Page 4 of Once Upon a Prince

Ara knew too much about my life that I couldn’t disagree with her. We had been calling Cheryl my evil stepmother for years. While she might never have known that was her name, she certainly lived up to it. I was beyond thankful that I had gotten away from her and as I looked over at Ara and thought about my new job, I vowed I would make the most of it and not think about Cheryl or how she had treated me.

I was free of her and the hold she had over me. She might control my money and determine how I got to New York. It didn’t matter. I wanted a fresh start, I wanted to find out who I was. This was my chance to do that. I still might have to support my stepmother and sisters, but I was going to enjoy every moment I could. Things were going to be different now; I was going to be different now and I couldn’t wait for my new life and adventures to start.

Chapter 2

Dax

“Did it have to be me, Dad? Couldn’t you have pawned her off to someone else?” I asked my father over the phone as I headed to the first of my six meetings of the day.

“Ella is a very competent woman. You’re lucky to have her,” my father said.

“Really? If she’s so good then why don’t you have her work for you?” I countered.

“Because Alice would kill me if I replaced her. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, she knows where all the bodies are.”

“Then she’ll have no problem putting yours with the rest of them,” I teased.

Alice was my father’s longtime and only assistant, having worked together for over forty years. Their relationship had lasted longer than my parents and was probably a healthier one. I could understand why my father wouldn’t want to give her up to help a college friend’s daughter. I just wasn’t sure why it meant the responsibility fell to me.

“Alex was one of my dearest friends. We promised each other, if anything happened to the other, we would look out for their children. Ella needed a job; you needed an assistant. It gave a solution to both problems.”

I could hear the sadness in my father’s voice. He might have lost his closest friend years ago, but he still missed him. It made me feel slightly guilty that I was trying to get rid of the woman he was trying to help.

“I don’t have time to be training some woman who has no idea how to schedule things properly, help to coordinate an event, or what to do when Reggie calls,” I said.

“She will learn quickly that no one takes Reggie’s calls, not even his mother.”

“Eventually she might figure that out. I have major projects in the works. I’ll need to be in Buenos Aires at the beginning of next month. I need someone who knows what they’re doing. I don’t have time to babysit anyone.”

“Maybe she’ll be the one babysitting you,” my father suggested. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice and I knew what he was getting at.

“Working here has always been my top priority. I might have gone out and partied and enjoyed my evening but it never interfered with my work. And before you say anything, I understand how it looked and I’ve stopped going out. I have practically turned into a monk. My only interest now is the company and doing a good job,” I said.

“It would be appreciated. I have most of the board convinced that you’re the right guy to take over for me when I retire. Now is your chance to convince them that you are.”

“I have until the end of this quarter to show them what I can do. I already have a lot of ideas and projects in the works. Including going to Buenos Aires. It’s why I need someone competent working with me. The trip is as important to me as it is to the company. I want it to succeed and not cause you any shame.”

“You never caused me any shame. I couldn’t be more proud of you or your sister.”

“Even if she’s going to spend all your money and cause us to go bankrupt as soon as you pass?”

“It’s a good thing I’m going to live forever so she can’t do that. And nothing would make me prouder than if you two were to use all my money for good like your sister is doing. Now, if you want to have any of that money to spend, you can do this one favor for me,” he said.

“You know I have enough of my own money, I don’t need yours. I’m not saying it isn’t nice to have, but it isn't necessary. I could just tell you to figure this out on your own and leave you high and dry.”

“There’s always that possibility but I don’t see you doing that. You might have been full of yourself and a bit of a player, but you care about people. Deep down, you want to help Ella, as you would any other friend in need.”

“We aren’t friends. I met her years ago when you took me down to Nebraska for the week. I was thirteen. I was more interested in seeing the bears you promised than some scrawny girl.”

I had barely remembered Ella. I did remember hoping to see a big black bear and the trip being the first time my father had talked to me about the company and where he saw my future in it. I had listened to a point, I'm not sure how serious you could talk about running a company to a thirteen-year-old.

His need for me to know the company and take over hadn’t really set in with me then nor after I graduated from college. I had enjoyed my twenties, partying, traveling, being with as many women as I could. I still came to work but I only did the bare minimum. It wasn’t until my father sat me down and talked about retiring and how he wanted me to take over that I knew I needed to get serious about my role. I knew how to run the company; I had been taught since I was younger. I just hadn’t cared about doing it until then.

In the last few months, my father had been imparting more knowledge and responsibility to me within the company. He was trying to show to the board that I was the only person to take over. While he and my sister supported the decision, there were many board members who didn’t. I needed to take the next couple of months to prove myself.

Doing good for the community, for the company, showing that I could be a team player, and looking at the big picture were all ways I could earn the board's approval. I knew my father was having me take on Ella not only because I needed an assistant and she needed a job, but because it would look good to them.

They were a group of people who liked to help others. It was one of the reasons why so many of them wanted my sister to be the new chairman of the board. Too bad she had no interest in running the company. Her passion was working on any charitable organizations she could find and spending as much of our family and other people’s money that she could.