A Billionaire's Conundrum

Chapter Five

Joe was shaken as he saw the men that came down. He looked at the beautiful girl and her unsmiling face and this frightened him. Some of his men began to drop their bats in cowardice. 

Even if he was holding a gun, he could not have the balls to shoot it, he wondered who they were and when Jeremy had been able to reach them. They didn't look like the cops he knew in the city. 

"What do you want here?" He asked but even as he did, his voice broke and he ended up sounding like a scared teen. 

The men being him all looked ready to flee as they saw the second door open and even more men poured out. 

Jeremy too was amazed at the site, he could not tell what was going on even as he looked at the girl and her men. 

"Rebecca is my sister, she is the CEO of the Jason group, you don't want to mess with me or you will have her to contend with." He warned. 

The girl scoffed and moved away from him like he didn't matter, waving to her men to handle him themselves.

"My sister's boyfriend is Greg, he is an influential businessman and you will be in big trouble if he finds out that anything happened to me." He added, trying desperately to scare the girl and her men away. But they seemed unaffected by the names he'd called. 

The men grabbed hold of him and dragged him into the bush, kicking and screaming.   

"Don't hurt him too much, he needs to live to report to his sister how much he failed." Jeremy said.

"Do as he's said." The girl repeated and the men agreed as they shoved him into the bush. 

"We have a lot to talk about." She said and gestured to the car. 

Jeremy hesitated, he did not know who she was or what she wanted. But as he looked at her pretty face and the fact that she had just helped him, he figured that she could not be there to cause any trouble so he followed her to the car, curious to find out who she was. 

“Hello, Jeremy Harrison." She said with a smile and Jeremy nodded. 

"I have no idea who you__"

She cut him in with a nod and said that she understood his confusion. "I know you have no idea who I am or why I'm here. I'm guessing these men were bothering you and I came just in time." She said and again, Jeremy just nodded. 

"I am the CEO of the Coatas company and we need your help." She said, 

Jeremy frowned, he wondered who she thought he was, did she know his real identity? He wondered. 

"I don't know who you are and how I can help you, I think you have me mixed up with someone else." He replied and tried to open the door. 

"You need to save my company, Jeremy, please." She said and he halted, turning to face her again. 

"The Coatas company is a pharmaceutical company and we have just launched our new product. However, it didn't quite go as planned." She explained, a sudden look of disappointment coming over her features. 

"The press is going to have a field day with this if it gets out, our competitors are going to chew on us, we need your help, Jeremy, the entire Coatas family needs your help." 

Jeremy did not know how to refuse her but he also didn't want to agree to what he wasn't sure of. "Tell me exactly what the problem is." He asked. 

"The new product is not what we thought it was, I don't know what we did wrong but despite all the clinical trials and testing we did, the product is very harmful to one of our first customers. This customer in question is a really important person and the drug has complicated and worsened his illness. If we do not save him and restore his health then we must not only be getting sued but our license could be threatened and  the reputation of the Coatas company will be damaged forever." She explained. 

Jeremy listened carefully and nodded, it was apparent then that she knew who he  was and what he was capable of, she indeed knew his real identity. 

Jeremy could recall his first encounter with the Coatas family, he had saved the Lord of the Coatas family from dying many years ago and he could remember that he was given a girl to…

With a frown, it dawned in him that he could be speaking with that very girl. "What is your name?" He asked suddenly. 

The girl blushed a deep red and cast her eyes down as she replied, "Ella." 

Immediately, memories assailed him. Jeremy could remember that the Coatas family had been so thankful for his help that they willingly offered him their daughter, Ella, for marriage to pay for his good deeds but Jeremy had left soon after without taking or rejecting that favor. He was not in the right place to take that favor, he had a lot to sort out in his life, and being with a woman was least on that list. 

Many years down the line, he could not believe that she still had found him and at such a tricky time in his life. 

"What happened? How did you know where to find me?" He asked. 

Ella looked hesitant at first but then she shrugged, figuring that if she didn't say, he'd still find out anyway. "I had no luck trying to track you down myself so I found a little help," she said  

Jeremy sighed, he could only think of one man who would be willing to help them out in finding him. "Let me guess, the old butler, right?" He asked. 

Ella nodded, Yes, you're right, your old butler reached me. He said that you've refused to return to your family for so long. 

He also told me where to find you." She said, "And I must add, Mr Harrison,you are not a very easy man to find." 

Jeremy nodded, it all made sense to him. He knew that the old butler was trying to help the Coatas family but he was catching two birds with a stone. 

"I am not ready to return." He repeated himself and she nodded. "I think I understand and respect your decision, Jeremy, but the old man had hoped that my coming here to see you might change your mind." She replied. "I can tell that the old butler sent me here to persuade you but I also need your help.

Jeremy shook his head, he was not in the mood to discuss his family with Ella. He knew that the butler meant well and wanted the best for him, he also knew that his return was not rightly timed, he was not ready to go back.

As Jeremy sat in the car, contemplating what he could do to help Ella and when he would finally be ready to go back to his family, his phone rang. 

Jeremy pulled the phone out of his pocket. It was Rebecca.He frowned as he answered it. 

"What is it?" He asked coldly and her loud voice came from the other end. 

"How dare you mess with my brother? You have crossed the line, Jeremy, you have bitten more than you can chew and the Jason Group is ready for you." She snapped.