Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“Dallas, they changed what I’m supposed to say,” Ducky said but Dallas’s motivational speech did help edge off the anxiety attack. Ducky was beginning to breathe normally again.
“You got this. Trust me.” Dallas took Ducky’s lapels, his thumbs skimming down the front. “You’re not the same guy you used to be. You own a multimillion-dollar company. You’re a badass and it shows. Do this to prove to yourself that you’re no longer that same misplaced man. You’ve figured your shit out. It’s all any of us ever want out of life and you did it.”
“I didn’t do it alone. You helped me,” Ducky said, staring Dallas straight in the eyes.
“And you helped me,” Dallas said forcefully, his stare direct, honest, and strong. “We have each other’s backs.”
Dallas had been using all these same arguments for months now. Each time Ducky flipped out, Dallas backed him into a corner, asking him to believe in himself. It worked. Ducky finally nodded. The sole reason for all his transformation efforts was to find the inner balance within to help match his outward accomplishments.
He lifted his palms, letting them follow the same trail as Dallas’s fingers. Ducky then squared his shoulders and drew in a deep, cleansing breath.
“You’re a good brother. You never gave up on me,” Ducky whispered, unscrewing the cap to the water bottle.
“There’s nothing to give up on.”
Ducky seriously doubted that and took one small drink then another. The cool water was precisely what he needed. It gave him the second he needed to regroup and quench his dry throat.
“Schwartz?” a runner called from the edge of the curtain a few feet away. “You and Reigns are on deck.”
“Go be brilliant,” Dallas said confidently, taking the water bottle with one hand, the other sliding around Ducky’s shoulders, turning him toward the stage. “Follow the monitor and keep your hands together. It’s all gonna be fine. Don’t take it too seriously. Remember every moment while you’re out there so you can tell me about it. I’ll be here waiting.”
Dallas gave him a little shove between the shoulder blades when he didn’t readily move forward before Ducky found the courage to take the rest of the steps on his own. This was a life-changing moment… He’d prepared… Not the same scared kid…
He’d never been too sure about his spiritual beliefs, but right then, he decided he believed in everything. Surely if he said a prayer to it all, something had to stick.
The energy in the room vibrated with an excitement that transcended all the worry and bad mood hanging over Chad for the last couple of weeks. Wilder never skimped on any promotion and that included going hard on the new rollout for Wilder Sports. Every minute of the weekend’s itinerary was meticulously planned. Full of public relations events designed to entice the full scope of media to follow each step of the way.
Tristan had conceded and done what Chad had requested, using Kai as the first athlete to launch Wilder Sports. It hadn’t even been much of an argument, probably due to the overwhelming fact that Chad’s performance on tour had left him ranked dead last in the averages. So low that his world ranking average put him at risk of losing his spot in the PGA. He’d once been a bright star, zipping through the ranks. Now his outlook was nothing more than a darkening ember with little hope of recovery. At least, not anytime soon. Sports news was abuzz with his complete failure in the PGA. Woo-freaking-hoo.
Chad didn’t let himself dwell, scooting right past that blistering thought. Tristan and Kai signed their respective contracts while on-air live with the brand-new Wilder Sports Podcast.
After Tristan finished signing and tossed the ink pen on the table, a giant grin split his face. He leaned over, taking one of several duffel bags from the floor beside his chair. They were full of the new WS logoed gear for Kai and his entourage that sat around the small room. Tristan tossed each person a full duffel bag.
They were also live streaming the event on the homepage of the Wilder search engine—something they’d never done before in the history of the company. Today, and today only, anytime anyone from around the world searched on Wilder, the screen opened to this live stream. Millions and millions of people were watching Wilder introduce the newest venture added to the many enterprises Tristan owned. A chat feed ran the length of the right side of the screen.
Chad and the group sat side by side at a small, round table. It was compact, but large enough for the six of them. Each had their own microphone. Two laptops sat on the table about a foot away. The overall design was made to look intimate, fresh, and budgeted.
After the signing, Kai, Chad, and the guys were going live on Twitch for a couple of hours to watch The Game Show Awards. Of course, rights and infringements didn’t allow Wilder to air the show, all they could do was give commentary, but Tristan had gone over the allotted time with the contracts—the man was never on time. Now they were performing double duty of live streaming on both the show and the contract signing at the same time.