Edited by luvtaread
*
As promised by Christmas the secret identity of Leah and Kara's father was known to all the kids. As expected the most excited about this were Kara and Anna who were ecstatic to learn they were sisters. What's more, Brandon thought, Anna took no longer being the oldest rather well, she accepted both her big sisters. Although big was relative as like her sisters she had inherited her dad's height, but as she had gotten Ashley's too she was the tallest of the three.
The news also got spread to the extended family too, of course as Brandon said, the whole truth, about the nature of how the kids had been conceived was left unsaid. It turned out a few knew already about Kara and Leah, his mom for one surprised him by immediately accepting the information. She welcomed them, giving her granddaughters a hug and a kiss each.
When she had finished fussing over them she turned to a shocked Brandon and said, "Oh, come on dear, I'm not blind you know. I've seen how you are around them, you are many things honey, but a good liar is not one of them. Besides you didn't think I wouldn't recognize my own son in each of them. Leah clearly has your eyes and Kara has your smile, and those are just the more obvious physical traits my dear. Oh yes, I've known for a while. Most of us did actually."
Brandon looked to see most of his extended family nodding in agreement and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I could ask you the same Brandon."
A discussion followed, but it turned out there was no real hard feelings. The reason for the secrecy was acceptable. In the end it was not only Leah and Kara officially welcomed into the family, but Mel and Katy as well. As this new knowledge had only made official the bond that had formed between Brandon's family and his two close friends.
It was the best Christmas Brandon had ever had. Despite the fact that Leah, Katy, and especially Kara all still wore signs of the accident. To be surrounded by those he loved and finally free of his deception to his children was a blessing.
Life continued on happy like that for a while. There were memorable moments, like Leah's graduation, and dropping her off for college. He suspected Leah was glad to have him along after he had to drag away a not only a very tearful Katy, but a surprisingly tearful Mel after saying his own short goodbye and wishing her luck.
However life was not all good happy moments. Mel was having problems at work. It seemed even the work she had done in London was not enough to impress the board. What's worse, the ownership shift she thought would benefit her, didn't. So by the next summer as Kara and Anna were getting ready to go off to school, Mel found herself victim of a corporate housing cleaning.
The company had had bad results the past few years and decided to blame the messengers. Most of her division was wiped out and as management she was the first to go. Brandon's division being a large asset, in large part thanks to Brandon, was spared. It was one of the few things though.
As she and Katy were taking their girls on vacation the next week Mel opted to postpone her job search. Brandon was pleased because this gave him time to put into action a plan he had been working on for quite sometime.
When Mel got back it was to find that one company had already heard of her dismissal and expressed interest. Brandon told her a friend owned an upstart company and wanted to interview her.
The day of the interview Brandon received an angry call from Mel. Livid about how she had been received.
"The girl, and that's what she was Brandon she could not have been more than 25, knew nothing! What kind of show is your friend running? That is the most unproductive place I have ever seen! I'm surprised they keep the doors open at all. By the way I thought I was up for a top position,
the
top in fact Brandon."
"Oh you are," Brandon said.
"Then why did your friend send the little girl down to talk to me? Utter waste of my time!"
Brandon smiled to himself and said, "Yeah, my friend is a bit odd and has a certain way of doing things, but has good reasons for them. Look, go talk to my friend, I'm sure you'll be able to straighten things out. I admit not going to meet you was a bit of a mistake, but if someone doesn't know you like I do, it's an easy one to make. Give my friend another chance, for me?"
Mel sighed and said, "Okay fine, but you better be right or you owe me big time."
"Tell you what I'll make a call and explain things a bit. We should have this all cleared up by lunch I think."
Brandon made his call and was on the phone when Mel entered his friend's office. Upon entering before the call could be put on hold Mel said, "Is that Brandon your on with? If so I hate to break up your little chat but we have business to discuss, like why you wasted my time today. If you were not a good friend of Brandon's you would even be get this chance. So please, hang up the phone and give me one good reason why I should not storm out that door right now." Brandon heard as he sat on the phone.
The call was put on hold and Brandon spun in the large chair he sat in and facing a rather shocked Mel, grinned and said, "Well Mel, you would be storming out of your own office if you did for one."
"But you said..." Mel stammered out as she sat in a nearby chair.
Brandon chuckled and said, "I said go to my friends office, well this is your office and the last that I checked we're friends so it was true and like I said I did make a call, just not to who you thought. Oh almost forgot," he said before taking a name plate with her name on it out of a drawer and placing it on the front of the desk.
"Brandon what is this?"
"Phoenix Software Inc. my, and if you sign on our, software company. You see I have spent the past few years developing projects that my previous employers, of which by the end of the week include the company that fired you, deemed impossible on my own time. What's more I managed to make them work. So now I have these programs that several companies would literally pay millions for and I could go one of two ways. The obvious was to take the money and run, but I decided not to do that. See I have this friend whose dream was to be a CEO at a top company.
"So I figure, since thanks to this friend, I am financially stable already and Ashley and I could virtually retire right now, that I would start a company to give her a shot at her dream. I figure Mel we are all in a good place thanks to you. Between us we can probably get enough money to get off the ground. Like I said the product is worth millions. All I needed was a business mind to sell it and I figured why not you. Mel, you do this right you can have your dream, and maybe even get revenge on the way. All you have to do," he said standing up and stepping away from the chair and adding, "Is take the challenge by sitting in this chair."
"I hate to ask but what do Ashley and Katy think of this idea?"
"Both are behind it, you didn't think I would try this alone do you? This affected both so I checked. Ashley is behind this one-hundred percent, as is Katy. Heck who do you think decorated this place?"
Mel thought for a second looking around before she rose, moved to the offered chair and sat down.
Brandon smiled as she settled in and then she said, "So does this make me your boss?"
"No just co-owner, I'm not on the payroll, I'm your partner. I will work on the product, and be an adviser of sorts for running that side of the business if that's alright."
Mel smiled and said, "I would not have it any other way. What about the girl that interviewed me? Is she an employee?"
"Only if you want her, she was actually interviewing too today. I figured you'd want an assistant. Did you like her?"
"For an assistant yes, an officer, not quite."
"Good, because she seemed to like you as well. That reminds me." He picked up the phone took it off hold and said, "Rachel, I'm going to put you on speaker, Ms. Murphy is also here with me. If when I tell you to you could say statement I told you earlier I would appreciate it." She agreed and Brandon put the phone on speaker and indicated Rachel should begin.
