Upon her return to work, Ella is shocked to discover that Amanda knows she broke in to the WPK offices. When Ella strives to fight her boss’s attempts to frame her for embezzlement, Amanda fires her. “How did I ever look up to such a desperate, washed-up bitch?” Ella asks. “Get out of my building – you’re fired!” Amanda replies, with a stinging slap to her assistant’s face.

Ella begins plotting her revenge when she spots a painting in Riley’s apartment that used to belong to Sydney Andrews. After convincing Riley to hand over the painting as a present, Ella sets to work removing the paint from the canvas. To her shock and delight, she uncovers the image of the priceless Dutch masterpiece that Amanda has been hunting since she moved back to Melrose Place. With this ace up her sleeve, Ella blackmails Amanda into dropping the embezzlement charges and bankrolling a new company – Ella Simms & Associates. But can Amanda be trusted?

Jonah and Riley are forced to confront the failure of their relationship when they attend a university reunion. After their friends express their surprise at their break-up, the pair start to question their feelings. Back at Riley’s flat, they share a brief kiss. Jonah begs Riley for a second chance and admits that his relationship with Ella has no future. “I know she’s not the person I’m supposed to be with,” he says. Unfortunately, Jonah’s dreams come crashing down when Riley rejects his appeal. Ella is equally unhappy to learn of Jonah’s decision. “I told you up front that I wasn’t going to be your rebound!” she shouts, tears streaming down her face. Can Ella ever forgive Jonah for breaking her heart?

Elsewhere, the launch party for David’s restaurant is overshadowed by the return of Morgan. David’s rich-girl stalker has told her father that the two of them are an item, and she forces David to play along with the charade. If he does not, Morgan will tell her father that David stole his priceless ring.

Morgan’s presence comes just as relations between David and Lauren seem to be thawing. David is eventually forced to come clean about his dodgy dealings in a bid to put things right with Lauren. “I’m no better than you are,” he says. “Here I am holding you to some high standard, and I’m worse.” David and Lauren reunite – but how will the scorned Morgan react?

At the hospital, meanwhile, Drew attempts to convince Lauren that the heart valve implants pioneered by Michael Mancini are dangerous to patients. Drew takes his findings to Michael in a bid to cancel a forthcoming operation. However, the duplicitous doctor plants drugs in Drew’s locker and has him thrown out of the hospital. “Mancini did this!” Drew yells at Lauren. “You see what type of person he is? You have to stop the surgery!” Will Lauren take Drew’s side and prevent Michael from operating?