Family Business [for justlikejezebel]

[carrington_atlantic]

If you did just about anything today, like charge your phone, ride an elevator, drive your car-- chances are, Carrington Atlantic had something to do with it.

Small companies become large companies, which become corporations and conglomerates, which can become empires. Blake Carrington stands atop one of those empires, controlling massive amounts of the energy produced, transported, and utilized in North America. And like anyone who rises to such heights, there have been people that Blake has had to leave behind. Sometimes, it's been by his own choice, and sometimes not.

Devon's mother actually falls under both categories. A minor affair from Blake's younger days produced a beautiful daughter, and for the first several years of Devon's life, she was thoroughly spoiled and doted on by her wealthy father, even if her mother wanted as little to do with the Carringtons and their empire as possible. Mother and daughter moved across the country without warning, essentially vanishing overnight, and cut all ties until Devon arrived on Blake's doorstep, now a beautiful girl in the bloom of her teens, to let him know that she would be living with him now.

Blake had been overjoyed. Devon had always been Daddy's girl before, and there seemed to be no changing that now. Even when that soon came to mean so much more.

Six in the evening at the Carrington estate, and Blake his tapping away at the laptop on his massive desk in his home office. The door swings open, and before he can look up, he hears it close and lock. A smile breaks wide across his face when he sees it's Devon, just returned from school.

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[justlikejezebel]

Being the only child in any family always had its perks. For the first few years of her life, Devon had nothing but happy memories of family: sailing in the yacht, riding horses across wide open fields, spending holidays at big houses with lots of decorations, presents, food, and people all doting over the only Carrington heir. But then that had all changed, overnight and with no warning whatsoever.

Going from an upscale private educational institution to a rundown inner-city public school had been quite a shock, even for an eight year old who wasn't supposed to know any better. Testing at a 144 on Terman's Stanford–Binet, it didn't take long for Mallorie Forrester's daughter to realize that life had just taken a huge jump right down the toilet.

First, her mother had settled for a two-bedroom apartment in Reseda, with the crappy brown carpet and flaking wallpaper in both bedrooms, then had been unable to find any decent paying occupation, so had been forced to work as a receptionist for a law firm on its last legs, as well as pull graveyard shifts down at the corner diner just to make end's meet. She'd encouraged little Devon to study hard, that her education would fulfill all of her dreams.

Six years later, that same "little girl" realized just exactly what was going to bring about all of her dreams. And it wasn't going to come out of some textbook.

No, it was going to be found in the back of Dad's Mercedes, or out behind the school football building, or even at a "backyard" party at some million-dollar house built in the mountain in Altadena. Once she realized that males found her appealing, and if she let it be known they could take advantage of that fact, for a hefty sum, the entire world opened up for Miss Devon Elise Forrester. As she did everything, she made a plan, worked things out, covered her tracks, and made damned near a fortune. At least for a fourteen year old girl still attending Reseda High.

Two years later, sick to death of listening to her deteriorating matron's droning speeches about life, dreams, education, and how to be a winner!, Devon packed only the essentials, sold the rest of her lavish wardrobe to a thrift store, and bought a plane ticket for the East Coast. Having tracked down her father, with birth certificate papers to prove it, she wasted little time in turning up on Blake Carrington's doorstep, somewhat surprised to be swept right into the family once more.

But then, Daddy always did have a soft spot for his sweet little girl, right?

Finally back in that upscale, fifty-thousand a year tuition educational facility she'd so missed these last eight years, the world was indeed Devon's oyster. She wasted no time cultivating her own social standing; she was gorgeous, rich, and not nearly as "hands-off" as most of the other high-nosed females who also graced those gilded halls. This evening, however, she'd just come home from a "study-group" for Advanced Chemistry with a "few of the girls", and quite promptly reported to her father's office to say hello.

"Hi, Daddy," she chirped brightly, making sure that the door was firmly locked behind her. She ill-liked anyone interrupting she and her father's time together; they'd missed eight damned years as it was, and his work took him on extended trips every now and again. But she was feeling a little...out of sorts, and it was up to her father to set things to rights again. "It's almost dinnertime, you know." Hopping up to perch on his desk, she crossed her knees somewhat primly, blue and gold uniform still a little askew, but she cared not at all.