Chapter 1

On the top floor of a large elegant modern building, in an office occupying all the floor area behind a large elegant desk made from black wood, in front of a French window overlooking the Dominion Gardens, the HQ of the Enterprises, sat Mr. Alex Royal, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Royal Dominion Enterprises.

He appeared to be in his late 50s, wearing a three-piece suit made especially for him by the company's luxury division, highlighting his tall, well-built body and handsome facial features, making him radiate a regal aura befitting his status as the owner and Chairman of one of the world's largest enterprise.

A camera was set in front of him in preparation for an interview with a reporter from one of the best financial magazines in the world.

After checking the equipment, the cameraman nodded his head, signaling that everything was ready to start the interview. Mia started the interview by greeting him, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Alex. I'm reporter Mia from Global Finance Insight. Thank you for accepting today's interview despite your busy schedule."

"Thank you, Mia. It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I appreciate you taking the time to interview me today despite your busy schedule too," answered Alexander in a deep, soothing voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Alex," Mia replied politely before asking, "Can you share the story of how and why you started the company?"

Alex nodded his head slightly before answering, "Of course I can, but first, I didn't start the company; I just grew it to what it is today. My father, Henry Royal, is the founder because he started it as a jewelry store when I was in middle school. But I took over after graduating from university and slowly grew it over the years into the enterprise it is today. That is how the company started. As for why, it's because I have always been interested in business since I was a child, and it was my dream to build a successful business empire."

"That is wonderful, Mr. Alex, but could you share what sparked your interest in business as a child?" replied Mia after hearing Alex's answer.

"It's because I have been exposed to the business world from a young age. My father was the CEO of a company at the time, and I was a curious child. So, after I learned what he did for work, I kept pestering him about what it meant to be a CEO and what it felt like being at the helm of a company. I had a lot of other questions until I started to be really interested in business. My father started to regularly talk to me about his day at the company, and sometimes I got to go with him. I was really fascinated by his charisma at the company, how everyone respected him, and how the company operated, so I started to want to be like him," Alex said before taking a sip of water to moisten his throat before continuing.

"So, I started to ask even more questions about everything I was curious about, and the more I learned, the more fascinated I became. I remember in one of those conversations I had with him, he asked me why I was so interested in his work. I answered him, saying, 'Because you are really cool, and I want to be cool like you.' My answer was really childish, but it was my genuine thought, and the start of what is today." Alex stopped talking for a bit, reminiscing about those fond memories of his childhood.

"I remember he laughed with a wide smile on his face. I got angry at him for laughing, but after that day, he started bringing me children's books about business and games that helped keep me interested and started the development of the skills I would need to be like my father."

"Your father was a great man, Mr. Alex," said Mia after Alex's answer. "Indeed, and he still is to this day," Alex said with a smile.

"You said Mr. Henry used to be a CEO. Could you share what happened to his company that made him start from the beginning with a jewelry store?"

"It wasn't his company; he was a professional CEO. As for the reason, I would spare you the details, but an incident happened, and the board of directors decided to shift responsibility to him and relieve him of his duties. A lot of changes happened in our lives as a consequence of that, but after everything passed, he started the jewelry store," Alex said while thinking about how things had been at the time.

"It must have been hard for you and your family at the time," said Mia.

"It was, but it's all in the past now, and we are greater than ever before," said Alex.

"That is true. There is no one who doesn't know Royal Enterprises in today's world. But how did you build a small jewelry store into such a massive enterprise? What made building a business empire your dream from a child's interest in becoming like his father? Can you say you have accomplished your dream, or do you think there is a lot more to accomplish before saying your dream has become a reality?"

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This was my interview with Global Finance Insight magazine. It was interesting and brought back a lot of memories, good and bad, but those are what have made me who I am today. If you want to know the answer to the last few questions and a little something I didn't mention in the interview, come follow along on a journey taking you to a time when it all started.