Rise of the Student Trillionaire

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE MCARTHUR HEIR

“Once you do that, you’ll officially be the true and undisputable heir of the McArthur.”

After those words fell on William's ears, he couldn't help the doubt that rose in his heart. All his life, he had grown up in poverty and had to deal with so much humiliation just to survive. Now, he's seated before one of the most powerful men in the entire world, who turned out to be his grandfather, and he is now being handed access to all the assets in trillions of dollars.  Is he worthy of getting all this? Can he guarantee he has what it takes to uphold such a powerful name and make his dead mother proud? Memories of the degrading names that people like Donald, Ayra, and Wilson had called him began flooding in and his heart began racing as he was quickly drowning in self-doubt.

Meanwhile, Billiard, who had spent his whole life learning how to read people's intentions through their eyes, could see the doubt being reflected in his grandson's eyes. He kept quiet though as he stared at him. He knew this was a battle William had to be able to solve by himself if he was truly going to be the heir to the McArthur Empire.

 “William, a true McArthur never indulges in self-pity.” Mike had spoken in whispers when he noticed his master was determined to not say a word.

William's hand, which held the golden pen over the inheritance file, had begun shaking as he felt unworthy when he heard Mike Barathea's words. This sent a slithering shock of realization through him and he couldn't help but laugh at himself as he realized Mike was right.

Can he truly call himself a McArthur if he allowed those nonsensical words from awful people, like the Camillo twins, to get to him? He was no longer the powerless stepbrother that they could bully wantonly. He was no longer the unfortunate stepson who couldn't even ride a car on his stepfather's estate. He was no longer the sad and pathetic boy who needed to work five part-time jobs, under slave-like conditions, every day just to keep himself and his mother alive. He was a freaking McArthur and that alone has put him leagues above his enemies.

William looked up to find the disappointed stare on his grandfather’s face. He quickly realized Billiard had seen him entertaining a moment of weakness. The young man took in a deep breath as he steadily calmed his nerves.

"I will never allow myself to wallow in self-pity ever again!" William stared resolutely at Billiard before looking back down at the file of inheritance. With Mike's guidance, he began signing in the appropriate sections of each page without the smallest hesitation.

Unknown to William, Billiard's expression had shifted from disappointed to a proud one. He was glad to see his grandson's will had never diminished even after two and a half decades of tribulations he had dealt with. With a warm smile, he internally praised his dead daughter. She had given birth to a true gem of a son.

 Minutes passed by before William finally reached the last few pages of the inheritance file. He remained calm as he signed the last page before Mike took away the closed file and went to show it to his master.

Once this was solved, Mike looked at William with a warm smile. "Congratulations, Young Master William. You're now officially the one and only heir to the McArthur Empire."

This left William a bit astonished as he felt surreal; his life had truly changed for the better. "So, what's next?"

Mike glanced at his wristwatch. “Now, you two need to have your lunch. The chefs should have it ready to be served as we speak.”

It was at that moment that William’s stomach rumbled loudly, leaving the young man quite embarrassed. He had not had a single meal in almost two days now as he had been dealing with so much.

Billiard chuckled as he got up. “Let’s go have lunch then!”

William was stunned when they got to the beautiful dining room. It was a part of the mansion that had glasses with smart films as the walls and ceiling, therefore the occupant can choose to leave the glass transparent, thus allowing in natural light with controlled UV rays into the room, or the occupant can choose to have the glasses turn heavily tinted, and thus, blocking any natural light from entering that area. It was a beautiful scenery as he could see there was a lush garden of colorful flowers surrounding the dining area.

The family of two sat close to each other at the large dining table while Mike ordered the chefs in the kitchen to begin serving the food. William could see there was an exquisite appetizer already served and he quickly devoured the food, realizing he was more hungry than he thought. His grandfather didn't judge him in the least as he understood William.

Minutes later, a long line of servants came in with the main course and William was left simultaneously hungry and worried at the array of delicacies that had taken up the entire space despite the dining table being so large.

There were large bowls of Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Chipotle Burrito, Spinach Flatbread, Grilled Shrimps, Fish Taco, Stuffed Peppers, Tofu Stir-Fry, Italian Chopped Salad, Multiple Flavored Pizza, Hot Honey Chicken and Rice, Egg Rolls, Crab Stuffed Avocados, Chicken Fajitas, Buffalo Chicken Salad, and Roasted Vegetable Baked Falafel Sandwiches.

William was struggling to not drool as his nasal sensors were bombarded by the pleasant aroma the various foods were giving off. He could barely pay attention as the head chef stood right beside Mike and stated the names of the meals.

"Thank you, Head Chef Maria. You keep serving the McArthur with your expertise." Mike thanked the middle-aged woman on behalf of his master and young master.

The head chef nodded. "Please, I've been working in this mansion and serving Mr. McArthur for more than thirty years now, and I have never regretted a single moment." She then turned to William with a pleasant smile. "Welcome back once again, Young Master William. I'm sorry if you feel overwhelmed by the amount of food being served. It's just that I have ten main chefs in that kitchen and they all wanted the long-lost McArthur to taste their recipes first, hence, the excess servings."

William quickly shook his hands. “You absolutely don’t need to apologize for anything. Every single one of these meals smells divine. Please, thank the chefs for me.”

“Of course, Young Master.” Head-Chef Maria bowed her head slightly before leaving. However, she left six kitchen staff members to serve the two dining McArthurs however they wanted.

William saw how Mike ordered the kitchen staff members. Every time he was about to reach for a meal, a kitchen staff would quickly grab it and serve it to him. He knew he would have to get used to this kind of treatment as soon as possible.

 It’s been almost an hour later when Mike left the dining area, only to return with an object that he then placed on William’s table.

William's eyes bulged out in shock as he finally realized what Mike was giving him. "Mr. Mike, this is worth more than $20 million!"