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Post by Riley Tyler on Aug 30, 2015 19:53:14 GMT
"Ms. Nicholls?"
Riley Nicholls glanced up as one of the administrative assistants knocked on the door and poked her head in. "There's a messenger here, they have something for you but they apparently won't leave it with anyone but you."
"Yes, let him in," Riley nodded as calmly as she could. She stood up as the bike messenger entered, stepping around the desk. "Was this the only parcel you were delivering this morning?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And were you interrupted or deterred on your way here?"
"Only by your receptionist, ma'am."
She took the envelope, holding up slightly to examine the seal before nodding and sending him off. She reached for her phone, dialed the extension of Brandon's secretary. "Yes, this is Riley. Could you clear a few minutes for me with Mr. Finn?...Yes, right now. Thank you."
Grabbing her notepad and a pen, she tucked the envelope inside of the pages and walked the brief walk from her temporary office at Finn Industries to Brandon's office. The door was open and she poked her head in before knocking on the door. "If you've got a few minutes I have some things to go over - and the mail just came."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 30, 2015 20:16:30 GMT
There had been a thousand things on his mind during the course of the day. From endless meetings with numerous clients that he was entirely sure were going to blur together to the situation that had been building up in his personal life. Brandon had been doing his best to try and ignore the situation until it became a problem, but he knew he would have been stupid to go into it without a backup plan. He had tried to at least prepare himself mentally for what would happen if the test results came back and let him know that his entire life was about to change.
Hearing the knock on his door, he looked up from the paperwork he had been pouring over and nodded at Riley, motioning for her to come in. "Shut the door behind you," he instructed before picking up the phone and giving his secretary instructions to hold all of his calls until further notice. He inferred that when Riley said that the mail came, that this was the moment of truth for him, the moment in which he needed to figure out what his next move was going to be. The truth was, no matter what the test results said, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to concentrate much on whatever phone calls or meetings were meant for the rest of the day. Of everything that could have distracted him from today, this was probably the most justifiable.
He knew that if she had work-related items she truly needed to go over, those things should come first, but there was no point in beating around the bush. "Have you looked at it?"
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Post by Riley Tyler on Aug 30, 2015 22:19:22 GMT
Riley entered the office, closing the door behind her as instructed and took a seat across from her desk. She opened the book to her notes and handed him the envelope, shaking her head. "No, I didn't open it. I ensured no one interfered with it between here and the lab and then once I had it and dismissed the messenger, I came here." She nodded, "It really didn't seem like my business," she admitted. "Besides, I do have to say that depending on how you want to handle this, it might even be best if I don't know what's on that paper."
"Plus, you're entitled to your privacy." The truth was she didn't really think it was her business to open it or know the results. She enjoyed working with Brandon and even considered him a friend, but she assumed that the person he'd want to talk about it with first was Amber.
She glanced back down at her notes, mentally running through what she wanted to talk about for the duration of the meeting.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 30, 2015 22:51:09 GMT
He stared at the envelope for a second, almost afraid to open it. This was the last opportunity he had to truly live in a world where ignorance was bliss. Should the paper in his hands show that it was actually his kid, this could have been his last chance for his life to stay the same as it had always been. He had tried to prepare himself for the off-chance that it was his kid, but he was having a hard time accepting it. In fact, he was contemplating not even bothering to open the envelope at all, just to make sure he took full advantage of not having a kid. But the possibility that it wasn't his kid and that these test results would allow him to forget all of this ever happened, that was much too appealing.
Brandon sighed softly and decided to just rip open the envelope. He barely processed what it said, skimming for the words that he was hoping to see. The smile made its way onto his lips before he had even fully processed what it said. "It's not mine," he told Riley. "The kid isn't mine."
Handing over the results to her to have her look it over from a legal standpoint, he leaned back in his chair, comforted by the weight that had been lifted. "What do you say to moving this meeting off-site for a drink? I'm buying."
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Post by Riley Tyler on Aug 30, 2015 23:50:29 GMT
Riley was jotting down notes in the margins of what she'd come in to talk about when he announced that it wasn't his child. She looked up at him, nodding. "That's good," she nodded. "It doesn't clear the entire ordeal up completely, but it's a start." She took the results, examined them for a moment. "I'd like to make a copy of this later just to keep in a file. As much as I'd like to think otherwise, I think this is the tip of the iceberg now that we know Eliot Quinn is involved." Pursing her lips, she nodded. "But then I'll give you the original back and you and Amber can frame it or put it on the refrigerator at home or however you'd like to celebrate."
When he suggested moving the meeting off-site, her eyebrow ticked up and she chuckled. Sometimes she enjoyed how differently she and Brandon seemed to work, it made working with him a challenge at points, but a fun one. "I won't drink on the clock, but I'll keep you company," she agreed, but then leaned back in her own chair. "But before we go I want to talk to you about something. I've been keeping an eye on the markets, another fun hobby of mine, and I noticed that the price of the company is up in trading, above what it really should be based on last quarter and this quarter's projections and I know it's not exactly within the scope of my position here, but I'd like your permission to look into it a bit further, just to make sure everything is on the level. Because, frankly, if something is wrong and it effects the company it enters my scope and I'd like to cut that off at the pass," she nodded. "Which means I'm going to need access to some information about our investors and some of the deals that weren't included in my original contract." She nodded, tapping her pen against her notebook before her face lit up. "I met with Cooper Benson the other day and he's going to onboard as one of my new clients, and I made him throw a Bloomberg Terminal into the mix," she mentioned excitedly.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 31, 2015 0:07:14 GMT
Brandon had wanted her to jump up and down and cheer or something, but in the small span of time that he had known her, he figured that this was a much more reasonable response. Maybe he could get Amber to show the sort of enthusiasm that he was hoping for. He momentarily contemplated calling her to tell her the good news but figured that this was the sort of news that deserved to be shared in person. As he had tried to figure out what his plan was going to be after this moment he had been contemplating what their future held a lot and now that the news had been unveiled to him, he was realizing that he didn't really want to give up the next part of his future plans with her. He just needed to figure out how to let her know that.
"Let me know if you need me to sign off on anything and I'll make sure you have access to whatever information that you need." One of the biggest things he appreciated about her role with his company was that she took the initiative to ultimately do the right thing for all involved parties. She had told him that she had wanted to save the world and he saw now how truly dedicated she was to that task, how truly cut out for saving the world she was. At the mention of bringing on Cooper Benson as a client, he found himself feeling a set of mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was pleased that this new opportunity was working out well for her, but on the other hand he wasn't sure he liked the idea of sharing her talents with anyone outside of Finn Industries. "Congratulations," he said, smiling at her. "It sounds like we both have something to celebrate then."
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Post by Riley Tyler on Aug 31, 2015 0:35:51 GMT
"Thank you," she smiled at him. "I told Cooper I won't work with them on their deal with Finn Industries, that in that instance I work specifically here as it was part of my contract," she admitted. "In the interest of disclosure, I should let you know that I've also been approached by the Democratic National Committee and a few political candidates, but I'm looking into hiring staff soon enough so it won't interfere with my work here. And as my first client, I can always promise that sort of priority, even when I'm working off-site. You call, I answer. You guys have a problem, I fix it." she smiled at him. Part of her had to admit she'd be sad to not work with Brandon consistently anymore. But a staff and more clients would be helpful, she'd never pictured herself consulting professionally but had to admit the fact that things were progressing quickly (on par with her personal life) was exciting. But having someone she considered a friend right down the hall was something she'd miss.
"Speaking of Benson, I drafted you that press release and I just need you to sign off on it before I do an embargoed soft release to Bloomberg Business, the Wall Street Journal, and the Times. I think the quote attributed to you makes you sound really smart, but I might think that because I wrote it," she quipped. "Where did you want to go get that drink?
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 31, 2015 1:01:15 GMT
He didn't think that he was actually going to be disappointed to see her take on more clients, and as her friend he shouldn't have been, but the reality of it was that he had made that deal with her to get her to agree to come work with him in the first place. He had meant it when he told her that he was constantly trying to ensure that the best and the brightest were working at the company, making sure that what it was the absolute best that it could be when he took over within the next few years. And he had to admit that Riley fit that bill, and she fit it well. "I appreciate the transparency," he told her, grateful that she was at least telling him all of this before he found out in some second-hand manner.
Brandon nodded about the press release, "Just send it over whenever you have a chance and I'll take a look at it. As for that drink - frankly, as long as they have alcohol it sounds great to me." Smiling at her, he stacked the paperwork up on his desk, making a mental note to give it a second glance tomorrow when his head felt like it was on a little straighter. "Shall we?"
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Post by Riley Tyler on Aug 31, 2015 1:14:24 GMT
Riley nodded at Brandon and smiled at him, making sure that everything she had with her was in order. "Sure, let's go. You know, Brandon, as someone who represents this office now, I want you to know I'm glad that the paternity test turned out the way it did. As your friend, I want you to know that I'm happy that you're happy and that I'm relieved for you, since that's nothing that you ever want sprung on you that way without any warning. But as the kid from Queens whose mom walked out? The fact that your ex-fiancee tried to use a kid as a bargaining chip, I'm going to nail her and Eliot Quinn to a wall the first chance I get. Just a heads up," she nodded. "Anyway, let's go celebrate not-Father's Day and a Bloomberg terminal."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Aug 31, 2015 1:32:49 GMT
He smiled at her graciously, "I appreciate it. I really do." And the truth was, he felt like both Alayna and Eliot had played too hard at a game that wasn't theirs to play at. Brandon led her out of his office knowing that either he, Riley, or both of them were going to do whatever it took to make sure Eliot knew exactly what he was messing with.
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