"Why are you going after Grandfather's and Uncle Edward's companies, Jimmy Lee?" he heard an angry voice behind him. He wheeled around, still holding the phone. A noticeably irate Celia was standing in the open doorway. "Answer me!" "Celia…wait!" Jimmy Lee dropped the phone and rushed after her as she turned and fled his house, crying. He caught up to her grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Listen, babe, I'm doing this for us!" Celia forcefully pulled her arm away. "For us?! How can you say that you're going after my father's company is for us?" she nearly shouted. "Hey, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry? After two years of expecting dear old dad to give me respect as his son and business partner, all I get treated as is a lackey! He won't listen to any of my ideas to expand business and boost profits." "Why go after my family's businesses? What did they ever do to you? They accepted you as my future husband. You didn't need to do this." "Babe, don't you understand? I want to give you everything you ever wanted. You'll have your social position back that you gave up when you decided to stay married to Grant. And what did he do? He betrayed you. He cheated on you." "This isn't about Grant! This is about trust, and you just lost mine! The wedding's off!" Celia twisted the engagement ring off her finger, threw it at him, and then stormed off. "Celia...wait!" Jimmy Lee pleaded to empty air.
Celia was so distraught, she wasn't aware of where she was. She had wandered from Jimmy Lee's house walking toward the waterfront, and not watching, ran right into someone leaving Kelly's Diner. "I'm sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going..." Celia started, still sobbing. "Grant?" "Celia! What's wrong?" Grant said, concern in his voice. "Oh, Grant! I've made a horrible mess of my life. How could I be so blind?" Her sobs broke, and tears started to flow. "Hey, now, you're in no shape to go anywhere. Let's go back to my place so you can compose yourself. Honestly, I'm here if you want to talk about it, but I won't pressure you." Surprisingly, she agreed. Once she stepped into Grant's apartment, she started having second thoughts. "Listen, maybe this isn't a good idea. You are probably getting ready to leave on your hospital ship soon," she said. "Nonsense, this is more important at the moment. We'll only talk if you want to," Grant stated, as he went to the bar, poured a cognac, and handed it to her. "It looks like you could use a friendly shoulder to cry on." "This isn't fair to you, Grant. It's about Jimmy Lee." "If you don't want to tell me about it, I'll understand." "I feel like such a fool," Celia stated on a broken sob. "How could I be so blind?" She started pacing. "So many friends warned me, including Holly. I wish I could get some advice from her." "Listen, I know I'm not Holly, but you considered me your best friend once. I won't judge you. I have only wanted the best for you. Trust me, please?" "You have been there for me in the past. You even tried to protect me from the DVX by trying to get me go to my father's. What happened to us, Grant?" "We quit trusting one another, and I am so sorry for my part in destroying that trust. Give me a chance to regain that trust, please?" After telling him about the conversation she overheard, she asked, "What should I do? I need to save my families' companies." "You can start by telling Edward. I'll go with you if you need moral support. It won't be easy for him to hear this." "Would you, please?" "Let's go."
"I knew I couldn't trust him," Edward blustered. "When he first came to town, I was sure he was just a hustler, trying to get his hands on our money. Turns out I was right." Celia burst out crying again. Edward softened, "I'm sorry, my dear, I didn't mean to make you cry. What can we do to help you get through this?" "There's nothing anyone can do. I guess I'll leave and go back to Long Island. I made quite a few contacts at the art exhibit. I'll just try to start a new career there." "My, dear, don't be too hasty. We love having you here. You're almost as a daughter to me and Lila." "I don't think I could stand to live in the same town as Jimmy Lee." "So you're just going to let him run you out of town?" Grant challenged. "I was married to you. I know you've got a stiffer backbone than that." Celia realized that what Grant was saying was true. "You're right!" she said with new resolve. "Now how do we fight this takeover?" "That's my girl," said Edward. "First, I need to get a hold of Jake Myers. I'm sure he'll help. It might just give him some seed money to set up that storefront office of his." He picks up the phone and dials.
