BREAKTHROUGH (Love's Not Easy Series Book 2) (5 page)

“Aimee, dear. You do not need to be nervous.  You are not facing a firing squad.  The ladies and gentlemen that are attending our meeting, are the same people your grandmother hired.  They held their positions when she was here and they always knew someday they would call you their boss.”

“Thanks.  I am not boss yet, though and I want to finish my education.”

“I am backing you up on that one hundred percent and I am not going anywhere.  I promised Edna, I would stay until you were comfortable in your job.”

“Thanks.  That means so much.”

They spent the next forty-five minutes reviewing the names of the Vice Presidents.  Aimee was shocked at how many of them she remembered.  Their faces a little older, but she still recognized them.  After they went over the list of Vice Presidents, they had enough time to view the latest reports on their earnings.  They were still in green, but sales had gone down some.

Brad knocked on the door at nine-fifty, just as planned. Mr. Montgomery let him in; then, he instructed the two that he would go into the conference room first.  When he was ready for them to enter, he would come and open the door.  He informed them to stay in the office until they received a text for the all clear.

Aimee waited outside of the conference room, as she prayed for God to be with her and to calm her anxiety.  When Mr. Montgomery opened the door, she took a deep breath and entered with the same confidence she had the day she had to present her group presentation alone.

“Good morning, everyone.  I know that you are shocked to see me here today.”

Aimee paused and gave them a second to grasp that she was here.  In that second, she turned and recognized a familiar face sitting amongst the Vice Presidents.  One, which they had not reviewed in her Gran’s office.

“Mr. Myers, I am as equally shocked to see you sitting here.”

Mr. Montgomery quickly came to Aimee’s side and exclaimed he was unsure if Mr. Myers’ plane would have landed in time.

“It’s ok.  I would like to talk to him in private after our meeting, however.”

Aimee felt like she needed to be more in control now. She stood a little taller and started speaking as she looked each Vice President in the eye.  “I recently discovered my grandmother’s Will; and, I was quite shocked at how she had covered every detail of her assets. As you all know, in the Will, I have inherited the Lilliend Rose Corporation.  The Will states I can assume my role whenever I feel I am ready; and, I am here today, to let you know my plans.”  She took a sip of water.

“Mr. Montgomery and I have talked extensively about how I feel I need to go about assuming my position.  I want to finish my business degree before I come to work here as your CEO, owner, or whatever title we decided I should use at that time.”

Aimee paused and glanced over at Mr. Montgomery.  “I want to run this company with as much confidence and passion as my Gran did. With that being said, I also want everyone to know I hold the same values as Gran had.”

Aimee took her seat and looked over a folder in front of her. “Mr. Montgomery and I have reviewed some of the reports of the last quarter.  I have three weeks before I return to college.  In the next three weeks, I want to start reorienting myself with the Corporation and I would love to set up a time with each of you to discuss how your department is doing.”

The room of VP’s nodded. Aimee grinned at each of them.  Then, she turned the meeting back over to Mr. Montgomery.  He rendered a speech on how everyone was to treat Aimee with as much respect as they did Mrs. Townsend.  He also asks that they let their employees know why Aimee is here.  Aimee remained in her seat with her tablet laying on the table in front of her, so she could use the daily planner app to schedule each VP’s meeting with her.

First, she was meeting with Mr. Myers and then she wanted to meet with the VP’s of marketing today.  After that, she scheduled two meetings a day for the next week, which covered all the departments and allowed her time to do some work on her own.

Mr. Montgomery gave Aimee the keys to her Gran’s office.  It was now Aimee’s.  Though she was nowhere near ready to look at it that way.  She walked in front of Mr. Myers, down the hall, and into her office.  She took a seat in her Gran’s large and comfortable executive chair behind the large rich cherry executive desk.  Aimee motioned for Mr. Myers to have a seat in the matching leather chairs in front of the desk.

“I would love for you to tell me your position with Lilliend Rose, your connection with my family, and why you kept it a secret from me.”

Mr. Myers looked down at his fingers, then up to the ceiling.  Aimee was growing impatient, she did not want to come off as being rude, but he owed her some answers.  She took a pen and paper from her briefcase, along with her laptop.

He seemed to get the message.  “Ok, like everyone else, when your grandmother died, I received specific instructions to what I was to do.”

“I did not see your name mentioned in her Will; and, I went over that document with a fine tooth comb, so to speak.”

“No, it was not in her Will. I received a notarized letter, after her accident.”

“Do you still have the letter?  Is it with you today or perhaps you know where I can get my hands on a copy?”

“My copy is in my safe box in Neahovia.  The original was scanned to her computer and the law office computer here at Lilliend Rose.”

Aimee raised her finger as she took out her cell and called Brad.  She instructed him of what letter she needed and he promised to have it on her desk shortly.  “Brad is working on the letter, so you tell me in your own words what the letter entails.”

“Ok.  She instructed that I take care of all your finances.  That included your schooling, college, and personal funds.”

“So, you are the one who puts money in my account.”

“Yes.  I also talk to your father on an occasion.  I was instructed to make sure he was aware of your finances; and, the two of us both agreed on how much money was to be deposited to that account.”

“What do you mean that account?”

“Your Gran has another account for you. You do not have access to it until you are twenty-five.  If you marry before your twenty-fifth birthday, you still do not have access to the account and your spouse will have no rights to the account.  It will be part of a prenuptial agreement.”

“Gran sure was something.”

“Aimee, she wanted to make sure you would be taken care of and no one could take advantage of you.  She wrote in the letter, that, the man who marries you, will marry you for love and the prenup will not be a problem with him.”

“That sounds like her.  So why are you here today?”

“Do you not want to know more about the account?”

“I have an overwhelming feeling, the less I know about that account before my twenty-fifth birthday, the better off I am.”

“You are so right my, dear.”  A knock at the door caused them both to turn, then Brad entered.  “Here you go.  It was easy to find.”

Aimee took the note.  “Was there more than this letter?”

“I can find out.  I was wondering the same thing.”

“Great.  Let’s go to lunch at twelve-thirty.  That gives you an hour; and, then we can discuss what you do or do not find.”

“Sounds great.  I will come by your office and then we can leave.”

Mr. Myer’s watched him walk out the door. “He is married, you know?”

Aimee laughed.  “I know all too well, I was in the wedding.  His mother was Gran’s best friend.  The two of us have been raised like brother and sister.”

“I see.”

“Stop avoiding the question, why are you in the states?”

“To represent the international branch of Lilliend Rose.”

“The international branch?”

“Yes.  Your Gran, through me, was able to franchise her company to Neahovia.  I am the President of Roseednay Fruits.  Very few people know we are a franchise, Aimee.”

“Yeah.  That includes me. Wait, you said Roseednay Fruits.  Is REF the initials?”

“Yes they’re the initials we use.”

“I have no more questions today, please write your cell number down.  I want to make sure I still have it saved in my phone; I had to do some updates and lost some of my contacts.  I need to be able to get in touch with you whenever I feel the need arise; and, when I return to Neahovia in a few weeks, I want to visit your office.”

“I will be delighted to show you around.  I am so happy I don’t have to hide this from you any longer.”

“That makes two of us.”

Aimee had a few things to do before lunch.  First, she wanted to text Aiden a fast message stating that she needed to talk to him later today. She told him she would be home at five tonight, which would be ten for him.  He responded back that he wanted to video chat. He said for her to eat dinner, then text him.  Next, she took a selfie and forwarded it to Lexi and Piper.  Finally, she called Tammy and Tina from marketing to set up their meeting for two pm.

Aimee spent the last thirty minutes she had reviewing some of the marketing reports she had received from Mr. Montgomery.  She really needed to talk to Tammy and Tina.  This company needed to get with the times if it was going to continue to be profitable.

Chapter Five

Aimee and Brad had lunch at one of her favorite little deli style restaurants close to the office.  He had a copy of eight notarized letters from her Gran.  She put them in her briefcase, tonight’s homework.  Next, she told him about Mr. Myers.  Aimee was becoming more concerned about what was going on in her life.  How many more people held secrets?

Tammy and Tina arrived at two pm. on the dot.  Aimee spent the thirty minutes she had before they arrived arranging things at the round table.  She had a pot of coffee and bottles of water sent up to her office as well.

“I want to get reacquainted with you two before we talk about the marketing department.  I remember you both having numerous meetings with Gran in this office.”

Aimee spent the next thirty minutes listening to the girls update her on their lives.  Then, she started telling them her dreams for Lilliend Rose.  She wanted this company to continue to be competitive in today’s market.  That led her into the real issue she wanted to address.  The company had no web page.  They needed to get out and market in the virtual world.

They spent the rest of the day brain storming on ideas.  Aimee took wonderful notes and offered to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to present it to Mr. Montgomery next week.  When Tina and Tammy left the office, she called Mr. Montgomery and asked if she could see him.  He came straight to her office.

She gave him a sample of the ideas she compiled with Tammy and Tina.  He loved the concept and stated he would back her.  He had his secretary set up a marketing meeting next Monday at ten am.

When Brad dropped her off at the plantation that evening, Aimee was very tired.  She couldn’t rest just yet.  Opal and Megan had a light dinner fixed.  After Brad and Megan went home and Aimee took her shower, she came down stairs to the living room to video chat with Aiden.

Aiden started talking as soon as he answered the video chat. “My sources came through for me, REF is Roseednay Fruits.  It is a Neahovia produce company, but it is franchised and I can’t figure out who owns the franchise.”

“I know.  It is Lilliend Rose Corporation.”

“As in your Lilliend Rose?”

“Yep.  You remember Mr. Myers?”

“The finance guy?”

“Yeah.  He is the president of Roseednay, he runs the company for Gran.”

“Wow.  Aimee. Any other surprises for me?”

“None I want to discuss oceans apart.  I have so much to tell you, but I want to wait to tell you some of it in person.”

“That big?”

“That big. Here is what I can tell you.  Gran left a notarized letter for Mr. Myers instructing him on what to do if she was no longer here.  Brad looked for more and he found a total of eight notarized letters she left.  Her Will is so detailed.  Aiden, I am beginning to think she knew she was not going to be here that long.”

“Aimee, I hate to say this, but I think your Gran was in danger.”

“Me too.  But I don’t know why or if… I am safe.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that.”

“Aiden, the one thing I keep hearing from everyone, was that Gran wanted to ensure that I was taken care of and that no one could hurt me.  I am afraid of whatever caused my mother and grandmother to leave Neahovia found them in the States.”

“I think so too and I feel that is why she wanted to make sure you were taken care of.  I am also thinking that Roseednay Fruits bought out Orchid Bay Orchards too.” Aiden had that look in his eyes he gets when he thinks he has figured something out.

“What are you basing that on?”

“The time frames of when REF opened and Orchid Bay Orchard was sold.”

“I thought the guide said it was sold about nineteen years ago.”

“She did, but about is the key word.  I looked into it today.  Fourteen years ago, Orchid Bay Orchards was sold to Fred Montgomery.  Six months later, Roseednay Fruits was established.”

“Did you say Fred Montgomery?”

“Yeah.”

“Aiden.  That is Mr. Montgomery.  The acting CEO of Lilliend Rose.”

“I guess I am right.”

“I am afraid so.  I also think you were right about my mom changing her name.  I have been reading in her journals.  I am up at the end of 1987.  She is still dating RGA.  AES is now engaged to the mystery guy.  MAL is more aggressive. To the point that HAL and Gran are scared for HAL’s life.  Mom was in her second year of college.  It turns out that Gran actually lived in a town with an excellent university and it is close to RGA.”

“So, we have been on the right track with our theories.”

“Yeah, but can we change the subject?  I am getting more depressed each time I think about all of this.”

“Sure. I want to hear all about your meeting today.”

Aimee spent the next half hour telling Aiden all about her day at the office.  They talked about marketing ideas. Then, he told Aimee about a sailing trip he and his brother were planning.  Aimee felt better about things when she and Aiden ended their video chat.

Aimee read the eight other letters her Gran left.  One was to her dad, it didn’t really say anything more than she already knew.  One was for Mr. Montgomery.  It detailed all the things he told had already told her, except for the details about how important it was to keep a secret that they franchise a company in Neahovia.  Opal and Charles each had one.  It was all about the plantation and how she wanted to pay for Brad to go to college.

The one addressed to Mrs. Moon entailed everything she had told her at the bank.  The one to Mark and Tessa was the final plans for the missionary work they had been discussing to help bring God back to Neahovia.  Aimee had always suspected her Gran was the one who fronted the funds for that cause.

Letter seven belonged to one of the lawyers at the office.  It entailed how he was to hire Brad as a lawyer and aide him in whatever he needs to make it through law school.  The eighth letter was for a lady named Donna and it was about a special fund sat up for battered women in remembrance of her sister.  Aimee cried as she read the last letter, no matter how hard Gran tried, she could not protect her sister and that broke her heart.

The letters didn’t hold any further secrets or surprises for Aimee.  She placed them back into her briefcase and took out her notes for the marketing ideas.  She jotted the ideas she had discussed with Aiden.  When she finished, she decided it was time to relax on the porch with her mother’s diary.

December24, 1987

Today was the best day of my life.  RGA escorted mom and I to the Christmas Extravaganza today.  We had such a great time listening to Christmas songs about the birth of Christ.  The play of His birth was so beautiful.  After the extravaganza, he took me for a carriage ride around the HVP.  It is one of my favorite parks.  The carriage ride was one of the most romantic experiences of my life.

The park was decorated in Christmas lights.  When we got to the decorated gazebo, the driver stopped the ride. RGA took my hand and helped me from the carriage.  When we reached the gazebo, he pointed to some lights near the fountain in front of the gazebo.  They spelled out Marry Me.  Needless to say, when I looked up, I seen him on one knee in front of me. I cried like a baby when I said yes.  We kissed all the way to the carriage and for the rest of the ride, he held me close as we discussed a wedding date.  May 4
th
is the day we agreed on; it is our two year anniversary and I could not think of a better birthday gift than being Mrs. RGA.

Aimee sat still on the porch; the only noise she could hear were the crickets and frogs.  Her mother was engaged before she met her dad and, unless a lot happened in the next five months of diaries, she was going to be reading about her wedding day to another man.

Opal was watching Aimee from a nearby chair.  She was so into whatever she was reading, she didn’t even notice her and Charles had come out.  She was white now.  She looked like she was staring at a ghost.  Opal eased over to her.  Something was wrong.

Opal touched Aimee’s arm and she jumped off her seat.  She sat down and took the glass of tea Opal held out to her.  “You ok, child?  You are as white as a ghost.”

Aimee shook her head as she drank some tea.  “No.  Did you know my mother was engaged before she met my dad?”

Opal sat in the chair next to her.  “The book is one of you mother’s diaries.  Oh, baby girl. I wish so bad I could answer all your questions.  But I can’t, neither your momma nor Gran ever spoke of their lives in Neahovia.”

Aimee looked down at the book.  “As I read these books, I can see why.”

She read the last passage to Opal, when she got to the proposal, Aimee was almost in tears.  She could tell, as she read her mother’s diaries, she really loved RGA.

“Aimee, I know that was hard to read.  Just remember, we all had lives before we married.  I dated the same guy all through high school. I thought for sure we would marry.  He went out with his friends after graduation.  My momma wouldn’t let me go because we had family in for my graduation.”

Aimee looked at Opal, then Charles.  She could tell this was not the first time he had heard Opal tell this story.  Especially since he went and wrapped her in his arms as she continued.

“They were in a horrible accident.  Everyone in the car died.”

Aimee stared at her.  “Wow, if your mother had said yes…”

“All of our lives would have turned out different.”  Opal took Aimee’s hand.

“So how did you meet Charles?”

“Church.  After the wreck, I started going to church with my momma more regularly.  Charles was in a gospel band; and, about six months after the accident, his band came to our church.  I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.”

Charles chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Thirty-nine years later and she still can’t.”

Opal grinned.  “I know you haven’t had a lot of luck in the area of love.  But I have noticed that two young fellows keep calling you.”

“Actually three.  Colin doesn’t call as much as Aiden and LJ.  He mostly calls to see how his self-proclaimed sister is.  That seems to be what all guys think of me.”

“Not all guys.  I have seen you video chatting with that Aiden boy.  His eyes light up every time he sees you.  That LJ boy, he is not looking at you like no sister either. Be careful with him.”

“LJ is the one I go on dates with, not Aiden.  Aiden and I are friends, Mrs. Opal.”

“Well, I like Aiden.”

Aimee did what she always did when she didn’t like were a conversation was heading, she declared a subject change.  She even chose the subject of the visit from the roofers.

The next morning, Aimee drove herself to work.  She dressed in business attire once more and went to her office.  She found a maintenance man changing the name plate on the office door.  She asked if she could keep her Gran’s.  He obliged and handed it to her.  When she was in the office, she called Charles to see if he knew where they could go to have the name plate turned into a plaque.

Once she was settled in her office, she prepared for her meetings with the Vice Presidents of Finance.  This was one meeting she dreaded.  The gentlemen were nice.  She remembered them from her days at the office with Gran.  They went over the profit margins, expense reports, and all the other finance stuff of the corporation. Today she found out they were the sixth top produce producers in the states.  Her goal was to make the top five when she took over.

After her long meeting with finance, she worked on her marketing idea.  She had Tammy and Tina come up to her office and she showed them what she had come up with.  James and Piper were putting together an advertisement idea for them as well.

At lunch, she went and bought a salad and then returned to her office.  She wanted to call Aiden.  He answered on the third ring.  “Hi, Aiden.  I am having lunch and wanted to call you.”