The Nuclear Family Pt. 03

"Amy, what's this?" I had asked.

She smiled. "It's our car, baby," she replied with a big grin.

She let me drive down to the hearing. WOW!

When I put my foot down, the car responded, unlike any car I had been in before. With over nine hundred horsepower under the bonnet, I was worried for a few minutes until I got a feel for the car. Then to say that highway driving was fun was an understatement.

When we walked into the courthouse for the final divorce hearing, I had a smile a mile wide after that drive despite the circumstances. We met George; he shook our hands then smiled when I told him of my drive in 'Eleanor', Amy's name for her car. Yes, Gone in Sixty Seconds has a lot to answer for, but the name worked for such a beautiful car.

George, Amy, and I walked into the courtroom at the appointed time. A few minutes later, Georgia came in, flanked by my mother and father, Brad Jr and two lawyers who worked for my father. My father smirked at me, then turned to converse with the lawyers while pointing at me. They pointed at George in return, who smiled politely. When they exchanged worried glances and whispered to my father, he lost some of his smile.

The proceedings followed the usual format. The magistrate read through the divorce petition, the financial settlement and granted the divorce. Georgia looked at me a few times, and I looked back at her. She also spent a lot of time looking over at Amy and frowning. Amy, for her part, just smiled back.

The judge granted the final divorce amid some comments about how disappointed he was to see another marriage breakdown due to infidelity. He did call Georgia out as the cheating party. For her part Georgia blushed, but the wheels set in motion needed to be concluded. When he banged his gavel, it was done.

When we exited the court, George, Amy, and I talked when one of Georgia's lawyers walked up.

"I'm sorry, Mr Other," he said, talking directly to me. "I tried to talk them out of it, but they were insistent," The guy said almost apologetically, giving a worried look at George.

I nodded my head and held out my hand.

"Mr Robbie Other, you've been served." And he handed me a large manila envelope, then tried to back away gracefully. I gave the envelope to George, and he smiled. We had wondered if my family might try something like this.

"Thank you, Randy. I'll see that this gets the proper attention," George cordially told my father's lawyer.

The lawyer, Randy, paled. "You mean you're going to.... Never mind." He said and walked away, shaking his head.

As we watched, Randy walked back to my father. Dad again lost his smile as Randy explained in more detail who George was.

George was known around Australia as one of the country's biggest, baddest, most awe-inspiring lawyers. He had been offered the role of Queens Council five times but had turned it down to stay with his very successful law firm. He had looked after Amy's budding business in the early days thanks to a reference from a reference. When George met Amy and saw the potential of what she was doing, he invested money with her and has been with her ever since. As he was her lawyer, he was now also mine.

Don't tell anyone, but George was a really great guy, but when he looked towards Randy and my father smiling, it wasn't a very nice smile, more like a predator about to devour a tiny defenceless prey.

"You kids head off; this is all in my hands now," George said, opening the envelope and browsing through the contents. He raised an eyebrow and then looked back at Randy. Randy saw the look and hung his head in shame.

Outside of court, Amy and I headed to her car. Right before we got there, I again heard her voice.

"Robbie, wait!" my mother exclaimed, coming towards us. My father was walking with a cautious gait up behind her.

"We need to stop meeting like this..." I chuckled, facing the couple. Further back, I watched Brad Jr, and Georgia get into his Lexus. Georgia gave me one sorrowful look before getting into the car and they drove off.

"What do you want?" I asked, addressing my mother and her husband. I was struggling to think of the man as my father anymore.

"Robbie," Mum told me in a tone telling me she was trying to plead with me to give in to the family. "I spoke with your father, and he's willing to drop the suit if you talk with us..."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, ignoring my father. I was coming to understand that my mother was not in a great place, and trying to play peacemaker was hurting her.

"Is that it?" I asked.

"And you need to formally apologise to us, then come back to work at Total Build for half pay over the next three years. Oh yes, and there will be no bonuses for you, to pay us back the money you owe us." My father said; he put his arms on my mother's shoulders. I noticed her awkward vibe as she squirmed when Dad touched her.

I laughed, "Goodbye, Brad, Hattie. I've handed your joke of a lawsuit to my lawyer, just so you know. I think we all made our thoughts clear last time. You declared war Brad. Today you backed it up by serving me. I don't view us as a family anymore, nor will we ever be on friendly terms again. I owe you no apology, and I'm willing to bet you don't feel any remorse for being an absolute asshat either."

I turned fully toward them, crossing my arms over my torso as I watched my father's temper flare. I smirked, continuing. "You want war, Brad? You've got it, my oh-so-loving father. Now, unless you have anything else to talk about, my girlfriend and I have a date to get to. See you in court." I smiled, grabbed Amy's hand, and continued walking to Amy's mustang.

If I had looked back, I would have seen my mother struggling to get out of my father's grasp while he scowled. That scowl deepened when we didn't walk around the high-performance vehicle but instead opened it, started it up and drove away, leaving tyre marks on the ground as we pulled out.

The next three months were some of the most enjoyable of my life. I was away from my family as Amy made good on her promise to have me run away with her and take me overseas. With ALRO, we did it in style. Business-class international flights, five-star hotels, private cars and fantastic dining in several countries.

Every few days, Amy would meet with people. Sometimes, they were her staff. Most of the time, it was with companies that ALRO was investing in. I got to attend a couple of those meetings as a guest, surprised and delighted to see that my girlfriend was no pushover. The night before meetings, she would read through documents, send a few emails to gather information then be ready to go toe to toe with people twice her age.

In one meeting, the old guy sitting at the table, Mr Craig Eli, was a new CEO for the company we were meeting with. His resume told us that he had thirty years of company experience. When we all sat down around the board room table and introductions were made, this arrogant son of a bitch decided that he didn't like such a young woman being in the room with any type of authority. After the second round of critical comments at Amy's statements, I was fuming. Amy had said nothing wrong, looking around the table; everyone was nervous. Amy, for her part, didn't look embarrassed; she looked ready, focused, and determined.

After the third interruption in as many minutes, where he highlighted that Amy had no idea what she was talking about regarding their business, Amy pivoted the question, instead asking about revenue recognition on the balance sheet that had the old guy sneering.

Before he could start foaming at the mouth, which looked like a distinct possibility, Amy held up a hand, pausing everyone in the room. In a smooth motion, my girlfriend turned to the chairman of the board and the CFO, who was seated at the other end of the ornate boardroom table. Both had been in place when ALRO invested and looked nervous when Amy's whole vibe changed. They knew very well what ALRO had invested in their company heavily and that Amy was the head of ALRO. Amy stood, so I stood with her. The local ALRO manager, Margaret, stood with us.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Amy began, addressing the chairman and CFO. "But this meeting has come to an end. I came here today to hear about the future of ALRO's investment in this company. Instead, I have been talked down to and belittled by your chosen leader for this company. Before entering today, I had been briefed on three complaints from Margaret about Mr Craig Eli's conduct, and after spending just a few minutes here, I can see why there have been so many in such a short period."

"That's all well and good," Craig Eli cleared his throat, then responded haughtily. "But I have thirty years of experience; I know how to run a company."

"My, my, Mr Eli," Amy said with exaggerated humility. "You have thirty years of experience. That sounds very impressive. However, let's look at your track record, shall we."

She paused. This was not the happy woman that had stood me back up when my family hurt me. This was a tough as nail's Venture Capitalist CEO calling bullshit on what she saw. Still standing and turning to face Craig Eli directly, Amy opened a folder in front of her.

"Out of the five companies you have been with over the past ten years, three of them have quietly walked you out the door. Another one did not renew your contract, and I'm sure if we pushed further, we would find something similar in the others. You have a history of pushing short-term wins over longer-term gains, and staff morale is usually at an all-time low when you leave."

I was in awe of my girlfriend's poise and delivery. Craig Eli started sputtering. Amy kept the pressure on.

"You're on your fourth marriage. Your last two marriages have broken down because you were found cheating on your wives. Your current wife knows you're cheating on her and is ready to move against you very soon."

Craig Eli went pale at the mention of his cheating and his wife. The entire room was quiet, waiting for Amy's next words.

"You see, Mr Eli, I may not have thirty years of experience like you, but I have an amazing team around the world, and they ensure I have all the information I need. ALRO invests hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide each year in many different industries. And as founder and CEO of ALRO, it is my responsibility to call bullshit when I see it."

She held out a hand, and Margaret put some papers in them.

"I have here paperwork stating that ALRO will be removing its financial backing in five business days unless Mr Eli is removed from the CEO role of this company. ALRO also sees Mr Eli's continued employment as a poor investment risk and will take steps accordingly.

She turned to face the rest of the room. "I hereby inform you that I'm calling bullshit on Mr Eli's leadership claims. You have an emergency board meeting scheduled for six this evening to vote on the matter. Margaret will attend as usual in ALRO's board seat, though I am pretty sure you know how she will vote."

With that, Amy closed the folder in front, walking out of the room with Margaret and me close behind. We were silent in the lift on the way down. Amy was all business until the private car picked us up to take us out for a late lunch.

We said farewell to Margaret, and once we were back in the car, Amy exhaled big time and wrung her hands through her raven black hair.

"How did I do," she asked, looking over at me nervously.

"Amazing," I replied, in total awe of my girlfriend. "You took that guy apart at the seams. I am very impressed."

Amy looked out the window at the passing scenery but slipped her hand into mine.

"I knew we would have to get rid of him, but I wanted to give him a chance. A lot of people underestimate me because I am young and a woman. But I had to be smart and see threats quickly, or I would not have ALRO today."

"You really did good, my love. I hope that I always get to be there for you." I said, giving her my honest opinion. Amy was startled for a moment. Then I realised I had called her 'my love'. It was the first time I had called her that term of endearment. Amy smiled wide, then leaned into me, kissing me deeply in the car's back seat.

"You love me?" she said, all thoughts of work disappearing from her mind.

I chuckled as we were driven, "Of course," I kissed her again.

"Then, lover, take me back to the hotel and show me how much," Amy responded, running her hand up and down my arm.

We spent the afternoon around the hotel pool or making love in our room. Amy heard later that evening that Craig Eli had been removed, and we headed to our plane for our next stop the following day.

We spent two weeks in the United States. About half that time was spent on business and the other sightseeing. However, once we landed in Europe, things slowed business-wise for us. Amy confided that she wanted a holiday, and as I was here with her, it was an excellent chance to see the places we talked about on our first date.

We toured. We spent plenty of time doing everything we could without rushing in Germany, Italy, London, Ireland and France. We made love in almost every location and even visited a nude beach at one point. I admit I was a little jealous of some of the guys scoping out Amy's voluptuous curves. Then again, Amy admitted that she was wary of a few of the ladies checking out the swing of my package and what she called my fighters body. We had done it as a bucket list item, it was fun, but it wasn't something either of us wanted to do again, knowing our bodies were only for each other.

As we were having high tea in London, we got a message from George that Total Build had continued with its threat of a lawsuit. He told us the first meeting had not gone well.

It had not gone well for Total Build, that is. The initial meeting in court established the point that they were suing me. The presiding judge questioned my parents on the process of litigating against their son. My father's lawyer retorted that I had broken the employment agreement leaving the company without cause, causing a significant downturn in revenue and quality.

George replied that I had resigned and engaged Fair Work Australia, ensuring that I only got what benefits and bonuses I was due, nothing more. Apparently, thinking it would have a bearing on the case, my father revealed that I was recently divorced as well as estranged from the family. When questioned by the judge on why, despite the urging of his own lawyer, he proceeded to tell the court that I had left the employ of Total Build because, and Georges quoted, as he told us trying to reign in a laugh. "He needs to get his head unstuck from his ass. Just because his brother has a baby with his ex-wife doesn't mean he can abandon the business."

That caught the judge's attention; further questioning also revealed that the entire family hid everything from me until I caught my brother, the sales manager for Total Build, in bed with my wife. The judge encouraged my parents to drop the lawsuit, letting them know that not only would it not succeed in court but that they would likely be open to litigation for bringing an unjust case against their son.

A date has been set for six months.

In Ireland, we drank Guinness like it was going out of style. We spent almost half the trip in a pub or in bed fucking like bunnies.

When we got to France, the true romantic came out in both of us. We visited the Louvre, toured Notre Dame, shopped on the Champs-Élysées, took photos kissing under the Arc de Triomphe and got engaged on the Eiffel tower.

Yes, engaged.

In one of those hopeless romantic gestures the day we landed in Paris, Amy had to head to one of her few European meetings alone. I told her not to worry as I would wander the streets, find a café messaging her where I was so she could join me after her meeting. I did, and she met me there. I had a glass of wine with some cheese sitting and waiting when she arrived. But before that, I walked into one of the local jewellers to buy a simple engagement ring. It had a small diamond on a plain gold band. It was worth a little, but not too much that it would break my budget.

That night we had dinner at the Eiffel Tower. We had gotten through the main course and were taking a break on the balcony enjoying the sites of Paris from a height before the desert when I dropped to one knee.

"Amy," I said, bringing the ring box out from my coat pocket. "The last several months have been amazing. I never knew that someone could give themselves so wholly and utterly without any thought to themselves. If it weren't for you, I would still likely be angry and bitter at the world, wondering where my next drink was coming from or just beating up no bodies in the ring. But the day you came to me, you pulled me up out of a pit I never knew I was in.

"Every day since, I have opened my eyes each morning, hoping I would wake to find you beside me, hoping beyond hope it wasn't a dream. The smile I have when I see you is understanding that if this is a dream, it is the happiest dream I have ever had, and I never want to wake up."

I opened the ring box and extended my arm. Amy was smiling almost as bright as the spotlights above us on the tower.

"Amy Brown, I want to be with you every day, take life's journey alongside you for every moment we can. Will you marry me?"

Amy blushed and swooned as I put her on my knee. She cried.

"Yes!" Amy exclaimed to me, everyone around us laughing and shouting congratulations. I slid the ring on her finger as she gushed. We never did get out of bed that next day. Amy was determined to wear me out. When we left, she wore her engagement ring proudly telling everyone she was engaged to Robbie Other.

However, all holidays must end, and with a little remorse, we got on the plane back home to down under. In one way, I must admit that it did feel good to be home. Amy had no travel plans for the next several months as she had covered a lot of ground in meetings between our tourist time.

We had been home for a couple of days when I broached the topic of a job. It was taking longer than I thought to work through my savings, thanks to living with Amy, but I was slowly chipping away at my savings, and I did have some pride now I was going to be married again.

When I brought it up with Amy, she got a grin on her face.

"Honey," Amy said with a mischievous grin on her face. "These past few months having you with me has been amazing. The few meetings you were in with me, you were my rock and even the ones you weren't, I knew I was coming back to you, however..." Amy said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You are right that you need a job, and I know that you know construction, operations, as well as how to turn a profit. What if you were to start your own construction company?" Amy asked, an innocent look on her face. The look alone told me there was a devious plan underneath it.

I smiled, thinking about things. It would be an interesting challenge to take my family on.

"Your right, baby," I responded, still thinking. "You're right, I know construction, but if you're thinking I take on Total Build, while I know they have been struggling, I have nowhere near the capital to threaten them, and I've always been operations, not the crews doing the construction," I replied.

"That's not true Robbie, you're getting married to the CEO of ALRO," my now fiancé said, grinning. "I'm sure that we can arrange a capital raise,"

"ALRO Homes?" I asked. Amy laughed when I said the name.

"If that's what you want, my love," Amy replied.

Over the next month, I put together a business plan, operational guide, financial framework and hiring plan. I worked with Amy on the details. We started here in Queensland and planned to expand to other states as business rolled in. I was excited to be going back into the construction industry but not in quite the same way as I had with Total Build and the family business.