where else would I be?"

"The Yacht Club?"

Something clicked for Marissa causing her to smile. "Why would I be there?"

"Meyers is there, right? I thought you would be negotiating with him."

"Oh, he's not here and not a part of our talks. Things have changed. We're working with Charles."

"Is Meyers working with someone else?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Marissa smirked.

Erica could see some akin to mischief in her daughter-in-law's eyes. "Who exactly is working with him?"

/

"Caleb? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Brady. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Sorry, yeah, of course." Brady stepped aside to allow Caleb inside. He then quickly stepped into the hallway and glanced both ways. Seeing no one, he went back inside.

Caleb glanced around the room and saw the set up. He shook his head and took a deep breath before turning to face the younger man.

"I wasn't expecting you. Marissa is coming over."

"She's not going to be able to make it. Something came up, and she's stuck at the office. I volunteered to come over in her place. This is more my area of expertise than hers after all."

"Oh, um … I suppose. I have to make a call. Do you mind?'

"Go ahead. I'll make myself comfortable." Caleb took a seat.

Brady shook his head before he grabbed his phone and stepped into another room.

Caleb continued to take in the setting and began to crack his knuckles. It was taking every ounce of restraint he had not to beat the crap out of Meyers. He heard a knock on the door and decided to answer it when Meyers didn't reappear.

"This is a surprise."

"Caleb. Well, we weren't expecting you. Red's not here?" Kendall asked.

"No, she's not, and she's not coming either."

"That's a relief. Let us in." Greenlee motioned to herself, Kendall and the room service cart they had acquired.

Once inside, the women looked around and shook their heads in disgust.

"Where's Meyers?"

"Other room making a call."

"He didn't miss anything, did he? It's just like he planned, except you're here instead of Marissa." Greenlee added as she surveyed the room.

"Do I even want to know why the two of you are here dressed like that and how you knew about a plan?"

The two women squirmed slightly before Kendall cleared her throat. "Well, we may have been here earlier."

Caleb chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I have a question for you. Why are you here instead of Marissa, and why isn't she coming?" Greenlee asked.

"And where is she?"

"Marissa is back at the office, along with the other partners and a few others."

"There's something you're not telling us."

The three turned to the direction of the other room when they heard an angry shout.

"Hold that thought." Caleb said with a knowing smile.

Brady appeared, and it was easy for the others to tell that he was not happy, at all. He glared at Caleb. "Did you know?"

"Know what?

"That Charles is at your office right now."

"I didn't see him there." Caleb could play dumb all day long if needed.

Brady scowled at the older man and then noticed the two women and the room service cart. "That's just great. Take that away. It seems I won't be needing it tonight." He reached into his wallet, grabbed several bills, and dropped the cash onto the cart. "That should take care of it. I need to go. I'm sure you can show yourself out."

Caleb pulled out his cellphone as soon as Brady stalked out of the room. "He's on his way over." He then disconnected his call.

"What's going on, Caleb?" Kendall asked.

"Where's he going?"

"While I would like to stay here and answer your questions, I'm afraid I can't. I need to get back to the office which is where he's headed. Feel free to stop by. I think it could be quite a show." Caleb grinned before he left.

Kendall and Greenlee glanced at each other and knew there was no way in hell they were going to miss whatever was going to happen. Greenlee scooped up the cash as they left the cart where it was. There actually wasn't any food on it. They had found the cart on their way up to the room and knew it would gain them the access to the room they needed to keep an eye on Meyers and make sure that Marissa was safe. As the women made their way towards the elevators, they saw the same maid they had seen earlier in the day.

Greenlee handed the cash to the woman. "There's a room service cart in that suite that needs to be moved. Don't worry about the bill, it's been taken care of. This is just the tip."

The maid recognized the women from earlier and was still confused from that interaction. This one only added to that. She started to say something to them, but they were in the elevator before she could.

/

"Erica, what a wonderful surprise." Jack got up from behind his desk to greet his wife.

The diva smiled and rewarded her husband with a kiss. "Hello, my love. How is your day?"

"Much better now that I've seen you. Not that I'm complaining because I'm not, but what brings you here?"

"I'm here with Bianca. She was picking up Danny, but it seems Marissa had a change in plans. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, I just might. Have a seat, and I'll tell you what I know."

/

The couple settled in Marissa's office to talk. At first, Bianca wanted to wait until they were home because of the kids, but Marissa was ahead of her. The redhead had called Carol to ask her if she would be willing to watch the kids for a couple of hours. The older woman immediately said yes, and Marissa could hear Sam and Gayle offering to help as well. With the assurance that the kids were fine and being well cared for, Bianca relented, and the two started to talk.

"So, Charles showed you Meyers' plan?" Bianca asked.

Marissa nodded as she handed her wife a bottle of water and took a seat next to her on the sofa in the lawyer's office. "Yeah, he did. Charles was pretty disgusted when he found it, and I can't even remember how many times he apologized about it."

"Well, it's not his fault."

"That's what I told him. It seems that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Charles has been holed up in a conference room talking with the Meyers Tech board of directors since we left the Yacht Club. It seems this isn't the first time Meyers has exhibited highly questionable behavior. Far from it. In fact, the board warned him that he needed to clean up his act, or else." Marissa paused to take a drink of water. She had been doing most of the talking since they got to her office. Now, it was her wife's turn. "Let me ask you something. You seem to know an awful lot about what Meyers had planned. Why is that exactly?"

/

A/N: Sorry. I know I said I would wrap this arch up in this chapter, but it was getting pretty long and if I kept writing I would miss my Saturday update. Next one will wrap it up. See you soon!