[A few months later...]
You aren't really planning on running away?
Yes. That's exactly what I'm doing. Disappearing.
Well, do I have a choice?!
Yes. How about staying here and fighting, proving your innocence?
Fighting the Lahnsteins...
Once you guys have declared somebody guilty, fighting doesn't do any good anymore. You should know that better than anyone!
Bernd, if you flee now, that's effectively an admission of guilt
Yes?
Hello, you two
Lars! Thanks for making it here so quickly.
No problem
Dad, how did it go?!
Well, at least I wasn't arrested, as you can see
He wants to go into hiding. You absolutely must bring him to his senses!
We'll talk later, okay? I have to get to an appointment at the Holding.
And you, Bernd, don't do anything rash, all right?
What did she mean by that?
Oh, nothing
Based on what you told me on the telephone...
... the allegations against you are flimsy, and the evidence more than questionable
If so... they wouldn't even be bringing charges against my dad
No judge in the world is going to convict on the basis of simple allegations, or a personal organizer that's been tampered with
We'll get you out of this, don't panic
You heard him, everything's going to be okay
The police first have to make a record of Bernd's statements. Things like that can take a while.
But what if they DO want to nail the murder on Dad?
They can't without evidence. Plus which, he voluntarily turned himself in. No actual murderer would do that.
Sorry for just bursting in, but there's bad news
What does that mean?
Where is Dad?
He's being charged with murder
== Is something wrong? == No, everything's fine.
== Nathalie! == Carla!
== Oh, this is ever a surprise, hello! == Hello!
== How great to finally see you again. == Leonard!
What... YOU?
Now you're amazed, aren't you? - We just ran into each other, but Ansgar didn't recognize me.
Yeah...
Ohh, you're Ms. Käppler's niece, you're Nathalie
Yes, sadly, I'm just a servant's kid. It's no surprise I didn't look familiar to you.
Typical. Blinkered, as always, our Ansgar.
== Oh, and then you went from Argentina to Madrid? == For two short years and then, following that, to Barcelona.
Boy, you've really gotten around
Yeah, why do you think I wanted to become a translator? Besides, YOU went to Harvard, and then after that to Chicago.
I can see your aunt must have been keeping you up to speed on everything
Naturally not in every detail
But that you got married, Elke DID tell me that
Is he still a smartass?
Ansgar? You can remember that?
Let's gab about that in the kitchen, later. Like we used to, when we were secretly raiding the pantry.
Or were trying to escape Ansgar
Father, you'll never guess who came to visit
Nathalie!
Welcome to Königsbrunn!
Well, it was about time that I swing by again
== Yes, how long since we've seen each other? == Eight years.
Eight years!
You were still just a teenager then, and now... Look at you.
Yes, she's really changed, hm?
== Ms. Käppler, would you please make the preparations for my mother-in-law's departure? == Certainly.
Well, my wife Cécile will be very pleased to get to meet you
== Yes, I'm looking forward to that, as well. == A few things have changed around here lately.
Yes, but I'm certain a few things have remained the same, too
Ansgar is doing everything he can to prove himself to Father. I'm sure he's cooking up the next intrigue.
This fight over the Holding is totally depraved
For me it isn't about power. Take a seat.
I just want to prevent Ansgar from seizing everything for himself
What does Leonard have to say about it?
He's trying to live his life
Just like you
I inherited the urge for freedom from my parents. That's why they fled East Germany.
Unfortunately they had to pay for it with their lives
But thankfully I found a new home here with all of you
You could have stayed at Königsbrunn longer
I wanted to do what my parents had always dreamed of. So, I globetrotted my way around the world.
Yeah, it must be great when dreams come true
Only, unfortunately, I still freak out whenever I get on a plane
Because the balloon went down during your escape?
I woke up at night for years after that, because I... couldn't stop dreaming about it
Hitting the ground...
... my parents dead ...
I was really alone
That didn't change during your travels?
Not really. For instance, I would never give up my freedom for a man.
May I?
This is a really lovely picture
You must have known this woman well
That's Hanna
She was the love of my life
Seriously? I would have never guessed you love women.
I always did a good job of hiding it
Only Leonard knew
To find your true love and then lose her in such a tragic way must be horrible
I'm sure Hanna was a wonderful woman
Yes, you would have gotten along well together
You miss her, hm?
To be honest, I don't understand why you didn't tell your father
I was afraid of disappointing him
Because you're attracted to women?
In the meantime, I've realized that was completely unnecessary
But I lied to him all those years and betrayed his trust. He still hasn't forgiven me.
You could have at least spared yourselves the wedding
I had no other choice!
"It is expected from a von Lahnstein that she project a good image to the public"
Ansgar saw it exactly the same way
== Ansgar? == Yes, he advised me to marry Bernd.
Yeah, but I thought Ansgar couldn't stand Bernd...?
After Hanna's death... in some way he was there for me
But now he's acting like an arrogant asshole again. He claims that as a lesbian I have no chance in the business world.
And which one is the real Ansgar?
Do you think Ansgar is capable of having fed that DVD to Father?
Carla, where are you coming up with that?
I'm sorry! But I've been thinking again about what happened before the wedding.
I thought that whole thing with the DVD was the handiwork of that... Evelyn?
Yes, that's what I thought too. Our breakup was really not particularly pretty. She would have definitely had every reason to take revenge on me.
Yeah, precisely. In contrast to Ansgar, who doesn't even have a motive.
Maybe he does
Before the wedding, Father offered me the reins to the Holding
Yeah, but that interests you as little as it does me, and... Ansgar knew that
Do you think him capable of ruining my wedding so that Father would make him head of the Holding?
== Carla, I don't know! == What do you THINK?
Please, let us talk about this some other time, all right? I really have no mind for this right now.
Don't be upset with me, but Johannes and Cécile need me more right now
I miss her so terribly
Everything reminds me so much of Hanna. Here is where we spent the most wonderful nights.
She was the true love of my life!
How am I supposed to go on living without Hanna?
Are you okay?
So, what do you say?
Whoever sent THAT to your father on the day of your wedding - they must really hate you
Of course it could be Evelyn. She had already tried, once before, to out me at my father's wedding.
But to send your father a compromising DVD? Is that what the revenge of an aggrieved woman looks like?
So you believe, too, there was somebody in the background pulling the strings
As cold-bloodedly as the whole thing was planned! Think about it:
COINCIDENTALLY, shortly before your wedding, Evelyn comes to stay at the pension
And then all the technology had to be put in place, as well
That could have indeed been Ansgar
But even if that's true, you can't prove it
But I know who could provide us with the proof
Yes?
It's me, Carla. How are you?
Fine. But that's certainly not why you're calling, right?
No. Evelyn, did you out me to my father?
Since when are you having doubts?
After all, you aren't the only person who hates me
So, was it all your plan?
Evelyn, I need to know! Was it you alone, or did someone call you to Düsseldorf?
Evelyn, PLEASE, it is incredibly important for me to find out the truth!
Leave me alone with your goddamn accusations!
Hello?!
Hung up
What did she say?
Nothing
But silence sometimes speaks a thousand words
== And what are you going to do now? == Find out the truth, come.
Oh, come on!
[Please enter your password]
Password?! Ansgar's password...
'Megastar'
There we go
I miss her so terribly
Everything reminds me so much of Hanna. Here is where we spent the most wonderful nights.
How am I supposed to go on living without Hanna?
== She was the true love of my life. == "She was the true love of my life."
For my taste - a mite too melodramatic, but... quite effective
You
Yes. On your wedding day.
You outed me
Why did you do that?!
Carla, I don't know what your problem is
I thought by outing you I had lifted a great weight from your soul?
You are such a miserable lowlife scum!
And to think I haven't even thanked you yet for your assistance
Yeah, without your stirring tears, the video would have been worth only half as much
That filthy smirk is going to get wiped off your face!
Father will never forgive you this treachery, once he sees the recordings on your laptop
That may be
So, one for you, too? I think we could both really use this right now, hm?
No?
Oh, that's a real shame
Ansgar!
Well now, I think the drink would have done YOU more good
He must have been planning the whole thing for a long time
When I wanted to confess to Father about my relationship with Hanna, he talked me out of it
And HE'S the one who pushed me into marrying Bernd, although I hadn't actually decided about it yet
To force your hand!
In order to blow me out of the water on the very day of my wedding
That must have been an utter shock for your father. Ansgar has always had a GREAT sense of timing.
He was playing me for a complete sucker, from start to finish, and I didn't even notice!
Well, how could you? He's your brother! In your place I would have thought he was being loyal too.
And all just because of this struggle for the Holding
He wanted to eliminate me as a competitor, because his career is more important to him than I am
Even though I never would have challenged him for the leadership
Why is he such a sick person?!
== So what are you going to do, having no evidence? == I don't know! First I have to go let off some steam or I'm going to explode!
== Carla! == Yes?
== Have you heard any more from Dad? == No.
== But there must be some way we can help him. == Vanessa, I'm sorry, I can't right now.
Dad is sitting innocent in prison and you don't care?!
Of course I do! But it's not like I can simply conjure up some defense witnesses for him!
And my estimation of Tanja and Ansgar tells me they won't leave us any chance
They've arranged EVERYTHING such that we won't be able to find any way to prove Bernd's innocence
== And so you just want to give up? == No!
We can't leave Dad high and dry right now! He'll end up there for life.
Vanessa, I'm sorry, I can't deal with it right now!
Would you rather be alone?
Never in my life have I felt so betrayed and exploited
I absolutely must open Father's eyes. I want him to find out what Ansgar is capable of.
The question, though, is whether he'll believe you
Yeah, without evidence...
Maybe you should call Evelyn again
I already tried that. She just hung up again.
So Ansgar can deny everything. And then it's just your word against his.
And you want to tell your father, despite that, as soon as he's back?
I'm not sure this would really be a wise time
Ansgar will be prepared for it. And who knows what else he might have up his sleeve?
And in the worst case scenario, YOU'LL come out looking like the liar
== But at least now you know what you've got in Ansgar. == Yes, I do. But who knows what else he's planning.
There's no one right now who can stop Ansgar
Your day will come, Carla
I'm going to make Ansgar pay for this betrayal. He can count on that.
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