Written by: Dallas Walsh

MacKenzie Rockwell paces back and forth in the large office at Rockwell Mining. The last few days have been nothing more than a blur for him as he was rocked to his core by the revelation that Dane Ashby is his real father, not Mortimer Rockwell. His estranged brother, Levi Rockwell, who now goes by Nathan Lockhart, made the announcement on Christmas Day, in front of the entire Rockwell family. After the announcement, Mac recalls looking at his mother, Lucinda Rockwell, and the look in her eyes told him that it was true: she had lied to him for years about who is father was.

Now, he's standing in the office that once belonged to Mortimer Rockwell, the man who created Rockwell Mining from the ground up. For years, Mac has run the company believing that it is his birth right, when nothing could be further from the truth. All of the years that he has dedicated to Rockwell Mining suddenly feel like they have been a waste of time. He has tried to make this company the best it could possibly be because it was his family business; but he realizes, that it has all been a lie. One horrible, huge lie.

He moves over to the bar in the office and pours himself a stiff drink. He takes a long sip as he looks up and sees a picture of him and Mortimer from years earlier. Mac sighs to himself as he picks up the picture frame and looks at his smiling face. He knows the day so well: the day that Mortimer officially gave him control of the company. By this time, Mortimer had begun to suffer from his long term illness and he realized that he couldn't run the company on a day to day basis. Mac was still green but vowed to make his father's business a huge success.

"I did make this company a success for you," Mac whispers to the picture as he sets it back on the shelf and then takes another drink of his scotch. "But it was all for nothing. I was supposed to be running my family's company but this isn't my family's company. Unless this is all some sick and twisted lie. Maybe this is just another one of Nathan's games?"

He feels his heart sink in his chest as he wonders who he really is since he is not a Rockwell. He knows that he has to stay strong because he refuses to allow Nathan get the best of him; but, this news has clearly rocked him to the core. Now, however, he is wondering if this is all a lie.

"You're here," a voice calls out from behind Mac. "Your mother has been worried sick about you."

Mac slowly turns around and sees Dane Ashby moving into the office. Immediately Mac crosses his arms over his chest. "What the hell are you doing here, Dane?"

"After everything that happened, I had to see you to make sure that you're alright. You have to know that your mother and I never wanted this secret to come out."

"Only it did come out, Dane. I know that you're my father! You and Lucinda, you've lied to me my entire life!"

"Mac, please," Dane moves closer to him as he realizes that Mac is furious with him. "If you could just hear us out. It's a complicated story. We can explain all of this if you just give us the chance too."

Mac uneasily chuckles back to him. "Isn't it always a complicated situation?" Mac asks him back. "No, Dane, you have nothing to say to me. There's nothing you or Lucinda can do to fix this; not now, not ever."

"Mac…"

"Get out of my office," Mac cuts him off quickly before he turns his back Dane. "Get out of here, Dane, and don't you ever come back!"

***

Slate Lockhart whistles to himself as he moves into the lavish living room in the Rockwell mansion. He is still on cloud nine with the fact that he and his father, Nathan Lockhart, were able to expose Lucinda and Dane's secret that Mac isn't a true Rockwell on Christmas Day. He is still happy that he was able to uncover Lucinda's secret because now it means that he and his father could get what they've always wanted: to run the Rockwell empire. After so many years of be outcasts, he believes that this is long overdue.

He smiles when he sees Nathan pouring himself a cup of coffee in the living room. "Morning father."

Nathan turns around and smiles at his son. "Well, someone is in a good mood today."

"Can you blame me?" Slate grins back to him. "After we exposed Mac for being the fraud that he is, I feel like the stars are aligning for us to finally get everything that we have wanted."

Nathan chuckles back to him before he takes a sip of his coffee. "We have to play this carefully still, Slate. You know damn well the rest of the Rockwell's will be gunning for us."

"Let them," Slate shrugs his shoulders back to his father. "The fact of the matter is, none of them area truly Rockwell's. Cole, Stacey, Lexington…none of them have our real last name."

"That is a good point, Nathan replies to him. "But, we still need to be on toes. I don't think that they will take this laying down. But don't worry Slate, everything will change now that the truth is out. You can count on that."

***

"Everyone come in please," Lydia Rockwell tells her children as Cole Rockwell, Stacey Rockwell, Lexington Rockwell and Lucinda Rockwell all move into the penthouse that Lydia resides in with Kent Blackmore. After the disastrous Christmas day, Lydia has called an urgent family meeting to discuss their next steps and how they are going to handle Mac, who they all know must be devastated. "We need to discuss what this family is going to do to support Mac right now."

"I, for one, haven't heard a peep out of him since Christmas Day," Lucinda admits to her family. "However, I am not surprised as I am sure he blames me for this mess."

"This isn't the time or the place for us to play the blame game," Cole looks back at his grandmother. "The most important thing is that we are there for our father right now."

"Have you heard from him, Cole?" Stacey asks her brother. "He hasn't returned any of my calls or text messages?"

"Same with me," Lex echoes Stacey's statement. "He hasn't responded to any message I have sent him."

"I saw him once at Rockwell Mining," Cole reveals to everyone. "He…he wasn't himself. He seemed withdrawn almost."

"He's probably in shock," Lydia says as she moves to the bar and pours herself a brandy. "His entire life has been turned upside down."

"Well, I agree with you mother," Stacey stands up and looks at Lydia before she looks at her brothers. "We all have to be there for Dad right now. He needs us more than he has ever needed us before."

"Good then we are in agreement," Cole puts his hands on his hips. "We are all there for Dad, 100% right now."

"Yes, that sounds good," Lucinda gulps back to her family. "And in the meantime, I'm going to head to the office to see if I can get through to my son. After all, I'm the one who has the answers to some of the questions he must have."

"Good luck Nana," Stacey moves up and hugs her. "And keep us posted on what happens."

***

A short time later, Lucinda is moving up to the door of the main office at Rockwell Mining and she prepares to enter. She pauses for a moment as she takes a deep breath. She knows that she is about to face Mac for the first time since Christmas Day and he will likely be furious with her. She just has to make him realize why she has lied to him for years and to convince him that he is still a Rockwell at heart; Mortimer is the one who raised him, not Dane, so blood shouldn't matter. She clutches her pearls one last time before she opens the door. Immediately, she sees her son sitting behind the desk typing furiously into the laptop that rests on the desk.

"Mackenzie, I am glad that I found you," she says as she closes the door behind her before she walks up to the desk. "We have to talk."

Mac looks up at his mother and feels the blood drain from his face. For so many years, he has looked up to his mother and now he feels sick to his stomach at the sight of her. He slowly stands up and looks back at her with intent.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks her quickly.

"First of all, it is nice to see you too," Lucinda quips back to him. "Secondly, I am still your mother, you watch your damn tone when you speak to me."

Mac rolls his eyes back to her. "You don't get to pull the mother card on me, not after everything you've done."

"I am here to try to explain to you, Mackenzie," Lucinda looks back at him. "And, to make sure that you're okay. The family, we are all worried about you."

Mac uneasily chuckles back to her. "You're worried about me? That's rich! Maybe you shouldn't have lied to me my entire life. Or did you?"

Lucinda looks back at him in surprise. "What does that mean? What are you asking me?"

"I'm asking you if this is true," Mac looks back at her with intent. "Is Nathan's claim that Dane Ashby is my father true? Or is this just another one of his sick games that he is playing?"

Lucinda gulps heavily. She knows that there is no point trying to cover her tracks all over again; the truth is out and there is no going back. "Mac," she moves up to him and whispers to him. "I'm sorry…but it is true; Dane is your biological father."

Mac shakes his head in horror back to her. He moves to the bar and pours himself another scotch, which he downs in one heavy gulp. He feels like he was just sucker punched all over again. For a moment, he had hoped, prayed, that Nathan was lying but the reality is setting in again with Lucinda's confirmation that it is true.

"My affair with Dane," Lucinda moves up behind her son. "It was brief but it did result in you. I told Dane that no one could ever know the truth and he agreed."

"Why would he do that?" Mac stands facing the wall still.

"Because he was young, he was a playboy, he didn't want the burden of a child," Lucinda tells him. "That's when I said that I would raise you as Mortimer's son. And you are, Mac. Mortimer is still your father."

"ARGHHHHHHH!" Mac yells as he turns around and throws his empty glass against the adjacent wall, which causes it to shatter. "No! NO! He's NOT my father mother! And you know what that means? Everything, and I mean everything, has changed as a result! You're lying ways will cost me everything, including my identity!"

"Please, please, don't say that," Lucinda says as a tear falls down her cheek. "You're still the same man that I've raised! You're still Mackenzie Rockwell!"

Mac looks back at her with flushed red cheeks. "Only I'm not, mother," he whispers back to her. "Only I'm not."

***

Lydia storms into the country club as she is desperate for a cocktail. After the family meeting, she needed something to calm her nerves so she rushed over to the club just for a change of scenery. She just hopes that the family is able to get through to Mac and try to pull him out of his depression that he has fallen into. As she moves to the bar, she can't help but see her sister, Sabine Andrews, sitting with a champagne cocktail in front of her. Lydia rolls her eyes at the sight of her sister.

"You're having champagne? What, exactly, do you think you're celebrating? You were there on Christmas, you know damn well what has happened," Lydia huffs to Sabine as she moves up to her sister at the bar.

Sabine uneasily looks back at her and forces a smile on her face. "Hello Lydia, yes, it is a lovely day outside. So nice to see you. Me? Oh, I'm very well thank you."

"Save it Sabine," Lydia snaps at her. "Answer the question, why do you think this is an appropriate time to be celebrating?"

"Look," Sabine replies to her sister. "I know Christmas was a hard day for everyone, myself included," she continues to tell her. "But, the fact is, I am engaged to be married. So, yes, I am treating myself to a champagne cocktail."

"My God," Lydia rolls her eyes back to her. "You really have outdone yourself this time, Sabine!"

"How is any of this my fault?" Sabine asks her quickly. "I am not Lucinda, the woman who had an affair behind her husbands back and gave birth to his child and lied to everyone about it for years!"

"No," Lydia replies to her quickly. "You're just the whore who convinced Nathan to come back to town and set all of this into motion. I hope you're happy, Sabine, because of you, our entire family will never be the same again."

***

A short time later, Vivian Blackmore storms into the country club as she is looking to grab a small bite to eat before she heads to Chase Cooper's office. After her brief affair with Cole over Christmas, she is desperate to get back together with him since he is the one that she truly loves. She knows that Cole is a wonderful lover, but he was right: if they did get together, her daughter, Madison Stewart, would never forgive her and Vivian doesn't want to upset her daughter anymore than she already has.

"After lunch, I'll go to Chase and make him realize that we belong together," Vivian whispers to herself as she moves up to the dinning room. "We have been apart long enough. There is absolutely nothing that Dyhannah can do to keep us apart."

As Vivian moves inside the dinning room, she freezes when she sees Chase, Dyhannah Cooper and their son, Deacon Cooper, sitting at a table dinning together. Vivian immediately feels insecure about her chances with Chase as she didn't realize that Deacon was back in Kelsey Lake.

She turns to leave but before she does, she looks back one final time and sees Chase enjoying his time with his family.

Meanwhile at the table, Dyhannah picks up her glass of chardonnay before she looks over at her son and ex-husband. She and Chase are still reeling from the fact that Deacon returned to Kelsey Lake on Christmas Day and announced that he might have gotten an intern pregnant. Of course, she knows that if this is true, Deacon's political career could be ruined forever.

"Do you want to tell us, again, how you met this woman that is claiming to be carrying our grandson?" Chase asks Deacon before he takes a sip of his coffee.

Deacon uneasily looks back at his father. He can tell that Deacon is not overly impressed by the idea that he has gotten a woman pregnant. "Like I mentioned, she was an intern on my campaign last year," Deacon explains to his parents. "We were in New York and you know how easy it is to get sucked into the night life in the Big Apple. One night, I had a few too many cocktails and when I woke up, she was next to me."

"Do you remember being with her?" Dyhannah asks him quickly. "Maybe she is lying about having sex with you?"

"She's not lying," Deacon blushes at the fact that he is talking about his sex life with his parents. "I remember having intercourse with her."

"That doesn't mean that she wasn't involved with other men around the same time," Chase sighs back to him. "I am only suggesting this, Deacon, because you becoming a father will change everything for you."

"Not only that," Dyhannah takes another sip of her chardonnay. "If words gets out that you slept with an intern, it could ruin your political career forever. You've worked too long and come too far for that to happen."

"So, what are you suggesting we do?" Deacon asks his mother back quickly.

"Leave that to me," Dyhannah purses her lips together. "I will think of something because I refuse to let everything you have built, fall apart because of one drunken night with some whore."

***

Cole opens the door to the main office at Rockwell Mining and quickly moves inside. He moves up to the large desk that is in the office and sets a folder down on the desk that he needs Mac to review. He looks around and realizes that Mac isn't in the office currently. He had hoped to have a discussion with his father about how he is doing; after the family meeting that he had earlier, Cole is determined to ensure that Mac is doing okay and that his father knows he can lean on him when he needs too.

"I am so glad that I found you," a voice calls out as the office door opens. Cole turns and sees Vivian moving into the office. "I needed to see you."

"Vivian," Cole replies to her quickly. "If this is about the chance of you and I getting back together, I already told you that we can't do that. We have to think of Madi."

"I know, I know," Vivian moves up to him. "It's just…I don't know. It's silly, forget it."

"It's not silly," Cole grabs her wrist to prevent her from turning away from him. "You're upset, what's happened?"

Vivian looks into his eyes and feels tears forming in her eyes. "I…I started the day with such hope that Chase and I would be able to reunite but…"

"But? Has he reunited with Dyhannah?"

"It seems that way."

"I'm sorry Vivian," Cole pulls her into a hug and holds her close. "I know how much Chase means to you."

They exit their embrace but Vivian lets her hand linger on his muscular chest, which she can feel through his dress shirt. "Oh Cole," she sighs back to him. "Can't you make me feel like a woman? Just one more time? I need you so badly."

Cole gulps as Vivian leans up and kisses him passionately. His hand moves to her leg, which she lifts for him. "This has to be the last time," he whispers to her as he carries her to the desk and sits her down on it.

"It will be," she moans as she unzips his pants and he drops her panties to the ground. She squeals in delight as he thrusts into her and continues to give her everything that she needs, not realizing he needed it just as much as she did.

***

"Did you happen to get that file from Dyhannah yet?" Lex asks his half-brother, Houston Blackmore, as they both sit in the main office at Blackmore Ltd. To Lex's surprise, since Houston was released from jail at Christmas, he and his brother have been getting along for the most part. After so many years of feuding, the last thing that Lex thought would happen is that he and Houston would be getting along. Still, it is a refreshing change of pace for him not to be wondering what Houston is going to do to him next or what Lex will do as a form of revenge.

"I'm afraid not," Houston stands up from the sofa and moves closer to the desk where Lex is sitting. "She has been pretty preoccupied since her son, Deacon, came home at Christmas time."

"Well maybe it is time that we remind her that we are still paying her a hell of a lot of money to do a job around here," Lex sighs back to him as he leans back in his chair. "We need to ensure that we keep the momentum we gained over the Christmas break."

"I couldn't agree more," Houston nods back to him. "And don't take this the wrong way, Lex, but right now is exactly when Blackmore should be forging ahead."

Lex looks back at him and arches his eyebrow. "Why would I take that the wrong way?"

"Because," Houston pauses for a moment. "With all the turmoil with Mac right now, Blackmore Ltd. could really outshine Rockwell Mining for the first time in years. Just imagine how proud Dad would be if we could accomplish that together."

"Well, well, well," Kent Blackmore smiles at the doorway of the office. "Look at this, my two boys working together and getting along. What is next? Pigs flying?"

"Very funny," Houston hugs his father as Lex stands up from behind his desk. "What brings you by, Dad?"

"Yea, Kent, I don't think we were expecting you today," Lex looks over at his biological father. "Is there anything in particular that you needed?"

"Nope," Kent smiles back to Lex. "I just wanted to check in on my sons and see how the company is doing. I know I have stepped back from the day to day, but I am damn well still very invested in the well-being of Blackmore Ltd."

"Ironically, Lex and I were just talking about how great of a Christmas season we had and how we have to strike now while the iron is hot to keep the momentum going."

"That is fantastic news," Kent grins to his sons. "So, tell me, what do you have planned to keep the momentum moving in our favor?'

"That's what we were just about to discuss," Lex tells his father. "Why don't you stay and join in on the conversation? After all, you were the master of this company. You might have the best ideas yet."

***

Lydia paces back and forth in the living room of the Rockwell mansion as her mind races about the fact that she saw Stacey, her daughter, and Kent, her fiancé, share a kiss on Christmas Day. She knows that they have been drawn together since they got baby Poppy back; the fact that they believed that their daughter was dead only for her to be alive would be enough to any two people to bond. However, Lydia refuses to allow her own daughter steal away the man that she wants to marry.

"Sorry I'm late, I got here as quickly as I could," Marat Kafelinkov announces to Lydia as he moves into the living room and drops his briefcase on the sofa before he looks at her. "You're message made it seem urgent. What is it that you need, Lydia? Or do I even have to ask?"

"It is lovely to see you too Marat," Lydia purses her lips together. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure, I'd love a bourbon if you have one."

"Coming right up," Lydia moves over to the bar. "And you're right, this is more than a social call."

Marat accepts the drink from Lydia and takes a sip of it. "I'm hoping that you can tell me what is going on with you and my daughter? Before Christmas, I suggested to you that try to reunite with Stacey; can you tell me if that has happened yet?"

Marat uneasily chuckles back to her. "I'm not sure that I should discuss this with you, Lydia. I normally don't kiss and tell."

"So there's been kissing?"

Marat continues to chuckle back to her. "You can say that, yes," Marat tells her. "We have returned to being lovers, Lydia. Please, don't say anything to Stacey. I certainly don't want her to be upset with me for revealing this."

"Don't worry," Lydia beams back to him, thrilled that Stacey has a new man that is keeping her distracted. "I won't say a word. Just do me a favor, Marat? Do whatever it takes to keep my daughter happy."

***

Slate swiftly moves up to one of the doors on the second level of the country club and knocks as he gets a smile on his face. Within a few seconds, Carmen Santos opens the door and smiles back at the man in front of her.

"Slate, I wasn't expecting you until later today, what brings you by?" she asks him as she purses her lips together.

Slate slowly holds up a bottle of champagne and looks back at her. "I was hoping we could celebrate," he looks back at her.

"Celebrate? What's happening?" she asks him as she lets him into her hotel suite. "Has Mac realized that he isn't a Rockwell and has no control?"

Slate chuckles back to her. "Not exactly," he tells her. "But, my Dad is convinced that this will change everything. He thinks that we are in complete control of the situation."

Carmen giggles in glee back to him. "Have I told you how sexy you are when you're in complete control of situations?"

Slate looks at her and pulls her closer to him. "No, but I'm willing to hear all about it. In fact, I might be able to take control of another situation right now."

Carmen kisses him passionately before he throws her down on to the bed and crawls on top of her, their lips continuing to explore each other's bodies.

***

"The good news is that Marat and Stacey are seemingly back together," Lydia whispers to herself as she moves to the bar in the living room of the Rockwell mansion living room as she recalls the conversation she had earlier with Marat, where he admitted to her that he and Stacey have returned to being lovers. Lydia only hopes that this means that Stacey is moving on with Marat and will leave any sort of feelings she might had for Kent behind her. She takes a sip of her brandy as the wheels in her head keep turning.

"I wonder what this time frame was," she tells herself as she takes another sip of her brandy. "I wonder if Marat and Stacey made love before she and Kent kissed on Christmas Day, because if it was, why was she still kissing my man?"

She pauses as she takes another sip of her drink. "Damnit," she angrily whispers to herself. "I have to ensure that Stacey and Kent stay away from one another. I have to marry Kent and ensure that my future is secure with him. Only then will this mess be over."

She takes another long sip of her brandy. "So, all I have to do is marry Kent and everything will be perfect again," she purses her lips together as she starts to think about how she can marry Kent sooner rather than later.

***

Stacey slowly puts Poppy down into her crib as her young daughter is fast asleep. She stops and looks at Poppy for a moment and gets smile on her face. Sometimes she almost can't believe that she has her daughter back; memories of how she felt when she believed Poppy was dead still haunt her because of how devastated she felt; it can still be difficult for her to believe that Houston and Celeste Baldwin took Poppy and told her that the child was dead.

"You're my sweet angel," she whispers to Poppy as she caresses her daughter's face. "Nothing will ever take you away from me again. Nothing will take you away from your father again."

She pauses as she slowly stands up straight and thinks about Kent. She closes her eyes and thinks back to Christmas Day in the kitchen of the mansion when she and Kent shared a kiss. She finds herself moving her hand to her lips, almost to trying to feel Kent against her again.

She opens her eyes and shakes her head back as she realizes that she is thinking about Kent again. "I have to get him out of my head. I am moving on with Marat and Kent, well he is with your mother. You simply can't continue to lust after your mother's fiancé."

Before she can say anything else, she can hear her phone vibrate in her purse that is resting on the dresser in Poppy's room. She moves over to it quickly, hoping that the loud vibration on the wood doesn't wake up Poppy. She quickly opens the purse and pulls out her phone to see the incoming text message.

"It's time we talk about Christmas Day, don't you think?" the message from Kent reads.

Stacey uneasily bites her lower lip as she wonders how she should respond to the message. She finally starts to respond to Kent, hoping that she is saying the right thing back to him.

***

Sabine opens the door to the bedroom that she shares with Nathan and swiftly moves inside. She is feeling rattled from her encounter with Lydia as her sister blamed her for everything that has happened between Mac and Nathan since she is the one that convinced Nathan to come to Kelsey Lake before Christmas.

"This isn't my fault," she whispers to herself. "I had no idea that Mac wasn't a Rockwell when I told Nathan to come back to Kelsey Lake."

"Talking to yourself?" Nathan asks as he moves up to his fiancé and wraps his arms around her waist. "You are just the person I needed to see."

"Is that so?" Sabine twirls around in his arms so she can give him a kiss. "I'm glad that you're here then."

"Me too. What were you mumbling to yourself about when I walked in?"

Sabine sighs back to him as she escapes his arms and moves to the bar and pours herself a scotch. "I just ran into Lydia at the club," she reveals to him. "She is blaming me for everything that has happened with Mac and you and Dane."

"That woman has a lot of nerve," Nathan huffs back to her. "Lucinda and Dane are the ones that lied to everyone for years."

"I tried to tell her that but once my sister gets something in her head…"

"Can I do anything to help?" Nathan asks her as he moves up to her.

"Yes, actually there is," she says before she takes a sip of her scotch. "Please, try to get along with Mac and the rest of the Rockwell's, Nathan. If we keep the peace, everyone and everything could get back to normal."

Nathan uneasily smirks back to her. "I will do everything I can do get along with my family," he tells her. "But, this is my time to shine. I won't let Mac getaway with stealing everything that is rightfully mine; not now, not ever."

***

Chase slowly walks up to the front door of Vivian's mansion and prepares to knock on the door. In the back of his mind, however, he can't help but think about the last time he was here: he came to propose to Vivian, only he caught her in bed with Cole Rockwell. He left, unseen, but he hasn't been able to get the images out of his head of seeing the woman he loves in bed with another, younger, man.

"I suppose I need to get this over and done with," he whispers as he knocks on the front door.

Within a few moments, Vivian is opening the door. She pauses when she sees Chase standing there, still unclear about how they have gotten to this place that they are currently in. "Chase, you came, thank you."

"Your text made it seem important," Chase moves into the foyer of the mansion. "And, I guess I wanted to see you."

"I wanted to see you too," Vivian admits to him. "I'm not sure how we got to this place but we seem so very far apart right now."

"That might be the understatement of the year."

"That's why I've made a decision," Vivian looks over at him. "I'm going to leave town for a while. I'm going to see Madison."

Chase looks back at her in surprise. "Really? Does she know you're coming?"

"She does," Vivian nods back to him. "She's settled in Portland and I, well, I need a break from Kelsey Lake for a while. I think the time away will do me, and us, good."

"Well, Vivian," Chase looks back at her, still seeing her in bed with Cole. "I wish you safe travels. I really should be going. Dyhannah and Deacon are expecting me."

"Of course they are," Vivian sighs back to him. "Take care of yourself, Chase."

Chase looks back at her one final time before he leaves the foyer. Once the door closes, Vivian covers her mouth as tears form in her eyes. "Goodbye Chase, and…I love you."

***

Vivian moves her large suitcase down the stairs of the mansion until she reaches the foyer. She wheels it closer to the door and parks it. She looks around the room and sighs to herself.

"There, now first thing tomorrow morning, I can head to the airport and be on my way."

She turns to walk into the living room but freezes when she hears a knock on her door. She takes a deep breath and turns to open the door. "Cole, you came."

Cole stands on the other side of the door and looks at his lover. "Your text told me it was urgent, so I came. But, Viv, if you're hoping for a repeat of this morning…"

"I'm not, I promise," Vivian says as he moves into the foyer. "This morning was a goodbye for us."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Cole looks back at her. "I don't want to hurt you but I also don't want to hurt Madi, and I know she would be crushed if she found out."

"I completely agree," Vivian nods to him. "The reason I asked you here is to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Are you going somewhere?" he asks her, noticing the suitcase by the door.

"I am," she replies to him. "I'm going to visit Madison, actually."

"You're going to Portland, wow."

"Yes, first thing tomorrow morning," Vivian informs him. "I wanted to say goodbye, Cole. This trip, it will be good for me to reconnect with my daughter and to help me get my priorities straight."

"I completely understand," Cole smiles back to her. "For what it's worth, Vivian, I have always enjoyed our time together. Maybe in another life…?"

Vivian chuckles back to him. "Maybe? Who knows? What I do know, is that this time with Madi will be good for me. A fresh start, so to speak."

"I wish you nothing but the best, and please give my love to Madison. Despite everything that has happened, I do still care for her too."

"I know you do," Vivian smiles back to him.

***

The following morning, Nathan quickly moves off elevator and turns to walk down the hallway. He looks at his watch and realizes that he is right on time for an important meeting that he arranged today. He just hopes that the meeting goes accordingly to plan because he knows that this would be the first step of him securing what he believes is truly his.

He opens the door to a board room and sees three men and two women sitting at the large table in the room. The large floor to ceiling windows behind the table show the expansive view of Kelsey Lake.

"Good morning," Nathan announces to the group. "I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long."

"Not at all, you're right on time," Gregory Oslow replies to him as he opens his laptop and looks at the meeting minutes in front of him. "It seems that you called this meeting of the board of directors of Rockwell Mining but you haven't included Mac. Is there a reason for that?"

"There is a very good reason for that," Nathan sits at the head of the table. "You see, Mac is my brother. Well, technically my half-brother. We share a mother, but we have different fathers."

Yvonne Carlson looks over at Nathan with an arched eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but what am I missing here? What does your family tree have to do with Rockwell Mining? This seems like a waste of our time, Mr. Lockhart."

"I ensure you it is not," Nathan smirks back to her. "You see, my father, Mortimer Rockwell, started this company and he wanted it to be a family run business. Mac, technically, isn't family."

"What are you suggesting?" Yvonne asks him back, as the other members of the board start whispering.

"I'm suggesting that we remove Mac from CEO of Rockwell Mining," Nathan informs them. "He is a fraud and has been lying to everyone about being a Rockwell for years."

"And if we remove Mac as CEO, who would take his place?" Gregory asks next. "Or do I have ask? You want to step into that role?"

"That's exactly right," Nathan smiles back to him. "It's time that I lead this company into the future; the way my father, our founder, would have wanted me too."

***

Houston moves into the country club looking to grab a quick breakfast before he heads into Blackmore Ltd. After Kent's surprise visit the previous day, he and Lex are eager to start putting into motion some plans to ensure Blackmore's future success. As he moves towards the dining room, he can't help but notice Stacey sitting at the bar by herself. He looks at the woman who, still, has his heart despite everything that has happened between them. He only hopes that one day she will truly be able to forgive him for his role in the baby switch and they could, possibly, reunite.

"Morning Stacey," he says as he approaches the mother of his child. "It's been a while since I've seen you. How are things?"

Stacey takes a sip of her mimosa before she looks back at Houston. "Houston, hi," she replies to him. "Things are as well as to be expected. We will have to arrange for us to spend sometime together with Drake; he was asking about you this morning."

"I'd really like that," Houston smiles back to her. "If I've learned anything these past few months is that family really is the most important thing. You, Drake and I, we will always be that, a family."

Stacey uneasily smiles back to him. "I guess I should tell you something before you hear you it from someone else."

Houston arches his eyebrow back to her. "I'm listening."

"It's about Marat and I," she looks into his eyes. "We reconnected over the Christmas holidays. I'm not sure where it is going, but I certainly didn't want you hearing it from anyone else."

Houston feels his heart sink into his chest at the news that she just shared with him. He isn't overly surprised that Stacey is with someone because she is beautiful, and he is trying to think of the silver lining that she isn't with Kent, but the news still stings.

"I hope you know that I just want you to be happy," Houston replies to her. "If Marat does that, then I support you."

Before Stacey can respond, Vivian rushes up to them and puts her hand on her son's shoulder. Houston turns and sees his mother.

"Mom," Houston says in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm actually here to say goodbye," Vivian looks back at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm on my way to the airport but I had to stop and see you before I left."

"Where are you going?" Houston asks her quickly.

"Portland," Vivian replies to him."I'm going to see Madison for a while. I…I just need a change of pace."

Houston pulls her into a hug. "I will miss you while you're gone but it's not forever, right?"

Vivian uneasily smiles back to him. "I love you Houston, never forget that."

***

"Good morning Mac," Sabine announces as she moves into the living of the Rockwell mansion and sees her former lover pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Mac finishes pouring his coffee before he turns back to looks at Sabine. "Hi Sabine. Is your fiancé with you? Because, I have to admit, I'm in no mood for him this morning."

Sabine uneasily chuckles back to him. "No, had an early meeting so he has left already."

Mac arches his eyebrow back to her. "An early meeting? I didn't see anything on my calendar about a meeting at Rockwell this morning?"

Sabine shrugs back to him. "You know, he didn't tell me what it was about. It might not have anything to do with Rockwell Mining at all."

"I wish I could believe that," Mac sighs back to her. "But the truth is, I don't trust him at all. I know you're engaged to him, Sabine, but Nathan is a piranha."

"Look Mac," Sabine moves closer to him. "I'm glad we have a moment alone because I do feel like I owe you an apology."

"An apology? What for?"

Sabine slowly sighs back to him. "Well, the truth is, Nathan is back in Kelsey Lake because of me," she reveals to him. "I convinced him to return to town when we were in New York. Had I never suggested he come home, none of this would be happening."

Mac smiles back to her. "I appreciate that, Sabine," he looks into her eyes. "You're a good woman but you have nothing to apologize for. The secret was still lingering between Lucinda and Dane; the truth always has a way of coming out, doesn't it?"

Sabine pulls him into a hug. "You're a good man, Mac. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

***

Lucinda slowly picks up her champagne cocktail as she sits in the dining room of the country club and takes a long sip of it. She normally has breakfast at the Rockwell mansion but today, she needed a change of pace. The fact of the matter is, she didn't want to have breakfast and possibly have to deal with Mac and Nathan at each other's throats again. She hates that her sons are feuding all because of her dirty little secret. She knows that she has to do something to correct this but she has no idea what that might be.

"You look a million miles away this morning, is everything alright?" Dane Ashby says as he moves up to her table. He had seen his former lover sitting by herself and quickly moved up to see how he is doing. He knows that the reveal from Christmas day is weighting heavily on her as she had hoped that no one would ever find out that he fathered Mac, not Mortimer.

"What do you think?" Lucinda looks up and sees Dane standing in front of her. "Nothing is alright right now, Dane, and you damn well know that."

He sighs as he sits across from her. "I wish there was something that I, or anyone, could do to correct this disaster. But, I fear that the damage has already been done."

"The damage has more than been done," Lucinda quips back to him. "My family is burning right now and I don't know if there is anything that can stop this fire from spreading."

"What can I do, Lucinda? You know that I will do anything to help you."

"It's like I just said," Lucinda looks back at Dane. "There's nothing anyone can do. We all just have to live in this nightmare and hope more damage is done."

***

Stacey slowly steps off elevator and moves up to the front door of the penthouse that her mother lives in with Kent. She purposely had a drink at breakfast earlier because she knows that she and Kent agreed to talk about their kiss on Christmas Day this morning. She has no idea what he has to say but she also knows that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about the kiss.

She moves her hand up to knock on the door but she finds herself moving her hand to her chest first. She can feel her heart racing a million miles per second. She takes a deep breath.

"You can do this," she tells herself. "You've been alone with Kent so many times before. This is no different," she continues to coach herself. "You will be fine. You are fine."

With that, she knocks on the door and waits for the door to open. She can't help but notice how handsome Kent looks when he finally does open the door to her.

"Good morning Stacey," he greets her as he lets her into the penthouse. "Right on time, I see."

Stacey smiles back to him. "I thought the sooner we meet the sooner we can discuss Christmas Day."

"I couldn't agree more."

"My mother…?"

"She's already left for the day," Kent replies to her quickly. "We are alone."

Stacey turns to face him and they lock eyes, both feeling the sparks between them. She licks her lips a little. "Good, then we can talk about Christmas Day and the kiss."

"Yes, the kiss," Kent looks back at her with lust in his eyes. "Let's talk about the kiss that we shared, shall we?"

***

"I don't have time for this mother, I need to get to Rockwell Mining," Mac says to Lucinda, who moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion. Mac finishes putting some papers into his briefcase before he stands tall and fixes his blazer.

"I didn't say a word MacKenzie," Lucinda quips back to him. "But, I can see that you are, once again, in a wonderful mood today."

"Can you blame me for having an edge?" he asks her quickly. "My entire life has been a lie; that is not something one just gets over Lucinda."

She quickly looks back at him with intent. "What did you just call me?"

"Lucinda," Mac looks back at her. "Your name."

She shakes head back to him. "What is going on with you, Mac? You've always referred to me as mother. Why are you suddenly calling me Lucinda?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mac sneers back to her. "I don't have a mother anymore. A mother wouldn't lie to me for all these years; a mother wouldn't keep me in the dark about who my father is for all these years; a mother wouldn't make me believe I am someone when I am not!"

"Mac, please…" Lucinda pleads with him as a tear falls down her cheek.

"Save your pathetic tears Lucinda," Mac replies to her. "You're dead to me! Do you hear me? You mean nothing to me and you never will again!"

***

Nathan moves down the hallway of Rockwell Mining with a huge grin on his face. His meeting with the board went better than he expected and now he knows that he has to put the next phase of his plan into action. He turns a corner in the hall and sees Slate stepping out of the elevator.

"Slate, son, good morning," Nathan comes up to him and hugs him.

Slate chuckles back to him. "Good morning, you're certainly in a good mood this morning."

"I am," Nathan nods back to him. "And, once I tell you what just happened, you will be too."

Slate arches his eyebrow back to him. "What just happened? Tell me everything."

"We are about to win," Nathan grins back to him. "We are about to get Rockwell Mining."