Rise of the Student Trillionaire

CHAPTER TEN: THE MCARTHUR EMPIRE.

“Just to be clear, you’re saying the family business is a Trillion-dollar Empire?!” William stared at his grandfather in utter shock.

Billiard chuckled at the somewhat comical expression on William’s face before glancing at Mike. “Fill in my grandson, will you?”

Mike nodded with a warm smirk. "Young Master William, the McArthur Empire is a primary shareholder and secondary conglomerate mega-corporation."

William nodded his head despite his slight confusion. “You mean our empire primarily owns and maintains company stocks as a Holding Company while complete ownership of multiple company branches comes second?”

Billiard chuckled. “Well done, my grandson! You’re just as brilliant as I’ve been told!”

"So how much stocks do the family empire control, and how much belongs to us?" William refused to dwell on the compliment from his grandfather, which warmed his heart a lot. Apart from his mother, he rarely got any compliments from the people around him.

“Every single piece of company stock under the McArthur property belongs to no one else but us.”Billiard could see the shock in William’s eyes. “Listen, William, the McArthur Empire is currently worth two trillion dollars in the global business market. We own major shares in most of the world’s leading companies. As for the others, it’s just a matter of indirect ownership. Instead, we have more than sixty percent of the middle-tier companies in the world under a conglomerate.”

“Two-trillion-dollar Empire?!” William would be lying if he claimed he wasn’t in a daze as he whispered out. “You’re telling me sixty percent of the companies around the world fall under the McArthur’s control?!”

Mike had taken this moment to click on a switch near the wide office desk and the lighting in the room dimmed as a large holographic screen came up right in the middle of the room.

William rushed up from his seat with wide eyes. He was astonished at the holographic screen before him. He couldn’t believe there was such an advanced technological appliance in this huge mansion. “Woah! This must have cost a fortune!”

Billiard looked at William with fondness. “Not when the company it came from is right under the McArthur Conglomerate.”

William seemed to realize something. “How diverse are the companies under the conglomerate?”

“As wide as you can think of.” Billiard remained calmly seated. "We have more than five hundred various companies under the conglomerate. Some of these companies exist in the entertainment industry, Agriculture industry, machinery and equipment, real estate, electronics, construction, forestry, commerce, health, chemical, and so on." He glanced at Mike before nodding his head slightly.

Mike understood his master’s silent request and he immediately swiped on the holographic screen until a well-detailed chart appeared on it. “Young Master William, this structured chart should help you understand how large the McArthur accumulated wealth is, and how deeply rooted our power and influences are.”

William nodded and began going through the chart when he found an extra piece of information. “Grandpa Bill, you didn’t mention we also had influence in the military section of the world!”

Billiard sat up with a squared shoulder as he felt prideful at this moment. "That's not all, my grandson. The McArthur is also a large benefactor to most of the top political parties around the globe. Though we don't interfere in how things run, our opinions and decisions aren't taken lightly either."

“Too much power! This is too much power!” William whispered in shock as he grabbed a fistful of his hair; he truly felt like he was going to pass out. “No wonder our empire is worth that much.”

With William's deep knowledge, he was fully aware that only the governments of a few nations possessed such a huge amount of wealth, but even their influences were not this deep on a global scale. Making a rough estimation, he was sure the McArthurs were not only in the top 1% family of the world but actually in the top 0.1% of the world. His family's power was simply massive.

Billiard and Mike remained patient as they noticed William had accidentally become immersed in studying the chart. They felt happy to know the deceased Sarah had given birth to such a business-oriented young man. This kind of person will, without a doubt, pour his entire body and soul into growing the empire beyond what it currently is. This is exactly the kind of man the McArthur family needed right now.

Once Billiard noticed William was done going through the chart, he got up to hold his grandson by the shoulders to look him right in the eyes. “My dear William, You’re aware that you have to take on the McArthur Empire as the one and only true heir, right?”

There was a noticeably stunned look in William’s eyes before he quickly concealed his emotion as he nodded his head firmly. “Grandpa, if you need me to take on the mantle and become the heir to the empire, I swear to you that I will do my utmost best to maintain its reputation and our family glory.”

Billiard shook his head a bit. “I don’t want you to think I’m passing this inheritance to you out of pity. I want you to realize that this is you simply claiming what is bound to be yours in the future. I won’t be around forever, you know?”

William nodded in understanding while containing the bitter feelings. He had just lost his mother, so he refused to even entertain the thought of losing the only other true family member he had just found. “Grandpa Bill, I promise you that I will do my possible best to keep you rest assured.”

Billiard couldn’t help but smile warmly as he saw the determination in this young man’s eyes. He clapped William’s shoulder. “Good! I like that!” He began walking back to his desk. “Now, let’s get down to business.” He waved his hands at Mike.

Mike nodded before heading towards a large drawer. He opened it and grabbed a large file before heading back to place the file on the desk. “Young Master William, please, come take your seat.”

William returned as told with slight confusion. “What is that?” He took his seat once again as he stared at the large file.

Mike opened the file before moving it towards William. He then grabbed a special golden pen and handed it over to him.

“You have to sign those papers, William.” Billiard sat with a sharp gaze. “Once you do that, you’ll officially be the true and undisputable heir of the McArthur.”