"I'm already running late to meet Nina for lunch, Olivia," Sonny said, "Whatever you need is going to have to wait."
"Sit down," Olivia said sternly, "I obviously didn't get here in time to stop you and Kellie from having a massive fight. No thanks to Tracy. I had to pry it out of her why she thought letting Kellie hightail it here was a good idea."
"Tracy's involved in this," Sonny exclaimed, "Why?"
"That's beside the point, Sonny," Olivia said, "From what I saw and heard you just lost any chance of regaining a relationship with your daughter. What were you thinking?"
"That my one child who understands how the business and feds work would understand why Carly and Michael can't go to prison for this SEC thing," Sonny said, "Especially if the feds pursued the charges to get to me and Jason."
"Kellie could understand it and still draw the line at her husband being the sacrificial lamb," Olivia said.
"She knows how things work," Sonny said, "How can she ask Michael to be in the position of leaving his kids and his wife who is fighting Leukemia and just had a bone marrow transplant. Donna shouldn't have to lose her mother."
"But Kellie should be okay with Kelsey losing her father who is the same age as Donna," Olivia said, "And Kelsey is older than Amelia, she's younger than Wiley.."
"Kellie knows the risks to Jason," Sonny said, "With the business."
"Except her losing him isn't a business risk at all in this situation," Olivia said, "You asked Jason to choose Carly and Michael over Kellie and their family. From what I can gather, you asked Kellie accept losing Jason for a situation that has nothing to do with either them and rip apart her family to save her siblings' families. It's a wonder she doesn't think Michael's your golden child."
Sonny grimaced then said, "She implied as much. But…"
"There's no buts here, Sonny," Olivia said, "You don't ask your children to do things or accept things that tell them they mean less to you than their siblings. That's what you did here, Sonny."
"Kellie, just needs to let me explain," Sonny said.
"Would she even believe anything you said at this point," Olivia said, "Because I don't think she would. It's not the first time you've let her down like this."
"I'll work it out, we always do eventually," Sonny said, "Maybe if you talked to her."
"I can't do that, Sonny," Olivia said, "This is between you and Kellie. She's barely had anything to do with you since she found you in Nixon Falls. If I'm being honest, I don't think you can fix your relationship with Kellie. I know you won't like this, but the only thing you're going to do is exactly what Kellie asked, leave her and her family alone."
"You can't mean that, Olivia," Sonny said.
"I do," Olivia said, "After what just happened, the type of relationship you have with Kellie is up to her. Whether you meant to hurt Kellie like this or not."
"I didn't intend to hurt Kellie with anything of this," Sonny interrupted.
Even so," Olivia continued, "You have to respect what she decides now. You'll just push her further and further away if you don't. I don't think Kellie's bluffing about turning you over to the feds if you don't do as she asks."
"She would," Sonny said, reluctantly.
"I need you to promise me, Sonny," Olivia said, "That you'll leave Kellie alone. No trying get to her through Jason or Charles or her siblings, her kids, or anyone else. You have to promise you'll respect her wishes and let her set the terms of your relationship from here on out."
Sonny shocked his head reluctant and then sighed.
"Fine, I promise," Sonny said, quietly, "I'll leave Kellie alone."
"I will hold you to it," Olivia before leaving.
Outside the penthouse, Kellie walked past Johnny straight into the elevator. She leaned against the back wall of the elevator and slid to a sitting position on the floor. Johnny followed Kellie into the elevator and sat on the floor next to her.
"Go ahead and say I told you so," Kellie said, trying to hide some tear stains on her cheek.
"Kid," Johnny said, "This isn't on you."
"I know," Kellie said, quietly, "Surprisingly it stills hurts."
"Yeah, it does," Johnny replied solemnly as the elevator went down to the parking garage.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened Sam, Drew, Danny, and Scout were waiting as Kellie and Johnny stood up.
"Kellie, what are you doing here?" Sam asked.
"I stopped by to have a talk with my dad," Kellie said as she and Johnny walked out of the elevator, "I just…I'll tell you later."
"Danny, Scout, why don't we give your mother and Kellie a few minutes," Drew said, herding them in to the elevator.
"It's been a rough couple of days hasn't it," Sam said, hugging Kellie.
Kellie nodded.
"What do you say we go back to your place?" Sam said, "We can talk."
"Jason took the kids back home," Kellie said, "I don't think I'm ready to go back home after that yet."
"Of course not," Sam said, pushing the elevator button. "I have an idea. I'll let Drew know I'll be out for a bit and then we can go."
"We can't leave until Olivia gets back down here anyway," Johnny said, "She's with Sonny now."
Within moments, the elevator doors opened and Olivia stepped out.
"I'll be back in a few moments," Sam said, getting in the elevator, "Don't take off without me."
"I made your father promise to leave you alone," Olivia said as the elevator doors closed, "to respect the terms you're setting for your relationship with him whether he likes it or not."
"That won't last long," Kellie scoffed, "But thanks for trying."
"If I could wave a magic wand and fix your relationship with your father, I would," Olivia said.
"We both know unless my father has some sort of personality transplant," Kellie responded, "We're better off in separate corners, especially when he thinks he can expect me to go along with blowing up my life like that. I don't know if I'll ever understand how my own father could ask me to convince my husband to go prison for something he didn't even do."
"I don't know how that anyone could understand that," Olivia said, "But you do know your father cares about you right. That he does love you."
"As much as he's actually capable of," Kellie said, "And it doesn't stop me from being an after thought or collateral damage if it gets Sonny what he wants for himself or who he wants."
"Oh honey," Olivia said.
"You can't make excuses for him," Kellie said, "Not this time."
"No," Olivia replied sadly, pulling Kellie into a hug, "I know, Baby Girl, and you'll never how much I wish that wasn't the case."