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Texas Simmington stood triumphantly in the ballroom of Siloli mansion and surveyed the shocked faces around her. She always did like to make a grand entrance and today was no exception.

Burke was the first to speak and he didn’t hold back his disdain towards his former wife.Texas removed her sunglasses and faced her ex-husband for the first time in years. She didn’t rise to Burke’s anger and instead spoke with a devilish smile. The room was silent as everyone waited on what would happen next. Burke glared at Texas not quite believing she had shown up. He wanted her gone from the house as quickly as possible. At this point Andre Wayward, Burke’s lawyer and long time friend, stepped in. Andre had previous experience in dealing with Texas and knew her to be a formidable opponent. Andre stepped back not wanting to feel the full wrath of Texas’ vengeance. She turned back to the newlyweds and smirked as she gave Brystle a critical once over. Burke could see where she was heading and ordered her out of the house before she would insult his bride. Texas looked Brystle up and down. She was everything Texas wasn’t- blonde, innocent, sweet … and younger.Brystle smiled back. She knew little of Texas and having the good Sim trait she wanted to diffuse the situation and instead introduced herself.Brystle was taken aback by the insult, what had she done to warrant such abuse?!
Burke’s anger was reaching astronomical levels. This was typical Texas, always throwing barbed insults. Well he wouldn’t stand for it. Texas casually walked over towards her son Heathen who stood in shock at seeing his mother for the first time since he was a boy. Texas softened her smile when she saw her son for she really did love him.The shock of seeing his mother was too much for Heathen. Texas pulled her son close and held him in a tight embrace. But Heathen pulled back and put his hand towards his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. At which point he ran from the ballroom. Texas was about to go after him but to her horror Brystle was already going after her son. She would deal with her later. But for now Texas herself was getting angry for seeing how upset her son was and in her mind there was only one person to blame. Texas turned and marched back across towards Burke and gave a glance over to her daughter Fathom who stood across the ballroom glaring daggers back at her. She would deal with her later also. For now she would give Burke a piece of her mind. Having said what she wanted too Texas straightened herself up and smirked again. And with that she marched out of the ballroom and headed for the hallway. Burke pulled Andre aside and directed his anger towards him. Fathom had not said a word during the unfolding drama. She had watched as her mother returned, ruined her father’s wedding and upset her brother and then totally ignored her. Well she was not having it!Fathom quickly ran out of the ballroom and made her way to the hallway where she hoped to catch her mother.Texas sighed. She had a difficult relationship with Fathom when she was a child and it was obvious her daughter still carried a lot of anger towards her. Texas decided on a different tact. Fathom gazed at her mother. She felt nothing but anger towards her. Texas realised that this was pointless, it would take time for Fathom to come around an now was not the time. Instead she smiled and stroked her daughter’s chin then withdrew her hand when she saw the look of disgust in her daughter’s eyes. With that Texas put her sunglasses back on and left the mansion.

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Whilst the drama had been unfolding at Siloli mansion, across town in the suburbs a lonely Malaudia Drysdale waited for her husband Mayhew to come home. He had gone for his usual evening jog but had not come home after a couple of hours.
The evening had not been what Malaudia had hoped for on her first night home from the simitarium. At least there she had had company. Here in this house she could not relax in she felt more alone than ever. Her daughter Mimsy had gone to bed after asking her grandmother for a night time story. Mother Drysdale herself had turned in for the night leaving Malaudia at a loose end as to what to do other than go to bed herself.
She had been asleep when Mayhew returned. Her husband quietly went into the master bathroom and had a shower before tip toeing back into the room. Malaudia was awake by then and wanted some comfort from her husband. Mayhew however lacked interest. Mayhew had thought this may happen but didn’t expect it on the first night. Not when his head was still filled with thoughts of Brystle…Malaudia sat on the bed feeling totally rejected. Her first day home had become a disaster. Mayhew sat beside his wife. He hated lying to her but he didn’t want to see her hurt again, not after all she had been through.Mayhew got up and took off his towel as he got changed into some sleepwear. Malaudia’s heart raced as she looked at his naked body. How she longed for him to hold her and to touch her and caress her and how she would sit on his face and wiggle but it was not meant to be. Within seconds Mayhew was snoring and Malaudia sat alone with only her thoughts. Outside their bedroom a figure stood silently at the door listening to everything that had been said…Mother Drysdale laughed inwardly to herself as she quietly made her way back to her room.

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Long after the wedding had come to an abrupt end, thanks to the reappearance of Texas Simmington, Burke and Brystle had retired to their boudoir for the night. Fathom had fled the mansion in a rage after her encounter with her mother had got her worked up. Heathen meanwhile had spent the evening feeling tearful at the sudden appearance of his mother which had triggered a lot of emotions in him. However Fred was nowhere to be found when Heathen needed words of comfort. It was only late in the night when Heathen finally tracked him down in the gymnasium. By this stage Heathen’s tears had turned to anger and he directed his fury at his boyfriend. It was true that Fred was always receiving calls from his sister and then having to make some sort of mercy dash. It had been happening the whole time of their relationship and it was niggling away at Heathen. Fred had never even introduced any of his family to Heathen but as Heathen had only introduced Fred to his own family then perhaps the meeting with the Rimmards was on the horizon. However the look Fred gave and the tone of his voice made Heathen realise he’d gone too far. Fred seemed to soften again and his response soon got Heathen in a flirty mood.The two lovers moved together in a passionate embrace and smooch.Fred’s kisses always had a way of getting Heathen to forget his worries and woes. He soon felt a sudden wave of emotion stirring inside of him and he just had to let it out.Heathen could have sworn he felt a slight tense in Fred’s body. However his lover quickly replied. 

And with that their clothes were cast aside and they were soon making wild passionate woohoo right there on the floor of the gym in Siloli mansion.

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Upstairs Burke and Brystle sat beside a burning fire in their boudoir. Brystle cuddled up to her husband. Their evening had been spent discussing the reappearance of Texas. Mainly this had consisted of Burke ranting about how evil his ex-wife was but yet giving very little away about her or what had happened between them. Brystle did not want to push it as the subject of Texas stirred a lot of anger in Burke. She may have only been married for several hours but Brystle was already getting the feeling there was going to be 3 of them in this marriage.
Burke felt his wife stiffen as she snuggled and at once he realised that his ranting about Texas was making her uncomfortable. He smiled at Brystle and stroked her cheek then whispered in her ear. Burke gazed upon his wife. He did love her so. And that love far outweighed his hatred towards Texas. Texas was but a momentary nuisance. He would soon be rid of her again. Once they left on their honeymoon in the morning she would be but a distant memory. And when they returned Texas would be long gone. A fat pay cheque would see to that. It had worked once before. The newlyweds locked lips in a passionate embrace. And at that moment both of them believed that nothing would ever come between them.Brystle took Burke’s hand in hers and led him to their bed. They removed their night clothes and slipped under the sheets….

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It was late at night and Seth Dolby had been home alone for several hours. After the arrival of Texas and the drama it caused he thought it would be best if he came home. His date for the wedding, Ditsy Von Klinkerhoffen, had already left before him and whilst he could not be sure he thought that perhaps she had had a run in with Fathom.
Fathom was the girl of his dreams, his one true love. He had gone to the wedding with the belief that she wanted to get back together. Instead she had made it quiet clear she was not interested despite the flirting that had gone on between them. Seth was unsure what to do – either to continue to pursue Fathom or to let her go once and for all.
Once at home he had made himself a cocktail and was relaxing in his hot tub which was positioned on the large balcony and had spectacular views over San Myshuno. His train of thought was interrupted when the security of the building buzzed him to let him know that there was a young woman on her way up to see him. It was Fathom!
Seth leapt out of the hot tub, grabbed a towel and ran to the front door of his apartment. He flung open the door just as Fathom stepped out of the lift.Seth couldn’t believe his ears! Fathom was here and she wanted him!!Fathom clearly had one thing in her mind and Seth wasn’t going to say no. The 2 ex lovers moved closer together and locked their lips in a passionate smooch. For Seth it was a dream come true to be kissing his one true love once again. For Fathom it stirred some delicious memories of their former time together. After a lingering smooch Seth embraced the woman he loved.Seth thought it a strange request at this time but happily posed for the selfie. Fathom seemed delighted as she took the picture on her phone. She quickly posted the picture to her Simstagram account where she had close to a million followers. She also hash tagged it with Ditsy Von Klinkerhoffen’s name….

After taking the selfie Seth wanted to know what was next….Fathom took Seth by the hand and led him out onto his balcony. The steam was still rising from the hot tub but things were about to get even steamier as Fathom removed all her clothes and climbed into the hot tub. Seth dropped his towel and joined her.Fathom scooted across and was on Seth’s lap in a blink of an eye. And there commenced the wildest hot tub woohoo ever seen this side of Showgirls…

 

For fear of drowning Seth and Fathom made their way to Seth’s bedroom and the woohoo making went on into the night. Eventually, exhausted, both had fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
Fathom was the first to wake and the cold light of day was harsh. What had she done?!! Seth was sleeping soundly so she discreetly crept out of bed and began to get dressed.Once dressed she looked at the sleeping Seth and instantly regretted her decision to sleep with him.Seth would read more into their night of passion than was intended. He would assume they were getting back together and Fathom had no intention of ever doing this despite what her father and Cyril Dolby wanted. She quickly slipped on her shoes and with a few final touches she was ready to leave before Seth woke up. A short while later Seth woke from his sleep to find Fathom wasn’t in bed beside him. He grabbed the towel that was lying on the floor and walked downstairs of his penthouse. There was no sign of Fathom and he realised that he was alone. Fathom had run out on him….again.

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Burke and Brystle were seated in the breakfast room of Siloli discussing their honeymoon which they were leaving on later that day when they were joined by Heathen. Heathen had a more worrying concern on his mind – his mother’s return. Fathom entered the room and joined them at the table. She was still in the same clothes she had worn to the wedding and it was apparent she had just returned home from a night spent elsewhere. Brystle noted how it went unacknowledged by everyone but the smirk on Fathom’s face showed that she didn’t care what people thought of her. Burke tried to calm everyone’ fears about Texas.Brystle decided to interject. Whatever had gone on between Burke and Texas shouldn’t influence how Fathom and Heathen interacted with their mother.Burke slammed his fist down on the table in anger at Fathom’s outburst to Brystle. This was not how he planned celebrating his first day as a (re) married man. Burke, satisfied that his anger had stopped the bickering from escalating, turned to his wife and smiled.As Burke and Brystle hugged goodbye for the morning Fathom glared in hatred at her new stepmother. How she hated her so….

 

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Across town a furious Seth arrived at his uncle’s mansion. He had been set up by Cyril and Seth had a good idea why.

Seth wasn’t falling for his uncle’s lies and slammed his fist onto the desk. Cyril leapt up from his seat to confront his furious nephew.

Cyril had had enough of his nephew’s insubordination. He wasted no time in setting him straight.

Seth turned and made his exit leaving Cyril to ponder on the revelation that Texas Simmington, his one time lover, had returned.

Seth slammed the door as he left. Cyril didn’t like to see his nephew upset. But he had his agenda to follow and achieve it he would. Somehow he would bring down Burke Simmington and take over WindenburgSimmington. But he knew that Texas would have returned to take her own revenge on Burke. It was now just a matter of time who would get there first…

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Burke was finalising some work before he would leave on his honeymoon. Whilst at his desk his secretary Marsha buzzed him.

This was a pleasant surprise thought Burke. He stood up to greet his wife. The woman who walked through his office door was not the same Mrs Simmington he was expecting.

Texas looked around at the office. Burke sighed and Texas knew she was having the desired effect on him.

Texas and Burke eyed one another before she made for the door.

And with that she was gone again. But Burke knew that he was far from seeing the last of her. In fact he had the distinct feeling  she was about to make his life a complete misery. But what would her next move be…?

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The wedding was less than an hour away. As the few selected guests gathered in the drawing room for drinks Fathom made her way into the ballroom of Siloli mansion. This was where the ceremony would be taking place and Fathom was casting her critical eye over it all.

The phonecall the previous evening which she had overheard between Brystle and Mayhew Drysdale was still playing on her mind. Should she tell her father what she had heard? Would he be devastated to learn his bride had feelings for another man, an employee of his? Or should she sit on this information and use it at another time for her own advantage?

As Fathom pondered on this dilemma, her father Burke walked into the ballroom. He smiled when he saw his daughter, the apple of his eye.

Burke had been looking for his daughter and was glad to have found her as he had things he needed to say before the ceremony began. He loved his daughter dearly but he knew that she was very headstrong, a trait common in both Burke and Fathom’s mother. But he knew he could be frank with her and always took that approach in dealing with her.

For the second time in the past couple of days Fathom felt she was being forced into committing into a relationship with her old teenage sweetheart Seth Dolby. First Cyril Dolby, Seth’s uncle and Fathom’s one night fling, had urged her to get back together with him and now her father. With Burke and Cyril both business rivals Fathom was quick to see what was really being asked of her and she had no trouble calling her father out on it.

Burke’s terse response only angered Fathom and she quickly bit back in retaliation.

Burke threw her a look that Fathom knew she had crossed a line. He was angry and ready to explode. Fathom sighed and back tracked a little.

Daughter and father glared at one another and it appeared neither would back down. Fathom was about to tell Burke all about the phonecall but stopped herself. Perhaps it would be better to sit on the information for now. With that she was the first to backdown.

Fathom sighed but agreed to nothing else. She moved forward and hugged her father. She loved him but he was stubborn and single minded. He probably would not believe her if she told him what she had overheard Brystle saying. Fathom would bide her time.

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Elsewhere in the house, Mrs Bummerson was furiously preparing a replacement wedding cake after the last one had been half eaten. It had been her masterpiece and as she had not followed a recipe and instead used her instincts (and her level 10 Baking Skill) trying to recreate it was proving to be quite a challenge. With so little time left before the ceremony began Mrs Bummerson whisked the cake mix faster and prayed she made it in time.

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Malaudia had been at home for a few hours now. She had spent the time unpacking her belongings and trying to get a feel for the unfamiliar house. It had been purchased while she had been in the simitarium recovering so today was the first she had laid eyes on it. All her furniture and décor from the previous house seemed to be gone. Every item seemed to be new here. Mayhew must’ve had a huge pay rise with his recent promotion at  WindenburgSimmington to afford all of this. Not only that but there was no way he had chosen this furniture or decorated as that was not his forte. No this was Mother Drysdale’s influence. It had been her choice of every item and stick of furniture. Almost as if she was planning on making this her house…

Malaudia put aside those troublesome thoughts. Dr Broscanni had taught her in the hospital on how to manage such intrusions in her thought process. For overthinking things was Malaudia’s trouble. To further help her Malaudia sought out something else to do in the house and went into her daughter Mimsy’s room.

Mimsy was at her computer and barely looked up at her mother as she entered her room.

Mimsy continued staring at the screen and tapped away on her keyboard. Malaudia took a seat on the bed and tried to keep the conversation going.

But Mimsy made no effort to respond prompting Malaudia to point out to her daughter that this was not acceptable behaviour.

Malaudia wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Mimsy’s features seemed to contort in hatred as she leapt out of her chair and stomped her feet whilst screaming.

Shocked to the core and unsure on what to say next Malaudia left her daughter’s room. She stood outside the room and felt her self tremble with nerves.

Malaudia then went through to the kitchen where her mother-in-law Mother Drysdale sat at the kitchen island with glass of Grinot Piogio in hand. With Mayhew out for an afternoon jog Malaudia had no-one else to turn to.

The vindictive old woman loved stinging Malaudia with her barbed comments and she could see that this one had hit home. Feeling content she tapped her daughter-in-laws hand and got up from the island and went to her room.

Leaving an isolated Malaudia all alone.

In her room Mother Drysdale chuckled away to her self and even then raised her glass in a toast to her wickedness.

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The guests were gathered in the ballroom of Siloli mansion as the wedding was just moments away. Fathom stood by the entrance into the opulent room and surveyed everyone attending. She smiled across at her brother as he sat at the front with his boyfriend Fred by his side. It made her happy to see that Heathen at last felt comfortable to bring a boyfriend home and that they were taking pride of place at the front. Burke was standing by the wedding arch at the front, his smarmy lawyer Andre Wayward by his side. It appeared to Fathom that Burke was saying something very quietly to his lawyer whilst looking at Heathen and Fred. Knowing her father as she did Fathom knew that look he was directing at them, the look of quiet disapproval. Fathom rolled her eyes and continued scanning the room. Mayor Flump and his wife Salamia were in attendance as were a select few of the staff including a flustered looking Mrs Bummerson and a put upon Nannette Bobbins. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel with these Z list guests! Fathom would have organised her wedding with more pizzazz and sparkle. This had all the hallmarks of someone with no class she thought. Not that marriage was on Fathom’s agenda, she didn’t see herself as the marrying type. While she stood there quietly judging another guest arrival caught her attention as Seth Dolby strolled in. Fathom hadn’t seen her ex beau in several years and she her heart momentarily began to race.

The 2 ex lovers smiled at one another. Fathom couldn’t believe how handsome Seth looked. The intervening years they had been apart Seth obviously had been working out and taking care of himself. He looked hot! Perhaps getting back together with him might not be so bad after all Fathom thought. She took a step towards him but then quickly stopped as a pencil thin blonde joined Seth. It was Ditsy Von Klinkerhoffen, supermodel extraordinaire and frenemy to Fathom. The two had history from their college days where Ditsy was insanely jealous of Fathom. Their paths had not crossed in a few years either but Fathom decided to have some fun nevertheless. She approached Seth.

This news delighted Fathom. She glanced over at Ditsy who was glaring daggers back at her. She smirked back at her before gently putting her arm on Seth’s arm and gently turning him away from Ditsy and therefore turning her back on Ditsy too.

Before Fathom could say anything else Ditsy marched over to them both with a loud “Ahem!”. Both Fathom and Seth turned around to face her. Fathom continued in her playful manner.

Ditsy Von Klinkerhoffen was quick to brush off Fathom’s obvious antagonistic put down.

Seth was marched off by Ditsy to take their seats. Fathom was determined to have the last word and called after him.

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With a clap of thunder and the sound of rain beating against the French windows the wedding began. The guests were seated and Burke stood by the wedding arch. Brystle made her entrance into the ballroom and dazzled everyone with her beauty. Burke was enthralled and gazed lovingly as Brystle stepped towards him in time to her chosen wedding song “My Sims Will Go On” by Deline Cion played eloquently on the grand piano by the hired pianist. All eyes were on Brystle as she approached the wedding arch. Everyone agreed she looked stunning, even Fathom found herself for a split second thinking this too.

 Invited guest, Mayor Ronald Flump too was taken aback by Brystle’s beauty and found himself feeling quite jealous of Burke.

At the back of the room was where invited staff members Nannette Bobbins and Gilda Bummerson stood. Nannette felt so happy for Brystle and did indeed wish her all the best without being jealous at all. Mrs Bummerson was just relieved to have got the wedding cake baked in the nick of time. But due to her time restraints she wasn’t able to change into her chosen wedding outfit and instead ended up wearing a rather mismatched outfit instead.

Brystle and Burke stood facing one another at the wedding arch. No-one else mattered to them at this moment.

Burke took Brystle’s hand in his and began to say his vows before placing a ring on her finger.

Brystle then said her vows and she too had a ring to place on Burke’s finger.

They continued their declarations of love and fidelity before holding together in a tight embrace.

With that there was one final vow of love before the marriage was sealed with a loving kiss.

Burke then swooped Brystle up in his arms to the rapturous applause of (almost) everyone. Brystle was ecstatic. At long last she had become Mrs Burke Simmington.

The guests moved forward to congratulate the happy couple. Lots of handshaking and kissing on cheeks commenced. Amongst the first was Heathen and Fred. Heathen hugged his father then turned to Brystle leaving Fred momentarily alone with Burke. This was the first opportunity Burke had had with Fred after seeing him earlier that morning in the hallway.

An underwear model!! Burke got an immediate feeling about this young man and it wasn’t good. No son of his was going to be seen cavorting around with someone who made living parading around in a pair of tighty whities. He needed to put a plan into action and quickly. Therefore he had a private word with his lawyer and confidante Andre Wayward.

The celebrations continued and Mrs Bummerson was bursting with happiness.

Mayor Flump caught sight of Ditsy Von Klinkerhoffen and was taken aback at how much she looked like his daughter Simvanka.

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As the wedding party progressed Seth sat down with Fathom. He wanted to tell her so much how much he loved her. And he couldn’t wait to hear her to say it back to him, after all that is what his uncle Cyril had told him – that Fathom wanted to get back together. As they talked Ditsy caught sight of them and immediately flew into a rage. She stomped out into the drawing room. Fathom watched her leave the ballroom. Without Ditsy here there was no point in continuing to play flirt with Seth and was determined to get away from him. Seth had other ideas.  

This was Seth all over, always rushing in. It was one of the things that put Fathom off in the first place.

Fathom felt like she had kicked a puppy when she looked at how sad she had made him. It was obvious Seth did still love her as Cyril had said. What Fathom didn’t know was that he had also told Seth the same thing about her!

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As the wedding party continued Fred’s mobile phone rang. He took the call from the withheld number for he knew exactly who it was calling him. This wasn’t really the time to take the call but he knew he would not be able to ignore it. He answered and listened as the caller spoke. He responded with one word answers. Brystle happened to be walking past and noticed him on the phone.

Heathen was caught in a conversation with both Andre Wayward and Mayor Flump when he too looked up and saw Fred on his phone. He looked back after a few moments and saw that Fred was still on the call.

Fred then hung up his phone and put it back into his pocket. Heathen thought that he looked rather uncomfortable. Fred looked around and realised he’s been spotted. He walked towards Heathen.

Fred continued past Heathen and left the room leaving Heathen feeling both hurt and perplexed.

Perhaps it had been a call from Fred’s sister, he was always getting dramatic phonecalls from her. Heathen put it down to that and thought nothing more of it…

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As the evening progressed Burke had a special announcement to make to all the guests. Tonight singing exclusively in the mansion was a global superstar, none other than living legend and country singing sensation Polly Darton. The guests hollered with excitement and cheers and Brystle couldn’t believe it as her favourite singer sauntered into the ballroom and took the microphone.

Everyone gazed in awe as the singing sensation began to warble her way through a medley of her back catalogue.

Brystle held Burke’s hand as Polly sang her favourite song. If only there was an option to slow dance then then this would be the time….

Heathen was on tenterhooks as he waited for his favourite Polly Darton hit and when she burst into song  he jumped for joy.

The party was now in full swing. Brystle couldn’t even begin to wonder how many Motherlode’s Burke had to spend to get Polly to perform on their wedding day but it would have been lots. Polly was loving the adoration and whipped her audience into a frenzy.

As the music continued Burke decided to show off his dancing skills and challenged Andre to a dance off.

 

 

As the dance off continued, Fathom made her way into the drawing room to pick up a drink. Ditsy had been waiting for an opportunity to confront Fathom and decided now was the time. She strutted into the room after her.

A battered and bruised Ditsy left the mansion. Fathom straightened her hair, redid her lipstick and re-joined the party. Boy that fight felt good!

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A short time later major-domo Joseph Flanders was approached by one of the junior help at the mansion. There was an unexpected arrival at the mansion and this person was unknown to the staff member. Joseph felt he was the man to deal with this as no-one should have got past the security gates without an invite. He went into the hall to confront this uninvited guest.

The immaculately dressed woman in the wide brimmed hat turned and faced Joseph and at all at once he realised that the Simmington’s lives were about to change for the worst.

The woman merely smiled at Joseph to say that she simply did not care what he thought. Instead she walked brazenly into the house and made her way down the corridor leading to the ballroom wedding reception.

Joseph knew it was pointless to tell this woman anything. All he knew was that he had failed in his duties to protect his boss.

In the ballroom Brystle and Burke were continuing to enjoy their day blissfully unaware of the approaching storm.

And at that moment the mystery woman made her dramatic entrance.

 

The music stopped, All heads turned towards her.

With the exception of Brystle it dawned on everyone else just who had arrived. Burke was livid and he turned to Andre.

Heathen gasped in shock.

The mystery woman scanned the room smiling triumphantly that her entrance had caused a disruption.

Brystle was at a loss as to who this woman was but it was Fathom who said it.

Texas Simmington had arrived……

Who telephoned Fred? Will Malaudia ever settle back into family life or has Mother Drysdale totally poisoned young Mimsy against her? Will Seth forever be in love with Fathom? And why has Burke’s ex wife Texas returned and what havoc will she cause? Stay tuned for the next episode of Simasty!

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It was finally the morning of the wedding and the Siloli mansion was abuzz with the sound of preparations under way. Whilst Brystle had insisted on a low key wedding, Burke still wanted to ensure that every detail was meticulously carried out. And so as Brystle went down the grand staircase in her silk robe and mule slippers that morning she was a little overwhelmed with all the comings and goings of the servants. Of all the staff at Siloli Brystle felt she had made a connection with Nannette Bobbins, the head of housekeeping.

Nannette, unlike the other staff at Siloli, was not hired by the first Mrs Simmington and as such had no allegiance to her or the rules she had put in place. She felt that the other staff, particularly Joseph and Mrs Bummerson, were unjustly making things hard for Brystle. Nannette had made her decision to be supportive of the future Mrs Simmington from day one and on this happiest of days she went out of her way to brighten Brystle’s morning.

After chatting with Nannette, Brystle returned to her bedroom and got a beautiful surprise as she opened the doors. The room had been totally filled with flowers in the short time she had been gone.

As Brystle took it all in, she was unaware that Burke had crept in the room behind her. He made his presence known by gently kissing her neck. Brystle turned around and gazed at the man she loved.

Burke took Brystle in his arms and pulled her close for a lingering smooch.

Brystle felt more confident than ever in her decision to marry Burke. Last night her telephone conversation with Mayhew was a fading memory. She had made her choice and that choice was to be with Burke. They moved in for one last kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend.

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Mayhew had arrived at the hospital to collect his wife Malaudia. She was being released after a prolonged stay in the simitarium. Whilst Mayhew was relieved that his wife was well enough to be leaving the hospital, it was also with a heavy heart for deep down he knew he was no longer in love with his wife. He cared for her deeply and she was the mother of his daughter. But for Mayhew the passion was gone in their marriage for he was in love with Brystle.

Mayhew was shown by a friendly nurse to the office of Dr Mick Broscanni, the psymchiatrist who had been treating Malaudia the past year. The two men firmly shook hands as they greeted one another.

Mayhew nodded in acceptance. He could not turn his back on Malaudia at this time.

A few moments later Mick showed Mayhew out into the courtyard at the rear of the hospital. Here a lone Malaudia sat taking in the tranquil garden scenery. Mayhew walked over to join his wife.

Mayhew could see how fragile his wife still was. And as he still cared deeply for her he couldn’t let her feel that she was going to be a let down so he tried to lighten the mood.

Mayhew held his wife’s hand as he nodded and looked away from her. Malaudia meanwhile was having serious anxious doubts.

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Heathen was dressed in his wedding suit already. He had decided on a fabulous red tuxedo number and hoped his bold choice of colour would not upstage the bride. It would probably infuriate his father but that was his problem not Heathen’s. Besides Heathen was feeling on top of the world right now and he wanted to express himself through his outfits.

As he descended the grand staircase Joseph, the major-domo of the house, appeared.

Heathen told Joseph that would not be necessary. Whilst Fred was an unexpected arrival Heathen was glad that he was here. When he had left San Myshuno to return home it had not been on the best of terms with Fred. The pair were lovers and whilst it had only been for a relatively short time it had been intense. When Fred had been persistent in advising Heathen to accept the wedding invitation and to make up with his father, Heathen had got angry and left the city after a blazing row.

But now after everything had worked out with his father, for the time being at least, Heathen wanted to tell Fred that he had been right all along in urging Heathen to come home. And so he rushed to the drawing room to greet his lover. Heathen took Fred by the hand and led him to the sofa where they sat together.

The young men giggled as they got up from the sofa. Both were in a very flirty mood by this stage.  Suddenly Fred took Heathen in his arms and pulled him close for an impromptu kiss that took Heathen by total surprise.

They both came up for air, Heathen’s heart racing. And he knew right there that he was in love with Fred Rimmard. Did Fred feel the same way?

After much passionate smooching, Heathen led Fred out of the drawing room. Joseph was re-arranging some flowers in the hallway when he saw the young Simmington heir take the young man up the grand stairway, no doubt leading him to his boudoir for some raw, passionate woohoo making. There was no doubt about it. Heathen definitely took after his mother when it came to men…

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Later that morning young Mimsy Drysdale was spending time with her granny, Mother Drysdale, in the kitchen of their new home.

Mimsy loved spending time with her grandmother and vice versa. For Mother Drysdale this past year had been invaluable bonding time with her grand-daughter. It was over this period that the spiteful woman had been poisoning the impressionable young girl’s mind against her mother Malaudia. Mother Drysdale was confident that young Mimsy would totally shun her mother and hopefully that would be instrumental in sending Malaudia back to the simitarium. If not, Mother had a few tricks up her sleeve. But for now she was enjoying watching her grand-daughter wash up in the kitchen.

The vindictive old woman loved her nectar and would drink a bottle a day. So what if it was only noon now and she was already on her 3rd glass? Mimsy wouldn’t tell on her. Mother had seen to that with her emotional blackmail – if Mimsy ever told on granny then she would have to go away and Mimsy would be left all alone and she wouldn’t want that would she?

Mimsy was quite joyful today and suddenly mentioned her mother for the first time in weeks.

Any mention of Malaudia from Mimsy was shot down quite quickly. Mother would not allow any form of an attachment to commence.

It was then they heard Mayhew’s car pull up into the drive. Mimsy quickly ran into the hall.

Outside Mayhew and Malaudia approached the front door. Malaudia paused and took in the building for it was a home she did not know.

Once inside Mimsy rushed to hug her father but did not say anything to Malaudia. As her daughter hugged Mayhew, Malaudia took in her surroundings. Mother Drysdale approached them from the kitchen.

Mayhew saw that Mimsy’s indifference and comment had stung Malaudia and he tried to reassure her as Mimsy babbled on.

Malaudia nodded and continued to look around. Mayhew looked at his mother and shook his head for he didn’t know what else to say. Mother Drysdale was not one lost for words.

Mother Drysdale then turned to Malaudia and did what she did best – continuing to be a two faced witch to her daughter-in-law.

As soon as her family were out if sight in the living room the fake smile vanished from the unforgiving old woman’s face.

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The wedding was just an hour away and some guests were arriving. Per Brystle’s request, the wedding had been kept quite low key. Guests were kept to a bare minimum. No magazine photospread of the nuptials. In fact, a sizeable donation to a charity of Brystle’s choice, The Foundation for Underachieving Children, Kids Or Famished Families, was made instead.

However there were a few guests Burke had deemed a necessity to come. Such as the Flump couple, Ronald and Salamia. Ronald was the Mayor of the city and considered himself to be of vast importance. Burke normally couldn’t stand the man but Ronald, through his political connections, had been instrumental in securing the contracts in the South Shang Simla Sea Leases . This was a multi-billion deal between Burke’s company and the Shang Simla government that allowed the tankers of WindenburgSimmington to pass through the busy trading route of the ocean that was part of Shang Simla. Of course Ronald, being a corrupt businessman as well as a so called politician had pocketed quite a few Simoleons himself through the deal, a fact he liked to brag about.

Burke smiled and looked over at the silent Salamia. She was completely vacant. How could anyone compare her to his sweet Brystle?

Just then Burke caught sight of his son coming down the stairs with a young man Burke was unfamiliar with. Burke made a mental note to question Heathen later about who this young man was. Heathen meanwhile caught sight of the notorious Flumps and nudged Fred to tell them who they were. Fred, who was now dressed in a spare suit of Heathen’s snorted with laughter at what Heathen was whispering to him.

Burke turned his attention back to Ronald who was continuing to boast and brag about himself.

As Ronald continued talking himself up and Salamia clapped her hands in glee as the money rained down on the floor, Heathen couldn’t help point out to Fred through hushed giggling about the inadequate size of Ronald’s lower extremities.

As the Flumps were arriving, Fathom was wandering the house feeling bored. She had dressed for the wedding even though she had knowledge, through overhearing a telephone conversation the previous evening, that could potentially cause the cancelation of the whole thing. For now Fathom had not decided what she would do with that knowledge and instead had been drawn to the kitchen’s of Siloli mansion and the wonderful smells of Mrs Bummerson’s baking.

With one quick swoop Fathom cut herself a large piece of cake. She was about to leave when she looked at the wedding topper again. The 2 intertwined hearts and what they symbolized infuriated her knowing what she did. Fathom took the topper of the cake and shoved it entirely into her mouth before taking her cake and eating it.

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Meanwhile upstairs Brystle, with the help of Nanette, had finished getting ready for her pending nuptials to Burke. She was feeling both excited and nervous at the same time. Her wedding hour was finally upon her.

Nanette followed Brystle as she took a seat on the couch. Brystle kept crossing her legs and tapping her fingers. She was clearly nervous so Nanette tried her best to keep her mind focused.

Brystle stood up and grabbed her phone from the dressing table. She realised there was a call she had to make. Without waiting for Nanette to leave the room she dialled the number she thought she would never call again.

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Meanwhile downstairs, Joseph had discovered the half eaten wedding cake in the kitchen. With only moments to go before the wedding he had to break the bad news to Mrs Bummerson.

Joseph remained stern and Mrs Bummerson knew this was no prank. The full horror of what had happened quickly descended upon her…

Will Mrs Bummerson get to make another cake on time? Was Nanette being sincere about not being jealous at all? Why are Ronald’s feet so small? And what will Mother Drysdale do next to poor Malaudia? Tune in for the next episode where some of these questions may get answered….

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