My sisters were excited about the idea of a cookout when I went to pick them up at Svensson Investment.
Greg had set them and our other sisters, who were slowly getting expelled from school, up in a huge suite with a nice view.
“Did you figure out your app yet?” I asked them.
“We have a recipe app where people can upload and like different recipes.”
“Adorable,” Liam said when they showed us the app designs.
“They have quite an operation here,” Mike remarked, walking through their office.
“Tess said she’s going to help us with the interior design,” Enola told him.
“Just so you know,” Annie informed me seriously, “we may have to hire Tess to work for us.”
“Oh really?” I said, picking her up and swinging her around. “You’re trying to poach my assistant?”
My little sister giggled.
“We’re running a serious business,” Enola said. “We’re working on a pitch deck to secure investors.”
“I want to invest,” Mike told her.
“Okay, we’ll put you on the schedule for a presentation!”
I smiled. The girls seemed a lot happier now that they had projects to work on instead of dealing with all those tween-girl bullies at school. And even if their apps weren’t that successful, which I highly doubted they would be as they were just starting out, it was good practice for when they were older and ran their own real company or ran one of our brothers’ companies.
“Take a break?” Mike suggested. “Beck is making hamburgers.”
“You can’t cook!” Annie said.
“My sentiments exactly,” Greg said from the doorway. The two toddlers jumped up from their seats where they were coloring and ran to him.
“Says the person that’s only bringing pasta salad,” I retorted.
“Says the person who is still on my shit list,” Greg said with a cold look. “You need to put in more face time at the gym.”
“Don’t you mean bare-chest time?” Liam said with a cackle.
“I will have that tower,” Greg said loftily.
“You’re stealing Belle’s tower?” Annie asked him.
Greg paused and turned to face her. “Here’s a little tip since you all want to be girl bosses. All’s fair in business. If you want to be successful, sometimes you have to be a little underhanded.”
They nodded.
“I want each and every one of you to be a billionaire before the age of eighteen,” he informed our little sisters.
“That seems like too much pressure,” I said, frowning. “I didn’t become a billionaire until I was twenty-five.”
Greg sneered at me. “That’s because you’re an idiot. Our sisters are much smarter and have a lot more sense than you. I have high expectations, Svensson sisters,” he announced to them, hands clasped behind his back. “You’re part of the Svensson Empire now, and you must help build it.”
“You don’t haveto become billionaires by the time you’re eighteen,” I assured my sisters later when we were back in my condo. My unit had a large terrace where we could all congregate, perfect for the cookout.
“We’re going to do it,” Enola promised me.
“If you’re worried about disappointing Greg,” I said, “don’t be. Nothing’s ever good enough for him.”
