Ionic Incorporated.

The familiar scent of Agnes’ Christian Dior perfume filled the waiting area. Agnes was pretty much apart of the family considering she had been my grandfather’s assistant for longer than I had been alive.

“His plane should be landing any minute boys” Agnes announced with a soft smile.

My brother, Mark, sat two chairs down and thanked Agnes for the update.

“Kiss ass” I sneered with a smirk.

Mark didn’t care to look up from his black notebook which annoyed me more than usual. Tensions have been running high since grandad announced he was stepping down from Ionic Incorporated, the company he had been building since he dropped out of Harvard. My granddad invented the formula for the modern-day lithium-ion battery, and since then developed and patented dozens more. Ionic Inc had a monopoly on the electronic car market and was the front runner for NASA’s new partnership as they looked to commercialize space travel. Ionic Inc was the future, but my granddad was stepping down to please my grandmother and lower his escalating blood pressure. The next CEO was looking to be between me and Mark. My dad was an only child, and he was too busy doing whatever it is hedge fund managers do to take over. My mom was a smart lady, but I doubt she’d be willing to give up her lifestyle of 24/7 martini’s and doing whatever it is middle-aged women with twenty-something old tennis coaches and absentee husbands do. I was a shoo in. I’m not sure why granddad even got Mark’s hopes up that he had a chance. I had always felt bad for Mark. I had inherited the charm and the looks. He was left with a large, crooked nose that he got from my maternal grandfather and an unfortunate recessive gene leaving him with bright red hair. I felt bad for Mark, but he had no excuse for being such a pompous jerk all the time. His nose was always in that damn notebook and he barely acknowledged me. I chalked it up to jealousy, poor soul.

“You know Mark I don’t know why you bother trying to get the vote. Brother to brother, its embarrassing to watch you try.”

“Oh, shut it Hollis if I didn’t have a shot grandad wouldn’t have invited me here, he isn’t a cruel man.”

“Cruel, no. Empathetic? Yes. I got everything going my way on this Mark, I’ve been networking since pre-k and I have an in with one of the board members daughter’s, that’s a vote right there. Not to mention I have a name destined for wealth and fame, Hollis Matts, I could see that in lights one day, who the hell wants to see Marker Matts on a billboard, what’re you a damn crayon?”

“You know having an in with someone and being in someone are two different things” he remarked but his pale face was already beet red. I got him. Poor guy was named after my mother’s maiden name, that is half the reason why I don’t envy being firstborn. Young and dumb parents with trigger fingers on my birth certificate? No thanks.

My granddad walked in and the whole floor went silent, everyone sitting up straighter and looking busier than they were. He walked past us and laid a gift on Agnes’ desk, thanking her for looking after things while he was gone. Mark and I instinctively followed behind my granddad towards his office. It was bigger than most people’s homes and had a whole wall of windows, creating a perfect few of the Chicago skyline. I began to daydream, thinking of how I would personalize the office once it was mine. My thoughts were interrupted by my granddad’s booming voice.

“Boys I want to thank you for your cooperation throughout the process, the board meeting in New York went well and all the members send their regards. We will have to make a decision by the end of this quarter, but as a thank you I want to give you this.”

He pulled out of a manila envelope two cheques, one made out to me and one made out to Mark, in the amount of twenty thousand dollars. Mark’s eyes just about came out of his head which provoked an eyeroll from me. Our last name was number one on Forbes’ list of richest families, but he had the audacity to act humble over what I spend at the mall on a Tuesday? Give me a break. He’s acting as if he didn’t take the same limo with me from our mansion to our skyscraper. Mark was always an idiot with money. Never spent a dime that he didn’t work for, as if our name didn’t entitle us to a lifetime of wealth. I smiled bleakly at my grandfather and went to leave with my cheque, Mark was still in “shock” and I didn’t have the patience to put up with his charade any longer. Before I could leave my granddad stopped me

“The only condition is you have one day to spend it, come back tomorrow and show me what you bought” he said with a chuckle.

“Challenge accepted” I laughed back at him.

That wasn’t going to be a problem, I had spent more than that on a bottle of wine for crying out loud. I thought it was sweet of my grandad to try and humble me before giving me ownership of a trillion-dollar company but come on. I barked at Agnes to order my car around before taking the executive elevator down to floor one. I exited the elevator to be met with the scent of body odour and desperation. Any employee working below floor seven was nothing but a replaceable cog in our machine. I’m not sure how most of them slept at night knowing that they weren’t even successful enough to be placed above the marketing department. My driver took me home and I called my stylist over to help me spend the twenty thousand. I was due for a new suit anyways, needed to start expanding my collection before my executive inauguration. My suit was fitted and bought, and my night proceeded as usual, women and booze. I awoke to the incessant ringing of my phone only to see Mark’s name illuminating the screen.

“What” I mumbled

“Granddad wants us in his office, one hour.” He said, ambiguously.

The conversation was over just as soon as it began. I promptly stood up and began rounding up the occupants of my bed, yelling for them to vacate. I quickly got dressed in my new suit, black with gold pinstripe, fitting for a man of my status. I decided to drive myself today, trying my best to understand the lifestyle of a commoner. It seemed that grandad wanted us to put ourselves in their shoes, why else gift us with such a measly amount?

I arrived with time to spare, so I made a detour to the HR department. They may have dead-end jobs, but they do have fiery women who like to play hard to get, always “threatening” to write me up. I greeted Agnes before entering my soon-to-be office and was shocked to find all eleven members of the board, sitting at a table with my brother and granddad.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen” I said uneasily, their stares making me anxious to see what brought on the sudden meeting.

“Please, sit Hollis” my granddad said reassuringly.

I sat down next to my father and noticed Mark with his head in his journal once again, warranting a swift kick under the table from me. He looked up angrily and I glared, mouthing for him to pay attention. He waived me off and I smirked to myself, at least all the members can see how juvenile he is.

My granddad cleared his throat and began “Hollis, what did you buy yesterday?”

All the board members turned their heads towards me, displaying their interest.

“This” I said with a toothy grin. Gesturing to my perfectly tailored suit. “But we aren’t here to discuss best dressed, lets get down to business. I wouldn’t want to waste all of your time; you are busy people” I continued assertively, trying to exhibit power.

“Yes let’s get down to business, Marker why don’t you show the board what you bought yesterday” My grandad proudly requested.

Mark nodded and stood up, revealing his wrinkled button up and two-inch too short chino pants. Firmly grasping his black journal, he began to speak “Well ladies and gentleman, yesterday I patented and finished the development of the worlds first ever pure sodium ion battery, with a lifespan of an estimated 220 years.”

The entire room had their breath taken away, I didn’t even know what half of what he said meant, but I knew it was important. The board members quickly began chatting amongst themselves until my granddad called for a halt.

“Everyone quiet, as we discussed yesterday, I believe it is time to cast our vote for CEO of Ionic Incorporated.”

Before I could grasp my head around what happened and turn on my charm, the verdict was made. A unanimous vote for Marker Matts to be the next CEO of Ionic Inc. The rest of the day was a blur. The news came broke and soon Mark and I were trending. I was no longer the young billionaire lothario; I was the brother of the man who changed space travel.

The next few months were Hell. Ever since news broke that Mark had the family intelligence gene my life began to unravel. My granddad cut me off, from the family fortune and told me it was time I worked for the lifestyle I desired. He vehemently apologized for the role he played in my reliance on money and said he never meant to embarrass me in front of the board but help me understand Mark’s value. Apparently, Mark carried his black notebook around trying to properly create the formula for the sodium ion battery, He never let it from his chest of fear it would end up into the wrong hands. He had been obsessing over the formula since he was 14 and didn’t let anything get in the way of that. My grandad said he knew for the past 10 years Mark would succeed him but spent just as much time finding the perfect place for me in the company.

My alarm blared and I sluggishly rolled out of bed. I lived in a one-bedroom condo 10 minutes from working. Every day was the same now, no exotic women or all-nighters with celebrities headed to rock bottom. I wake up, I work, I go home. Mark was kind enough to buy me a nice place, he didn’t have to be after all the shit I put him through. All things considered I didn’t really have anyone besides him anymore, you’d be surprised how many people lose your number when you aren’t set to inherit a trillion-dollar empire. On the way to work I passed by countless billboards with Mark’s name on them. He was an American hero who created the only battery that was sustainable for the long-term expedition to Mars. Over the past few months, the name Marker had skyrocketed in popularity. He was an idol to millions around the world. The company’s profit margin doubled and was only going up. My granddad finally had time with my grandma, after being a workaholic for the past 40 years. I suppose he made the right decision even if I still felt wronged. My thoughts were interrupted by the ding of an elevator, welcoming me to floor six, marketing.