She’s only been back at Weyland & Co for five minutes, but it doesn’t take long for Lauren Branning to discover there’s something sinister going on behind the closed boardroom doors.
When Lauren returns to work after Steven’s death, her only worry is how she’s going to fight her resurfacing feelings for boss Josh Hemmings.
But it soon becomes clear that she’s got bigger things to focus on when Ben Mitchell unearths something shocking…
After making a bizarre discovery about Luke Browning’s business, Ben’s initial reaction is to share it with best friend Jay. But when the pair start piecing the puzzle together, they soon realise there’s something sinister going on.
Jay is quick to share their findings with Lauren, knowing she works in exactly the right place to do some digging around.
Lauren goes directly to Josh to find out what’s going on. But when asked, Josh claims to have no knowledge of the dodgy dealings – is he telling the truth?
Read more: EastEnders stars spill the beans on an explosive Christmas
Facing big brother Luke, Josh has some questions of his own about his family’s underhand tactics. Maybe he’s not part of James Willmott-Brown’s masterplan for Walford after all?
Josh warns Lauren not to get on the wrong side of Luke, but this just makes her more determined than ever to get to the bottom of what’s going on. And it doesn’t take long for her to worry that her dad might be involved too.
As her fears about her dad’s connection to the firm grow, it looks like Max’s plotting might be about to unravel. But what will he be forced to do to keep his daughter quiet?
Rumour has it that Lauren is set to make a shocking discovery that will change everything – but what will she do with this new information, especially if she realises reporting it would get her dad in trouble, too?
Read more: EastEnders fans beside themselves as Winston the extra finally gets to speak!
And it’s not just Lauren’s dad who would be caught up if she exposed James Willmott-Brown’s scheming. With his dad, sister and older brother all involved, Josh will also be hit by the revelation.
Is Lauren willing to ruin her potential romance with Josh?
Max is clearly a desperate man at the moment and, with Christmas looming, it looks as if the big Branning showdown that we have been promised is about to begin…