Written by: Dallas Walsh

Stacey Rockwell moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and walks to the bar to pour herself a cup of coffee. She barely slept a wink the night before as she has been worried sick about the whereabouts of her younger brother, Lexington Rockwell. He was supposed to take over as CEO of Rockwell Mining but he didn't show up to the announcement, which is not like him at all. Stacey, despite being worried about Lex, is still upset too that her father, Mac Rockwell, would have left all of his shares in the company to Lex instead of sharing them between all of his children.

"This is such a mess," Stacey whispers to herself as she takes a sip of her coffee. "I just hope that we can find Lex today. It's not like him to vanish without warning."

"You have hell of a lot of nerve," Houston Blackmore shouts to Stacey as he rushes into the living room. "You've already filed for full custody of Drake?"

Stacey sighs as she takes another sip of her coffee before she looks back at her former lover. "You're damn right I did," she grits her teeth back to him. "I told you yesterday that I didn't want you to just show up here unannounced anymore and yet here you are, Houston. You never learn from any of your lessons! This is exactly why I need you away from my son."

"OUR SON!" Houston yells back to her. "Stacey, come on, this is going way too far. You've made your point, okay? I get it, I fucked up. Now can we please be adults about this and start to put our relationship back together?"

Stacey chuckles back to Houston. "You think that I want you back?" she asks him. "You would be the last person I would ever back involved with again, Houston. I would rather be alone for the rest of my life than be with you!"

"You don't mean that," Houston shakes his head back to her. "You're upset, and I get that. But one day, Stacey, you will realize what you're throwing away. But by then, it might be too late."

***

CABO AZUL, SAN JOSE DEL CABO

Lexington Rockwell takes a bite of his eggs benedict as he sits in one of the many restaurants in the Cabo Azul resort. He is expecting Mateo Santos to join him any time, but Mateo went for a run on the beach and told Lex that he would join him when he got back. Feeling the effects of the margaritas from the previous day, Lex didn't want to wait to get some food in him, so he came to one of the restaurants to eat.

"I thought you said that you were here with your boyfriend," Grant Shaw smiles to his former lover as he is about to walk past Lex's table carrying a plate of food from the breakfast buffet. "But every time I see you, you are alone."

Lex chuckles back to him. "Do you want to sit with me? Mateo went for a run on the beach this morning."

"Ah, sure, I'll keep you company then," Grant says as he sits across from Lex. "Having a good trip so far?"

"I can't complain," Lex nods back to him. "This place is gorgeous."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're hesitant about something?" Grant asks him back quickly.

Lex uneasily takes a sip of his coffee before he looks back at Grant. "Well, Mateo wants us to disconnect completely on this trip," Lex admits to him. "So, I agreed to put my phone and IPad in the safe … it just feels weird not having any communication with my family."

Grant arches his eyebrow back to him. "I get the disconnect piece, it's good for mental health, especially while on vacation. However, it does seem weird that he doesn't want you to have your phone at all."

"I'm not trying to be a stickler with it," Lex says back to him. "But, I do wish I could contact my family."

"Then do it," Grant encourages him. "Open the safe and get your phone to check in. Surely Mateo will be okay with that?"

***

"It is risky for you being here, you know that right?" Carmen Santos tells Noel Baker as he moves into the main office at Rockwell Mining and closes the door behind himself. He hasn't seen his lover since they got back from Cabo but he is desperate to find out what is going on with her as he also wants in on a piece of her plan.

"I won't stay long," Noel moves closer to her. "I just haven't seen you since we got back. What's going on?"

"The Rockwell's are trying to get me removed as CEO," Carmen huffs back to him. "I have calmed the storm for now, but I don't know how long I can actually fend them away."

"What have they done to remove you? I thought your husband left you all of his stocks?"

"So did I," Carmen moves to the bar and pours two brandy's from the decanter. "While we were in Cabo, Mac's ex-wife, Lydia, produced an amendment to his will that left them all to Mac's son, Lex."

Noel takes the brandy from her and takes a sip of it. "Don't you think that seems odd? You're out of town and that's when this amendment shows up?"

"Trust me," Carmen looks back at him. "I thought the same thing. I hired an independent lawyer and confirmed that it was legit."

"Damn," Noel whispers. "Lydia is good, she always has been."

"Wait, what? Do you know Lydia?" Carmen asks him in surprise.

Noel takes a deep breath and looks back at her. "Okay, it's time you know the truth," he tells her as he grabs her hand and moves her to the sofa in the office. "There was a time when Lydia couldn't walk. I was her physical therapist that helped her regain the feelings in her legs."

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I ended up sleeping with her," Noel continues to explain as Carmen gasps back in shock. "Her and Mac were ping ponging back and forth and she ended things with me. I acted like I was cool but I was pissed. I wanted my share of the Rockwell fortune. That's why when you messaged me on Tinder and I realized who you were, I wanted to meet you."

"You're using me!" Carmen hisses back to him. "This is unbelievable!"

"No!" Noel stops her from leaving the sofa. "I didn't think we'd hit it off, nor did I think we'd hit the sheets so soon. I was going to offer to help you get what's yours, what's rightfully yours. And, along the way I fell for you, just the way you have fallen for me."

"I can't believe this," Carmen admits to him as she looks him in the eyes. "This is all too much."

"I can help you," Noel whispers back to her before he leans in and kisses her. "Together we can run this empire. All you have to do is say yes."

***

"Thanks for stopping by," Kent Blackmore welcomes Lydia Rockwell into his penthouse. He had called his former lover over this morning because he had news for her that he had to give her face to face.

"When I your the call I raced right over," Lydia drops her purse on the sofa before she turns to look at Kent. "Please tell me that you have good news for me?"

Kent smiles back to her. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Depends, do we have something to celebrate or not?"

Kent chuckles back to her as he moves to his bar fridge and he pulls out a bottle of champagne. He pops the cork and pours two glasses before he hands one to her. "Here," he tells her. "This is because we do have something to celebrate."

Lydia arches her eyebrow back to Kent. "Please don't keep me waiting, Kent. What has happened?"

"Lloyd Heckler has been taken care," he reveals to her. "He will do exactly what I tell him; you have nothing to worry about."

"Ah," Lydia squeals in delight. "I knew I could count on you, Kent. Thank you so much."

"I told you, we have reason to celebrate," he tells her as he toasts her glass and he takes a sip of it.

"Yes, we do," Lydia nods back to him. "Because now, Carmen will believe that the amendment to Mac's will is real and I can kick that bitch to the curb once and for all."

***

A short time later, Kent is wearing some shorts and a tank top exposing his large biceps and pecs. He is going to work out at his home gym since he has the afternoon to himself. He has a sly grin on his face, happy that his plan to help Lydia worked so well. If nothing else, it has made him feel useful again. He almost wonders if he should take this as a sign that he should return to Blackmore Ltd. on a full time basis.

Just as he prepares to walk up to the second level of the penthouse, he hears a faint knock on the door. He moves to the door, opens it and sees Stacey standing on the other side.

"Oh, I'm sorry, if this is a bad time, I can come back," Stacey quickly tells him noticing his apparel.

"Not at all," Kent welcomes her into the penthouse. "I was just going to work out, but I would much rather hear how you're doing today, Stacey."

"Thanks," she uneasily says back to him as she moves into the living room. "I've had better mornings, I must admit."

"It's not Houston still, is it?" Kent asks as he folds his arms over his chest, causing Stacey to notice how big his arms are.

"I'm afraid so," she nods back to him. "He got the custody papers and was not happy with me at all."

"I'm sorry," he replies to her quickly. "I wish I could say that I am surprised, but Houston has always had a temper when he doesn't get his way."

Stacey chuckles back to him. "You can say that again. I just hope he realizes why I am doing what I am doing; I am trying to protect Drake."

"He will realize it one day," Kent tells her. "But in the meantime, you have my full support Stacey. I mean that, after everything Houston and Sabine put us through, I feel like you're the only one who truly understands."

Stacey smiles back to him. "Funny, because I feel the exact same way about you."

***

"I came right over as soon as I got your message," Cole Rockwell tells Casper Ross as he moves into the private detective's office. Cole is desperate to find out if Casper already has a lead on Celeste Baldwin's whereabouts. He knows that if he can find Celeste, he can get Madison Stewart released from jail and they can be together again. "What's going on?"

Casper looks up from his paper work and smiles at the attractive man in his office. He knows that Cole reminded him that he was straight the previous day, but Casper still can't help but be attracted to the oldest Rockwell sibling.

"I have a lead on Celeste Baldwin," Casper stands up from his seat behind his desk.

"Already? That was fast."

Casper smirks back to Cole. "After we met yesterday, I circulated Celeste's picture to some of my contacts," he reveals to him. "One of my guys in Seattle thought that he saw Celeste the other day at a coffee shop. It might be worth checking out since I don't have any other leads so far."

"Seattle?" Cole shakes his head in confusion. "I don't remember Celeste ever saying that she had a connection to Seattle before."

"It could be that she wanted a fresh start? Who doesn't like being by the water and having all that fresh seafood nearby?"

"She always did love lobster," Cole nods back to him. "Okay, let me clear somethings at Rockwell Mining and then we will go to Seattle."

"You want to come with me?"

"Of course," Cole looks back at him. "I need to find to Celeste and ensure that she comes back here to clear Madi's name. I want to go with you."

Casper blushes back to him, thinking about how he will have alone time with the attractive man in front of him. "Great, let me know when you're ready and we will hit Seattle!"

***

CABO AZUL, SAN JOSE DEL CABO

Lex opens the door to his suite that he is sharing with Mateo and quickly moves inside. He immediately moves over to the desk where the room safe is located. He opens the door and looks at the safe and realizes that he doesn't even know the code that Mateo created for the safe.

"Damn it," he whispers to himself, realizing that he wants to check in with this family the way that Grant suggested. "How am I going to get in there?"

"Hey, there you are," Mateo says as he emerges from the washroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. "How was breakfast?"

"Fine," Lex quickly replies to him. "How was your run?"

"It was great," Mateo smiles back to him. "There's nothing like running along the beach with the ocean crashing into the sand next to you."

"I need to open the safe," Lex ignores his comments and cuts to the chase. "I want my phone so I can touch base with my family. They might be worried about me, Mateo."

"Hey," Mateo moves up to Lex and puts his hands on his shoulders. "You seem super stressed. What is this really all about?"

"Nothing," Lex shakes his head back to him. "I just to let my family know that I'm okay. Is that a crime?"

"Of course not," Mateo replies to him. "But, I haven't exactly checked in with Carmen either. This is our escape. You don't really want to ruin that, do you?"

"Of course not," Lex says back to him quickly. "It's just…"

Mateo cuts him off by planting a kiss on his lips and moving Lex's hand to his growing erection. "Besides, I was hoping you could help me take care of other things," Mateo says in-between kisses.

Lex looks back at Mateo and can't help but want him. He kisses him again passionately as he removes the towel from Mateo's waist, immediately forgetting about his phone as he has more important matters to handle.

***

Grant lays on the lounger by the large infinity pool at the resort as the hot sun beats down on him. After breakfast, he decided to come back to the pool to soak up some more rays because that is what one does when they are in Mexico.

In his mind, however, he can't stop thinking about Lex and how odd it was that Mateo has requested that Lex stay off his phone so they can reconnect with each other. Grant wonders if something else could possibly be going on, but what could it be?

Grant turns to his side table and takes a sip of his margarita before he grabs his phone. He does a quick internet search of Rockwell Mining and gasps when he sees the news headlines.

"Rockwell Mining struggling to regain footing following CEO's sudden death", he whispers as he reads the headline. "The new CEO of Rockwell Mining is digging up Rocks".

"Rockwell Mining is in trouble," Grant puts his phone down. "Why would Lex be here right now if he knew that his family company was in crisis mode? Something doesn't make sense about this, but I am going to figure out exactly what is going on."

***

"Well, I am assuming by now you have had the amendment to Mac's will validated?' Lydia purses her lips into a smirk as she opens the door to the main office at Rockwell Mining and she sees Carmen standing at the bar about to pour herself a drink. Lydia is on cloud nine after Kent told her that he was able to get through to Lloyd Heckler and he told Carmen that the amendment to the will is real and not forged.

"Don't you ever knock?" Carmen hisses back at her. "This is not your office, in case you have forgotten."

"It is more my office than yours," Lydia replies to her. "Especially since that amendment means that you're no longer the CEO of this company! As soon as Lex is found, he will be CEO of Rockwell Mining and you'll be out on your sorry ass."

"Lex is found? What do you mean by that? Is he missing?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Lydia waves her hand back to her. "He has been under so much stress lately, I am sure he just took some time for himself. He'll be home soon."

"And until that time," Carmen glares back to her. "I'm not going anywhere. I will still run this damn company until Lex is home because I am still the existing CEO, Lydia. Don't forget that!"

***

"It is not every day that you are in the office, this is a pleasant surprise," Dyhannah announces to Kent as she moves into his office at Blackmore Ltd and sees him sitting behind his desk. She knows that he has been taking a more back seat approach lately because he has been enjoying the quiet time away from the office.

"I figured I should come in and ensure things are still running smoothly here," he chuckles to her. "Not having a formal CEO right now puts everything back on my shoulders. Not that I am complaining too much, it's nice to be back."

"Does that mean you're going to be working more often?"

"That remains to be seen," Kent chuckles back to her. "How are things going with you?"

"Very well," Dyhannah moves closer to his desk. "I secured the Kremlin Diamonds for that tennis bracelet launch we had discussed."

"You did?" Kent's eyes open wider in surprise. The last thing he thought he would hear is that Marat wanted to get back into business with Blackmore Ltd after everything that has happened. "How did you manage to convince Marat Kafelinkov to work with us again?"

Dyhannah chuckles back to him. "I have my ways," she tells him. "I know I may have blackmailed you into giving me this position, Kent, but I am hoping that I am proving myself to be worthy of the position."

"It certainly seems that way," he nods back to her. "Keep up the excellent work, Dyhannah."

***

"First the club and now here?" Chase winks over to Vivian as they sit side by side on the sofa in the large mansion that Vivian lives in. "You are asking for trouble, aren't you?"

Vivian chuckles back to him as she knows that he is referring to the fact that Dyhannah is still blackmailing them and they shouldn't be seen together or she could expose Chase's past with Kent.

"I just think I'm ready to tell Dyhannah where to go," Vivian tells him quickly. "She can't keep us apart anymore, I won't let her."

"I'm still concerned…"

"I know you are," Vivian interrupts him. "But, really, do you think she will expose you and Kent? Because, I don't think she would."

"How can you be so sure?" Chase asks her back. "Dyhannah can be a very dangerous woman."

"Well, for starters, if she exposes the truth, she won't have a job left at Blackmore Ltd and from what I hear, she is actually doing a great job. Secondly, if she exposes the truth, Deacon will not win the election. And you know how hard she worked to get Deacon in this position."

"Those are both valid points," Chase nods back to her. "I'm impressed that you have come up with this, Vivian."

"I want to be with you Chase," she leans in and kisses him on the lips. "I will be damned if I let that woman keep us apart."

***

Madi moves out of the long line of inmates getting their food served on to their plates for them. She looks at the mac n cheese and makes a funny face the last thing the lunch looks like is mac n cheese. She looks up and sees Janice sitting alone at one of the tables, so she moves over to join her. She hasn't been able to stop thinking about how Janice told her that people in Kelsey Lake have deep, dark secrets.

"Hi Janice," Madi says as she sits across from her friend. "Does this taste as bad as it looks?"

Janice chuckles back to her. "It's not so bad if you had some hot sauce," Janice tells her as she takes a bite of the lunch. "But, it's not like the food I used to serve at the Blackmore Ltd. mine."

"You used to work at the mine for Blackmore? I had no idea."

"Yup," Janice smiles to her. "I was working there when Houston Blackmore was running around acting like he wanted to work his way up in the company. Boy, those were some interesting times."

"I can only imagine," Madi takes a bite of her pasta. "Before this mess happened, I was working for the wild preserve foundation. I suspect my line of work and the work in the mines would have clashed."

Janice continues to chuckle to her. "You can say that again. You see, in the mine, there were a lot of sorted dealings that made their ways around. I know things that no one else should know."

"You've mentioned that a few times now," Madi looks back at her friend. "What do you know, Janice? What is it that you know about Blackmore Ltd?"

***

CABO AZUL, SAN JOSE DEL CABO

Mateo closes the door to his room with Lex and smiles to himself as he knows that he kept Lex from checking his phone by having sex with him. He can't complain that they had sex because he thinks Lex is hot but he knows that he won't be able to keep Lex from his phone forever. He just hopes that Carmen is working a new angle at home to ensure that she keeps her CEO position of Rockwell Mining.

He starts to move towards the elevators as he is going to get a couple of drinks to surprise Lex with when he returns. He must be fast because he knows that Lex won't sleep too long. As the elevator door opens, Mateo looks in shock as Grant steps off.

"Grant, what the hell are you doing here?" Mateo asks him quickly, having not seen his former fling in months.

"It's Mexico," Grant replies to him. "I'm on vacation. What are you doing here?"

"Lex and I came for some downtime," Mateo informs him. "Small world that you're here too."

"Very small," Grant says back to him. "I actually ran into Lex earlier. I'm surprised he didn't mention anything to you."

Mateo chuckles back to him. "We weren't exactly talking when he got back to the room," he winks to Grant. "Look, it's great to see you but I hope you can respect Lex and I's privacy while we are here. We really do just want to reconnect."

"I get it," Grant says back to him. "It's nice to see you friendly faces but I get that you two want to be alone. You don't have to worry about me."

"Good," Mateo says as the elevator door opens again. "See ya around!"

Grant watches as the elevator door closes before he turns around and sighs heavily wondering why Mateo is telling him to leave him and Lex alone. Grant still suspects that something more is going on with Lex's trip to Cabo. "What is your angle here, Mateo? What is going on?"

***

Lex opens his eyes and sits up in the large king size bed. After he and Mateo had sex, Lex fell asleep and is just waking up now. He looks around the room and doesn't see Mateo anywhere.

"Mateo?" Lex calls out but there is no answer. "He must have stepped out for a moment."

Suddenly, Lex looks over at the cabinet where the room safe is and realizes that this could be his time to open the safe and check in with his family by using his phone. He crawls out of bed and moves over to the safe, where he tries punching in some 4-digit codes.

"Damn it," he whispers in frustration. "What code the code be?"

He tries Mateo's birthday and then Carmen's birthday but neither one opens the safe. "Ugh," Lex groans. "How the hell am I going to get in here if I can't crack this code?"

***

Grant moves up to the bar on the main floor of the large resort in Cabo as he is desperate to get a drink. He wants to sit and ponder what Mateo could be up too with Lex because he still believes that something isn't right about this entire vacation that they are on together. As he moves up to the bar, however, he happens to see Mateo grabbing two margaritas. Grant freezes as the last thing he wants is to have another encounter with him.

Just then, however, he sees Mateo grab his cell phone and answer a call. He arches his eyebrow wondering why Mateo would have his phone when Lex isn't supposed to have his. Yet another aspect of this entire trip that isn't adding up to him. Grant finds himself moving up behind Mateo, trying to hear what he is saying.

"Yea, I can pay cash," Mateo says into the phone. "I don't need a crew, I just want to rent the catamaran for a couple of days and I don't care how much it will cost. You can make that happen?"

Grant shakes his head in confusion. Why is Mateo renting an entire boat for a couple of days? He doesn't have all the answers just yet, but Grant can't get this horrible feeling in this pit of his stomach to go away.

"I have to figure this out," he whispers to himself as he quickly leaves before Mateo has a chance to see him. "Lex's future could depend on it."

***

"I had no idea this part of the country was so beautiful," Mac tells Celeste as they continue to drive towards San Antonio, Texas. Mac is currently driving the Toyota Corolla as Celeste was feeling tired. He looks over at her and sees that she is close to nodding off. "Sorry, I can stop talking if you want to have a nap."

"I am tired," she admits to him. "But, I do agree with you, this is a beautiful part of the country. We are lucky to get to see it."

"Looks like the sun will be setting shortly," Mac replies to her. "Why don't you get some sleep and when you wake up, we can stop for dinner somewhere."

"Sure," Celeste says with a slight yawn on her face. "Have you had anymore memories?"

"Funny you should ask," Mac looks back at her as Celeste's eyes open wider. "I thought I did earlier, but it was fuzzier the visions I was having earlier. I don't know what that means but I couldn't make out many details."

Celeste tries to hide her smile knowing that the drugs she gave him must have worked if his memory was not as vivid. "Give it time," she tells him as she yawns again. "Okay, I'm resting my eyes," she tells him as she closes her eyes, and actually feels like she can sleep soundly knowing that Mac's memories will likely not come back now.

***

"Glad you were able to clear your schedule so quickly," Casper tells Cole as they sit next to one another on an airplane that is about to take off to Seattle.

Cole looks over at him and nods. "I told you that this is really important to me," he says. "Finding Celeste has to be my main priority right now. I just hope that this lead pans out."

"Me too," Casper admits to him. "It would be great if the first lead was the right lead."

"It doesn't often happen that way, huh?"

"Not usually but every case is completely different," Casper says back to him. "Don't worry, okay? We will find Celeste, I believe that."

"I'm glad that you do," Cole licks his lips. "I won't rest until I find her."

Casper uneasily chuckles back to him. "What is so funny?" Cole asks him.

"Nothing, I shouldn't have, I'm sorry."

"No, tell me. What's going on?"

"It's just," Casper looks back at him. "You look really adorable when you are intense about something. Your eyes are magical."

Cole blushes and looks forward. "I told you that I'm straight."

"I know, that's why I didn't want to say anything. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Uh, have you ever been with a guy before?" Casper asks him as he sees Cole's cheeks flush red. "Never mind, sorry I shouldn't have asked you that."

Cole shakes his head back to him. "No, you shouldn't have," he whispers as he thinks back to a few years ago when he was stoned and Brock Jennings gave him a blow job. "Where is that flight attendant? I need a drink," he says feeling hot under his collar at the memories of his past are still very much currently on this brain.

***

"How was your nap?" Mac asks Celeste as he pulls the car into a small parking lot just off the highway. Just off the highway, there is a gas station and a small diner, where they can grab some dinner from.

"It was good, I needed it," Celeste replies to him as she stretches. "Now, I will have energy to drive into the night and we can make some good distance."

"That sounds perfect," Mac tells her. "Do you want to get gas? I was thinking we could head into this diner for dinner after?"

"You can tell me what you'd like and I'll order it to go," Celeste says back to him, knowing that she doesn't want anyone to recognize him still. She is so close to having him for herself with his memories fading again. The last thing she needs is for someone to realize who Mac really is.

"Why? We could sit and have an hour together eating. It might be nice?"

"No," Celeste firmly responds to him. "I'd rather eat in the car and continue to make good road time."

"Why do I get the feeling that there's more to you not wanting me to go into any establishment, Celeste? What is really going on?" Mac asks her, growing concerned about her attitude.

"There's nothing going on," she purses her lips together. "Now, think about what you want to eat and after I pay for the gas, I'll order dinner."

***

"Are you sure no one is home?" Noel asks Carmen as he stands facing his lover in the master bedroom of the Rockwell mansion. He hadn't been in the room since he and Lydia were together months ago and he doesn't want any other member of the family to realize that he and Carmen are together.

"I locked the door," Carmen replies to him as she moves to the bar and pours two brandys. "Besides, no one comes into my room. They give me my space in here at least."

"Okay, I just don't want to get caught."

"Don't worry," Carmen passes him a drink. "You're safe in here."

"Good, how did it go today?" Noel asks her. "Did you think of a way to keep the CEO seat at Rockwell Mining?"

"No," Carmen takes a sip of her drink. "And it appears that as soon as Lex returns, he will become the CEO. I've asked my brother to ensure Lex stays in Cabo for as long as possible."

"That will only last so long," Noel shakes his head back to her. "We still have to figure out a way for you retain that seat or have the income that goes with the position."

"I have racked my brain trying to think of something," she admits to him. "I was hoping that damn amendment was forged but it proved to be legit."

"Does the family know where Lex is? Do they know that he's in Cabo?"

"No, they have no idea. They think he'll be home anytime."

"That's it then," Noel smiles back to her. "I know exactly what we can do."

***

"I was just about to have a drink, can I get you one?" Lucinda asks Lydia as she moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion.

Lydia nods back to her as she throws her purse on to the sofa. "Yes, I need one badly. Today has been brutal."

"Have there been any update from Lexington?" Lucinda asks her as she pours two brandys. "It's not like him to just disappear like this."

"I'm afraid not," Lydia takes the brandy from Lucinda's hand as they sit together on the sofa. "I was hoping that he just needed a day or two break since he's been under so much stress but this is getting ridiculous. I'm not sure where he could have disappeared too."

"I'm beginning to think that Carmen might have had something to do with Lex's disappearance," Lucinda admits to her before she takes a sip of her brandy. "Think about it, who has the most to lose by Lex becoming the CEO of Rockwell Mining?"

"If that bitch touched one hair on Lex's head…"

"Relax," Lucinda waves her hand in the air. "We have to remain like we are in control of this situation."

"What are we going to do?"

"I've reached out to my contact at the FBI," Lucinda reveals to Lydia. "He's going to look into Lex's whereabouts and let me know. Don't worry, I will find Lexington if it's the last thing I do."

***

"Is my mother home?" Houston asks Chase as he moves into the living room of the mansion that his mother lives in. Houston was surprised to get a call from Chase since he usually only sees him when he is with Vivian; he is curious about what this is all about.

"She's around here somewhere," Chase says back to him. "But, I was hoping to have a moment alone with you, Houston."

Houston arches his eyebrow back to him. "You have my attention," Houston tells him. "What's going on?"

Chase sighs before he looks back at the younger man. "Your mother means a great deal to me," Chase admits to him. "We have grown very close since I have been back in Kelsey Lake."

"Yes, I've noticed," Houston nods back to him. "I must admit, I was worried when Dyhannah reappeared. I thought she might try to cause problems for you and my mother."

"She has tried," Chase chuckles back to him. "But at the end of the day, I love Vivian very much."

In the foyer, Vivian pauses when she hears the two men talking. She listens closely, wondering what they are discussing.

"I'm not sure what this all means?" Houston asks him back. "I knew that you had feelings for my mother, Chase."

"I want to marry her," Chase reveals to him as Vivian gasps to herself in the foyer. "I wanted to, I don't know, get your blessing before I proceeded."

Houston smiles back to him. "I appreciate the gesture," he tells Chase as he moves up to him and shakes his hand. "And, I've seen how much my mom lights up around you, so I definitely can get behind this union."

"Wonderful," Chase smiles back to him. "I'm glad we are on the same page, Houston."

***

A short time later, Vivian steps off the elevators at Blackmore Ltd and makes a bee line towards the main office. After hearing Chase admit to Houston that he wants to marry her, she is determined to make sure that Dyhannah doesn't do anything else to ruin her relationship. She must make Dyhannah realize that her blackmail scheme will not help anyone or anything going forward.

She opens the door to the main office and moves inside, causing Dyhannah to look up from her laptop that she is typing into at the main desk. "We need to talk and it can't wait," Vivian says as she slams the door closed.

"Of course," Dyhannah rolls her eyes back to her. "I'm not busy doing my job or anything."

"I don't care what you have going on," Vivian snaps back to her. "This has to stop and it has to stop now."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dyhannah moves to the bar to pour herself a gin and soda. "Do you always talk in riddles?"

"You know damn well what I am talking about," Vivian moves up to her as Dyhannah takes a sip of her drink. "This damn blackmail scheme, it's gone on far too long Dyhannah. You can't keep Chase and I apart!"

Dyhannah chuckles back to her. "After everything you did to me, stealing my husband all those years ago, you're lucky all I'm demanding is that you stay away from Chase," Dyhannah replies to her quickly. "I could make both of your lives a living hell if I damn well wanted too."

"If you wanted too, you would have by now," Vivian cuts her off. "Deep down, I don't think you want to cause any more pain. You have everything you wanted: Deacon has his campaign, you have this new job…you have to let this go, Dyhannah."

"Like hell I do," she grits her teeth back to her. "The last thing I want is for you and Chase to be together and you better remember that I am holding all of the cards right now."

***

KIMPTON HOTEL VINTAGE SEATTLE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

"I'll be right out," Casper calls from the washroom of his hotel suite in Seattle. He and Cole arrived a short time ago and he wanted to have a quick shower to freshen up; Cole is already in the room as they have adjoining rooms. They are going to head out to see if they can track down Celeste at the location Casper's contact said they saw her.

"Take your time," Cole replies to him as he stands in the room and looks out the window at the views of Seattle. He hasn't been to Seattle in a long time, so he is taking it all in.

Casper emerges from the washroom only wearing a white towel around his waist. "I'll just change and we can head out."

Cole turns and notices a half-dressed Casper opening his suite case. Immediately, Cole can't help but think about getting that blow job from Brock a few years ago. The fact that Casper has made it clear that he is interested has clearly gotten into Cole's head.

"I can go to my room and give you your privacy," Cole manages to tell him as he looks at Casper and moves to the door that connects the two rooms.

"It's not required," Casper drops his towel and exposes his bare bottom to Cole. "Besides, you've made it clear that you're not interested, even if it would just be sex. And great sex that too, I'm sure."

Cole feels his face blush as Casper pulls some briefs on before putting jeans on. "You kept looking," Casper winks at him. "It's okay, I'm flattered."

"Can we go now? I really want to see if we can find Celeste."

"Of course," Casper tells him, realizing that he got to Cole. "Let's go, we can finish this conversation later."

***

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," Carmen looks back at Noel as they continue to stand in the master bedroom of the Rockwell mansion. "Tell me this idea that you have on how I can keep my job at Rockwell Mining?"

Noel looks back at her and smiles. "Basically, we just have to convince them that Lex isn't coming back anytime soon," Noel tells her. "Then, once they believe that we can make our power play."

"What kind of power play? How can we use this to our advantage?"

"The Rockwell's want you out of the company," Noel continues to explain to her. "So, we give them a chance to do that."

"Keep going, I like where this is headed," Carmen takes a sip of her drink.

"We offer them a buyout," Noel explains to her. "We can suggest 500 million dollars and you will give the company back to them."

Carmen squeals in delight. "I love this," she moves up and kisses him on the lips. "This could work, as long as we can convince them that Lex isn't coming back anytime soon."

"Get Mateo on the phone," Noel tells her. "He can help with that piece. This will work Carmen, I know it."

***

CABO AZUL, SAN JOSE DEL CABO

Mateo slowly opens the door to the suite he is sharing with Lex and ushers inside with the two margaritas that he brought back for him and Lex. He freezes in his tracks, however, when he sees Lex bending over and closing the door on the cabinet where the safe is.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a furious Mateo asks Lex as he puts the drinks down. "I thought I told you that we were going to disconnect?"

"I know," Lex stands up and sighs to him. "I juts wanted to let my family know where I am. Surely you can understand that?"

"I thought we made a deal? And here I come back and find you trying to break into the safe?"

"Don't worry about it," Lex waves his hand back to him. "I don't know the passcode so I didn't get in anyways. Why wouldn't you tell me the passcode? This entire thing seems really weird, Mateo. I don't like it."

"I didn't tell you for this exact reason," Mateo spits back to him. "Man, I thought I could trust you."

"Yea, I thought I could trust you too!" Lex yells back at him. "What's really going on here, Mateo? Why can't I see my phone?"

"Nothing is going on," Mateo says to him.

"I just don't understand why there's all this secrecy about my phone and tablet," Lex admits to him. "What the hell is going on, Mateo? I know something is going on, so just be honest."

"You know what?" Mateo comes closer to Lex. "You're starting to get my nerves, Lex. All I wanted was to have a nice vacation with you and turning it into something else completely."

"Am I? Then open the safe and let me see my phone," Lex demands from him. "Come on Mateo, open the safe!"

"Fine!" Mateo yells at him as he moves to the cabinet. His eyes see the paper weight on top of the cabinet. He quickly grabs it and turns around and quickly swings his hand. The paper weight hits Lex in the head and he collapses on to the floor, before he even knows what happened. "Time to take care of you once and for all."

***

"It'll be $25.59," the gas station attendant tells Celeste as she opens her purse and she pulls out her wallet. She wants to pay and get out of the gas station as quickly as possible. She hates this part of the road trip because she is so scared that someone will find out that who she and Mac truly are.

"Here you go," Celeste tells him as she passes him the money. "I'll grab two bottles of water too, that way there's no change."

"Sounds good lady, thanks," he says as he opens the cash register and puts the money inside.

Celeste puts her wallet back into her purse then moves back to the fridges to grab two bottles of water. She knows that she must continue to drug Mac's water to ensure he doesn't have any other clearer memories. She turns around and feels her heart sink in her chest when Mac walks into the gas station, going against her wishes about joining her.

"Hey, I thought that we should grab some more snacks, you know keep us going a little longer," Mac comes up to her.

"Sure, what do you want?" she asks him. "Tell me and go meet me in the car."

The gas station attendant notices the couple talking and arches his eyebrow. He continues to watch them. "Wait a minute, isn't that…?" he asks himself as he picks up one of the tabloids he was reading before Celeste came into the station. The cover story is about Mac's death and Carmen taking over Rockwell Mining. "My God, it's true! It's Mac Rockwell!"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Celeste encourages Mac.

"Not so fast," the gas attendant stops them from leaving. "You're going anywhere."

"What are you talking about?" Mac looks back at him. "We are done here."

"You're Mac Rockwell, aren't you?" he asks Mac, who looks back at Celeste in surprise. "Yea, that's what I thought. You're not going anywhere, I found Mac Rockwell alive and well! This is going to make me one very rich man!"