Ethan Whitmore
Iswear, if Big Momma hadn’t suggested I take the time to be here, I wouldn’t.
I was supposed to have arrived fifteen minutes ago, but shit, I wasn’t sweatin’ it.
My GPS took me damn near an hour out, and I pulled up to a castle that was closed off by a big, tall ass iron gate.
Since it was already open, I made my way to the house and parked my motorcycle behind an all-white Rolls Royce.
There were five other foreign whips lined up like they came brand new off the lot.
As I walked up to the door, I removed my helmet, just as the enormous door opened.
An older white man stood in front of me with a small grin on his face.
“You must be Ethan?” He extended his hand.
“Yeah, but you can call me EJ.” I returned the gesture with a firm grip.
“Well, EJ, you’re the last to arrive, and we weren’t getting started without you. I’m Charles, by the way.” He led me inside.
I’m not gonna lie, the place had me in awe.
The shit was definitely billionaire status.
As I followed him while checking out the place, I heard voices that sounded like a debate was taking place.
Once I stepped into the room behind Charles, everyone went silent.
All eyes were on me, and the tension in the air was thick as fuck.
“This is who we were waiting for? Who the hell is he?”
My eyes landed on a Logan Paul looking muthafucka. He had a mug on his face as he looked me up and down. I couldn’t help but chuckle because I figured he had to be a sibling of mine. Charles pointed out a seat for me to take before clearing his throat.
“Everyone, I would like to introduce Mr. Ethan James Whitmore. He’s the eldest of the Whitmore children.”
I heard two people gasp before Logan Paul stood to his feet.
“What! What do you mean the eldest? I’m the fucking oldest. Besides, we’ve never seen this man a day in our lives. This has to be a joke.” He chuckled angrily as his face turned bright red.
“Mom! Did you know about this?”
I finally took in the woman sitting across from me. Her posture was perfectly straight with her legs slanted and crossed at the ankles. She didn’t bother to give her son a reply. Instead, she took a sip from her wine glass, then nodded her head.
“Trent, have a seat,” Charles spoke up.
“This is fucking insane! All of a sudden dad dies, and he pops up out of nowhere.”
“Your father has him listed in the will, so his presence is just as important as everyone else’s.”
Trent scoffed when Charles said that. I could already see myself knocking his bougie ass out. There was no comparison in size because I was far taller and bigger. He wouldn’t stand a chance against me. Charles took a seat next to the older woman who was obviously the Mrs.
“Ethan—excuse me, EJ. This is Gwen, your father’s wife.”
“He wasn’t my father. I don’t even know the man.”
“Then why the hell are you here?” Trent spat.
This dude had a lot of animosity built up, but he had no idea that I wasn’t the one to fuck with.
“Of course, this is Trenton. And you have Preston and Julia, your younger siblings.” Charles pointed everyone out while ignoring the outburst.
I nodded at Preston and Julia, and they returned the gesture. I could sense they wouldn’t give me too many problems compared to the one with the stick up his ass.
“Let’s get started, shall we.” Charles opened a folder and removed a few papers.
He started with Trenton, who would receive a sum of two hundred million dollars, a yacht and real estate properties overseas. Preston was bequeathed fifty million. Julia, one hundred million and real estate properties in the Hamptons as well as Beverly Hills.
“To my beloved Gwen, to you I leave all my assets and investments. You shall continue your role as COO of our family business. However, my oldest son, Ethan James Whitmore, shall be the new CEO of Whitmore Financial Banking along with an allocation of two hundred million dollars.”
“You’re fucking kidding me right now, right!” Trenton jumped up from his seat.
“Look at this guy! There’s no possible way he’s fucking capable of running our business! This is bullshit!”
I had enough of ol’ boy running his dick suckers. I calmly stood to my feet with my eyes trained on him.
“I know I’m capable of beatin’ yo ass. Trenton, right? You might wanna pipe down, prep school. I’m not the kinda problems you want.”
I didn’t even have to raise my voice. My tone made his tomato looking ass sit right back down in his seat. I didn’t bother to look their way, but I could hear Preston and Julia snicker amongst each other.
“This is ridiculous. What do you have to say about this?” Trenton spoke to his mom.
“What can I say? Your father has made his choice.”
Gwen finished off her wine and got up to leave the room. Trenton stormed off right behind her.
“Well, that concludes the reading of the will,” Charles announced.
Everyone stood to their feet, and I was ready to get the hell on. I had a lot of shit to process. I’d always been well off, but the fact that I woke up today and showed up here to inherit the CEO role of a billion dollar company had my fuckin mind blown.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Ethan.” Julia walked up to me with a smile.
She caught me off guard when she wrapped her small arms around me.
“I’m sorry, I’m a hugger.” She giggled.
Preston stood behind her with a smile as well.
“Welcome to the family.” He held his hand out for me to shake.
“I appreciate it. It's nice meeting y’all too.” I lied.
I lived my entire life as an only child. I’d never once thought about having siblings other than the tribe I grew up with.
“So, tell us about yourself,” Julia started.
Her eyes beamed with anticipation.
“Before you all get any further, I need to have a private word with Ethan.” Charles interrupted.
“Okay, will you be able to stay for lunch? Please say yes. It'll be ready any moment now,” Julia asked in a soft, baby-like voice.
Shrugging my shoulders, I nodded. Happily, she grabbed Preston’s hand, and they waltzed off, leaving Charles and me alone.
“Let’s take a walk outside.” He nodded toward the front entrance.
As soon as we stepped foot outside and came to a stop, I opened my mouth to speak my mind.
“Why am I the one inheriting a billion dollar company, and this man has kids who have been sharing his wealth since the day they were born? I would be crazy not to take this opportunity, but this man has never done shit for me. Now, all of a sudden, he’s dead and I’m summoned to be around his family. ”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ethan. Not only am I Blake’s attorney, but I’m also his baby brother.
I’m not sure what you’ve heard about him, and yes, it’s true he’s known to be an asshole.
But since the day you were born, Blake has been looking out for you.
The incident with your mother has been eating away at him for years. ”
That’s where I stopped him.
“How the hell do you know that? Not once have I ever seen him come through to see her, and she’s been in the care of a nursing facility for a while now.”
“I know because he visited her every Tuesday evening around seven o'clock. As we both know, money always talks, which is why his name was never documented on her visitors list. He’d spend at least thirty minutes with her each time he went. Although he was married to Gwen, his heart always remained with Katherine. He had a private account set up and placed funds into it every year. Why do you think her care is top tier?”
Everything he said made sense. However, for a minute, I had been giving Big Momma money every month to handle the expenses of my mother’s care. I made a mental note to pull up on her to see what the hell had been going on, and to find out exactly where that money had been going.
“Since the day you were born, I’ve been personally keeping tabs on you at Blake’s request. I’m proud that you turned your life around.
You had me worried for a while.” He chuckled.
“Blake was a hot head, just like you. Every time I turned around, he was rebelling against our parents and getting into shit. Here,” he handed me an envelope with my name on it.
“This was left just for you. Welcome to the family, EJ. I look forward to building a bond with you from here on out. I’m always one call away.
As for your siblings, good luck. Most likely, Trent is the only one you’re going to have problems with.
All I ask is when you knock his ass out, make sure I’m around, or at least record it. ” He smirked and extended his hand.
“I did not think I was going to wake up today and find out I have another brother. I’ve always wanted a sister, but I’m so excited to meet you!” Julia raved. “So tell us about yourself. How old are you? Where did you grow up? Are you married? Do you have kids?”
She threw questions at me left and right. That shit almost gave me a headache.
“Yo, chill.” I chuckled. “My life isn’t all that exciting, so there isn’t much to tell. I’m thirty three, soon to be thirty four. I’m not married, and I have a daughter.”
“Oh, my God! I have a niece! I have to meet her. How old is she?” Julia clapped excitedly.
“She’s nine, about to be ten.”
“This is so crazy! Never in a million years did I think dad would have an illegitimate child. You’re definitely welcomed with open arms…well, from us at least.” Julia took a sip of her drink.
“So, since dad passed the torch to you, we have to have a meeting with the board to swear you in.” Preston held up his glass.
To be honest, I didn’t even want that responsibility.
I had my own empire to run that I built from the ground up.
This shit was like an expensive ass inconvenience in my life.
I stood with my keys in my hand because I had shit to do and look into.
I said my goodbyes without bothering to speak on when they would see me again. I needed time to process all this shit.