The secure computer room at AEM Enterprises of New York City was dimly lit as Charlie Dragonetti sat at the master terminal, clicking away at the keyboard. He had received a text message from one of his contacts in New Orleans, a disturbing message that sent the former Marine, Navy Seal and Central Intelligence Agency operative running to the computer room as he pulled up the feed and looked at the monitors. "Holy shit," he muttered as he pulled the earphones out of his ears and stared wide-eyed at the wall monitors. After several more clicks on the keyboard, he bolted from his chair and walked quickly to the stairwell, disappearing in a blink and appearing at the top of the stairwell that led to the executive conference room. He walked toward the conference room door, paused to take a breath and then quietly entered the room, closing the door behind him. Charlie stood just inside the door and waited.
The negotiations with Tucker Investments International had been underway for the last seven hours. The pack of lawyers that James Tucker had brought with him to the negotiation had underestimated the skill of AEM Enterprises principal negotiator, Angelica Dragonetti, who was known as Lica (pronounced as Lee-Ka) in her professional life. She had them on the ropes moments after negotiations began. Angelica looked to be about thirty years old yet she had found every loop hole in the proposed agreement and she had discovered that they had not been truthful about Tucker Investments International's assets and losses. The lawyers were scrambling, Tucker was sweating and swearing at every turn, and Angelica, well she was unflappable.
Tucker looked across the conference room table, realizing that he had been beaten, by a girl. That is what he saw, a girl, a green-eyed, porcelain skinned, beautiful girl whose long golden copper locks barely moved as she spoke, yet danced around her shoulders when she would turn her head. She was dressed in a custom-tailored, dark green business suit where the skirt, with its respectable length above the knee, and her matching high-heeled shoes, accentuated her slim yet athletic figure. Rafe Dragonetti sat to her right and Albee Dragonetti sat to her left. Tucker sized up the two men, strong silent types, and noted they looked more like her bodyguards than business men. The two men did not speak to him beyond the initial cordial greeting when the negotiations had begun. One or the other would rise out of the chair on occasion to pour water into a glass, to hand her a document, to handle some errand or to whisper into her ear. But Angelica Dragonetti was clearly in charge of this show and Tucker knew he had been beaten, by a girl.
Tucker noticed that everyone in the room had looked to the door when Charlie entered the conference room, all eyes except Angelica's, she was still fully engaged in the negotiations and there was not even a pause in her voice at the interruption. Tucker's eyes followed Albee as he quietly rose from his chair and walked to Charlie. The two men whispered to each other for a few moments and then both Albee and Charlie looked at Angelica. Albee returned to his seat next to her, took a piece of paper out from a tray on the table, and wrote on the paper. He slid the note toward Angelica and put his hands back on his lap. Angelica had set the lawyers on their heels yet again with another loophole she sought to close and as his lawyers discussed the clause amongst themselves, Tucker saw Angelica touch the note as her eyes scanned the words on the paper. Whatever those words were, whether good news or bad news, Tucker could not tell because not even a muscle moved on her face. "I would hate to be playing poker with this one," thought Tucker.
Angelica proposed that they break the meeting to allow Tucker's bank of lawyers the time to address the items from the negotiation and revise the agreement. Tucker agreed, a follow up meeting was scheduled, and the meeting was adjourned. Tucker came around the table to shake Angelica's hand and as he did so he glanced at the note on the table. It contained four words and as he read the words, Tucker's thoughts were of some poor man's business that this shark in a girl's body must have taken over just as Tucker's business was about to be consumed.
Tucker and his lawyers left the conference room and walked toward the elevator. As the doors opened, four men in business suits exited with determination ignoring Tucker and the lawyers who were forced to clear a path for the men. The four walked deliberately and oddly in step toward the conference room. Tucker did a quick count, these four plus the three in the conference room looked more like a military unit than business men. As the elevator doors began to close, Tucker saw the four disappear into the conference room and wondered exactly who this Dragonetti family was and how AEM had grown so quietly powerful. For a moment the hardened investment banker felt sorry for whomever it was referenced in that note. His mind pondered the meaning behind those four little words: "The Mikaelsons have fallen."
Angelica and The Seven took their seats around the conference table, looking somewhat like a modern version of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Charlie had locked the door after everyone was inside then worked the table's display controls that raised a computer in front of him. With the press of a few more keys and buttons, the main wall of the conference room became monitors that displayed images of what he had seen earlier. Angelica was stone-faced and nodded to Charlie to begin his briefing. As he brought up the images from the Mikaelson family compound in New Orleans and played video clips of the scene, he briefed the group on what his contact observed and reported. Lucien Castle defeated, Finn Mikaelson dead, Marcel Gerard - super vampire/werewolf hybrid, Davina Claire dead, Freya Mikaelson poisoned, Rebekah Mikaelson cursed, Elijah and Kol Mikaelson – bitten by Marcel and dying, Niklaus Mikaelson imprisoned, and Hayley Marshall was on the run with Hope Mikaelson and four Mikaelsons in coffins. Angelica listened to the entire briefing and Rafe glanced over at Angelica, her jaw was locked and eyes transfixed on every word of Charlie's briefing. The only reaction he saw in her was when the video showed Elijah Mikaelson scream in pain after being bitten by Marcel Gerard, the muscles on the side of her face twitched slightly and a tear began to form in her eye. She was able to blink back the water to prevent the tear from falling, but Rafe and his brother Albee had known their sire Angelica the longest, and Rafe knew she was deeply upset by this disturbing turn of events.
When Charlie was finished, the room was silent as they waited for Angelica to speak. Angelica finally broke the silence as she said to them, "Boys, recommendations?" She listened as The Seven discussed options and a plan was formulated to help Hayley Marshall and the fallen Mikaelsons, with Angelica's condition being that the Mikaelsons could not know they were involved.
Author's Note 1: Reference Season 3, Episode 22
Author's Note 2: Golden copper is a warm and spicy hue—a blend of dark golden blonde and light, bright red. Actresses Amy Adams and Jessica Chastain wear this shade beautifully.
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Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Legacy
FanfictionTucker and his lawyers left the conference room and walked toward the elevator doors. As the elevator doors opened, four men in business suits exited with determination ignoring Tucker and the lawyers who were forced to clear a path for the men. T...
