All standard FF disclaimers apply.
Chapter 15
OoOoO
All concept of time had disappeared. It was so natural talking with Mr. Jordan, they seemed like old friends having a chat. The emotions and revelations of this discussion worked together to encompass them in another world. What felt like a lifetime worth of information, crowded Albert's mind, making time irrelevant. He had learned so much, but there was so much more to know. He was surprised, when he glanced at his watch, to see that they had only been talking for a few hours, it had felt like much longer.
Mr. Jordan had paused to take a sip of his water. He was pleased at how things were going to this point. And then he nodded at Albert with a warm smile as he continued telling the story that had become legend around Fantastic Families, Inc.
"With much anticipation the day arrived for Derrick's visit." "The mastermind group convened at the appointed time ready to make the most of these meetings." "Peter had taken great care in preparing the agenda for the next two days of intense discussions." "There was only a limited amount of time for him to indoctrinate Derrick on the dynamics of the company and the goals they had hoped to achieve as a result of these two back to back consulting sessions." "So, he had planned every single detail of how each session would flow to maximize their effectiveness."
"Peter began by introducing Derrick first, then he proceeded to introduce Derrick to the members of his mastermind team." "But before he could continue, Derrick interrupted him." "It was the first time during these mastermind sessions that he would do so, but it wouldn't be the last time." "Derrick knew why he had been asked to come to these meetings ."
"Which one of you is responsible for choosing Fun And Games For All, Inc. as the name of your company?" Derrick asked immediately, not following the sequence of the action items that were listed on the agenda. " "Time is money and Derrick wanted the answer to this question first, so he could provide immediate solutions that were direct, meaningful, and to the point."
"We all did" Peter responded. "It was a universal decision that we had made together several months ago and we feel comfortable with the decision."
"Once again Derrick interrupted Peter." "And his words were powerful " noted Mr. Jordan as he continued telling the story.
"With all due respect Peter, who was the individual responsible for coming up with the name originally, before any other discussions took place?" Derrick was looking for the inventor of the concept, the person responsible for the vision of the company."
"It was my idea initially" Peter told Derrick with a look of pride and self-satisfaction." "I thought it was an exciting name and concept that we could build on." "But I have to admit that it's been kind of challenging for us to come to a consensus on where we are going with my idea." "So far, it's only a name with no identity."
"Can you tell me five things in the next five minutes that come to your mind when the idea first hit you? Derrick asked politely but firmly. "I'm interested in knowing more about how you came up with the name and idea for the company because I think the name is horrible, however if I knew more about the concept behind the name, and if you can passionately defend your rationale behind choosing the name and concept, perhaps you will change my first impressions, because right now I'm not buying it."
"I have to tell you that Derrick made an incredible impression on everyone when he challenged Peter in regards to the name of the company" "Derrick was taking command of the first session immediately." "It was a huge gamble," Mr. Jordan recalled Derrick telling him as he related it to him in person. "He was intent on making an impact immediately and it worked!"
"So the ball is now in your court" Derrick reiterated to Peter. "Give me five good reasons in five minutes or less that tells me why I shouldn't recommend that you change the name of your company immediately."
"Well, that's an excellent question, let me think about it for a moment" was the initial response by Peter to Derrick's request. "The mastermind group sat in complete silence." "No one had ever challenged Peter in this manner. Never. " It caught all of them by surprise and they were unsure of how Peter would react to this type of direct challenge to his leadership." "And make no mistake, this is exactly how they interpreted Derrick's challenge."
"Everyone was watching intently as Peter was busily writing down some notes as the thoughts came to his mind on how best to respond to Derrick's inquiry." "In fact, he was so busy writing down the things that he assumed Derrick wanted to hear, that he lost track of the time, but not to worry because he was about to be reminded of this fact."
"Time's up!" Derrick announced emphatically. "And you failed the test miserably." "It has been more than 15 minutes since I asked you my question." "There is absolutely no excuse after all of this time for not having an answer ready for me before I even asked you the question." "Therefore my first recommendation is that you start from scratch and come up with a new name for your company." "This is the only way that you and your team will become passionate about what you are doing." "If you do not follow my recommendation you will continue spinning your wheels and never get any closer to achieving your goals."
"For most entrepreneurs who pride themselves on their ingenuity, this would have been the end of the consulting session." "But to Peter's credit, it was not the end, but the beginning of the conversations." 'Not one known to accept criticism lightly, the others were shocked when they heard Peter's response."
"Derrick you're right." "It's taken me a long time to acknowledge what you have discovered in the short period of time you have been here." "I'm willing to admit this openly, and ask that you spend the next two days helping us create a new name and purpose for the company." "I trust everyone here." "All of us have a vested interest in building a successful company that will enrich the lives of those that we love and care about most, our families." "Nothing is more important to us than our families."
"Derrick's heart began to beat uncontrollably as he listened to Peter's words." "There was no doubt in his mind that Peter meant what he was saying." His words were sincere." "And these were the kinds of statements Derrick was looking for when he had asked his very first question." " These were the words of someone who had strong convictions, someone who knew what it was that was most important to them."
"And then it happened." Mr. Jordan continued. "That blinding flash of inspiration that defines an individual's purpose." "It was at this moment that Derrick knew what his purpose in life would be and it was as if a huge burden was slowly being lifted from his shoulders."
"Peter you have already disclosed to me the driving force behind your new company" Derrick announced with a renewed conviction in his voice." "It has always been inside of you." "It is the greatest sentiment I have ever heard in my life, and I am confident that together we can build an incredible company around it."
OoOoO
Placing the phone back into its cradle, Laverne sighed and slumped down in the chair. She had been trying all afternoon to find her attorney. She looked down at her dress and sighed again. After trying on all the clothes in the box, she had put this dress on now, to put herself in the proper frame of mind when she talked to the lawyer. The last time she had seen him, he had been drunk. Drunk at his office. Which was a pretty good indication that he was so regularly in this condition, he acted like it was normal. That was precisely why she had chosen Mr. Smithers for her little plan. A man like him would be easy to manipulate.
She was practicing playing the helpless, innocent victim. Now here she sat, playing dress up. The perky little secretary that answered the phone, kept saying that Mr. Smithers was not available. He had not been 'available' for several hours now. This was a very unsettling turn of events. The anger was rising up inside her now. She did not like being put off , especially not by some annoying secretary. Where had she come from anyway, she had not seen any secretary at the office yesterday. Panicking, she wondered if this would have any impact on her new plan to force Albert and Valerie to give her what she felt was rightfully hers.
She was pacing the room, deciding what to do next, when she caught her reflection in the mirror-backed china hutch. The blue color of this dress really complimented her coloring. It brought out the blue in her eyes. Up until now, she hadn't ever worn blue. She didn't like blue. Most of her wardrobe had consisted of earth tones, neutrals that she was comfortable with. Laverne stopped and stared at herself. For the first time in over twenty years, she felt pretty. She smoothed the silky fabric of the dress, and she slowly smiled. This could truly work to her advantage. She returned to the table and picked up the phone again.
The innocent attitude she had been practicing was now put aside as Laverne dialed the number one more time. "Smithers and Dudley law office, how may I help you" said the perky little voice once again. Irritated by the fact that she had to deal with this person, Lavern became more insistent in her demands.
"Good afternoon, I would like to make an appointment with Mr. Smithers please," Laverne said in her most efficient, business like voice. She listened as the secretary politely indicated that Mr. Smithers was extremely busy, and was 'not going to be available' for several days as his schedule was booked in advance. But Laverne was not about to wait any longer. And even though she was talking on the phone, she sat up straight and lifted her chin defiantly.
"Tell Mr. Smithers that I will see him first thing in the morning." Without waiting for a response, she added. "I have a matter of great urgency, I will be there at 9am sharp." The voice on the other end of the line was silent for a very long moment.
"I will give him the message," she finally said. Laverne was still listening, and heard as the secretary hung up in a huff. She smiled and almost laughed out loud. That will teach you to mess with Lavern Kloughn she said.
Staring at the phone, the secretary from the temp service just shook her head in disbelief. She had been hired this morning to field calls for an attorney who had indicated he would be out of the office for a few days, but still wanted to give callers the appearance that the office was open for business. Mr. Smithers was leaving for 'personal' reasons she was told, and it was all she needed to know. It was none of her business what his personal business was, she was here to do a job.
But she wasn't getting paid enough to have to deal with rude people, like the horrible woman that had been calling all afternoon. Right then and there she decided that she was not coming back tomorrow. She didn't have to deal with any of this. Having made her decision, she left the message that she would not be able to return, both as a written note placed on his desk, and also on his personal messaging service. Grabbing her bag, she got ready to go. Ever the professional, she turned off the lights and locked the door on her way out.
Laverne smiled, satisfied that her plan was now in play. With the appointment set for the next day at the attorney's office, she was confident in her powers of persuasion and had no doubts she would convince Mr. Smithers to help her lodge a complaint against the high and mighty Helen Plum for assault and battery. And she would have the bruises to prove that the assault had occurred. A slow smile crept back onto Laverne's face. She would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, regardless if she had to manipulate the system.
OoOoO
"Peter's reaction to what Derrick had said and done spoke volumes to the members of the mastermind team that had assembled together" Mr. Jordan continued. "At first they had expected Peter to react angrily at Derrick's blatant attack on his lack of leadership, but it had the exact opposite effect" "Rather than dwell on the negative, Peter made the decision to move beyond his personal ego and instead try to understand what it was that Derrick had seen in him that he himself had missed." "It was the most significant leadership decision he had made in his lifetime" Mr. Jordan commented. "It opened the door for meaningful dialogue about the short and long term vision of his new company."
"Derrick, what is it that you see inside of me that I haven't been able to bring out on my own?" Peter asked with sincerity in his voice and in his heart. "I would truly appreciate it if you shared with all of us what exactly it is that you see that we cannot see."
"It was the defining moment in Derrick's life." Mr. Jordan explained. "It was also the most difficult, because in order for Derrick to disclose what it was that he had seen, he would also have to acknowledge his own personal failures." "Nevertheless, he was able to call upon his own inner strength and did exactly what needed to be done." "It was more than explaining his recommendations to Peter, it was ones reflections of wistful regret about lost opportunities in life." Mr. Jordan paused to make certain that he had Albert's full attention before he continued the story.
"Peter, all of my adult life I have had one overwhelming regret, that of being a failure as a father." "Before I was a failure as a father, I was a failure as a husband." "If I could change anything in my life, I would do anything to remedy this." "I've discovered that we live in an imperfect world." "All of us are faced with challenges, some are minor while others are not." "My challenges were of a magnitude that I chose to leave, rather than confront them any longer." "For me, there were irreconcilable differences between myself and my former spouse." "I felt that leaving was the best thing to do at that time and if I had to do it over again, I would likely make the same decision." "The choices in my life would not have changed, but still in the back of my mind I would have done anything to be a part of a fantastic family, the type of family that is rock-solid, the type of family where every individual felt that they were loved by all." "I lost my family many years ago, and losing my son was the most difficult of all." "I cannot change the past, I can only change the future." "If there was a way for me to capture what it feels like to be a part of a fantastic family, I would have paid any price for that emotional experience." "I believe that everyone wants to be a part of a fantastic family." "If you could capture this feeling and offer it to anyone, regardless of past or present circumstances, then you would truly have something special here."
"Silence filled the room." Mr. Jordan explained to Albert and Valerie. "No one spoke for more than 15 minutes, trying to absorb and comprehend the magnitude of what they had just heard." "Finally it was Peter who broke the silence, but it was not his words but his actions that told the story of how everything came together." "Peter stood up and with a smile on his face, he turned towards Derrick and began clapping." "This act of approval continued as both Lovey Thurston and Terri Gavin also stood up and applauded, tears streaming from their eyes." "Next stood Terry Thompson and Theo Koppe, both of them applauding vigorously as their minds were spinning with unlimited possibilities due to the new direction of the company."
'The applause lasted for several minutes." "Derrick stood still, not knowing how he should react to any of this." Mr. Jordan continued. "Never in a million years had he ever expected this would ever happen to him." "In fact, he confessed to me, in private, that his comments in the boardroom were not planned, they simply came out as he spoke from his heart." "I believe that all of your father's life experiences had prepared him for this singular event in his life." "There is no other way to explain the magic of what had just transpired."
"Peter Winston had always been a man of action throughout his professional career." "He knew if he wanted things to happen he would make them happen, even if it meant making a bold decision immediately and then dealing with the details later." "Derrick's words had inspired him." "He also knew that they had inspired the members of his mastermind group." "He knew he had found the individual to lead his new company and he did not want to lose him." "So he did what he had done many times before, he went with his instincts." "Peter Winston walked over to Derrick and with a smile on his face, extended his hand to shake Derrick's hand." "It was an appropriate gesture under the circumstances and it made Derrick proud that he had in some small way contributed to the advancement of the company." "As Derrick shook Peter's hand, he was unprepared for what about to happen next"
"Mr. Derrick Kloughn." "As Majority Owner of Fun and Games For All. I hereby change the name of the company to Fantastic Families, Inc. In doing so, I would like to formally invite you to become its new president and sincerely hope you will accept this position with the company." I look forward to many successful years as you take the helm and lead us." "Upon hearing those words, the other members of the mastermind group stood up and began clapping once again, showing their full approval." "It was now Derrick's choice to either accept or reject Peter's generous offer." "It didn't take long for him to convey his decision." Mr. Jordan laughed, as he remembered how quick Derrick had responded to the offer of employment.
'I accept your generous offer." Derrick announced. "As far as the details of my ownership interest and compensation package, these details can be negotiated down the road." I do however have one desire that is important to me." "I would like to immediately relocate the company's headquarters from Los Angeles, CA. to Trenton, NJ, so that I may be closer to where my only son lives." "I hope this isn't an inconvenience for everyone else?" "Derrick asked with a hint of hesitancy in his voice."
"Welcome aboard Mr. Kloughn." "I think it's safe to state that we can begin the process of relocating the company immediately." "It might take a little bit of time, but before all is said and done, all of us are willing to relocate our families so that you can be closer to your family." 'All of the members nodded in approval as they understood how important this was for Derrick." "The relocation happened in less than a year" Mr. Jordan mentioned to Albert and Valerie. "And under your father's leadership the company grew to become a multi-million dollar corporation, touching the lives of hundreds of thousands individuals and families during the past five years, It is one of the most inspirational success stories ever in the social media industry." "Divine providence had intervened on your father's behalf and to his credit, he made the most of the opportunity he had been given" "Albert, I believe it is also divine providence that your father has now passed the torch on to you." "I am confident you will not allow this great company to falter under your leadership."
Albert and Valerie drove home in silence that afternoon. Mr. Jordan had done an excellent job in sharing the story of how the company came to be, so much so that none of them left the offices without having experienced one of the most touching moments of their lives. It had been mutually agreed by the mastermind group that Albert would return the next day to begin his one on one training on the day to day operations of the company. Albert felt overwhelmed. There was so much that needed to be absorbed after meeting with Mr. Jordan. Albert knew they would have further discussions. Albert also knew there would be more responsibilities ahead of him once he assumed the reins of the company. And Albert felt he was up to the challenge.
OoOoO
Night had fallen on Trenton, New Jersey. Like a wild, caged animal, Joe Morelli walked back and forth, pacing the small confines of the holding cell. He was making the other men sitting there very nervous, which was exactly what he had intended to do. The operation depended on keeping them all off balance enough to be ready to spill their guts when it came time to interrogate them. The more upset Joe looked the more unsettling it was for the other men. He was a police officer, and if he was worried, they knew that they should be too. It was working, Anthony Giovanni sat with his eyes focused on some spot above the dark stain on the wall across from him. His hands were twisting together, constantly moving, and his mouth seemed to be carrying on a silent conversation with some unseen companion. The brief call to his attorney had apparently done very little to ease the discomfort of the most high profile individual caught in this sting.
The businessmen were sitting stoically, giving away nothing. Stone faces hid any emotion that they may have been feeling. Joe smiled inwardly, they thought that they were tough, and above all of this. They may have even been convinced that their high powered attorneys could work their magic and make this all go away, confident that there was nothing here that they couldn't buy their way out of. But Morelli simply upped his agitation factor and took his role-playing up another notch. One by one the men started looking worried, strain showing in the lines on their faces. Joe took joy in reading their tell-tale body language. First he noted the rapid, irregular breathing. One of the men was turning red, the rash of color spreading up his neck onto his face. They all continued to sit as still as statues, gripping the bench they sat on, with white knuckles. This was so much fun. Joe stood by the wall, tapping his finger in sharp, uneven rhythms. He would heave a heavy sigh and push himself away from one wall, only to walk across the room and start the performance all over again. All of the men in the room followed him with their eyes now. He was irritating them, and they were getting close to losing their cool. Success.
Joe watched the men carefully as three detectives showed up and each one called a name. It was time, each of the men were being taken to an interview room. Only Giovanni was left in the cell with Morelli. He looked worse than ever, and Joe gave a slight nod to the officer locking the door. They would let the chief of staff sweat it out for another few minutes. By the time he left the cell, he would know that there was no way out. It wasn't really necessary to do much interrogating, the evidence was strong and spoke for itself. This part of the process was a formality of sorts at this point, but one that all of the detectives would have fun with.
Finally, they led poor Anthony Giovanni down the hall, he looked like he was about to explode, his face was all twisted up, and suddenly he stopped and made a grunting sound as he turned and plowed into the detective lunging for the gun in his shoulder holster. His pathetic attempt to escape was ended nearly as soon as it had started. And Giovanni was face down on the floor in seconds, the detective had a knee in his back as he pulled his arms back and cuffed his wrists in one smooth move. Joe had to try hard not to smile. They hauled the man up and practically carried Giovanni to the interview room. What they had on him before would have been more than enough, but this little maneuver just sealed his fate. Once Giovanni disappeared down the hall, Joe did allow a big smile, it just doesn't get any better than this. The case was now in the hands of the department detectives, once his paperwork was finished, Joe was done. His part had been successfully completed.
OoOoO
It wasn't often that she played the innocent victim, but looking at herself in the mirror, she knew that it would be a performance to remember this morning. It would have to be, the only thing she had going for her was her story. That and the hidden bruises she had created, sure that she needed them to make the story plausible. Obviously she had hadn't pressed charges against Helen with the police. It was not her intention to involve any other outside parties. The simpler she kept this whole affair the better for her purposes. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her purse and headed to the law offices of 'Smithers and Dudley'.
Jackson Smithers III spent a good half an hour pacing his office. He had arrived early today. After getting the message last night from the temp secretary, he knew he had to be at the office this morning. At the same time that he was irritated that this pushy woman insisted on coming to see him today, he recognized the name. It was a hard name to forget, even if you were drunk. He was worried that he would be wasting his time with her and truthfully, he did not want to see her again, he was uncertain what she wanted from him, and he certainly did not need any professional misconduct charges being filed against him at this point. He only vaguely remembered his first encounter with her and the 'unfortunate' incident that had occurred. It wasn't pretty, he would admit that.
Jax, as his friends called him, had once been a brilliant attorney. Now in his late fifties, he was afraid that he was a has-been. For years he had played the part of the ultimate playboy, never bothering to settle down because he was having too much fun playing the field. By the time he found a woman that he wanted to get serious about, he had built up too much of a reputation. She rejected him and he turned to his very expensive collection of liquors to help him ease the pain.
In fact, he was 'unavailable' now because of a particularly intense bender. He knew all about being drunk, the past year had been a blur of hangovers, but he had never been this sick before and throwing up all over a prospective client had served as a wake-up call for him. As he recovered from the hangover from hell, he determined that he would play it straight from now on. He was disgusted with himself for falling apart over a woman. From this point on he would suck it in and act like the lawyer that he was supposed to be. Jax would have preferred to have another day or two to get himself put back together, but an appointment had been set, and he was going to see it through. A noise in the outer office interrupted his thoughts and he rushed out to greet Ms. Kloughn.
Looking around the empty office, Laverne was ready to be very upset if she found out that she had been stood up this morning. She had to force herself to maintain her innocent act, at least long enough to see if anyone was here. She took a deep breath and headed toward the door marked 'Jackson Smithers III, Attorney at Law'. When it opened she was surprised and it showed in her face. Both Jax and Laverne froze. Jax did not remember Laverne from the other day, he had not actually been able to see her clearly through his drunken haze. But he may not have recognized her, even if he did remember her. All he saw in front of him now was a beautiful woman with stunning blue eyes. His heart did a little flip before he could gain a bit of composure and reach for her hand to introduce himself.
Her hand was now being held between two large warm hands, and Laverne was beginning to worry that her plan was about to go up in smoke. A large part of being able to trick this man into helping her, centered on the fact that she thought that he would be kind of drunk again. She swallowed and tried her best to get her helpless victim act together. Pulling her hand back, she smiled tentatively at him, "Are you okay Mr. Smithers?" she asked.
A warm smile spread across his face, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," "Please, call me Jax," he said as he motioned for her to come into his office. He pulled the chair out for her and helped her to get settled before he circled around the desk and sat down. His dark brown eyes were looking directly at Lavern, intent on conveying to her that she could trust him. But there was more to his stare than simply establishing trust, he had hoped that Lavern recognized it. "Now, what can I help you with?" he said.
Lavern knew that it was finally show time for her. She fully realized that a lot was riding on her performance today and she only hoped that she could make her tale compelling enough to convince him to help her file a complaint against Helen Plum. Lowering hers eyes demurely, she forced her voice to be soft and innocent as she began to weave the half- truths of the alleged incident into an amazing story of life and death. And make no mistake, when it came to deceit, Laverne was the ultimate in getting her way by using any and all tactics at her disposal. What she did not realize, what she was not paying any attention to, was the fact that from the moment he saw her he was hanging on her every word. And he was now devoted to helping her in the best way that he could. Lavern had come to see her attorney with a purpose in mind, she did not know that her life was about to change forever.
OoOoO