And so with little to no money and absolutely no idea of how she was going to go about achieving her dream of setting up her own PR firm, she left Louisiana for the Big Apple. She started off as intern for other people, watching and learning and make a hell of a lot of instant coffee. Eventually she saved enough money, after sleeping on several other interns couches, to rent out her own office and so Covet began. In the early days she begged, borrowed and stole to create events, doing whatever she had to do to secure venues and taking inspiration from everything from movies to TV to the latest issue of US Weekly. She created a reputation for herself as being able to create a celebrity of no one and turn a bad image into a sparkly new one. Kennedy (JA) created an empire and did it all with an iron fist and a fearlessness rarely seen. But the truth is, some things she can't control, no matter how hard she tries. She's known Lincoln (George Clooney) for a long time now, when their spouses were around they all used to summer together, drinking white wine until the early hours while their kids roamed around the Hamptons.

And even then she knew there was something different about him. He was kind and generous with a dry wit and always the perfect gentleman. Now he's the Mayor of the city and a widower, but that doesn't mean her feelings for him have dimmed. Not even slightly in fact. But she can't tell him the truth, because how can she remain at the top of the pile whilst wearing her heart on her sleeve? It's just plain impossible.

UPDATE AS OF 07/22/12: with the mayor having been shot, Kennedy (JA) not only has lost the man she loved and never got the chance to tell, but she's turned to the other lincoln kids to comfort. trying her best to let them know that she's there for them. the death has taken its toll on Kennedy (JA) as well. with her own kids grieving, she hasn't had a moment to let it all sink in yet that with linolcn (gc) gone, she's truly alone in the world.

But Kennedy (Ryan Gosling) was always shadowing him and in the end, the one thing he never wanted to happen, happened. His little brother started wanting to be like him, and that was his nightmare, that was what he'd never wanted. In the end it was Kennedy (CH) that really screwed it all up. After a long day trying to find work, he finished the night in a bar, drinking as much beer as his body could physically hold. Alcohol saturated he threw a few punches and ended up getting arrested for being drunk and disorderly. But his sister sorted it all, as his sister is wont to do and she moved both of her brothers to the city, giving them jobs within her budding PR company. And they both managed to pull themselves together and actually, wait for it, make themselves useful. Kennedy (CH) found himself actually enjoying the politics and the endless client meetings, and even the Ralph Lauren suits that his sister insisted upon him wearing. But his work persona and his real life are so far removed, no one would believe it was the same man if they saw him at home in jeans and combat boots, working on his beloved car, covered in grime and grease. While his brother was always the naturally fashion conscious one in his polo shirts and chinos and endless hats (the guy has way too many hats) he stuck out like a sore thumb in their hometown in Louisiana.

Kennedy (CH) on the other hand was much like noticeable, but much less 'New York.' He liked cars and carpentry and a cold beer waiting at the end of the day. And maybe that was what Persico (Adriana Lima) liked about him. He was nothing like the guys she'd known her entire life and she was certainly nothing he'd ever seen before. Wild and hyper intelligent and acid tongued and so cosmopolitan. The only girls he'd ever dated had been so small town, and frankly just the amount of money she had at her disposal was shocking. But he enjoyed it, at least for a while. But then it turned sour, really quickly. Their personalities, both strong and fiery, seemed to combust. So they broke up, in the messiest way possible. And it was in this time, while he was trying to recover from whatever screwed up thing had just happened, he met Persico (Jessica Alba). Why he hadn't met her before, given that she's his ex's sister, he had no idea. But they were just so different, he'd never have known they were related until she'd told him.

She had a daughter, she was stable and sweet while still being feisty enough to keep him in line. And they slipped into something easy and domestic and it's comfortable. But every now and again, especially now that his brother is involved, he feels the old stir for Persico (AL). He doesn't want to, it's not a choice, it just keeps happening. Not that he's done anything about it, not that he's planning to but it's like playing with fire. And he's the one who's going to end up burnt.

UPDATE AS OF 03/07/13: after nearly a year of being together, he was noticing small things about his girlfriend, persico (ja). they were spending less and less time together. her past with another man was revealed via that disgusting blog, g.i., and while Kennedy (CH) knew she had past boyfriends, he didn't like secrets, or being caught off guard like that. why hadn't she told him? meanwhile her sister, persico (al) had been talking talking to him. or more appropriately, fighting over text messaging. wasn't she with his baby brother now? then came the holidays. they spent time together, even with her daughter. while there was this tension that never use to exist, he still tried to push it aside as stress. it wasn't until january 25th that persico (ja) finally came clean. appearing at covet out of the blue, to tell him all.

carlisi (jm) was her daughter's father, she'd kissed him not once, not twice, but three times, that she was in love with him. something inside of him snapped. storming out of the office, he never intended to find the other man, just go for a ride and cool down. but when he was walking down the sidewalk, it was too perfect. the cab stopped and he got out, approaching carlisi (jm) and the two got into a fight that ended up with fists flying, and them both behind bars. persico (ja) bailed them both out, which only pissed him off more. since then he's been drowning in whiskey, work, and trying to keep himself from finding comfort in her sister once more. thirty-five and single again, he's starting to wonder why the hell he changed and if trying to have a family of his own is even plausible at this point.

His home life wasn't much either, his Mother was in and out of jail on DUI charges, so eventually he and his siblings created their own unit. Us against the world. When they were little they'd lie on the ground under the stars and plan out their lives, picking out constellations and making up stupid stories about why they were that way. So you can imagine his surprise when he arrived home after school one day to find a note from his sister and a weeks worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the fridge. Apparently she'd moved to New York to 'find her way' as she put it. Mostly it just felt like she'd abandoned them. But when Kennedy (CH) got arrested during a bar fight, it was his sister that Kennedy (RG) turned to. She put up bail and brought both of them to the city, determined for them to clean up their acts. She put them to work in her firm and neither of them have looked back since. Although it might have started out as a pity hire, Kennedy (JA) likes nothing better than being surrounded by her family at work, it means she knows she can trust her employees because she's either related to them or someone she is related to is keeping an eye on them.

Kennedy (RG) uses his suave, charming side to woe the customers while Kennedy (CH) provides the back up as the dependable, blunt one who tells them what the numbers are and how Covet can work for them. And as it turns out, it isn't just work that the brothers have in common. Kennedy (RG) has been seeing Persico (Adriana Lima). Who previously dated Kennedy (CH). Who is now with Persico (Jessica Alba). It's a bit love triangle plus one. The problem is that Kennedy (CH) still has a thing for Persico (AL) and vice versa. Oh and Kennedy (RG) has always had a crush on Persico (JA). And Carlisi (Joseph Morgan) is the Father of Persico (JA)'s child and he's married to Carlisi (Olivia Wilde). Say that three times fast.

He was happy with the cycle of one night stands because what he got from them physically combined with what he got from Lincoln (CA) emotionally. When he was finished with flirting in dive bars he'd go watch movies with his best friend and buy her chicken noodle soup from the bodega down the block when she was sick. And then she started dating Persico (Steven Strait) and everything changed within a fortnight. Don't get me wrong, Lincoln (CA) had seen guys before but it had always ended because they were too this or not enough that. In short she'd looked at her relationship with Kennedy (GH) and realized they'd never match up. But with this guy, everything seemed different, even Kennedy (GH) could sense it.

So he did what he always does. He used everything she told him about her new boyfriend to insult him, trying to change her opinion. And then suddenly they were getting married. And Kennedy (GH) had no idea what to do. Watching her swoon over frosting and place settings and talking about children with this other guy, it made him realise. It wasn't that he was losing his best friend, it was that he was losing the woman he loves. Yep, he's finally woken up to the truth that everyone else has known for his entire life. Now he just has to find a way to convince her that he can be her boyfriend and her best friend and that he isn't just a player. And if that means sabotaging her wedding in the process, then so be it.

As a politican she trusts him and as a man she wants him. The issue is that he sees her as a kid, as her Mother's daughter, as someone who could never realistically be with. No matter how many figure hugging pencil skirts she wears. Plus there's the small matter of his adoring daughter, Lincoln (rachel mcadams) who hates Kennedy (AH). They've disliked each other since childhood and the truly venomous side of their character is reserved for each other. While the rest of their families seem able to co habit peaceable, these two were always at each others throats. And as much her Mother tries to talk to her about burying the hatchet, the only place Kennedy (AH) wants to bury it is in Lincoln (rm)'s throat.

Not only is she standing in the way of Kennedy (AH) rising up the promotions ladder by spinning lies about her, she has her Father's ear and there's no way she's going to be able to prise her away. What she really needs to do is poison Lincoln (GC) against his daughter, make it seem as though she's just an uppity little woman putting her own career ahead of her job within the Mayor's office. But it all has to be carefully constructed, and Kennedy (AH) is determined. She wasn't born into a PR empire for nothing.

UPDATE AS OF 07/22/12: having been standing in the crowd when the mayor was shot, Kennedy (AH) was devastated. however, she'd managed to witness morelli (jd) wrestle the gunman to the ground, but subsequently get knocked over the head as well. rushing to his aid, she was in tears, but managed to choke out the question of if he saw anything. he bolted, but it left Kennedy (AH) feeling helpless. she'd just watched her boss shot, and the fatal attraction feelings she'd had for him became more real than she'd even realized. morelli (jd) had answers though, and Kennedy (AH) was bound and determined to figure out what they were. there was also something about the look in his eyes that startled her when she approached him. as if he wanted to say something, but refused. Kennedy (AH) knew morelli (jd), their family's were surprisingly allies. what hadn't he been telling her?

UPDATE AS OF 01/05/13: after months of getting close, Kennedy (AH) and morelli (jd) had developed a relationship, one that was good. even though his thought to be ex-wife came back to tell him he wasn't in fact divorced, Kennedy (AH) thought they'd be fine. especially when she found out she was pregnant, and then morelli (jd) proposed. even though somehow her memories of lincoln (gc) were fading, and she was forgetting that her intentions were to get answers from morelli (jd) about what he'd seen that day. the pregnancy was rough, the doctors said that she'd be lucky to survive, same with the baby - high risk. stubborn, she didn't listen and was out doing things such as losing her temper at morelli (jd)'s ex-wife to sign the divorce papers. the bleeding started, and didn't stop. she miscarried. while the couple tried to stay together, the tension was too thick, the love they thought they had dissipated. Kennedy (AH) called off the wedding, gave back the engagement ring, and moved out on her own. as she is trying to figure out how to move on, she can't help be remember she still has no answers. but can she really face morelli (jd)? it wasn't that she doesn't love him, they just... didn't work out. Kennedy (AH) needed some soul searching. what happened to the strong, independent young woman? she doesn't know, but is hell bent on finding her once more.

And the bottom fell out of their dreams. He changed, right then, became different. He buried himself in his work in a way she'd never seen before, cut himself off from everything and everyone. And he refused, flat out refused to hear her advice, telling him that he had to speak to his family, tell them the truth. But every time she broaches the subject he blows up at her and curses until she's the one apologizing. The worst part is that if it were anyone else treating her this way, she'd walk. But it's him and she loves him too much to give up now. She just isn't used to not being sunny all the time or having to hide how she's really feeling because no one else could understand. She's used to being an open book without a care in the world. But she'll keep fighting against his stupid pride and if the worst comes to it, she'll tell them herself. He'll forgive her in the end. He has to.

update as of 12/20/12: everything really took a turn for the worst in Kennedy (BL)'s when after all the nagging and trying to convince lincoln (cp) to tell his family, they ended up in an argument and broke up. as if matters weren't bad enough, a g.i. blast outed his secret to everyone anyways, somehow furthering the distance between the couple who people once thought would be headed toward marriage. instead, sweet Kennedy (BL) is now trying to figure out where her life is leading her. the only upside to the whole mess is that lincoln (cp) is about to find out that he's in remission. when the news comes, will he share it with her, and if so, where does that leave them? Kennedy (BL) is upset that in the hardest time of his life, he pushed her away.

Turns out that D'Aquila (ND) has been playing the dedicated girlfriend when in reality she's been playing away. And for the other team no less. So while he's completely oblivious to the fact that the girl he thinks he's going to be spending the rest of his life with has been sleeping with Carlisi (Jessica Stroup). Not only is she a member of one of the most notorious families in New York, she's manipulative and cruel and everything that Kennedy (ZE) hates about wealthy people in this city. And he thought his girlfriend agreed, but clearly not. Kennedy (ZE) loves his family, as the youngest he sometimes feels like the most mature and often takes it upon himself to try and mediate arguments that broken out between his relatives. While he might love them, they tend towards the confrontational side of things and Kennedy (ZE) is anything but. If he can avoid a fight, he will. He admires his siblings for their careers, their ambition and their drive. But as of yet, he has no real idea of what his future plans might be.

While respects his Mother and wants nothing than to make her proud, he just isn't interested in becoming involved in the family business. Public relations is about spending far too much time with the wealthy and self centered of New York and to him, that sounds like a nightmare. He's starting to think that maybe architecture might be something he could realistically pursue, but he doesn't have the heart to tell her that the internship she keeps offering couldn't be further from what he wants. In truth, he's finding it hard to live up to the legacy laid out before him, especially since the men in the family have all left such huge footsteps ahead of him. All he knows is that he wants to spend the rest of his life with D'Aquila (ND). At least that's still certain. Right?