A Sterling representative delivers engagement gifts to the Nash living room. Mr. Nash, Mrs. Nash, and John watch in distress as news of the wedding spreads online. Natalie reminds them of her gruesome scripted fate. She proposes trapping Declan and Lily together in a hotel room to publicly prove their romance. Natalie phones Lily to set up an early meeting. Lily suspects a trick and talks to her brother Leo, who hands her drugs for Natalie.
A representative from the Sterling family delivers engagement presents to the living room. Natalie, Mr. Nash, Mrs. Nash, and John sit together in distress. After the staff members leave, the family checks the internet and sees the engagement announcement trending everywhere.
00:33: Natalie Devises a Hotel Scheme
Natalie talks with her family about stopping the wedding. She reminds them what the rewritten story has in store for her. To cancel the match, Natalie plans to lure Lily Linwood and Declan Sterling into the same hotel room to expose their secret romance.
00:57: A Phone Call Between Rivals
Natalie calls Lily directly from the living room. She asks Lily to meet her at the hotel two hours before the party starts. Lily agrees to the private appointment over the phone, but she immediately suspects that Natalie has set a trap for her.
01:21: Leo Hands Lily a Weapon
Lily speaks with her brother Leo in her apartment about Natalie's invitation. Leo tells Lily to spike Natalie's drink at the meeting. He wants to call reporters to catch Natalie intoxicated, and he orders Lily to keep his return to Northgate completely secret.
Key Lines from Episode 9
“Would you be happy if you know this means I'm gonna lose my eyes and kidney and be sold to God knows where?”
“At the party, we announce the relationship Lily and Declan have. We need proof they belong together.”
“I have something you can spike her drink with. Find a way to make Natalie take it. Let her ruin herself.”
“Remember, no one can know I'm back in Northgate.”
How Episode 9 Ends
Leo provides Lily with a substance to drug Natalie and urges her to summon reporters to wreck Natalie's public standing. He also warns Lily that his presence in the city must stay quiet. Will Lily succeed in slipping the drug into Natalie's drink, or will Natalie's hotel setup expose Lily and Declan first?