Standard FF disclaimers apply.

Chapter 17

The applause was spontaneous and it was welcome. Albert felt as if an invisible burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. Albert knew it was reminiscent of the exact same experience his father had had during his first meeting with these individuals. The bond that had been established then was unbreakable, and for the next 5 years up until his father's death, they had shown unwavering loyalty to his father. If there was a better way for the members of the mastermind group to show him that he had their full support, Albert didn't know how it was possible. The symbolic transfer of trust had now taken place; it was now time for Albert to assume the leadership of the company.

Albert had done his due-diligence. Knowing that he had to be ready if called upon to demonstrate his knowledge of the company, its products, and its services, he had spent countless hours researching the company that he had inherited from his father. Albert had researched all of the business articles he could find about the origins and ongoing operations of the company. It was impressive. As a leader in the social network industry, he discovered that his father's company had been featured several times in these types of publications. Albert learned that Fantastic Families, Inc. was an Internet based company, their entire business model designed to capitalize on automation rather than the traditional business model requiring a more hands on approach to doing business. By focusing on technology, the company had been able to reach a significantly high number of customers, more than 25 million monthly subscribers, and growing every day. It didn't take long for Albert to immediately realize that its subscriber base was the company's most valuable asset.

Forbes Magazine called Fantastic Families, Inc. the Facebook of Social Networking for Families, which was an amazing testament to the power of his father's vision. They noted that while Facebook had focused primarily on the individual, Fantastic Families, Inc. had instead chosen to focus on the family, which made them revolutionary in the industry. But Fantastic Families, Inc. was more than just a social network site; it was designed to be an ongoing profit center for families. It was the first turnkey business opportunity of its kind in history that allowed families to promote themselves in a positive environment, while at the same time creating a bold and unique way for them to stay closer together running a successful family business. Armed with the knowledge he had, Albert felt comfortable with the direction of the company. And there were a few additional ideas that he wanted the company to explore under his leadership.

After the applause had subsided, Albert stood up from his leader's chair and shook Peter's hand in a display of solidarity. Then he took a full minute, silently looking at each individual in the boardroom, as if he wanted to reach into their souls, rather than relying on their outward appearances. Albert closely studied the reactions of each individual as he stared right into their eyes, the windows of their souls, and he was pleased with the results. Each individual met his stare with a smile on their faces, never looking away for one moment, as if to convey to him that they were on board with the changes that had taken place and were awaiting his instructions. It was this sentiment that Albert was looking for, the kind of sentiment that comes from within and is not communicated by voice, but rather spirit to spirit. Now that he felt he had the full support and trust of the mastermind group, it was time for Albert to deliver his first official speech as the acting President of Fantastic Families, Inc. to the members of the corporate leadership team.

"I want to sincerely thank you with all of my heart for the warm welcome you have given me today," Albert began. "I have felt a huge wave of emotions coming through me all at once, telling me that of all the individuals in the world, I would be the least likely to be here today, standing before you as the new leader of this company.."

"I have never felt more humbled in my life." "None of you know me, and yet without hesitation you have given me your full support." "This type of loyalty and trust does not come naturally in the business world without some hesitation, and especially not to someone who is a complete stranger." "Which is why I am...

Suddenly, laughter began to fill the boardroom. It was loud and it was spontaneous. Albert froze in mid-sentence, not knowing how to react to this sudden expression of what could only be described as ridicule towards him. Albert felt the anger slowly began to seize control him, it took every ounce of self-discipline that he could muster from within not to lash out immediately at everyone. No words can adequately describe how he felt at this moment, the disappointment on this face was obvious at this unexpected turn of events.

It was Peter Winston who finally recognized the negative reaction towards the laughter that had filled the boardroom. He could see it in the countenance of Albert's face and immediately rose to his feet, holding his hand up high to quiet the room. The laughter stopped. Everyone sat silently, huge smiles on their faces. Then Peter turned towards Albert and offered an explanation of what had just transpired.

"Albert you will need to forgive all of us for this unplanned moment of levity." "It was not intended to be disrespectful towards you in any way." "It's only that you words caught all of us off guard, that's all." "What you do not know and what need to know now, is that you are not a stranger to any of us."

"Each of us has known of you since the very beginnings of the company." "Your father made certain this would be the case." "Each of us has also known for a very long time the day would come when you would take the reins of this company." "This is exactly what your father had planned for, these were his wishes." "As always, we support his decisions, now more than ever." "So Albert, for all of us, this is a homecoming, not an introduction."

"Welcome home Albert."

OoOoO

In the twilight dim, Laverne continued to think about her life, and about what she had attempted to do today. She had remained motionless on her couch for hours, lost in her thoughts, agonizing over what she had become. What she had been for too many years now. Her heart ached as she had been forced to finally see herself objectively for the first time in a long time. There had always been plenty of excuses for why she did what she did. She had long been the queen of rationalization.

She shook her head and stood. She walked around the darkened living room. Pacing without any thought to where she was. In her mind, she was seeing this person that she was. The comparison of that person and the one she had always wanted to be were stark and frightening. How had she let this happen? Laverne realized just how unhappy she was. How miserable she had made her life, for herself and everyone around her. She had become the horrible human being that she swore she would never be.

Silently she cursed herself for being so weak. She cursed her mother, without realizing it she had become just like her. And she cursed the father who had destroyed her heart so many years ago. She shook her head again. She was not going to revisit those memories. They did not matter, they were excuses for her behavior, but she saw now that she was the only one who allowed herself to change. For the first time in her entire life, Laverne saw things with such clarity. And she did not like what she saw. The awful irony was, that in becoming the master manipulator, she had no one but herself to blame.

For Laverne, the emotions were strong and they were telling. To think that she had just humiliated herself in front of Jackson Smithers, it was almost more that she could bear. Thank God that she had not made a scene the day she was looking for her son. It was bad enough that Helen had been there to see what she had been up to. She had to own up to the fact that she was the one running this show, it was all her fault. A feeling of such helplessness came over her. She sank to the floor, crumpled in a heap. A flood of tears started with a single teardrop. Laverne had not allowed herself to cry, for over 30 years she would not cry. Now that one tear opened up the part of her heart that had been closed off for so long, that needed to be healed. She wrapped her arms around her chest as she doubled over and she cried uncontrollably.

Laverne cried with wracking sobs that stole her breath, silent and tormenting, sobs that felt like they would never end. She never even attempted to wipe the tears as they streamed down her face. Falling in huge drops, the tears soaking her beautiful silk dress. She cried until she had no more strength left and she collapsed. Exhausted, she passed out on the floor. Hours later, she dragged herself out of the house. Unaware or uncaring of the mess that she presented with her tear streaked face and rumpled dress. She had just one thought in her mind. And it took her back to his office. She had to see Jax. Of course, no one was at the office at this hour. Laverne stood staring at the door, realization hit finally and she pulled out her cell phone. She only had the office number so she dialed it, hearing the phone ring inside the empty office. With a soft, sorrowful voice she left her message. Then she turned and returned home.

Alone.

Always alone.

OoOoO

Taking a moment again, to look at the photos in his office, Albert awaited the arrival of Mr. Allen. The meeting in the boardroom could not have gone any better, he was now convinced that he had nothing to fear and was fully in control of the company. Talking with Mr. Allen in regards to this issue would now become a formality. It was time for Albert to address the other issues that Mr. Allen had asked to go over with him. The assets he had inherited from his father were substantial, amongst them were certain real estate holdings, including his father's private residence. Albert had not yet taken the time to take inventory, much less physical possession, of these assets.

As he made his way to Albert's office, Mr. Allen knew how important it was for him to get Albert and Valerie to take action on how best to manage their real estate holdings. Mr. Allen had been insisting that Albert become more conscious of the fact that he had new responsibilities. Mr. Allen reminded himself that he was responsible for the management of the liquid assets of the trust, however the proper care and management of the real estate holdings from his inheritance was Albert's responsibility. Although every single property was managed by a professional real estate company, it was still important for Albert and Valerie to make decisions on the best use of every single property.

Which properties did they want to keep long-term in their real estate investment portfolio? Which properties did they want to immediately sell for profit? All of the real estate holdings in their investment portfolio were free and clear, making it easier for Albert and Valerie to make decisions on the disposition of each property without any major financial considerations. It wasn't too difficult to manage. Mr. Allen smiled to himself as he thought about the unveiling of Derrick's private mansion, something he knew would likely be overwhelming for this young couple. Mr. Allen couldn't wait to give them a private tour.

The meeting progressed rapidly, Mr. Allen assured Albert that he had absolutely nothing to fear, but in the unfortunate event that something were to happen that would cause anyone to question his ownership of the company, the legal documents that had been executed at the time he accepted his inheritance were iron-clad. Regardless of any efforts, there was no legal way for anyone to take away his company. Having addressed this issue to Albert's satisfaction, Mr. Allen then turned the attention to the subject of Albert's real estate holdings.

Not being one to beat around the bush, Mr. Allen had already made special arrangements to have Albert and Valerie visit his father's private estate in Princeton, New Jersey. This tour was to take place at the end of their meeting. Mr. Allen had already called Valerie in advance to make the arrangements. Not one to miss any details, Mr. Allen made certain that special care was given to ensure that the children would also be able to come. After all, it was their family estate now, they should all be together the first time they visited their new home. Mr. Allen recognized this would be the first of several different tours the family would enjoy over the next few weeks. Mr. Allen was looking forward to it.

After an overview of the real estate holdings, Albert was amazed at the gift from his father, and his father's generosity. There was no hiding the fact that Derrick had left Albert a huge financial windfall. The estimated value of his real estate holdings in Princeton, Florida, Hawaii, New York, and the Grand Cayman Islands was extremely high, even in todays down market. The old adage, location, location, location, was applicable in regards to his real estate holdings. Derrick had chosen wisely. Each property was in an exclusive location and as a result, there was minimal loss in market value.

Mr. Allen nodded in agreement with Albert's decisions. Albert felt very comfortable holding on to the properties for the time being as he did not have any financial challenges in keeping them as it was likely all of them would increase in value substantially in the next 3-5 years as the economy slowly improved. Mr. Allen had also explained the financial benefits of using these resort properties for corporate business, it made complete sense for Albert to take advantage of the tax benefits. Now that the disposition of the properties had been settled, Mr. Allen was ready to discuss the private tour of their new home.

"Albert, I have taken the liberty to clear my schedule as well as your schedule for the remainder of the day." "I have also spoken with Valerie and have also 'cleared her schedule." "Obviously, I didn't clear your children's schedule, but Valerie was gracious enough to do this for me." "I have made arrangements for all of us to go to Princeton, in order to visit your father's private estate." "I am positive that this will be an incredible experience and help you make the necessary transition to your new standing in life."

The last words spoken by Mr. Allen pierced Albert's soul. Everything in him wanted things to remain the same. Albert did not take to change lightly, he struggled with his newfound status. It was uncomfortable. Albert didn't feel any differently. Yet he knew that Mr. Allen was right. It was time for him to fully accept his destiny. Albert could no longer delay the inevitable. It was time for him to embrace his new life and everything that came with it. This would include recognizing he was now a man of affluence. Albert knew the time to stand tall had arrived, he had to leave his past behind.

"I'm ready."

That was the response that Mr. Allen was looking for.

OoOoO

"Pa-jaro, not par-karo."

M.A. was attempting to teach Angie the words to the song that she had learned in Spanish class. Valerie just smiled as Angie repeated it correctly and was enthusiastically praised by her younger sister. The drive was not long, Princeton was just next door, but as they got closer it looked like another world. They were driving through an area with large estates. Beautiful landscaping, tree lined streets and gated properties welcomed them as they came even closer to their destination. This was going to be a surprise for the whole family. None of them knew what to expect.

Albert was secretly glad that he had listened to Peter when he insisted that the company car would be sent again to take the family on this trip. He was nervous and it was just as well that he wasn't driving now as they pulled up to the gate. All of them watched as the gate slowly swung open. The limo pulled forward following a winding driveway that led up to the house. Large trees lined the drive, and blocked the house from their view until they pulled up around the final curve. Suddenly the house was there in front of them. It was a very large house, a huge house, truly an enormous mansion. No one said anything for a long moment. They were all so stunned. There were no words available to describe what they were seeing.

The car stopped in the front of the house. One by one the family piled out of the car. The bricked walkway led up to the entrance where Mr. Allen was waiting for them. The big red brick home was impressive with its high hipped roof tops, two stories of windows with dormers and black shutters. Albert and his family were speechless as they entered the house. Then M.A. started running up the stairs that curved up gracefully to the second floor landing.

"I'm going to find my room," she shouted.

"Me too," Angie said, following M.A. up the stairs.

"Well, I would be glad to give you a tour of the rest of the house, if you would like," offered Mr. Allen. "I think you will be impressed with its beauty and its charm."

"That would be wonderful!" Valerie exclaimed, not waiting for a response from Albert. All Albert could do was smile and let the tour begin.

As he led the way through the living room, the vaulted ceiling made the space feel very impressive. A large stone fireplace owned one wall and a floor to ceiling picture window comprised another. Albert and Valerie were stunned, taking in the large leather furniture, the beautiful glass top tables, the magnificent paintings. They couldn't get over how grand it looked. Mr. Allen, however, saw it as the gathering place that he had come to on so many occasions. It was a warm and inviting space, especially when Derrick had been here hosting parties for his friends. Just as Valerie was dragging Albert over to the large panoramic windows to see the views outside, Mr. Allen pulled their attention to the dining room, and they continued the tour of their new home.

In room after room, they were awed by the beautiful way they were each decorated, and by the way it felt like a home, despite its enormous size. The home was fully furnished, every single room filled with high quality furnishings. The kitchen especially attracted Valerie's attention, it was a dream kitchen, it had everything that she ever thought she would like to have, and then some. It was also fully stocked with a variety of drinks and snacks to satisfy everyone' individual favorites. Mr. Allen grabbed some soft drinks from the pantry fridge, offering them to Albert and Valerie and to the girls when they came running, breathless and found them in the kitchen.

"My room is great," gushed Angie. She loved the one with a built in window seat with shelves on both ends. She could already picture herself reading her favorite books there with the pillows propped up behind her.

"Mine is even better," M.A. said. She had a dreamy look in eyes as she told them about the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the grounds behind the house. "There is a horse pasture back there," she said as she raced to the double doors that opened up onto the large covered patio.

Everyone followed her out to see the views. And they looked out over the perfectly manicured lawns. And the forest of trees edging the property. And the lush pastures beyond. A feeling of such tranquility and peace enfolded them. Sitting on the garden bench, overlooking the entire estate, it felt like home. And in that moment the decision, that they didn't even know they were going to make that day, was finalized. This was their home. The family would be moving in soon.

Albert turned to Valerie, he smiled at her and kissed her forehead. He saw the look in her eyes, and he knew what she was thinking. He held her hands in his, and knelt down on one knee.

"Valerie Marie Plum Kloughn, will you do me the honor of marrying me again?" "Properly this time," he added with a wink.

Albert did not have to remind her of the fact that he nearly passed out, and had to be held up by Stephanie's friend Diesel, when they said their impromptu wedding vows. He had been trying to make it up to her ever since. One look at this perfect setting, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was now up to Valerie to take him up on his offer.

Valerie's heart began to race. She knew the significance of what this meant to Albert. They had gone through so much in the early days of their marriage. Through thick and thin, they had survived many challenges and obstacles because of one thing, their love for one another. As she looked back at their beautiful new home, Valerie knew that their newfound wealth wasn't the most important thing in their lives. She tugged on his hands and he stood, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He wrapped her in his embrace, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"Do I take that as a yes?" he teased.

"Oh yes, Albert," she whispered. She kissed him, nearly forgetting that they were not alone. The girls were closely watching this romantic exchange. Angie looked on and sighed, this moment had been so dreamy and wonderful. M.A. on the other hand rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose. It was just too lovey-dovey for her, and she wasn't going to stick around for any more of it. Climbing on the railing, she gazed out over the horse pastures. Now that was something that she wanted to see.

OoOoO

Hector looked at the phone in his hands before he finally lowered the receiver back into place. Tony and Jake were more than excited about something, but they wouldn't give away any clues before they had a chance to meet together with him. Hector would have to wait another day to find out what was going on.

Since Tony's release from the juvenile detention home, Hector had become a friend and mentor of sorts to him. He smiled as he remembered the day Jake dragged him over to Tony's house. Jake wanted Tony to meet the men who helped him, so he enlisted Albert's help and introduced Hector and Ranger to him. Hector had expected Tony to like Ranger, most people do. But he was very surprised when Tony kept asking him questions. They understood one another at a very unique level that was unspoken. Tony had been through a lot in the past year, and he needed a friend who understood. It amazed him just how many similarities there were in their respective life experiences. Hector could totally relate to Tony's desire to help out his family and he admired him for it.

It wasn't often that Hector let himself revisit his childhood, but the parallels between his experiences and Tony's brought the memories back. Like so many kids, Hector's involvement with a gang had made him feel like it was the first time he had had a 'family' to belong to. It may have had something to do with the fact that Hector had been the only child born to parents who were older when they started their family. Hector felt alone when he was growing up. It wasn't their fault exactly, but his parents were so busy with their tienda that they didn't have a lot of time for their son. He spent more time with his primo's than he did at his own home. His Tia loved to have him around, she had five girls and just the two boys, she thought that adding Hector to the mix, helped her boys hold their own with their sisters. She never understood that Hector got along better with the girls.

In fact, it turned out that it was one of his male cousins who dragged him into the gang. Hector hadn't ever wanted to be part of a gang. But once he was there, he felt he had to prove himself, earn the loyalty of his new 'family'. Because he was shorter and smaller than the other gang members, he seemed to try harder to be the baddest of them all. Of course, like so many others, he found out quickly that belonging to this 'family' often left you with nothing. If they cannot use you, they will let you go. For Hector, the gang and his cousins all abandoned him when police picked him up during a drug deal that the gang had involved him in. His loyalty to his 'family' had cost him. He had helped everyone else get out before the cops arrived, but that did not give him enough time to get out himself, leaving him the only one left.

Alone again, Hector spent a year in Juvenile Detention. But his problems only got worse while he was there. He became a target of a rival gang and he was put in the situation of having to defend himself. By the time Ranger had met him, he had earned an 'open' teardrop tattoo under his eye. Hector had made the same decision as Ranger. The military over jail time. Ranger understood, all too well, the difficulties of gang involvement, and he felt the need to be Hector's friend as well as a mentor. Ranger found him to be smart, quick witted, and self-motivated. They got along well and it was only natural that Hector came to work with Ranger when his time with the military was over. He always considered himself extremely fortunate. Ranger had given him the chance he had needed to build a new life.

The past few days had been crazy. Albert was immersed with family issues. He had called Hector this morning to tell him that he had a great idea for a new project to work on with him. Of course, he didn't want to explain it over the phone, so Hector was waiting for that mystery to unfold. He had plenty to keep him distracted until then. Every day the newspapers revealed another problem with City Hall. Hector laughed each time he read about the "extensive investigation" that brought down the mayor and his chief of staff. And his respect for Joe Morelli grew with each report. The guy was good, and he had a lot of the Rangemen changing their view of him.

Hector had also been following what was happening with the kids from the gang. They were now all in Juvie, and although they weren't all that happy about it, it was the best thing that could happen. They all needed to be far away from the people and circumstances that had brought such trouble into their lives. He wanted to try to give these kids a chance at a better life. They all needed the chance to start new. It wouldn't be easy. They all still had some bad people hovering nearby. Finding the right situation for them would be challenging.

Even more challenging was finding a way to obtain the funding he needed to make his mission of helping these kids become a reality. It was a challenge that Hector had to deal with somehow in order for his idea to even get off and running. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that through separate meetings of the minds, independent of each other, something special would emerge. And Hector had no knowledge that one of these individuals had the wherewithal to fund his entire project.

OoOoO

Laverne had drifted off to sleep after returning home. She was drained emotionally. She felt she no longer had the strength to live another day with the humiliation of her actions. Exhausted by the turmoil of having taken a close look at her life and the reasons for her failures, Laverne had collapsed into her bed without even changing into her pajamas. Deep in her slumber, but still having nightmares over what had happened earlier, she did not hear the telephone ringing. Even though it rang several times.

Jax had listened to the message over and over again, unsure of the intent of the message and if he should even respond to it. Laverne Kloughn had a lot of nerve to try and contact him again after what she had tried to pull. The thought crossed his mind that it was unlikely she even knew or cared that if he had fallen for her theatrics and had taken her case, she could have placed his attorney's license in jeopardy. But he had to admit, the show she put had been classic, an incredible acting job for someone who was obviously good at what she did, at least that was his first impressions of her.

Then it hit him. First impressions. It suddenly troubled Jax that the first impression he had left Laverne with was that of a drunken attorney. It was even more troubling that as a direct result of his lack of self-control over his liquor problem, he had actually vomited all over her. How disgusting! It was a miracle she had returned to see him. Embarrassed by his own actions, he began to recognize that perhaps he shouldn't he shouldn't be so harsh on her. Maybe she truly was the defenseless damsel in distress and her only mechanism for dealing with her troubles was how she played her games. They were two damaged souls. Maybe, in some twisted way, fate had thrown them together. What if they were meant to help each other. The calls were still unanswered and Jax became worried, and a big part of him wanted to see her, to make sure she was okay.