The Prince

Part 52

"Your grandmother wishes to see you." Hollard appeared quietly next to Skye as he started walking to the bus stop.

"Geez, Hollard, a bit of warning would be nice!" He jumped back. "And why does Gran want to see me in the middle of the week? We normally visit on weekends." He stopped when Hollard placed his hand on his arm.

"This isn't a social visit. You are requested to come now." He bowed his head slightly, gesturing toward the black town car waiting with its door open.

A little intrigued, Skye followed Hollard, who remained as still as a pillar throughout the ride, to his grandmother's office. The only time his grandmother was as serious as this was when she threw the winter ball at him. Maybe he did something wrong, and this was going to be his punishment.

"I'm not going to die, am I, Hollard?" The silence was getting to him, and as much as he loved his grandmother, he knew that she was no fool. So something was up.

Hollard silently led him up the stairs to his grandmother's office. He knocked once before gently pushing Skye inside, closing the door behind him.

"Hi, Gran," Skye immediately rushed toward her for a hug.

"My sweet boy!" She squeezed him back before motioning for him to take a seat at her desk.

"Why did you ask for me, Gran?"

"Well, so much has happened over the past few months that I never got a chance to speak to you about the ball." Her eyes lit up, a proud smile on her face.

"The ball? Gran, that was ages ago. We got off scot-free, remember?"

"Yes, it was ages ago, but you did it. You may not have known where to start, but once you were on even footing, you were running long before others!" She leaned back in her chair, looking at him keenly.

"It wasn't all me; there was a whole team."

"And that's what makes it even better. You had a whole team of people working for you to get a job done. They didn't complain; people were placed in areas where their skills were prioritised, and you kept a tight rein on the finances and timelines while trying to do better than what was expected. I would say that's a win." She raised an eyebrow, still smiling.

"You make it sound like I did more than anybody else." He mumbled, deflecting.

"You did so much more; I think it's time that we presented you to the world."

"Presented? Gran, what does that mean? And no more riddles, please." He leaned forward in his chair. 

"It's time that the world knows who the future of our companies will be. We will be making a formal announcement, of course."

"Gran, what are you talking about?" He leaned closer to her, confused. "Both Dad and Grandad are still running the companies, and that's not going to change soon. Why would you want to tell people who I am?" This was his worst nightmare. His granddad Jesse had warned him that something like this was coming. That he would have to step up to his legacy, no matter how much he wanted to forget. Now his face was going to be blasted over every page and on every site.

"Next week, I will make a formal announcement on behalf of Dealer's and Hellion introducing you as the heir. You will be assigned a secretary and a guard and will start working within the companies. You will have to give up your current job, unfortunately, as your other appointments will keep you busy enough." Gillie could see the confusion in Skye's eyes; she also noticed how his lips tightened at the mention of a bodyguard. 

"Can't we wait until I finish school first?" He knew that it was pointless to argue with his grandmother; she would always get her way no matter what. His grandfather would stand steadfastly behind her, and what he said was law, so there was no way of worming out of this.

"No, by the time you leave school, everybody should know who you are." She pointed her finger at him. "For all the good reasons, of course."

"Yes, Gran," he sighed. But do you think we could skip the secretary and bodyguard?" There was no harm in trying.

"There's no negotiating. You're going to need two people with you whom you can trust with your deepest secrets. I will, of course, allow you to select them yourself." She got up, coming to stand in front of him.

"I'm so very proud of you, Skye. You've done so much more than I could have expected, and you have managed to do it while juggling so many other things." She reached up to gently stroke his cheek. 
"I've watched you grow from a mischievous young boy into a young man who prides himself on achieving great things with his own hands. There is no doubt that you will take Hellion and Dealer's to become bigger and better than they are right now. Don't doubt that yourself, sweetheart. We're all here with you, and we love you and believe in you.

"Thanks, Gran. I can always trust you. You know I love you too, right?" He pulled her in for a hug.

"You better, after all the time I spent getting your clothes ready!" She gave him a wide grin.

"Pappa's going to be mad at you again. You know what he's like." He warned her. Raymond had made his feelings on spending money on clothes that weren't needed very clear.

"Oh, what's your Pappie going to do about it, fire me?" She laughed, holding Skye's hand as she walked him to the door. "Thank you for being so mature about this. Other people would have run away from this opportunity. Trust me, Eric nearly vomited when we told him and flatly refused."

"Granddad warned me something like this would happen. I just didn't realise it was going to be so soon." He looked down at his gran. "I hope I can make you proud, Gran." With another hug, he walked up to the door that discreetly swung open to let him out.

Hollard immediately appeared beside him, always keeping one step behind him. 

I've arranged the interviews for a personal assistant for tomorrow afternoon," he informed Skye. "The bodyguard interviews can be done thereafter. It's not like you're hiring them for conversation." Hollard joked.

"Hollard, at the moment you are my least favourite person, and you seem to be enjoying what's going on a little too much." 

"Not too much!" He laughed, holding the car door open.