Well, if wife #2 were your initial wife, what percentage of your business would you be leaving her then?  I doubt you would have demanded that your initial wife show some sort of "proper" interest in your business as well.  You would have just, more than likely, left it all to her or left her some sort of percentage.  This is a big issue with us "second wives"--being treated and thought of as sloppy seconds.  I'm not going to go on and on here, I'm just going to say that it really really sucks to be treated as a lesser wife.  And, given that you are judging her interest as some sort of gauge vs. her role as your wife, I agree with your current wife on this.  Prenups don't matter in the sense that a prenup should not be used to treat someone as a lesser wife.

Now, in reference to her children, your stepchildren, getting a share or the same share as your own children, that is a slightly different matter.  All things considered, you are in a position to pick and chose among children, step or not, who you care to leave your assets to.  However, out of consideration for your wife, you may want to leave her children something; it doesn't have to be a percentage of the business.  You say they are all young, but one of them may show a true interest in your business at some point.  What about then?  Something to think about.  I guess I'm wondering if "showing an interest in the business," even tho. you go on about it above, is the real gauge you are using vs. this business is mine!  It is mine via me and mine via descendants of my DNA.

There is a big difference between leaving money and leaving a business interest to someone.  There is an excellent reason that most "family" businesses either go belly up or go public within 3 generations!  The stereotype of the hardworking progenitor, somewhat endulged off-spring, and spoiled trustfund baby grandchild is not far off the mark most of the time.

My suggestion would be to get with an attorney who focuses on transfer of family wealth and businesses and run all this by him or her.  I strongly suspect that the majority of your family, including your wife, will be happy with the proceeds of the business and maybe an honorary seat on a board without enough interest to do any damage.  Only one or two will actually be interested in the nuts and bolts of running the business and they will be have the opportunity for compensation through their efforts far exceeding what was simply given to those who did not want to work.  "Fair" is nice and all that but we are talking about your life's work and whether it will continue or be driven into the ground after you are gone. 

My girlfriend is a lawyer who just got retired after 35 years working in law. She said that she came across many cases when "legally" bound pre-nups or post nups that are seemingly done correctly are being disputed in courts and thrown out or altered. Many cases.

Her advice is that if people don't think to leave majority of assets or all assets to their spouses and if they don't want themselves or their families go through legal battles, they are better off just dating or cohabitating. No need to marry. 

Ingeritance up that if your kids show interst in the business that you will up the percentages. This just seems vague because what happens if you die and one of your kids believes she has shown incredible interest in your business but you have not increased her inheritance share accordingly.. i feel the way you have explained it in your post is gonna bring many issues when you die because your kids and current wife will be in court fighting for what my right and my share etc...

i’ll explain my situation to you which is different but at least explains how my husband decided to handle things.

he was married to exwife 14+ years, 3 kids from that marriage who are now 24.5, 22 and 14.5. exwife was abusive, tried sabotaging all her pregnancies, didn’t want to be a mother and treated their kids like slaves. Kids were brainwashed and conditioned so well to play nice so hubby couldn’t see this but hubby knew she wasn’t being a stay at home housewife and she tried actively to sabotage his career whilst married and during the divorce got him demoted

my husband felt very strongly she deserved no assets of his and fought hard that she was not equal to half share of anything. He bought their marital home and she did not work since they married. 

In the divorce she got 50% of the profits from the sale of the marital home and a lump sum payment. She was furious but my husband was adamant she did not contribute to his quality of life.

after the divorce my husband rose up to snr vp of his company at national headquarters. His salary jumped 10times and we’re not factoring in yearly bonuses which tend to be several months worth of salary but he works his arse off for that salary.

we have been married 5.5 yrs now, we have 2 kids together (i had a miscarriage 4 months ago), my husband since our second child was about 1.5 had willed his pension savings 100% to me on the basis if he died, 2 kids currently are adults and the youngest kid would be an adult whilst ours would still be minors (we’re basing hypothetically in the next decade or so).

so my husband felt since 2 adult kids have completed university paid for by him, and all 3 of my skids have financially benefitted from my husband that he needed to provide the same for our kids.

also his exwife has still brainwashed eldest sd 24.5 to harrass hubby about transferring properties of hubbys into skids names only like me and my kids do not exist. Hubby knows her games too well.. i told hubby very clearly i would not be put in a situation of an exwife who would fraudulently claim and doctor documents (which she did during divorce) after hubbys death and seek to make us homeless and greedily keep everything for her and my 3 skids like we do not exist.

my husband also agreed in that current economic climate to invest in my country was better and we did buy a home (my husband purchased it from savings and put it solely in my name), so if anything were to happen to him that i and my 2 kids would always have a home becaus ehe sure as hell knows exwife and skids sould kick me And my kids out of marital home when my husband dies. Even my ss has been told by my husband that this marital home is my and my kids right to reside in whenever we want and not for ss to do as he pleases should hubby no longer be alive...

skids do not know my husband started a secret savings for them, its a decent amount to provide a buffer or supplementary income for them. My husband does not trust any of them to manage his estate as they are controlled by bio mum.

some may say well my husband was married 14+ yrs to the exwife and she deserves way more, but 80-90% of pension savings were gained after his divorce as all his bonuses were put into his retirement savings so its grown massively.

my husband has only seen me as supportive and not his exwife or skids and that in the 5.5 yrs i have been married to him that he has had a life that never existed pre-me and that is why he feels the need to ensure my kids have the same benefits and financial support that skids have benefitted from. 

If my husband told me he wouldn’t ensure me and my kids were cared for should he die, I wouldn’t be married to him since exwife has been allowed to not have or get a job for 26+ years or be equally responsible for the 3 kids they had together yet i have been the primary parent for my kids and currently stuck in my country of birth with our 2 kids because of covid and not likely to see my husband for a year, if my husband didn’t see the need to protect me from exwife and skids, he knows I wouldn’t stick around.

all those stressful times at work, he comes to me to vent. Not skids. 

Op, whatever your exwife wanted should not be set in stone. She didn’t know you would re-marry or potentially have more kids. For her to greedily dictate and oressure you and say nope our kids get everything and everyone else peanuts is the reason why alot of second families seem 2nd class.

i get you saying your current wife stands to get at least $6 million currently but what happens to your bio kids who do not contribute to the business? The bio kids who show no interest?? 

Then i ask, your current wife, is she the person you come to after a long hard day at work?? Is she the one you go to when stressful for comfort? For intimacy? Does she maintain your marital home? Does she do the housework (as it seems from what you posted that she is a stay at home housewife)? Is her doing all that and taking the reigns at home allow you to focus on your business more? 

If the answer is yes, then she has contributed to the growth of your business just in my case as me helping contribute to my husbands growth in his career. There are plenty of times he has to fly at a moments notice and he needs me to help pack stuff etc... to handle errands etc... my husband doesn’t see me as a stay at home housewife that hasn’t helped him be focussed enough at work to earn those bonuses and remain in his job. 

There are some narrow minded people that think its the guy who is the reason why they have maintained the business and the wife is a bed warmer. But without her being the rock by your side, you wouldn’t have the comfort you likely have right now.. think about that when you feel your wife is unfair.

after you marry those rose coloured glasses come away

I understand your position on the business and think you're being fair. Your wife is getting what she agreed to when you married and otherwise is well provided for in your will. I would be disturbed by the focus on money and inheritance, frankly. Presumably you and your wife love each other, she is benefiting currently from your business and she didn't marry you for your money. If that's the case  AND (and this is important) you treat her as an equal partner in your marriage/family and don't prioritize your children over her in your day to day life (think hard about this), then I think her focus on her inheritance is concerning. Is this the main thing you fight about, or does she have other complaints about your children, how you treat them in relation to her, etc. 

Consider that this might not really be about the inheritance. Then again, she might just be greedy.

Coming into the second marriage it yours to do what you want. That is why for prenup. What wife two was good with and sign it.   What is made in second marriage sgoulf be divided differently. Between second wife and all the kids.  Your second wife has buyers remorse.   Seeing what she thinks is her money going to your kids.  
But she understood this when shr sign the prenup 

Anyone who isn't satisfied with a guaranteed 6 MILLIONS DOLLARS is a gold digger.  The fact that she expects you to include your stepkids in your will speaks volumes.   

If she's so concerned about her children having money, why can't she give them some of her millions?  I would definitely divorce her.  

It's hard to accept that the person you love is using and manipulating you,  but that is exactly what your wife is doing.  

Your kids are going to be in for one hell of a fight when you pass away.

My stand on inheritance is that if a couple earned money over a long-term marriage, it should mostly be left to the kids, provided you don't leave your new spouse high and dry in a box under a bridge somewhere. So your business should go to your kids, because your late wife and you earned that money during the marriage.

6 million is generous, certainly. It sounds like your wife is in a tit-for-tat with your kids.  Daughter gets more, so she should get more. As much as all of us feel scapegoated about being stepmothers, there really are some jealous and competitive stepmothers out there.

As for her kids, she can leave assets that she and their father amassed, or what's left of the 6 million you will leave her.  Not your job to take care of them, unless you want to.

How many years have you been married to 2nd wife?

I say get a divorce,,,let those chips fall where they fall and leave everything to your kids. Problem solved.