Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher

“If you truly have changed, then your sons will make the appropriate choice that reflects that transformation. If you have not made amends for the mistakes you’ve made and the hurt you’ve caused, then you never truly learned anything despite my letters and pleas, and therefore are unworthy of receiving your inheritance.”

“Motherfucker,” my father whispers under his breath. “Well played, Pop.”

Leo ignores his comment. “To my three grandsons. In addition to you receiving your percentages of the company and your inheritance, I grant you one last thing that I denied you before. A choice. You can choose to deny your father his six percent of the company shares and have them redistributed amongst the investors, or you can choose to give him the shares.”

Holy shit.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

My gaze snaps to Rowan and Declan. Both of them sit with their elbows on their knees and their chins cradled over their clasped hands.

“Regardless of what you three decide, I hope you learn from your father’s example. What can be given can easily be taken away. Fortunes. Lovers. Family. Don’t make the same selfish mistakes we made because I can guarantee it leads to nothing but an empty life and an equally empty heart.”

“And to my son, I hope you change out of the goodness of your heart before it is too late for you.”

Leo folds the letter and returns it to the envelope.

“Can I have the other letter he wrote?” my father asks, shocking us all with his question.

Leo raises a brow. “It doesn’t have any legal standing.”

“I know that.”

Leo pulls out a third folded sheet of paper and hands it over to my father. He doesn’t read it in our presence, instead choosing to tuck it inside of his suit with a shaky hand.

Leo clasps his hands together. “Each of you will vote yes or no regarding your father’s inheritance. We will start with the eldest grandson.”

Declan rises and buttons his suit. Instead of sharing his feelings aloud, my brother leans over to whisper something into my father’s ear. The color drains from my father’s face. I’m not sure what Declan says, but my father looks as if he saw a ghost.

Declan returns to his full height. “I vote no.” He walks out of the room, leaving us behind to make our own decisions.

My father turns a fraction of an inch in my direction.

I’m not ready to say my truth yet, so I stumble over my words. “Can Rowan go next?”

Leo glances over at my brother.

Rowan shrugs before rising to his feet. “I’m honestly disappointed you didn’t choose the more difficult path. After abusing us for years and using our weaknesses against us, turns out you’re the weakest one of us all.” Rowan shakes his head at Leo. “I vote no.” He exits the room and shuts the door behind him.

My father rises from his seat and leans over to pick up his suitcase.

I’m not shocked by his dismissal of me. I spent the last thirty-four years of my life being subjected to the same treatment, although I’m better equipped to handle it now. “What about my vote?”

He stands tall. “It doesn’t matter.”

My blood heats beneath my skin, fueling the rage building inside me. I step into his space and stare him in the eyes. “Despite your attempts to treat me like I don’t exist, I matter just as much as the other two.”

“It’s nothing personal.”

“Maybe that’s your issue. If you actually acted like a human being, maybe things could have been different.”

His jaw clenches. “Vote or get out of my way.”

“I will once you tell me what the first option was.”

His right eye twitches. “Why?”

“Because I want to know, and you owe me that much.”

He looks away, his jaw working as he considers my request. His resigned sigh fills the silence, barely heard over the strong beat of my racing heart.

“He asked me to seek forgiveness from each of you and put my shares up to a family vote like today.” My father takes a step toward the door, but I reach out to stop him.

“Why didn’t you choose that option?”

“I didn’t want to risk the shares for something I knew was impossible after everything I had done.”

“Trying and failing is better than not trying at all.” I’d rather fail time and time again than limit my options and fail anyway.

It took me a long time to think that way, but I’m done choosing the easy route. Just look at my father and what that got him.

Nothing but misery.

He will have to spend the rest of his life wondering what would have happened had he sought to get help and earn our forgiveness. While we live the rest of our lives happy with our families, he will sulk in his misery and failure, knowing deep down there was a small chance we could have learned to forgive him had he put in the work.

But I guess none of us will ever know.

I look over at Leo. “I vote yes.”

Leo’s brows jump, and my father’s eyes widen. I know my vote is a toss away, but I would rather fuck with my father one last time, making him wonder what he could have done to earn that one other yes.

Kill them with kindness, Mom always said.

I hope my father drops dead because of it.





My father walks out of Leo’s office with his head held high despite his monumental loss. My brothers scowl at him until he foregoes the elevator and disappears down the emergency stairs exit, the banging of the door echoing across the waiting room.