"Opal had deserted her son just because she was ashamed by having "slept with a Black man." That pushed Opal over the edge. She blasted Belinda for her assertion and vehemently denied being embarrassed of her relationship with Adrian's father. "If I did not love Adrian, I'd lock you in Palmer's [secret] room and throw away the key!" Belinda was surprised by Opal's admission of her feelings for Adrian. The tears flowed freely down Opal's cheek. She told Belinda that it breaks her heart to even look at Adrian because she wants to take him in her arms. Belinda didn't understand why Opal was unable to tell Adrian the truth. She said that giving Adrian to Frank and his wife as one of the hardest things she's ever had to do. She explained that having taken Adrian back to Ray Gardner would have resulted in catastrophe. She referred to Ray as a "racist murderer" who would surely have ended the little boy's life. That's why she opted to give her son to Frank. She felt that Adrian would have had a better life, a life where he could grow up healthy and become a man. The situation was a mixed bag for Opal. She ached when she thought of how Adrian had turned into a great guy without having had any part in his life. At the same time, though, she was proud of the man Adrian had become. Telling Adrian the truth would turn his world upside-down and Opal couldn't bear to hurt Adrian, Frank, or "the woman who's raised" Adrian. She never referred to Adrian's mother as his "mother," nor did she refer to her by name. Belinda nodded her head and told Opal that she understood. She also promised never to tell anyone what she'd learned.
At Cortlandt Manor, Palmer had a secret meeting with Walter, his attorney. Opal had filed for divorce and wanted half of everything Palmer owned. A hostile Palmer told his attorney that he had no plan to part with "a penny" of his worth, nor would he give up custody of his son. Walter informed Palmer that Opal had a claim to half of his worth because she had been one of the reasons he'd re-amassed his fortune. Opal had turned a family recipe into a fortune when she and Palmer took over the Chicken Shack. Palmer didn't care and told Walter to do whatever he had to do to dig up dirt on Opal. What neither man knew was that Adrian was listening from the other side of the door. After Walter left, Adrian strolled into the room and sat on a hassock. From his leather armchair, Palmer took potshots at Adrian. He asked him why he wasn't busy working and threatened to call his crony in Congress to recall or relocate Adrian. Senator Blogit, Adrian noted, had been a recipient of a sizeable contribution from Cortlandt Electronics. About two months later, Cortlandt Electronics had ironically received a lucrative government contract. Palmer shut up very quickly. Adrian let it be known that he too was in good terms with the Senator. Adrian rose to his feet and walked over to Palmer. He was only a few inches away from Palmer's face and Palmer was shaking noticeably. He asked the mogul how he managed to get "such a close shave without looking in the mirror." Palmer was unamused by the implication that he was a vampire and thereby unable to see his own reflection. Adrian left the room momentarily and returned with a piece of paper. He demanded that Palmer sign the paper, a "full disclosure" document on which Palmer was to list all of his assets. That way it would be easy to divide the assets in half. The terms of the document warned Palmer that if he failed to list an asset it would immediately be given to Opal. Palmer laughed at Adrian and told him that he was a fool if he believed he would sign the paper. Adrian put his hand around Palmer's throat and remarked that he knew one thousand ways to kill a man. One of them, he said, made it look like the victim had died of a heart attack. Opal returned home and told Adrian that he could unhand her husband. She said that she was confident that Belinda would stick it to Palmer in court. Adrian told Opal about Palmer's meeting with Walter, but Opal was unfazed. She told Palmer that he could do all the digging he wanted because there were no skeletons in her past. Adrian stepped up behind Opal and informed Palmer that he'd be there to back her up every step of the way. Palmer's eyes darted back and forth between Opal and Adrian. Like Belinda, it appeared that Palmer was beginning to question Adrian and Palmer's relationship.
When Trevor returned home from the animal shelter, he found a less than merry tree trimming party. Amanda was down in the dumps and Tim and Janet were unable to lift her spirits. Amanda said that she was upset because everyone had an ornament to call their own---everyone except Harold, that is. Janet pledged to pick up a special ornament at the mall in the morning. Trevor headed to the door and when he opened the door, the stray dog scurried into the house. Amanda flipped upon seeing the dog and accused her father of having lied to her when he said that he'd taken the dog to the shelter. Trevor swore that he'd done what he said. His story was later proven when the shelter called and told Trevor that all of the dogs had somehow escaped. Amanda ordered the dog be taken back immediately, but it was too late to return to the shelter. Tim wanted the dog to stay inside, but Amanda demanded that the dog sleep outside. The Dillons called it a night, their furry friend sleeping on the front porch in an old sleeping bag. At some point before turning in, both Tim and Trevor sneaked outside to sit with the dog. Tim wanted to adopt the dog and said that Amanda would just have to "deal with it." Trevor hinted that it wasn't that simple---and reminded Tim of the way he'd acted when he first become romantically interested in Janet. The pair headed back inside and went upstairs to bed. After everyone was asleep, tufts of smoke billowed out from the crack under the basement door."
- Soap Central