Page 4 of The Renegade Billionaire

The silence that descends on the room could be heard all across California. The tension in the room is suffocating.

Mr. Coop takes a deep breath. “Yes, well, different towns, same rules.”

“And what are those?” my sister cries.

“You are to inhabit these towns for six months. Make a difference in your specified area. Be the good Ace wanted to see in the world. But you do it without funding from Omni-Reyes.”

The outcry from my family could wake the dead, and it takes over five minutes for Mr. Coop to regain control enough to explain.

“Simply put, your assets connected to Omni-Reyes are frozen, but all personal accounts, meaning anything you’ve earned on your own, is, of course, yours to use as you see fit.” Mr. Coop doesn’t contain his smile then.

Surely Grey and I aren’t the only ones who have earned money, invested it, and diversified. Are we?

Grey nudges me with his elbow, and I know he’s thinking the same thing.

Is my family really so fucking dumb that they’ve never tried to stand on their own?

“And if we don’t have any money that isn’t in our trusts?” My brother’s finally showing an emotion that’s not rage. But fear doesn’t look any better on him.

“You were all given start-up money in college, or in your case, Alistair, when you married Amara. Ace was very clear that you should attempt to make a name for yourself. Did you not do that?” Mr. Coop’s jaw drops as he glances around the room. “Are Braxton and Grey the only ones who followed directions?”

“Montgomery Media is my company,” Alistair says with an arrogant laugh.

“Actually,” Mr. Coop interjects, “you took over Reyes-Veritas and rebranded it as Montgomery Media with Ace’s blessing and connections. As you will find in your contracts from that transaction, upon Ace’s death, the entity reverts to the Omni-Reyes umbrella.” The attorney takes a step back, rightfully putting more distance between himself and Alistair.

“That’s bullshit.” The veins in Alistair’s neck strain against his skin as he jabs his finger toward Mr. Coop. “I will fight this.”

“Yes, Ace was sure that you would, but as a courtesy, I’ll advise you, he had twenty-two of the top attorneys in the country from twenty different firms working on his will for the last five years to ensure his wishes couldn’t be overturned.”

“And to make sure that twenty of the top law firms in the country would immediately have conflicts of interest.” Grey taps his chin while he thinks out loud.

“That too,” Mr. Coop says quietly, but the twitch above his left eye makes me believe this was probably his idea.

I nod in appreciation, and the sparkle in his eyes proves me right.

“Conflict— I—I’ve worked there for forty years,” Alistair bellows.

“And you have the chance to continue working there. But there are procedures to follow.”

“Procedures? You mean wild goose chases across the country. This is unacceptable,” my mother says. “Alistair, do something.”

He glances from my mother to me with unadulterated loathing.

Chaos breaks out then as Archie and Anastasia begin to yell over each other. The raised voices alert the office’s security team,and within minutes, Grey and I are left alone with Mr. Coop, who turns over the giant hourglass.

I lean forward as a new image comes into view. On this side of the hourglass are two etchings. The one dropping the sands of time has a man flipping us his middle finger. But it’s the two at the bottom, collecting the sand, that has my attention…because it’s us—me and Grey.

Well, twelve-year-old versions of us. The image is clear as day. If only the message were too.

“I know Ace enjoyed his puzzles, Mr. Coop, but what exactly am I looking for in Georgia?”

The older man sighs and falls into the chair beside me. “I spent over fifty years trying to keep up with that guy, son. I never could do it. But I know he wanted you all to make a difference in the world. But with you, I think he wanted you to figure out what it is you truly want out of life.”

“And he thinks I’ll find that in some town called Happiness?”

Mischief sparkles in his tired expression. “I think he wanted you to find happiness, however that looks for you, Braxton.”

“How, exactly is this all going to work? What will determine if I’ve made a difference?”