04/04/2000



"Arlene and Hayley checked around the house, but there was no sign of Amanda. Janet said that Amanda knew that she wasn't supposed to leave home without asking permission first. Hayley forced a weak smile and asked Janet if it was possible that Amanda ran next door to one of her girlfriend's houses. Janet raced into the kitchen to place a call to all of Amanda's friends. "You know why this happened," Arlene said coldly after Janet left the room. "You scared the daylights out of her." Hayley shook her head and told her mother that she would not allow her to place the blame for Amanda's flight on her. Arlene sighed and told Hayley that she was going out to search for Amanda. Hayley phoned Mateo and Dixie to alert them to Amanda's disappearance. A few moments later, Mateo arrived. Janet told the couple that Amanda had told her that she hates her shortly before running off. Mateo assured Janet that children say things that they don't mean all the time. Janet grabbed her coat and headed out to join the search. Mateo, meanwhile, told Hayley that he knew how Janet was feeling. He felt much the same way when Max turned up missing. Hayley formed a fist and cursed her mother. "For once," she said angrily, "my mother's right about something." She went on to say that she feared that she was responsible for Amanda running away.

In the park, Arlene plopped down on a bench and prepared to take a swig of vodka. Before the bottle could touch her lips, Amanda's voice called out to her. Arlene quickly tucked the bottle away and turned to greet her niece. Arlene told Amanda that she had been so worried about her. Amanda feared that Arlene might be mad. Arlene shook her head and said that she could understand why Amanda felt the need to run away. She confessed to the little girl that she wouldn't mind running away --- if she had somewhere to go. Amanda confessed that she'd overheard Hayley's tirade. Arlene told Amanda that it hurt her to hear the mean things Hayley had to say about her especially since Hayley was her daughter. If Hayley didn't love her, Arlene wondered who would. "I will," Amanda smiled. "We're family." An out of breath Janet scurried over to the bench and wrapped her arms around her wayward daughter. A few seconds after their reunion, Janet asked Amanda if she was ready to go home. Amanda looked down at the ground and said that she'd go home --- with one condition.

One of the board members called Liza's proposal "highly unorthodox." He suggested that they contact Adam to see if he approved of Liza stepping in for him. Liza bowed her head and explained that Adam wasn't capable of making important decisions. Tad had been silent for several minutes. When he broke his silence, he told Liza that even if she was elected acting CEO he still planned to take his story to the media. Liza nodded slightly and asked Tad if she could have a few minutes with the board. After Tad left, Liza told the board that she was about to tell them something that they could not repeat outside the boardroom. Chandler Enterprises, she noted, was on the verge of collapse. Adam, on the other hand, was in no position to help the company get back on course. A female board member asked Liza if Adam was under a doctor's care. Another member wondered why Liza should be chosen over one of the board members to act as CEO. Liza glossed over the doctor question, saying that several physicians knew of Adam's condition. As for the questions about her ability to fill Adam's shoes, Liza pointed to her "crisis management" experience at WRCW. On top of that, she said that as Adam's wife she knew of Adam's vision for the company. Taking over, she assured them, would not be an easy task for anyone. "I feel like I am taking away his child," Liza noted. Again, she asked the board if she had their support. Some time later, Tad was allowed back into the room. Immediately Liza hit him up with a deal, power given to her since she had been elected acting CEO of Chandler Enterprises. Liza explained that Chandler Enterprises would sue Tad --- for blackmail and several other charges --- if he even thought of airing the tape of Adam's meltdown. In short, they'd make sure that his family suffered, that he never again appeared on television, and lost all of his amassed fortune. Tad's face fell. The only way he board would agree not to go after him was if Tad handed over the tape (and all copies of the tape) to Liza. Stunned, Tad saw no other choice but to surrender the videotape. The board erupted in applause and the meeting adjourned. As the members filed out of the room, Tad remained frozen in place, staring across the room at Liza. The door closed behind the final member and Tad leapt onto the conference table. Liza chuckled loudly as Tad moonwalked and danced around the room. Tad had barely had time to get down from the table when Barry entered the room. He warned the pair not to celebrate too soon. The attorney picked up the phone and announced that he was going to call Adam and alert him to their shenanigans. Lucky for them, though, all overseas lines were jammed and Barry could not get through. Tad offered to lock Barry back in the utility closet, but Liza declined his offer. She said that she didn't think that her lawyer would want to be locked up with brooms. Tad and Barry both cocked their heads to the side, but Tad was the first to ask why Liza was referring to Barry as her attorney. Liza smiled devilishly and said that since she now signed the paychecks, Barry really was her attorney. Barry vowed not to let Liza steal Adam's company, but Liza found a way to make Barry back down. She reminded him that he'd just gotten married to a "high maintenance" woman, was paying a huge chunk of alimony to a previous wife, had just bought a new summer home, and had an antique car collection to care for. It'd be awfully hard to take care of all those things, Liza grinned, if he was without a job. Tad laughed aloud as he realized that Barry had no other choice but to go along with Liza's plans. Barry admitted that it would not be easy to go against the man he'd been loyal to for some many years. Before Barry left, Liza made him promise that he'd have no further communication with Adam --- unless she approved it. Liza and Tad continued their victory celebration. Liza offered to cut it short so that Tad could go home and be with Dixie. Tad, though, suspected that something was up and asked Liza what she was scheming. Liza shook her head and said that she hadn't figured that out yet.

Janet, Arlene, and Amanda returned home. Hayley sat up and asked Amanda if she could forgive her for the things she'd said to Arlene. Amanda nodded and the two embraced. Amanda said that all was better now because Janet had promised that Arlene could stay with them permanently. Hayley smiled and held that smile until Janet and Amanda were safely out of the room. Hayley grabbed hold of her mother's arm and angrily told her that she knew what she was up to. Hayley warned her mother that she would not sit idly by and watch her destroy Amanda's life the way she'd destroyed hers. Arlene refuted Hayley's claim that she'd hurt Amanda and also tried to argue that she'd never done anything to hurt Hayley. Hayley cut her off and warned her that she'd be watching her very closely. Mateo and Hayley stormed out of the house. Arlene took a deep breath, a stray tear rolling down her cheek.

Edmund lectured Guy for allowing Alex to ride a horse that was not broken. Guy insisted that it was safe because he'd rode the horse earlier in the day. If that was the case, Edmund said, the horse would not have thrown Alex. Alex returned to the room and asked the two men if there was a problem. Guy stepped forward and explained that they'd been talking about Scorpio. Edmund left the room to check on the horse. Alex, meanwhile, continued her medical examination of the horse trainer. Alex apologized for Edmund's behavior, explaining that he was simply trying to protect her. Guy chuckled and said that he didn't think Alex need protection especially after the way she'd subdued the gunman at the mall. Alex casually admitted that she wasn't sure how she'd mustered the skills to fend off the gunman. One thing led to another and soon Alex was confessing that there were several blocks of her memory that were missing. Guy pressed her for more information, but Alex said that she wasn't comfortable discussing her past. Edmund returned to the room and forcibly whisked Alex back to the lodge. There, Edmund scolded Alex for blabbing her past to Guy. He explained that there was something about Guy that made him uneasy. Alex though carefully for several moments and asked Edmund if he was jealous because he's caught Alex touching Guy's naked chest. Edmund denied the charges. Jack entered the lodge with news that Adrian had managed to track the origin of the mysterious computer message. The message, he said, originated in Sweden, but it was highly possible that the sender had somehow hidden the original origin. Alex claimed to have a headache and asked the men if they could leave her alone. They obliged and Alex laid down on the sofa to take a nap. As she slept, she had a horrible nightmare. She recalled how Edmund had said how he feels uneasy around Guy. In her dream, Guy stormed into the lodge and pistol-whipped Edmund. She screamed as Guy pointed a gun down her fallen brother-in-law.

Back in the tack room, Guy sat down at his computer and typed yet another secret message: I have made attempts to gain her trust. A new problem has come up. Edmund Grey may prove to be an obstacle. I will take appropriate measures to remove him if necessary. After finishing the message, Guy pulled a handgun from his desk drawer. Carefully and methodically, Guy filled up the gun's clip with bullets. Then, while whistling, "Waltzing Matilda," Guy put the clip into the gun."

- Soap Central