I took out my phone when I arrived work the next morning to get the nation's news. But then, my door opened and both Jenny and Steve hurried in.
"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.
"You have to see this," Steve said then handed me his phone.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, this cannot be happening. My VIDA has been launched as DIVA by PGC.
"Andrei, they stole our design, they launched our VIDA before us," Steve said.
"My VIDA? How did this happen? I have never released any information about VIDA to the press, how come they stole my design?" I asked rhetorically.
Cherry too rushed in and joined us.
"Andrei, PGC's new owner is Brandon," she said and it hit me.
Brandon, so Brandon was the one behind all this, he was the new owner of PGC. He won again, he attacked first. No wonders PGC has been stealing our ideas, it was his doings and now VIDA, he stole VIDA.
He knew how much I have hoped to launch VIDA since childhood, that's why he ruined it. I was outsmarted again, Brandon still struck me.
"Should we take up a law suit against them?" Steve asked and Jenny gave a suitable answer.
"We can't take a lawsuit now , we don't have any proof that they stole our design and do you think PGC would be so ignorant to not have prepared a defense against our lawsuit?" Jenny said.
"The question now is how did PGC come in contact with our drafts on VIDA? Who leaked our information on VIDA? Steve asked a very important question.
Yes, indeed Brandon knew about VIDA but he couldn't create her because he didn't have the design. DIVA was exactly the last modification of VIDA, the recent version I planned to launch. This meant someone in my team was working with Brandon.
There was certainly nothing we could do now, we couldn't claim VIDA was stolen without proofs and I knew Brandon, he must have planned it out perfectly. My VIDA was gone, it was all gone and this was all thanks to grandpa. If he had supported me back then, we would have launched VIDA first and Brandon wouldn't have gotten the chance to win.
"Brandon must pay for this, the battle line has been drawn," I told myself.
I stood angrily and left the office ignoring Cherry's question on where I was heading.
"Are you happy now? Has your plans succeeded? VIDA has finally been launched by another company. It wouldn't have happened if you had just believed in me and helped me back then. You said it was a stupid creation but PGC has launched it and in a couple of days, you'd see the result, PGC stole my design all thanks to you," I screamed at grandpa when I entered his office for the first time ever.
"Andrei-,"
"No grandpa, I don't need any explanation from you. My VIDA is gone now," I said almost in tears before leaving.
Cherry's POV
Global tech and in fact all other technological companies made way for PGC ever since DIVA was launched. Global tech took a rough turn since then. Sales were going down, stock prices were declining and some investors threatened to pull out. PGC was determined to bring global tech down by not only launching its VIDA but also copying all our marketing strategies.
Something was sure and that was we had a spy but who was it? Another thing was that Brandon really wanted to take everything from Andrei but why? Who the hell was this Brandon?
The thing that bothered me the most was the impact it had on Andrei. Since that day, he hadn't returned to work am only called the company to ask for updates, he quarreled with his grandpa. Even mum and Alex complained that he changed. He locked himself on his room, skipped meals and as for me, we hadn't spoken since then. He didn't pick my calls or replied to my messages and when I visited his house, he didn't come to see me.
I completely understood him, his dream was gone, what he worked hard to create was stolen by another and I understood why he was angry with grandpa. But the thing was that his behaviour wouldn't help.
What was needed at this time was our cooperation to bring PGC down and take back our VIDA. With Andrei showing weakness like this, Brandon was winning.
I looked at the biography of Brandon on my screen, a perfect biography indeed. He had a clean record.
"What you don't know Brandon is that Andrei is not alone and I Cherry, as an independent woman would bring you down," I said as I looked at the screen one last time.
I stood up and walked to grandpa's office, I had to talk to him.
"It took you this long to come here? I think I might have underestimated you," Grandpa said when I entered his office.
"You really don't know me, grandpa. You might be able to predict Andrei but not me. I'm not as weak as you think," I said when I took my seat.
"Don't you think you're moving to fast? You're already addressing me as 'grandpa'. Remember I haven't given my approval."
"What exactly do you have against Andrei? Why can't you let home be happy? Why can't you support his decision? Grandpa, Andrei is a grown man, he has the right to his own decisions. I know you don't hate him, I know you're trying to protect him but-" I was saying, I had to talk to grandpa on Andrei's behalf since he couldn't.
"Who are you to question me?"
"I'm in no position to question you but I can go all lengths to see Andrei happy. VIDA was Andrei's dream and it had a great future but it was taken from him, you could have prevented this. Yes, I know you're trying to protect him but all you're doing is hurting him. My mum used to say that parents have rights on their children but they have to be very careful when using these right because it might only end up hurting them. I know you don't like me because you think I'm not good for him but it's okay. I know one day you would come to realize that you're mistaken about me and then you'd accept me. The only thing I want is for you to support Andrei, not just financially but also emotionally. Since VIDA was stolen, Andrei has been in his room locked up, he is not as strong as you think. But I know I'd you could talk to him, encourage him, he would muster up courage to fight PGC." I spoke brazenly, this was not the time to be afraid. Grandpa only stared at me as if I was talking nonsense. I stood up and was about to leave when he stopped me.
"Since you and Andrei are close, then you must know about this Brandon of PGC." I turned back and looked at him, so grandpa also knows about Brandon. But didn't Andrei ask me not to tell anyone in his family we met Brandon, didn't Andrei ask me not to tell anyone in his family we met Brandon? didn't he want to keep it a secret?
"Sit Cherry," he asked.
"Grandpa, you-"
"Andrei has always been like this, he looks strong and tough but he is as weak as can be . I have always tried to build him up, I don't want him to end up like his mother. He thought he could hide Brandon's return from me. He did everything to hide information about Brandon from me but he forgot who I was. Andrei is a weakling, he let his emotion get the best of him."
"Grandpa, please, who is Brandon to Andrei?" I asked him. He stood up, moved towards his wine cabin, took a bottle, turned some wine into a
glass and took a sip before speaking.
"Brandon is Andrei's half-brother
"What?" I almost screamed but then grandpa did his storytelling.
"My daughter married Andrei's idiot-of-a-father without realizing he already had a family, his wife and son. Brandon was raised by my daughter as Andrei's uncle.
"So Andrei's dad deceived everyone, that was why Andrei Andrei hated him? Was that why he didn't take him as his father? Didn't take his name?" I asked anxiously.
"That was the least of his offence, the rest you'd have to ask Andrei to tell you. But Cherry, both Brandon and Eugene are evil, they are worse than you think, they've caused so much pain to my family and that's why I would bring then down this time." Grandpa said in a laugh, a suspicious laugh.
I was confused, so Brandon was Andrei's halfbrother who had betrayed him back then along with his father with the pretence of being his uncle but grandpa said it was the least of his offence, what more has he done? And why were they after Andrei of all people, what was his play?
"Grandpa, does Alex know about all these?"
"Yes. Cherry, you have to work with me to take What happens when you fall in love with someone you're younger than as a female