Lana and Matt

Lana and Matt is the former romantic relationship turned rivalry seen in Carter Corp.

## Overview

Lana and Matt is the recurring on screen relationship between Lana Escobar and Matt Ortega in Matt's season 2. The two have a sad but complicated history that sadly messed with Matt's mind and his ability to move forward with life.

For many years, Matt thought that he had accidently killed Lana in a motorcycle crash which caused him immense guilt and sadness for many years, and it gave him a hard to time to move on with his life and relationships and develop PTSD from the crash. Lana, however, did not die in the crash, as she had faked her death and ran away to go into hiding from her brother, Caesar, who was the leader of a gang at the time. Lana doesn't realize the impact that her "death" had on Matt, and if she does, she just doesn't care as Matt's mental health clearly declines when she reappears in his life just as it was starting to get better.

Lana appeared at a part at Daryl's villa and ran up to Matt and kissed him and told him how much she missed him, unaware that he was in a relationship with someone else now. Matt fainted due to the shock of seeing Lana alive, and when he woke up, she explained herself to Matt, Daryl Ortega and the player, who were all very upset and shocked with her. Matt still loved Lana as he never forgot about her and couldn't seem to process the fact that she was still alive, but still wanted to be with the player instead, as he had finally moved on. Lana apologized to Matt for what she had done and had hoped they could get back together, and seemed like she could accept the fact they could be just friends, but it was all a façade.

Lana was extremely mad and jealous that Matt was in a relationship with the player and tried to steal Matt from her, but all of her attempts failed as Matt was loyal to the player. Matt had turned her down at Starlite and told her they could only be friends which seemed to sadden her, but it only made her mad, as she sent Creep to beat him up at his gym the next day. Lana told Matt that the player and Daryl almost kissed which sent Matt into rage where he almost fought Daryl, but Lana had to calm him down and she stayed the night at his apartment but they didn't do anything, but Lana made the player think that they slept together after she opened the door in her lingerie, which Matt had to tell the player wasn't true. Lana also claimed that she was pregnant but had a miscarriage during the motorcycle accident, and blamed herself for the death of their baby as a way to trap Matt into feeling bad for her which worked, since Matt was heart broken over losing the child he never had.

Lana claims that she loves Matt and that they belong together, but upon further inspection, that's not really the case. Matt likes to see the good in people which Lana uses to her advantage as a master manipulator to hopefully find a place back in his life. Matt was conflicted during the fights he and the player had about Lana, as he couldn't seem to bring himself to believe the truth that Lana wasn't what she seemed.

After Lana is revealed to be the secret leader of her brother's gang, she kidnaps and attempts to kill the player. Matt and Daryl show up to the warehouse where she is holding the player captive and have Lana arrested and one of her goons is killed. Lana swears vengeance and revenge on them all, but when they see her at the police station later on, it is very clear that Lana is insane and unstable, and that she is not in her right state of mind, and probably hasn't been for many years.

It at first seems like Lana just wants to steal Matt from the player and be with him since she still loves him. But Lana more than likely doesn't even love Matt. She's obsessed with him, and can't stand being told no as she's not used to it. Him turning her down set her off, as she wants control and power over Matt, and will do anything to get it, including murdering the player. Lana shows clear symptoms of being a psychopath, so it's very unlikely that she loves anyone, including her own brother who she hates. Matt loved Lana, but came to pity her after she showed her true colors.

In Ryan Carter's story route, Lana does not appear but she is mentioned by Thomas Gordon. Thomas boxes with her at a gym and when he mentioned Matt, Lana freaked out and ran off which means her and Matt's background remains the same, and that he still thinks she is dead and she doesn't want him to know the truth, which is for the best considering how Matt's story route played out.

Lana tells people that she loved Matt and still does, but she was probably just trying to convince herself that, when in fact she just wants the satisfaction of stealing him back and using him to her advantage when she pleases. Their relationship is toxic, and probably always has been. Lana "dying" was probably a blessing in disguise for Matt, as he didn't have to witness Lana inevitably descend into madness as a young adult by himself.