ALLEN’S SUITE - Amanda is on her cell phone while in the bed with Allen.

Amanda: You’ve got things there? Good. Gives me some extra time with my man. Thanks Matt.

Amanda hangs up, puts her phone on the nightstand, and turns her attentions to Allen. She snuggles up against him.

Amanda: I got an extra couple hours.

She kisses him on his chest, but he doesn’t seem to be responding.

Amanda: Baby are you alright? I thought you liked my kisses.

Allen: I love them. I’m sorry. I’m just...thinking about my daughter.

Amanda: K.C.

Allen sighs and looks up toward the door.

Allen: I haven’t heard anything since I saw her in Monticello.

Amanda: I’m sure it’s quite a shock for her. You might have to give her some time to process it all.

Allen: I want a relationship with her, and I don’t wanna waste one more minute.

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BAY CITY CENTER...Joy is texting and walking very slowly. She sends a text to Steven…

Joy (texting): R u in the coffee shop?

Steven (texting back): Yes.

Joy, still looking at her phone, smiles and walks slowly, still looking at her phone. Suddenly, someone bumps into Joy, and causes her to drop her phone. It’s K.C. Joy picks up her phone in disgust.

Joy: My God. My phone’s broken. You broke my phone!

K.C.: I didn’t do anything. You weren’t looking where you were going.

Joy: Look I need to get your information because you are going to pay for me to get a new phone, since you caused it to be broken.

K.C.: I can’t take responsibility for your clumsiness.

Joy: Look little girl, the grown up way to settle things is that you take responsibility for what you’ve done. You are gonna pay for me to get a new phone.

K.C.: This full grown adult is not paying for a damn thing. You should look where the hell you’re going.

Joy: Oh bitch you gon’ pay for this phone.

K.C.: You better watch who you’re calling a bitch or you’ll end up in the fountain.

Toni and Etta Mae quickly come between them.

Etta Mae: You leave her alone lady!

Toni: Nobody’s gonna end up anywhere. How much is the phone?

Joy: Five hundred dollars.

K.C.: Oh please that’s more than what that thing is worth.

Toni: I’ll write you a check.

They all follow Toni to a nearby table, who takes out her checkbook, writes the check, and gives it to Joy.

Joy: I hope it doesn’t bounce.

K.C.: Maybe you should bounce before I kick your…

Toni: K.C.! The check’s good.

Joy: Um hm.

Joy walks away.

K.C.: Ugh! What a bitch!

Etta Mae: Watch yo mouth young lady!

Toni: Let’s focus and talk about why we’re here.

K.C.: What’s that?

Eric, dressed in his work uniform, is outside of the coffee shop sweeping, and catches K.C.’s eye, and he gives her a look also, but he continues to sweep.

Etta Mae: Keneisha? Are you listening?

K.C.: I’m sorry. What?

Etta Mae: You must not have heard what I said.

K.C.: Yeah I just finished looking for an apartment.

Etta Mae: And how you gon’ pay for it?

K.C.: I guess I’ll...get a job.

Toni: So you’re gonna work and go to school full time? That’s a lot.

K.C.: I can manage.

Etta Mae: Baby I can’t afford to pay your bills and mine.

K.C.: So what are you saying?

Toni: You can live with me.

K.C.: No. Not gonna happen!

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COFFEE SHOP...Steven and Joy are sitting at a table while Eric, who has just re-entered the place, notices them.

Steven: Finally. You alright?

Joy: Yeah I’m gonna get a new phone.

Steven: What happened?

Joy: Someone bumped into me outside and caused me to drop it. It’s all broken.

Joy shows it to Steven, and has a flashback.

(EPISODE 174)

At the Monticello Police Station Interrogation Room, Reginald gives instructions to Joy...

Reginald: You don’t want Thomasina to get sick again do you? Get me my great grandson.

Joy flashes back to the present.

Steven: Yeah it’s...pretty messed up.

Joy: I absolutely must have a phone. You know what. Come with me.

Steven: Where?

Joy: Help me pick out a phone. Let’s go to the phone store.

Steven holds the door open for Joy as she leaves the coffee shop, and he follows.

Joy: Such a gentleman.

Steven: Thank you.

Joy then notices K.C. from a short distance.

Joy: Oh...there’s the little twit who broke my phone.

Steven: Hey, that little twit is my cousin.

Joy: Your who?

Steven: Her father and my mother are cousins, so we’re related.

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KBAY- Allen is in his office when someone knocks on the door.

Allen: Come in.

Allen is surprised at his visitor, who is carrying papers.

Allen: Iris?

Iris: You missed the little celebration we had. I’m gonna buy the staff dinner from Tops. Just tell your secretary what you want and she’ll add it to the order.

Allen: Why would you be doing that? In fact why are you even here? The last time I tangled with you, you were in cahoots with my grandfather to take over Cory Productions, and I almost lost the woman I love.

Iris: So you think you love my sister?

Allen: Listen I got work to do.

Allen turns his attentions to his computer and starts left clicking the mouse...

Allen: Where is that story?

Iris: Screw it! I am the story.

Allen: Iris, you need to leave. I’m gonna call security.

Iris: And I’d fire them if they put their hands on me.

Allen: What?

Iris: You heard right. I own this TV station. I am the owner of KBAY.

CAMERA PAN ON A SHOCKED ALLEN….SLOW FADE TO THEME SONG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jZ4Rj06W6Y&list=UUfhLlxU9gPVviSwFAwlLsCA

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PART 2

BAY CITY CENTER….Steven and Joy are standing in front a phone store. Joy is holding a small bag.

Joy: I really like the phone you picked out for me.

Steven: Glad I could be of help, but I can’t take credit for the cover. I won’t take credit for the cover.

Joy takes out the touchscreen phone, with a pink sparkled cover, and they both look at the phone and the cover as if to examine them. Joy is turning the items back and forth.

Joy: This cover is pretty. What are you talking about?

Steven: I’m not a pink sparkle kind of guy.

Joy: Well I’m glad you didn’t pick the cover? It would probably would have been all black or something.

Steven: You forgot brown.

Joy: Those dark ‘guy’ colors.

Steven: Sorta kinda. You know it’s good to see you smiling. This is a hell of a lot of easier than the first time I got to see your grin. I still don’t even know your last name.

Steven moves closer to Joy, until they come face to face.

Steven: There’s still...so much I don’t know about you. Who is Joy? What makes her tick? You’re so beautiful....and mysterious.

Steven begins to kiss Joy.

Joy: I...I can’t do...this.

Joy tries to resist Steven, but she can no longer. She kisses him back.

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Meanwhile, over at a table, the Burrells discuss KC’s situation…

Etta Mae: Well where else you think you gon’ live at?

K.C.: I told you I’ll get a job and I’ll get my own apartment.

Toni: Working full time and going to school full time is a tremendous. I don’t think you’ve thought about this.

K.C.: You mean that if Reginald never kidnapped me, I never would have known that Allen Love is my father? And that my mother and my sister are my grandmother and my mother, yes I think about that all the time.

Etta Mae: Look you can be mad all you want to, but don’t let it cloud your judgment. You’re smarter than that.

Toni: Mom’s right.

Etta Mae: And you know damn well that you can’t afford to go to school full time and work full time!

K.C.: You don’t know what I can do!

Etta Mae: I told you not to come to Bay City. Toni and I tried to convince you not to but you wanted to come here!

K.C.: That’s because you wanted to hide your secret!

Toni: Look! K.C. we all know what the smart thing for you to do is, and that’s to live with me. You know how my job is. I’ll hardly be home. It’ll be like having your own apartment, and it’s walking distance to campus.

Etta Mae: And Toni ain’t gon make you pay no rent right?

Toni: As long as she stays in school.

K.C.’s wall starts to break down a little.

K.C.: I...I could commute.

Etta Mae: With whose car?

Toni: I guess you wanna get home late every single night.

Etta Mae: I got get on the road.

Toni (looking at her cell phone): Yeah I gotta get back to work.

Toni and Etta Mae get up and K.C. stays seated, and as they walk away…

K.C.: Wait. I’ll...I’ll live with you Toni.

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Allen: What the hell are you talkin’ about?

Iris: Watch how you talk to your boss.

Allen: When did this happen?

Iris: Not too long ago. KBAY hasn’t had the same flair since your Aunt Donna owned it. It’s time I added my own flavor to it.

Allen: Oh come on. You didn’t buy this TV station because you wanted to sprinkle some seasoning on it. Ooooh you got somethin’ else up your sleeve, and I bet it has something to do with getting back at Amanda doesn’t it?

Iris: Oh goodness, everything that I do does not involve Amanda or anything to do with the Corys.

Allen: Sure it does. You might not be Mac’s biological daughter, but he’s always gonna be your daddy, and you’re always gonna feel that anything he owned and built belongs to you, namely Cory Publishing, now Cory Productions.

Allen steps back a little as he comes to a realization…

Allen: You just came upon your rich Spaulding roots, and you bought up KBAY. Is Cory Productions next on your shopping list?

Iris smiles.

Iris: Wouldn’t you like to know?

Iris walks toward the door and stops.

Iris: If you breathe a word of your theories to anyone, I’ll destroy you, your daughter, and anyone you love. With all my money and influence, you know I can do it.

Allen: Why? What are you up to?

Iris: You’ll see soon enough, just don’t get in my way.

FREEZE FRAME ON IRIS...SLOW FADE OUT….END OF EPISODE 187