Amanda Knight leaves her husband’s study and heads upstairs to her daughter’s room. She passes Jeffery to see him carrying a tray containing an empty plate with breadcrumbs and a can of soda. Amanda realized in all this drama, Frieda never had supper. While not acknowledging Jeffery; she silently thanked him for at least thinking of Frieda’s well-being. She opened the door to see Frieda lying on her bed, face down.
“You come to pick a fight with me as well mom?” Frieda growls.
Amanda just sits on the edge of the bed. Not saying a word at first. Letting the silence be her answer. She gets up to sit in the chair Frieda uses when on her computer.
“Your father only wants what’s best for you,” she says calmly.
“You mean what’s best for him;” Frieda snaps back. “I’m nothing more than an object for him to display, when it suits his purpose.” Frieda gets up to look at her mother. “The same goes with you!”
“You don’t mean that darling,” Amanda answers; refusing to be baited in raising her voice.
“Bull,” Frieda continues. “Don’t pretend you didn’t hear what I said. I know the whole staff heard every word I said. So don’t play deaf and dumb with me. He wants to send me away because I won't act like a snob to everyone. I made friends mother. Friends that like me for who I am. They don't care that we have money. They don't care about power or status. All that matters is having a wonderful time in each others company.” Frieda looks at her mother, with tears running down her cheeks.
Amanda just gets up. “It’s clear you are still upset. So talking to you is pointless right now. Perhaps tomorrow when you have had a chance to calm down.” Amanda continues as she heads for the door. “But there is one thing I do know.”
“And what’s that,” Frieda chokes.
“You are just as stubborn and pig headed as your father.”
“That may be;” Frieda answers. “But at least I don’t chose to lord over everyone like dad and you.”
Amanda closes the door and heads back to her husband’s study. Entering without knocking she heads to one of the chairs and sits down. Benton looks up and sees that Amanda is back rather quickly.
“Frieda is still angry?” He asks.
“If there is one thing ‘you’ taught her,” Amanda responds; “is to never back down in a fight.”
“It’s a shame she picked the wrong side,” Benton answers while reading over some notes on his computer.
“I’m not sure that is the case husband;” Amanda replies.
Benton looks away from his computer to see his wife looking serious; “excuse me?”
“She is pissed. You are threatening to send her away again. All for being a victim to an incident she had no control over.” Amanda continues, “For the first time she has made friends that care about her. Not about the Knight name or the money behind it. And you want to take that away from her.”
Amanda gets up and sits on Benton’s desk. “What Frieda said was in anger, but I do believe it was the truth. We do treat her like an object to be put on display and then quickly lock up when things are done or gone awry.”
“Then what would you have us do?” Benton clearly exasperated with his daughter and business maneuvering against the Tachibana’s.
“That we let her live her life. Let her enjoy spending time with her friends. Let her be a teenager.”
Benton nearly chokes, “Are you mad? What would the rest of our social circle think?”
“To hell with our upper crust friends, Benton. Besides, you never cared for them anyway.” Amanda looking at him. “Frieda will stumble. But it’s our jobs as parents to help her back up. It is clear we have left that to the staff and it’s going to stop now.” Amanda gets up off the desk. “And I have the perfect idea.”
“Okay,” Benton looking dubious. “What is it?”
“Tomorrow you;” Amanda looking at Benton, “will personally pick up our daughter after school. Explain to her that you over reacted and are sorry for what you said. Prior to that; we will invite both the Lawson’s and the Anderson’s over for dinner, as a way to get to know them. Personally and sociably; not from some emailed document on your computer.”
Amanda walks out of her Husband’s study; “Frieda found something that made her appreciate the two families. Perhaps you will as well.”
Benton looks stunned. “Am I to forget the whole bit where she outed herself as a bisexual who had sex in our own home? With a normal she admitted to scratching?”
Amanda turns around; “No but using that and the whole business with Julie Stovall as an excuse to ship her away is extreme. Both you and I will sit down with Frieda at breakfast and have a talk with her. You will be understanding with her. Until then let’s leave her be.”
Benton just grumbles as Amanda walks out of his office and heads back to her private sitting room. He turns back to his computer and reads his latest report regarding his impending hostile takeover of Tachibana industries. He thinks to himself 'A dinner party with wolves and foxes? How the hell am I suppose to deal with this now?'