Gabrielle Carrington

Sixteen

I walked downstairs to see Fallon yelling at a staff member.

"What? I asked for violet campions." Fallon said.

"Yes. But that flower only grows on the Rock of Gibraltar. It's quite rare." The woman said.

"So? The Carringtons and the Colbys are getting married. Our flowers will be picked off the cold, hard surface of your ass if we want them to be." Fallon said looking off to the side. "Is that a swan?"

"One of five for the indoor fountain." The woman said.

"What happened to the peacocks?" Fallon asked.

"Peacocks can't swim." The woman said.

"Well, how much would it cost to teach them?" Fallon asked as Dad walked downstairs.

"What the hell are you doing? I am not paying for all this. My study." Dad said.

"Oh, come on. It's your big day too, Blake." Fallon said grabbing a bottle of champagne and walking into the study. I followed.

"You told me to plan a ceremony." Fallon said.

"The plan was to make it seem like we were having a wedding so Jeff would apply for Cecil's house-arrest waiver. Now that they have it, and they're coming here for the rehearsal today, would you stop spending my money?" Dad asked.

"You said that your IT team needs at least two hours. to get into the house and to erase Jeff's server, right?" I asked.

"Well, that means we need a long rehearsal, final decisions to settle on: swans or peacocks. Just trust me. If Jeff doesn't believe that we're planning the party of the century, then he'll know that the last two
weeks have been a sham." Fallon said.

"Fine. At least I don't have to buy a wedding gown." Dad said.

"There you go. Think of what I'm saving you. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than getting arrested. Or losing your entire company, which you could have if Jeff had used any of the blackmail on his server." Fallon said as Cristal walked in.

"Oh. Speaking of shams, Mrs. Flake Carrington." Fallon said.

"I still can't believe you're making her do this." Cristal said to Dad.

"Oh, he's not making me do anything. Unlike you, I believe in solving problems I help create." Fallon said.

"You told her about Rick?" Cristal asked.

"We're all on the same team, aren't we?" Dad asked. "I got a full report from my IT guys... what Colby had access to, what he might've fed Rick... and it included records of Steven's rehab reservations." Dad said.

"When did Steven go to rehab?" Cristal asked.

"Well, that's the problem. He didn't. He was supposed to check in after Christmas. Considering that he told Rick and the press and the police that he's been clean for several years..." Dad trailed off.

"In other words, thanks to you and Ricky Ricardo, Steven might have the most to lose." I said.

"And Steven still has no idea that all this today is an act?" Cristal asked.

"It's called plausible deniability. I'll write it down for you. You can Google it later." Fallon said walking out. I followed her. Austin walked in.

"What the hell is going on?" Austin asked looking around.

"I'm planning the event of the season." Fallon said.

"The Carrington motto is go big and expensive or go home." I said. Austin and I hung out for a bit before I had to get ready for the rehearsal dinner.