Alexander was running late.
He had somehow fallen asl- . . . er . . . dozed off in his office while reading through the documents for the very meeting he was missing. It didn't help that the palace was too large for the amount of business that was conducted on the grounds. Maybe once he was King he'd changed that, but then again it was a good place to get rid of unwanted guests. But he would think about that when he had more time.
Now that he had officially been recognized as Crown Prince, the responsibilities had increased. There were meetings and luncheons to attend. Speeches to make, people to meet and please. If he knew it was going to be this much work . . . he smiled to himself . . . who was he kidding? He was enjoying this. Becoming King wasn't a faraway dream anymore. It was getting closer every day.
His watch beeped, reminding him of the time. He was not ten minutes late.
If he messed things up, the King would never step down. Alexander needed to show him he was up to the task. Currently, the King had placed him in charge of a home development project. The main focus of this project was to increase the relationship between humans and vampires.
It had only started less than a month ago when they had won the bidding to initiate it. With this new project, previously bought land (donated by the King) would be developed into a neighborhood where both humans and vampires would live among each other. Violet was "helping" him with this project since she was in charge of building bridges between vampires and humans.
As he hurried down the corridor, Alexander checked his appearance on the passing vases. He smoothed down his hair, fixed his tie, and doubled check to make sure his button-down was tucked in. Appearance was everything to the King. Wardrobe carried authority, according to him.
Alexander checked his watch, shoot. He was 15 minutes late. It wasn't like he couldn't just manifest into the room, but the King had forbidden him from doing so in meetings.
"You don't have to remind them you're a vampire," the King had said.
It was fairly sound advice. So, for now, Alexander walked, very quickly. He turned the corner and finally saw the double doors to the meeting room.
He tried to listen in trying to figure out the appropriate moment to walk in. However, it wasn't that easy. He actually couldn't hear anything from the meeting. A surge of panic swept through him. Was the meeting over? What if it had been moved?
Alexander reached for his phone but his pockets were empty. Sh*t. It was too late to go back for it. Calm down, he told himself. If anything, Alexander wouldn't put it past the King to make modifications to the walls. Yeah, it had to be that.
Alexander came to a stop in front of the door. He smoothed his hair down again and entered. The room was small with a large oval table at the center. Currently, the curtains were drawn over the windows to his right. In front of those windows was a large presentation board, currently displaying blueprints.
Violet sat at the opposite end and there were six assistants (?) - he didn't know who they were - seated around the table. The seventh was the one showcasing the blueprints.
No one looked at him as he entered. Violet maybe might have spared him a side glance but it didn't last long. He took a seat beside her.
"We're getting an upsurge of investors," the assistant continued. "They're looking for a premium package."
"We don't need those attention seekers," Violet said. "Diana, Kyle, week them out. We're not here to build their profiles."
The two of them nodded and scribbled in their notes.
"Next?" Violet prompt.
"We have many companies interest in supplying the new region. We've been getting emails and calls to set up appointments."
"Then, we'll hold a bidding event," Alexander spoke up. "Not only for suppliers but for those who will be chosen to build the neighborhood." He turned to Violet. "The blueprints have been chosen?"
"See for yourself. Alan?"
She gestured to the presentation board. To be honest, he had no idea what he was seeing. There might have been a playground, a pool area, and a community garden but overall, he was no expert.
"Then, since we've finished with that, we can hold a bidding event," he repeated. "A new season is upon us. We should do it in three months and start building in the Spring. I seem to remember the public wanting results."
"Will we have enough time?" Violet asked. She gestured to her seven aids. "While I don't doubt our capabilities, we don't have the hands."
"I'll handle the marketing side," Alexander told her. "You'll handle the business."
A smile appeared on Violet's lips. "Sounds fair," she said. "We'll get started immediately." She turned to the aids. "Will that be a problem?"
"No," they said.
"Frances, Neil, and Haylie you'll be on the marketing team. The rest of you are with me."
To be honest, Alexander already had enough on his plate as it was. However, since it was his suggestion, he couldn't back out. He had three aids to work with. If he was going to put together an entire event, he needed more people. The aids would have more than this project to work on. There was one person he wanted to work with. Plus, he knew of a few others that could benefit from this opportunity.
"Our first priority," Alexander said, "is to get the announcement out. Let's try to get that done in two weeks. The less the better."
"The timeframe," Frances began.
Alexander forced a smile. "It will be tight. I'm not going to lie but if we don't start this project soon, it's going to die. The public doesn't quite agree with vampires and humans living together just yet. We need to show them that we're ready.
"The announcement won't be too fancy. Something simple yet elegant. Neil, get in contact with the marketing department and see if they can send someone over. One person will be enough."
Neil nodded.
"Your Highness."
Alexander turned to the King's aid at his shoulder.
"The King requests an audience. He's in his office."
Alexander turned to the assistants. "I'll send the details later on the distribution of tasks." He stood. "I'll also need the minutes."
Once outside, he dropped the smile. There were a million reasons why the King wanted to talk to him. This could be either good or bad.
He glanced at the aid. What was her name again? Well, he wasn't going to guess.
"Go on ahead," he told her.
She bowed and disappeared. Once she was gone, he rubbed his shoulder. There was still some discomfort but he wasn't going to let anyone know. He had a thousand things to do before he could rest. Just a little more, he thought. Just a little more.
Alexander straightened. "Let's get this over with."