Even Adam caught wind of Dr. Karen Amos's death, so there's no way Marla Grayson didn't know. Frankie, the ex-cop, dug deeper and uncovered that this "golden goose" was tied to a black hole of trouble. She immediately told Marla to pack up and get out of Dodge.
At first, Marla wasn't buying it.
"Maybe it's just Karen's other messes catching up to her," she thought.
But fear eventually crept in, and she agreed to skip town for a bit.
Before bolting, though, she made a stop at Golden Light Nursing Home.
"Heard about Dr. Amos—such a shame," the old lady said, smirking like she'd won the lottery. "You're next, unless you let me out right now. Maybe then you'll keep your heads above water."
"Listen up, Jennifer," Marla said, sitting down and locking eyes with her. "The word 'lose' isn't in my vocabulary, and I don't plan on adding it.
You're not going anywhere.
You're mine.
I'm gonna drain your money, your comfort, your dignity—everything. Right now, you're just a senile old hag with a diaper, rotting in a nursing home.
You'll die here.
And besides me, you won't see a soul."
The old lady's smug grin faded fast. Yesterday, she'd been "treated" to the nursing home's deluxe "package"—the most humiliating day of her life. And it was clear she'd be stuck living like that for a while.
So, she stood up, crept behind Marla, and let her ruthless side loose. Without a second thought, she wrapped her hands around Marla's neck, trying to choke the life out of her.
But Marla? She'd seen it coming.
Security rushed in, yanked the old lady off, and the whole brutal scene was caught on camera.
Marla took that footage straight to court and got the old lady locked up in a high-security psych ward. Unless Marla, her guardian, signed off, no amount of paperwork would free her—not for years.
Yup!
It was a slick move—self-preservation and a refusal to let go of her greedy little prize.
After tying up that loose end, she called Saul Goodman again, offering $5 million to settle everything.
Saul, still reeling from her wild antics, just hung up on her. 😂
With Frankie's help, Marla started packing to split.
But then someone tracked her down. One syringe of sedative later, and she was out cold.
When she came to, she was by the Hudson River under the cover of night. Car headlights lit up the scene, and a bearded dwarf stood in front of her.
"Hey there, Marla Grayson," he said.
Before she could blink, a plastic bag was yanked over her head. Her hands and feet tied, she felt the suffocating panic set in.
Then the dwarf strolled over, ripped the bag off her mouth, and let her breathe.
"I don't like you."
"You just met me," Marla shot back, starting to think he wouldn't actually kill her. Her lioness confidence roared back to life.
"Who are you?"
"A dangerous guy."
"That's what your business card says?" Marla cracked a laugh.
"You should be scared right now," the dwarf said, almost kindly.
"Why? You gonna bore me to death with another speech?" she mocked.
BAM!
He slugged her square in the face.
"That all you got?" Marla grinned, still laughing.
Next, he tried threatening her with her mom. But for Marla, the ultimate "dutiful daughter," that meant squat.
Threatening her with death? She was so sure of her leverage that she wouldn't believe it 'til she was six feet under.
Still, she didn't push the dwarf too hard. "Look, your first approach was the right one," she said smoothly. "I'm open to a bribe. Your guy just lowballed me."
"What's your number?" the dwarf asked, curious.
"Oh, I've got one," Marla said, staring him down. "Ten million bucks."
Well, damn—she doubled it right to his face! 😲
"W-W-Well, of course you'd think that," the dwarf stammered, laughing through his anger. "You're brave, Ms. Grayson. Stupid, but brave."
"In this country, that's how you make it," Marla said, launching into her passionate spiel. "I need money—tons of it. And I'm betting ten million's pocket change to you. For me? It's just the start. With that, money becomes my weapon, and I'll build something bigger than ever!"
"You've got no cards to play," the dwarf pointed out.
"I've got your mom and your diamonds," Marla smirked. "Kill me, and you'll never see those diamonds again. Plus, getting your mom out? That'll get messy—she might not survive it.
Just pay me. It's the simplest, most effective way."
At that moment, her confidence hit peak levels. She was sure she had the upper hand!
"Nice try!" the dwarf said after a pause, barking something to his men in another language before climbing into his car and peeling out.
"Make it look natural," he ordered.
Two huge guys stepped up, slapped a cloth over Marla's mouth and nose, and didn't give her a chance to talk.
Once she was out, they shoved a tube up her nose, pouring booze into her system. Then they drove to a steep drop, plopped her in the driver's seat with a bottle in hand, and set her up to "accidentally" floor it into the river.
But Marla? She's a tough one. As the car plunged into the water, she snapped awake. In record time, she kicked out the back window and swam up from the depths.
On the shore, soaking wet, she spat out river water, yanked out a tooth the dwarf's punch had loosened, and clutched it in her hand. Arms wide, she let out a furious lioness roar into the night sky.
"RAAHHH!!!"
This wasn't over—she'd make them pay, or she wasn't human!
It was a quiet night in the deserted suburbs.
Not far off, the two goons who'd been about to call it a night heard her gut-wrenching scream. They exchanged a look and bolted toward her.
After venting, Marla took a deep breath, ready to move. She didn't care about her mom, but Frankie? That was different.
She'd been nabbed—Frankie's fate was anyone's guess.
Plus, surviving that mess? That's a sign of big things to come.
She'd secretly memorized the dwarf's license plate.
He thought she was dead.
The tables had turned.
Now she'd play him. 😏
Just as her fighting spirit reignited and she wiped her face to leave, two shadows lunged at her.
"NO!!!"
Another lioness roar—but this time, it was pure despair.
She stumbled away, but there was no outrunning two brutes. They caught her in seconds.
"Don't kill me! Pretend I don't exist—let me go! I'll give you money, tons of it!"
This time, Marla was scared. The dwarf wasn't messing around. If not for a miracle, she'd already be a corpse. No way she had the guts to keep taunting them now!
The goons glanced at each other, silent. Then they grabbed her and marched her back to the river.
Sure, they wanted cash.
But they didn't have Marla's "money-over-life" nerve. What's the point of cash if you're dead?
A job's a job—gotta finish it.
"NO!!!"
Marla thrashed like a wild animal, but against their brute strength, it was pointless.
Soon, her head was shoved underwater. In a long, endless wave of terror, her wicked life came to an end.
Back at their apartment, Frankie—knocked out cold—lay next to the gas stove. Every burner was wide open, leaking gas into the air.
Boom.
It all went up in flames.
(End of Chapter)