LUCINDA GATES PACED in the hallway, and she was greeted by a passing White House staff. Samantha Cory was stalking her from behind. Gates opened her office door and almost stepped in when a voice called her. Samantha saw Agent Agatha Wolfe intercepting her at the door.

Samantha was obscured behind a large potted bushy palm, seeing Wolfe handing a file...

“Ms Gates, Madam President has instructed me to pass this to you personally — and also, there are some LA securities details that I want to run with you.”

“Come, step inside, Agent Wolfe.” Gates replied nonchalantly while perusing into the pages of the received file. The agent was now looking towards her left at a potted palm leaf — Wolfe called out...

“You can come on out from there…”

There was no response when Wolfe summoned at first — that it even startled Gates. Wolfe then spoke up again, in a lower tone...

“Ms Cory, please, you don't have to hide.”

Samantha blushed in embarrassment, and she came out from behind the preserved foliage. Gates immediately responded in amenity, “Sam, what is it, dear?” Samantha Cory hesitated to speak but, smiled sheepishly and she came over.

“Ms Gates, if you are not busy, can I have a word with you?”

Agent Wolfe stepped a few paces away, and half turned her back.

Samantha was still uncomfortable with the agent’s presence — Gillian used to say lots of pessimistic things about how this Secret Service, who used to stalk him at times — but Wolfe had not hassled her so far since her stay in the White House. So Samantha spoke out anyway...

“So you will be leaving to LA this afternoon?”

“Yes, I am looking into the final details, for the gala dinner tomorrow night. Is there anything, Sam?”

“I will be there too with Madeline. Ms Gates — as I too will attend the gala dinner, but my heart would not be there while Gillian is performing in the charity benefit concert, which will happen at the same time.”

She stopped, fearing that Wolfe might know her intentions and conveyed it to her boss, the President — who had a low opinion on her son.

Gates was nodding back with interest, “Yes, my dear, I was delighted when I heard that he got a spot to play with his band.”

Samantha's voice shook, it was the few opportunities she had with the ever-busy, White House workaholic Chief of Staff Lucinda Gates — and Samantha was not reticent now on speaking on behalf of her primogeniture...

“But I want to be there for his show performance, Ms Gates — so could you arrange that I can be at the concert backstage when Gillian is playing? I want to be over there to give him moral support. Please, Ms. Gates, it will mean the world to us both.”

The older woman smiled and amenably touched her arm, “Okay no worries, Samantha, I will make those arrangements — once I get there in LA.”

Samantha went forward, delighted and surprisingly hugged her.

“Thank you so very much. I am so very excited that he will be on stage.” She scuttled away voicing cheerfully...

“Thank you again, Ms Gates!”

Gates caught Wolfe turning towards her, with an inkling smile.

“What’s with the smirk? Let her have it her way for once, she just wants to see her son perform.”

“Ms Gates, you mean ‘the freak-actor’ — who is playing the role of her son.” Wolfe chucked now.

“Don’t you think I don’t know that? I was in that disingenuous scheme since day one. But poor Samantha has gone through enough of hell — and I just want to keep the girl sane as long as possible,” retorted Gates before she entered the office.

Wolfe was still amused...

She knew of lots of things that had been going on — she even had Gates herself followed, by one of her secret service staff — Gates had been visiting members who were associated with the former Rosewood’s administration. But Lucinda Gates was now the Chief of Staff and is the President Cory’s oldest friend — it would be out of line for Wolfe to brazen out her suspicion on the influential woman...

But if the situation was perilous and critical, she would then confront Lucinda Gates, and put her in the hot seat — about her personal clandestine agendas outside the White House.

Agatha Wolfe entered her office and closed the door.