Billionaire Takes All Read Online Free Page A

training was undone in but a few moments of tense silence.
    I was really worried.
    Richard walked in a moment later. All the elitism and disapproval he'd thrown my way earlier was gone. There was only an uncharacteristic graveness in his features, which bordered on genuine sadness. Then he looked at me, “It's bad.”
     
     

Chapter 4
    Richard
     
     
    “You've got to be kidding.” I was as stunned as if I'd just grabbed a live electrical wire. “You want us to do what?”
    I knew the terms would be… unconventional, but this was insane !
    “You heard me.” Dad was still facing out the glass door that led to the back yard. “The first of my sons to produce an heir will receive all of my assets and fortune. The other gets nothing. Not one red cent.”
    Dad turned back to us, stopping at Lucas first who was leaning against the wall near his bed. “Lucas, your fame has left you detached from people. You're incredibly talented, but also reckless. You need patience and something in which to be invested?”
    Then he walked over to me.
    “Richard, your passion for industry and self-mastery has allowed you to achieve more than I could’ve ever dreamed of, but it’s come at the expense of everything else. You need to learn to step back and see the whole picture.
    “You both lack lasting personal connections and you’re too blinded by your own success to see how important that is.”
    “Dad.” Lucas pushed himself off the wall. “I know I didn't turn out exactly how you wanted, but what you're asking is... It's fucking crazy.”
    I shot Lucas a sour look. He was our father not a construction worker at the dive bars he's used to playing at. “What he means is leaving all of this up to chance isn't wise. There are so many things that could go wrong. This is a lot of money we're talking about.”
    “Five point two billion dollars to be exact,” Dad said, as if the number was more of a burden than a blessing. It gave me pause. “Boys, I'm dying and the only way this family survives is through children.
    When you really boiled it down, money just meant options. How could billions of options ever be a bad thing?
    “I don't like talking about this, but let's get it all out on the table,” Lucas said. “What happened to the will you had while Mom was alive? Fifty-fifty split between your surviving heirs. That was fair.”
    “Fair?” What did Lucas know about fair? I was the one that went on to college, then grad school. I worked my ass off to continue and grow the King legacy. “Where have you been these last ten years? In no universe is getting high and plucking your guitar worth two billion dollars.”
    “You know what happened, Dick,” Lucas growled. “I had to leave.”
    “Yes, I know why you left,” I turned to give Lucas my undivided attention. I hated that damn nickname. He matched me with a scowl. Lucas leaving when he did was the only responsible and selfless thing he’d ever done. That didn’t give him a free pass to act like an asshole the rest of his life. “But tell me again why you never came back?”
    “You—” Lucas stepped toward me, his hands balled into fists.
    “Boys,” Dad interrupted.
    “Now don't get me wrong.” I continued anyway. This was a long time coming. If we were putting everything on the table, then this needed to be addressed as well. “I think Lucas is entitled to something , but half was always insane. We should use this time to consider a percentage more in line with his contribution to the King brand.”
    Which was zero, but I was willing to let him have something.
    “Richard...” Dad said weakly.
    “Dad, you've built an empire on rational, methodical decision making—”
    “And that time has passed.” Dad rapped his wedding ring against the glass window. The sharp sound split the air with authority.
    I went silent and patiently waited for him to continue. I had a tendency toward over-talking when I had a point to make, but that was because I was practically