Elizabeth paced her office. Nothing was going as planned. While it was true she had Cybil well in-hand bringing Marcus to heel was proving a far more difficult task than she ever imagined to say nothing of the ruling Avery patriarch: Miles. The old man had never bought into her act no matter how she tried to charm him and she had given up long ago.

She didn't need his approval as long as she had the board of directors on her side. With Marcus acting like a buffoon they would never trust him to run the Avery interests. His grandfather would have no choice but to rely on her. Elizabeth was obviously the perfect choice to take over. She had proven herself many times over managing her family's interests so it was only natural. There was no one better; even the old man would have to admit it. He wouldn't have a choice.

But he surprised her again.

Instead he sent Marcus off to Europe to learn business from an old friend. The old man never said just who this friend was or where Marcus was staying making it impossible for her to follow or keep an eye on him. Worse Marcus seemed to be on his best behavior and avoided his usual antics that would have made finding him a simple matter. Elizabeth could do nothing but wait for his return and made her plans for that day.

But nothing was going as she intended. Marcus refused to even look at her let alone appear at her side. Public opinion was important when it came to arranging elite marriages. Once enough people put them together Marcus wouldn't be able to deny her. He would have no choice but to accept her proposal. Her plans might have gotten sidetracked but all it would take was a little push to get it back on track.

It was supposed to begin at his welcome home party. She announced their engagement and then he was supposed to stand beside her for pictures. Instead he walked away. Then they were supposed to attend the Easter Mixer together and further cement their partnership but he got into some fight and the outing was canceled. Yet he attended the Mixer anyway on his own despite what Cybil told her.

When he returned to New York Elizabeth was certain he would return to his old ways and she could monitor his activity through the gossip columns and use those same headlines to win the Board to her side. However, he was strangely quiet and on his best behavior. Even worse he seemed to be running the Children's Hospital with model efficiency further impressing the old man and the Board. She was losing her handle on the situation. If she didn't bring Marcus to heel soon she would lose her grip completely. Her secretary buzzed her intercom, "Miss Quenn, Mister Darnall is here for you."

"Send him in," Elizabeth sighed.

She sat at her desk feigning a calm demeanor waiting for the private investigator she hired to arrive. It irked her to no end that she had to associate with the likes of him but she didn't have any other option. She needed information if she was going to get ahead of this and regain her footing.

He entered wearing a suit and tie as if he could pass for a proper businessman. With an arrogant smirk he sat down across from her. In fact he was getting far too cocky but she had no choice but to rely on him. This man was the only way for her to get answers. "Stop looking so smug," Elizabeth scowled. "You better have something."

With a smirk he took out an envelope and offered it to her. Elizabeth snatched it from him. Inside she pulled out a photograph of some middle-aged Hispanic woman. Frowning she looked at the man who brought it to her. "Who's this?"

"Don't know her?" he asked with a chuckle. "She's the woman your fiancée has been spending all his time with. She lives on the Lower East Side. Apparently he likes his women spicy." "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I think it's rather funny to see anyone who thinks they own the world squirm."

"Enough. Just who is this woman?"

"Regina Torres. Apparently she works at some fancy nightclub your boy toy frequents. He interrupted a mugging and drove her home last night."

"So he played hero and swept a woman off her feet. You said she lives on the Lower East Side?"

"That's right. And he stayed with her all night long," Darnall said. "It gets better too."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. She has four kids too."

Elizabeth's mouth twitched with a smile, "Is that so? Well then she won't be difficult to deal with."

"What are you planning to do?"

"What do you care? You did your job. I paid you. What happens next has nothing to do with you, isn't that right?"

"Well yeah, but there are kids involved. Don't do anything rash."

"Don't worry about it. They'll be taken care of. After all I'm only a concerned citizen. It's my duty to report unfit parents to social services."

"Who said she was unfit?"

"She's poor, living in the slums, isn't she? Hardly a good environment to raise children."

"Maybe, but hundreds of children grow up poor. It's not a crime."

"This woman took a strange man home where her kids were asleep. If she does that every night can you only imagine the damage she is doing to her children or the possible dangers she is exposing them to?"

Darnall raised an eyebrow. He could argue that Marcus and Regina weren't strangers. If Marcus frequented the club often they would certainly have developed a rapport with each other though that was mere speculation as he hadn't made it inside himself yet. There were however quite a few rumors circulating about it and Darnall wouldn't mind investigating it more if he could find a client willing to bankroll it. Marcus also saved her from a mugger so Regina no doubt felt safe enough to bring him home. It wasn't as if she was introducing a complete stranger to her children.

Yet he kept these thoughts to himself. There was no sense in rocking the boat. He had been paid handsomely for his time; what happened after was none of his business.

He could only shake his head at the petty squabbles of these rich and supposedly powerful people. So much money at their disposal but they spent their time funding their private rivalries instead of actually doing some good. Well...not all of them, he supposed.

Families like DaLair, Prescott, Stanton, Worthington and Avery had carved a place for themselves and remained largely untouchable despite the turbulent waters around them. And they certainly did some good. The Prescotts in particular were constantly giving to charities and the Avery's used their position to provide affordable medical care.

In contrast families like the Quenns only cared about themselves and building even bigger hills to stand on so they could look down on the rest of the world. Still it wasn't Darnall's fight. Standing he excused himself and washed his hands of it. He pitied Regina Torres for getting on Elizabeth Quenn's radar but there was nothing for that now. Darnall could only wish her luck.

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