CAROLINE is
working at her desk when PAUL walks in unannounced.
PAUL
I came to
give you a message. If I wanted you
dead, you’d be dead.
CAROLINE
What are you
talking about?
PAUL
Oh, come on,
Caroline. Don’t pretend like you didn’t
send the police my way after your little near miss with an oncoming car.
CAROLINE
I see they
talked to you.
PAUL
They wanted
to know where I was the afternoon you were nearly run down. Do you honestly think I would run over you in
my car in broad daylight?
CAROLINE
You’ve made
it clear, Paul, that you would do just about
anything. Including murder my
sister. So why not?
PAUL
Caroline,
Caroline. That case has been closed for
years. And your vendetta against me is
wearing a bit thin. So get over it.
CAROLINE
I’m never
going to get over losing my sister. She
was murdered and someday, no matter how long it takes, I’m going to prove it.
PAUL
You really
are obsessed, aren’t you? If I didn’t
loathe you so much, I’d almost feel sorry for you.
CAROLINE
Oh, spare me.
PAUL
Sometimes I
wonder if you weren’t jealous of Julia.
CAROLINE
Why would I
be jealous of my sister?
PAUL
You tell
me. But you’ve been obsessing over her
husband since the day she died. You even
went to work for a rival construction company to compete with him. It seems that you just can’t get me off your
mind, Caroline. I don’t know whether to
be flattered or to call Angela Givens with a straight jacket for you.
CAROLINE
The only
feelings I have for you are hate. I hate
you with ever fiber of my being. And you
can be as smug as you like now, because I know one day, you’re going to pay for
what you did to Julia. And when that day
comes, I’m going to be there on the sidelines laughing at your downfall.
PAUL
(laughs)
Oh, Caroline,
you can be so dramatic. And if you’re
waiting on my “downfall”, you’re probably going to die a lonely, bitter,
demented, old woman. Truly
pathetic. (beat)
Now I have to get home to Barbara. You
have a lovely evening.
Paul leaves.
CAROLINE
(to herself)
Damn that
man. Damn him!!
DANTE RAMOS
is waiting alone the hallway when Arden Morgan walks up.
DANTE
Dante, you
won’t believe this. I’m free to go.
DANTE
Free to
go? Are you serious? But I thought they were going to hold you for
fleeing the scene of the crime.
Apparently,
Donald Forrester is a shark. You hired
me the best in
DANTE
I guess
that’s why he cost so much.
He told Cliff
Myers that if he tried to make trouble for me, we would have him arrested for
attempted rape.
DANTE
So what are
you saying,
Yes! Can you believe it? I feel like this has been hanging over my
head for so long. How am I ever going to
be able to thank you for all that you’ve done for me? And repay you for the money you’ve spent on
this lawyer and other things.
DANTE
I’ve already
told you that you don’t have to pay me back.
I helped you because I wanted to and you can just forget about it.
That’s where you’re
wrong, Dante. I’m never going to forget
what you’ve done for me.
Eve walks up.
EVE
I just talked
to Cliff. I heard you hired some high
powered lawyer to give Cliff a hard time.
Did your brother pay for that.
Hello,
Mom. No, Dante paid for the lawyer. This is Dante Ramos.
DANTE
Hello.
EVE
I guess my
daughter is moving up in the world.
What are you
doing here?
EVE
I came back
to get a pair of earrings that weren’t in my personal belongings when they
released me. I think these idiots are
trying to rip me off or something.
Mom, I’m glad
I got to see you again before I left. I
was going to stop by the house to get my clothes and I wasn’t sure if you would
be there.
EVE
Well, just
tell me when you’re coming and I’ll make sure I’m not.
I don’t want
to leave things this way between us. I
want to leave
EVE
Sorry, Arden,
but you should have thought about that before you decided to take off and leave
me here. Alone.
Mom, I need
to have a life of my own, find out who I am.
EVE
From the
looks of things, you’re already following in your Auntie Barbara’s footsteps,
whoring yourself out to the highest bidder.
Mom!
DANTE
Look, Mrs.
Morgan,
EVE
Just who do
you think you are, DANTE?! You think you
can buy my daughter by paying for her lawyer?
Shut up,
Mom. If I’m a slut, it’s only because I
learned it from you.
Eve slaps
EVE
You watch
your mouth, girlie. Don’t you EVER talk
to me that way.
But
for the record, Mom. I’m not a slut. I’m not anything like you and I never will
be. Let’s go, Dante.