Cynthia Nichols, a confident African-American model, joins the agency. When Eric demands more money from Linda, she turns him down and finally dumps him. She moves into the beach house. Julie succeeds in keeping Sarah and David apart. Paul's wife orders Carrie to keep away from her family, but Carrie continues to move in on Paul and Kyle. Suspicion in the murder case falls on Brian because of his obsession with Teri. Stephanie, the agency's receptionist, provides him with an alibi. She is crushed when Brian ignores her to pursue Sarah. Hillary is jailed for the crime, while the real killer executes a violent attack on David.

Brian is released, but a spooked Sarah decides to keep her distance. Hillary gets her hands on the tapes of Linda. She threatens to destroy Eric's music career unless he stays out of Linda's life forever. Carrie finally tells Paul that she is Kyle's biological mother. Paul explodes with anger and ends their relationship. Sarah is trapped in a house with the murderer during a power outage. Stephanie killed Teri in a jealous rage because of her fixation on Brian, and plans to do the same to Sarah. Brian and David help save Sarah and subdue Stephanie, who is taken into custody. Although David had expressed frustration at Julie's attempts to play nursemaid, he seems surprisingly conciliatory as she sees him home from the hospital. A woman who is a dead ringer for Teri appears in Hillary's office and expresses an interest in joining the agency.

Monique pressures Adam to explain his aversion to relationships. He reveals that he is still haunted by memories of his late wife, Grayson. Linda begins to feel like a possession after signing on with the Whites' company. Sarah tries to learn the identity of the man who saved her from the wreckage after a car accident. Carrie returns to the agency--as Hillary's assistant.