Fired & hired

Esme is booted from Kings Casino, but a new job offer is waiting around the corner from an enemy…

Her past is catching up quickly to Esme. Weekdays SABC3 (*193) 19:30

Esme (Carine Rous) has changed a lot since September, when the love of her life and ex-hubby Ben ( Viljé Maritz) married his pregnant casino dancer girlfriend Tallulah (Hayley Owen). She’s ditched her goody two shoes ways and she quit her job as the Kings Casino hotel manager, returning to her work as a pit boss on the casino floor. “She’s done with people taking advantage of her,” says Carine. “Esme has decided to focus on herself.” Little does Esme know that a buried secret (from season 1 in 2013) is about to see her forced out of Kings for good.

PAM PLAYS HER HAND

Security firm CEO Pam (Kate Normington), who’s part of gangster Denton’s (Terence Bridgett) plot to destroy the Kings Casino, uses her consultant position to get rid of Esme. On Thursday 27 October, Pam tells casino CEO Busi (Jo-Anne Reyneke) that Esme was part of a group of employees who plotted to steal money from the casino but current CFO David (Antony Coleman) stopped them and covered up Esme’s involvement as she was still married to Ben at the time, making her David’s daughter-in-law. Furious that she was never told this info, Busi fires Esme on the spot on Friday 28 October and Carine says that “Esme is stunned. She never thought that it would get out!”

IN THE LION’S DEN

Pam meets up in secret with Denton on Tuesday 1 November and urges him to hire Esme at his underground casino the Queen Of Hearts. After giving it some thought and realising that he can use Esme, Denton approaches her on Wednesday 2 November, dangling a huge pay increase in front of her nose. “At first she turns down Denton’s job offer,” explains Carine, “but after her car breaks down on Friday 4 November and she has no money to fix it, she realises she needs a new job and fast.” And right now, there’s only one person who’s willing to hire her…