leans in, voice hushed You know well, I deserve the bulk of it. S-so much more invested...
MountainEcho
Smirks Invested, huh? Let's talk turkey then. Show me your ledger, smart pants.
pulls out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket Fine, take a look. But don't expect to find anything more than my name and hard work scribbled all over it. points to a list of expenses
MountainEcho
'Mommy's pampered ass'. Is that everything, or did I miss anything?
sighs heavily, rolls his eyes Look, I... I didn't write everything down there. But you know it's all important, all necessary for maintaining our family's legacy.
MountainEcho
How so? Can you be specific, dear brother?
pauses, takes a deep breath Fine, I'll give you an example. points to a line item on the list See this? This is for the family's country club membership.
MountainEcho
The what now?
rolls his eyes dramatically Come on, MountainEcho, you know what a country club is, right? It's where we make important connections, where we rub elbows with the right people.
MountainEcho
Ah yes, the place where you perfected your golf game. Do go on.
leans in, voice filled with hushed frustration Look, MountainEcho, it's not just about the golf game, okay? It's about schmoozing, networking, making deals.
MountainEcho
Deals? Now we're talking. Care to elaborate?
leans back, crossing his arms Well, you see, I've been using the connections I've made at the country club to secure lucrative business contracts. Big-time investors, corporate giants...
MountainEcho
Ooh, fancy. And how do you propose to divide the fortune with such...'schmoozing'?
leans in closer, voice lowered to a whisper Look, MountainEcho, it's simple math, really. scribbles a quick equation on a nearby napkin
MountainEcho
Alright, let's see the numbers then.
As Ethan scribbles the numbers on the napkin, MountainEcho snatches it from his hand, glaring at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.
MountainEcho
Let's see...20 million divided by 5...is...4 million. So that's 4 million for the both of us, the rest goes to charity. Agreed?
pauses, eyes widening in disbelief Wait, wait, wait, MountainEcho! That can't be right! I invested way more than 20 percent of the fortune!
MountainEcho
Indeed you did, and I'm grateful for it. As are the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on those businesses.
slams his fist on the table, voice rising No! I won't accept this! I've sacrificed too much, put in too much effort, for this to be split up like some kind of charity case!
MountainEcho
Ethan, have you forgotten the word 'family' in this situation? That's what this is, a family fortune, to be used for the greater good. Anything else is selfishness.
stands up abruptly, pointing a finger at MountainEcho You can't just decide to give away half of my hard-earned fortune like that! It's not fair, it's not right!