Chapter 38 - chapter 38. A Thought Negotiation

A Tough Negotiation"Don't worry, everyone. I've been thinking about this for a while now," Jason said proudly, "I have a friend who definitely has enough money to buy 10% of our shares."And who might this friend of yours be?" Grandma Jones asked."Grandma, have you ever heard of Lucas Meriwether?" Jason asked with a smile.Suddenly, the entire room filled with chatter. They had all heard of the five-time world champion of mixed martial arts. Everyone was surprised that Jason knew him personally. After all, he had dozens of martial arts schools, not just in Chicago but across the country.Lily sat calmly while the relatives around her were getting excited about this golden opportunity. But she felt that she should advise her grandmother not to sell the shares.However, Lily was too shy to speak up. After all, the whole mess had been caused by her father and his foolish investment advice."Alright. Jason, call Mr. Meriwether right away!" Grandma Jones exclaimed with a joyful expression on her face.Jason nodded, took out his phone, and called his friend.Because he was a show-off, Jason put his phone on speaker mode."Hello? Is this Mr. Meriwether?" Jason said proudly, "This is Jason. Are you free right now? I have something I'd like to discuss with you!"Lucas Meriwether's voice blared from the speaker. "Jason, how are you? I always have time for you. What's going on?"Mr. Meriwether, the Jones family is planning to sell some shares. We'd rather sell them to you than to some strangers. So, I'm wondering if you're interested." Jason felt very important as he saw the amazed looks on his relatives' faces. "How could I turn down an offer like that?" Meriwether said candidly, "Why don't we find a place to meet face to face? As it happens, I'm in Chicago right now."That's great, Lucas. Have your driver take you to the Jones mansion. I'll be waiting for you here." Jason ended the call and turned around to speak to his grandmother, "Grandma, it's settled. Mr. Merriwether will be here in a little while."You've shown yourself to be very useful, Jason," Grandma Jones said with a smile, "If you succeed in making this deal with Mr. Meriwether, I'll make sure you're next in line to lead the family business!"Thank you, Grandma!" Jason replied sincerely. Inside, he was jumping for joy.Then he gave Lily a proud look that told her it was thanks to her father Oliver that he had this chance to get back in Grandma's good graces.About a half hour later, two long limos pulled up at the mansion's entrance. A moment later, the family butler announced, "Mrs. Jones, Lucas Meriwether has arrived." As the tall, powerful man walked into the reception room followed by his assistants, Jason quickly brought Grandma Jones to welcome them."Thank you for coming so quickly," Jason said sincerely."How could I make a good friend wait?" Meriwether said graciously."I appreciate your confidence in me. Please let me introduce you to my grandmother, the Jones company's CEO" Jason said as he shook Meriwether's hand warmly."Mrs. Jones!" Meriwether said as he offered his hand to greet her."Welcome to the Jones Mansion, Mr. Meriwether!" Grandma had a strange feeling as she shook his hand, but she didn't pay attention to it. Then she gestured to the comfortable leather armchair next to hers and said, "Please have a seat."After Meriwether sat down, the Jones family members who were in the room sat quietly as they waited to see the outcome of this meeting.Next, Jason gave Meriwether a detailed explanation of his plan and how he hoped to get his support for it."Unbelievable," Meriwether said angrily, "The KWTD Corporation really made this outrageous offer?" "That's right, Lucas. And that's why my family wants to sell you our shares!" Jason agreed.Meriwether thought for a while before he made his offer, "I'm willing to pay one hundred and fifty million dollars for 10% of the Jones company's shares."This announcement shocked all of them, including Grandma Jones.She couldn't hide her joy. Grandma had been expecting Meriwether to offer half that amount, at most. Jason was also stunned. "Mr. Meriwether, are you serious? We can't thank you enough for this generous offer!"No need to thank me," Meriwether replied with a strange expression on his face. "Money's not a problem for me, but I do have one condition!"What condition is that, Mr. Meriwether?" Grandma Jones asked him without thinking."It's very simple," he replied calmly." Then he looked around the room like he was searching for something, or someone. "Jason has told me about a cousin of his who is young and very beautiful. I've admired her for a long time. So, Mrs. Jones, I'm not here just to talk about shares. I hope you will give me your blessing to marry your granddaughter," Meriwether said with a smile.This was unexpected, to say the least. The Joneses weren't sure what to think. It was unusual to make this kind of request in the middle of a business deal. What made things even more awkward was that everyone knew that the most beautiful person in the entire family was Lily, but she was already married!"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Jason said with some hesitation."Jason, how could you forget? I've admired your cousin Lily for a long time!" Meriwether smiled casually.Before Jason could answer, Lily stood up and said emphatically, "Mr. Meriwether, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm already married!"Yes, Mr. Meriwether. Lily has been married for almost three years. Perhaps you'll consider one of my other granddaughters," Grandma Jones said awkwardly.Meriwether smiled and replied, "To tell you the truth, I only came here for Lily. Otherwise, I wouldn't be negotiating with you today." Then he added, "She can always get a divorce, can't she?"Grandma Jones's mood had changed from joy to disappointment, "Mr. Meriwether, you can't be serious."Do I look like I'm joking?" he replied sternly.Jason was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected his friend to do something like this.Then Meriwether sneered and said, "Mrs. Jones, you really ought to consider my offer. I've already had my advisors investigate the situation. Lily's husband is in no position to help your family get through this crisis." He paused for a moment and added, "You have no choice but to sell your shares. Do you think there's anyone else in all of Chicago who would be willing to pay one hundred and fifty million dollars for your useless shares?"But Lily is already married. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to offer her to you as part of a business deal," Grandma Jones explained haltingly."If a hundred and fifty million isn't enough, I'll make it two hundred and twenty-five million!" Meriwether countered as he smiled and looked at Lily. "According to my sources, her husband hasn't touched her in three years."Grandma Jones couldn't bear to hear this. Her family listened in complete silence.But part of her was actually weighing the offer. After all, Meriwether was willing to give them over two hundred million dollars, while Kevin had contributed nothing to the family in three years! And Lily's life would certainly be much easier if she were married to Meriwether.Then he slowly walked over to Lily and said, "We don't know each other, but I could learn to love you."When he finished speaking, Meriwether grabbed Lily by the wrist."Mr. Meriwether, please let go!" Lily struggled hard, but she wasn't strong enough to break his grip."Your family is okay with this, just ask them," he said as his mouth broke into an evil smile.The whole family was shocked by the way this promising business deal had turned ugly so quickly."Let go of my daughter right now!" Dorothy roared angrily.Even though she didn't like Kevin, he was still her daughter's husband.Everyone else joined in and demanded that Meriwether let Lily go. After all, he was in their home, not one of his martial arts schools. This was outrageous behavior!Lily didn't know where she got the strength, but she managed to push the man away.Meriwether turned around and looked at Grandma Jones, who was so angry she was trembling. Then he spoke to Jason, "I thought you asked me here in good faith. I'm very disappointed in you!"Mr. Meriwether, please don't be angry!" Jason pleaded. Then he turned around and said loudly to Grandma Jones, "I think you should marry Lily to Lucas. We could always offer Kevin some money to settle with him."But Grandma Jones didn't respond, so Jason tried again, "Grandma, we can't let the entire family be ruined just to save Lily's reputation!"Grandma Jones was at a loss for words. None of them knew what to say to the man. Seeing Meriwether and his bodyguards, Lily lost all hope and gave up!Tears silently flowed down her cheeks. In the middle of all of this, the first person Lily thought of was actually Kevin!."Kevin, please come quickly and save me from this beast," Lily prayed.Just as Meriwether was leaning down to kiss her, a powerful hand grabbed his neck from behind.This made him furious. He let go of Lily and, as he turned around he cursed, "Who the hell did that?""Get away from my wife!" Kevin growled at him."Kevin, please save me!" Lily said tearfully when she saw Kevin."So, you're Lily's piece of crap husband?" Meriwether said with disdain, "This is none of your damn business. Lily's mine now."The anger flashed in Kevin's eyes as he grabbed Meriwether's arm and pulled him away from Lily. Then he threw the big man ten feet away. The room shook as Meriwether's body hit the wall .The onlookers were shocked to see Kevin's show of strength. But they knew that Meriwether was a highly trained fighter. Kevin was definitely in trouble now!"Do you have some kind of death wish?" Meriwether bellowed as he stared at Kevin coldly. "Well, as long as you're here today, you'll save me the trouble of hunting you down."Then he rushed toward Kevin like some kind of ferocious animal. Everyone was certain that Kevin was a goner now. Not even his friends could save him.Lily shouted, "Kevin, run! You can't beat him!" They all watched helplessly as the powerful man attacked Kevin.