Katherine Garbera - His Royal Prize  

G eoff Devonshire didnt have time for the biological father hed never met. He had a jam-packed schedule and little time for much else today. But his curiosity was piqued, so hed decided to attend this meeting at the Everest Groups corporate headquarters. His own office building was two doors down in a very posh section of London along the Thames next to the controversial cucumber-shaped city hall.

When he got off the elevator on the executive level, he was escorted to the boardroom at the end of the hall.

Hello, sir. You are the first to arrive for the meeting. May I get you something to drink?

The pretty, efficient secretary directed him to a seat at the table and when he declined a drink, she left.

Geoff walked over to the glass-lined wall and looked down at the river Thames. It was midmorning in March, and the sun was peaking through the heavy clouds that hung over the city.

The door opened behind him and he turned as he heard the secretary greeting another person. It was Henry Devonshireone of his half brothers. The former rugby captain was now known for his celebrity reality shows.

They had never met before, and knew nothing of each other except what was in the press.

Geoff Devonshire, Geoff said, offering his hand to Henry.

Henry, he said, holding out his hand.

Geoff felt a bit strange meeting this man for the first time in his life. But the door opened again before he could say anything more and Steven Devonshire walked in.

All three of Malcolm Devonshires illegitimate sons were now in the same room. Geoff realized that gossip magazines and celebrity Web sites would pay a fortune for a photo of the gathering.

Edmond, Malcolms solicitor and all-around errand boy, stepped in and invited them to have a seat. Geoff sat back and watched the other men. Malcolm had admitted to fathering the three of them but had never really been a part of his life except to send a check once a month.

His mother, Princess Louisa of Strathearn, despite her lofty-sounding title, was a minor member of the current royal family. She had been a party girl and had relished her affair with Malcolm and the tongues it caused to wag. Until shed realized she was only one of three women Malcolm was wooing. She retreated to her country estate and to Geoffs knowledge had rarely left in the years immediately after his birth.

Henrys mother was 70s pop singer Tiffany Malone. Henry was the middle son.

Steven, the youngest son, had been born to Lynn Grandings, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. There had been a bit of a brouhaha when it seemed that both Geoff and Steven would attend Eton, but Geoffs mother had sent him to an exclusive boarding school in the States instead in a well-publicized exchange with a prominent senators son.

Scandalously, they were all born in the same year with just several months between their birthdays.

Why are we here? Henry asked.

Malcolm has a message for you, Edmond said.

Why now? Geoff asked. It seemed odd to him that their father would finally assemble the three of them in a room.

Mr. Devonshire is dying, Edmond said. He wants the legacy he worked so hard to create to live on in each of you.

Geoff almost got up and left. He wanted nothing from Malcolm Devonshire. He never had. Malcolm had devastated his mother. And as a man with two sisters, Gemma and Caroline, Geoff couldnt abide any man who would treat a woman so callously.

Edmond passed three file folders across the table to each of them. Geoff took his time opening the folder. He wasnt sure what he expected to see inside, but the handwritten note was a bit of a surprise.

Malcolm wanted him to run the airline unit of the Everest Group and if his unit out-performed the other two, hed inherit the chairmanship of Everest Group.

Geoff quickly assessed what running a business unit of a busy corporation would mean. Though flying was his passion, hed never aspired to owning a commercial airline and his own business interests kept him very busy. But he wasnt about to just walk away from this. This was his chance to take what Malcolm had worked so hard to build andwhat? A part of him was tempted to ruin it. Run it into the ground. He didnt need the money and his mum wouldnt take a cent from Malcolm. She had her own money.

While Henry and Steven talked to Edmond, Geoff leaned back in his chair. Edmond turned to him.

Your thoughts? Edmond asked.

I dont need his money, Geoff said. Hed also inherited a title and a fortune from his maternal grandparents. He had never had to work a day in his life but hed always pursued business with passion. His interests were varied and diverse but he liked to keep busy.