seven years to protect her young son Al Holden from Carlo's wrath. The Buchanans turn to Alex – now in jail for trying to kill Bo's new love Cassie Callison – for help. With the promise that she will be released, Alex uses her government connections to uncover evidence of Hesser killing an undercover federal informant. Alex secretly makes a deal with Carlo; she will destroy the evidence if he marries her. He does, and Alex keeps her word. Patriarch Asa Buchanan discovers old love letters to his wife Renee from Carlo; she and Carlo had been together years before, when they both had lived in Las Vegas. A furious Asa files for divorce and threatens Carlo publicly. Carlo is soon found dead, with Asa and Sarah among the many suspects. It is ultimately revealed that Carlo's own niece Stephanie Hobart had killed him after discovering that he had murdered her father, Carlo's adopted brother Joseph Hobart. Out of loyalty to Carlo, Alex sneaks Stephanie out of town to avoid prosecution. Alex struggles in vain to retain control of Carlo's mob empire, and finally finds a Carlo lookalike – Egyptologist Mortimer Bern – to take her dead husband's place. Alex manages to eventually transform the meek Mortimer into a believable Carlo, but Mortimer soon falls for Renee Buchanan and becomes increasingly uncontrollable. Mortimer's mother, Wilma Bern, arrives to find her son. Alex bribes Wilma to keep her plan in motion, but the police discover that "Carlo" is alive and intend to hunt him down. To save Mortimer, Wilma reveals that he and Carlo are twins; unable to care for two children, she had given up Carlo. Mortimer and Wilma soon leave town. 1996–97 In 1996, Alex – now married to Asa – discovers that her husband's mysterious business partner "Poseidon" is actually Carlo. Carlo admits to faking his death at Stephanie's hands, and spending the previous four years building up his now-international crime syndicate by selling arms to the terrorist group known as "the Men of 21." Carlo swindles Asa out of $30 million and secretly reunites with Alex, nearly killing Asa in an explosion. Carlo reintroduces himself to Llanview as "reformed," the statute of limitations having run out on all of his previous crimes. But Carlo soon resumes his vendetta against the Buchanans and their loved ones, enlisting local criminal R.J. Gannon in his plot. Former gang leader and