A/N: Alright guys, the moment we've all been waiting for. I'm back to pre-written chapters, so updates are guaranteed twice a week (Monday and Friday). Every 100 reviews, you get an extra chapter Wednesday. This story is going to be long! I'm using dates so that you guys can keep track of what are flashbacks and what is current time (or is it future time?) Im assuming they graduated the season finale year, which is 2007.
This is the sequel to Anything for Brody, so OTH world is totally different after 2.03. Keith is alive, Leyton is together, Nathan didn't point shave, and other stuff. This story can stand alone, but you might want to read AFB for clarification if you haven't already, cause I am not going to flashback anything that was explained there.
Flashbacks will occur as we get into the heart of the story, and since they can stand alone, if there is something you want to see that I haven't shown, feel free to ask for it.
Love to everyone who reads, but just to let you know. There will be happy leyton in this fic, so if you don't like that, don't read. That being said, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I read all comments and criticisms, as long as they are made out of love.
Synapsis: Anything for Brody sequel. Brooke has lost everything, and must return home to the only family she's known. But after 10 years, will they still be there to help her pick up the pieces?
Set 9 years after high school graduation.
Lots of friendships, lots of different pairings. Its gonna be an awesome ride guys.
So let's get started!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I give credit to whom credit's due, and I thank Mark for creating awesome characters I can play with.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prologue: When the mighty fall
March 6th, 2016
"And so both petitioners agree to the terms of the divorce?" the judge asked, peering over his glasses.
"Yes, your honor." Brooke said dutifully, standing next to her lawyer.
"Yes, your honor," Jared said, grinning, nodding his head emphatically.
"Very well." The judge looked through the papers carefully. "Since there was no prenuptial agreement, and you were married for a year, the spouse with the lesser income is entitled to alimony. Since both parties have agreed to these terms, I hereby award Ms. Davis a monthly alimony payment of 10,500 dollars, or 25% of Mr. Richardson's monthly gross income."
Brooke smiled at the judge and turned to her lawyer to shake his hand, only to be startled by the commotion on the other side of the room.
"What? Are you serious! She is the owner of a multimillion dollar corporation! How is it she has the lesser income! There's got to be some mistake!" Jared sputtered.
The judge banged his gravel. "There is no mistake, Mr. Richardson. Ms. Davis has no assets in her name, and receives no payment for the work she does for her company, since it is done on a voluntary basis. Everything is in the company's name, which is owned by her mother, Victoria Davis. And while I do not condone such underhanded actions," he said, shooting a glance at Brooke, who stood with a smug look on her face, "legally, she currently has no income, and has had none since the two of you married. Therefore, she is entitled to alimony."
"But, but…" Jared shook his head in confusion.
"But you thought you hit a gold mine by 'sweeping me off my feet' and promising me the world when you asked me to marry you, then asking for a divorce when you realized the money train wasn't running in your direction." Brooke finished for him, then harrumphed. "Did you think you got over on me because I didn't ask for a prenup? Nice try, Jared baby. Better luck next time."
"You BITCH!" Jared seethed, shaking off his lawyer's hand, who was attempting to calm him down.
"Better bitch than broke." Brooke said, not missing a beat as she and her lawyer exited the courtroom and made their way to the limousine waiting for them in front of the courthouse.
"Martin, I must say that was a brilliant move on your part. Having me move everything into my mother's name and control before I got married. No sense being stupid while in love." Brooke said, raising her glass of champagne in salute to the bookish man sitting across from her.
"Yes, well, I can't take all the credit. It was your mother's idea." Martin, said, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Ah, yes, Victoria. More than likely she was protecting the company's interests. And since I am the company…" Brooke said, a touch bitterly.
"Oh, I'm sure she was looking out for you as well," Martin said hurriedly.
"Don't worry Martin. I have no illusions when it comes to Victoria Davis. We might not have gotten the mother-daughter thing down, but when it comes to a business partnership, there's no one else I want on my side." Brooke said confidently.
Thinking, she frowned. "Although, she was upset that I married Jared in the first place, talking about how I placed the company at risk by marrying some no name low life. Only she would considered a stockbroker making six figures a 'low-life'. I am not looking forward to hearing her say 'I told you so.'" Brooke brightened and looked at Martin. "But that's what I have you for! Now, how long before I can move everything back into my name?"
"Since the divorce was final today, tomorrow. Just to make sure all the paperwork has time to get somewhere permanent, so that Jared can't contest the proceedings."
"Oh, he won't. Right now, he's probably already looking for his next victim. It's a good thing I don't believe in love, or I would be really hurt right now that the man I married was after my money. Instead, I am going to look back and think of how smart I was to have avoided his trap." Brooke grinned devilishly, "and remember how great he was in bed."
Brooke laughed as Martin blushed profusely, pushing his glasses back up on his nose and looking down to rifle through his papers. Brooke looked out the window as they pulled up to her apartment building on 5th avenue.
"Ok, Martin. Give me a call when the paperwork is done and everything is transferred back into my name. I'm going out tonight to celebrate!" She winked at him as she leaned back in the car. "Care to join me?" she said, arching her eyebrow suggestively.
Martin stammered out a no. Brooke let out an airy laugh. "Oh, Martin, I do love you so. Ciao!" She waved as the limo pulled off after she was safely in the building. She walked purposefully towards the elevator, ignoring the doorman, and making her way to the penthouse floor where she resided, an apartment that was also placed n the company's name, to Jared's displeasure once he found out about it.
The man was shocked at how little Brooke Davis actually owned when he married her, and how much of it belonged to Clothes over Bro's. Unfortunately for him, he also believed that Brooke owned Clothes' over Bro's, so he was content. He was right, to a point. Brooke Davis did own Clothes' Over Bro's, which is why she turned the company over to her mother before her marriage at her insistence, to prevent the company from being affected if her marriage turned out to be a sham.
Brooke let herself into the apartment. It was decorated to her mother's tastes- uber-modern and with hideously expensive décor, such that at times even Brooke felt she couldn't relax, for fear of ruining something. And since she didn't want to hear her mother's mouth about standards of living, she spent most of her time in her room, the only place semi comfortable in the entire apartment.
Calling up her girlfriends, they spent the night on the town, cruising the clubs VIP section and ordering champagne at first, then moving to top-shelf liquors, toasting the narrow escape from being taken advantage of. Brooke stumbled into her apartment when the sun began to make its ascent into the sky, falling face down into her bed to sleep off the night's debauchery.
She was rudely awakened at noon by the sun glaring brightly in her eyes, thanks to Victoria, who had thrown open the drapes to allow the light to shine directly into her face. Brooke rolled over and blinked, attempting to clear her blurred vision.
"Victoria." She mumbled. "What are you doing here so early?" Inside, she was cursing. She did not want to talk to her mother, that's why she had Martin handling the legal issues. What was she doing here?
"Well, seeing as how it's almost one o'clock, I would scarcely call it early." Victoria said haughtily, walking around the room staring distastefully at the art Brooke had placed on the walls. "As to what I am doing here, I received a disturbing call from Martin this morning. He says that you want your company back, now that you've finally divorced that leech, Jared."
"Yeah. Yes." Brooke cleared her throat and sat up, trying to stop the pounding of her head and the spinning of the room as they began to talk business. "As per our agreement. The company is safe again, now that I have divorced Jared and it's in no danger, so we just need your signature to transfer it back into my name."
"That…is going to be a problem." Victoria said, examining her nails. She leveled her gaze on Brooke, who squirmed under the coldness of the eyes that beheld her. "I warned you about Jared, but you did not listen. And yes, we narrowly avoided disaster this time, but who's to say we won't fare worse the next time you decide to pull a stunt like that again?"
Brooke was still stuck on the first half of the sentence, where she heard the word 'problem'. "So, wait. What are you saying?"
Victoria sighed. "The board and I have decided that the company will remain in my control. You have proven yourself to be immature, irresponsible, and a liability to the company, so you may want to consider looking into another line of work."
"But it's my company! ""You can't have B. Davis without B. Davis!"" Brooke protested, growing cold at the thought of what was happening.
"Please. Companies do it all the time." Victoria said dismissively.
"But what about my savings? All the money stocks and savings and bank accounts I had moved to your name? Those weren't part of the company, those were mine!" Brooke said, desperate.
"Yes, well, not very smart of you to turn them over, was it? Think of it as a hard life lesson. You should never trust your money to anyone but yourself. Wars are fought over half of what you had, and you signed it over to play house for a year. I thought I raised you better than that." Victoria said, gathering her belongings.
"But I trusted it to you; you're my mother!" Brooke said in disbelief.
"True, I am your mother," Victoria mused, "but I am also your business partner." Her voice hardened. "And as your business partner I am telling you that it was not a smart move, handing over everything you possessed for a piece of ass. You deserve to reap the consequences of your actions. And as your mother I say, consider it payment for taking care of you for the past 28 years."
Victoria walked to the doorway and paused. "Oh, and, you are going to need to find other lodging at the end of the month. We are going to need this penthouse for the business, so you will need to find somewhere else to stay permanently."
"Mother…" Brooke pleaded, scrambling out of bed and racing to the living room, where Victoria had almost made it to the door.
"How many times have I told you, call me Victoria!" Victoria said exasperated. Catching Brooke's expression, she frowned. "Oh don't look at me like that. I'm not leaving you destitute! Martin told me Jared is giving you almost 11 grand a month. That's 125,000 a year, much more than most working people make. It'll do you good to not be so spoiled. Learn that you can't have everything you want."
Victoria opened the door, and taking once last look at Brooke, standing there, still in last night's clothes that were rumpled from having been slept on. "And try not to break anything when you tantrum about how unfair life is. I'd hate to have to take you to court for property damage."
As the door closed, Brooke slid to the floor, stunned at the turn of events. Was it only last night that she celebrated, on top of the world at having escaped being taken advantage of? The tables had turned, and the joke was on her. She had avoided the snake in the grass, only to be bitten by the one hiding in her own house.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Anybody feeling sorry for Brooke? Surprised Bitchtoria had it in her? You know what to do… review and tell me how happy you are the sequel is finally here. I know I am!
Just so there are no surprises, I am aiming to be on every reader's favorite author or favorite story list by the end of this baby. My ultimate goal is to be on my favorite author's favorites list (I prob need to update that myself!). I have about 30 chapters to make it happen, so here we go!
