Standard FF disclaimers apply.
Chapter 16
Albert sat at his father's desk, looking over the countless array of pictures that his father had collected over the years. He had had little sleep the night before, his reflections on the words that were spoken by Mr. Jordan had remained constantly in his mind, reminding him of his father's triumph over adversity. And what an incredible story! Albert's heart and soul had been touched like never before. In many ways, sitting in this office made him feel as if he was a part of a fantastic family. A smile came to his face, he thought of how the company had come to be, and then it hit him, mission accomplished! Albert looked upwards towards the heavens, and as he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
"I love you."
"I will never forget you!"
"I will always be proud to be a part of a fantastic family.'
As Albert made notes for the meeting he scheduled with Mr. Allen, he began to think about his conversations the night before with Valerie. Although the drive home was relatively silent and uneventful, it was the pillow talk into the early hours of the morning that were the most meaningful. Cuddling together, Albert had told Valerie that it was over. All of his past feelings of anger and hurt towards his father had finally left him. He was ready to move on to the next chapter of his life and more importantly, their lives together. Valerie nodded her approval. Nothing was more important than listening to those words. And Valerie knew that Albert was up to the new responsibilities he had been given by his father.
In the quiet of the night, all alone, he and Valerie had discussed the importance of Albert's new role with the company. In their discussions, Albert had expressed his insecurities to the one individual who knew him best, his deepest and innermost feelings of how inadequate he felt taking over the reins of the company. And Valerie had listened intently as he expressed his personal fears and doubts in regards to his inability to assume the leadership role that was required of him.
And every time he voiced his thoughts and concerns, Valerie would simply hold him tighter, and whisper into his ear, "I love you Albert, and I am confident you have what it takes to make your father proud of you." These were the words that helped Albert realize that he had nothing fear but fear itself.
Albert knew he would soon be navigating through unchartered waters, but the good news was that he was doing so in the captain's seat. His father had put him in this enviable position, one that only a handful of people would ever experience in their lifetime. As an attorney by trade, Albert knew that through inheritance, Fantastic Families, Inc. was now his company, no one would contest that. But that did not necessarily mean that a transfer of trust had taken place between him and the existing employees of the company. Did his inheriting the company mean he had full control of the company, including the support of its employees? Who was really in charge of the day to day operations of the company? By giving him the company, did his father step over someone else who was more deserving than he was? Did he have friends, or did he have enemies at the corporate offices? And if so, who were his friends?
These were some of the thoughts that had kept him awake the majority of the night after Valerie had finally drifted off to sleep. And he knew the answers were going to come sooner rather than later. Today was going to be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. The shock and awe of what had had happened to them was starting to diminish and reality was settling in, much to Albert's dismay. It was these thoughts that had inspired him to contact Mr. Allen first thing when he got into the office this morning, requesting a meeting with him as soon as possible. Fortunately for Albert, Mr. Allen's schedule was open, and he had graciously agreed to meet with him later that day at the corporate offices. A sigh of relief came from Albert. He was confident that Mr. Allen would have the answers to all of his questions.
Deep in thought, Albert had not heard the light knocking on his open door. From the moment he had entered into the corporate offices and sat down at his desk, Albert had made the decision that he would always have an open door policy, anyone who wanted to talk to him was welcome to come to his office. It was the reason why he had left his door open, however it appeared that it didn't work as he had planned, since he did not realize that someone had wanted to speak with him until they had to practically hit him over the head in order to get his attention. Looking up, he saw a familiar face in the doorway.
Peter Winston had patiently been knocking on his door to get his attention, but when that had proved ineffective, he changed his strategy. Peter knew since this was Albert's first day at the office, he would likely feel somewhat overwhelmed and distracted in his own thoughts. It was Peter's responsibility to make Albert feel right at home. Clearing his throat in a loud, somewhat obnoxious manner, he saw that Albert had finally lifted his head to acknowledge him. Peter made certain that he had made full eye contact with Albert before proceeding. There was much at stake here, he did not want to make a mistake so early in the court-shipping process. And make no mistake, this is exactly what would be going on for the next several weeks until everyone understood their new roles with the company.
"Good morning" Peter began the conversation. "How are you doing?" 'I hope you've prepared yourself for an extremely busy day." "I think you're going to find the day to day operations of the company intriguing." "Are you up to the challenge?"
It was the last words that got Albert's attention more than anything else. What was the significance of those words? Should Albert take them as a positive or a negative? From the first day that he had met Peter, he felt that he was someone that he could trust and become good friends with for many years to come. Now as he listened to those words, he felt a twinge of uncertainty. After all, Peter Winston had lost more than anyone else when his father had stepped over him to give his only son full control of the company. Did Peter resent the decision his father had made, and if so, what about the other members of the mastermind group?
"Good morning Peter" was all that Albert could muster immediately as a response. It was a lame response, Albert thought to himself. With so much at stake, perhaps he should have planned some kind of a formal statement. With these thoughts running through his mind, the next thing that Peter said brought shivers down his spine as he tried in vain to read the intent of Peter's words.
"Albert we have all cleared our schedules today so that we could have an emergency meeting of the mastermind group" "The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 AM." "It's on the agenda...
Albert tuned out the remainder of Peter's words, his mind was racing with so many thoughts all at once. Albert felt panic overcoming him, but he didn't know why. Nothing in the days since receiving his inheritance had given him cause for concern, nothing. No one had contested his father's will, no one could. That in and of itself was a clear indication he had nothing to fear. And yet, here he was having a panic attack for no apparent reason. Strange. The one thought that remained constant in his mind was the meeting he scheduled with Mr. Allen for later in the afternoon. Somehow he had to remain calm and confident until then, and above all, not allow himself to revert back to his insecurities. Albert closed his eyes and thought of Valerie, a smile came to his lips. He could face whatever was coming.
OoOoO
The tale was told with emotion and a passion that Jax found compelling. Poor Laverne had been treated so badly, and he wanted to see things made right again for her. In her attempts to make a good show, Laverne remembered to keep her eyes looking sad, filled with the innocent teardrops of a victim who had been taken advantage of. She tried to use her soft, innocent voice as she continued her charade as the victim of an unprovoked assault. Laverne was the ultimate actress. She was deceitful, she was dishonest, and she knew she had the attorney in the palm of her hand, she could see it in his eyes. Her plan was working!
In her enthusiasm, Laverne stood and walked away from the desk. She was really getting into her story, and she was ready to unveil the evidence. Her self-inflicted bruises would seal the deal. It was just too easy, she thought. She had chosen well, she was manipulating this attorney the way she had hoped. He was putty. As she turned back to face him, she noticed that he was leaning forward, paying close attention to the details of her story. And she had to keep a smile from spreading across her face. She knew she had him. So she kept the act going and played him for all he was worth. Laverne could practically smell the money now.
An internal dialog was going on inside of Jax Smithers head. It started with his fascination of, and immediate infatuation with Laverne Kloughn. Maybe it was the way she looked, all hurt and innocent. Maybe it was the fact that he wanted a woman in his life now, and he was still smarting over the rejection he'd had over a year ago. Maybe he was still hung over a little bit. But whatever the reason, Jax was allowing himself to fall in love with Laverne. His thoughts were of protecting her, fighting for justice for her, kissing her. At one point, his mind wandered and he found himself happily lost in these thoughts. Jax was smitten and he gazed tenderly at the object of his affections.
She moved gracefully, even as her restlessness took her around the room, as she continued with her explanation of what had happened. She started using her hands, becoming more and more animated. He watched her closely, he loved the way she moved, the way she spoke, she was beautiful, and she had put her trust in him. He did not intend to let her down. He would be her knight in shining armor. And after he saved the day, he would whisk her away and they would live happily ever after.
"Oh, Jax," she had breathed his name with such intensity it sent shivers through his body. "I know you can help me," she said. Then she looked at him, and hesitantly pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her sweater. It was time for the unveiling of her handiwork. Jax sucked in a sharp breath when he saw the bruising. Laverne looked away, in an attempt to seem hurt, and upset about the whole incident. But she knew without looking, that the marks she had so painfully inflicted on herself, had done the trick. She could hear it in the way Jax was breathing. She timed the next moment perfectly. She looked up at him through the veil of her lashes, so innocent, so helpless. It was all she could do not to break out laughing.
Laverne walked up to the desk now, as close as she could get to him. In one final gesture, showing herself to be a damsel in distress, she folded her arms in front of her, hands grasping at her elbows. She was sure that this was the final act in her performance. She had Jax right where she wanted him. Now, one last forlorn look, and it was curtain time. Laverne was nearly triumphant, her heart was pounding as she glanced up to see the effects of her stellar performance. Then her heart stopped. What was this look on his face. What was wrong?
As he carefully watched her, he had to control the urge to walk around his desk and take her protectively in his arms. The desire to soothe her and assure her was almost overwhelming. But Jax knew he needed to play it cool, too much too soon would scare her away. What she needed now was a competent attorney. After he won this legal battle for her, he could declare his love and they could walk off into the sunset together. She looked at him with such trust. And he was ready to do everything in his power to help her. Then he saw it. She had folded her arms, and had laid her hand on her arm just below the bruises. It pained him to see her injuries, how could she be so mistreated. But wait!
Anger built up inside of his chest. Jax was incensed, how dare she play this game with him. He stared at her arms. He wanted to be certain before he jumped to any conclusions, but it seemed obvious to him now. To think that he had entertained the thought of spending the rest of his life with this person. The urge to vomit all over her again was welling up inside. Looking carefully at the bruises, he saw that they matched the shape of her hands exactly. He realized that the angle of the imprints would have had to be self inflicted, no one could reach out at you and then grab you in that manner. Laverne Kloughn was trying to play him the fool, sucker him into helping her with this sham of a story. This was not his first rodeo, he had been many things in his lifetime, but a shyster lawyer was not one of them.
Gradually the feelings of power slipped away from Laverne as she watched Jax stand and walk around his desk. Pulling her to face him, he experimentally placed his hands on her arms as if he was grabbing her the way Helen Plum would have, according to Laverne's story. As he suspected, the hand prints would have been at a very different angle. He dropped his hands to his sides, and stared at Laverne. Many emotions were passing through his mind. He had never been so disappointed in anyone in his life. He backed away from her. What would his next move be? Filing a false claim against anyone is a very serious crime. Using fraudulent means for monetary gain was also a very serious crime. And intentionally falsifying evidence was the icing on the cake when it came to a misuse of the judiciary system. None of this was lost on Jax as he needed a moment alone to determine what he would do next.
"Please excuse me for a moment," he said as he walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. He called a friend who worked at the Trenton PD. Pulling in a favor, he asked him to look up the name of Laverne Kloughn to see if there was a history of any criminal behavior. The search was quick, the report came back negative. There was no record of any misconduct in Laverne's past, not even a traffic violation. Armed with this information, Jax made his decision. He walked back into his office. Laverne had remained standing by his desk, as if frozen in place. Jax looked intently at Laverne. At least she had the decency to look worried. And she should be worried because he was about to challenge her entire story.
Avoiding any eye contact, he walked back around his desk. He leaned forward his hands planted firmly on his desk. Now he looked at her, and he spoke with a low, serious voice. "You will not be pressing any charges against Helen Plum," "You will not take this scam to any other lawyers," "If I hear that you have tried to perpetuate this game of yours in any way, anywhere else, I will have you brought up on fraud charges so fast your head will swim." "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Laverne dropped down into the chair. Her eyes were wide, with surprise and a little bit of fear. How did he know she was pulling a scam? "Wwha… who do you… how dare.." she sputtered.
"You can stop right there, honey," Jax spit at her. "I know a legitimate claim when I hear one." He was shaking his head at her.
Grabbing her handbag, Laverne stood. She opened her mouth to protest, but he was still shaking his head. So she turned on her heels and stalked out of the office. With as much dignity as she could muster, she walked to her car and drove straight home. She slammed the front door and slumped down onto the couch. Humiliation washed over her again as she thought of the scene at the office. Wondering where it had all gone wrong, she was not immediately willing to admit failure. This was not her fault, she had been forced into the situation by everyone else. She tried to summon up anger, at Mr. Jax Smithers. At Helen Plum. At Derrick. At Albert. But it wouldn't come.
She struggled with the truth, tried to ignore the truth. She didn't want to see herself for what she had become. But slowly reality began to creep into her inner thoughts. Laverne sat there for a long time, numb and empty. It was over. She had nothing more. She was completely defeated. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had brought it all on herself.
OoOoO
Jake and Nicki, along with Tony had decided to meet met at their favorite restaurant. Once they all arrived at Palermo's, they were greeted by their good friend, Vince DePilla. As the owner, he made it a point of becoming friends with his regular customers, and these three kids knew him well.
"Hey guys, it's been a while, you okay?" Vince said as he led them to their favorite spot in the back of the restaurant. He handed them the menus, knowing full well that they didn't need to see them, the kids were going to order the tomato pie, with the Roma and Milano Paninis for the guys and a green salad for Nicki. When Tony handed the menu's back to Vince, he smiled and nodded, Vince knew he was right, he returned a knowing smile and left to put in their order.
This was the first outing that Tony had been on since this whole thing began. He would like to complain that he had been going crazy, being confined to his house. But it would have been a lie. He had been enjoying the simplified lifestyle. Every day Nicki would come over and they would spend hours together. Tony looked over at Nicki, her long dark hair framed her perfect face. He could look at her forever, he loved her big, expressive eyes. Especially when she would look up at him, like she was doing now, through the sweep of her dark eyelashes. Under the table, Nicki grabbed his hand. Her smile told him that there was no place she would rather be, than right here with him.
Jake hadn't been able to spend as much time with Tony as he would have liked lately. Since graduation, their lives had been taking vastly different paths. Tony showed his loyalty to his family, to his Uncle, by joining the gang, and Jake had started classes at the Community College. He spent every afternoon at a local elementary school participating in the S.M.I.L.E. program. It was his favorite time of the day, sharing his love of science and math with the kids there. Of course it didn't hurt that Dina was there too. It had been the best coincidence that they shared the same interests and had been paired up to visit the schools together.
It had taken several months for them to realize that they liked each other. Both had been distracted by things in their personal lives. But now, they had time for each other and they made a really cute couple. Jake looked across the crowded restaurant, he could just see the front entrance from where he was sitting. Dina was meeting them here, and he couldn't wait for her to arrive. He kept one eye on the door and the other on his sister and best friend. He was so glad that Tony was now out of danger, and that he could leave the whole gang thing behind.
They had been best friends since Tony's uncle had moved into the neighborhood when Tony was about 6 years old. At that time, Tony's family lived closer to Newark, but every summer was spent with his cousins here in Trenton. The boys had met at the neighborhood park, Jake knew Paolo, Tony's cousin. They were in the same class at school. So they all ended up hanging out together at the park. By the time Tony was 14, his family had moved again. Now the boys were all in the same school. Jake and Tony were close. More than best friends, they were almost like brothers. Tony had one sister and no brothers, and up until this last move, Paolo had always filled the 'brother' position in Tony's life. It may have been losing that distinction that prompted Paolo to join the gang. And somehow Tony recognized that fact, it could have been his largest motivator to do as his uncle asked, to help Paolo. It was still a source of sadness, for Tony, that in the end, Paolo had chosen not to accept any help. He was now sitting in a holding cell with the other guys after the raid. And there was nothing that Tony could do for him now.
Suddenly Jake stood, Tony looked up in confusion, and Nicki just smiled. Jake had not yet mentioned that Dina was going to meet them here tonight, but by the look on his face, Nicki knew that Dina had just walked in. Vince greeted her at the door, and she must have told him that she was looking for Jake, because he wrapped her arm in his and guided her back to their table. When they reached Jake, Vince held her hand in his and he kissed it before dramatically grabbing Jake's hand placing Dina's hand in it. He patted their joined hands and winked at Jake before he walked away, whistling a happy tune. Vince could never resist the chance to help love along, he had told them many times before that it was more than just an honor or a privilege, he considered it his calling. Once he left, Jake helped Dina sit down and introductions were made.
For the rest of the evening, it felt like they were longtime friends. They were having a great time. At one point, Dina and Jake looked at each other and had a silent conversation. It was time, they decided, Jake cleared his throat, and looked straight at Tony. "I know what you tried to do for Paolo," he said. "You were right, someone should try to help those kids, help them do anything but get sucked into any gang." Jake paused, trying to read the expression on Tony's face.
Then Jake broke out into a huge grin, "we've got a great idea," he looked at Dina who nodded at him, and then back to Tony. "We have it all worked out, we've designed programs that will attract and help kids before they get into the position of ever considering a gang." They gave a brief overview of their plans and when Tony started to nod, and a smile emerged, Jake asked the big question. "Tony, do you think this is something that we could take to Hector? We are going to need someone to bank roll the whole thing. I was thinking that RangeMan could be our sponsor." His gaze bounced between Nicki and Tony. And finally he said, "Well, what do you think?"
OoOoO
The headlines of the Trenton Times read; 'FBI Raids City Hall'. Stephanie sat silently in her own world, trying to grasp the enormity of what had just happened and the role she had played in making it all happen. When she had asked Albert to help Tony get out of trouble, she never imagined the case would explode and become the most talked about crime story of the past 25 years in her community. It was hard to believe through Albert and Hector's combined efforts, the end of an era in crime had just taken place.
Stephanie couldn't help smiling. If it hadn't been for the involvement of Albert and Hector, she wouldn't have known about Joe's operation. She always knew that he was good at what he did. He was also good at not letting her know just what that was. This glimpse into his world made her proud of her good friend. She was going to miss him, but the job he had accepted in New York was a great move for his career, and she knew how much he deserved it. All of this had started when she had asked Albert to help out, thank goodness he had accepted her request for assistance. Stephanie knew this was the biggest case that Albert had ever worked on, and as far as she was concerned, he had proven himself more than up to the task. Stephanie was excited that Albert had accepted her offer to move his office to RangeMan. Little did she know that decision would only be short-term one.
Joe Morelli glanced at the headlines. In his wildest dreams, he never would have imagined the incredible turn of events. Morelli's undercover work and sting operation had been executed to perfection, the results were more than his superiors could have had hoped for. Although the Mayor was still out of town, charges against Anthony Giovanni led the police to his home office, his personal computer, and the safe hidden in the wall where information they gathered raised all kinds of additional questions about the possible involvement of other high ranking officials, including the Mayor himself. He had to give the mayor credit, he had kept his name out of the mix for a very long time. He had not been previously considered a suspect, or even a 'person of interest' in the gang related activities.
Now everyone in his office was under investigation. Charges of fraud, bribery, money laundering, loan sharking and distribution of drugs were being talked about. It was serious enough to bring in the FBI, sending them all over the city, searching the homes of everyone believed to be involved. Not even their high-powered lawyers were successful in excluding their clients from the search and seizures of their homes and possessions. Everything had fallen right into place, and it was well known throughout law enforcement circles who was responsible, having given his all in this assignment.
The Valor Award was an honor given for an act of bravery, beyond the call of duty, and imminent personal risk to his or her own life and safety, with full knowledge of the risk involved. The Meritorious Service Award was an honor given for an act demonstrating a high level of courage under perilous conditions that is a credit to him or her and their agency. The Distinguished Service Award was an honor given for an act of outstanding bravery under conditions of personal risk to their own life and safety and beyond their duties.
It was only a formality, the timing and location of the event had to be arranged, but when it was all said and done, Morelli knew that his strong consideration for each of these awards had clinched his getting the job offer with the NYPD.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Joe thought of the whole operation. Taking out the 'King Pin' had been Morelli's goal all along. Giovanni was always the target. But having the investigation lead to the Mayor himself, this was the ultimate prize, everything else was a bonus for the Trenton PD and the FBI. Nothing like going out with a bang, he laughed to himself. Morelli was glad that his involvement with the whole thing was done, it had been a drain on him personally and professionally. What a mess it turned out to be. But it was because of the success of his operation, that all of this had come to light. A smile spread across his face, it was going to be a nightmare going through all the evidence that was being collected. And he was fine leaving it in the hands of the FBI now.
OoOoO
Albert took a deep breath as he followed Peter into the boardroom. From his first visit to the corporate headquarters, Albert recalled that the boardroom was located right on the main floor of the building, conveniently next to the main entrance and foyer where the company's mission statement was beautifully carved into the wood flooring. Good, Albert thought to himself. If things start spiraling out of control, he could get up and run out of the meeting. And he chuckled to himself as he visualized how comical it would be if it were to actually happened the way he had just envisioned it.
Returning back to the real world, Albert walked into the boardroom and was immediately embraced by Lovey Thurston. Albert smiled at her warmly, remembering the role she had in finding his father despite her initial challenges. Lovey seemed happy and upbeat, he didn't feel threatened by her at all. Next, Albert had been embraced by Terri Gavin who, judging by her speech and her body language, was also likely on his side. Both Lovey and Terri kept smiling at him, telling him how much they were looking forward to working with him. It was exactly what Albert had hoped for, but at the same time, it was almost too perfect.
Albert wasn't sure if their responses were genuine or not, so he decided the best thing for him to do under the circumstances was not to take things at their face value, but instead keep his guard up at all times. Terry Thompson and Theo Koppe both shook Albert's hand forcefully, almost as it was their intention to crush his hand. Normally, Albert would have taken this as a sign of confidence, but in this instance he found it to be more of a gesture of superiority, as if they were saying they controlled the playing field and he was just a spectator whom they could crush at any time.
It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Although Albert had no reason not to trust these individuals, he had always learned to trust his instincts, which was more important to him. And for some reason he felt his guard go up immediately upon meeting now with these individuals. He would be cautious, he had to make sure that that he was ready for anything. It was then that Albert turned and focused his full attention on the most important individual of all, Peter Winston, the acting President of the company.
Albert knew that Peter Winston was the key to everything. Peter had been his father's most trusted ally since the very beginning. It was Peter's leadership that had brought Derrick to the company. It was Peter's decision to hire Derrick on the spot, without prior notification to the other members of the mastermind group. Peter was the type of individual who did not need the approval of anyone, he was the type of leader that was a driver, someone who basically led by his instincts and told everyone else to get out of the way if they didn't like the decisions he made.
Peter Winston was the type of individual who made no apologies to anyone. From his past business dealings, Albert knew that this type of charismatic individual could be a positive as easily as a negative. Now it was Albert's task to determine which one it was when it came to Peter Winston. After a few more minutes of idle conversation, everyone began to slowly sit down in their customary seats
As Peter Winston was about to begin the meeting, he recognized there was something wrong with the overall synergy he felt inside the boardroom. At a time when both excitement and expectations should be at an all-time high, it wasn't there. Peter recognized immediately that there was a spirit of hesitancy and/or insecurity in the room and it had to be eliminated right from the onset before it seized control of everyone else. It didn't take long for Peter to realize what was wrong, and he immediately took action to resolve the conflict he was sensing. Recognizing the ownership of the company had been transferred, but that the transfer of trust had not yet taken place, Peter stood up and motioned for Albert to come and stand by his side. Then with a broad smile on his face and in a token of respect, Peter offered Albert his seat at the leader's position of the boardroom table.
The reaction was immediate. The applause was spontaneous. It was as genuine as it was robust. And there was no doubt in regards to the intent of this display of commitment and loyalty. In their own personal and unique way the members of the mastermind team were again demonstrating their approval of what had transpired, and in a similar fashion as when his father had been offered and accepted his new position with the company. It was at this moment when the transfer of trust had taken place. It was definitely a step in the right direction.
A smile came over Albert's face as he nodded his head and clasped his hands in front of him, acknowledging the applause and welcome demonstration of approval. It was likely that all of his initial fears had likely been misguided, but there was nothing wrong with taking the more cautious approach. As he looked at each member of the mastermind group, he noted to himself that the meeting he had set with Mr. Allen later that afternoon was even more important than he had originally thought.