Leonard (Lars Korten) becomes the first one to accept the relationship between Johannes and Elisabeth. Carla and Nico eventually accept the relationship as well but are still shocked when the two eventually get married. Ansgar believes that Elisabeth is only after the family's fortune and even tries to buy her off. Elisabeth and Johannes' time as a married couple is short lived. Johannes is on a way to a business trip when his plane gets lost from the radar over the Atlantic ocean. Elisabeth wants to believe that Johannes is still alive but eventually has to face reality and declares Johannes for dead. Shortly after Johannes' presumed death, Jana dies after a troubled marriage to Leonard. Arno and Nico blame Leonard for Jana's death even though Nico eventually apologizes to Leonard. After Johannes' death Elisabeth tries to keep the family together. Ansgar wants to get rid of his stepmother several times. The relationship between Elisabeth and Ansgar becomes so problematic that the two start to use the formal form to address each other. After it becomes known that Johannes' will was forged, Carla becomes her father's successor. Elisabeth supports her stepdaughter against Ansgar and the two start running the Lahnstein Holding together. Besides Ansgar, Carla and Elisabeth have to look out for Adrian Degenhardt (Klaus Zmorek) who is out to destroy the family. Adrian even kidnaps Carla's daughter Sophia to blackmail money out of the Lahnsteins. He later tries to make up for it by helping Carla and Elisabeth against Ansgar before leaving town. As a shock to the family, Johannes' first wife Francesca turns up alive. Elisabeth loses her title and her marriage to Johannes becomes invalid. However it is soon revealed that Francesca is really her younger sister Maria di Balbi (Simone Ritscher) who has become part of one of Ansgar's schemes. Carla's cousin Sebastian (Joscha Kiefer) finds out that his father Ludwig (Krystian Martinek) might be still alive. Sebastian and his sister Helena discover him and he returns to Königsbrunn Castle after years of absence. Carla decides to start a new life with girlfriend Stella Mann and gives Ludwig back his right as the heir to the Lahnstein fortune. Ludwig and Elisabeth start to work closely together. However Maria tries to make Ludwig fall in love with her. She fails and Ludwig instead falls in love with Elisabeth. Ludwig and Elisabeth want to marry but Maria does