LukeThe building was quiet that morning, which I liked. England pretty much shut down during the holidays, so the only sound was my footsteps on the marble tile as I walked in the direction of my corner office.I checked into the other offices, but I didn’t hear the regular clicking of fingers over keyboards or anyone on the phone chatting about numbers or negotiations with other companies.I closed my eyes for a moment and took it all in. I preferred it silent, but the hustle and bustle of people moving around the building meant that we were making money. Every time someone hung up the phone, I could almost hear the ring of a cash register.For now, I reveled in the peace, knowing it wouldn’t last for too long. I wouldn’t allow it.Celebrating Christmas wasn’t important to me in a religious sense, but I appreciated the lights, the decorations, and the sense of joy that filled everyone around me. A lot of people spent time with their families during the holidays, but I couldn’t relat
Luke“What is it, Maddox?” I shouted, more from him startling me than actual anger. “I told you, I’m not—”The door crashed open, and it was definitely not Maddox.“Father,” I said, straightening my spine. Tensing all of my muscles was a reflex whenever I was in his presence. Years of living in the palace with dignitaries and other royalty visiting our home had drilled the mannerisms into me so hard that they transformed my body within seconds.King Erol Shamon walked into my office as if he owned the place. Technically, he did but he rarely came to England unless something was wrong. He didn’t need to check up on me, though. So, why was he here?He glanced over my desk and then narrowed his eyes at the closed curtains. He untucked his hands from the folds of his bisht and strode to the windows to pull the curtains open.“What has brought you here?” I asked, annoyed at my formal tone. I was the boss of the company, and I had earned respect from my employees. But in the face of my fath
SophiaThe bubbles from the champagne tickled my nose as I downed my second flute. The flutes were plastic, so not regulation sized. The news never slept, so we were having the New Year’s party at the Dallas Post for employees and their significant others. The location was ideal, but the budget wasn’t quite there. Springing for cheap champagne and noisemakers was the extent of the party.Still, it wasn’t as if I had anything better to do. I was always looking for a story that would give me the promotion I deserved, but so far, I had failed to find something truly electrifying in my six years as a journalist.One great story could make my career, so I picked up any scraps of news that I could and wrote every article as if it were my last story.My boss, Mr. Fraser, always said, “You’re only as good as your last piece.” I lived by that motto to the fullest. My last piece was something I wanted to get past: a piece on the insect infestation at the local animal shelter. I had imaginary fl
SophiaMr. Fraser’s eyes darted between us as if he didn’t quite believe me. How did he expect me to keep up with a relationship when I was always in the office when he arrived in the morning and hours after he left at night?“I see,” Mr. Fraser said. “Sophia, I know it’s almost midnight, but may I have a word?”Matt downed his glass of champagne and grimaced. I stifled a laugh and the urge to tell him that I told him so. I should have had him sneak something in, but I was sure the car service from the airport wouldn’t appreciate stopping at the liquor store on the way to the party.“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Matt said and winked at me before heading in search of more booze.“He didn’t have to go,” Mr. Fraser said, staring after Matt.“Matt knows how important work is to me,” I said, smacking the head on the nail a little harder. If I were any more obvious, I’d need a piece of cardboard and a string of lights with the words “PICK ME” in big bold letters.Mr. Fraser smiled, but it d
LukeFor the entire flight to my childhood home, I sorted through emails on my laptop, desperate to keep the conversation with Father as infrequent as possible.But as king, he had other duties to attend to. While he locked himself in the suite on the private plane, fielding whatever issues were ailing the country that he ran, I did the same with my work. I wasn’t as productive as I would have been at the office, with the constant turbulence and the staff’s eagerness to cater to my every need, but I did get enough done to feel somewhat accomplished by the time the plane landed.As the plane touched the ground, I drew in a sharp breath, and a sinking sensation weighed in my gut. The plane slowed, and the moment the “fasten seatbelt sign” turned off, I clicked the buckle open and stood up.The door to Father’s suite opened a few seconds later, and he strode past me with his staff right behind him.I hadn’t bothered to change into the more traditional clothes that Father would have prefe
LukeWalking in the opposite direction from Father’s drawing room, I went in search of Mother and Abir.Knowing where they would be, I walked with purpose down the long hallways and across the glittering marble floors with intricate gold overlays. Being in England for so long with the bleak weather and the different style of houses and buildings, coming home to the palace made everything seem brighter, enough that I yearned to wear my sunglasses again.Mother would never approve, so I didn’t entertain the option. I merely squinted my eyes until they adjusted instead.The New Year celebration would take place tonight, and Mother always went above and beyond. It was a time to celebrate family and close friends, and she never skimped on the festivities.I found her and Abir in the Great Hall, overseeing the staff transforming the banquet space into the most lavishly decorated room in the palace.Abir was the first to see me. “Luke!” He hurried over to me and reached his hand out to shake
SophiaIn the taxi over to the hotel, I flipped through my passport. I tried to keep my cool as the agent at Heathrow placed my very first stamp onto one of the pages in my book. I wanted to commemorate it somehow, but I didn’t want to seem like a naive tourist.Instead, I clicked a picture and texted it to Matt with a thumbs-up emoji.With the time difference, I wasn’t sure what time it was in Dallas, or even if he had managed to get a flight back to Seattle.I had little time the night before to pack, but I was surprised to find that Mr. Fraser had added an international cell phone package for me to use while I was in the UK.It would make things easier when it came to communication with my boss, but I tried not to overdo it with texts that weren’t work-related.It was a little sad that at twenty-nine years old, I never made it out of the country before, but after nailing this assignment, that might change.Who knew? Maybe next year I would have a full book of stamps that I would be
SophiaThe concierge was helpful in getting me a car, and before I knew it, I was back on the road. This time, I didn’t look at the sights. The sun had started to set in the distance, and I hoped that I wasn’t too late to speak with Mr. Walters. I wasn’t sure what the schedule for an oil tycoon was, but I needed to nail this story to show Mr. Fraser that I deserved the promotion.When the taxi stopped, I looked up at the massive building next to the vehicle.“This is it?”“Yes, mum,” the older gentleman said.Stepping out of the car, I stared at the structure. It looked like a box, all sharp angles and several stories high.I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted my chin, acting as if I belonged there.Walking up to the building, I noticed a small gray box next to the door. A red light shone from the top corner. It looked like a swipe card reader, and I didn’t have any way to access it.The front doors looked pretty heavy, and I peered through the small window, which was high eno