C6 Six

“Now you have a thing for art?”

Alexis didn’t have to turn back to know who it was. She smiled to herself as she turned around to see Diego by the door.

“How long have you been standing there?”

She said, trying so hard to hide the smile tugging at her lips.

“Long enough to know you have a thing for baby art,” Diego said, coming closer and pointing at one of Cody's paintings.

She chuckled.

“Well, you can say that. But did he always like painting? Some of them are actually good… even though Suzy paints better.”

“Suzy?”

“My younger sister, half the reason I'm here right now.”

“Ouch, I thought that was me,” he said sarcastically. Alexis smiled brightly.

“Now that's something you hardly see around here,” he said, looking at her. When she locked eyes with him, the smile immediately disappeared.

“Come on, let me show you something,” he said, tilting his head in the opposite direction. He took her to a room.

The room was dim, but Cody’s paintings still stood out, bold and vibrant against the shadows. Alexis moved closer to one, running her fingers just above the surface, tracing the wild swirls of red against the deep blue. The colors clashed in a way that made her uneasy, almost like the painting itself was fighting with something. Suzy had always enjoyed painting, so she had some insight.

She squinted, really looking for the first time. What she’d always thought were bright, cheerful colors now felt different and darker. The reds weren’t just vibrant, they were angry. The blues weren’t calming; they were suffocating. There was something unsettling hidden beneath all that brightness, something Cody had tried to bury in his art.

She stepped back, arms folding over her chest, and frowned. How had she missed this before?

“Does he always paint like this? It's almost like he was always angry and trying so hard to suppress what he felt.”

“Cody's paintings? Art calms him; it's a form of communication for him. It keeps all the negative there.”

Alexis took a closer look at one painting, its colors blending together in a way that pulled her back to that night—the screeching tires, the panic that had gripped her chest, and Cody’s hand reaching out for hers in the dark. Her breath hitched, coming faster now. The room began to blur as the memory took over—the van running him over, the fear in his eyes.

“Alexis?” Diego’s voice was muffled, like he was speaking from far away. He said her name again, but she couldn’t shake free from the memory, her heart pounding in her ears. It wasn’t until she felt his hands on her shoulders, gently shaking her, that she finally blinked, the present snapping back into focus.

“What… what happened?” she asked, her eyes scanning the room vigorously.

“I should be asking you that. What happened?”

“It's nothing. I’m fine,” she said before her eyes locked with his. A tear slipped down her face. Diego wiped it off, still looking at her longingly.

Their moment was cut off by someone clearing their throat.

“Katherine,” Alexis said, letting go of Diego immediately, while he smirked. Katherine heaved a sigh.

“Mum's been asking for you. You should probably go see her, Alexis,” Katherine said, looking directly at Diego. Alexis left while Diego followed.

“Diego? I know that look. She’s Cody's wife, bear that in mind.”

“But I did nothing wrong and nothing happened.”

“Say whatever you want, but I know the only reason you're pulling this with her is because it's something else that Cody has that you don't,” she said with finality and left the room. Diego smiled under his breath.

Alexis arrived at Mrs. Carrington’s study. She opened the door to see Mrs. Carrington and a man, formally dressed, well over his fifties, along with a couple of papers and documents. She entered the room.

“Hi, darling, have a seat,” Mrs. Carrington said with a smile on her face. Alexis sat down next to the man, feeling a bit nervous.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing, darling. Everything is fine, just that there are some formalities that need to be done and…”

She was cut short when the help brought Cody into the study.

“Hi, Mom,” Cody said with a beaming smile. Mrs. Carrington smiled right back at him.

“Hi, my sweet boy,” she said, genuinely happy to see him.

“Well, Mrs. Alexis Carrington, my name is Paul Kellerman, family lawyer and long-time friend of the family. Now that you’re part of the family, it's well within your right to know the full extent of your husband's worth and to take a property of your choosing, and to officially and legally give you his power of attorney since he's... um... unavailable,” Mr. Kellerman said, glancing over at Cody.

“What makes you think he would want me to have his power of attorney, or that he would want me to own any of that? Did he even formally agree to any of this?”

She paused, looking at the papers. Her stomach twisted in knots, and she took a look at Cody, who was casually sucking his thumb, looking around like he was new to the place, clearly very oblivious.

“I don’t even know what I'm saying,” she said under her breath. “He clearly doesn’t even understand a thing about what’s going on here. I thank you for your concern, but we'll get back to this when he's okay or feeling better. At the very least, until then, I would appreciate it if his property, assets, and money all stay the same.”

“Honey, it’s just a formality. It’s not serious, and besides, it’s about time you have something to your name. Why don’t you just make a pick off the list? When I got married, his father gave me 25 percent of the company and an island. Trust me, it’s nothing serious, and I wouldn’t judge you for whatever you pick,” Mrs. Carrington said with a calm, soothing, and friendly voice.

“I understand, but this just feels like stealing. And besides, he's mentally unfit, so these documents don’t really mean anything because they won’t even be valid. The only thing I need help with right now is my name change. I’ve been too busy and haven’t had the time, so if you can get those ready for me, I would appreciate it, Attorney Kellerman. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll return Cody to his room,” she said with finality and assisted Cody out of the room.

As Alexis helped Cody out, she could feel Mrs. Carrington’s eyes on her back, warm and reassuring. Yet, something about this entire meeting left a strange feeling curling in the pit of her stomach.

Alexis couldn’t shake the sense that it was all moving too fast, too easy. Power of attorney, property, assets... none of it sat right with her, not while Cody sat there, oblivious, sucking his thumb like a child.

She glanced down at her husband as they walked, his steps light and carefree, unaware of the weight that hung over them. "I’m just being paranoid," she told herself, tightening her grip on his arm as they approached the hallway.

Still, the papers, the signatures, the formalitieseverything felt like pieces of a puzzle she wasn’t quite ready to solve.

Before she could reach Cody’s room, she paused, taking a moment to glance over her shoulder at the study door, now closed behind her. Mrs. Carrington’s calm voice echoed in her ears, almost too calm, too perfect.

“It’s about time you had something to your name,” she had said. The words played over and over in her mind, like a melody just slightly out of tune.

Alexis sighed softly, her mind swirling with thoughts she couldn’t quite grasp. She had no reason to distrust Mrs. Carrington. None at all.

And yet...

With a final glance back, Alexis led Cody into his room, forcing herself to push the thoughts away. She had more important things to worry about.

But even as she closed the door behind them, the unease lingered, a quiet whisper in the back of her mind.

What if it wasn’t just a formality?