“Count Wellington, would you mind if you leave me alone with my son for a few moments.” His father, the Duke of the Blackstone House said.
His father was the younger brother of the King of the Royal Empire. Although the Empire was still extremely rich because of its vast properties and businesses owned, it was nothing more but a title.
It did not exactly give them the power to rule over the country as it used to a hundred centuries ago. It was just a mere publicity stunt and a tourist attraction for the visitors of the land. The King and the rest of the royal families were mere celebrities playing a part to keep the fantasy alive.
“Why did you send for me? I already told you that I do not wish to be a part of this royal farce of a life.” He expressed deeply to his father his sentiment.
“Your grandfather’s blood and my blood still run through your veins, so no matter what you say, you will always be my son. You can never turn your back to this family and your true responsibility as one of the future heirs of the throne.” His father, Duke Frederick Blackstone shouted at him.
He sat down on the chair, hoping to get this over with whatever his father wanted from him. “Tell me father what is it that you wanted to discuss with me.” There was no used to argue with a stubborn man like him.
His father insisted that formality was a must when they were inside the palace. He might not be following their principle, but he still respected his father for all he had done for their family. He did raise him as a good son, and he was indeed a good father despite their difference in opinion.
“Your mother wants to celebrate your 28th birthday next month. She had already had it arranged. All you have to do is show up.” Duke Frederick announced resignedly, already knowing his next reaction to the news.
“You can tell mother that she can call it off because I’m not coming.” He had no time for this social gathering. His time was very important especially now that his company was growing tremendously.
“This time, you have to attend it or else you would be putting me and your mother to shame.” His father proclaimed with a deep sadness in his eyes.
He had known his father for his strength, his ability to make people follow him with no questions asked. He was ruthless in his dealing but fair in his judgment. Seeing him with a defeated look was something he never thought he would see, not even in his death bed.
Somehow, this made him think of his mom who was going through all that trouble. He hated disappointing her and seeing her sad was the last thing he wanted. “Ok. Let me think about it.” He said, not wanting to commit to anything yet.
His father continued after hearing his answer. “You know the tradition and although this is the modern times, we would still like to uphold what was practiced by our ancestors.”
“What are you saying?” Although he already had an idea of where this conversation was going. His father opened his desk drawer and took out a big brown folder. He shoved it in his direction. “What ‘s this?”
“Those are the list of the ladies that were chosen to be most appropriate to be your wife.” He explained. “We want you to present to us during the ceremony your future wife.”
“What?” This made him lose his temper. “You want me to what?” His manners just went out the window. His Nanna would certainly turn in her grave if she saw him shouting at his father in that manner. Forgotten was his discipline, drilled to him since he can learn to talk and walk by his grandmother.
“It is our tradition and we uphold it no matter what.” His father said adamantly. “Your grandfather did it. I did it, and you will do it.”
“But father this is already the twenty-first century, we don’t have to continue with that illogical tradition.” He insisted as he disregarded the envelope. “Besides, I don’t plan to get married soon. I certainly would not choose my wife from a list.”
But, like all their family and the Royal tradition, it was not to be broken. There were corresponding consequences when a tradition was not met properly or not done at all.
As his father said, it would bring shame to his family and his father’s house. Something that his father did not take lightly. His honor was everything to him, that would also mean breaking his mother’s heart, which was something he never liked to do.
“As I said before, I don’t want a merger. I want to buy their company.” He reiterated to the men seating around the conference table.
It was already an hour since they started this board meeting, but they barely accomplished anything. He was getting frustrated with the other board members for pushing for the merger rather than a buy-out.
“I think what they are offering is a fair deal.” Marcus insisted as he looked at the contract. “A merger would give us enough profit and fewer problems.”
Although Marcus was also for acquiring the shipping company, he could see why the other board members were conservative in taking the plunge with Alexander’s plans.
Buying the company was far too expensive and there was a very high chance that they would not be able to recover their investment. The owner was pushing for a hard bargain and the board was skeptical to gamble on such a large stake.
“He already declared his price if we want to buy the company. It is too high and we could not afford to take that risk.” Mr. Benson, the head of the Finance Department stated.
“Give me a few more days to find another way to make a better deal. If I could at least decrease it by twenty-five percent, would you say that it would be financially viable to proceed with the buy-out?” He questioned Marcus and all the board present in the room.
“Yes, I believe it will be more acceptable.” Another board member, who was earlier extremely opposed to the idea, suddenly agreed. By lowering their exposure, the buy-out would certainly be more profitable.
He was finally seeing hope if he could make a believer out of Mr. Jackson. His opinion was well valued by the board, so all he needed to do was make sure he agreed. Then, the rest of the board would eventually follow suit.
He was the head of the company, but he still had to prove himself since he lacked the experience and the trust of the board, being new with nothing much on his belt. However, he believed that after this acquisition, the board would see him in a new light.
“Just give me a week to settle this problem. If I could not get the price down as promised then I would concede with the merger.” He guaranteed it to the rest of the men in the room.
He was here for a kill, not just to scavenge for scraps. A merger would only give him half of the profit he wanted, but a buy-out, if he played his cards right would bring him double or even triple the amount of his investment.
“I believe that you can deliver, Alex.” Mr. Charles Jefferson tapped him on the shoulder to show his support.
Charles, also known as Charlie was one of his mentors who had guided him in the world of business. He met him during his time at the university where he conducted a seminar for young entrepreneurs.
From that day on, he had guided him in the world of business, keeping Charlie at his side as his confidant. Charlie, Marcus, and he slowly climbed the ladder to success, but they still had a long way to go before he could reach his goal. To be on the top.
“Thanks, Charlie. I will make sure of that.” He nodded his head in acknowledgment before they parted and he went directly into his office with Marcus by his side.
He was ruthless when it came to getting what he wanted. He had been trained all his life to be one as the second in line to the throne. Next to the only son of the king. But life changed him as his path went in another direction.
He wanted real power. To be king of something he had fought hard to achieve. Not because he was born to wear the crown or entitled to a seat on the throne. He wanted nothing to do with a kingdom that did not rule anything.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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