Billionaire Bachelors 9 : Hidden Treasure(2)

"You can't do that!" Ashton shouted.

Amen, Brielle said silently.

"I can and I have. You may leave the room now and be on your way, or you can hear me out." None of them budged as their father turned to each of them looked them in the eye. Much to her horror, Brielle again felt tears threaten.

No!

That was a weakness she wouldn't show, especially in this room. Never again. She hadn't shed one tear since she was thirteen years old. Not one!

"You haven't really given us a choice other than to listen to you, have you?" Lance said. "Is this your way of saying you need some attention? You could have just scheduled a lunch date." He was trying to make a joke, but the mood in the room allowed no break in the tension.

"You always have a choice, Lance. It's your decision whether to make the right one or not. I'm really sorry you feel that way, though. It honestly breaks my heart. We were once a tight-knit family, laughing together, speaking often, living our lives. I don't know where I went wrong, but somewhere along the way, you got lost, and now I'm allowing you to find yourselves again. I hope you do."


      ///

 

 

Brielle rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. What is this 'journey' you want us to take?" Good. She'd regained her composure and she could think more clearly. Best to just get this meeting over with.

"I'm glad you asked, Peaches," he replied, reverting to the nickname he'd given her at birth. The sun-kissed color of her hair was as stunning as the beginning rays of a sunset, and it hadn't changed as she grew older.

She hadn't been called that in ages, and for one brief moment, she was knocked out of kilter. It was a name of love, of better times. And those days were over.

Brielle pulled herself together and looked back at her father with now-narrowed eyes. "I haven't been Peaches in fifteen years, Daddy, but if you want to reminisce about the 'good' old days, then I'll go ahead and play your game."

The tone of her voice seemed to make her father stumble slightly, and Brielle couldn't help but feel immense guilt. But she couldn't feel that - wouldn't feel it. She didn't love her father anymore. He was just a weak old man, she told herself. He'd been as self-absorbed as the rest of them. Or just work-absorbed.

"I've sold the family business. I've decided it's time for a fresh start, and I've chosen to do it on the West Coast. There's nothing in Maine to hold me here any longer, and I'm tired of the tourist season. I've just finalized the paperwork on a failing computer tech firm, and I plan to turn it around. Doing that gave me an idea for the five of you."

Rage simmered in Lance's eyes. "Can this be reversed?" His voice was strained with the amount of control he had to exert to keep his temper.

"No." Richard didn't elaborate.

"The business was supposed to be mine."

"Then you should have taken pride in it. You should have proved to me that you deserved a stake in the family business. I had hoped to pass it to you one day, but as of right now, you are unworthy to take the reins of any business of mine."

Crew broke in. "Don't you think that's a bit harsh, Father?"

"No, I don't, Crew. And you are no different from your brother Lance. None of you has worked for an honest dollar in so long, I can't remember when last you did, and I would rather see my funds passed down to people who can appreciate them than leave them to you with the way you've been acting. You have time to figure this out - well, time for now, at least."

"What is that supposed to mean - for now?" Tanner asked.

"Nothing, Tanner. You just need to pay attention. I want you to prove yourselves, make something of your lives. You are more than these spoiled brats I see before me right now." 

"How are we supposed to do anything if we have no money? What do you want us to do to prove ourselves?" Tanner threw his hands into the air in exasperation.

"That's the smartest question you've asked so far," Richard said with a smile before pausing to gaze at each one of his children. "I've purchased five more failing businesses. You can fight amongst yourselves to choose which one you want to run. I've created a sufficient budget for you to do what needs to be done to bring the companies back into profitability. If you do this, and do it well, only then will I reinstate your inheritance. If you fail, you will be on your own."

"Well, what if your idea of a successful business is different from what our idea would be?" Ashton asked.

"When you truly feel success for the first time in your life, you will know what it is. You've never earned that badge of honor before. You'll learn now, one way or the other. I'm done explaining this. You may come see me when you're ready."