The Quartermaine's biggest problem arrived in the form of Susan Moore, Alan's ex-mistress and mother of his son, Jason. She and Crane Tolliver, Lila's first husband, had proof that Lila had never officially divorced him; this meant that Lila and Edward weren't legally married, and Alan and Tracy were illegitimate. Susan then blackmailed the Quartermaines with Crane's information. When Susan was killed, the whole Quartermaine clan was a suspect. Edward was concerned that the presence of Celia Quartermaine might cause Edward to lose ELQ because of the scandal. However, the real killer was Crane, who was exposed by Jimmy Lee Holt, Edward's son by Beatrice LeSeur. Lila and Edward were later married legally. Beatrice appeared in Port Charles to blackmail the Quartermaines, but she dropped dead at a charity gala, before she got the chance. Edward was suspected of poisoning her, but it turned out Beatrice had accidentally killed herself. Edward discovered what it was like to be broke when Monica and her new flame Sean Donely, found their way into ELQ's boardroom and took the company away from the Quartermaines. Monica then threw the Quartermaines out of the mansion, and they were forced to live above Kelly's. Lila rescued their family by starting a new business she called "Pickle-Lila," which was a success and restored the Quartermaines' fortune and lifestyle. When Edward's cousin, Herbert, was killed, Edward was one of the suspects in Herbert's murder, but was proven innocent.