When Leo and Surya left the hospital there was a squad of Opal Corp security waiting for them. One of the guards grabbed Leo by the elbow. “You need to come with me, Mr. Holgeld. For your own safety.”

  Leo looked back at Surya. Surya motioned for him to stay calm. “They’re on our side, Leo. I think I know what this is all about.”

  It turned out every TV in the country was carrying the news story about Leo being the supposed heir to Opal Corp. Leo’s mind began searching for who it could have been that leaked that information. Was it someone in the Holgeld family? If so, what game were they playing?

  Leo didn’t have too much time to ponder this as he was shuffled into a waiting limousine. “Wait, where are you taking Surya? I want us to stay together.”

  The Security Guards didn’t answer. Instead, Leo found himself alone with a young woman he had never seen before. She was ostentatiously dressed but with a very refined modern fashion sense. She was undeniably attractive and seemed in no way excited to meet Leo.

  She barely looked up from her phone as the limo door closed. “I’m Priva Southern, Chief Public Relations Officer for Opal Corp. I’m here to save you from yourself.”

  Leo was surprised to hear such a prestigious title, she couldn’t be more than a few years older than him. Still, Leo didn’t enjoy being talked down to. “Who says I need saving?”

  Priva flipped around her phone, it showed the day’s stock ticker for Opal Corp. It was deep in the red and still falling. “Someone threw you to the wolves and Opal Corp is suffering for it. If it were up to me, we’d dump you and let you weather the full hit, but lucky for you Romus Holgeld has other ideas.”

  Leo certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that. “Romus himself sent you?”

  Leo wasn’t sure that made him trust Priva less or more. Priva flipped the phone back around and resumed furiously typing on it. “That means the stakes are high, Leo. Maybe the highest I’ve ever faced in my short time with Opal Corp. Do you know what that means?”

  Leo shook his head. Priva was certainly intense, Leo would have to get used to that. “Tell me.”

  Priva leaned forward. Leo was careful not to look down the front of her loose fitting blouse. “I am not going to let you ruin this for me. I worked my entire life to get this position, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to raise the profile of Opal Corp. You get to reap those benefits. But I swear if you try one thing out of line, I will make your life a living hell.”

  Leo believed that she would. “I understand. We’re in a crisis. I’m here to listen and take orders.”

  This seemed to very much please Priva, she leaned back and the anger creasing her brow melted. “Good. We don’t have a lot of time and I need to catch you up on the plan. It’s all been worked out and, in my professional opinion, it’s foolproof.”

  Leo liked the sound of that. He’d been taking on a lot of new responsibilities recently, but dealing with public relations had not even once crossed his mind. “You have a plan already? This just happened.”

  Priva looked proud and confident. “I work fast, Leo. Being quick and decisive are key to these situations. You have to recognize the moment, then seize the moment. If you hesitate, the moment’s gone, and you’ve lost.”

  Priva crossed her legs. Even a fashion novice like Leo could tell that her designer shoes had to be worth thousands of dollars. Leo realized that all of Priva was a presentation, she was keenly aware of how she fit into the world at all times and used that to her advantage.

  There was a lot Leo could learn from her, so long as he made it out of this PR nightmare alive.

  Leo’s phone buzzed and Priva motioned for him to check it. He saw a slew of emails, all from Priva. “Make sure to read them, this is your angle. We’re going to paint you as a hero, Leo. Opal Corp’s personal hero cop who protected our beloved employees from a terrorist attack from the Bright Future League.”

  Leo knew that wasn’t the full truth. The BFL had killed all of the employees at the Biochem Facility before Leo arrived. Leo had saved company property and resources, but that was it. “Why do I need to be some hero? I certainly don’t feel like a hero.”

  Priva scoffed. “Everyone loves a hero. And the story is already there, a hero comes from nothing and rises against impossible odds. So, your story is that you are a hero and when you were brought before Romus Holgeld to be awarded a medal, he recognized the Sorcerer magic within you and knew immediately that you were a long lost Holgeld.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Leo was trying to get his head around this version of events. “I got a medal?”

  Priva waved the question away. “We’re having one made. It will be ready for your interview tonight.”

  Leo almost jumped out of his seat. “An interview? Tonight?”

  Priva smiled, a little smugly. “Not that kind of Interview. You’re going to be interviewed by Quentin Kellerwood. Chief news anchor for the BuisnessMax streaming channel. He pulls in thirty million viewers a night, so this will give us the full news cycle saturation we need.”

  Leo didn’t know if this was supposed to make him more or less nervous. “I’m going to be on TV in front of thirty million people?”

  Priva rolled her eyes. “Probably some dogs and cats too, but you can’t flinch. You stick to the story, exactly as I’ve spun it and you’ll be fine.”

  Leo tried to let his anxiety settle. “What if he asks me some question I’m not ready for?”

  Priva already had the answer. “Not going to happen. Kellerwood has been loyal to us for years. He and wife vacation every year at the Holgeld Summer Villa and he’s a frequent guest at Yarah Holgeld’s dinner parties. He’s going to stick to the script and so are you. Foolproof.”

  Priva had Leo dropped off at the Security Campus. When Leo got to his rooms, he saw that an outfit for that night was already laid out for him. It was a more regal looking Opal Security uniform complete with a huge brass medal for bravery on the chest. The uniform made him look like some war hero dressed up for a banquet, which was probably Priva’s goal. He knew better than to argue with her.

  He finished getting dressed just as he heard a knock on the door. Leo answered it and was surprised to see Bethany. She looked Leo up and down. “What are you wearing, Leo?”

  Leo let out a breath. “It’s a long story. You wouldn’t believe what I have to do tonight.”

  Bethany grabbed her elbow with the opposite hand. She seemed uncharacteristically down. “Leo, I want you to tell me the truth. Did you know you were a Holgeld, that you were a Sorcerer, when we met?”

  Leo could see the worry in her eyes and decided to tell her the truth. “I did. I swear I wanted to tell you, but the time was never right.”

  Bethany looked downright hurt. “I put my job on the line for you, Leo. I put my life on the line. I really thought we were better friends.”

  Leo’s phone rang, he could see that it was Priva. It was time for him to leave for the TV Studio. “I’m really sorry, Bethany. I swear I’ll do whatever I can to rebuild your trust, but I have to leave. I wouldn’t if it wasn’t of the utmost importance.”

  Bethany didn’t look convinced. “It’s okay, Leo. You’re a Holgeld. You’ll always have important things to get to.”

  Leo hated leaving Bethany like that, but the consequences of him missing his TV interview were more than he could even fathom.

  He arrived at the studio to find Priva pacing and swearing under her breath. “There you are. We need you in makeup five minutes ago.”

  Leo didn’t even have time to apologize as he was whisked into hair and makeup and then shoved out on stage under a battery of hot studio lights. The overly coiffed and tan host, Quentin Kellerwood, waved Leo over to a couch while the studio audience clapped politely.

  Leo blinked under the bright lights as he took his seat. Kellerwood shuffled some index cards on his host’s desk. “Leo Holgeld, if that is who you really are, I want to waste no time. Tell us why you think you are a suitable person to inherit the biggest company on the planet. Before today, none of us had ever heard your name.”

  Leo had expected a question along those lines, but the verbage was a lot more aggressive. Still, Leo decided to stick to the script. “I’m just a humble security officer for Opal Corporation. After I managed to save some of my fellow coworkers from terrorists, I was just as shocked as everyone else to learn that I was actually a Holgeld.”

  Kellerwood was supposed to follow up with more questions about Leo’s heroism. “It’s said that you and your team used violence to eliminate members of the minority political party known as the Bright Future League. What are your politics, Leo? Do you believe that regular people should have access to magic or should elite Sorcerers like you get to keep all the power for themselves?”

  Leo looked offstage at Priva. Priva was panicking as well, she clearly wasn’t expecting Kellerwood to go off script. Leo decided to go with the truth. “I’m no elite, Quentin. I grew up in the foster care system. I looked up to Sorcerers my whole life. I was jealous of those who had access to magic when I could never afford it. I believe that magic should be for everybody.”

  The audience applauded Leo’s answer. Kellerwood seemed a little upset that Leo wasn’t more tripped up by the question. Kellerwood flipped to his next card. “Before you, Farthen Holgeld was the expected inheritor of Opal Corp. Do you truly believe that you could be a better CEO than a seasoned executive like Farthen who was raised his entire life inside of Opal Corp?”

  This was a major clue for Leo. Was this all Farthen’s doing? Had he paid off Kellerwood? Had Farthen even been the one to leak Leo’s heritage in the first place? Leo’s mind was spinning so much that he forgot Kellerwood’s exact question. “Wait, what about Farthen?”

  Kellerwood laughed. “I get that you’re not super educated, Leo, but please pay attention. I’m supposed to be unbiased as a journalist but you really don’t seem like CEO material.”

  Before Leo could respond, Kellerwood held up a finger. He was listening to something in his earpiece. “Hold on, folks. I’m just getting word that we’re having another guest joining us now via video. Please welcome, current CEO of Opal Corp, Romus Holgeld.”

  Romus appeared on a big video screen at the back of the set. “Hello Quentin, and viewers at home. I want to clear up some unverified stories that have been circulating. First, yes Leo Holgeld is exactly who he says he is. We are proud to have him as part of our corporate and literal family. Second, I have named no successor to my role as CEO, shareholders should feel confident I will stay in the role until the time is right. Lastly, Leo is still a rising star in Opal Corp, he has a huge opportunity coming his way that even he doesn’t know about yet. Get used to that handsome young face, you’ll be seeing much more of him very soon.”