A/N-I received a review where the guest thought I implied that Fitz was the hit man. In the conversation I stated that Huck was the hit man, and the chapter ends with Huck getting the contract.
The last couple of months for the Grant clan had been hectic and busy, but that is how they liked it. Sheldon was thriving in school. He was no longer in therapy, and when he was told he didn't need it anymore he seem to really blossom. The therapist told Olivia it was because he had worked hard, and achieved his goal. Olivia agreed.
Samantha was enjoying college life. For the first time she felt her age. She was never going to be reckless. It wasn't in her nature, and she wouldn't do anything to embarrass her parents. Unlike her biological dad Fitz always kept his promises. On the weekends they worked to get her studio together. It took them about a month, but she was happy when it was finished. Her relationship with Kimmie was stronger than ever. Samantha didn't realize it until the Grants took her in how much baggage she had. They were patient with her, and allowed her to work through it.
Bri continued to be the force that kept them going. Olivia was grateful that she acted just like her dad. She was always so relaxed and happy. It didn't take much to make her happy.
Uncle Huck seemed to have all of the children interested in technology. He had bought Bri a Leap Frog. Between the two of them it was easy to bring her into the office, and if they had to handle something together the staff gladly stepped in.
They had brought both offices up to speed with Jake & Edison. They would be the only ones involved in the case other than Huck. Both offices would be handling all other cases, and they would consult with them whenever they needed them.
Olivia thought the conversation with Gwen was hard, but talking to Jeffrey & Andrew was even harder. They were ready to just kill Jake. It felt good that people were going to bat for her, because there was a time that Jake had isolated her from any connection to the real world.
Olivia grabbed Jeffrey's hand, "I know you would do it to ensure my safety, but I have to follow this through. It has to be on my terms."
"Okay what do you need from us?"
"He will be released from prison the beginning of December. Before he is released arrange a meeting in our D.C. office. I need you guys to offer even if you have to for a short time an executive position. I need him to feel secure. He is ready to take you two out, because he thinks you are not going to take care of him."
Andrew nodded, "Liv consider it handled. Do you want us at the meeting?"
"Yes, he needs to know that you guys are my client. Jake has been knocked down a couple of pegs, but he will no doubt try to bring me down. No matter what he says that day. Let me handle it. The madder he is at me the more he will push for me to be killed. You guys will be an afterthought."
They agreed. Fitz never said a word. He kept his hand on her leg to let her know he was there for her.
She appreciated his support.
"Yes, I want you there. I want to establish the guidelines with Jake. He needs to know that Olivia Grant isn't afraid of him.
Everyone agreed and discussed everything in more detail.
Olivia was excited to spend Thanksgiving in Florida with their moms. The kids were getting use to not seeing their grandmothers as much. They had met two gentlemen who were best friends. Recently they told their kids they were dating them. One evening they were introduced to Nate & Jerome. They were nervous. Neither of them had dated a lot, and they hated to admit it they wanted the kids to like the men.
Fitz & Olivia could tell their moms were nervous. It was kind of funny considering they were the children, and they were parents. It was a mute point. They really liked the men. They both found it comforting that their moms were happy. They had done everything to make them happy. They were over the moon when they purchased the home for them. Finally giving back to them, and to see that purchase lead to more happiness in a way they could never provide meant everything.
A couple weeks the kids met them but in person. Sam & Sheldon embarrassed their grandmothers a bit when they asked if Nate and Jerome were their boyfriends. Once they admitted to it Sheldon became a little man.
He turned around and looked at Fitz, "Dad we need to talk to them. Make sure they are going to take care of my Nana's."
Olivia & Fitz stood there with a blank face. Olivia smiled looking at her husband. Fitz was always teaching him the importance of making sure the women in his life were safe, to treat them with respect, and to look out for them even if he was older. He was molding him into a little man from a young age.
Fitz nodded, "I agree son. So after dinner why don't we head into dad's room, and enjoy a nice talk."
Sheldon smiled.
The talk went well. Fitz had already approved but when he saw how respectful they were with his son he was sold.
The weekend was a blast. Most of the weekend the kids were with their Nanas, Nate, and Jerome. Nate had one son who had no children. Jerome didn't have any children. They could see that it was great for them to spend time with the children.
Fitz had called a car to take them back to the air strip. Tom was going to fly them back down to Florida.
Nate shook his hand, "Your moms always talk about how wonderful the two of you are, and that you are exceptional parents. Their words don't seem to do justice. I can't tell that two aren't yours biologically. They love you so much. They are great kids and so bright. I hope you will allow us to spend more time with them."
Fitz smiled, "Always. Next summer we are going to spend most of it with the kids since we have a hectic couple of months coming up work wise, but we will find time like spring breaks. I know Liv was thinking about spending every Thanksgiving in Florida. If you stay with our moms then you will be seeing the kids, and we hope that you will come up here for Christmas with our moms."
"I think it sounds like a plan. We really care for Jenny & Maya. We are all too old to be playing games. We don't want to interfere."
"You won't be. My dad never cared for me. When mom divorced him I was out of sight out of mind. Liv's dad died when she was a teenager, and prior to that his career was his life. Our mom's have always been there for us even when we weren't there for each other. If it wasn't for them we would both be died. I would have killed myself, and when Olivia called I wouldn't have been there to save her before her ex-husband came to finish the job. If anyone deserves happiness it is our moms."
"Good. We'll see you next month for Thanksgiving right?"
"Absolutely"
The family arrived in Florida the week of Thanksgiving. The day before Thanksgiving Fitz took the kids out for the day.
Olivia was in the kitchen with her moms prepping for dinner.
Maya broached the subject, "So Liv how are you really doing?"
"I'm okay mom. There are some days that are harder than others. I could care less that Jake is getting out. I'm just concerned about the crap he has cooking."
Jenny asked, "You have a plan in place."
"Of course Ma"
"Are you letting Fitz in?"
"I wouldn't be this calm without him. I want to get through this not only for me but our family. I am so happy and in love with my husband. We want to expand our family, but we can't do that until I shut Jake down."
Maya nodded. She looked at Jenny and smiled. They knew that she was telling them the truth. She wasn't placating them. "What do you need from us?"
"To stay in Florida and be happy. Enjoy Nate and Jerome. You deserve it. Fitz & I are going to deal with whatever Jake throws at us. When he gets out next month I am going to make it known I'm Olivia Grant. He doesn't control or scare me anymore. Then I wait for him to start the game. He is use to being at the finish line first, but this time it will be me. I know you want details. I just need you guys to trust me. Trust us. I'm not shutting Fitz out. They are my plans for the most part, but he has been involved every step of the way."
They came over and hugged their daughter. They trusted their children. Their only concern was how would she deal with the emotions. Olivia's first reaction in the past was to shut down, and deal with it on her on and in her own time. Fitz was slowly helping her to change. He was patient with her, and that meant everything.
Thanksgiving was great. It was relaxed and fun which was what everyone needed. The kids were now calling Nate & Jerome "Pops." They recorded Bri calling them Pops which brought the men to tears.
Maya handed Sam a gift bag, "We are all proud of you for going to college. Your parents have told us that you are being very responsible. Paying your bills, your GPA is 4.0, working on projects, and being there for your brother and sister so we wanted to get something for you. It is from your Nanas and Pops."
Sam opened the bag to find a Nikon D4S 16.2 MP Digital Camera. They had got everything the sales person recommended. In total about $10,000.00.
Sam looked at her mom. She was the only one who knew that she wanted the camera. She was going to purchase it next year some time. She was trying to save up money like her dad taught her.
"Well I was going to get it for you as a Christmas gift, but one night I was telling them about how hard you were working. The projects you were doing for school and to make money, and they wanted to do something for you. So I suggested the camera."
Sam was beyond thrilled. The family went to Disney World that weekend. It was an epic trip for the Grant family. None of the children had been, and Olivia and Fitz had not been since they were children. They had a ball. Bri was beyond giddy when she saw the Frozen characters. You couldn't really understand a word she said other than "Daddy Up" and "Mommy Up."
It was what they needed to carry them over for the next couple of months. It wasn't going to be easy, but they had to make sure they separate home and work.
The second week in December the ball began to roll. Huck hired a movie artist. Gwen freaked out a little when she saw herself in the mirror. It looked like she got shot in her head close range.
The pictures were taken. Huck sent the encrypted file to the address that Edison created.
An hour later Huck received a response. He was satisfied with the job. He would be in touch. His money would be be deposited within 24 hours.
Sure enough the money was there, and Huck boarded a private plane to get Gwen out of the country. She and her parents would be residing on Easter Island for the foreseeable future.
Back home Edison got a phone call. He told the caller, "The train has left the building."
It was hard for Olivia & Fitz to put Gwen's parents through this ordeal of burying their daughter. Although it wasn't real it felt real. They needed it to be that way so Edison would buy that she was dead. It was easy to shed tears when they thought about how real this moment could have been.
Once the service was over they were taken to an air strip. Edison was happy to be done with his wife. She should have never left him.
The following week Jake was released. He would be on house arrest for a month, and supervised probation for the next 16 months.
He called his dad who told him he had no problem with him staying with him while he was on house arrest. That night during dinner Jeffrey said to him, "Tomorrow we will be heading to Grant & Associates for a meeting with Olivia."
Jake looked up at his dad, "Why?"
"She is our fixer and consultant. The only reason you have a cushion to come back to after almost killing her is because she took us on. Andrew has been in contact with her. They have determined a position for you, and how we will handle the flack from the board and our clients with you coming back to the company."
Jake just nodded his head.
"He knew that his ex-wife was going to take this opportunity to stick it to him. He was prepared for her. For the most part he was going to have to suck it up, but she would gets hers in the end."
Olivia was about to head to the air strip for her overnight stay in D.C. to deal with Jake. She was taking Bri with her. Fitz was staying behind because they had a couple of cases that really needed his attention, and they didn't want to antagonize Jake with his presence. They wanted to keep him as happy as possible. Huck was in the office. He would keep an eye on her.
Fitz rode to the strip with them. Bri was in her car seat knocked out.
Fitz smiled, "We did good when we created our little Liv"
"We did. We are going to do it again, and create our little boy."
"That would be great."
"It is going to happen. I have to think about things like that to make it through this crap."
"I know Livvie and I honestly am really proud of you. I know you are mad, frustrated, and scared to name a few. Yet you have been a champ. The kids don't know you are dealing with this. Jake is already losing. Just remember he wants to believe he still has some control over you. He is going to hit below the belt for that purpose alone. Show him you know how to fight."
She couldn't put the words together to express her love so she kissed him.
The next morning Jake, Jeffrey, and Andrew were in the conference room. As planned they arrived 15 minutes earlier so Jake could see Olivia arrive.
Exactly 15 minutes later Olivia walked in dressed to the nines. She was wearing a Carbon/Black Donna Karen Cap Sleeve Dress. Bri looked adorable in her Nina Fit & Flare Dress.
Olivia didn't think Bri could get any happier, but it seemed that being independent made her happier. She loved walking especially when she was dressed up with her mom.
They were headed to drop of her things in the office when Bri saw Andrew. She dropped Olivia's hand and went to him, "Drew Drew."
Andrew saw her and smiled, "Oh look at the princess."
Bri giggled, "Up Drew Drew"
He picked her up and she hugged him. He smiled
She looked at Jeffrey, "Pa"
"Hey my munchkin? You look pretty?"
She giggled.
Olivia knew Bri was fine, and honestly she got joy watching how uncomfortable Jake was at the moment. She called Fitz to let him know they made it to the office. She spoke to everyone. Georgia handed her a cup of tea before heading into the conference room.
When she walked in Jake was stunned. Seeing her on television didn't do her justice. She was always beautiful, but life had been good to her. She had recently went with Sam to the salon, and she convinced her to get a hair cut. The layers and highlights made her feel young.
She spoke with Andrew and Jeffrey for a few minutes.
Bri broke up the conversation, "Mommy chez peez."
They laughed.
"Okay sweetie. Do you want to eat in here or with Uncle Huck?"
"Huckie peez"
"Okay well tell Uncle Andrew and Pa bye-bye, and you will see them later."
"Bye-Bye"
Olivia nodded, "Good girl. Mommy's proud of you. Love you."
"Luv u."
Before she would walk out Huck was at the door. Bri ran into his arms. "Huckie"
"Bri Bri"
"Chez pez"
Huck nodded
Olivia said, "Her bag is in my office. I have pumped a couple of bottles. They are in the refrig if you need them, but more than likely she is going to want her sippy cup since that is all that Sheldon uses."
"Okay we'll be fine take your time."
He walked out and closed the door. Jake was curious, "Who is Sheldon?"
"My son"
"You have more than one child."
"Three"
"Wow you have been busy!"
"I have. People who are inches away from death tend to make the most of life if given another chance."
She glared at Jake. For the first time they made eye contact, and it wasn't what he was expecting. She wasn't cowering.
Jake continued, "So we are just missing one person right, your protector?"
"Are you referring to my husband and the father of my children?"
"Yes"
"Well you are right he is my protector, and I am his. That is how it works in a real marriage. I understand you think otherwise. My husband is at home handling business, and taking care of our son. I think you are confused about some things."
"What is that Olivia?"
"That you no longer have one ounce of control over me. I'm not your punching bag, your dump site, or your servant. You are in my office. You need me right now, because you can't just walk out like you did nothing. So this can go one of two ways you can eat a slice of humble pie, and remember that the world doesn't revolve around you, or you can walk out and let the board and clients walk away because they know that you have no problem beating the shit out of a woman and forcing her to sleep with you against her will. I love your dad and uncle. I don't want them to lose what they worked so hard for, but you won't sit here throwing these subtle jabs thinking that you still control shit. So what will it be?"
Andrew & Jeffrey inwardly smiled. They were proud of her for taking up for herself. They wanted to defend her, but they promised to stay in the background. Let her handle this in her own way.
Jake was looking at her. He wasn't sure what to think. He had miscalculated Olivia. He was sure that this confident woman he saw on television was not real.
Jake finally said, "You are right. I'm sorry!"
"Don't say things that you don't mean. You are not sorry. You really wish you could talk down to me at this moment. Yet you are forced to sit here and be humble because your worse nightmare is coming true. You need your ex-wife who you beat the shit out of physically, mentally, and emotionally to save your ass. You need me to help the company survive so you can still get your trust fund and a decent job."
Jake looked at her. He was trying to figure out was she always this smart. and beautiful. Now was not the time to test her so he nodded his head.
She handed him a contract, "After speaking with Andrew and your dad this is the offer I advised them to offer you. Take a look."
The offer was generous. He was being brought back in as executive. His office was on the same floor as Andrew. In addition to his two million a year salary they were giving him an one million dollar bonus upon signing in addition to incentives. After his house arrest his dad was giving him a home, and a company car.
He was in shock. He was not expecting this offer.
Olivia continued, "I added an additional clause in this contract. I know you feel entitled so when you feel wronged you are capable of anything so to protect Andrew & Jeffrey I made an addition to the end you want to read."
He went to the section she was referring to. It seemed that his father was willing to change his will to give him more when he passed, but he had to prove his loyalty to the family and company by doing his job and keeping his noise clean. He could not do anything illegal. If anything happened to the two of them the clause would be revoked whether it was proven that he had anything to do with it or not. He would only get the five million. He would not be entitled to the estate.
He looked at Olivia. He was still waiting for her to make a snide comment, cut her eyes at him, do something mean to get back at him. Yet he got nothing. Her eyes gave him nothing.
Jeffrey brought him back, "Son what are you going to do?"
He looked at his dad who he expected to throw him to the wolves. For a moment he felt bad for being as heartless as he was, but it was short-lived.
"Dad, the contract is fine. I accept."
Olivia nodded and handed him a pen. He signed the contract.
Olivia looked it over.
Olivia said, "So tomorrow you will release the statement that I have already prepared. It will confirm that Jake is with the company. He will be spending the next couple of months getting back into the feel of things. He won't be dealing with clients directly, but will be going over their files and making recommendations. The statement expresses that this company was started by family, and you are supporting a family member who made a mistake. Everyone is entitled to a second chance."
Everyone nodded
"You are not to do any interviews. If it comes a time that you need to speak I will coordinate. I will be asked to give a statement in regards to Jake being released, and going back to work. My statement will be short and sweet. I knew when I took you guys on that it was a family company. I appreciate the support that was provided to me during a difficult time, and I support your decision to bring Jake back. He is family. I have no intentions of dropping you as a client since I have no direct dealings with Jake."
They nodded again.
"Andrew, it is important to show everyone that nothing is going to change. I want you to continue to do your job, but step it up. Instead of just donating to women causes I want you to show up at some functions. We have been working on equal pay in the company. I know you wondered why I held out so long. I need the media to focus on the good. It will take away from the Jake story line. You have several female executives that can truthfully say this has been in the works well before Jake's release. Work with Jake on some projects to show that you trust him. Jeffrey just continue to do your thing. Be the matriarch. Any questions?"
They had none. She looked at the time. It was almost lunch time. Whenever she was in the office Bri always ate lunch with her. She knew if she didn't get her the whole office would know she wasn't happy.
"Guys, I arranged lunch to be brought in so we can iron out the remaining details. Do you mind if Bri sits in here while we finish talking? She is used to eating lunch with me."
They agreed. Sure enough she could hear Bri running down the hall. Huck opened the door, and she ran over to her.
"Mommy ungry."
"I know sweetie. Lunch will be here soon. Let me go get her your high chair. Can you go to Pa for a minute?"
"Kay Mommy"
Bri went to Jeffrey. She was laughing at the faces he made at her. When he turned her around she saw Jake. The friendly girl immediately buried her face in Jeffrey's neck. As soon as Olivia came back in the room she practically jumped in her arms. Olivia soothed her as Huck & Georgia brought their lunch into the conference room.
The rest of the meeting went well. Although Olivia didn't talk to him directly, acknowledge him unless she had to, and didn't touch him at all she was never rude. Whenever he made a smart comment she came back with one.
Later on that evening he called Edison, "Change of plans"
"What do you mean?"
"Somehow Olivia was able to get the old man to give me another chance. While I'm not running the company I got a pretty lucrative deal. We can't kill my dad or Andrew. We need them alive."
"What about your ex?"
"Yes, I still want that train to derail, but I want to be the one to cause it. It can't be done immediately. It would cause suspicion. Let's give it a couple of months. When the time comes have him kidnap her. I want her brought to me."
"Whatever you want chief. I'll be in touch."
A week later Huck came into Olivia's office and sat down.
Olivia sighed, "Lay it on me."
"Your plan work. They have called off the hit on his dad and cousin."
"Okay, that is good."
"It is, but Jake made a call to Edison. They no longer want me to carry out the hit on you."
"What! So they went with someone else?"
"No, they want me to kidnap you and deliver you to Jake. Jake wants to kill you himself."
Olivia sat back in her chair. She felt the air leaving her lungs. She was sure Huck had a plan, but right now things just got a whole hell of a lot tricker.
A/N-So Huck does have a plan for when the time comes. What will it be? You will out in the next chapter. Also the foundation will host their first Gala. It will be filled with a lot of fluff to balance the stress that Jake is causing.