My Husband Wants An Open Marriage (Julie and Ryan)
Open Billionaire 42

CHAPTER 042: The Weight Of The Room CHAPTER 042: The Weight Of The Room +25 BONUS

"Good. Because Adeline doesn't want you to stay. She wants to control you, and this whole thing is her attempt to wrap you around her little finger. The 'peace offering,' the adjusted contract... She knows exactly how to make it look like she's giving you power while keeping you under her thumb."

I look away. He's right; Adeline's deal is nothing more than a leash disguised as a lifeline.

Jerome lets out a heavy sigh, crossing his arms. "Listen, if you're serious about walking away from these people, then that's exactly what you need to do. Don't let them manipulate you into staying. They want you here for their gain, not yours."

I nod. "But who says we can't have both?"

"What do you mean?" he says.

Jerome's eyes are narrowed. He's studying my face like he's searching for cracks. I know he doesn't trust Adeline, and he's right not to. But this is bigger than Adeline, bigger than this boardroom, bigger than this deal.

"Let me ask you something," I say, my voice low.

"What?"

"Have you ever been in love, Jerome?"

He scoffs, looking at me like I've lost it. "I've been married twice, so yeah. I guess."

"You're not sure? Because if you have to guess, we could argue that maybe you weren't actually in love."

He shrugs, giving me a sideways glance. "Alright, philosopher. What's your point?"

I pause, choosing my words carefully. "The thing is... I am. And it changes the way you see things." My voice dips. "Name one thing you love, Jerome. One thing."

He looks at me, then sighs. "My kid."

"Good," I say. "So let's say you have superpowers, yeah? And your kid is standing in the middle of the street, a car coming at them full speed. You could use some kind of magic to blow that car away, right? But you know there's a chance the blast might hurt your kid, too. So instead, you put yourself between the car and your kid, absorbing the impact yourself. Would it hurt? Yeah, probably a lot. But you've got superpowers. You'll live."

Jerome stares at me, eyes narrowed, trying to wrap his head around my metaphor. "Wouldn't it be faster to just... use the wind correctly?"

"It's an analogy, Jerome. It only makes sense when you need it to."

He sighs, scratching his head like he's just about done with me. "So, what? Julie's the kid, you're the súperhero, and that scary-looking woman in there is the car?"

I shrug. "Like I said, only makes sense when you need it to."

"So, in conclusion, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I know what to do." I square my shoulders, my voice firm. "Let me handle Adeline."

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CHAPTER 042: The Weight Of The Room

Jerome lets out a reluctant sigh but nods, clapping me on the shoulder as he leads me back into Ryan's office. I know he's not thrilled, but he trusts me enough to follow my lead. We re-enter, and I feel all their eyes on me-Adeline, Ryan, Emily. I take my seat slowly and let the silence build, letting them squirm a little longer. Adeline's face is an immovable mask of cold patience, but I see the flicker of uncertainty there, the barest hint that she doesn't quite have her claws as deeply embedded as she thinks.

I lean back, crossing my arms, and begin. "When I started my company, I had a simple goal: to make money. A lot of it." I glance around, letting my gaze fall on each of them, making sure they're hanging on to every word. "And I did. But once the money started rolling in, I found myself asking a different question. I started to wonder what else I could do, how I could use what I'd earned for something meaningful. One answer I found was philanthropy."

Adeline's eyes narrow slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line. She knows what I'm getting at, and I can see the muscle in her jaw twitch. Philanthropy-of course, she knows I'm mocking her.

"So," I continue, keeping my tone light. "I've thought long and hard about it. And, in the spirit of philanthropy, I can't leave you people stranded. For that reason, I've come up with a compromise. Seventy-thirty."

The silence is deafening. Adeline's face is a mask of shock and outrage, but it's Ryan who speaks first, his voice a hiss. "Seventy-thirty?" he says. "That would leave the company with... with practically nothing!" I hold up a hand. "I wasn't talking about our partnership."

The moment stretches, everyone trying to catch up. And then I see it-Adeline's face changing as understanding dawns. "Seventy percent... of Ryan's property?"

"He owes her more," I say, my voice flat. "But that will do."

Ryan's face goes crimson, his fists clenched, a vein pulsing at his temple. "You think you can just walk in here and... and take everything? This is a damned ambush!"

I ignore him, shifting my gaze back to Adeline. "Also, the contract term will be two years. And every other agreement we discussed will be honored. Is that going to be a problem?"

Adeline's stare could cut glass. For a moment, I think she might actually explode, her composure

fracturing under the weight of her rage. But she presses her lips together, forcing a tight, practiced smile." None at all, Mr. Martinez. You're... more than fair."

"Good." I let the word linger, savoring the small victory. But I'm not done. I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. "There's only one problem left." Her eyes flash. "What?"

"One of you will have to speak to Julie and get her to drop the charges."

Adeline blinks, genuinely taken aback. "I don't understand. What's the point of the deal if you won't talk to Julie yourself?"

I lean forward. "There's no middleman in restitution."

"Who said anything about restitution?" She gives me a small, forced laugh, trying to regain control. "We're compromising here."

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CHAPTER 042: The Weight Of The Room

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"Are we? Because it sounded like you needed my help, and I'm giving you the terms of that help. So, Adeline..." I meet her eyes, holding her gaze steady, unyielding. "What's it going to be? Deal or no deal?"

She watches me in silence, her face a mask of forced calm, her eyes gleaming with barely-contained fury, For a long, tense moment, neither of us moves, each waiting for the other to flinch. Finally, she lets out a slow breath. "Pardon me, Mr. Martinez," she says. "But I don't seem to understand what exactly you want me to tell

Julie."

I smile, slow and deliberate, the kind that shows how much I'm enjoying this. "What was that thing you said before?" I pretend to think, snapping my fingers as if trying to recall. "Ah, I remember now. You said...' How about if I say please?"" Her face goes rigid, and I relish the look of shock in her eyes. She opens her mouth, but no words come

out.

Beside me, Jerome stifles a grin. Ryan, on the other hand, is scowling, looking like he wants to punch something but doesn't dare, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles are white.

Adeline's voice, when she speaks, is barely above a whisper, strained and taut. "Fine. I'll... speak to Julie."

"Oh, you'll have to do a lot more than that," I say. "You'll have to mean it."

She narrows her eyes, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I know what you're doing, Mr. Martinez. You think you're clever, don't you?"

I lean back, arms folded, giving her my best indifferent smile. "No, Adeline. I don't think I'm clever. I think I'm necessary. For you, for Ryan... for your ancestral company." I pause, letting the words settle, watching the faint twitch of rage at the corner of her mouth. "So you're going to go to her, and you're going to do exactly as I've said."

I can see the exact moment she realizes she has no choice. She nods stiffly.

I stand, and Jerome stands with me. I turn to Adeline, meeting her eyes one last time. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. O'Brien."

She doesn't respond, just watches me with that frozen, furious gaze.

I turn on my heel, not waiting for a response, and head for the door, Jerome following close behind. As the door swings shut behind us, I let out a long breath, feeling the weight of the room, of the deal, lifting off my shoulders. Today's Bonus Offer

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