Page 79 of His Royal Request

She looked as confused as when this conversation started. “Who?”

“You, Margaret. I’m passing the company on to you.”

She sat back and stared at me. “Aiden.”

I held up my hand. “I’ve thought this through and you are more than qualify but most importantly, I trust you to care about this company as much as I do. I believe you are the exact leader it needs for the next phase.”

She rolled her shoulders back and sat up straight. “Thank you, sir. That means…” She cleared her throat. “That means so much coming from you.”

I stood and shook her hand. “I assume this means you accept.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done and for all you will do. I’ll get the paperwork ready and make the announcement tomorrow.”

She looked a bit dazed but agreed then excused herself. I fell back on the sofa and looked up at the white ceiling as if confirmation I’d done the right thing would be written up there.

I’d done it.

I’d made the first step in becoming the prince I was meant to be. I finished out the rest of the day with the company’s attorneys. By the time I walked out the door, everything was signed and finalized. I’d gone in the CEO and left just a member of the board.

A few weeks ago, the thought of this would have killed me. Now, it set me free.

George was waiting at the curb with the door open. “Good evening, Aiden.”

“Hi, George.”

I slid in and waited for him to take his seat before letting him in on the news.

“I did it today.”

He met my eyes in the rear-view mirror. “What’s that?”

“I quit.”

The car jerked, but he corrected himself and apologized. “I’m sorry. Did you say you quit?”

“Well, more like I stepped down and put the new CEO in place.”

He whistled. “Never thought I’d see the day, son.”

“It was time.”

“Oh, I know. Believe me, I know it was time, but I didn’t think you’d ever do it.”

“What do you mean?” I leaned forward so he could talk to me directly.

“Those windmills have been your life since you were a teenager. You told me you were going to change the world and you did. You fulfilled your dream, but then you stayed. You ran the company even though it no longer needed you.”

“You don’t think it needed me?”

“Not after the first year or two. You had an incredible idea, product, and selected the very best people to run the company. I’m not going to lie and say your influence wasn’t pivotal in its acceptance and adoption into the market, but after that…”

“I could have left?”

He nodded. “You did such an amazing job with that company that you set it up for success. You didn’t need to be there to hold the reigns.”

I felt back against the seat. “So, did everyone realize this before me?”