Reborn by Melody Anne
Chapter Fourteen
“Come in, come in,” Joseph called to the women approaching the door of his home office.
A big smile shaped his lips as his arm arced over his head, waving for the women to follow him as he made his way to his den. It had been a couple of months since they’d initiated the media blitz against Anna Miller. Even though Damien had called off his lawsuits against the woman who’d attacked him, which meant the attorney aspect of the plan was now off the table, there was still plenty for them to do.
“Sit, sit,” Joseph said as they entered the room that was a haven to him. A fire was blazing and the room was both efficient and inviting. It was a perfect place to feel comfortable in bringing ideas to the table.
He was excited to have the young women in his war room. More deals than he could recall had happened in there. He was sure another happy conclusion would be reached in his favorite place in his home. This was definitely where pet projects were created, non-profit organizations were started, and where parents dreams of sending their kids to higher education came to life via scholarships.
“It doesn’t matter how many times I step into this house, I’m still in awe,” Mallory told him.
“I wonder how many deals have come to pass in here,” Avery said.
“I was wondering the same thing,” Erin piped in.
Joseph laughed. “Yes, a myriad of deals has come to pass in here,” he admitted.
“That’s why you’ve earned such a positive reputation in the business world,” Courtney said. She clearly admired the man.
“Your giving heart has also endeared you to many in Seattle and far beyond,” Erin said.
Joseph certainly wasn’t a humble man, but he found himself fidgeting a bit in his seat. He was used to praise, but he admired these strong women and appreciated their compliments.
“Being a billionaire comes with a lot of perks, and one of the greatest is that I’m able to help people in any way I choose,” Joseph said.
“The great thing about you is that you choose to help people. You don’t give a one-time gift; you give for a lifetime by leading the way for people to have a better life. If everyone thought the way you do, we’d be a much more successful society,” Avery said.
“I don’t know about that, but I do wish the world operated a bit differently,” Joseph said.
“Well, each of us appreciates the opportunities you’ve brought into our lives,” Erin said.
“And I love the work you do,” Joseph said. They’d certainly be rewarded for their hard work, but he wasn’t going to bring that up right then. He moved the meeting forward. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
“Rip off the Band-Aid,” Mallory said.
“Agreed. Just get the bad news out of the way,” Erin agreed.
“Well, here it is. Since Damien stopped his lawsuit against Anna we won’t have that money from the lawsuit to put toward the non-profit,” Joseph said.
“Okay. That isn’t wonderful news, but in the scheme of life it could be worse,” Avery said after a few seconds of silence. “What’s the good news?”
“The good news is I’ve had some of my more philanthropic friends insist on helping a new start-up they believe in so much. The name of the non-profit is the BKPT Women’s Institute. The acronym is each of your last names, in alphabetical order — Black, Klum, Pivens, and Tucker,” Joseph said.
There was a pause before the women were beaming.
“That’s great!”
“Amazing!”
“Thank you!”
“How great to be a part of an organization that’s all about helping strong women who simply need someone to believe in them. With a population of almost three and a half million people in the city and its surrounding suburbs, there will be plenty of people in need of help,” Mallory said.
While Mallory, Erin, Avery, and Courtney weren’t going to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company they’d have more than enough input on how to assist individuals who attended the Institute.
“This is such a wonderful gift, and an amazing resource for so many. I know my mom could’ve used something like this when I was young,” Avery said. There was no sadness in her comment, but relief that a single mother would be able to get help when there seemed to be nowhere else to turn.
“That’s the point in this. With all of the drugs that have been running rampant for so long, and all of the families who’ve been decimated due to those drugs, it’s important to help rebuild the communities the best we can. I’m going to set up a similar nonprofit for men as well. I’ll ask the special ops guys to be a part of that organization. It’s just as important, necessary, and needed to get men help who have been decimated by that world,” Joseph remarked solemnly.
“That’s a great point, sir,” Mallory said. “There are plenty of studies showing how important it is for concerted efforts to build up all aspects of society. The easiest to leave behind and in destitute situations are men. The FBI has looked into this issue more times than I realized, and this is wonderful insight on your part, Mr. Anderson.”
Since Joseph was on a roll with their conversation, he ignored the fact that the women still couldn’t seem to call him Joseph.
“Now, for the reason you’re here. I want to go over what we’ve accomplished in the past month. I’ve seen some of the spots on TV and heard a couple of the radio broadcasts that were released.” He paused as he looked each woman in the eye. “What else have you accomplished?” Joseph asked.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll go first,” Courtney said. There were no objections.
If Courtney were to be honest about the situation, she’d admit she’d been surprised at how easy it had been to work with this diverse group of women. There’d been a few times in her past that she’d worked in tandem, or within a group, on a story, and it almost always turned into some kind of competition instead of a collaboration. There had been none of that negativism within this group. While there was a vested interest in their respective parts being highlighted, they were more interested in doing a great job and utilizing each woman’s strength.
“As you saw from our report, prior to the trial starting we began a four-phase information spread. Television, radio, newspaper, and social media. The market went crazy over it and we saw the normal segments in each platform respond positively. Unlike most media, we weren’t trying to spin the news being shared in any specific way but rather dropping puzzle pieces that were factual. That first series was a lot of fun as we saw the fruits of our labor create a lot of growth and attention,” Courtney said.
“Oh, I know. I had a poker night with some of my old colleagues, and they were talking about it and mentioned how even their children and grandchildren were talking about this fight on crime in Seattle. It’s without a doubt the most interesting thing going on right now,” Joseph interrupted, and then quickly held up his hand, indicating he’d stop talking so Courtney could continue.
“It’s one of the few times, at least that I’ve seen in my career, that it transcends generations, and that all aspects of society can agree with their respective disdain for the actions of certain individuals. Anna Miller’s a monster, and it’s good the world is discovering that,” Courtney said. The other women wholeheartedly agreed.
“None of the knowledge we’ve gathered on her part of the underground world prepared us for what happened after the opening statements at her court hearing, and how Anna proclaimed she didn’t know why they were saying she and Damien were related. After that there were servers crashing on sites. It was, and is, madness in terms of the amount of traffic coming in. The website that Erin was able to create, along with a couple of social media pages, have had visitors come in from every corner of the world,” Courtney said.
“That site is fantastic, Erin. You did a great job of getting those images up and integrating them in a timeline with how the events have unfolded,” Mallory told her.
“Thank you, it’s been fun getting the creative juices flowing again,” Erin admitted.
“We’ve been surprised by the amount of engagement from the under-twenty-five group. Market research shows that this group rarely follows any sustained interest in things like this, but that hasn’t been the case here. It’s my personal belief that having Damien’s daughter involved in some of the interviews and the visuals of how a young woman’s life can be impacted so deeply has touched a nerve around the country,” Courtney continued.
“It doesn’t hurt that she’s a cutie and has a sharp tongue and quick wit. I like her,” Avery added with a smile.
“Remind you of someone you know, Avery?” Joseph asked with a chuckle.
“Maybe. Sorry Court, please continue,” Avery relinquished the attention.
“So, we’re continuing the multi-pronged approach and look forward to wrapping this up and finding closure for Damien and his family. The communities that have been affected by it will also be relieved. It’s been interesting to see how people started taking note of the rapid drop in drugs and everything the drugs touch. Not only was Anna captured, but many of the drug lords have been too. The general consensus is people now believe Anna was a much bigger problem in the community than any of us realized,” Courtney finished.
“Nice update Courtney, but I think you’re forgetting to add what you’ve been up to in all of this. The investigation you’ve done in all things connected to Anna has been nothing short of remarkable. I promised you I wouldn’t involve myself in pushing those in positions to make decisions on awarding certain individuals Pulitzer’s, and I haven’t, but I’m having a hard time letting the process go through its normal slow steps. I don’t say this lightly, but what you’ve done on this case is nothing less than remarkable,” Joseph said.
“Thank you, but I’ve had more help and access to resources than most in my field. Heck, there’ve been times I’ve been worried Erin was going to punch me because I was spending so much time with her beefcake husband,” Courtney said with a chuckle.
“Please, he knows it would be him who got punched if he’d tried anything — by both you and me,” Erin said with laughter. Courtney and Erin had become incredibly close since meeting. Their life experiences were polar opposites, and they didn’t have a lot of shared interests, but when they played or worked together they always ended up laughing until their stomachs hurt.
“I love how even though your husband might be one of the scariest men I’ve ever met, you have total confidence you can take him,” Joseph said with a laugh.
Erin waved her hand in the air. “Brackish is a big teddy bear,” she told them, making all of the women laugh.
“He infiltrated my security system without even blinking,” Joseph reminded them. He then looked at the cell phone on the coffee table. “I wouldn’t be surprised a bit to find out he’s listening to us right now. That man can break into any system in the world.” He laughed again but he did look at the cell phone one more time, making each of the women laugh too. “Enough of the men, though,” he continued. “I was discussing Courtney and how her work should be highlighted.” An evil smile popped onto his lips. “Not only have you had time to write Pulitzer prize winning work . . . but you’ve been getting in some pretty great dates too.”
“I guess romance has struck us all,” Courtney said. The night before the four women, along with Amira, had gotten together for a ladies night, and the topic of Courtney and Eyes had certainly come up. There’d been plenty of jokes about how terrible the first couple of dates had been, but it had been very clear that Courtney was gaga over Eyes.
“It certainly has, but I’m not unhappy about it,” Erin said.
“Yeah, I’m falling hard,” was all Courtney could add as her cheeks turned a couple of shades of pink.
Joseph sat there with a smile, knowing another wedding was well within reach. He couldn’t wait. Maybe he should’ve been a wedding planner. He shook his head at the thought he’d never utter aloud.
“We’ll talk more about love and romance later,” he said after a minute, then focused so they could complete their meeting. “What else is on the docket for the media?” Joseph asked the group.
Mallory replied. “I can confirm that the district attorney requested information on the case the FBI has been building. Much of it was turned over to him, and while I didn’t watch yesterday’s portion of the trial and, obviously, didn’t watch today’s, my understanding is the information gathered is going to be presented to the court. I was told early on that it was unlikely I’d have to stand in as a witness, which was odd considering how much time I spent with her. I do think my relationship with Hendrick and everything that went along with that made my testimony potentially detrimental instead of helpful, though.”
“If this had been my case I would’ve put you on the stand,” Avery said. “If for nothing else than to cause a psychological rift for Anna. Seeing you up there would’ve messed with her head and possibly made her snap while on the stand. I can understand why the DA doesn’t want you up there but when I’m trying to break someone on the other side of the aisle I use whatever advantages I can. Seeing the face of someone who you feel betrayed you is a big mental screw job,” Avery finished.
“I’d have liked to have been up there,” Mallory said. She might not hold much bitterness in her heart, as she was too mature for that, but the things Anna had tried to do to Green during the time he was undercover was too much for Mallory to forget and let go of for quite some time.
“There isn’t much for us to do, other than relay information that’s already out there and what’s already happened in the courtroom. Once the jury deliberates and comes back with their decision we’ll do a few pieces on how the system finally worked for the people and how the bad guys got what they deserved,” Courtney said.
“That is if we get a win. If we get a loss, I don’t know how we’ll report it,” Mallory said.
“Let’s not even put that into the air,” Joseph said. He couldn’t imagine Anna going free. All of the women nodded in agreement, but there was worry. So many things could go wrong in a jury trial.
“There rarely is any interest in a case after the perps head to prison. There will be a few days after the trial ends that receive a bit of airtime but that will be it. Of course, there are the book and movie deals that will surely come Anna’s way, but tragedy sells. There’s too much drama for there not to be publishers and movie studios salivating. My recommendation would be to get someone working with Damien and his family to ink all of those things and get them published and produced before Anna has the opportunity to direct the narrative. Even those from prison can spin an audience in whatever direction they want them to go,” Avery told Joseph.
“That’s smart thinking,” Joseph said, although he didn’t think Damien would go for it. “We’re about to wrap things up on our end as well. I’m proud of how each of you have worked through this and what a great job you’ve done. Each of you have become family, and as all of you know, my biggest priority in life is to take care of family. It’s been wonderful seeing you each circle around this and help ensure what happened to Damien will never happen to anyone ever again. Thank you so much.”
“As much as I haven’t enjoyed the reason we had to come together as a team, I have enjoyed the process. None of this would’ve been possible without all of us assisting the other. You never know, Joseph, you might now have a fearsome foursome on your hands who might just be able to take over the world,” Courtney said with a laugh.
“Nothing would bring me more pleasure than to see you four rise to the top,” Joseph said, meaning it. “That wraps up our meeting today.” He smiled big as he pulled out a cigar and got more comfortable. “Now, I want to hear more about Courtney and Eyes.”
That caused a burst of laughter from all of the women. “Of course you do. What would your life be like if you didn’t get to meddle?” Avery bravely asked.
Joseph was absolutely delighted by her words. “It wouldn’t be nearly as wonderful,” Joseph admitted.
His life was good even when tragedy did strike. It was good because of who he chose to surround himself with — strong, beautiful, brave, diverse, and loyal friends. It was because of his relationships that he knew he’d weather any storm that blew his way.