Trillionaire Heir- Jeremy Nathaniel

Chapter 8 - The Deal for a wife

Jeremy watched in disbelief as Lord Williams and his wife announced that they had approved of Avery's marriage to Noah - on the condition that he could secure a contract for their struggling company. The thought of his wife being used as a bargaining chip was even worse.

"Grandpa, you can't be serious," Avery said, her voice shaking. "You're going to force me to marry Noah?" She shot a pleading look at Jeremy, who felt like his heart was breaking.

He had always known that Avery's family looked down on him, but to hear them say it out loud was more painful than he could have imagined. And the thought of his wife being traded like a commodity was too much to bear.

"This is your last chance to save our company," Lord Williams said, his voice cold and calculating. "If you can't do it, then we'll have no choice but to let it go under. And you know what that will mean for our family."

Avery's face was pale, and Jeremy could see the terror in her eyes.

"Why are you making it sound like she has a choice?" Lady Williams snapped, turning on her Husband with a rage that made Jeremy's blood run cold. "This is the same way you handled her request the last time, and it led to her bringing a lowlife home as a husband. It's time we made it clear who's in charge here."

"Grandma, please stop this," Avery pleaded. "My husband is a good man. He loves me and Mia. He's just... he's just been through a lot, and he's not himself right now."

But Lady Williams was unmoved. "Your husband is a coward," she said, her tone cold and unforgiving. "A man who would run away from his wife and child in their time of need is not a man at all."

"I never abandoned my family," Jeremy said, his voice raised in anger. "I went to provide for them.... ."

"And what did you provide?" Lady Williams asked, her voice mocking. "Failure and excuses? I think you should be grateful that Noah came In time to save you from yourself, from your incompetence. You're a disgrace to the family name."

"Noah didn't save me or my family," Jeremy said, his voice tinged with anger. "He's a fraud and a liar."

But before he could say any more, Avery stepped in front of him, putting her hand on his chest to calm him down. "Please, enough," she said, her voice pleading. "This is not the time or place for this."

Jeremy took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. He didn't want to make things worse for his wife, but the words of her grandmother still burned in his ears.

Avery had been desperate to keep the truth of what had happened in the restaurant between both men from her grandparents. She knew that if they found out, it would only cause more problems. And she didn't want to make things worse for her husband.

"Let's not get sidetracked by these irrelevant distractions," Noah said, his voice oozing with condescension. "There are more pressing matters to attend to. Can we please move on?"

Jeremy wanted nothing more than to punch Noah in the face. He was so tired of this man's games, his need to be the center of attention. But he knew that it would only make things worse if he gave in to his anger. He had to stay calm for the sake of Avery.

"So, we have a deal then?" Noah said, placing his feet up on the Williams' expensive glass table as if he were some kind of king. "I'll secure you a contract with Blue Silver Entertainment, and in exchange, I'll marry Avery."

"You're out of your mind!" Avery yelled, her voice filled with indignation and disgust. "I would never agree to such a ridiculous proposal. I'm already married to Jeremy, and I have no intention of changing that."

Noah looked at her like she was a child throwing a tantrum. "You can't be serious," he said, scoffing. "Do you think you're going to have a better life with him than you would with me? I can offer you everything you've ever dreamed of. What does he have to offer?"

"Deal," Jeremy said, shocking everyone in the room. "I'll divorce Avery and let you have her if you can secure a deal for the Williams with Blue Silver Entertainment."

Avery's heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She turned to her husband, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Finally, some backbone!" Lady Williams said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "This is the best news I've heard in a long time."

"Wow, that's a bold move," Noah said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "Are you sure you're ready to lose your wife to me so easily?"

"I can't believe you're even considering this," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "I thought you loved me." Avery stuttered.

"How could a poor man like him ever really love you?" Lord Williams sneered. "It's obvious he only married you for our family's wealth. He's a gold-digger, plain and simple. Can you believe how shameless he is?"

"If you can secure even a one percent deal with Blue Silver, I'll let you have Avery forever," Jeremy said, his voice cold and calculating.

Noah laughed, his eyes flashing with triumph. "Is that all it would take?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You must be desperate to be rid of her if you're willing to give her away so easily."

Avery felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn't believe that her husband was bartering with her as if she were a piece of property to be traded.

"You've already lost," Noah boasted, his voice dripping with arrogance. "A source at Blue Silver Entertainment has promised me a five percent deal, and since you're so eager to bet on me, I'm willing to sacrifice my five percent to the Williams just to spite you."

"That's a lovely offer," Jeremy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But if you don't secure the contract, I have a counter-offer for you."

"I'm 100 percent certain I'll win," Noah boasted. "My family owes the town. But to make things fair, I'll let you place a bet as well."

"If you fail to secure even a one percent deal with Blue Silver Entertainment, you'll have to pay me a fine of ten million dollars," Jeremy said, his voice calm and steady.

The room erupted into laughter, the sound of it grating on Avery's nerves. How could they find this so funny? This was her life they were playing with, not some game.

"See, I knew it," Lady Williams said, her tone cold and condescending. "All he cares about is money. He doesn't care about your daughter at all."

Jeremy paid no attention to the laughter or Lady Williams' words. He kept his gaze fixed on Noah, who was now red-faced and gasping for breath.

"Deal or no deal?" Jeremy asked, his voice firm.

Noah finally managed to catch his breath, and his laughter faded away. For a moment, he looked uncertain, but then his resolve hardened. "Deal," he said, his voice laced with challenge. "And I'll prove to you that I can get more than just one percent."

"I want this in writing," Noah said, his laughter still lingering. "I don't want either of us to be able to back out on our end of the bargain."

At Lord Williams' signal, one of his employees hurried off to prepare the paperwork for the agreement. A few minutes later, they returned with the contract, and both men signed it without hesitation.

Avery felt numb as she watched them sign,

"You signed me off like a puppet," Avery said, her voice trembling with anger. She glared at her husband, her eyes blazing. "How could you do that? I'm not some object to be traded."

Jeremy watched in anguish as Avery ran from the room, tears streaming down her face. He wanted to run after her, to explain and tell her the truth but that would only endanger her life. He planned to let her know when the time was right.

As Jeremy walked down the steps of the Williams mansion, he withdrew a small phone from his pocket. He'd purchased it that afternoon, from a street vendor who was selling them cheaply. The phone was nothing special, but it would serve its purpose.

He swiped the phone open and texted Jefferson Benson.

"From this day forward, I am the one in charge of Blue Silver Entertainment," he typed, his fingers flying across the screen. "Every decision and deal must go through me before it is finalized. I am fully in control."