Alison was getting impatient, she refolded the dinner napkin beside her plate and aligned the elegant silverware in front of her perfectly for the third time. Her eyes darted to the winding staircase that led to the upper floors of the DiLaurentis mansion, her childhood home. The dining room was professionally decorated in hues of green and gold, two lush flower arrangements adorned the table. The room felt opulent, and suffocating. Alison, dressed in a scarlet red Christian Dior dress, sat with perfect posture, looking every bit the part of a poised DiLaurentis daughter.
CeCe, on the other side of the table, lounged back in her chair. The nonchalance of her posture was a silent rebellion. She tapped away on her phone, her eyes glued to the screen with a faint smile. Alison wondered briefly if she was texting Emily but then pushed those thoughts aside. Spencer sat next to CeCe, rigid in her seat as she smoothed an invisible wrinkle from the tablecloth.
"What's taking her so long?" CeCe complained loudly, setting her phone aside.
"She said she'd be right down," Spencer replied in a hushed tone.
"That was twenty minutes ago," Alison cut in.
In what Alison assumed was a burst of frustration, CeCe sprang from her seat and stalked across the room. She eyed a selection of wines and grabbed a bottle, popping the cork on her way back to the table where she filled her glass to the rim and took a few big gulps. Afterward, she pushed the bottle in Alison and Spencer's directions. Alison nodded toward her glass, needing something to take the edge off. Spencer's nod was rushed but just as enthusiastic, these 'family' dinners were always draining. CeCe filled their glasses high and Alison drank down half of hers immediately, CeCe refilled it before moving on to fill Spencer's glass just as high.
While they drank, Spencer filled CeCe in on everything they had uncovered about Paige, the troll farm, the Kahn brothers, and the corrupted Emily file. CeCe's normally carefree demeanor faded as she looked more and more worried, just as Alison had when Spencer first told her all Paige had been up to. Once caught up, CeCe began pummeling Alison with questions.
"And you haven't told Emily anything? Haven't given her the new phone? What are you waiting on?" CeCe picked her phone up from the table, no doubt to warn Emily.
"I'm waiting until Monday," Alison grabbed the device from her sister's hands. "Maybe you didn't notice but Emily had a lot going on this week. I wasn't going to add to it. I thought it could wait until Monday and I still believe that. Let her enjoy her weekend."
"You don't get to unanimously decide what's best for her. Paige is unhinged. Emily could be in danger, and all because of your stupid fucking feud," CeCe scoffed.
"Yes, It is because of me, so I do get to decide, and I will tell Emily everything she needs to know on Monday," Alison shot back. "And just so we're clear, Paige may hate me but she isn't fond of you either," She managed to control her volume but the words were harsh. "Don't open your mouth to Emily until I've talked to her," she held CeCe's phone out for her to take.
CeCe snatched the phone but before she could say anything there was the sound of footsteps. The three of them looked at the staircase to see their mother descending. Jessica's entrance cut through the tense moment as she approached the table in a classic navy blue gown, dirty blonde hair cascading down her shoulders in perfect waves. There was no way to tell how much she'd overheard so the three sisters watched their mother's expression carefully as she took her seat at the head of the table.
"Sorry to keep you girls waiting," Jessica said in a voice that wasn't at all apologetic.
Jessica looked around the room, eyes falling on Spencer first, then CeCe, and then Alison. It was stoic, distant, and perpetually disappointed, a look that Alison had grown familiar with over the years. It was obvious to Alison then that Jessica had waited upstairs listening to them, counting on their impatience to reach its peak, where they would lash out at each other, inadvertently spilling their secrets. It was, smart, manipulative…and something she would do. Alison reached for her wine glass at the realization that they were more alike than she cared to admit.
"So, the two of you are fighting over…your assistant," Jessica's gaze shifted between the two before finally landing on Alison. "Are the models, and actresses not enough? You have to sleep with your assistant too? Opening us up to a scandal, not to mention a lawsuit."
Alison opened her mouth to defend herself but was stopped by her mother's raised hand. She swallowed the words she was about to speak and Jessica turned her stare onto CeCe.
"You've never had a penchant for screwing the staff, are you doing this to get back at me? Have I done something to you lately? Other than let you come and go from the offices, doing as you please, cherry picking your assignments when you decide to do any work."
CeCe was quicker to speak, "You never wanted me at DiLaurentis McCullers Drake anyways, why does it matter what I do while I'm there."
Jessica paid her daughter's words no mind, "Both of you will stop this, whatever it is. You insist on dating women, fine, find more suitable women. I don't want to hear of this again."
"No," Alison found her voice and continued, "Emily is accompanying me to the Tiffany Ball."
"Me as well," CeCe added. "We're going as a group since Alison decided to intrude."
Alison felt a surge of annoyance but decided to deal with her sister later. Jessica looked between them incredulously. "No, no, no. Absolutely not." Her eyes shot to Spencer, "You were going to let them go through with this? The two of them showing up to one of the biggest events this season on a group….date."
"I don't control them," Spencer retorted with a shake of her head, "and it's not a date, it's a group…outing."
"It's a spectacle," Jessica declared, slamming her hand down on the table. It caused everyone to jump slightly. "I'll find you both new dates for the event."
"Invite whoever you want, I'll be arriving with Emily. I care about her and I won't cancel," Alison stopped realizing she'd said too much. Spencer and CeCe were eyeing her curiously.
"You care about her?" Jessica asked sharply. "You don't have the capacity to care about anything other than yourself and GLOW."
"That's not…I can…," Alison struggled again to find her words as she was hit with conflicting emotions. She'd told herself countless times that she could never love anything more than she loved GLOW. "It can be different, I can have more than just GLOW," Alison said, trying to convince herself more than anyone else at the table.
Jessica let out a scoffing laugh, "You aren't the settling down type, Alison. You've never had a real relationship and this won't be any different. Whatever sentiments your assistant makes you feel will pass. She's not any different than the rest of the women you bed."
"Don't listen to her, Ali. You don't have to choose between your success and love, you can have both," CeCe objected.
"I never said anything about love," it was a gut reaction and the words were out of Alison's mouth before she actually thought about them. Her defenses were built so high she couldn't help but shut down the idea immediately.
"And there it is," Jessica laughed again. "You know what? Your sister's not completely wrong, you can have the company and the girl. Keep seeing her, eventually, you'll do something to screw it up and she'll run from you, or you'll tire of her. Either way, it won't last and then maybe you'll learn a lesson."
Both CeCe and Alison had a response to that but Jessica spoke over them, "Let's eat."
… …
After dinner, Alison escaped out onto the deck, desperately needing to put some distance between herself and her mother. Normally she could hold her own with Jessica, but not when the words her mother spewed were so close to home. It had shone a light on her worries, forcing them to the front of her mind, and now she was rethinking every moment she and Emily shared since the morning they met in her office.
The door slid open behind Alison and she turned her head enough to see Spencer emerge from the house. The sounds of CeCe and Jessica arguing about something could be heard faintly until being completely muffled by Spencer closing the door behind her.
"You okay?" Spencer asked gently.
"I'm fine," Alison turned back to look out over the deck. "Just needed some air," her voice just above a whisper.
Spencer joined Alison where she stood, their shoulders touching as Spencer nudged her lightly. "You can't let her get to you. You care about Emily, I can see it."
Alison sighed, she knew how she felt, but her mother's words echoed in her head. "What if she's right? What if I'm lying to myself and I'm not capable of love? I wanted nothing to do with Emily until…" Alison tried to pinpoint when her feelings had changed, she knew it was the Garden Party. From then on something had changed between them, no matter how much she tried to ignore or fight it.
"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, Ali. You're more than an Editor in Chief, more than GLOW's founder. It's okay for you to evolve, change, want something more. It doesn't make you weak or any less ambitious," Spencer looped an arm through hers and Alison rested her head on her sister's shoulder.
"What if I mess things up?" Alison asked quietly.
"What if Emily chooses CeCe?" Spencer asked in return. At that moment Alison knew Spencer wasn't trying to upset her, she was only pointing out that neither of them knew how things would progress.
"I've seen the way CeCe dotes on her, and supports her, she saw how special Emily was before I did," Alison said thoughtfully. "If it's what Emily wanted, I wouldn't stand in the way."
Spencer smirked, "Look at that, you really are evolving."
The two of them shared a laugh and fell into a comfortable silence that didn't last long. Spencer was fishing into her suit pants pocket. Alison pulled out of their embrace, giving Spencer space to find what she was looking for.
"Maya St. Germain's last known address," she handed a folded piece of paper to Alison.
Alison flipped the paper open, eyes widening when she recognized the zip code, "This is upstate, maybe two hours away. She's been two hours away this whole time?" Alison felt a chill sweep through her.
"She doesn't have the money to get any further. She's been living at a pretty run down Motel."
Alison couldn't bring herself to feel bad for Maya. After everything Emily sacrificed for her, Maya abandoned her and left her feeling as if she was to blame.
"You should know, Emily's roommate Toby knows where she is, he's known almost the whole time," Spencer added. "He thinks if they get back together, they'll fall into the same cycle. He's afraid of how Emily will react if Maya leaves again."
Emily deserves answers, she deserves to know nothing is wrong with her, Alison thought to herself as she took out her phone and saved the address. She crumpled the paper and tossed it onto the lawn, knowing it would be picked up and disposed of by one of the garden boys the next morning. The anger coursing through her was making it hard to think of next steps.
"What are you going to do?" Spencer asked.
"I don't know."
… …
The dim Lower East Side bar wasn't a place Alison would be caught dead in. Band posters plastered the walls, overlapping one another to the point where nothing was legible, an indistinct blend of colors and images. Random bursts of graffiti added another layer of chaos. She silently thanked herself for deciding to go home and change before making the journey. Her shoes were being ruined by the sticky floors and the smell of smoke would be stuck to her clothes. Around her, there were rowdy conversations and the sound of glasses clinking every so often.
"What can I get ya?" A bartender with a bright blue buzz cut put a napkin down in front of her.
"Two whiskey doubles on the rocks," Alison ordered, loud enough for her voice to cut through the ambient noise. "Top shelf," she added.
The bartender nodded with a smile, and Alison watched them turn around to grab a dust covered bottle off the top shelf behind the bar. Alison's gaze lingered on the television mounted above the bar. It had been a long day of catching up on work in her home office, and then the tense dinner with her sisters and mother. The squeak of the door being opened sliced through Alison's thoughts, drawing her eyes to the entrance just as Mona walked in, their eyes locking across the room.
They had a shared history, public rivals with a private understanding. Alison had the utmost respect for Mona despite how the media loved to pit them against each other. Over the years they had tried once or twice to correct the narrative and show the public that two powerful women could be friends but it failed every time. People liked them better as adversaries, hence why they were meeting at a dive bar on the Lower East Side where no one would recognize them.
"Are one of those mine?" Mona took the seat next to her and eyed the two drinks.
"It is, but be warned, I don't know what passes for top shelf in a place like this," Alison cautioned playfully.
Mona laughed, it was a sound Alison hadn't heard in years. It reminded her of years of secrets and private alliances. Mona gulped down the drink, a grimace crossing her face, "Delightful."
Despite the off putting smell and taste, Alison drank her double swiftly as Mona watched with an amused grin.
"So, why am I here, Alison? We aren't exactly drinking buddies," Mona asked, her tone curious.
Alison leaned back, drawing in a deep breath that reflected the exhausting day she'd had. "I need a favor," she said on her exhale.
"Have you finally done something that Avery can't spin?"
"No, this isn't about me," Alison clarified.
"CeCe, then?"
"No, CeCe has been on her best behavior as of recently," Alison couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Well, it definitely isn't Spencer," Mona continued speculating.
"Of course not," Alison let out a short chuckle. "This is something more personal."
Mona's eyebrow arched, inviting Alison to continue.
"I need you to take on a new client, Emily Fields. She's-" Alison began only to be cut off by a dismissive wave.
"I know who she is but I'm not taking new clients right now Alison. I have my hands full as it is with my current ones."
"In three years time, Emily will be making more than all your current clients combined. She's…special," Alison insisted, her tone full of conviction.
"Special," Mona repeated the word. "I've seen the billboards, she's gorgeous, but she's also…a flake. Who quits the Olympics to spend more time with their girlfriend?"
Alison winced at the question, of course Mona was able to deduce why Emily walked away from competitive swimming. She was just as observant as Alison.
"You've looked into her…" Alison said, exasperated. This was going to take more convincing than she thought.
"Like i said, I've seen the billboards." Mona replied with a tinge of amusement in her voice before turning serious, "But once I looked into her and pieced things together, I realized she's a nonstarter."
Mona's words were harsh and Alison cringed remembering her first interaction with Emily. Resting her head on her hand when she remembered how callous she'd been. How she'd humiliated Emily in front of Aria and Hanna.
"Yeah, pretty desperate." Emily looked away as she forced herself to say the words.
"Stupid is a nonstarter," Alison spoke, "but desperate…I can work with."
Alison pushed down the feelings of regret, she couldn't do anything about the past but she could set Emily up for success now. There was no one better than Mona at launching and maintaining careers. The Public Relations Executive had launched a full management firm of her own around the same time Alison founded GLOW. She was exactly who Emily needed in her corner, fierce and loyal.
"It'll be worth it, trust me," Even as Alison said the words she knew Mona would need more if she was going to agree to take Emily on.
"I'm sure it will be in the future, but it's not worth it right now, Alison. C'mon you know how this works, I can't risk sinking time and resources into your girl if I'm not sure she'll stay put."
Mona explained what Alison already knew and Alison tried hard to ignore the tightening in her stomach at hearing Emily referred to as 'her girl'. It brought up the very recent memory of Emily's arm around her waist, holding her up while the brunette fucked her so thoroughly Alison would have given her anything she wanted in the moment. They hadn't had much time to talk about it afterwards but Alison couldn't wait until she could get Emily alone again.
"Fine, I'll make it worth it for you." Alison waved down the bartender again. When they arrived, she ordered another round of whiskey doubles. As the bartender poured the drinks, Alison explained her proposal, "I'll pay you to take her on, a one time fee, name your number."
Mona pretended to think while throwing back her drink, this time managing to do it without grimacing. When she was done she pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, looking almost turned on at the thought of increasing her company's bottom line.
"5% of my projected earnings for the year," Mona kicked off negotiations.
"And how much are you projecting?" Alison steeled herself.
"22 million,"
Alison did the mental calculations quickly and then countered, "3%"
Mona looked taken aback but Alison could see she had her on the hook, the offer was just too tempting to pass up, "I'll have to meet her first."
"She'll be at the Tiffany Ball. I'm sure you're going, you can meet her then,"
Mona smiled trying to put the pieces together as to why Alison would be so willing to pay her over $600k to take on a client, "She's your date?"
"Not quite," Alison's eyes dropped to the bar counter, not expecting the sadness to be so evident in her voice.
... ...
Author's Note:
The next chapter will be the Tiffany Ball and I'm sure it'll be messy in more ways than one ;) Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy today's update!