Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Diamond had begged me not to tell Zee or the other women. She didn’t want any of them feeling guilty. I hated keeping it from Zee, but I didn’t want to add to her burden.
What my father had ever done in his life to deserve a woman like Diamond was beyond me.
“So…the island,” Rock said. “Now that Jordan’s gone, it’s ours.”
“How is that?” Roy asked.
I cleared my throat. “The deed was held in joint tenancy between Dad and Jordan. After Dad died, Jordan put Rock’s name on the deed. We have no idea why, but it’s his now.”
“And as far as I’m concerned,” Rock said, “anything of mine belongs to all of us.”
“You’re very generous.” Riley smiled.
“Lace and I both agreed,” Rock said. “Any one of you would have done the same.”
“True.” Roy nodded. “We’re all in this together.”
“So…” I drew in a breath. “To that end…we have an island. A gorgeous tropical island with a built-in resort.”
“That was used to hunt women,” Zee reminded me.
“Yes.” I sighed. “It was. But we can change its course. Do something good with it.”
“Or sell it to the highest bidder,” Roy said.
“We can,” I said, “but I’m the COO of this business, and my instinct says it’s a valuable asset and we should keep it.”
“I don’t know, bro,” Rock said. “Part of me feels like this is a bad idea. Our whole company was founded on dirty money from our great-grandfather.”
“True.” I nodded. “We can’t get away from that. But it’s ours now. And we can use it to do a lot of good in this world. Dad may have set all this shit in motion, but we can reverse its course. We have the power now, Rock. We need to use it.”
“I want to help,” Riley said. “Matt and I have been talking, and we want to help with the foundation. I want to help survivors of sexual abuse. Of any kind of abuse, and I want to start with Dad’s victims. What if we made the island a retreat or something? Where victims can go to get therapy? A healing place? Where better to heal than a beautiful island?”
“I love that idea,” Roy said. “Charlie and I have been talking as well.”
“About what?” I asked.
“We’d like to set up an art colony on the island.”
“I love that!” Riley nearly jumped. “We could work on it together. Our two visions could overlap. Healing through art. Or just art. Or just healing.”
I wasn’t sure I’d ever loved my brother and sister more than at that moment. “That’s a great idea. Rock and I have been talking as well about what to do with the property.”
“How to make the most profit, I’ll bet,” Roy said dryly.
“What’s wrong with profit?” I said. “Without the ability to profit, none of us would have the kind of money we do. The island’s big enough for all three of our ventures. Roy and Charlie, you can have your art colony. Riley and Matt, you can have your retreat. And Rock and I are going to build the most luxurious resort, casino, and spa in the world!”
“One problem,” Rock said. “What do we call the island? Not Wolfe Island.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“The Wolfe name is dirty.”
“The Wolfe name is ours,” I retorted. “Dad didn’t use the name on the island. The hunting ground was called Treasure Island.”
“Still…”
“It’s our name, Rock,” I said. “We need to take it back.”
“Name it after your wife,” Rock said. “Zinnia. It’s a beautiful name of a beautiful flower.”
I cocked my head as my gorgeous wife blushed. Not a bad idea at all. But, “This is our enterprise. The Wolfes. Rock, Roy, Reid, and Riley. Not Derek. We need to take back our own name.”
“Why?”
“Because unless we change our names legally, it’s still our name. It still has recognition. Dad did a lot of things wrong, but his branding was good. We’ve got our real estate. Our luxury hotels and golf courses. Our wineries. Our…everything. Rebranding would be huge, and frankly, we’ve spent a fucking buttload of money clearing our names. Well worth it, of course, but rebranding will cost hundreds of millions, and it’s money we don’t have to spend.”
“But it’s the bastard’s name.”
“It’s also our name. I know you’re not a businessman at heart, but surely you see the benefit of keeping the brand.”
Rock finally nodded. “Okay. It’s just… I hate that motherfucker so much.”
“So do I. That’s why we take back the name, bro. We fucking take it back and make it great.”
He nodded. “Wolfe Island it is, then, assuming the rest of you approve?”
“I’m good,” Roy said.
“Me too,” Riley said. “Maybe for once I can be proud of my name. Though I’m still taking Matt’s.”
“Wolfe Island, then,” Rock said. “Wolfe Island Luxury Resort and Casino. Wolfe Island Art Colony. Wolfe Island Retreat Center. It actually has a nice ring to it.”