The Road to Rebirth Her Fresh Start and His Late Sorrow

Cyrus abruptly stood up, his voice firm. "Alright, I'll agree to your terms, but you need to send me the dirt over the next few days."

Lucy watched Cyrus, knowing he was as fickle as a New England weather forecast. If she didn't play along, he'd likely change his mind. With a deep breath, she nodded solemnly. "Deal."

Baldrick had just finished sifting through paperwork when his phone buzzed with a call from Nancy. He picked up, not even getting a word in before she spoke.

"Baldrick, Cyrus and Lucy met up."

Baldrick's face remained as calm as a summer's day. "Nancy, you really do know Cyrus well in some respects.'

Nancy's fingers paused on the other end. "So, was it you who tipped off The Gordon Group?"

Baldrick chuckled softly. "Nope, I'm not the only one with an axe to grind with Cyrus. But thanks for the heads-up, Nancy."

Nancy's voice had a complex tone as she said, "Alright, I'm going to rest now."

Baldrick had more to say, but before he could get a word out, the call was cut off. Listening to the dial tone, he sighed in mild frustration. Oh well, they'd catch up next time in person.

Before heading out, Baldrick stood up decisively. "Get the car ready. We're going to the hospital." Time to see if Farley Robertson, that good-for-nothing, would ever be back on his feet to give him any trouble.

"Nancy, I can't stand Baldrick!" Judson exclaimed.

Nancy, calm and collected, didn't even glance up from the magazine spread she was reviewing. "Uh-huh." Judson, feeling ignored, plopped his hand right onto the layout. "I'm serious here. Am I less interesting than those pages?"

Nancy furrowed her brow, ready to ask Judson to quit fooling around, but when she looked up, she saw his eyes red and full of childish hurt.

"...Alright, stop the drama."

"Nancy, if Cyrus goes after Baldrick,

will Baldrick come around here more

often? I can't handle more competition for your attention!", Judson's voice rose with worry "Nancy, I don't want you to see them."

"You're overthinking it," Nancy replied, giving him a side-eye. "With the NYC Fashion Week and the

Ramona show lined up back-to-back, I barely have time to breathe, let alone worry about them."

Whether Baldrick was taking on The Gordon Group or Cyrus was handling The Robertson Group, Nancy decided she would only give Baldrick a heads-up because of past favors.

Everyone had their own battles to fight. They were all adults, after all.

Seeing Nancy was serious, Judson

relaxed, relieved that she wasn't really concerned about either of them. He grinned, content. "Alright then, you get back to your sketches, and just sit here and keep you company."

Grabbing a small stool, he settled next to her.

Nancy sighed. Well, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Just as Nancy anticipated, she had no time to be meddling in the Baldrick-Cyrus drama. The NYC runway show and the Ramona charity event were so close together, she was constantly on the move, barely a moment to herself. Even Winnie and Orlando were swept up in the whirlwind of activity.

"The final outfits are in, and they look stunning!" Ramona exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement. Turning to Nancy, she couldn't help but gush, "Lena, you truly are a genius. I can't wait for the show next week!"

Nancy received the compliment with a modest smile and then noticed Ramona handing her an invitation. "Miss Lena, would you do me the honor of being my plus-one tomorrow evening? It'd be a great chance to meet some of the other investors."