Michael did an excellent job of avoiding Fallon throughout the rest of the day, even she could admit that. But he also – much to her frustration – always locked his door when he left the office. She was pretty sure she saw him do so just to go down to the bathroom or to get coffee. Liam also seemed to make a point of keeping to his assigned floor, so she didn't run into him again before it came time to head home. Just in case, she also took up the habit of locking her office door before walking over to the elevators.
Just moments after Fallon closed the front door to the Carrington manor, Kirby was bounding down the stairs, her excitement completely obvious.
"So?!" Kirby asked impatiently, coming up alongside Fallon as the brunette headed for the kitchen.
"I thought we agreed we would keep this private," Fallon replied as she shot a frustrated look her friend's way. "Freaking out when I walk in the door isn't exactly the best way to do that."
Kirby groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, come on. Nothing stays secret in this house and you know it." At Fallon's judgmental look, she hurried on, "I mean, I haven't said anything. But you really think a rehire like you won't make news eventually? That's the same way you found out about Michael."
Fallon looked reluctant to accept that, though the agreement was obvious on her face as she reached over to pick up an apple before leaning against the counter and sighing. "I know. But I already told Dad about him working there. So if everyone finds out I've taken a job, too-"
"-They'll think you're trying to win him back." Kirby nodded. "Or trying to destroy him again."
The threatening, narrowed gaze Kirby received made her lift her hands apologetically.
"I'm just saying," she continued, "you can only hide things for so long. So you may as well tell me the truth so I can help bury it or pass it on once people start to ask questions."
Fallon took a bite of her apple, considering, before finally nodding. "Upstairs."
Once they were both safely within the confines of Fallon's bedroom, with even Kirby sitting atop the bed to face her, the brunette finally sighed and gave in to Kirby's request.
"Liam overheard Michael calling Ada. So he brought me on board, I guess... thinking that I'd be able to help keep her away from the company."
"Does he really still blame the Van Kirks for your breakup?"
"I don't know. Maybe? But the decisions I made felt like they were for us. Not me, or Liam, or even my family. I can't feel the same way about his decision to lie and to keep working with Ada even after she handed over the blackmail she had on me."
Kirby frowned, clearly reluctant to say what had just come to mind. "... Are you sure she really got rid of all the copies? Just because she printed them out doesn't mean the digital files or whatever are gone. Not to dig up old mistakes, but you kind of got his dirty laundry aired because of Atlantix. Why would he go for the company and not just... you?"
Rolling her eyes, Fallon relaxed further into her pile of pillows. "If I truly understood him, we wouldn't have broken up."
"Okay, well we clearly need to find out what he's after. And if the blackmail is really out of the picture."
"That would be easier if we could get into his things. Culhane has started locking his office constantly. If that isn't code for I'm hiding something, I don't know what is."
Kirby hmm'd quietly, laying across the foot of the bed to stare up at the ceiling. "Well, if he's up to stuff, he would probably have something hidden at his place, too. So that's just another door in our faces."
"... Kirby?" Fallon asked slowly. "You can pick locks, right?"
"Well, yeah. But I can't just show up at his apartment. What if he's there? Or has some fancy new security? After the break in, it wouldn't be surprising."
"We've put you in a disguise before. That part isn't hard. But making sure he isn't home... Well, you could go while we're at work."
Kirby shrugged. "I guess so. It's probably not possible, but I wish we could snag his cell phone. Or, better yet, something off Ada herself. With the masquerade on Friday, though, we won't have too much time."
Fallon sat forward slowly, that all-too familiar look on her face of scheming and pride in her ideas. "A masquerade is the perfect place for a disguise," she mused, drawing Kirby's gaze again, though this time in confusion. "Let's say... Steven wanted Michael to come, because they used to get along, at least to an extent. Who else would Michael sneak in as his plus one?"
Kirby pushed herself up, eyes wide and excited. "Of course! Is there a time tomorrow when you won't be in your office? I could stop by, saying he asked me to since I'm planning the party-" she hesitated slightly at Fallon's mild disapproval, "-at least as far as he'll know, anyway."
"Just ask for him downstairs, and if he's busy, leave it for him. But yes, tomorrow, so he has time to make up whatever his attempt at a plan will be," Fallon agreed. "We'll just make sure security watches out for him. The staff here should be able to recognize him or at least lock doors beyond the party itself."
"Perfect."
The next day, Fallon was in the middle of a call with one of CA's biggest clients when Culhane's door opened. He stopped to lock the door, a mildly confused look on his face as he purposefully avoided looking at her, then headed towards the elevators. A moment later, Fallon's cell lit up with a silent notification: Kirby, saying she was about to finalize the guest list. Fallon grinned broadly, finishing up her call with a pep in her metaphorical step.
A few minutes later, Culhane returned to his office, a square envelope in hand. Fallon knew better than to ever ask him if Steven had reached out, and it seemed unlikely that he would bring it up with her if he indeed wanted to do something sneaky. Just before his door shut again, she saw him reach into his pocket and pull out his cell phone.
Her grin turned into a devious smirk.
She was about to check her email when her phone lit up again. Kirby: Actually, there might be one more person who should be invited.
Fallon didn't need clarification. Of course it made sense to fill Liam in. But inviting him to a family function, whether for a clever plan or not, felt strange. They had been to many together, all of them under a guise that she actually wasn't eager to revisit. Worse, though, she didn't want to invite him, because then she had to mention that they were open to plus ones. Which meant Ashley Cunningham, whose name even Fallon Carrington had to admit was slightly ironic.
She had made a promise, though. She wouldn't interfere, she wouldn't be childish about his desire to move on. And as she'd said since returning from the ski trip, she needed to show him the best version of her – the one he'd known at the start when she didn't think she needed anyone. It wasn't that she actually needed him, though. She just wanted him. And really, that meant that Liam had been right all along. Damnit.
Courage in hand, Fallon made her way to Liam's office, determined to be a bigger person. For him.
Luckily, he was there when she walked in, and he actually startled like he'd been caught at something, quickly clicking something.
"You okay?" She asked, an eyebrow lifting a little warily.
"Yeah, sorry." He lifted a hand in a sort of apology as well. "I'm trying not to get caught doing revisions for my editor."
Curiosity brought Fallon closer to his desk. "They're due soon?"
He nodded. "Friday morning. But this is supposed to be the last round." He leaned back in his chair, looking confident in a way she'd really missed.
"Well," Fallon nodded, sinking into the chair opposite his without waiting for permission, "I'm excited for you. Maybe this time I'll actually get a chance to read it, considering my mother didn't pass it on."
Liam looked a little surprised, but cracked a smile. "I'd actually really like that. But you came up here for something. What was it?"
"Well, after a recent... fiasco of sorts, Steven has returned home. And until you came by to recruit me, I'd been planning his return party, hoping to keep the investors in his foundation from digging too far into why he was gone. Considering," she glanced over her shoulder for a moment, just in case, "who else we have invited, I thought you might like to come as well."
"I see," he replied, clearing taking her meaning.
"It's Friday night at the manor, masquerade-themed. So in all likelihood, some people may try to... go under the radar. Which you're of course welcome to do. Or you can look for me and Kirby. But either way," she drew in a breath, forcing out the words, "you're welcome to bring a plus one. We expect people to start showing up around seven-thirty, so anytime after that."
He didn't react to her mention of a plus one, but to be fair, she hadn't really expected him to.
Liam seemed to consider for a moment before nodding. "I'll be there."