Beginning at the age of fourteen, I decided to study hard for the company and to get my father's attention for once. I even planned on graduating from high school early, very early. I knew earning the company was going to take time since my father did not want a woman inheriting the company.
Something that was a tradition from the past generations. The oldest son should receive the company, but if he refuses or is not fit for the position, then it goes down the line of children, never landing in the hands of a woman. However, I was going to change that.
My brothers, Matt, Josh, and Eli decided to pursue different careers -refusing to take over the family business- when they reached their younger years of high school. They wanted nothing to do with our father, after the last fourteen years of the cold shoulder in my direction.
My father's company, Young Inc. was to be inherited by the eldest son, but Matt now age 21, said he wished to be a movie director. I thought that his dream was fitting for him, I could see him becoming a director, and making high-quality movies. He was never into the business side of the world, he wanted to be creative.
My brother, then promptly left to study abroad, living in California for a bit, but he didn't leave without telling my father I was the best option for the company. In front of all the maids and servants in the house, with me walking into the house, completely unaware of what was going on.
His opinion infuriated my father, to the point he canceled all the family dinners. Which I was okay with since they were always quiet when he was there, and I needed to recover from seeing my brother leave the country. Every time there was a family dinner, the mood was always gloomy, and suffocating.
Josh still lived in the house, and he is turning 20 in a couple of months. He also said he was not interested in inheriting the company, said he was going into fashion designing, which left my father appalled, but he made no comment on the statement, surprisingly. Probably because he didn't see any potintail in him.
Although, Josh worked at the company as the receptionist to make some extra money for his private lessons, working to make a product line, to add another asset for the company, working with clothing lines.
Eli was the one who is helping me get through my high school exams because he had to repeat a year because of discipline. Only because he saw kids picking on me, after seeing us together, a brotherly love, that managed to anger our father, as he saw him as an embarrassment to our family.
And because of that reasoning, he became my favorite brother, because he is willing to do anything to see the fall of my father, in both the business world and the mafia world that Eli rarely glances at. He wants our father to suffer after he chooses to ignore me, these past fourteen years.
Although, I was sent to the same private high school as my brother, I was not identified as a Young, but under my mother's maiden name, Jones. My father didn't want there to any public relations to be known between Eli and me. 'A precaution' he told us when we started the first day of school.
The school was nice and luxurious, and many children of other companies when there, almost ruling the building if it weren't from my brother. Since I wasn't known as a Young, I lived a quiet life a school and had only a few friends and excellent grades.
When my father had company parties I was allowed to come but wasn't permitted to speak to any of the future CEOs, or their children. My date was always assigned to me, and most of the time, it was my best friend, Jace Royal. I thought it was ridiculous, but didn't have the energy to bother complaining.
And yet, he didn't know that I was about to graduate high school at age fourteen, because he refuses to participate in any of my events. He never comes to my parent-teacher conferences, but he does do a check-up on Eli.
I didn't try to bring any attention toward me while I was in school, it wasn't because I knew that would happen to me later, but because I wanted to have a quiet life at my school before I lived a busy life as a CEO.
Observing how Eli was constantly surrounded by people -not always the best people either- was exhausting. Eli would just smile and move on, not even glancing at those people, because he could tell who was true and who was fake.
Sadly, I even have to hop in his Jeep an hour before the last bell rings, so I wasn't seen with him when school let out. He was careful to park in a new spot almost every week and make it clear that he didn't want to be followed after school, luckily I had a free period.
"Daughter, did you hear what I said?!" I focused on the old man sitting behind the mahogany desk, in front of me bringing me back to the present. He never called me by my name, just 'daughter', but even the word, didn't have any affection. It was just a word to address me, and it took me a while to get used to it.
He has deep-set brown eyes, that were always narrowed. His short hair was salt and pepper, he had a huge nose and wore the same cold look on a daily basis. I must have inherited the ability to keep my emotions in check without a problem since it was something that we were good at, as we've had many rounds of fights between us.
"I'm sorry sir, I was thinking about a lesson I had today. Please briefly repeat what you said." I spoke in a polite manner not addressing him more than 'sir', because I could never call him father, without distaste in my mouth. I'm sure that's how it felt for him to actually call me by my name.
"You will have your introduction into the business world in three months, I expect nothing other than the best from you. If I'm going to officially announce you as my daughter then you need to promise to work for me." He spoke to me, while actually facing me.
This movement hasn't happened in a while, I can't even remember the time that I could see his eyes in my direction. 'What is going here? What made him alter the way he thought of me?' I thought to myself, wary of this slight change.
"Yes... Sir?" I looked into his dark brown eyes and bit my lip, still confused. I thought about how to bring up this next topic that has been bothering me, but I didn't want him to get mad at me, despite knowing it was going to happen anyway. "Father..." I grimaced saying that word, wanting to wash my mouth out, "The Mafia, why not partner up with a mafia business partner." He was looking at a sheet of paper when his head whipped up.
"Mackenzie!! You not going to get the mafia. I don't care what you have to say about it. I'm going to get one of you brothers to take over!" He shouted at me, a complete shift in emotions while giving me a glaring look. One that was to family in my mind. I clenched my jaw before raising my voice.
"Why! When they have already walked away, they want nothing of it!!" I shouted back at him, causing him to stand up and walk toward me, and I paid attention to his hands, preparing to get hit. In his face, there was pure anger, yet somehow worry?
"Because I made a promise that you belong to someone else. You have an arranged marriage when you turn the age of eighteen. You will get married because I've worked hard on this, arrangement." He took in a breath and stared at my stone-cold face.
It was shocking news, I never wanted to hear the words, "an arranged marriage". Especially when it was him arranging it, there was no telling who we had it arranged to. It would most likely be somebody with a bunch of statuses, and there are only a couple of people that can do that, in either the business or mafia world.
"W- who? Who am I going to get married to?" I stuttered as I asked while looking at the vase. When he didn't say anything, I slowly regained my composure, until my heart dropped to my stomach, in slight dread, by his next words.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," He spoke in a dismissive tone and had his bodyguard lead me out of the hidden office. George, a tall man in his mid-thirties, looked at me with pity, then turned away when I glared back. I didn't need pity, nor did I want it.
"I'm sorry miss, that is some harsh news," George muttered aloud, and I let out a tired sigh. Watching him return to his post by the door, I waited for a moment, before I stepped forward since he was one of the few that followed me, behind my father's back.
"When is his next mission in the Mafia business?" I asked and he looked around making sure nobody was nearby. Although, George was working under my father, he saw me as the next inheritor of the mafia.
What my father didn't know, was that most of his Mafia follows me, since I've made sure to work undercover, making my way to the top, behind his back. And with the past last three missions, in a matter of a couple of months, I've made some life-changing choices, if I could put my input in.
"Tomorrow night, he's meeting someone important, in Manchester, UK, most likely sending his ambassadors," George conveyed in a quiet tone then shooed me away since he didn't want to get caught.
Walking away with that piece of information, I knew where I was going tonight after the big dinner with the Royals.