The Stern Manor wasn't just large and luxurious, it was iconic. A one-of-a-kind estate with history carved into every stone wall and wooden beam.
It was the kind of manor that rarely, if ever, ca up for sale. And when it did, money alone wasn't enough to buy it.
For places like this, the price wasn't determined by who could offer the most cash. If it were, the value would spiral into absurd territory, far beyond what the property was actually worth.
No, buying a manor like this required sothing else: influence. Power. A presence in the business world strong enough to pull the right strings and apply pressure in all the right places.
And when it ca to influence, the Sterns were unmatched.
Currently, inside the grand eting room of the estate, the sa room where Dennis Stern would normally gather with his board of directors, there were only two people present.
Dennis, and Fred.
Dennis sat at the massive, polished table, large enough to seat thirty people comfortably. Instead of working from his personal office, he had spread out nurous docunts across the table's surface, files, printouts, charts, photographs.
"I know everything's done digitally these days," Dennis muttered, running a hand along the edge of the table, "but I can't process things the sa way unless it's all laid out in front of . I need to see it."
He reached out and picked up one of the files.
Attached to the inside was a photo of Max, clipped neatly in the corner. Underneath it, several sheets of paper were stacked, each one filled with information.
"Max, Max, Max..." Dennis shook his head, staring down at the photo. "You spent so long ignoring the money... and because of that, I was curious. Genuinely curious what your first move would be."
He leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing.
"But I just don't understand them."
"Your heart softening, Max?" Dennis muttered to himself. "Did you finally give in to the woman who left you to save her business? And then this, what's this nonsense?"
He flipped through another page.
"You've been buying up several comrcial buildings... Fred, did you find out anything about these places?"
"I did," Fred replied, stepping forward. "All the buildings he's purchased are within a ten-mile radius of his apartnt. The land value isn't high, so the properties themselves are relatively inexpensive."
He paused.
"There is one thing all the buildings have in common."
That caught Dennis's attention. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"They all contain gyms," Fred said.
"A gym?" Dennis echoed, confused. "So... that's it? Max's grand plan is to open a chain of gyms? But none of them are in pri locations. The land isn't worth much either."
He leaned back in his chair, expression shifting.
"Is he just trying to build sothing sustainable and quietly disappear? Or is he seeing sothing far beyond what we can understand, sothing years ahead?"
Dennis let out a small sigh and stretched out his hand for another file. This ti, when he opened it, a photo of young Chad Stern stared back at him. Dennis's reaction was imdiate, he shook his head in disappointnt.
"Out of all my heirs... the one I'm most disappointed in is him," Dennis muttered. "I didn't even foresee sothing like what happened to him... maybe I should've kept a closer eye."
"You gave all of them the sa opportunities," Fred said calmly. "There's only so much you can do."
Dennis didn't respond right away.
Instead, he flipped the folder shut.
"Have you managed to gather the rest of the data I asked for?" he asked, his tone returning to business.
"I have," Fred replied, straightening up. "It's ti for our monthly evaluation. And despite you always saying you prefer things on paper... you still ask to do this."
He pressed a button on the remote in his hand, and a quiet chanical hum filled the room. A large screen began descending from the ceiling.
Monts later, a projector bead light across the room, casting a crisp display onto one of the manor's walls.
Just like with the physical files, an image appeared in the corner, this ti, it was Cici, Dave's daughter.
"Cici hasn't spent much of the money at all," Fred began. "Outside of her own personal comfort, of course. She's bought a house, pays for gardeners, and has been looking into sustainable projects."
Fred gestured toward the screen as details highlighted Cici's investnts.
"These are low-maintenance ventures, things she can manage with little effort while continuing to live comfortably on her own. It's fair to say she's one of the few who's chosen not to engage in the chaos surrounding the rest of the family."
A warm smile spread across Dennis's face.
Among all his grandchildren, he found Cici the most pleasant to talk to, mostly because her interests weren't centered around money or power. She had a calmness about her, sothing different.
Still, for a man like Dennis, who loved talking about money more than almost anything else, her attitude was also a refreshing change of pace.
"Next," Fred continued, tapping a key on his tablet, "we have Bobo, Karen's daughter."
Her profile filled the screen.
"She's spent a significant portion of her fortune, roughly two hundred million."
Dennis's brows lifted slightly.
"However," Fred continued, "her spending has been smart. She's investing in herself, building her personal brand, even paying for her own publicity. She's also put money into several biotech companies."
Fred paused, scrolling through a few more slides.
"If any of those companies achieve a breakthrough, it could lead to massive profits."
Dennis leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing with interest.
Out of all the heirs, he believed Bobo was the most intelligent. The issue wasn't her mind, it was how fast the money was moving.
He glanced at the files again. Not all of it looked good.
There were things Bobo had swept under the rug, things that, if brought to light, could destroy her reputation entirely. It was good to be ruthless in business, but she hadn't been burned yet. That was a lesson she might co to learn... eventually.
"Next," Fred continued, "we have Karen, mother to both Chad and Bobo. As for her, she's lost most of her fortune investing in her designer brand and luxury malls."
Dennis let out a quiet sigh.
"Then there's Dave Stern," Fred said, switching the slide. "Currently, he's the chairman of a competing water company. He's lost so wealth trying to buy up your competition. A brave move, if I do say so myself."
Dennis folded his arms, letting out a low chuckle.
"Brave or foolish, we'll see which."
Fred moved on.
"Now we have Donto. Among the youngest heirs, he's made the most money so far. He's beco what people call a 'social influencer.'"
A video clip flashed briefly on the screen, Donto posing in front of exotic cars and branded workout gear.
"His following and lifestyle have led to several sponsorships," Fred explained. "Not just in his sport, but in various other industries. Ironically, so of them are areas our own company hasn't tapped into yet."
Dennis nodded thoughtfully.
"We also have Marsha," Fred added. "She's founded a highly successful venture capitalist firm and has a sharp eye for investing in start-ups. Many of them have already turned a strong profit."
"And lastly," Fred said as he swiped to the final profile, "we have Randy Stern. Out of everyone in the family, Randy has made the most inco."
Dennis's expression changed the instant Randy's na was spoken. He reached for Randy's file, opening it with tense fingers, only to find a single photo inside.
No notes. No breakdowns. No paper trail.
"And it's the sa as usual?" Dennis asked, eyes narrowed.
Fred gave a slow nod.
"The sa as always," he said. "We still have no idea where he's earning his money... or what he's actually doing."
The final slide of the presentation appeared on the screen, displaying a ranked list of the Stern family's financial standings, rounded to the nearest million, from lowest to highest.
Right at the bottom were two nas, listed with nothing but question marks.
Max Stern (???? - Figures not updated)
Chad Stern (???? - Figures not updated)
Karen Stern: $490,000,000
Bobo Stern: $675,000,000
Dave Stern: $893,000,000
Cici Stern: $952,000,000
Donto Stern: $1,254,000,000
Marsha Stern: $4,465,000,000
Randy Stern: $12,126,000,000
"At any point, these numbers could change," Dennis said, his voice quiet but firm. "They have the money, and the skill, to make that happen."
He paused, eyes locked on the screen.
"But I still haven't seen what I've been waiting for. Not a single one of them has surpassed . Not yet."
He stood up from his seat, the room suddenly heavier with tension.
"Eventually, one of them will," he continued. "And when that day cos, when soone finally rises above ... I'll start worrying about the knives waiting to stab in the back."
He walked to the far end of the table and opened the final file, the one bearing his own na.
Inside was a single photograph.
Dennis Stern: $21,788,000,000
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