Outback, Port Charles
Mac ends the message playback on his answering machine. It was a strange message and it left him feeling somewhat disturbed. Robert did not reveal anything with his message but had asked him to meet him at Sean's at noon today and more importantly not to let anyone know where he was going or who he was meeting. To Mac, Robert sounded distressed and considering he left the message at 1:30am this morning, he knew it was something bad. He could tell in the timbre of his voice that something was wrong.
"Mac? Mac?" Holly says after numerous attempts to try and get his attention.
"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?" He says finally looking up.
"Yes, I asked you if you were ready to go?" Holly says.
"Oh, about that. Actually, I can't. Um, that was a distributor. There are some serious problems with the inventory and billing and I have to go down there and straighten things out. I'm sorry; I can't go to New York with you."Mac says.
"I can wait for you." She says.
"No, no that's ok. I honestly don't know how long it's going to take. But as soon as I straighten everything out, I'll hop on the next shuttle, ok?"He says.
"Oh, ok. Call me when you know for sure. I'll miss you." She says kissing him goodbye. He watches her leave.
Scorpio House, Port Charles
"Yeah mate, I'm looking forward to it. It will be great to see Laura again and I really want you to finally meet my family. Yes, she is, isn't she? She's even more beautiful in person. Robin? She takes after her mother as you can see. Very funny, yes I know thank God. Let me know as soon as you can arrange it and Luke, the sooner the better." He hangs up and swings the desk chair around.
He jumps slightly when he notices Anna standing in the doorway to the office. They are both still in their pajamas as it is only 7am on a Saturday morning.
"You know, you're the only person who can still sneak up on me like that." He says.
"Who was that?" She asks. "It was Luke, just calling to check up on me." He says.
"Robert, don't."
"Don't what? That was Luke and he does call from time to time you know."
"Not at 7am on a Saturday morning, which means 6am his time and also not on your private line. So before you even start in with the "I don't want you involved" or the "it's for your protection" speeches, let's get something straight. You will not shut me out and you will not keep things from me." She says angrily.
"Anna, I'm not keeping things from you. That was Luke."
"Yeah, but he was returning your call wasn't he. You called him because this involves the Cassadines and you're bringing him in aren't you?" She says accusingly.
"Bringing him into what Anna? I don't even know what we are in. I called him last night to check in and to make sure he hasn't sensed any disturbances in the "Cassadine Force" since he is always target number one with them, that's all." He says as only a half truth. She accepts his explanation for now, but she knows this will not be the end of it. She will have to fight him tooth and nail for him to keep her involved and she will.
"Okay, but remember what I said Robert. I will not be shut out of this, do you hear me? This is my family too." She says emphatically.
"Yes, I heard you." He says smiling while leaning his elbow on the desk. She walks over to him and caresses the side of his face.
"Good. But I'm sure we'll be having this conversation again, soon." She says as she rolls her eyes and moves to sit in his lap.
"How are you this morning? Did you sleep at all last night?" She asks.
"Yeah, I managed a few hours. I'm okay Anna, really. I'm more worried about you though." He says with honesty.
"I'm the same as you Robert, stunned, shocked and confused I guess. It was just too much all at once." she says with her arm around his neck and her head leaning against his. They sit in silence for a few moments.
"Anna, there is one more thing that you need to be told. It is something Sean told me last night right before they all left."
"What is it?" She says getting up from his lap knowing whatever he had to tell her was going to be bad.
"There's a will that was discovered recently and it has been executed in New York."He says looking up at her. "Its Faison's will Anna and he listed you as his sole beneficiary."
She stares at him briefly and then begins to back away. She braces her hand on the desk as she turns around and walks toward the fireplace. He gives her time to collect herself because he knows that this is the way she handles things.
"Can we stop it? I mean can we refuse to accept it?" She asks calmly without turning around.
"I don't know. I honestly have never heard of that being done. I will place a call to Don this morning to find out what our options are. But Anna, that is not the biggest concern right now. It is a very large estate valued at over $100 million dollars. You see, from what Sean has learned it appears that this will was changed early this year removing the Sutton and Cassadine families and replacing them with you and only you. Now you and I both know what this means."
She turns around finally to face him. "Robert." It's all she says but it's all that is necessary. He gets up from his chair and walks over to her.
"We will do everything we can to protect this family Anna."He says looking at her but not touching her.
"Will this ever end? When will everyone just leave us alone?"She asks deflated.
"Don't' give up Anna, please. We will get through this together, like we always do, ok?"He says not liking the sudden defeat he hears in her voice.
"I'll never give up on this family, you know that. But together Robert means together. Promise me." He knows what she means but is hesitant. "Robert, promise me." She pleads angrily. He smiles faintly at her, knowing what she needs to hear.
"Together, I promise."
Donely Penthouse, Port Charles
They have all gathered at Sean and Tiffany's as agreed. The first issue they need to tackle is telling Mac what they have discovered. Robert honestly has no idea how his brother will react but he suspects denial will be his first emotion since he is also having serious issues with accepting the facts. He still cannot fathom that this woman whom he loved and was in love with could have deceived him so completely. That she could have been involved on any level with Cesar Faison to kidnap his wife and daughter is something he cannot wrap his brain around. He loved this woman and trusted her with his heart and his life and if certain events had happened differently, he might still be married to her now. Deception and betrayal seem to be a resulting pattern in his life when he decides to give his trust completely to someone. With the exception of his children, every person with whom he has trusted with his life and love has in some way betrayed or deceived him at one time or another. It is a realization that came to him during the night and it's the one thought that keeps repeating in his head. As he watches Anna talking with Tiffany and Felicia, he recalls the betrayal that destroyed their first marriage. The crimes she committed and her association with Faison while in and of itself were terrible in nature if he knew all the facts at the time he would have forgiven her then. She was so young and inexperienced and so easily manipulated. There isn't a day that goes by that he wishes he had stayed and listened to her. They lost thirteen years together and he lost knowing his daughter in her early years. He hopes that whatever Holly has done and the reason she gives is something he can live with and accept on some level. He desperately needs to know that he was not completely fooled and completely misguided about the content of her character.
Anna goes searching for Robert in the kitchen after noticing that she has not seen him in a while. He has been very distant all morning and seems to be retreating inside himself again. As she is about to push the swinging door open she hears raised voices coming from the other side.
"What do you want me to say Robert? Let's not forget that this information is far from new. It's been out there for a long time, it's just that no one bothered to look. Both you and Luke were involved with this woman both knowing that she was conducting or had conducted illegal activities. You even married her to prevent her from being deported because of it." Frisco says angrily.
"I know, I know. I guess I'm just trying to find out any possible way that this can all be wrong or at least explainable in a way that will not haunt me for the rest of my life." Robert says.
"Look we all knew her and were friends with her. We had been through a lot with her a couple of years ago and we were all convinced she was one of the good guys. We all have a jaded past and what we knew about each other and hers was acceptable to all of us, including you. But now we know a lot more and Robert it is indisputable based on these documents. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet, so give yourself time to adjust to this. But remember time is not a luxury we can afford right now so the sooner you accept this, the faster we can move on. You should know that the WSB has been involved in this Cartel case since it was handed over to them last year by the FBI. The minute Faison escaped it became priority number one. His death has not changed that. It will not be considered closed until the fourth member has been neutralized and since we know who that is now, so do they. They have given the case to me which is really the main reason I'm back in Port Charles. I don't need to tell you what this means Robert. But as an agent what I am about to say has to be said. You will be considered compromised if you cannot take your personal feelings out of the equation. The bureau wants your help in this as one of their best agents and as the Police Commissioner of this town. However, as lead investigator, if I feel you will jeopardize this case, my case, you're out." Frisco says with authority. He knows Robert will accept this and will appreciate his bluntness.
"Understood, you can count of my full cooperation." Robert says.
"But as a friend Robert, I can't begin to imagine what you are feeling right now, but know that I am here for you. I know you loved her and probably still do on some level. When you were married you both seemed very happy which is why I can say with certainty that no matter how she was involved or what she may have done, she did love you Robert. But does any of that really matter in the grand scheme of thing? I mean I know I'm correct in saying the love of your life is sitting in the other room right now. So regardless of what happened between you and Holly, you guys are together and have been through hell and back and you have survived." Frisco says laying his hand on his shoulder.
"I know, believe me I know and you're right. Anna is the beginning and end for me, there is no doubt about that. What happened between Holly and me is over and I wouldn't trade my life now for anything. It's just that all of this has made me doubt my judgment since I truly believed she did love me for all the right reasons. I mean if I was way off about that, I'm really going to have to reevaluate my skills both as an agent and a man." He says flippantly but meaning every word.
Anna is not sure how she feels about his last statements. It's also almost as if he doesn't trust his instincts regarding people anymore. It took her so long to get him to reveal his emotions to her over the last two years. He really started to become comfortable with being more open to her and to Robin on an emotional level trusting them with his heart. But now that door might have been slammed shut again and she can't bear it. If she is wondering how many more people are going to betray him, he must be wondering the same thing.
She walks in after things have quieted down and she hears faint laughter. "Hey" She says when she pushes the door open and makes eye contact with him.
"Your brother should be here soon, I was worried you left." She says jokingly.
"Don't think I haven't thought about it. No we were just getting a beer." He says showing her the bottle in his hand.
Noticing the body language between the two of them Frisco says, "I'll be in the living room." and leaves.
"You look terrible Robert, like you haven't slept in weeks." She says.
"Thanks a lot." He says jokingly. "I'm fine really. I just want to get this thing with my brother over with that's all. I'm worried how he's going to handle it." He says.
"What are you going to tell him?" She asks looking at him across the counter.
"The truth, believe it or not. I know it's a novel approach around here, but I thought I'd give it a shot." He says taking a swig of his beer.
"What does that mean?" she asks afraid of the answer.
"It means exactly what I said. To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of all the secrets, the lies and everything else in between especially when it involves my family." He says emphatically.
"Robert, I'm not really sure what you mean by that, but for now I'll let it pass because we have bigger issues to deal with right now. Just remember this is not all about you. This involves all of us and it impacts all of us, not just you." She says getting angrier.
"I never said it was, so stop analyzing everything I say. Did you call Olin? How's William?" He asks trying to deflect.
"He's fine. I talked to her 15 minutes ago. Don't change the subject."
"I'm not changing the subject, I'm ending it. Just drop it Anna, I have enough to deal with right now." He says getting angry.
"You?! You have enough to deal with? You're amazing you know that. Why do you feel that you have to handle everything? That you are the one that has to come in and save the day? Did you ever think that maybe Sean and Frisco didn't tell you what they knew months ago because they knew how you would react? That maybe no one ever wants to tell you anything because they are afraid of how you will react? Sensing a pattern here Robert?" She barks at him.
"Oh yeah, I'm sensing a pattern here alright, it's the same one over and over. And now because of this latest episode, I have to tell my brother the woman he has been with for the last several months is using him to get to me. That she is directly involved in your kidnapping, the attempted kidnapping of his niece and possibly many other things that have happened over the last decade. This could all have been avoided, if I had been told early on as to what was going on. This is just the latest example off a very long list. Time after time people have made poor decisions, poor choices and have lied about them to my face or have kept things from me and time after time I have to come in and deal with the aftermath here in Nutsville. Maybe I am judgmental and unforgiving as you have pointed out on numerous occasions, but can you blame me, really? All that I have ever asked from anyone is honesty and the courage to do the right thing even when the right thing is the hardest path to take. However, I have been disappointed on both counts more times than I care to remember and quite frankly it's getting real old, real fast."
She is stunned by his diatribe because she knows he is somehow including her in his assessment. But she also knows that he's right on all counts. He has always been her moral compass as well as everyone else's in his life from Sean to Frisco to Robin. It is a huge burden to carry and she didn't realize until this moment that he has shouldered that responsibility on his own. However, she's not going to tell him that now since he is acting a little too self-righteous for her liking. She sighs heavily and softens her tone. "Fine, I get it. Robert's good and everyone else is bad. Can we move on now?" She says rolling her eyes.
"Yes we can, now that we are in agreement." He says winking at her. "You're so obnoxious, you know that?" She says exasperated. "I gotta be me." He replies with a smile.
As Mac enters the penthouse he sees everyone assembled. He is a little surprised to see Frisco and Felicia but now he figures this does have something to do with Faison as he suspected. He just hopes that it is not his biggest fear that somehow he is alive and managed to escape again.
"I see the gang's all here. So what's this all about?" he asks Sean.
"I think I'll let Robert fill you in on that." Sean says looking at Robert who is sitting on the couch.
"Robbie, what's going on?"
"You know what? Let's go into the other room." Robert says thinking suddenly that this is not something that should be discussed in front of everyone. He grabs the large file off the coffee table and ushers Mac into the kitchen.
As they leave, Sean looks to Anna who has what can only be described as a concerned look on her face. He's not sure if she is hurt by Robert's sudden decision to discuss this privately with his brother or it's something else that is on her mind. He sits next to her in the spot Robert just vacated.
"You ok?"He asks.
"Yes, I'm fine." She replies curtly.
"You don't look fine Anna. Is everything alright between you and Robert?" Sean presses.
"Yes, everything is fine Sean. We resolved our issues from the other day but of course now we have brand new issues to deal with. We've had a lot to handle and take in over the last day." She says hoping he accepts her answer. He does and lets it drop. He knows that if she had more to say she would say it.
"Robbie out with it already. What's going on?" He asks as they enter the kitchen and take seats on opposite sides of the counter.
"Sean and Frisco have discovered something recently that affects all of us including you. Before I tell you what it is I want you to know that I have accepted all of it as fact based on the evidence in this file. This is something that I have struggled with over the last twenty four hours, but I have reached the same conclusion they have. I know your first reaction will be denial as was mine, but I want you to know the facts and evidence are indisputable." Robert says staring at his brother across the counter.
"Okay, I understand. But would you just tell me already."Mac says growing more impatient by the minute.
Robert nods his head and begins. He tells his brother everything they have learned about Faison, the Cassadines and finally Holly's connection to both. Robert gives his brother the history on all three and how they have intersected his life over the past decade. In retrospect Robert tells him that if he himself had been paying attention, he would have noticed that there were just too many coincidences for all of this to have been just a random connection. Mac is astounded as Robert relays all of the occurrences over the last decade involving all three parties, four if you include the Sutton's and all of Holly's relations. He finishes with the Cartel case that wrapped up last year whereby there was always known to be an anonymous fourth party that they were never able to identify. Now they have and it is known to be the Sutton's and by extent the Cassadine family. To Robert's surprise, Mac has not jumped in to say anything except to ask questions. He seems to be accepting all of this without reservation including the revelation about being Faison's half-sister. However he knows the worst has yet to be revealed.
"Mac, Holly's involvement in all of this is a known fact; however to what extent she is involved is still an unknown. Up until last year, she was listed as a beneficiary in Faison's will. Now all of Faison's estate has been bequeathed to Anna, much to our dismay, but I'll get back to that later. Sean and Frisco have proven that Holly was in constant contact with Faison before and during Anna's kidnapping and in fact may have contributed or taken part in some way. We have not been able to prove the last part yet, but the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming." Robert says.
"Oh my God, then that means she was somehow involved with trying to kidnap Robin. But that doesn't make sense. She stopped Faison from getting Robin that day." Mac says. "I know and that's something I can't figure out myself. It might have all been a part of the plan, because if you look here you can see she called him the same night and they talked for 7 minutes and 40 seconds."He says pointing to the phone log he took out of the file.
"Then they talked three more times the same week. Two times Faison called her and this one where she calls him again." Mac sits there holding his head looking at the logs in disbelief.
"My God, she stayed in your house to look after Robin, she was even trying to help us find both you and Anna." Mac says.
"Again, this might all be part of a larger plan." Robert says.
"I don't get it. What could she have possibly gained from kidnapping Anna and Ro.."Mac stops realizing he is staring right at it. "You. It was all about you. It's always been about you since the day she came back, hasn't it?" Mac asks but not in an accusatory tone.
"I've suspected it and I guess I've always known it on some level. As a matter of fact I even thought about ending it a couple of weeks ago because of my suspicions. Then I decided not to. I thought it was harmless and that maybe she would get over it eventually if it were true. But all this time, she's been using me to get to you and I've let her. She's a dangerous woman and I've kept her in our lives endangering Anna, Robin and William haven't I?" Mac says.
"Mac, this is not your fault. We have all been fooled here, including me. We all trusted her for so many years and now have been shown a completely different reality." Robert says sadly. "So it's true then, she is after you." Mac says.
"Everyone inside seems to think so. At this point I'm not really sure yet. But we do know she was involved with Faison and the Cassadines and that seems to be motivated by money and as we know she has been motivated by money in the past. So that alone puts my family in danger considering Anna is now Faison's sole beneficiary."
"Right and that's our main concern right now. How's Anna taking all this and you for that matter? Just by looking at you, I can see its taking a toll." Mac says with concern in his voice.
"I must look really bad; you're the second person who said that to me in the last hour."Robert says trying to lighten the mood just a little. "Anna is handling it as best she can. She's concerned about the will and what that mean for us and the kids. She really hasn't told me what her feelings are on the subject of Holly and I'm not sure she will. It's been less than 24 hours since we found this all out and we really haven't had much time to discuss it. But I won't lie to you. This has hit me hard and I'm having trouble with it. I was married to the woman and thought I knew everything about her. I don't want to burden Anna with that part of it because those are my demons, but I'm sure she can sense it anyway. I am worried about you though, you haven't said much about how this affects you."Robert says honestly.
"Robbie, don't worry about me really. I'm fine. I accept everything you told me because I know it wasn't easy for you to say especially your history with her. Honestly, I wasn't much invested in this relationship to doubt anything you're telling me. Don't get me wrong, I care for her and I'm pissed that she used me to get to you, but at least now I know I wasn't crazy with what I suspected. At least that's over with now and I can end this." Mac says.
"Thank you, that means a lot to me and its one less thing for me to worry about." Robert says. "As to ending it, you might not be able to do that yet." Robert says hesitantly.
"You want me to keep up the charade to get more information out of her. Is that what you're saying?" Mac asks.
"Yes, can you do that? You know what that means don't you? The entire charade Mac, whatever that means now at the stage in your relationship with her." He says knowing he is asking a lot.
"I do know what it means. I'll do whatever it takes to keep our family safe Robbie. You're all I have left." Mac says. Robert has never been more proud to call this man his brother. He is too choked up to respond but hugs him to convey what he's feeling.
It's been over a half hour and both Robert and Mac have not emerged from the kitchen yet. They are all getting a little nervous that it might not be going well. Anna has now started pacing while Sean and Frisco layout a possible plan to protect the Scorpio family in the short term as news of the will should be reaching all interested parties within the next 24 hours. Frisco has already assigned agents to watch all five including Olin and additional agents posted at the house. Frisco also has an agent assigned to Holly as well and as of 20 minutes ago has reported she arrived at her apartment in New York with no visitors and no incoming or outgoing phone calls. Anna knows Robin will flip out when she finds out that yet again; she has to have an agent tailing her wherever she goes. She will also have to explain to her the reasons why and that is something she needs to discuss with Robert on how much information they should share with her. Robert and Mac emerge from the hallway smiling and joking with each other. Anna assumes that Mac has accepted what Robert has told him and they are still on speaking terms, so it seems. While Mac goes to sit on the couch, Robert approaches Sean who is mixing a drink at the bar.
"How'd it go?"Sean asks.
"Much better than I expected. I keep underestimating him. I have to stop doing that. He's onboard with everything, so let's get on with this shall we?" He says.
"The WSB wants to move very aggressively on this, so they have basically given me carte-blanche regarding resources and man-power. However, I am very hesitant in letting in outside parties who have no background or history with this town and with the people involved. I would much rather rely on Robert, the PCPD, and in some cases the people in this room. I would also like to keep even the PCPD on a need-to-know basis. I think Guy would be instrumental, but as far as anyone else, let's keep it under wraps for now. Are we in agreement?" Frisco asks looking at Sean and Robert.
"Agreed, however I would like to add one caveat. Well actually two. If you are using or are intending to use the PCPD resources, I want co-ownership of this case and that is non-negotiable." Robert states. Frisco can tell it is non-negotiable.
"Agreed. What's number two, I'm afraid to ask?" Frisco says.
"If the plan involves any of the people in this room, outside of Sean, you and myself, it must be cleared through me and that too is non-negotiable." Robert states. Frisco gives him an odd look to which Robert does a quick eye shift toward Anna. Frisco catches on quickly and realizes that Robert included Felicia, Mac and Tiffany so as not to isolate Anna.
"Fine, agreed."Frisco states.
"Hold on a second here. I don't agree." Anna jumps in quickly. "I think I can decide for myself what I will and will not do. I don't need you or Frisco deciding how I'm involved in this Robert. And don't think I don't know what you're up to." Anna says standing up and confronting him.
"It's non-negotiable, so you either accept it or you're out. It's as simple as that." Robert states standing up from the couch, mirroring her posture.
"Alright, let's keep our heads here." Sean says trying to diffuse the situation. "First of all, we have not even discussed what our game-plan is and second of all we need someone as the team leader here. In this case, obviously we are going with two, but Anna last year you lead the Cartel investigation and we followed your orders without question. Therefore, you should accept the same here. I have no problem with this hierarchy of command and as a former agent yourself, you shouldn't either." Sean states knowing she can't dispute the facts but also knowing what Robert is up to as well.
As she looks around the room she senses she is outnumbered since Mac, Tiffany and Felicia seem to be in agreement. She then looks back to Robert, who has a smug look on his face that she wants to punch off.
"Fine. Whatever. I see I'm outnumbered here." She says sitting down in a huff as she glares up at him.
He knows from that look, this conversation is definitely not over and he expects to get an earful for the rest of the day at least.
"Now that that is settled, let's discuss a plan at least in the short term. Right now, we have the advantage of knowing who is involved and their history with each other without them knowing that we know. As usual the element of surprise can work in our favor. Mac, your relationship with Holly can prove to be useful since we might be able to leverage that to obtain additional information." Frisco says.
"Robert filled me in so I'm prepared to use her like she has used me. I have no problem with that. However, I don't know how much she will reveal to me since she hasn't revealed anything so far and well basically I'm not who she's after." Mac states honestly.
Anna is surprised how Mac is so willing to participate in this and to continue the charade of a relationship.
"Mac are you sure you want to do this?"
"Anna its fine. As I told Robert, I'm all in no matter what it takes."
"Mac brings up a good point though." Sean interrupts. "If she hasn't revealed anything to Mac up until this point, it's more than likely she won't. However if he ends the relationship now, she might suspect something, leave town permanently and go into hiding. She's done it before." Sean states as he's still trying to organize his thoughts. "There is another option though."He adds.
Frisco immediately knows what he is about to say and jumps in. "I think Mac needs to up the ante a little then. Prior to today Mac didn't know any of this. So now that we all do including Mac, he can try and coax some information out of her. Mac, now that you have had a little time to process this information, can you think of anything that she might have said or done in the last couple of months that you would consider suspicious? Any odd phone calls? Has she disappeared for any length of time where you couldn't reach her? Anything along those lines could be helpful."Frisco asks.
"No, actually she never made or received phone calls in my presence at all, either in Port Charles or in New York. When she was out of town, she always made it a point to contact me almost every day. In fact, I never had a chance to call her, she was always first to call. I guess that in and of itself is odd in retrospect, but at the time it wasn't obvious. I can add though that she always managed to ask how everybody was and if I had seen Robert that day or was going to see him and the family." He says.
"This is why I think the other option I am thinking of might be a better plan." Sean states as Frisco cringes slightly. He knows this is not going to go over well, so he braces himself.
"What are you thinking Sean?" Felicia asks sensing Frisco's sudden discomfort.
"Robert, you can say no, but I think you know what I'm about to say." Sean says staring at him. Robert just nods his head yes without looking at Anna.
"The only evidence we have on her at the moment is circumstantial. Her being Faison's sister in and of itself is not a crime. The phone calls are something, but its really not much. We are running out of time so the only way we can get her and maybe everyone else involved is for her to reveal what she knows, thereby incriminating herself. Mac you will still have to continue the charade on your end and you both will need to wear wires in her presence." Sean states. At that statement Anna has quickly caught on and so has everyone else. She closes her eyes briefly at the implications. She hopes and prays that he will refuse to do this, but she knows he won't.
"Understood." Robert says ending the suspense. Anna is livid that he didn't even want to discuss it with her first or even mildly hesitate in his response. She does not let on what she is feeling and continues to sit in silence.
"Wait Sean. Robert this is crazy. Is this really necessary? I mean he will have to pretend that he wants her back or is in love with her again. Anna are you ok with this?"Tiffany blurts out totally aghast at the prospect.
"I agree, this is really not necessary. We pretty much know what she's capable of at this point and how experienced she is at pulling these scams. Let's just go after the whole bunch and cut her loose. Anna what do you think?" Felicia chimes in hoping to stop this madness knowing Anna must be beside herself.
"I don't think it matters what I think at this point. It's up to Robert what he wants to do and well you heard him. So I think it's settled." She says without looking at him and angry at herself for revealing too much of her emotions. He just shakes his head in frustration. He won't have this conversation with her now in front of everyone.
"Again, lets remain calm people. This is not something we haven't done before and pretty recently I might add." Sean says looking at Anna. He is also beginning to lose his patience. Anna looks away knowing he is right again and sensing Sean is getting angry as well.
"It's the only way. If Robert can somehow get her to take him into her confidence, this is the first step and won't take long. Then begin to convince her that he understands and accepts what she's done, that he will protect her, she might reveal everything. She has always trusted him completely and he has saved her before from the consequences of her actions."
At that, they are all convinced Sean is right, it is the only way. They continue to discuss the plan in detail and decide on a timeframe to either fish or cut bait with Holly. The men agree that as long as Holly believes she has "captured" Robert's attention, Anna and the children are a little safer.
However, the danger from the two families has not been removed as far as Faison's will is concerned. Sean and Frisco will continue with the investigation regarding the players in both families who are directly involved. The Sutton family has many members and finding out exactly who and where they are will not be easy. Narrowing down and isolating who out of all the players is pulling the strings or is the head of the whole operation is key to the investigation. Robert has agreed to work on the Cassadine family utilizing both Luke and Laura to determine exactly who they are dealing with. Since the will last year only specified trust funds for both families, determining who the managers of both funds are will be a daunting task, especially if they are held in offshore accounts. A scenario that is more than likely.
The tension in the room is still very high especially between Robert and Anna and they can all feel it. Anna looks at her watch and realizes it's been almost three hours since she left home. She is very hesitant to leave knowing any more "plans" they discuss she won't be a part of especially if Robert decides not to go with her.
"I've got to go. Robert you can stay if you want, but I'm taking the car." She says barely looking at him while standing and retrieving her coat from the chair.
"Okay, I think I will. Mac will you drop me off later?" He says either not realizing her irritation or ignoring it.
"Look, it's been a long afternoon, why don't we all call it a day and pick this up tomorrow maybe at your place to make it easier." He says looking at Anna, trying to prevent Robert from making another mistake.
"Okay, I think Robin has plans tomorrow afternoon anyway, so that's fine." Anna says as she watches Robert finally get up off the couch to retrieve his coat. They all say their goodbyes and head out the door.