Perfect Ambition (The Worthington Destiny Book #1)

Kevin Leman Dr., Jeff Nesbit

Description

As the firstborn son of an old and powerful family, William Jennings Worthington VI knows what it's like to be under pressure. Groomed from birth with the relentless message that he was destined for greatness, Will has always pushed himself to succeed--nearly as much as his never-satisfied financial tycoon father pushes him. Becoming CEO of his company seems the next logical step on the success ladder. But when circumstances turn, Will finds himself staring down a road that leads to Capitol Hill. Can he trade the board room for the Senate floor? Or will a closetful of family secrets keep him from his destiny?Bestselling author, psychologist, and birth order expert Dr. Kevin Leman teams up with novelist and journalist Jeff Nesbit for this compelling new series. In a culture that can't get enough of political intrigue and sneak peeks inside powerful families, this book is sure to find a ready audience.

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441245786
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2015 by Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www . revellbooks .com
Ebook edition created 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4578-6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
“To those who are given much, much is required” is a paraphrase of Luke 12:48.
Edited by Ramona Cramer Tucker
To all those curious enough to seek, question, and forge their own path in life.
And to those who choose to do the right thing, no matter the consequences.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Glossary of Acronyms
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
Bonus Feature: Birth Order Secrets
Firstborn
Onlyborn
Middleborn
Lastborn
Acknowledgments
About Dr. Kevin Leman
About Jeff Nesbit
Resources by Dr. Kevin Leman
Back Ads
Back Cover
Glossary of Acronyms
AF: American Frontier
AIA: Aleut International Association
AP: Associated Press
API: American Petroleum Institute
ATF: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
BP: British Petroleum
CEQ: Council on Environmental Quality
COEB: Center for Ecological Biodiversity
CryoSat: Cryogenic Satellite
DA: District Attorney
DHS: Department of Homeland Security
DNC: Democratic National Committee
DOE: Department of Energy
DOI: Department of the Interior
DOJ: Department of Justice
DSCC: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCC: Federal Communications Commission
GOP: Grand Old Party (Republican Party)
INS: Immigration and Naturalization Service
IPO: Initial Public Offering
NASA: National Aeronautic and Space Administration
NCAR: National Center for Atmospheric Research
NGO: Nongovernmental Organization
NOAA: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NSA: National Security Agency
NSF: National Science Foundation
NYPD: New York Police Department
ODNI: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission
1
C HAUTAUQUA I NSTITUTION , W ESTERN N EW Y ORK
The sun didn’t have a chance to set on the lake by the Worthington family’s summer home before Will’s father put him on the hot seat.
“Why haven’t you seized control of American Frontier yet?” William Jennings Worthington V demanded. “That CEO position has your name on it.” His dark eyes burned into Will’s as he gripped the arms of the patio chair.
Will sighed. His mother, Ava, simply exchanged a glance with him at the well-worn topic, then got up from her seat where all three were supposed to be enjoying the beginnings of a radiant Chautauqua sunset.
“Think I’ll go check on dinner,” she announced. Pausing midstep, she placed her hands on slim hips and shot a look toward her husband. “Bill, William hasn’t even been here an hour. Give him a chance to breathe before you hit him with the grand inquisition, will you? This is supposed to be a break . . . a family time.”
He waved her off. “I know, I know. But the boy’s got to think about his future.”
And upholding the Worthington family name , Will told himself. Like he didn’t feel that every day of his life. Not to mention he was now 39 and the successful head of Worthington Shares Equity, far from a “boy.” But that was just the way his father talked to his firstborn son.
To avoid his father’s eyes, Will scanned the meticulously manicured wood-framed and stone home with the large front porch. The structure went back generations and carried lots of fond memories.
But the old house also harbored secrets—secrets of a blue blood family that stretched back six generations of unimaginable wealth, with its roots even farther back to the era of monarchs and royalty in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Europe. Their family crest, Royal Blue, included a picture of the Tara Stone, the Lia Fáil—once known as the Stone of Destiny, which was thought to have been the inauguration stone for Irish kings and later for Scottish kings, and ultimately became the coronation stone in Westminster Abbey.
The Worthington family had vacationed in Chautauqua every summer while Will was growing up. They’d spent other holidays and weekends here as well whenever the family could get away.
But Will’s father, a financial tycoon who had built an even greater dynasty of wealth on the foundation of the previous Worthingtons, was rarely ever home. Vacationing in Chautauqua with his family meant he was there for a dinner or two before he received an urgent phone call and had to head back to New York City or somewhere else to defuse a crisis.
That he was semiretired now merely made his laser-like focus on Will even more intense.
Will leaned forward. “The current CEO is pretty well entrenched and comfortable.”
“But it’s the next step for you,” his dad argued. “The Worthingtons have always won in the financial world, and you’re no exception.”
So there it was again. His father was never satisfied with enough. There always had to be more. Will had to admit, though, that most of the time he was the same way—a cookie cutter of his father regarding the Worthington drive to make his own mark on the world in the largest way possible. But lately he had started wondering when enough was enough.
Will clasped his hands in front of him. “Dad, you know it would take a financial meltdown, a huge drop in stock, or some other kind of disaster to threaten the CEO’s position and open the door for me to enter. And until or unless that happens—”
“It will—destiny works that way,” his father interrupted. “And when it does, you need to be there, ready to take control.” When Will didn’t respond, his father said more softly, “Son, I only want the best for you.”
“I know.”
Bill Worthington loved his kids, even though his public image of “family first” didn’t always play out in his private life. But he had made sure Will, his brother, Sean, and his sister, Sarah, had never lacked for anything. And he had gone out of his way to provide adventures and opportunities for each of the kids, to encourage them to follow their natural talents. But it had been Ava O’Hara Worthington who kept them all connected. That was why Will’s memories of the family home in Chautauqua were so warm. His Irish-heritage mom, with her light auburn hair and vibrant sea-green eyes, made their summers fun and lively, not to mention educational. She’d insisted on no kitchen help or maids when they came to Chautauqua, claiming that the kids needed a taste of “normal life” and that she liked to cook but rarely got an opportunity to do it at their home in New York City. A debutante well sought after by admirers and schooled at Harvard, where she fell in love with Bill, Ava seemed happiest in the kitchen with a smudge of flour on her cheek.
She poked her head out of the kitchen door now. “Okay, you two,” she said, “it’s time to come inside for dinner. And your brother and sister better not be late. They promised.”
Will rolled his eyes. “You know they won’t be on time, Mom. They never are.”
She laughed. “I keep hoping.”
At that moment, a rapid clicking of heels resounded behind his mom, and an enthusiastic voice called through the door, “So, what’s for dinner?”
A second later Sarah Katherine Worthington, dark curls bouncing, exploded onto the scene. She hugged her mother profusely, then stepped through the patio door with a dramatic flourish. “Ta-da! I’m here.” She checked the time on her watch, and then, green eyes sparkling as she looked directly at Will, she teased, “And exactly 10 seconds early too, big brother.”
“Wonders never cease,” their mother proclaimed.
“And Daddy, don’t you look comfortable!” Sarah hurried over to envelop him in an embrace. “All you need is one of your infamous cigars, and . . .”
Will had never been so glad for the interruption. His bouncy sister always shaved the edge off their father’s driven nature. And now was no exception. She’d had him wound around her little finger since the day she was born.

The Worthingtons were already past the soup and salad and on to the delicious main course when Sean Thomas Worthington arrived. Dressed in khakis, hiking boots, and a “Save the Polar Bears” T-shirt, he kissed his mother on the cheek, then slid into the one remaining empty seat next to Sarah at the expansive oak table.
“Nice of you to join us,” Bill noted wryly.
Sean stuck a fork in the seafood pasta and took a bite. “I was packing up. I’m heading out right after this.”
“Where to this time?” Bill asked.
“The Arctic Ocean.” Sean grinned at his sister. “I’ll get to check out the beluga whales firsthand.”
“Cool,” Sarah replied. “I read that—”
Their father cut them both off. “Glad you’re able to have some fun on Worthington money. But someday you’re going to need to focus, decide what you want to be all about . . . and get a haircut and shave.” He swept a hand toward Sean’s slightly awry reddish locks and stubbled chin. “Now your brother here”—he swiveled toward Will—“has got some big decisions to make while you play around in the Arctic.”
“Bill,” their mother chided, “you know what Sean does for the company and how important it is.” With her eyes she aimed an