"I have fourteen other grandchildren," he said, his voice as cold as the marble in his hallway. "If I pay one penny now, I’ll have fourteen kidnapped grandchildren."
The air in Rome during the summer of 1973 felt heavy, not just with the heat, but with the weight of old secrets. Paul Getty III, a teenager with more hair than sense, wandered the cobblestone streets, his pockets as empty as his famous grandfather’s were full. All the Money in the World
Paul was eventually released at a snow-covered gas station. He called his grandfather to thank him, but the old man refused to come to the phone. "I have fourteen other grandchildren," he said, his
Even then, the billionaire negotiated. He finally agreed to pay $3 million, but only because $2.2 million was the maximum amount that was tax-deductible. The remaining $800,000? He lent it to his own son—the boy's father—at 4% interest. Paul was eventually released at a snow-covered gas station
In his English manor, surrounded by priceless Renaissance art and Roman statues, the elder Getty sat by a payphone he’d installed for his guests. When the press swarmed him, asking what he would pay for his grandson’s life, he didn't blink.