Ch 927 - Renovating Life and Renovating Love

After searching in the woods for hours, Alex, Debbie, and Yvonne came up empty-handed. There was no sign of Christopher.

They all took turns calling his name. No one ever responded. Occasionally, Alex would call SCOT on his smartwatch and ask the artificial intelligence system to scan the area. Still, nothing turned up.

Frustrated, Alex ran his hands through his hair. "This is useless. We haven't found anything."

"Well, technically that's not true," Yvonne said. "We did find those footprints, a few Gary hoofprints, and several super soldier body parts."

Alex scoffed. "And none of those things are Christopher."

Debbie peered up at the sky. "It's starting to get late. I don't want to be out here after the sun sets. It isn't safe. We should head back."

Alex was hesitant. "What if he's out here? Maybe I'll just stay."

Debbie offered her boyfriend a weary smile. "I don't think he's out here, Alex. I think we're better off heading home, all of us, together."

Alex wrapped his arms across his chest. "Fine, but we need to figure out what to do. It isn't like Christopher to up and leave without telling anyone."

Yvonne scratched her head. "Maybe when we get back, we can call the Baltimore General Hospital. There could have been an emergency, and he had to go."

Debbie agreed. "That's a great idea. Come on, Alex."

With that bit of persuasion, Alex agreed, and the three hiked back home.

When they finally reached the home, which at this point looked more like a television set, Alex couldn't believe his eyes.

The whole place had been renovated from top to bottom. The walls of the living room were repaired. The house had been repainted. Ken built a wraparound porch that stretched as far as the eye could see. In the backyard, they practically erected a barn. A huge stable housed Gary, the horse.

The house even had a brand-new front door.

Debbie's jaw was on the ground. She took a step back. "Pinch me. I'm dreaming."

Yvonne rubbed her eyes. "This can't be real. I don't believe it. It's incredible."

Alex gave a slow, disbelieving shake of his head. "I'm going to kill Ken Stokes."

Speak of the devil, Ken Stokes whipped open the front door. "SURPRISE!"

The whole film crew ran out of the house. Ken, who was still wearing a hard hat, snapped his fingers. "Charlie, get the camera on Alex. We have to capture his reaction."

Alex glared at Ken. It wasn't exactly the reaction the reporter was looking for.

"Ken, what did you do?" Alex asked as he balled up his fist.

Even though Ken could tell Alex wasn't too pleased, the show had to go on. He raised his hand, theatrically gesturing to the house. "Alex Ambrose, in just one day, my team took your home from super soldier shabby to striking Stokes spectacular, and you didn't even have to lift a finger. That's what we call… Relaxing Restoration!" He turned to the camera and gave it a big thumbs up.

Even Louis was bursting at the seams, excited to show Alex the work he had done on the home. He snuck up behind his friend. Then, he jumped up and wrapped his arms around him. "What do you think, Alex? Isn't she a thing of beauty?"

Alex flared his nostrils. He pushed Louis back. "What do I think? I think you ruined my ho–"

Before he could say anything else, Debbie shoved her hand over his mouth. "We love it. This is amazing! It's a masterpiece. It's way too good to be true."

Ken walked over to Louis and put his arm around him. "I couldn't have done it without this guy. Let me tell you what, interior design is his calling."

Louis humbly shrugged. "Ken says I have an eye for staging."

Ken pressed his hand to his chest. "Wait until you see how he arranged your spices in the kitchen. Mind. Blown."

Debbie squealed dramatically. "I can't wait! I'm so excited to see it."

Ken rubbed his hands together. "Well, Miss Clifton, you don't have to wait! Let's do the big reveal!" He jogged toward the house, motioning for Debbie to follow him.

She enthusiastically grabbed Alex by the arm. "Come on, Alex! Let's go in!"

Alex groaned. "Fine." This was the exact opposite of what he wanted. He could barely recognize his own house.

Ken, Debbie, and Alex all walked into the house together. Louis and Yvonne followed close behind, and, of course, the ever-present camera crew followed behind them.

Ken held the door open. "Welcome to your new countryside living room paradise." Ken cheated his head toward the camera. "I just know they're going to absolutely freak out when they see their brand new home, especially this living room."

Debbie walked forward, but with every step or two, she turned around. "It's so beautiful."

Ken expanded the living room. He knocked out some walls, opened up the staircase, and updated the kitchen. It was still rustic, but it felt new and modern.

Debbie pointed up at the ceiling, mouth agape. "What is that?"

Ken put on a smug smile. "Oh, that little thing? It's just a blown glass chandelier. Only the finest of lamp fixtures for Alex Ambrose."

Alex, however, was not amused. The chandelier didn't excite him. Neither did the new rug, nor the reclaimed barn wood floors, nor the recycled leather couch.

Ken sauntered toward the staircase and leaned on it. "This living room was our biggest challenge. Those super soldiers really did a number on it."

He patted one of the stairs. "This guy was a tough bugger. This staircase was about to collapse, and it's a big structural element of your house." He stopped to smile at the camera. "We repaired the whole thing."

Debbie brought her hands to her face. She fanned herself. "Oh, my god. I love it."

Ken Stokes and his crew took Alex and his friends the through the rest of the house. Ken tore down walls in the bedroom. He added double sinks to every bathroom. He even managed to build a fountain in the backyard. No stone was left unturned.

The last place they had to visit was Alex's basement.

Alex crossed his arms. "There's no way you touched anything in my lab. Everything down there was brand new and totally functional. If you broke any of my machinery, I'll send you a bill I'm certain you won't be able to afford."

Ken waved at Alex dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Alex. We didn't touch any of the precious tech. We did, however, make the space feel a little more like home."

The couple followed Ken downstairs. Debbie shivered in anticipation. "Don't tell me…"

In the basement, Ken added a little living area, equipped with chairs, a wooden dining table, and, of course, a shiplap accent wall.

Debbie grabbed Ken by the shoulders. "You don't understand, Ken Stokes. I love shiplap."

Ken nodded. "I know. It feels timeless, classic, and tasteful. It's the perfect way to add a little pop without doing too much."

Debbie wiped a tear from her eye. "Ken Stokes, you really can do anything."

Alex inspected all of his technology to make sure nothing was broken. "SCOT, run a tech diagnosis."

SCOT's voice immediately echoed through the basement. "No worries, sir. Mr. Stokes consulted with me the whole time to ensure none of your technological innovations were harmed."

Ken raised an eyebrow at the camera. He tapped his pointer finger to his temple.

"Okay, everyone," Alex said resentfully. "I want you out of my basement."

Alex pushed the camera crew out of his way as he stormed upstairs. Everyone followed his lead. He stopped in the living room. Everyone surrounded him.

Alex faced Ken Stokes. "This is the exact opposite of what I told you to do, Ken!"

The reporter twisted his palms up. "Alex, what can I say? I got carried away. I'm a man with a vision."

Alex gestured around the living room. "This looks like an entirely different house!"

"And that's great!" Debbie said, grinning from ear to ear.

Louis gave Alex a strong, decisive nod. "I agree. The feng shui in this place was off before, Alex. Now, everything is at peace."

"No! What did I tell you all before? I loved this place as it was! It meant something to me. Now, it's just like every other modern home in the city of Baltimore," Alex rebuked.

Yvonne stepped out from the crowd. "Alex, I understand it's different, and that's hard to accept, but it isn't so bad."

Alex grabbed Yvonne by her shoulders. "Yvonne, you used to love this house. You loved this living room. What do you think of it now?"

Yvonne shrugged. "Well, it isn't so bad. A lot of it's beautiful." She glanced around the living room. "If I'm being honest, I like that the living room looks so different. Maybe now, every time I'm in it, I won't have to think about how we kissed."

Alex let go of Debbie. Baffled, he gave her a blank-eyed stare.

Yvonne put her hands over her mouth, realizing what she had done. "Oh, shit."

Confused, Debbie took a step forward. "Excuse me?"

Alex quickly turned toward Debbie, waving his hands at her. "She meant in the past, before. Right, Yvonne? You meant before, when we dated in the past."

Yvonne met Debbie's gaze. Her eyes were huge and sad. She was so lost. Yvonne couldn't keep lying to Debbie. It was weighing on her conscience. Debbie deserved to know the truth, no matter how bad the truth was. She took a deep breath. "No, Debbie. I didn't mean before."

Debbie crossed her arms. She didn't say a word as her eyes flickered between Yvonne and Alex.

Yvonne curled her hands inward, feeling an immense amount of guilt. "The other night, when I was yelling at Alex about Kylie Naysmith, he kissed me."

Debbie shot a cold, unnerving glare at Alex.

However, Yvonne wasn't done. "But, it wasn't totally his fault. Because I wanted it too."

Alex bit his bottom lip. His face turned bright red. "Yvonne, enough."

She held a hand up to Alex. "No, it isn't enough. I'm so sick of lying. Debbie, you don't deserve this, and I'm really sorry. But, in all actuality, I wanted him to kiss me. And Alex, you just kept leading me on. I was so confused."

Yvonne sniffled and wiped her nose. "I wanted Alex to myself. It's the reason I hated Debbie at first. It's the reason I came here in the first place." It was obvious that Yvonne was growing more frustrated with each word. She looked at Alex with tears in her eyes. "I… I… I couldn't help falling in love with you, you idiot!"

Everyone fell silent. Ken Stokes turned toward Charlie. "Cut the cameras, NOW!"

Yvonne felt her cheeks flushing. She was ashamed of herself.

Debbie, on the other hand, remained relatively calm. However, it was clear from her facial expression that she was enraged.

Alex frantically turned toward Ken Stokes. "You can't air this. I don't care how much it costs. I'll pay for the whole thing. I'll cover every expense. It's fine. You're not airing it."

Ken dropped his head into his hands. "Alex, it's a live show."

Alex's eyes went wild. He prayed he misheard Ken. "Excuse me?"

Ken grimaced. He took a quick breath. "It's a special for the channel. We do a live renovation. It airs live."

Louis took an uncertain step forward. "Well, no one was watching it, right?"

The reporter laughed nervously. "Only a million people."

For a moment, Debbie's vision turned red. She typically was a very forgiving, gentle person. That all flew out the window. It was the ultimate betrayal, again. "A million people watched Yvonne confess that Alex kissed her?"

Ken solemnly nodded. "I'm so sorry, Debbie."

She pursed her lips. "No need to be sorry. You know what, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for whatever I did to you guys. Obviously, I had to do something. Because you all think it's okay to treat me like… like… like shit!"

Louis' eyes widened. "I've never heard Debbie curse before."

Debbie rolled her eyes. "I'm out of here." She stormed away.

Alex reached out toward her. "Debbie, wait. I'm so sorry."

Debbie turned around. She glared at Alex. "You think I don't see how you look at her? Don't be an idiot. I knew. I just wanted to think better of you. I thought you loved me. I thought I could befriend her and make it all okay." She held up a hand to Alex, creating distance between the two. "Don't run after me. Don't apologize. I don't want to hear it." She faced the rest of the room. "I'm going to my room, and if anyone follows me, I will not hesitate to stab them in the eye with my heels." She stormed out of the house.

Alex clenched his jaw. He whipped his head toward Yvonne. "How could you do that?"

Tears silently fell down, staining Yvonne's cheeks. She shook her head.

Ken tried to distract from the elephant in the room. "You know, on the bright side, this could be great for views. You know? I can say, 'It's renovating your home, renovating life, and renovating love.' Wait, someone write that down."

"Not now, Ken! Yvonne, that ruined my relationship! Everything is ruined!" Alex cried out.

Yvonne burst into tears. Ken ran over to comfort her.

Alex gripped his hair in his hands. "What do I do? And where is Christopher?!"

***

Lincoln was still pacing around the bunker, lecturing Christopher about the horrible nature of Alex Ambrose. Christopher was trying his best not to fall asleep.

But then, Lincoln's wristwatch blinked. He looked down. "Wait, everyone, stop what you're doing."

Christopher opened his eyes. Mark snapped his head around.

"Apparently, Ambrose is on this stupid renovation show," Lincoln said, shaking with excitement. "Something big is happening."

He hectically tapped on his watch a few times. Then, Channel 16 appeared on the huge TV screen.

Yvonne was plastered across the screen, crying. "The other night, when I was yelling at Alex about Kylie Naysmith, he kissed me."

Lincoln's jaw dropped. He clapped his hands together. "Oh, yes! This is great. This is really good!" He gestured at the television. "Are you two seeing this?"

Mark scoffed. "Yeah, I see it."

Lincoln smacked Mark upside the head. "Why the long face? This is fantastic news!"

Mark held up his camera. "I did all that hard work for nothing."

Lincoln almost rolled his eyes at Mark's claim that what he did was 'hard work.'

Mark continued to complain. "All of my photos are useless now. Damn it."

Lincoln sat in front of the two men. "Knock it off. It's all for the cause. We have to think of the bigger picture."

Christopher couldn't take his eyes off the footage of the renovation. He felt like he recognized everything, even the host. Why do I feel like I know these people?"