Stephanie Harper enjoys a relaxing swim with her husband, Dan Marshall, while renovators at Old Eden uncover a box of documents. Jilly Stewart is released from prison after serving her sentence for the attempted murder of Stephanie and the murder of Stephanie's then husband, Greg Marsden.Lawyer Bill McMaster gathers Stephanie's family to reveal the contents of one of the found documents, Max Harper's Will, and reveals that Stephanie's father has left the entirety of his estate to Stephanie and her half-sister... Jilly. Stephanie hopes the two can make the most of the situation and finally make up but Jilly cannot put the past behind her so easily. Jilly tries to seduce Stephanie's son, Dennis, but he refuses her advances. In a further bid for attention, Jilly fakes a suicide attempt.Stephanie learns from Bill that her company, Harper Mining, is the target of a takeover attempt by Jake Sanders, an ambitious yet mysterious English businessman. Stephanie offers Jilly a $5 million settlement to relinquish her stake in Max's estate but after reading the fine print which prohibits any further claim on Harper Mining, Jilly refuses to accept, telling Stephanie she wants nothing more than her sister's love and trust. However, Jilly seeks a different deal, one to takeover Harper Mining for herself — with Jake Sanders, who we learn is Greg Marsden's brother.