Okay let's start this off by explaining the elephant in the room
It's revealed by Hero that the talk he had with their father (during "return to faraway") made it clear what happened during the incident all those years ago. Thanks to Basil's noose work being shotty at best the noose loosened enough to be around the head instead of the neck however the knot was still tight forcing Samson to cut down the tree with an axe which allowed him the see his daughter breathing and still alive. Maria along with the other parents tried to calm down their children, mainly Hero, but to no avail during the frenzy Maria noticed that her son and Basil were acting strangely, at least to her.
This is when the authorities came in including Nelson who was a detective at the time and Samson just cut down the tree with a "plan" in place after the kids are taken away, all of the adults are questioned by Nelson who quickly figures out that this wasn't a suicide but an accident and says "accidental murder is still murder and framing it as suicide is also a crime, however with my report a good lawyer we can make sure Sunny and Basil's sentence is not-" this when Samson gets riled up saying a bunch of things that hurts the group mainly Maria or gets them angry like Basil's parents Sage and Heather when Samson suggests both of them go to jail.
In the end it didn't matter because thanks to the inheritance money from Samson and Maria's grandparents and some stock market shenanigans Samson was more or less in control of the police of a small-town recruiting Nelson as the new commissioner while framing the old commissioner for corruption he may or may not have done (but he was arguably a "bad" person so no one cared and everyone likes Nelson) effectively having Nelson in his pocket and gave him 2 jobs the first to help him smuggle Mari out of Faraway leading him to know she was alive and the second to spy on the families to make sure they don't blurt out anything they aren't supposed to.
Nelson obviously not one to be an errand boy to a crazed emotional mad man decided to tell said families that he will be spying on them so long as the live in Faraway most of them didn't take it well Sage and Heather decided to work overseas to get enough money to "combat" Samson in a way hiring Polly to take care of basil along with his grandma, Adrian left Faraway town the moment he could along with some other women not wanting be caged leaving Abigale and Aubrey behind, with Hector and Kelly deciding to stay saying that while they may not agree with Samson he's till their best friend and won't spill his secret. The rest as they keep saying is history...
Basil unsurprisingly finds this entire thing absurd, convoluted, and just plain wrong ALL OF THIS because of something he and Sunny did... Kel tries to cheer up Basil saying it was just a fluke there's no way something like that could happen again, right? Hero meanwhile thinks of some irl stories of something similar happening to other families though obviously not to this scale.
The next day Aubrey sees Samson who proceeds tell her everything I just explained with Hero from his prospective admitting he was acting way too "irrationally" and was extraordinarily lucky in getting away with even half of his half-baked plan. Aubrey of course feels an overwhelming urge to brutally murder Samson by beating him to death with a spiked bat, but that will have to wait since Samson wanted to have Aubrey here to help him "tie up loose ends and make amends". Aubrey puts together what he means to say is to apologize to his friends and possible reconnect like old time but asks what he means by" tie up loose ends". Samson replies "To find the one who got away" Aubrey is confused until she realizes...oh god her Father.
Somewhere else Sunny, Mari and Kim are out and about looking for Aubrey a text from her saying she's at the park, but when they get there, they find Hero, Basil and Kel looking rather ominous which seems impossible when you have Basil tagging along. Sunny decides to walk towards them with Kel and Basil doing the same, when they meet it's clear they want to tell Sunny something but just can't find the words or the right way to put it.
As this is happening Kim and Mari are confronted by one of the Mari look-alikes named May, Kim immediately stands in front of Mari in a "cool" pose ready to kick ass yet May came here to apologize on Margerete's behalf...and to ask for help. Kim is skeptical but Mari a person who has been lied to all her life (ironically after she died) knows when someone is lying and she isn't, so they agree to listen, May explains that Margerete isn't alone there's someone else that's helping her trying to ruin Hero's life along with Mari's the reason she is telling them this is because despite everything she still likes Hero and doesn't want anyone to get hurt joining up with Margerete specifically to foil her plan explaining further that the other girls were threatened to join so "the big reveal can have a big effect" but does make it clear a lot of them do have...Conflicting feelings on Hero to put it lightly
Kim like Basil before is just Flabbergasted no, utterly DUMBfounded that All of this is happening because of...honestly a multitude of factors so vast and equally so stupid but with all of this information Kim agrees to work with May to try and find some dirt to stop this plan and find out who this "someone" is, Mari stays behind seeing his brother and friends agree something and wants to figure out what's going on with them.
Kel and Basil approached Mari while Sunny goes to Hero, Mari asks what's up with Kel and Basil explaining that they are going to finally "confront each other" Mari is shocked to hear this and looks to see...both of them walking together calmly? That's a start but- Basil further explains that all will be revealed in time but for now they should follow and wait.
It's strange Aubrey thought to be back here after all this time, to be back in the "shady" part of town its own red-light district to find the person who abandoned her and her mother, but it wasn't that bad all things considered, in a strange way this place accepted her while everyone else shut her out (at the time at least).
When Aubrey and the Hooligans first came to the city when they were around 18 it was a rough start, they had very little money and while they worked some small jobs in faraway that were kind of out there the jobs here in Nearby were somehow even crazier to work for and didn't pay much attention to its workers. Luckily, they were able to find permanent (if slightly cramped) housing in a brothel of all places with the owners (who are a husband and wife that met in the very same brothel) even allowing "relationships" between them and their workers something that excited the male members of the hooligans while the females' members gave a shrug since they definitely didn't want to become playthings for random men.
From here it's kind of the story from Yakuza Like a dragon with the gang taking odd jobs to make money with Aubrey taking more...violent one's bloody spiked bat in hand, never killing but always leaving a mark Which caught the attention of the one and only Venom gang specifically Albert. Things go exactly how you know with the added detail that Aubrey asked for instruments to start a band and surprisingly Albert got them the instruments and asked them to make a song that got very popular in the city, making the hooligans and Albert lots of money.
Back to the story Aubrey visits the brothel that housed them for a visit, she says it's for old times sake and she wants to see their old room, but before that...She sees him...and he sees her and...he doesn't recognize her and even makes suggestive comments about her. Aubrey in the old room is shaking...out of anger and disgust she tries to keep it in but it's too much she nearly yells but decides to bite her hand very, very hard and it bleeds but she pulls herself together to contact Samson saying "he's here".
Aubrey didn't know what to expect before she came here she tried to make herself look "younger" or something maybe childish with her black hair, pink bow, "cute" clothes Mari bought her, and "cute" smile and nothing just nothing *SCREEECH* an Van pulls up on the brothel "Samson!?" "Adrian, we need to talk". Aubrey looks down on her father who sees her "YOU BITCH THIS IS YOUR DOING ISN'T IT WHO ARE YOU!?" Samson grabs Adrian "That's what ALL of us are going to talk about" he puts him in the van "ALL OF US!? WHAT ARE Y- wait Hector, Kelly, Sage, and HEATHER!?".
Funny Aubrey expected more like a life-or-death confrontation between Him, her and Sunny on a boat or something a big event that shakes the country if not the world, yeah that's what her father would wish too (the van drives off)
Just like that Aubrey sees her father drive off to who knows where not even acknowledging her or at least not like a father to his daughter to him she's just "Some bitch" and that's all she'll ever be to him because what happens next is up to the people that let this lie go farther than it should have...and that will be it. Aubrey sits in the corner of the room, tears filling her eyes hugging her knees tightly thinking to herself
"What a sick joke, that no one is laughing at it's more of burning memory"
Kim and May left Mari to find out who is behind all of this
Although May beforehand stole Margerete's phone but didn't know the code and thought Kim could crack it and she could by typing... UNLOCKED
May unsurprisingly found this very unsatisfactory with even Kim looking dissatisfied with how easy it was there wasn't any facial recognition either, but they weren't going to let this opportunity go and went through the phone to find answers.
The answers are as such Margerete apparently has a new man by the name of Simon Spencer
Kim: are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!?
Kim said surprising May leaving Kim to explain that this man was part of "group" That she helped take down apparently after Simon was defeated by the Sunshine gang at the gym Nolan immediately fired and blacklisted him from everything a rather harsh punishment. However, after Black Sun... cut him loose Simon was able to bounce back by taking some assets from Nolan and changing his name to Silver Spencer (He's not very bright). Why is he after Hero? Well during the fight at the gym, it was Hero who beat him up not Sunny so disgracing Hero like he did to him is why any of this is happening.
May: so, what do we do?
Kim: I'll call up Samson he can help with all of this
Kim rings up Samson who agrees to help but he's doing something right now with Aubrey and tells Kim to pick her up at the brothel. This surprises Kim, what is she doing there? Doesn't matter Kim along with May goes back home to get her car (yes all the characters know how to drive) and head to her second home
...
*HONK* *HONK*
Aubrey: Kim?
Kim: hey I hear someone's feeling a bit down and I'm here to make that worse (she says with a full smile on her face)
Both girls embrace and talk about what they were doing while introducing May into the mix
May: what do we do now?
Kim: let's just hang out, the boys are finally going to work/talk out their feelings so we should just wait
Aubrey: The boys? You mean-
?: HEY!
The girls see some guards coming towards them with a MASSIVE MAN leading them
Silver: it says it's right here so you three are the ones who stole it
Aubrey: Simon?
Silver: *gasp* I m-mean no it's Silver why does everyone confuse with that nobody
Aubrey looks at Kim who gives a... rather devious look right back at her
Aubrey grabs the phone from May and gives it to "Silver"
Aubrey: there must have been a misunderstanding I'm sorry for the inconvenience
Silver: T-thank you miss j-just be careful where you find these things
Silver leaves, and Aubrey stands cross armed waiting for an explanation from Kim and May both of whom are looking rather SUS right now.