The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 8

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. "I'm sure that you are very tired. Freshen up and take some rest. Tomorrow we'll conclude our discussion." His grandfather said, before exiting the study with his butler, leaving Darius alone in the study.

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. "I'm sure that you are very tired. Freshen up and take some rest. Tomorrow we'll conclude our discussion." His grandfather said, before exiting the study with his butler, leaving Darius alone in the study.