In Empire Season 2 episode 14, which airs at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday, Anika will finally reveal to the Lyon family that she’s pregnant. Viewers have known about the pregnancy since the first half of Season 2 , but so far she has kept it a secret. This announcement is sure to cause lots of drama within the Lyon clan, especially since Anika is Lucious’ former finance.
In an episode 14 promo, we see Cookie get upset at Anika after learning about her pregnancy. Other promos also show Cookie upset at Hakeem for not using a condom. Overall the Lyons are not pleased by this news. Hakeem’s girlfriend, Laura, may also leave him upon learning he got another woman pregnant.
However, Cookie may come around, as clips from future episodes show her escorting Anika in an ambulance during a medical emergency.
Anika and Hakeem have been together several times. At the end of Season 1, Lucious caught the two hooking up at a party, during a time when Anika, Cookie, Hakeem and Andre were attempting to enact a hostile takeover of Empire Enterprises. In early Season 2, Hakeem went to Anika for support after he’d been kidnapped and attacked by a gang looking to extort money out of he and Cookie’s record label, Lyon Dynasty.
It’s during this time that Anika gets pregnant. She is in love with Hakeem, while he believed their relationship to be casual. He was pursuing Laura at the time.
Currently, it appears that Anika is the prime suspect for who pushed Andre’s pregnant wife, Rhonda down the stairs, causing her to lose their child. Rhonda revealed to Anika how attentive Lucious was because of her pregnancy, showering her with gifts for the baby and even buying a house for her and Andre. It is possible Anika pushed Rhonda down the stairs due to jealousy that her own pregnancy wouldn’t be as well received. However, at this point Rhonda’s attacker remains unrevealed.
Lucious is still making plays to get his company back. An episode 14 first look shows Hakeem hosting his first shareholder’s meeting as CEO of Empire Entertainment. The shareholders will vote to decide whether Hakeem will remain CEO of Empire. Lucious is in attendance and ready to ask Hakeem questions that will throw him off and make him look bad in front of the shareholders.
Will Hakeem rise to the occasion and prove he is a worthy CEO? We will find out in the coming episode, called “Time Shall Unfold,” which is best viewed in television or live online through Fox Now .
Meanwhile, Jamal is working with Freda Gatz on new music. In episode 13 , Cookie realizes that Freda Gatz is the daughter of Frank Gathers, who was the drug kingpin that got Lucious into dealing. Lucious had Gathers killed while the two were serving in the same jail in early Season 2. Now, Cookie is concerned that if and when Freda finds out Lucious was the one who had her father killed, she will try to retaliate by harming her sons, Jamal in particular.
The rest of the story unfolds Wednesday, when Empire airs at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.
