| Previously...
After
stealing the rights to The Murderess from
Will and giving it to Brett, Heather cautioned Brett
not to go back on their deal. Brett promised
that he would give Heather the starring role in
the film. Stormy was shocked to learn that
Brett was running Sunset Studios. James
and Brooke announced their plans to remarry. Alex
and Marilee made plans for their new venture into
the natural gas industry. Heather made plans to
break things off with Will, but he presented her
with a diamond necklace before she could follow
through. Ethan accused Heather of being the
mole who stole the script from Jaguar Studios.
Brooke saw a mysterious person following her.
Will vowed revenge against James for stealing
The Murderess from him. At Brett's
request, Gwen continued giving James the pills that
would keep him immobile. Stormy and Heather
made peace with their impending divorce.
Episode
27
"Wedding
2"
Two
days later the house was busy with preparations for James and Brooke’s
wedding. Against James’s insistence,
Brooke had arranged for a much simpler ceremony than their first almost a year
earlier. Only family was invited for the
exchange of vows in the library. After
some coaxing by Brooke, James agreed that an elaborate wedding wasn’t
necessary. They were going to be married
and that was the most important thing.
Brooke
was in the bedroom getting dressed when Miranda entered in a simple wine
colored dress, her black hair pinned up in an elegant style. She looked at Brooke and was immediately
reminded of the last time her father married the former make-up girl. She hadn’t been present during the ceremony
because she’d been off in Vegas marrying Brett.
The car accident, the heated exchange with her father, and the
disappointment that he was marrying someone else had brought her emotions to a
boiling point. As much as she hated the
idea that they were getting re-married, she didn’t wish to have a repeat
performance. One thing she couldn’t do,
however, was bite her tongue about her true feelings.
“The
minister just arrived,” Miranda announced as she strode into the room carrying
a small bouquet of white roses. “Are
you almost ready?”
“Almost,”
Brooke said and turned toward the young woman.
“Miranda, I’m glad you’re here because I want to talk to you.”
“I
want to talk to you too,” Miranda said with a flourish. “Brooke, I know we’ve had our differences,
and I’m not going to pretend I’m happy about this marriage, but I want you to
know that if you’re what my father wants, then I’m not going to try to spoil it
for him.”
“That’s
good,” Brooke replied evenly. “Because I
won’t let you. Miranda, I love your
father. We’re going to have a baby. Even if you wanted to, there’s nothing you
could do to stop that. You could even
run me over with your car like last time and we’d still be getting married
today. I just want you to know that.”
Miranda
set her jaw and stepped forward. “Just
as long as you know that I won’t let you hurt him again,” she said. “So if there are any more secret husbands or
affairs that you’re trying to hide-“
“There
aren’t,” Brooke cut her off. “James is
very lucky to have you looking out for him.
I’m sure he appreciates it. But I
guarantee I’m not going to do anything to hurt him.”
“I
hope not. For your sake.”
After
Miranda left the room, Brooke turned back to the mirror and examined her
reflection. Somehow she felt a little
more at ease now that she and Miranda had it out. It wasn’t going to be easy, but at least they
understood each other.

Downstairs,
James was in the library seated in his wheelchair by the fireplace. He heard someone enter and looked up as
Stormy approached him timidly, dressed handsomely in a dapper black tuxedo.
“Dad,
I need to talk to you,” Stormy began. “I
know this is a busy day for you but things can’t go on the way they have
been. I need to explain to you why I
didn’t come back when I heard about your operation.”
James turned away in an effort to avoid eye contact with
his son. “I don’t think this is the best
time, Stormy,” he said dismissively.
“It
has to be,” Stormy replied as he
walked toward him. “I don’t want this
tension to continue between us.
Especially today. It's your
wedding day.”
James
took in a deep breath and nodded his head reluctantly. “You’re right, Son,” he began. “This is a special day for all of us. There’s no room for petty arguments. I know you were only doing what you had to
do. You’re a grown man and you have a
life of your own. I shouldn’t expect you
to run back at the first sign of trouble.”
“It
isn’t that I don’t care,” Stormy announced.
“You know that, don’t you? I love
you, Dad. I always have.”
James
looked at him and felt his eyes tearing up.
He nodded with a smile and extended his hand to him. “I love you too, Son,” he said as they shook
hands. “And I’m glad you’re here today
to stand up for me. I’d like you to be
my best man in the ceremony if that’s okay.”
Stormy
grinned happily and nodded with acceptance.
“I’d be happy to,” he said, then paused hesitantly. “What about Brett? I know the two of you have gotten close these
past few months. Are you sure you don’t
want him to stand up for you?”
James
shook his head. “You’re my son. Brett has
proven himself to be a valuable member of this family, but he can’t take the
place of my only son.”
Relieved
to hear the words from his father, Stormy gave an elated nod. He decided this was a good time to bring up
his suspicions about his brother-in-law.
“You know, Dad, I have some concerns about Brett. I’m not so sure he’s as valuable as you think
he is.”
Frowning,
James wheeled closer to him. “How do you
mean?”
Stormy
didn’t want to get into the whole mess with Lauren and the way Brett had
cheated on Miranda, because by now it was water under the bridge and nobody
would take him seriously. “You know his
history, Dad. He spent his whole life
conning people just to get by. Now he’s
the head of Sunset Studios. I’m just concerned that he might do something
to risk everything you’ve worked for.”
“A
profitable business means taking risks.”
“But
doesn’t it concern you that a con man is running your company? Don’t you wonder how he managed to get those
movie deals from Will Thomerson?”
James
paused and shrugged indifferently.
“All’s fair in business, especially when it
comes to Will Thomerson. You know how he tried stealing the studio
from me. As far as I’m concerned all
bets are off.”
Neither
of them noticed Brett as he started to enter the room. He paused in the doorway after hearing their
conversation, ducking back into the hallway safely out of view so he could
listen to every word.
“I
don’t know,” Stormy said, shaking his head.
“I just have a feeling that he’s up to something no good.”
“This
wouldn’t have anything to do with the way you two left things before you left
town last summer would it?”
Stormy
sighed and dug his hands into his pockets.
“No, I’m talking about now. I
don’t trust him. This isn’t personal,
Dad, it’s-“
“Not
personal?” James asked doubtfully.
“Stormy, it’s understandable that you feel threatened by your sister’s
husband. I think you’re just letting
your imagination get the better of you.
I trust Brett to run things the way he sees fit.”
In
the hallway, Brett smiled with satisfaction.
He knew that James would be on his side.
Stormy was still an outsider in his own house. No one would give a second thought to his
delusional concerns.
Frustrated
that he wasn’t getting through to his father, Stormy ran his fingers through
his tousled hair and began to pace the room.
“The other day you asked me what I planned on doing now that I was
back,” he began. “Well I think I’ve
decided. I want to get involved with the
studio. I want to make you proud of me,
Dad.”
James
didn’t hide his surprise. “I thought you
weren’t interested in the movie business,” he began. “Your passion has always been music. You remember how upset I was when you said
you didn’t want to take part in Sunset
Studios.”
“Yes, but things are different now. I lost my recording studio and I’ve changed
my mind. I want to help as much as I can
until you’re up and on your feet.”
James smiled and folded his hands in his lap. “And I suppose you want me to send Brett
packing, right?”
Stormy
shrugged as if to say that’s exactly what
I want.
“I
don’t know, Son. Brett has done a great
job running things. I don’t think I can
just ask him to step down.”
“But
I’m your son,” Stormy argued. “If you’re
not running the show shouldn’t it be me? Your own flesh and blood?”
James
shook his head and pondered the idea. He
wanted to be fair to his son, but he couldn’t let Brett go just yet. He was doing good things at Sunset Studios. He needed him
there, especially since he’d
managed to one-up Will Thomerson.
“Dad-“
“Listen,
we’ll talk about this later, okay?” James said.
“I don’t want to keep my bride waiting.”
Stormy
sighed with aggravation and decided to shelf the topic for the time being. He would approach his father again
later. There was no way he was going to
back down and let Brett ruin everything.
Outside
in the hallway, Brett smiled gleefully.
He knew James wouldn’t hand over his studio to someone as unreliable as
Stormy. He was safe as a kitten. And now that he had taken steps to ensure
James would never walk again, he’d be running Sunset Studios forever.
Stormy would be left with nothing.
He
turned just as Heather and Miranda approached, leading the minister into the
library. “Are we all set?” he asked,
kissing Miranda on the cheek.
“Yep,”
Miranda replied with a smile. They
started into the library when Heather grabbed Brett’s arm and pulled him
back. They quietly ducked around the
corner out of view as everyone gathered for the ceremony.
“I
need to talk to you,” Heather said in a whisper.
“Now?”
Brett asked with irritation. “The
wedding’s about to start-“
“This
will only take a minute,” Heather replied with wide eyes. “I haven’t seen the contract I asked
for. You remember, the one promising me
the lead in The Murderess.”
A devilish grin spread across Brett’s face as he leaned
against the wall. “About that, I don’t
think that you’re right for this role. I
have a few other actresses in mind.”
Heather
glared at him menacingly, blocking him from walking past her. “You promised
me that role in exchange for getting you the script from Will Thomerson,” she
lamented. “I had to sleep with him, Brett. I had
to let him put his hands all over me just so I could make my way into his life
and steal for you. You owe me big.
If I don’t get that part, I swear to God I’ll-“
“You’ll
what?” Brett challenged her. “If you tell Thomerson that you took the
script and gave it to me, he’ll destroy you.”
“I’ll
tell James.”
Brett
laughed wickedly. “He won’t care. The rules don’t apply when it comes to his
vendetta against Will Thomerson. You
should know that. Heather, you don’t
have anything to hold against me. I’m in
the clear. Why don’t you go to your
father and ask him to give you a role in one of his movies? You just don’t have what it takes to star in
a Sunset Studios film.”
Heather cowered away in anger, feeling her eyes stinging
with tears. She’d made a horrible mistake. If she hadn’t stolen the movie deal from
Will, he would have put her in the film.
But instead she supplied Brett with what he needed and was still going
to end up with nothing. It was a bitter
irony that left her feeling cold and empty.
Everyone began taking their places inside the
library. The minister stood in front of
the fireplace with James and Stormy at his side. Brett approached and took his place, followed
by a reluctant Heather who stood next to Miranda.
Moments later, Brooke entered the room in her satin
wedding gown, smiling from ear to ear as she walked up and stood next to
James. They looked at each other for a
long time, the joy building with every second.
The minister
stood before them and began the ceremony.

Ethan entered Will’s
study at the Thomerson estate and found him seated behind his desk with a
thoroughly infuriated look on his face.
He took a deep breath and approached with a tentatively uneasy feeling
in the pit of his stomach.
“Did
you go see James?” he asked.
“A
lot of good it did me,” Will replied.
“My new neighbor up the street
claims he knows nothing about what’s going on with his studio. But I don’t believe it for a second. There’s no way he would pass up an
opportunity to try to bring me down. He
even had the nerve to accuse you of
betraying me.”
“Me?”
Ethan asked in disbelief. He knew his
uncle was furious with him, but to accuse him of something so devious was too
much. He hesitated briefly, trying to
determine whether telling Will about Heather’s deception was a good idea or
not. It was clear that he had no clue
that she’d been spying. Telling him
would break him, he was sure of it.
Somehow Will had grown attached to Heather and in his own way maybe even
loved her. Maybe by simply telling her he
was on to her would put an end to it and he could leave it alone for the time
being.
“It
seems that your uncle and Brooke Taylor are remarrying today,” Will said as he
flipped through the society pages in the Times. “If you ask me it’s for the best. They deserve each other. I know you were upset when she chose him over
you, but honestly I think you’re better off, Ethan.”
He
barely acknowledged the remark. Even the
thought of Brooke and James together again was enough to drive him insane. How she could have gone back to him after
everything they’d shared together was beyond him. They
were the ones in love. Or at least they
used to be. For a while, when he
thought the baby she was carrying was his, he assumed they would get back
together. But after her announcement
claiming that James was indeed the father, he’d lost all hope.
“What
Brooke and I had is in the past,” Ethan said, as if trying to make himself believe
the words as he spoke them.
“I’ve moved on.”
Will
studied his expression and gave a nod of his head. “Listen, why don’t you go home. It’s Saturday and I’m sure you’re not into
work mode right now. I’ll see you on
Monday.”
Ethan
pursed his lips together and nodded before leaving the study and returning to
his car outside in the driveway. Will
leaned back in his rich leather chair and picked up the newspaper with the
picture of James on the front.
“Sooner
or later I’ll bring you down, James Blackthorne,” he said to himself, lifting a
glass of bourbon to his lips. “I’ll take
everything from you. Your nephew, your
studio, your sanity. And then I’ll take
Alex Reynolds down with you. Then Jordan
Rydell and his daughter. They’re just as
bad as you are.” He opened a drawer and
removed a copy of the paper announcing Alex and Jordan’s wedding several months
before. The picture of them on the
society page was enough to make him see red.
“I’ll
get you all. And Heather Blackthorne may
be the one thing I need to do it.” He
set the paper down next to the picture of James and looked at his three enemies
as if they were in the room with him.
“You sent a spy to my house to ruin my company and I’ll pay you back in
spades. I promise you that.”
With
an evil grin, he swirled the dark liquid around in his glass and swallowed it
down with one gulp.

A
short while later, Ethan sat at the bar in the lounge at Hotel Terranova, drowning his sorrows in shot after shot of
whiskey. He looked around the crowded
room, noting the elegant woman clad in lavish gowns dancing with men in suits
and tuxedos. He felt a little out of
place in his wrinkled suit and loosened tie hung shoddily around his neck. It certainly wasn’t his best night, or year for that matter. Brooke, the woman he’d loved, and possibly
still did, was now married once again to his uncle, who had subsequently exiled
him from his life. The baby he’d hoped
he would have the opportunity to raise wasn’t his after all, and he was stuck
working a lackluster job for a man he didn’t particularly like.
After
ordering another drink from the bartender, he turned on his stool just as a
ravishing raven-haired woman with flawless skin and dazzling dark eyes sat down
next to him. He couldn’t help but look
twice. Something about her was
mesmerizing.
“I’ll
have a dry vodka martini,” said Janet Harper to the bartender with a wave of a
twenty-dollar bill.
“I’ll get that,” Ethan said with a
sheepish grin as he paid for his own drink.
Janet
turned to him and smiled appreciatively.
“Well thank you,” she said. “But
I have to caution you, if this is a pick-up I’ve really had a day from hell and
I don’t know that I’m in the mood.”
Ethan
laughed at her candor and shook his head.
“No, I just thought you looked like you could use a friend,” he
said. “And I guess I was right. Neither of us have had a very good day I’m
assuming.”
“You
too?” she asked with a laugh and accepted the drink from the bartender. “Are you a guest in the hotel?”
He
shook his head. “No, just here drowning
my sorrows.”
“I
see that.” She extended her hand to
him. “I’m Janet Harper.”
“Ethan
Blackthorne,” he replied.
Janet
tossed her long black hair over her shoulder and set her drink down. “Hmmm,” she said ominously.
“Hmmm what?”
“I seem to keep running into Blackthornes lately,” she
said. “So who are you? Another son of James the movie mogul?”
“His
nephew,” Ethan corrected her. “How do
you know the Blackthornes?”
Janet
idly turned her drink in circles on the napkin and stared in a daze at the
shimmering liquid. “I’m a reporter for
the Denver Tribune. I was following a lead on a story in Phoenix
last week and spotted Brooke
Taylor. I’d heard that James Blackthorne
had been trying to locate her for quite some time, so-“
“Ahh,
you’re the reporter who brought them
back together,” Ethan said. “I’m
assuming he owes you a big debt of gratitude.
They got married today, you know.”
She
raised an eyebrow and studied his expression. “You don’t seem too happy about
that,” she said. “Do I detect a hint of
jealousy?”
Ethan
smiled. “You are a reporter, aren’t you?” he asked. “That’s the only explanation for your
perceptive nature.” He sipped his drink
and turned to face her directly. “So
what are you doing in L.A.? Did my uncle
promise you a reward and you’re still waiting around for the payoff?”
“No,
I’m working on another story here,” she said.
“I’m staying at |