AT MYTHIC COMMUNICATIONS:

“Oh, hi Lucas,” Anna said politely, but uncomfortably as she stepped onto the Mythic elevator and recognized her rather pathetic ex-son-in-law of just a couple of months. “It’s so nice to see you.”

“Uhhh, hi Anna,” Lucas said gruffly as he moved to step off the elevator. “Sorry I don’t have much time to talk, but I’m in kind of a hurry.”

Anna nodded but when the elevator door closed she shook her head and thought he almost looked and sounded like he’d been drinking. She was so glad her daughter, Carrie, was no longer married to that particular spawn of Kate Roberts.

But she quickly shook away thoughts about him and her children as she opened up the palm of her hand and looked at the large, glittering rock Roman had used to propose marriage at their date at Chez Rouge. It was a beautiful ring, she thought, but before she could agree to start a new life with Roman she had to know whether her old one with Tony was really over.

She walked up to the executive floor and when darted past the receptionist toward Tony’s office when she wasn’t looking. Not only was Anna too impatient to wait, but a part of her was afraid Tony would tell the receptionist that he didn’t want to see Anna and she just wouldn’t stand for that.

Anna crept down the hallway and discovered Tony’s office door wide open, but when she noticed Kate Roberts was inside and talking to Tony she decided to linger outside the door and listen before making her presence known.

AT MAISON BLANCHE:

“No, Alexandra, you haven’t,” Stefano said. “That’s why your loyalty to me now, when I’m most vulnerable, means so much to me. You are willing to protect this family’s secrets for my welfare. And that means I can trust you, and only you, to carry on the DiMera legacy.”

“Me?” Lexie asked taken aback. “Are you sure you couldn’t use some more rest? Maybe I should leave you alone so you can get some shut eye.”

Lexie started to walk out but Stefano grabbed her hand.

“I mean this Alexandra,” Stefano said. “I’ve made a decision. I admit I had wanted E.J. to produce this family’s heir with Samantha as my ultimate revenge on the Brady family, but I’ve realized now that it will never work. E.J. will never put this family first, before the woman that he loves, even if we wipe away all memories he has of loving her he will just fall in love with her over again. But you, Alexandra, of your own free will, you demonstrated loyalty to me just now when I have been such a poor father to you. You have cared for me all these months even as you have been kept from your husband and from your son, yet you haven’t held that against me. I know I wasn’t there for you when you grew up, and even if that was no choice of mine but that of your mother, I still regret that.”

“Father, you need to calm down…” Lexie said pushing him back as he tried to sit up the hospital bed before Stefano interrupted her.

“No, I will not calm down,” Stefano said. “Until I know that you are willing to accept what I am offering to you, the chance for your son, Theo, to carry on the DiMera family legacy.”

“What do you mean?” Lexie asked.

“Just what I said,” Stefano explained. “I want Theo to inherit all this family’s wealth and all this family’s power. That is if his mother is willing to accept it on his behalf.”

“Father,” Lexie said in shock. “I would be willing to accept whatever gift you wanted to provide Theo but are you sure this is what you really want? I mean what about Tony… and E.J.?”

“Well as you now know from Samantha,” Stefano said. “Tony is E.J.’s son. And if Samantha breathes a word of this to either of them, I know I will have lost both of them forever. And I am prepared for that, as long as I can trust that you will teach your son what it means to be a DiMera.”

Lexie contemplated what Stefano had told her. She knew that the DiMera name was both a blessing and a curse, but as she contemplated the wealth and power that would be hers and hers alone if she accepted she couldn’t resist.

“Well, I just want you to know Father, that both I and Theo accept,” Lexie said, “whatever it is that you want to leave for us.”