EPISODE 249
Written by: Bre L. Drew
August 14, 2023
Last Time on Town and Country
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Jordan interrupted the Covington Group Shareholders Meeting with the revelation that he was the one behind her being gaslit. As she played some recordings she had received from Dr. Toussaint after his death to everyone in the boardroom, it was decided that Daniel should be out as CEO of the company. Tommy consoles her by embracing her.
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Everyone else found out at the meeting that Daniel was also responsible for Shauna's miscarriage and Max's paralysis since he had blackmailed Dr. Toussaint into overmedicating her sedatives and was the one they swerved to avoid hitting on the road, causing the accident.
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Louise gave into Sean as he laid his feelings out on the line, but unbeknownst to them, Aaliyah, who had come over to the cottage, not only saw them through Louise's bedroom window but also caught footage of it on her phone.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
All of her life, Louise Saunders Lockhart has been aware of the choices she has made thus far. However, the intensity overcomes her as she is intensely making out with Sean Lockhart in the bedroom they once shared inside the home, where they lived together for many years until their divorce.
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Sean has his hands around her well-shaped waist, despite the years of them not being physical with one another. It seems their movements of foreplay have mainly stayed familiar yet a bit more daring since Sean promised Tricia, he would devote himself to his marriage and Louise, who is engaged to Jai.
Nonetheless, their unresolved feelings for one another complicate their relationship statuses as they move closer to the bed. Louise lays on the mattress while Sean falls on top of her, but as he begins undressing, she notices the wedding band on his hand, and her eyes lay upon her engagement ring.
Seeing those tokens make her use her hands to intercept any more movement, which Sean complies with, backing away from her obediently.
A look of disappointment strikes his face,
"You all right?" he asks her concernedly.
With his shirt off, it's obvious how much in shape he is now since the last time they were intimate, as his stomach is flatter and his chest firmer, reminding her of when they were newlyweds over twenty years ago.
"We can't do this," she discloses.
AALIYAH'S SUV
While keeping up the speed on the lightly populated expressway, Aaliyah Gupta steers her orange Ford EcoSport toward her designated exit on the heated, brightly lit summer afternoon, despite the images she had witnessed only moments ago.
She had been out to the Lockhart cottage to pay a visit to Louise, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt since she hadn't been keen on her and her father getting married. So, when she spotted Louise and Sean kissing rather passionately through her bedroom window, she quickly grabbed her phone to record the unfaithfulness.
"One thing is for sure: you won't be marrying my father, Louise, and now I'm going to make sure you don't," she says to herself.
Aaliyah looks up at the familiar sign placed above her; she realizes she's only five minutes away from her destination.
COVINGTON GROUP
On the twentieth floor of the Covington Tower, where the office of the Covington Group is, the revelation of Daniel gaslighting his daughter-in-law was made in the boardroom, where the company's annual shareholders meeting is also occurring.
At this moment, Jordan Covington is embraced by her husband, Tommy Covington, in the hallway of the office.
Soon he lets go of her, knowing she is dealing with several emotions.
"Jordan, tell me what you did back there," he tells her.
The young woman moves strands of her dyed brunette hair, tucking them out of her face. "I know you're pissed that I didn't tell you about Toussaint's lawyer sending me all those recordings, but I had to expose him my own way because I will be damned if he would do this to me or someone else again," she says defensively.
After Toussaint was found dead by suicide by her parents, her former shrink's lawyer had the USB drive of the exchanges he recorded of himself speaking to Daniel to drive her out of her mind so Tommy would wind up with custody of Jeremy.
"I was going to say what you did back there took a lot of courage, And for that, I'm proud of you."
Jordan is taken aback by that compliment since the two aren't exactly a traditional husband and wife in love.
"You're proud of me? After causing chaos among your family," she curiously notes.
Also, the acknowledgment revealed that Daniel was also responsible for the deaths of Max and Shauna's unborn child and
Max's paralysis since Jordan was overly medicated on sedatives that he had the psychiatrist prescribe to her that made her walk in the middle of the road where they were driving and swerve to avoid her crashing into a ditch.
"Let's just say it was about time my father got knocked down a peg or two." Tommy vocalizes.
Deirdre Covington wanders down the hall, where she sees her youngest grandson and his wife. "Thomas, you're needed in the boardroom."
Tommy turns to Jordan, who nods at him she will be fine without him.
"My time here is done." Jordan declares victory.
"Something we both agree on," Deirdre says prickly.
Jordan saunters to the elevator while Tommy goes back to face the aftermath.
Back in the boardroom, most of the shareholders voiced their decision to vote Daniel out as CEO due to the news of his machinations. Courtney Covington Sullivan goes over to her father, who is at the head of the conference table.
"Dad, I think I know how you can stop this," she murmurs.
He turns to her with a doubtful reaction.
"Do you have a time machine to take me back to the last hour so I can undo all of this?"
Courtney allows his acerbic statement to hang in the air before answering him.
"End this; choose someone else to take your place as CEO; this way, you won't face this embarrassment," she says softly.
"The hell it doesn't," Max Covington expresses
He uses the lever on his motorized chair to go to his father, and right next to him is his wife, Shauna Covington. They both suffered from his schemes too.
"Max, Shauna, I know what occurred is tragic, but this is the time we must pull together as a family for the sake of the company." Daniel indicates.
"You have some goddamn nerve to mention family after what you pulled," Max swears, not caring who hears him as Deirdre and Tommy return to the room.
"Oh, to hell with the company, Daniel," Shauna answers sharply. "Because of you, my husband, your son lost the ability to ever walk again, and you caused the death of our child, why should we care about you getting what you want now?"
Hoping for her absolution, he turns to his only daughter. "There are still votes that haven't been counted, I still have a chance," Daniel tells her. Besides, I know you can understand why I did everything."
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Courtney shakes her head at that assumption. "Just because I'm trying to help you does not mean I agree with what you did."
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J&M MARKET
And I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times, hard times)
And I gotta get to rock bottom
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The emotive vocals of Hayley Williams can be heard within J&M Market's sound system as "Hard Times" by Paramore currently plays.
Aaliyah finds Lorenzo Vidal in his work vest stocking canned goods in the store aisle. A few seconds later, he glances over beside him seeing his girlfriend there unexpectedly.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asks her, placing a can of creamed corn on the shelf.
The two had met for breakfast at Jojo's when they disagreed over her dislike of her father making Louise his wife.
"Have you seen my father?" she queries. "I stopped by his office, but the door is locked."
Her father owns the grocery store.
"I think he took off to pick up his suit for the engagement party from the tailor."
It takes so much for Aaliyah not to yell at the mere mention of an engagement party after what she just saw.
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"Well, by the time I tell my father that his fiancee is a two-timing whore, marriage plans will be the last thing on his mind."
A sense of confusion now broadcasts onto his face at that accusation.
"What the hell are you talkin' about?"
Instead of telling him, she obtains her iPhone from her bag, holding it in her hand while she presses play.
Although the sound is low, there's no doubt that Sean and Louise are kissing through the window.
When the video reaches the end, it stops giving Aaliyah vindication. "I owe you a thank you, by the way."
Lorenzo waits for a middle-aged white woman sporting a heavy amount of perfume to push her cart out of the aisle.
"How did I get involved in this?"
"You told me to give Louise a benefit without a doubt, so I stopped by to see if I could make amends, and if you hadn't suggested it, I would've never seen this. And when my father gets back. I'm showing him this, and he and Louise are finished."
Lorenzo sets his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm not telling you what to do, Aaliyah, but think about it."
Aaliyah raises her eyebrows, countering his warning. "Think about what? My father loves this woman, and she's backstabbing him by being with her ex-husband."
"But think what will happen if you show him this, Aaliyah; you will not only hurt your father and Louise but also Tricia, and let's not forget Tanner and Lenny; I'm sure they aren't going to be thrilled with you doing this either."
She hadn't thought of her friends and how they could possibly be affected by their parents hooking up again since both were supportive of their parents tying the knot. However, the fate of her parents getting back together can finally come to fruition, as she knows her mother and father still have unresolved feelings for one another, no matter what they've said.
"So, what am I supposed to do? Stand back and smile. Why did my father make a fool of himself during the engagement party?" Aaliyah retorts.
Lorenzo shoves his hands in his pants pockets, uncertain how to approach this further.
"I can't talk you out of this, but at least do this because you love your dad and not just to get back at Louise."
Aaliyah stands there, unsure how to proceed, as the enraged party rapidly approaches.
LOCKHART LAKE COTTAGE
By now, Sean has his shirt back on, recognizing that nothing will be happening with his ex-wife and him this afternoon, much to his displeasure.
"Much as I want this too, I realized that if we sleep together, I would be no better than Tricia when you two were sleeping together behind my back when we were married." Louise says this while standing on her feet and running her hands through her blonde hair.
"Those were different circumstances,"
Their once solid marriage ultimately ended over his affair with the more youthful flight attendant.
Louise exhales while looking directly at the father of her now-adult twin daughters. "Not really, though, when you think about it," she replies honestly. "I mean, you're looking to escape with someone else who isn't your wife; this time, it's me you're turning to satisfy your needs."
Sean nods somewhat disapprovingly. "I know you feel the same way about me that I do about you, Louise. We were about to have sex, and you can't tell me you were solely acting out of impulse."
"Now you think you know me like a book, don't you?" Louise asks challengingly, noticing the sunlight entering the room through the window.
"I know you don't love Jai the way he does you," he remarks. "And instead of following your heart, you're going through the process of marrying him because he's the first guy that made you feel something after our marriage ended."
Louise scoffs at that observation, saying she found it insulting, among other things.
"Sean, I'm forty-eight years old, and believe it or not, I'm not caught up in happily ever after anymore. I thought I had that with you, and well, we all know what happened there. Besides, you are still married to Tricia, and she probably thinks you've decided to give your marriage another go, and I do love Jai; he doesn't come with all the complications that you do."
The farm manager tilts his head to motion otherwise at that claim about Louise's fiancé with his co-dependence on his ex-wife and a daughter who has made it no secret she wants her parents back together.
"You're scared," he admits.
Louise doesn't confirm or deny his response while straightening out her dress.
Sean tenderly kisses his former wife's forehead, causing Lou to shut her eyes.
"I hope you come around," he whispers wholeheartedly.
Louise watches Sean leaves the bedroom, hearing his footsteps descend the stairs and out the door. Then she gazes down at her diamond ring again, a reminder of the life she's choosing for herself, though it doesn't take away any of the pain in her heart.
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COVINGTON GROUP
More votes have already been cast, and so far, they haven't gone to Daniel, as he remains seated at the table, but none of the family members have done so yet, knowing it would be enough to come out of this somewhat unscathed.
Evelyn, who is Daniel's longtime secretary, jots down a notation on the legal pad before proceeding to Emma Covington, who crosses her legs.
"Some of you might've fallen for my brother's sob story, but I, for one, have not."
Deirdre gives her daughter a look of daring, telling her not to do it, while Daniel already knows what is about to be said.
"It's a nay for me," Emma adds while throwing up her hands.
She still recalls him trying to keep her trust fund away from her when she first came to Radcliffe; however, she got control of it back when she blackmailed him over how Tommy had gotten Jordan pregnant when he was involved with Tanner Lockhart. Not to mention, she doesn't have a close relationship with Daniel to begin with.
"Deirdre Covington, what say you, yea or nay?" Evelyn questions the company's founder's wife and pivotal shareholder.
Deirdre smiles good-naturedly toward Daniel. "I see no need to change the status quo in the leadership position barring his personal life; Daniel has maintained excellence as CEO, so I'm voting yay."
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She sees a few board members rolling their eyes at her.
It is now Max's turn to have his say.
"Nay," he proclaims boldly. He then grasps his wife's hand, who gives him a glare of solidarity, while Daniel tallies that
Tommy or Courtney would have to be the deciding verdict.
Tommy doesn't flinch when the attention is on him. "I vote nay," he ripostes. "There is no way in hell I will work for a man who puts my family in danger, even if he is my own father."
Various reactions can be seen, including Daniel, who is hoping for Courtney to keep him in charge, knowing she is the closest to him of his three children, not to mention they share business acumen too.
"Courtney Covington Sullivan, please verbalize your vote for yea or nay to Daniel Covington, remaining Chief Executive Officer of the Covington Group." Evelyn articulates.
Courtney goes with what she believes. "I'm abstaining from my vote."
The answer surprises Daniel the most, thinking she would at least be the one to see that he should still be leading the company despite what he does outside this office.
Evelyn skims over the notepad. "Daniel Covington is out as CEO, effective immediately. "Should we set another meeting to appoint someone as acting CEO?"
Charles, the richest shareholder at the table, lifts his finger to counter the secretary's information.
"If all of you don't mind, my wife and I like to get back to New York in a few hours, so will anyone else feel comfortable appointing Courtney as CEO? This company can use someone with a fresh take on things."
His wife, Nancy, and a few more shareholders bob in agreement.
"She does have the experience," someone else says, as she had taken over the company when Daniel had chosen her and
Max to run it when Emma was in a coma, and he wanted to be there for the family.
Not long after, another ballot was cast.
"Courtney Covington Sullivan is now CEO of the Covington Group, effective immediately; it's known on public record," Evelyn informs them all.
Tommy, Max, and Shauna depart out of the room.
Courtney looks toward her father being consoled by Deirdre as she exits the room, feeling like she somehow gave him a death sentence.
"Daniel, you didn't deserve this," she says. "If I can do something to challenge this, you know I will."
The wealthy widow isn't above doing outlandish things to protect her family.
The former CEO stands up, having had enough for today, as not only his biggest secret has been revealed, but his role in the company has been snatched away.
"I will see you at home, Mom."
Daniel doesn't bother to receive any feedback from the other shareholders as he goes out into the hall to deal with the biggest public despair he has ever felt.
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END OF EPISODE
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ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF TOWN AND COUNTRY
Jai and Louise's engagement party commences.
Mala examines her feelings for Jai.
Mae and Gus's first date don't go as planned.
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