Elena married into New York's Ashford family, where her husband Julian cheated with jewelry-store owner Camille. When Camille humiliated Elena and stole her mother-in-law Margaret's asthma medicine, forcing her to kneel, Elena awakened. Backed by Margaret, she took over the Ashford Group, purged traitors, and drove stock to a three-year high as a Wall Street-celebrated CEO. She divorced Julian, reclaimed her emerald ring, and jailed Camille. Julian ended up broke in casinos with a broken leg; Camille, after release, brawled with him and vanished in Southeast Asia. Elena remarried Alex and became a group queen.
