"Thanks so much; you're a total lifesaver." Courtney Covington Sullivan praises her husband.

 

Steven Sullivan brings her a cup of tea as she is in the middle of work, which she was conducting from the kitchen counter of their two-story home.

 

"Do you need anything else?" the veterinarian asks her.

 

Courtney nurses the mug as tendrils of heat rise from it. "No, I'm fine," she replies. "You know, I think this is the first time we've both been home during a workday." she says observably.

 

"If you weren't working and I wasn't on call, we could be taking advantage of this occasion," he winks suggestively.

 

Though Courtney doesn't crack a smile or playfully swat him as she takes a sip of the hot beverage,

 

"Let me guess, this involves Daniel," he assumes.

 

She exhales before responding.

 

"I don't know why I still let him get to me after everything he has done."

 

Daniel manipulated Jordan into thinking she couldn't be a sane mother to Jeremy, which nearly cost the life of Max and Shauna's unborn child and the use of Max's legs. 

 

"Because he's your father, and you've looked up to him all of your life, it's only normal," Steven advises her.

 

"And then I let those emotions come in between me and Shauna when she only wanted to know if she could come back to work."

 

She shakes her head at everything she's going through at the moment.

 

Steven uses his hands to massage her back, hoping to release some tension.

 

Although the din of the doorbell ringing suspends their intimate conversation,

 

"I'll get it," he says willingly.

 

Silently hoping it isn't her father since she doesn't have the strength to go another round with him, she is somewhat relieved when she sees Steven along with Mala Gupta.

 

The executive architect is wearing a reddish-brown belted trench coat with dark slacks, holding onto a drafting tube in her possession.

 

Steven's phone starts to ring.

 

"It's the clinic; I better get this; excuse me," he says, then departs the room, leaving the women alone.

 

"I was on my way to the office when I saw your car in the driveway and thought you would like to take a look at this," Mala notifies her.

 

Mala lives next door to Steven and Courtney in a row of residential cottages.

 

"I decided to get some work done out of the office."

 

Mala passes the tube, which the younger woman opens and takes out the blueprint.

 

Courtney identifies it as the draft of the low-income apartment building that has been in the works for months.

 

"Everything works out with the city council, which I'm sure will be an uphill battle, touch wood," Mala states concernedly in her British accent.

 

Courtney rolls the parchment back up and places it on the side of the wall.

 

"Let Legal and myself worry about that."

 

She knows Mala is coming from a good place but is tired of people questioning her decisions as CEO.

 

Courtney notices something different about Mala, as a certain radiance is upon her, especially on her face.

 

"Are you on a new skincare regiment? You are glowing, Mala," she compliments.

 

Mala slightly grins at what was said to her since she hasn't done anything different to her face and believes that it stems from resuming her relationship with Jai behind closed doors.

 

The sounds of Steven's footsteps interrupt any further interaction between the two women.

 

"They just needed my authorization on a procedure," he nods.

 

"I better get out of here and let you get back to it, but if you have any questions, I'll be available most of the day."

 

The three say their goodbyes as Steven walks their neighbor to the door.

 

Two seconds later, he comes back.

 

"Well, whatever is making Mala glow that way, I want some of that." Courtney confesses.

 

Steven doesn't shield his confusion from his wife's statement.