Previously on "Ambitions..."
Joaquin has been kidnapped.
- You killed him?
- What are you talking about?
Drop the weapon!
Package has been secured, sir.
There are cameras in here.
We're being recorded. Just act normal.
Darcia.
- I need you.
- This gonna be like taking candy from a baby.
- What possessed you to send an email to increase
the addictiveness of Limodol?
- Well, this is a disaster.
- Okay, what's wrong?
You didn't sound like yourself on the phone.
Did something happen to Evan?
- Not yet, Mother.
But the day is young.
- Your hunch was right.
There's more than one.
- How many cameras total?
- Two and counting.
We're making a slow sweep to make sure we don't miss any.
- How long have they been online?
- We're running an IP trace now.
It's a pretty sophisticated setup.
It should only be a matter of time
before we identify the source.
I'm gonna help with the search upstairs.
- Thank you.
Can you believe this shit?
- I know exactly who planted those cameras.
And I'm going to make sure the sick predator pays.
- Mother--
- C'mon. C'mon! Move.
- I think I got something, boss.
- Come on, come on! Move!
- We just lost the signal.
- What?
- Titus, there was a camera in our bathroom.
- And in the living room, bedroom,
dining room, and kitchen.
Some depraved freak has witnessed every intimate moment
that went on in this house.
Everything!
- She's going to pay. - She?
- Stephanie! Who else?
The woman is obsessed with you.
How did she know you werestaying at the Ducksworth Hotel?
- No, no, Stephanie's not a voyeur.
This is too subtle for her.
You know who did this.
- I don't wanna believe it was Damian.
Why?
- If Damian planted those cameras in our home,
then he's not only dangerous, he's insane.
And I brought him into our lives.
- There's a crisis at Purifoy.
- Okay, go.
I've gotta go check on Daphne Manning.
And Damian is scheduled to come back to work on Monday.
I'm gonna deal with him once and for all.
- We need to be smarter, Amara.
You said it yourself, that sick freak is unstable.
The FBI has it covered.
Besides, I don't want us to react emotionally
and play into another one of his traps.
- You're absolutely right.
I'll leave it alone.
- I made that bitch a star!
Nobody knew who Bella Tru was 'til I started
wearing her designs! - You sound more enraged
by Bella's betrayal than your husband's.
- Believe me, Mother, I have enough rage to go around.
Bella had the audacity to ask me
to look over a contract for her fashion house.
When I finally got around to looking at it,
I discovered... that her company listed a firm called...
Westside Son Investments
as its primary shareholder.
- Wasn't Evan's campaign slogan:
"Elect a Son From Atlanta's Westside"?
- He always lacked imagination.
Atlanta's favorite son recently transferred
a million dollars from several of our accounts,
only to have the money quickly put back.
- What did he plan to do with the money?
- That sonofabitch has been stealing money from me
and our children to provide for his whore!
For all I know, that little son of Bella's
could very well belong to him.
I'm filing for divorce.
- Now hold on.
We Carlisles have invested too much time and money
grooming Evan for the national stage
to just cut our losses now.
- You would have me stay in that sham of a marriage
just so you and Daddy can one day
placea son-in law in the Oval Office?
- Who says it's Evan I'm trying to place in the Oval Office?
It's always been you, Stephanie.
You are the future of this family.
Your father and your husband can't see it
past their own egos, but I do.
What does Kamala Harris have that you don't?
- You would have me just do nothing,
and let Evan and Bella get away with humiliating me?
- The time will come.
Soon, and what you've learned about your husband
and this seamstress...
will prove useful.
But until then...
listen to Mother.
And don't let your right hand know what your left is doing.
- What's taking so long?
- The doctor's just being thorough.
- How is he? - He should be fine.
He's a little antsy, but that's to be expected.
I've given him a mild sedative.
I'll check back in tomorrow.
- Thanks, Bob.
Thanks again.
- We're so lucky, Evan.
- I told you I'd bring him home safely, and I did.
- What?
- There's something still bothering me.
You are the lightest sleeper I've ever met.
I can't wrap my mind around you not being able
to hear someone breaking in.
- I took an antihistamine.
You know how my allergies can get.
I was knocked out.
- Well, just make damn sure you keep a closer eye on our son
from now on. - Of course.
- I should be going.
I'll have my cell on me in case Joaquin needs me.
A couple of plainclothes guards are watching the place.
They'll reach out if anyone looks suspicious.
- Thank you, Evan, for everything.
- Of course.
- I brought goodies!
Does he always have to be so rude?
Anyways... how's Joaquin?
- The doctor says he's fine.
- I knew he would be.
He's resilient, just like his Mami.
- He shouldn't be going through any of this.
I wish I'd been the one to put a bullet
through that kidnapper's head.
- Don't talk like that. - I mean every word, Perla.
Alix and Will think there were two of them,
and they're on his trail.
That sonofabitch better hope Evan's guys
put their hands on him before I do.
This is cute.
- Yeah.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- You know, I ain't letting you go back to Chicago.
- I'm in no rush.
Uncle Senior was my daddy's favorite brother.
He'd want me here to be here to see about family.
- Yeah.
- Look who finally puts in an appearance.
- And how long will you be in town for, Darcia?
- Indefinitely, if I have my way.
- Can I chat with you, sis, in private?
- I'll go check on the gumbo for the lunch special.
- Have you lost your mind?
- What are you talking about? - You need to send Darcia
back to Chicago immediately after Pop's funeral.
- Hush! You know, you never did like her.
- She's shady and trifling, Rondell.
- Boy, please. She is our family.
- So?
- Any news on when the police are gonna nail Peters?
- The investigation is ongoing.
Look, don't worry.
Peters is going down for Pop's murder.
I gotta get to the office.
I just stopped by to check on you, Sis.
Love you.
- Alright.
Love you, too.
- Bye, cousin!
- You have a blessed day.
- This is outrageous.
This is the most scandalous piece of garbage
about me I've ever read.
I will make it my life's missionto sue this rag
into irrelevancy.
Get me a retraction.
Right, Titus?
- That's not how we interpret that paragraph.
Look at the language and you tell me what it says.
Yes, I hear you-- - Don't make a rash decision.
All I'm asking if for an opportunity to present
our side of things to your board--can you at least just--
- That's all I want.
What about--what?
- Every museum, medical school, and library that's benefitted
from our philanthropic efforts no longer wants anything to do
with Purifoy.
The High Museum is shutting downThe Gavin Purifoy Installation
and returning our collection.
- You know, to hell with 'em.
We'll shift those funds into marketing Achizone.
Turn their losses into our gains.
- Take a second look.
That's all I'm asking.
Great.
Give us the room, please.
- It's an email from 20 years ago, for crying out loud.
- Dad, you copped to escalating a drug epidemic
for higher profit margins.
- What now?
Great.
Now Wall Street has their panties in a bunch.
You two hold down the fort, while I go calm down The Money.
- I was just on a call trying to appease the FDA.
They're considering a joint inquiry with the CDC and DOJ
into Purifoy's deceptive marketing practices.
- This just keeps getting better and better.
- Are there any more dirty Purifoy secrets out there
waiting to bite us in the ass?
- My grandfather, Gavin Purifoy,
didn't build this company into a multibillion dollar
drug manufacturer by being, well...
a Boy Scout.
- Yeah.
- Let's just say, Dad is cut from the same cloth.
- I appreciate your honesty.
- How did an email my dad sent two decades ago
make its way to the news this week?
- Must have been leaked from discovery.
- I'm no lawyer, but I thought material obtained by discovery
couldn't be disclosed to the media.
- If there's a non-disclosure agreement in place,
which, in our case, there is.
- I am so over Stephanie's bullshit!
- If you go charging over to Stephanie's law firm
as angry as you are,
you'll play right into her hands.
Imagine the headlines:
"Deranged Purifoy Heiress Assaults Atlanta's First Lady."
- I might get a medal.
- Yeah, well, we need all hands on deck right now.
I'll handle Stephanie.
- You'd better.
- Yeah?
BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, CNN,
they are all reaming Purifoy over Hunter's email.
We are finally going to put their asses out of business.
You leaked it, didn't you?
- Of course not.
I would never risk my career
or the reputation of the firm that way.
- Good answer.
What were you and your mother discussing
behind closed doors earlier?
Is everything okay at home?
- If I didn't know better, I would think you cared.
- Of course, I care.
If Evan's done anything to upset you--
- It's nothing.
I'm just feeling a littlemelancholy over Senior's passing
and Carly going to London.
- Listen, Stephanie, I know I can be hard on you.
But that's only because...
I see what you're capable of.
You want to rule the world.
Well, that's gonna be one tough proposition.
You're black.
You're a woman.
You're the parent of a gay daughter--
- That later didn't stop Dick Cheney.
- I am tough on you, because...
the world is gonna always be tougher.
- Where are you off to?
- I've gotta get the English Rose investors
back to the table.
And then there's that little matter of an airport concession
that you and Evan promised Greg.
- It's not a good time to press the issue, Daddy.
Evan is still grieving,
and the U.S. Attorney's Office is all over him and Greg.
- Greg talked that concession up to his father.
And Novak wants it, which means I've gotta deliver.
As for the U.S. Attorney, this ain't my first time tangling
with the Federal Government.
Your little friend Amara-- she may have you shook,
but she doesn't scare me.
- Make no mistake.
Amara doesn't scare me.
No one does.
- Now you're sounding like a Carlisle again.
- Look, I know we shouldn't be talking,
because of the HR situation.
But it's my first day back, and... I wanted to clear the air.
Karen took me off the City Hall case.
I'm sticking with Narco.
And I promise to steer clear of you and Titus.
I don't want any more trouble between us.
- Come in, Damian.
- You sure?
Something important?
- Herschel Cooper's suicide note.
- Shit.
Too bad he didn't come clean when we first approached him.
- Maybe.
Look...
I owe you an apology.
- I've been acting like you
single-handedly destroyed my marriage,
when I was a willing participant in our affair.
- Don't...
call it that.
Affair--it sounds so dirty.
It was never like that for me.
- You were more than some cheap thrill for me, too.
I tried for a long time
to deny my feelings,
but Titus knew.
And it made him crazy with jealousy.
- Did he hurt you?
Amara... talk to me.
- There was one time,
shortly after we moved to Atlanta.
He held me down on the bed and forced me to say your name.
And when I said it...
he locked me in the closet for hours...
to teach me a lesson.
I wanted to leave him after that,
but I was too afraid.
And recently, I found out that he put cameras
in the house just to spy on me.
- That son of a bitch.
- He wasn't always like this.
I did this to him.
To all of us.
- Amara, you deserve to be with a man that loves you
unconditionally.
Not some holier-than-thou piece of shit
who puts you on a pedestal and then punishes you
for not being able to maintain your balance.
You should go.
This is how we got in trouble inthe first place.
- You're not alone in this, Amara.
- I'm here for you.
- Do you think you could do something like this?
- I could, but I'm not a knock-off artist.
I'm a designer.
- Everything okay?
- Just have a lot on my mind.
- Well, hopefully, it's a bold, new collection
of Bella Tru originals.
I put in a call to our web developers.
Want a sneak peek?
Check it out.
- It looks great.
- Okay, well,
I expected a little more excitement there.
You know, Bella, I'm eager to pick up where we left off,
both with theCorazon/Bella Tru partnership...
and with us.
What's going on?
- Now you wanna talk?
I figured if bailing in the middle of the night,
then texting was more your style.
- I told you I had to go to Brazil.
My mother needed me.
Are you gonna tell me what's really bothering you,
or do I have to guess?
- I should've listened to my first instinct
and kept things strictly professional.
Going to bed with you was a mistake.
- Wow.
Talk about a complete 180.
I thought we had a beautiful time together.
- I'm sorry, Ignacio, but recent events in my life
have reminded me of what's important.
I need to be solely focused on my family and my company.
- Well, I'm not the kind of man who walks away from someone
I care about without a fight.
And I care about you...
Bella Trujillo.
- I'll be in touch.
- Yeah, it's me.
No, no, no, she's, um--she's upset about something,
but I smoothed it over.
Proceed as planned.
This partnership has to start paying off... and fast.
- You won't get away with this.
- I didn't leak the email, Titus.
- I filed a complaint with the bar association.
You will be disbarred for this.
- For what exactly?
Relishing in your employer's idiocy?
Answer me this, Titus.
How can you still cash Hunter'spayroll checks after he admitted
to targeting poor black people in that email?
- Are we really gonna play who's the bigger sellout?
I cash Hunter's checks, the same way you clock all those
billable hours from Greg Peters
while he guts your family's neighborhood.
- Buckhead is my family's neighborhood.
Sorry, Titus, but you'll just have to find another scapegoat.
- You always manage to stay two steps ahead.
How is that, Stephanie?
- It's simple.
I'm better than you are.
Now, if that's all--
- I'm thinking about divorcing Amara.
- Really?
- Thought you might be happy to hear that.
- Darling, I am.
You--you have no idea
how long I've waited for this.
- Have you now?
Yes.
I've dreamed of the moment
you ended up alone and miserable
like you so richly deserve.
What did you expect?
For me to run into your arms, gushing over how you finally
come to your senses?
- Considering how hard you worked
to get me back into bed, yeah.
- You silly, misguided fool.
Do you think any of that was for your benefit?
If I did ever afford you the opportunity
of sleeping with me again,
it would have been forone reason and one reason only--
to stick it to Amara.
- You're sick.
I feel sorry for you.
Put in a Hallmark card.
Or better yet, go home to your insipid little wife.
- All these people came to give honor to my daddy.
- That church was packed.
Standing room only.
What a nice Homegoing for Uncle Senior.
I'll start on the thank-you notes tomorrow.
You know, cuz, there's somethingl've been meaning
to talk to you about.
- What's on your mind?
- I was waiting until after the funeral to tell you, but...
Uncle Senior and Aunt Thelma borrowed money from my daddy
to open this restaurant.
- This is the first I've everheard about something like that.
- Daddy loaned Uncle Senior $50,000 that was never repaid.
- Girl, $50,000--child,
you done got hold of some real good weed, okay?
- Get ahold of this.
Notary sealed and certified.
- You know, fiddy grand wasn't no small chunk of change
for black folks back in the '70s.
But Daddy was a good saver, though,
and he cashed in some of his GM stock
from when he worked in Detroit.
I'd like to settle this within the family...
if we can.
- What exactly you expect me to do about this?
- I just want you to pay me what I'm owed...
cousin.
- Oooh.
- You went through a wholelotta trouble coming around here
with this fake-ass bullshit.
Even if Daddy did borrow that money from Uncle Jay,
how we know he ain't paid it back?
- Check Uncle Senior's bank records
if you don't believe me. - How much?
- With inflation, $50,000 loan would be around
about 600 grand in 2019 money.
I will gladly settle for $500,000
since y'all family.
- You got some damn nerve.
- $5,000?
Five--
Y'all think I'm bullshitting.
- Now that you mention it, you have always been full of shit.
- You messing with the wrong Lancaster.
- Here I was thinking that my favorite cousin
was sticking around here
to lighten my load after the death of my father.
You came here looking to scavenge off my Daddy's bones,
like the vulture you are.
Go on upstairs, pack you funky bags
and get the hell out of Thelma's Place.
- You think kicking me out is gonna make this go away?
- You heard her.
Go.
- Fine.
- Now.
- Fine.
Fine.
- But you Negros ain't seen the last of me.
I can promise you that.
- So let's get that Second Motion
for Summary Judgement filed today. Thanks.
Okay. Yes, sir.
- You look exhausted.
- I've been fielding calls around the clock.
Every news outlet wants to snag an interview with Dad.
- And give Hunter a soapbox?
Yeah, I don't think so.
- Tell me something I don't know.
- I have to admit, this is a welcome change.
You usually defend your father at all costs.
- Don't misconstrue disappointment for disloyalty.
I'll always have my dad's back.
I mean, even when he does make a colossal mess of things.
What I don't get is why you're still here.
My father admitted to targeting distressed
black communities in that email.
Doesn't that piss you off?
I think about quitting at least five times a day.
- Then why don't you?
- Because despite everything-- your father included--
I know this company does a lot of good
and has the potential to do even more.
Just look at the orphan drugs we produce
for rare genetic diseases,
many of which affectblack people disproportionately.
- Amara?
How'd you guess?
- Make sure to cherish her, Titus.
I had someone special... until I royally effed it up.
- Stephanie, I want to thank you and Evan
for having us over for dinner tonight.
Given the recent tragedy, I thought it most important
that we come together and break bread as a family.
- You're quite welcome, Mother.
- Did Carly make it safely to London?
- She left right after the funeral.
I found her the most charming flat in Notting Hill.
- Well, we'll have to visit often.
We always enjoy London.
- Yeah, well, I'm just glad that there's an ocean between
my granddaughter and that filthy, Purifoy tart
who was taking advantage of her.
- Senior's funeral was lovely, Evan.
- Until those typical ghetto shenanigans started.
Who was the woman in that ridiculous hat
who threw herself onto the casket?
Evan... you promised.
That was Senior's fiancée, Luelene Patterson.
She's a very sweet lady, Daddy.
- Aren't you glad I rescued you from all that
riff-raff in The Banks?
- I'd just as soon not talkabout my father with you people.
In fact, I've lost my appetite altogether.
- Don't be ridiculous.
My family has never wished any ill will toward yours.
- Your law firm's top client certainly did.
Senior was gunned down in one
of the worst neighborhoods in Atlanta.
Greg Peters didn't kill the man.
Poverty and crime did.
And while we're on the subject of Peters,
there's a little matter of an airport concession
that needs to be dealt with.
- You must be insane if you think I'm still handing over
that airport concession to that piece of shit.
- A deal is a deal, Evan.
And as I understand it, my daughter helped you lure
BetaNu to Atlanta in exchange for that space.
- Your daughter neglected to mention she put BetaNu
in jeopardy with her Imelda Marcos antics.
I had to take things into my own hands.
- My antics put us in jeopardy?
- You all know how I absolutely despise
discussing business over dinner.
- Yes, Irene Perkins Carlisle,
just brimming over with social graces and thuggery
all in the same couture suit.
- Don't you dare speak to my mother that way.
- I want that concession, Evan.
Never gonna happen, old man.
- And if you mention Greg Peters at my table
one more time, I'm gonna forget
you're the only grandfather my children have left.
Good evening, Miss Lancaster.
They're in the dining room.
- There you are, Rondell!
I see you've changed your mind about joining us
for a family dinner this evening.
- An Addams Family dinner is more like it.
Can I talk to you?
- You just saved me from throttling my father-in-law.
- Well, at least that'd be one less Carlisle to deal with.
- You got the notification about the reading of the will?
- Well, I skimmed it.
Eleven AM in the Carlisle Perkins conference room.
I'll be there.
- Bro, I ain't talkin' about the time and place.
You didn't see that we're gonna have two additional guests?
- Who?
- Darcia and her lawyer have been invited.
Shit.
- Hello, Mayor. - Sydney.
I see Becker, Fielding, Wyman and Associates has resorted
to trolling back-alley gambling halls for clients.
- My client has been on the receiving end of sophomoric
insults like this since she first approached her cousins
about the loan her father so generously awarded
the late Evan Lancaster, Senior.
I won't tolerate any more harassment.
- I said what I said.
- Marty, let's just get this over with.
Don't bother with formalities. - Very well.
"To my children, Evan and Rondell,
"it was always my intention to repay the loan my brother, Jay,
"gave me to open Thelma's Place.
"But what I haven't been able to do in life,
"I hope to make right in death.
"To my brother's daughter and heir, Darcia Lancaster,
"I thus bequeath a stake in Thelma's Place equivalent
"to the $50,000 with compounded interest
"from the original date of my brother's loan.
"The remaining shares in Thelma's Place will be
"divided equally among my own children--
Evan Lancaster, Junior and Rondell Pauline Lancaster."
- This is complete-- - There is no way in hell
our father's last request was to turn over Thelma's Place
to this con artist.
- I took the liberty of having Thelma's Place appraised.
- I just bet you did.
- And by my calculation, my client, Darcia Lancaster,
is now the rightful owner of two-thirds of the business.
- Yes!
- And the land it sits on.
- Ooh.
I always did want to be an entrepreneur.
I cannot believe this madness.
- Mom, it's pretty bad now.
Titus isn't coming home.
He's just so...
angry and possessive all the time.
No, Mom, it's not Titus' fault Ihave feelings for someone else,
and I can't get over them.
I have to run to a meeting.
I'll call you back.
I love you, too.
Bye.
- Stephanie, what brings you back?
- I was at a meet-and-greet right down the road.
A First Lady's work is never done.
Since I was close by,
I figured I would pop in
to discuss a suggested amendmentto your contract with Corazon.
- Thanks.
- Take your time.
Look it over.
Jot down any questions, and I will put it
into layman's terms later in the week.
Do you think I could trouble you for something to drink?
- Sorry. I should have offered.
I have water, tea, wine.
- Oooh, I would love an herbal tea.
- Be right back.
- Would you like some cookies or cake to go with it?
- No, dear, I don't do carbs.
Besides, I'm suddenly feeling quite satisfied.
We saw rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday,
and more is expected tomorrow starting--
--that will stick around over north Georgia
for the next couple of days--
--means higherchanges of rain for those areas.
And the storms will be slow movers,
dumping heavy rain and embedded frequent lightning.
The good news is, temperatures will cool off a bit
as a result of this--
- It's over, Damian.
FBI, don't move!
It's not what you think.
She wants me here!
Amara, tell them!
- What I want is to see you locked up
for the rest of your life!
- Mwah!
Let him go! Let him go!
- You were right, honey.
He came right for me in the shower.
- Watching him, I thought I was gonna lose it.
- Honey, look at me.
It's over.
- I'm screwed.
Evan's guys are onto me.
They know Eddie wasn't working alone,
and they're gonna figure it out.
I'm going to get caught and go to jail.
Or worse, they're gonna kill me like they killed Eddie.
- Is it my fault you can't follow instructions?
On the next "Ambitions..."
- I need to know if the man who shaves with that razor
sired the little bastard who wears that cap.
They didn't have to kill him.
I'm gonna make her and Evan pay.
- My God, woman, are your brain cells even functional?
- You're gonna be a very old man by the time
you get out of federal prison.
- Recognize your nurse? She's Greg Peters' cousin.
- Why would you be scared ofa harmless real estate developer
like Greg Peters?
- You don't have any idea what kind of fire
I can rain down on your life.