HILDEN'S POV

From a young age, l have always known the responsibility to carry on the family's legacy rested on my shoulders. Being denied the childhood l deserved, l watched as my parents planned each and every single detail of my life, including the brand of underwear l wore. I may not have always wanted this life, having rebelled against them countless times but the older l grew, the idea of power and money finally won me over.

I have given my fathers company eight incredible years of my life and today is the day the universe rewards me for all the hard work l have put into growing the family business. My father is finally stepping down as the CEO of Uppington North Corporation and allowing me to step into the role l was born for. The bright rays of the sun reflected against the screen of my laptop signaling a break from all the work that l was preoccupied with, alerting me of the fact that l had not received any sleep from the previous night. The meeting with my father and the board was at noon giving me a few hours of sleep before the moment that will define my future.

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The sound of music was all that could be heard all over the room jolting me from my well deserved sleep. Looking around for the source, l could see an incoming call as my phone lay on my bed side table.

" what?" i shouted into the screen of my phone. I have always hated being woken from my sleep and everyone around me knows that. Which is why l do not understand why anyone would be calling me so early in the day.

"I apologize for the interruption but the board meeting is scheduled to start in the next fifteen minutes" my assistant, Lizzy spoke nervously.

"The meeting was scheduled for twelve and its only...Dang it!" l said dropping the call and hurriedly making my way to the closet. What even is the importance of a shower either than wasting water. Don't get me wrong, l love to shower but in this very moment it seems like such a trivial task. Dressing up in black slacks, a baby blue cotton button up shirt and black shoes, l made my way to the car and sped off in the direction of the office. Living with my parents, one would expect that my father will alert me when he makes his way to the office but according to him, that's spoon feeding me. A brut of a man. I made it to the office with two minutes to spare, l must have been acting out a scene from fast and the furious considering the fact that my office is a thirty minute drive from my house.

Making it into the boardroom, l found that l was the last to arrive.

"Now that Hilden has arrived, let us begin" my father spoke with authority, glancing each and every single person present in the room

"As you all know, l have decided to step down as the CEO of Uppington North corporation. I have faithfully devoted thirty years of my adult life to this company and l believe the time has come for me to loosen the reigns and pass the title of CEO to my son, Hilden"

"But this company upholds the principle of democracy. So if anyone has a name they would like to nominate for the CEO position, you have the rest of the day to do so. We will have an official vote tomorrow at noon" at this l was very confused. I was so sure that l would be taking over after my father as discussed. The meeting was dismissed and my father signalled for me to follow him to his office

Stepping into the office, the cool air from the A/C hit me square in the face. One thing l do not understand about my father is his need to constantly be in below temperature rooms. Taking off his jacket, he poured us both a glass of scotch

"What was that all about, l thought you were grooming me to take over the company and now you are leaving the fate our heritage, our legacy to a VOTE" betrayal was all l felt. All those sleepless nights for a position that might not potentially be mine

"The company is yours. l have to play my cards right making the board feel as though they had a hand in the decision, that way they will remain loyal to us"

"And how are you so sure they will vote me in" l asked

"Have l ever made a non-calculated move? No and that's what makes me a great business man, anyways we own majority of the shares in the company, our votes count the most" this brought comfort to my troubled heart.

"Now that's out of the way, the reason l called you to my office is to discuss your future" he spoke each word slowly

" what about my future?"

"As you know, House of Media was our biggest competition-" he began before l interrupted him

"was?" l questioned

"Yes as of last month. They recently filed for bankruptcy"

"we can finally dominate the number one spot without worrying about competition" l spoke with a hint of pride

" Before you get excited you must know that before they became our rivals, your grandfather was the late Mr Keys' best friend and they decided that they wanted our families to be united. So they drafted a contract stating that should either company suffer, the other is obligated to land a helping hand" he spoke

" Both grandparents are dead, why does it even matter And what does all this have to do with my future?" l inquire

"Part of the agreement is for the first born grandchildren are to get married and you are the first born grandchild" he said

"what do you mean married?"

" wedding, chapel, white gowns, tux. That sort of thing" he spoke each word slowly and with emphasis as if talking to a toddler

" I am doing no such thing, you have controlled my whole life, l can't let you decide decide who l marry!" l spoke with conviction

"If l was you, l would think long and hard before making my decision. l wouldn't want you to lose the company because of something so small and stupid. The meeting with the Keys' is today at seven. You have until then to come to your senses. I will send you the address. You are dismissed"