"It's time for you, Darius Reid, to put that life behind you and claim your proper place as the Reid Consortium's heir."
Darius struggled to make sense of what his grandfather said. He was still yet to overcome the shock of finding the identity of his parents, yet his grandfather had dropped another bomb on him. He wondered how many times he would be surprised before he would be able to take a break.
“The Reid Consortium’s heir?” Darius asked.
“Yes, you are the Reid Consortium’s heir.” Darius grandfather answered.
Darius was shocked once again. As a student of Business Management, he naturally understood what a consortium was. It was safe to say that anyone who claimed to own a consortium was immensely wealthy!
What was a consortium? You only qualified to say you owned a consortium when you had more than 50% shares in all the affiliated businesses involved!
Darius looked at his grandfather differently. This revelation explained why everything here was so luxurious and why his grandfather butler was able to drive a car as expensive as a Rolls-Royce.
However, there was a major flaw with what his grandfather told him. Even if he was the heir to the Reid Consortium, why had he never heard of any company bearing the Reid name? The fact that he was poor didn’t mean that he was ignorant. He knew many of the top companies in the world, and knew some prominent consortiums too. In fact, David Lesley father was even in charge of one of the 5-star restaurants in the Mayflower District.
“Grandfather, you said I’m the heir to the Reid Consortium?” Darius asked.
“Yes, you are.” His grandfather replied
“But how come I’ve never heard of any top companies in the world bearing the Reid name? As a student of Business Management I’ve done a lot of research regarding top companies and I’ve never seen a company bearing the Reid name.”
His grandfather however sighed when he heard his grandson’s question. However he didn’t blame him. It was expected, as only the heirs to the Reid Consortium knew how much power and wealth they controlled.
His grandfather didn’t answer his question. Instead he stood up and walked over to the mahogany desk where several documents were littered. He picked up two of the documents and walked back to the chair he was seated before. He handed over the documents to Darius before speaking.
“The companies listed there are all under the Reid Consortium. I have more than 90% shares in each of those companies. As a student of Business Management, you should have seen most, if not all of those companies.”
Darius looked at his grandfather briefly before turning his gaze to the documents in his hands. However, not even a second had passed before Darius jaw dropped.
He was utterly flabbergasted!
He had thought that nothing would be able to shock him again, but what he saw had completely blown his mind away.
In the documents were several top companies in the world, with the least company ranked 70th in the world, and their yearly revenue.
Groove Inc. was ranked 17th in the world with a yearly revenue of $300B!
Darius never knew that the streaming platform where his ex-girlfriend’s dinner date with David was streamed live belonged to his family.
Nix Inc. was ranked 7th in the world with a yearly revenue of $600B! That was twice the amount Groove Inc. made!
Darius knew a lot about Nix Inc. He even made a research about them in his second year of university. As the leading company in technology and electrical gadgets, they were a globally acclaimed company. Their ranking alone spoke volumes about the wealth they had. They were also the tenth wealthiest company in the world, yet this document said that the Nix Inc. belonged to the Reid Consortium!
There were also several widely acclaimed businesses on the list. The Reid Consortium didn’t just consist of companies alone.
Wealthy districts, globally acclaimed luxury stores, top certified 10-star hotels, and several mineral mines and oil wells were all part of the Reid Consortium, with the Reid Consortium having more than 90% shares in each one of them!
Darius felt his head spinning when he looked at the yearly revenue each of the businesses listed in the document. Hell some of the oil wells even made close to 1 trillion dollars yearly!
Darius suddenly stopped looking at the list. He turned to his grandfather and asked a very important question.
“Grandfather, what is the net worth of the Reid Consortium?”
His Grandfather smiled before answering.
“It’s been a while since I last bothered to check. The net worth keeps on increasing by more than 10 times the previous net worth the next day anyway.”
Darius nodded. Basically his grandfather was saying that it was useless to ask. Their wealth was quite literally unlimited.
Darius grandfather noticed that Darius had finished going through the documents he handed over to him. He cleared his throat loudly, drawing Darius attention to him. When he saw that Darius attention was fixated on him, he spoke up.
“Darius, all those companies are no longer registered under my name.”
Darius eyes widened.
“What do you mean by that Grandfather?” Darius asked agitatedly.
“Calm down Darius. The companies and businesses were under my name, because your father who was supposed to inherit them passed away too soon. Now I am just an old man, who wants to relax and look after his health.”
Darius was surprised again.
“What do you mean look after your health? You’re very healthy Grandfather!”
His grandfather sighed again.
“I am tired Darius. I have been the head of the Reid Consortium for over 40 years now. It’s time for you to take your rightful place. There’s no reason for you to try and change my mind. I have already transferred all the shares I own in those companies and registered them under your name. You now own 90% of the shares in each of those companies.”
Darius was tongue tied. All these were happening too soon. However, his grandfather continued speaking.
“I know that it’s very sudden, and I wish I could continue as the head until you’re ready to head the Reid Consortium, but my health won’t let me.”
His grandfather stood up from the chair he was seated on and continued speaking.
“Don’t worry. I have notified every manager of those businesses that you are the new head of the Reid Consortium now. Once you tell them your name, they will treat you with the utmost respect.”
Darius was about to speak again, but his grandfather beat him to it.
'Darius...'
Darius woke up after a long and refreshing sleep. He had taken a very long time to shower, admiring the luxurious and exquisite decorations in the bathroom, as well as the beautiful bathtub and full wall mirror. After taking his long shower, he draped a white bathrobe around his body and laid on the king sized bed. He was unable to appreciate the softness of the bed as he was very tired. He fell asleep almost seconds later, completely spent. Darius got up from the bed and walked towards the window. He pulled the expensive black curtains and looked outside the window from his room. Luckily today was a Saturday so there were no lectures or classes being held at the university. Darius looked at entirety of the Reid mansion from his window. He hadn’t seen it well at night, but seeing it now reminded him of the wealth that his family had. Darius recalled everything that had happened yesterday night. His whole world literally turned upside down. From being bailed for being unable to pay $
Darius was still reminiscing about his relationship and breakup with Sarah when his grandfather spoke up again. “Darius, you don’t have a car yet. Do you?” His grandfather asked. Darius didn’t respond, but the corners of his eyes were twitching madly. Of course he did not have a car! How was he supposed to afford a car when he was as poor as a church rat?! James Reid smiled with warmth when he saw his grandson’s eyebrows twitching. It reminded him so much of his son. His son Tristan Reid eyebrows would always twitch when he was annoyed. “Well that won’t do. You have to live like a Reid now. Bruce, take him to the garage and let him select two cars of his choice. Customize the cars to his taste and deliver them to him as soon as possible.” James stated authoritatively. “Yes Master James.” Bruce answered, bowing lightly. He turned to Darius who had his mouth open like a gaping fish before speaking. “Young Master Reid, this way please.” Darius sighed. From receiving a card worth $
As he went back to his room, he layson his bed and kept thinking bruce's words. As he opened his eyes it was Sunday evening. Darius checked his schedule and confirmed that while he did not have classes on Monday, he would need to resume classes on Tuesday. This meant that he could no longer stay at the Reid mansion, and that his time here was over. Over the weekend, apart from receiving the black card and two new super cars, Darius grandfather James Reid also gave him a new phone. The phone was the latest phone produced from the leading technology company Nix Inc. The phone was black in colour and also had the stylish ‘R’ written on the back in gold colour which proved that the phone was also customized. Also, apart from the 10 billion dollars in the black card, his grandfather had transferred an additional $5,000,000,000 to his regular bank account, which meant he now had a total of $15B on his person. His chaotic weekend was finally over and he would be leaving the mansion now.
Darius woke up the next morning in a happy mood. He had slept really well last night. The fact that he was also a rich man also contributed to his happiness. He didn’t have to struggle for money to get food to eat anymore. He looked around the dorm and saw that his dorm mates had already left for classes. They were in a different department from him, the Broadcasting and Media department, so they had classes today. Darius took his bath and freshened up before putting on his poor outfit. His stomach grumbled reminding him that he was hungry. He almost went to the school cafeteria out of habit but ultimately decided against it. He was no longer poor now. After getting new clothes, he would dine at the Sky Golden Hotel. Darius took a cab to the biggest shopping mall in the Mayflower district, the district where David Lesley father owned a restaurant. Mayflower district was a very popular district, as it had several top businesses and company there. Only the rich and well to do could aff
Sarah and David on the other hand were also as shocked as Darius. They didn’t expect to run into someone like Darius in a place like this.David Lesley had taken Sarah out today to spoil her with luxurious gifts. He had already bought them for her and wanted to get a few more outfits before they called it a day. However, they did not expect Darius to be here as well. Slowly, the expression of shock on Sarah’s face slowly morphed into one of anger. She was instantly irritated when she saw Darius.David too was brimming with anger at the sight of Darius. He could never forget the humiliation Darius had caused him on the night he asked Sarah out. He had completely ruined the popular image he was trying to build for himself. Since that night, he had hated Darius guts. He had promised to deal with Darius, but Darius had been nowhere to be found since that night. Who would have thought that he would finally find him here?“What the hell are you doing here?” Sarah asked; anger evident in her
Everyone waited to see the light scanner on the machine turn green, signaling that Darius had indeed paid for the outfits. However, that was not what happened. The machine’s light turned red, which meant only one thing. ‘His transaction was declined.’ Sarah and David all burst into laughter when they heard the beep sound after the machine turned red. It turned out that they were right. Darius was just posing as a rich person after all. He only came here to waste their time. They were right. Darius could never afford to buy clothes worth $610,000. They were really delusional to believe for a split moment that he could afford it. Dana, the sales lady who helped Darius choose the outfits was very sad and disappointed. She had thought that with the confidence that Darius showed when he offered to pay for the outfits that he really had the means to pay. It seemed that it was all a lie after all. Several people who had gathered to watch the drama unfold started gossiping loudly. “Wow ca
“This! Where did you get this?” Gary asked in a low and confused tone. He was completely stunned. “Is there a problem?” Darius asked, slightly frowning. Sarah and David, along with Dana and the other onlookers were confused at Gary’s sudden behavior. They were sure that he was going to kick Darius out after exposing him for the liar and pretender he was, but that was not what happened. Gary couldn’t help but look Darius up and down once again, but still shook his head. He was the manager of this store and had been doing it for years, so it was natural that he recognized that the card was out of the ordinary. At a glance, he could tell that the card was a customized card made exclusively for the head of a top business or company. However, the appearance of the male in front of him was not matching with what he imagined. He certainly didn’t look like someone who controlled such an astronomical amount of power and wealth. He was about to confront the said peasant when he remembered
Darius walked out of the store happily. He felt very much fulfilled after the small episode in the store. He walked for a few minutes with the shopping bags in his hand before stopping. Darius' stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything yet. He wanted to eat at the Sky Golden Hotel, but he had a lot of shopping bags on him. Taking the shopping bags to the hotel would be quite inconvenient for him. Besides, he really needed to change his outfit, or he might not even be granted entry this time. Darius hailed a taxi and got in. He decided to drop his newly purchased outfits at the dorm before going to the hotel to dine. The ride back to his dorm was uneventful, and so was his walk. Apart from the occasional stares and gossips from the students, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He entered his dorm room and saw that it was still empty. Even though two hours had passed since he left for the mall, his dorm mates were not yet back from school. Darius kept the shoppi
"If you hadn't picked on me, I wouldn't have ended up like this. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'll never be able to take these black robes off!" The mysterious man's voice was shaky. He was extremely agitated.James frowned at that. He said curiously, "You keep saying I've done you wrong, but everything I did to you was what you did to others. I only gave you a taste of your own medicine."The mysterious man's breathing sped up when he heard that. He barked out a laugh and sneered, "I'll be honest with you. I never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone as dumb as you again."He shook his head. "I find it hard to imagine what your grandson will do when he sees you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. The man was caught off guard. He looked at Darius as his body trembled violently.Darius frowned when he saw this. It was completely different from what he'd imagined. He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, his
Gabriel smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll return to my workstation and prepare a proposal on what to do with Noah."Darius nodded and smiled. "Good. That's all I ever wanted." He turned to leave. "You need to get to work, and I need to return to my hotel to get some rest."Gabriel stopped. Darius' words made him hesitate. "I'm sorry to be asking this because I don't think it's my place, but it's probably better for me to ask anyway. I don't remember there being any hotels nearby."You should head home if you wanna get some rest. I don't understand why you're heading to a hotel to rest."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He turned with his hands behind his back to look at Gabriel helplessly. "I don't know how to feel about what you've just said. You're making me think you're a little silly. Wouldn't I know how to search for a hotel?"It won't take you long to prepare a proposal, but it'll take me ages to get home from here." Darius turned and left.Gabriel's lips twitc
"Because you realized the risk was far greater than what you were comfortable with," Darius said calmly.But Noah started trembling. He looked at Darius in terror. He didn't expect Darius to see right through him after some simple back-and-forth. His eyes widened in fear.Everything that was happening now made him feel like he was dreaming. Noah had only been a step away from success, yet Darius had ruined everything.Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at Darius. "I've said everything there is to say. I'm the lowest rung on this ladder, and I only have one purpose for being here. It's to make you come under the authorities' control. Once you're here, my mission's accomplished."Someone else from the authorities will be here to deal with you, but that has nothing to do with me. They wouldn't have told me about it, anyway."Darius put his hands behind his back without saying anything. He turned to leave. Noah's eyes widened as he stared in fear at Darius' back.Darius didn't see this, bu
When Darius straightened up, his face became devoid of emotion. He said calmly, "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only want frank answers. Otherwise, I'll punish you for every lie that you tell me. I don't see any hope in your eyes, but let's see whether you prove me wrong."Darius paused, then continued, "I've already said something similar once. That was a chance I gave you. From this moment onward, I want you to know that I won't repeat myself because I believe you've had enough time to prepare yourself."Gabriel stood beside him and put his hands behind his back as his lips twitched. He'd thought about the various reasons for Darius repeating himself. But the one thing that hadn't occurred to him was that Darius had done it to give Noah time to prepare.Gabriel felt like applauding Darius, but the rational side of him stopped him from doing so. His rationality told him he'd be in for trouble if he were to do that, so he only looked at Darius with a smile.Darius sensed Ga
Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. Then, he said, "You're too nervous, Gabriel. It makes it seem like you don't trust me. In truth, there's nothing for you to worry about."He stretched his neck and continued, "I know very well how bad the consequences of destroying this building will be. Aside from those silly regulations, I'll also need to pay for it. I might be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy forking out a huge sum of money as compensation."Darius spread his hands and shrugged. At the same time, he pointed at the window and turned to look at Gabriel. Then, he said, "Look. The windows are perfectly fine. They're not even scratched. That shows my life force is non-destructive."That's why you have nothing to worry about. You can put your heart back into your chest."Gabriel straightened up and sighed in relief. Then, he gave Darius an embarrassed smile.Darius grinned but didn't say anything in response. He put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Noah. He sai
"We're classmates from the same major, too! We were interns at Dream Investment Group, remember? And we got kicked out on our first day. You broke my legs because of a tiny argument we had outside the building! The surveillance cameras captured all of this!" Noah cried.Darius tucked his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. Then, he said mockingly, "You're the biggest fool I've ever met. Do you think you're the only one who can tamper with the surveillance footage? Any footage that can be tampered with can also be restored."Noah's eyes widened in shock. He gulped and tried to think of a way to explain away the injuries Darius had inflicted on him. Still, he couldn't think of anything. Before he had the chance to think any further, Darius spoke.He said, "There's one thing you got right, though. Gabriel is on my side, so he'll stand up for me no matter what you say."Gabriel's lips twitched at that. He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something in return, but Darius bea
"And I don't think it's my job to make you see sense," Gabriel continued. He put his hands behind his back. He gave Noah a look that was an odd mixture of gentle iciness. "I've given you more than enough time and chances."Gabriel sighed. "It's obvious that you don't care for that, though. And so I think it's time for me to treat you as an officer should." He sat down on the other side of the desk again.Noah's face was white with fear. Gabriel acted like he didn't see this, though. He smiled. "As I mentioned, I gave you plenty of time and chances, but you didn't appreciate them."His gaze turned frosty. "If that's the case, I'm sure you won't object to me doing this per our guidelines."Noah cried, "No, wait! I don't know what Darius has promised you to make you side with him unconditionally, but there's no way I'll let you two get away with this. You have to make sure you do everything by the book. It's a reasonable request, and you have no right to turn me down!"He trembled viole
Gabriel put his hands behind his back as he looked at Noah with a smile. "Now, you've piqued my interest."Noah looked up at Gabriel. His voice was deep and hoarse as he said, "If you help me, I'll give you half of the Reid Consortium's assets once I get my hands on them. You should know that without me, there's no way you'll get a dime from the Reid Consortium."Gabriel snorted with laughter when he heard that. He straightened up and slowly circled Noah. He sounded mocking as he said, "You've lost me there. I tried to puzzle it out, but it doesn't make sense at all."Why would I want to get my hands on the Reid Consortium's fortune? Even without it, I'm perfectly independent. I don't need it to survive."Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Noah mockingly. "Or maybe you're different from the rest of us. Maybe you'll die without the Reid Consortium's wealth." He smirked and gave Noah a sharp gaze.Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're the one making me laugh now. I don't know
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a