“Mother you’re talking in riddles.”

“Then I’ll save you the agony of trying to figure it out. I’ve already suffered enough for the both of us. I know everything that transpired between you, Jodi and Kelly. I know about your conversation with Kelly and Jodi last night. I know that Kelly was attempting to put a stop to everything that you three had set in motion the moment you conspired against me and Bette Porter. I consider it a quandary because I’m not sure where we go from here.”

“How did you find out?”

“You should know by now darling that there isn’t much that slips by me. Granted you, Kelly and Jodi covered your tracks admirably. I might not have gotten wind of any of this until it was too late but you made one fatal error. You forgot to account for the human nature of the sleazebag you hired to do your dirty work.”

“Mark Wallen?”

“Yes. Michael approached me before entering the hotel ballroom last night. He said there was a Mark Wallen asking to see me about an urgent personal matter that couldn’t wait. I might have ignored him had he not mentioned that it involved Kelly Wentworth, and Jodi Lerner. Seems he was unhappy with the financial arrangements and thought I could do better.

The bastard had the nerve to try to blackmail me; so if you or your cohorts are having trouble getting in touch with him this morning try the county jail. He was arrested last night and all the evidence was confiscated. What we don’t know yet is how much of it has already been leaked. So to answer your question as to why I did what I did, it was to ensure that any disparaging information that appears about me, Bette Porter, or the Peabody Corporation will be linked directly to you.

I had to put safeguards around us in the only way I knew how. Helena, do you even realize the magnitude of what you’ve done by involving yourself with these people in such criminal activity. This goes beyond sibling rivalry and petty jealousy. This goes beyond a mother and daughter that don’t see eye to eye or have disagreements about how a company should be run. This evidence shows that you conspired to concoct doctored video and print media defaming my character and slandering my personal and professional relationship with Bette Porter and the CAC.