Chapter 10: Decision and talk with Uncle

Ace P.O.V

With both envelopes in my hand, I could see that my uncle wanted me to open them right now but I wouldn't give him this pleasure.. not yet (giggles) yes my mischievous nature was popping up again I like to mess with him he is so easy to read well for me because I saw him with one of his business partners when I was younger and my Uncle and the businessman Anthony Smith are two different person I put my results on my laps before looking at my Uncle and with a serious gaze I said 

-It's good that you summoned me I was also hoping I could talk to you about something.

-Can't it wait until you...

-No I said interrupting him mid-sentence, he looked at me mildly annoyed with my antics then sighed, he got better at this damn it I'll need to change my approach he is too used to my tricks now I need new tricks now, he made a gesture with his hand telling me to continue, Remember when you open me a bank account for the Royalties that One Piece and my children story would make me?

-Yes I do remember, what about it? he asked

-Well I want you to give all this money to charities, not just that, I want all future revenue,  except for employees and maintaining the business continuity to be donated as well, therefor from now on every work I will publish under the pen name Lotus in the future will follow the same path every penny that was supposed to go to me as an author will be given to a charity and I don't want some shady charity that uses the money for themself instead of helping people I want you to choose good ones and try to find charities that mostly help children's that are sick, orphans or handicap children's. Ahh before I forget since we are talking about Lotus Publishing House, stop trying to get me to signing events or what not Lotus is my pen name I will take this secret to the grave no one will ever know I was the author Lotus except you and I hope you didn't tell a soul and won't int he future either, also you don't have to worry I will never get recognition or whatever when I will be able to I will buy or build from scratch a publishing house and name it Ace'S publishing house but I'll do so alone and I won't hide from the public then!

Anthony Smith P.O.V

I swear to God, this child never ceases to amaze me and surprise me every time I think I got him figured out he pops up with something totally unexpected either a new talent he is discovering or things he says that don't fit a child his age but I think that what I just heard may be the biggest shocked I got since his parents died, did he just say what I think he said maybe it is because he doesn't know how much his works are selling like hotcakes ...nah knowing him he should have a pretty good idea even if he doesn't know the exact numbers he won't be far off and the craziest thing is that I know that whatever I will say from now on won't change his mind he is just like that when he got plans he follow them through without fail, sigh good thing I didn't make Lotus Publishing House go public last year when I was asked to do so by my financial advisor sure I gave him a crappy reason saying it was my baby I wasn't ready blah blah blah but in fact I just wanted to transfer it back to Ace at his majority and then let him decide the future direction of it but with everything he just said I know the direction it will take without even asking him every profit Lotus Publishing House will do in the future except for the essential like employees wages, building taxes and maintenance, will go to charities I dont know if I must be proud about what he is doing or be concern about his lack of interest in this money. With a now tired mind, I looked at him and said

-It will be done now get out I need to be alone a bit and ask Martha to bring me tea with all the shocks you always give me I need a break shoo shoo get out of my office now!

Ace P.O.V

That went well, I think he looked mentally tired poor Uncle he's still not as accustomed to my stunts as I thought he was. I need to find Mammy and Lena now hehe still he even forgot about my exam result I thought while looking at the envelopes in my hands I want to open them up with them by my side even if I'm sure I did well with all the support and love they showered me with they deserve to be the first to know the results.

Coming out of my Uncle's office I strode toward the kitchen before talking with my uncle Lena told me she was going to talk to the chefs so I assumed she would still be there or close by at least, the closer I got the more excited I was to share this moment with her, Mammy will also be there with us because at my demands she was to eat with us every Friday at the beginnings she thought it was weird to do so as the head maid isn't supposed to eat with us but I am considering her as my grandmother, not a maid so she had no choice but got used to it as I was really insistent on this Nigle was also eating with us as the husband of Martha I also considered him family.

Arriving in the kitchen the chefs and their assistants were fully immersed in their task looking around and not seeing Lena I asked Pablo one of our chefs

-Hey Pablo, do you know where Lena is?

-Hi Mr. Ace, yes Lena told us she would go talk to the maids in the cellar 3 minutes ago so she must still be there!

-Thank you Pablo i can't wait to taste what you are all cooking it smells amazing 

-You are welcome Mr. Ace, I am sure you will like what we prepared for you tonight now if you will excuse me I need to get back to it

-Sorry for bothering you I'll take my leave and again thank you!

To go to the cellar you had to go through the dining room and open a hatch that goes into the basement since alcohol is susceptible to changes in temperature the cellar needed a special thermostat/humidistat and monitor controls for the wine cellar to be functional and be sure that the alcohol is always in perfect condition I remember the first time I saw this room I thought we had a prison dungeon in the mansion but over the years my Uncle upgraded it to make it more modern so it was now looking more like a ... futuristic medieval dungeon (giggles)

Making my way down the spiral staircase I could hear the voice of Lena talking to herself through the years she took a liking to wine and its history she was fascinated by the process of turning fruits into alcohol she was by no means a heavy drinker so I was surprised but well to each their own it's good that she found a hobby she liked I also suspect that all the upgraded made here by my Uncle was for her who am I kidding I'm 99% sure it all got to do with her liking this that my Uncle made all those changes in here!

I crept behind her without making a sound not that it would have mattered because she was so engrossed in doing whatever she was doing that she wouldn't have heard me anyway, I waited while looking at her with amusement I understood why my Uncle got smitten by her she looks really cute when she focuses on something like that, every chance I got I will instill the idea of confessing to my Uncle to Lena and I think I was making good progress I wanted to let her know I was there but she had a bottle of wine in hand if I scared her now and she drops it I will hear about it for the rest of the summer so I waited until she put it back on the shelf looking for something else before making my presence known by loudly coughing in my hand

-Cough cough Uncle sure put a lot of effort into this wine cellar don't you think Lena, I wonder for who he did this I said to her with a knowing smirk tugging the corner of my lips.

-Ace don't scare a lady like that humph, also I don't know what you're talking about while blushing a little 

I could see that all my teasing this last month was slowly but surely yielding results, Lena blushing like this was proof of this she must known by now that Uncle also had a deep affection for her she just didn't want to admit that this was love yet 'humph' you won't resist for long I thought.

-Sorry, sorry you were so deep in your thoughts I didn't want to bother you so I waited in silence by the way, look at this Lena I said while showing her the two envelopes I was still carrying in my hands

-Is it what I think it is Ace?

-If you think that this is the result of the exams I took then yes it is what you are thinking! I wanted to open it with everyone, so after having eaten our fill later tonight we can all get together for this moment what do you think?

-Yes that's a great idea, oh no I need to ask the chief to make a cake she said storming off before I could say anything

Sigh she got so excited about this that I wonder how she will react if I get married in the future(giggles)

2 hours later with a belly so full, I could feel my pants expanding with each breath I took, I tried to close my eyes to relax a little bit before going for a walk but I could feel a burning gaze coming from Lena if I don't take out these result in the next 2 minutes I might actually catch fire from this intense gaze, so with a sigh, I stood up took both envelopes from one of the many buffets around the room then sat back on my chair and said

-Alright I think it's time to open these before Lena does it herself I said while chuckling!

Lena looked at me with a pouty face while everyone else was laughing but making this joke made the little tension that was starting to build shatter like nothing and return the atmosphere in the room to a more pleasant and relaxing one I tore the top of the first envelope open took out a sheet of paper looked at it than put it facing downward on the table than I took ever more my time with opening the second one as well I could see Lena beginning fuming at my clear attempt to annoy her, I finally took out the second paper look at it stack it with the first one made a move to get up from my chair then said

-Thank you for accompanying me with this I will now go to my room!

-STOP MESSING WITH US TELL US WHAT SCORES YOU GOT ALREADY WILL YOU! yelled Lena.

-Alright alright don't be mad I just couldn't help but tease you seeing how anxious you were I said while laughing I passed both papers to my left first where Mammy was sitting with Nigel 

While she was reading I continued with saying.

-I got full marks on both tests I scored 1600 on the SAT and 36 on the ACT so basically I can go to whoever university I feel like and I think it is time I tell you my choice you all know that I want both a degree in music and acting I always like o think that keeping the best for the end is the way so I will start by getting my Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) and I will go to either Yale, Duke or Columbia I want to visit them before I make any choices I hope that both of you Uncle and Lena can come with me, please?