The rise of Jeremy Collins

Chapter 8

The more Jeremy knew about Ariel, the more questions he had about her. The woman was a walking question mark, and he wasn't sure if it was in a good way or in a bad way. Jeremy didn't exactly know a thing about her, and she didn't look like the type to answer questions that she didn't deem important to her cause or that weren't business related.

She wasn't as rich as he had initially thought. She was way richer. In the contract that he had just signed, it stated that he would get an allowance of two hundred thousand dollars monthly and a monthly wardrobe change.

Jeremy was no expert, but he was pretty sure anyone that could pay you two hundred thousand dollars a month was wealthy enough to buy the devil's soul.

The contract also stated that they would be married for exactly five years and once those years were over, he’d get the mansion as his divorce settlement and a new car.

There were also a few other laws he had to follow, like no family members allowed to stay with him in the mansion, friends were not allowed without explicit permission from her and more importantly, no women.

It wasn't a bad deal for five years, if anything, he was getting paid just to sit pretty.

Jeremy couldn't believe it, he was now a certified trophy husband. If he'd been told this was his future in high school, he probably would have pummeled them to the ground, but now it was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.

They were both quiet now that they had finalized everything concerning the marriage, there wasn't much to say. He thought about asking her some questions but decided against it. He had a feeling that would have made things a tad more awkward.

“Well, since that's all. I'll show you to your room.” She broke the silence and he nodded enthusiastically. He needed privacy after all to hear his thoughts for today. He'd spent the better part of today at the mercy of other people's treatment. It was time he treated himself to peace and quiet.

He followed her down the long hallway and up the spiral stairs.

He couldn't help but watch as her hips swayed elegantly as she moved. She was like the personification of elegance, and boy did just her movements turn him on.

“Get your mind out of the gutter!” He chastised myself.

She got to the entrance of a mahogany door and turned the knob, opening the door.

“This is your room. I hope it's to your liking.” She said as she got to the center of the room.

To his liking was an understatement. He felt like he was in paradise. The room was bigger than his entire apartment.

“Yeah.” He said simply as he walked deeper into the room, admiring the decor.

She must have had someone design it because it looked exactly like how a wealthy man would design his room.

A king-sized bed, a coffee table that looked like it was straight out of an Egyptian movie, gray themed walls and curtains and a space with giant monitors.

“It's perfect.” He said quietly, completely blown away by the fact that this was his life now.

“Alright then, I'll leave you to it. My room is just adjacent to yours” She informed him.

Jeremy nodded and watched her start to leave.

“Thank you, Ariel.” He stopped her, she glanced over at him from over her shoulder in question. “For everything…” He clarified, clearing his throat.

“You are welcome.” She gave a little smile and closed the door behind her.

As soon as he was alone, he let out a rush of breath. he guessed this wasn't a dream after all, he was really a married man with a house and a drop-dead gorgeous wife that didn't care about him. This wasn't exactly how he had envisioned married life, but he didn't hate it. All that was missing was a bride that loved him and an insane amount of sex.

He placed his tux on the bed and began to look around in awe.

He started with the bathroom and found out it was almost as big as the bedroom and complete with every fancy shit alive.

There was a state-of-the-art shower and a vanity that was entirely too big for one person.

Damn, everything in the room looked like it cost a fortune, and he was a little scared to break anything.

“Why are you scared? It's essentially yours.” The small voice in my head informed him.

That's right, he actually owned this place and he could do whatever he wanted. He was still in his clothes from the wedding. He was starting to remove his bow tie and then his shirt when he heard something that sounded distinctly like someone had fallen, and then it was swiftly followed by a loud shout.

Quickly, he ran out of his room shirtless.

“Everything okay in there?” He knocked on Ariel's door.

Only the whimpering sound of pain greeted me.

“Ariel answer me! Is everything alright in there?” He knocked even harder, but He couldn't hear her.

Shit! He cursed.

He tried opening the door, but it didn't budge.

“Ariel, say something, are you okay?” He placed his ears on the door, but silence greeted him.

Something had to have happened to her.

Deciding it was better safe than sorry, he began to push the door with the intention to break it down.

He would rather not end up in the news tomorrow. He could already see the headlines.

“Man married a billionaire wife only to kill her hours after the wedding to inherit her money.”

He kicked the door down with all the force he could muster, and it finally opened.

“Ariel!” he called out her name as he rushed towards the bathroom.

The bathroom door was also locked.

He pushed it with all his might, and it flung wide open.