The Prince

Part 54

Sunday evening, Skye paced worriedly in his room. It felt like a brick was laid on his chest while his thoughts were running all over the place. Was he ready for what was about to happen and what happened if he failed? It seemed more real now that there were only a few hours left of the day.

"Son?" He looked up, watching Jackson enter the room. "Come on, sit here with me." He pulled Skye to sit next to him on the bed. watching him play with the cord around his wrist.

"I know there's a lot going on at the moment and that your life is going to change the minute your grandmother opens her mouth, but you can't doubt yourself now. If I didn't think you were ready for this, I'd have stopped your grandmother immediately. I can understand a little of what you're going through," he gave a tight smile, thinking about his own introduction to the world.

"My mother spent millions trying to hide all the stories that popped up about me. Some were true; some had a bit of truth. The thing is, you're more mature and level-headed than I was, and that is one of the reasons I know we can trust you with our futures." Pulling Skye closer, he continued:

"It's okay to be nervous or unsure; it's part of learning. But don't forget you have a whole team behind you. All you need to do is ask." He smiled at his son. "Or you can order them. Either way, you will get what you want.

"I'm not sure if this is helping or making it worse, but thanks, Dad. Come on," he got up; "we better go and find Pappa before either of us is suspected of something." He joked, pulling Jackson along.

The next morning, Skye stood in a midnight blue suit, a white handkerchief in his jacket pocket, in front of his dads in the kitchen. Josh immediately reached forward with a brush to wipe away any lint.

"Eh, thanks, Josh. Nobody's going to look that closely." He chuckled.

"Not when your picture is taken in 6k!" He laughed, getting Skye's breakfast ready.

Getting into the car, they drove together to Hellion, where the press release was taking place. When they got to the waiting room, Klara stepped forward with a smile, holding a suit bag out for him to take. She had quickly gotten over the shock of finding out that she'd be working for him and, without missing a beat, started arranging the schedule his gran set up.

"Mrs. Priestley was very insistent that you wear this." She gestured for him to follow her.

Skye did exactly as he was told. There was no point in arguing with his grandmother. She was in full business mode at the moment; her attention was laser-focused on the task at hand. He, on the other hand, felt overwhelmed by the pressure and the attention this would bring, but he also knew all the good he could do in his position.

This was a massive task his family set for him, but he was up for the challenge. He was proud of how hard his grandfather and father had worked to build his legacy, and he was going to do everything in his power to build on to that. Taking a deep breath, he went up to the stage where Jackson and Damon were standing. Both smiled proudly.

He was surprised at how confident his grandmother was behind the microphone, laying everything out before making the big announcement.

"Now, I would like to introduce you to the heir and owner of both Dealer's and Hellion, my grandson, Skye Dealer-Cook!" The room exploded with questions, which she selectively answered. Gillie went on to explain the process, the handover, and the current running of both companies before stepping back and motioning for Skye to take the podium.

Standing in the bright light, flashes going off, and the sea of people in front of him, his mouth went dry and his heart started beating as if he had run a marathon. He could understand why his uncle Eric had vomited at the thought of doing this.

"Thank you everyone for being here and sharing this dream moment with me. I don't accept this honour lightly; I know I have a lot to learn and that there is a lot of work to be done, but I'm up for the challenge. When I'm ready to take the reins completely, I know I can build on the legacy of two of the greatest businessmen in the world. I have a lot to prove, not only to myself but to you as well, but that's not my only goal; my goal is to grow these companies beyond what they are currently capable of and give back to the communities who are supporting us by creating more jobs and prioritising people and growth."

His granddad and dad both made speeches, but he could see that Jackson loved the attention more. He smiled, thinking about his soccer mom fan club, who always cornered him at school.

His grandmother quickly stepped forward to help him answer some of the questions until she escorted him off the stage into the waiting area.

"Well, that went well, didn't it?" She asked the room at large.

"At least I'm still in one piece." Skye joked, his heart still beating fast as he stepped into Raymond's embrace, who, like Jackson, seemed intent on cracking his ribs.

"Ow, Dad, you're going to break my ribs!"

"Sorry, squirt, I'm just so proud of you!"

"You were wonderful!" She exclaimed. "Wasn't he Damon?"

"Yes, yes, you were wonderful, but now you have to put your money where your mouth is!" He smiled benignly.

"Actually, it's our money that he'd be betting with, so let's take things easy. This isn't a race; we'll be with you every step of the way."

"Now what?" He asked, looking at everyone around him.

"Now we take you to school; you have a short break thereafter, and then we move on to your first job until six. You then have a short interview, and we should be done by eight." Klara smiled, reading off her tablet. Arranging the schedule of a teenager was much more complex than she had thought. School always got in the way of her plans, which meant that Skye would have many late nights to deal with.

"Do I have to do the interview?" He whined, knowing he should capitalise on the fact that people don't know him. But he was never one for the limelight and didn't think that was going to change soon.

"Okay, come on," he sighed once he had his school uniform on. He didn't need to ask how it got there, so he followed Steve to the waiting car.

When both got out of the car with him and started following him to the entrance, he stopped and frowned.

"You two aren't' going to follow me around all the time, are you?"

"Well, that's sort of our job." Steve informed him with a frown. "She keeps you organised; I keep you safe!"

"Look, nothing is going to happen in there, and I have to take my own notes. I can't let my assistant do it for me. So while I'm inside, I'm safe. We can meet up again when you pick me up after school." He bargained with them. When neither of them moved, he sighed.

You will both go back to my office. Klara, finalise my schedule for the rest of the week, and Steve, just do what you normally do." He ordered, hoping it would work. He was the boss after all.

"What? Throw cherry bombs down the toilet?" He laughed. "Klara can go back to the office. I'll hang around if you need me. That's the best I can do."

"Okay," is said in exasperation, "I'll take your deal. But remember, I can still make your life hell." He reminded Steve, who threw his head back in laughter, heading to the entrance, where he lazily walked around completely ignoring Skye.