The Possessive Lord's Contract Wife

Andrew laughed at the sight of the gun. His eyes darted to the weapon, then back to Zayne, as though weighing whether the man before him was reckless enough to use it.

Zayne now had Andrew’s full attention.

Andrew sat upright and glanced around to see who might be watching. He wanted witnesses, men who could later claim they had seen him threatened, though none seemed eager to intervene.

"Who are you to be so interested in the matters of the Wilkins family? A friend of the family? None of the Wilkins was ever rich," Andrew said, his gaze sweeping over Zayne’s fine clothing with suspicion.

Leaning back, Andrew allowed a sly smile to creep across his face. "I know you’re not Lord Hawthorne, so what is your tie to the family? The young lover of Clive’s wife or his daughter? I wouldn’t put it past his wife to attach herself to a young, wealthy gentleman."

Andrew chuckled. "I thought they would have married off their daughter by now, but I’m told she went missing. I feel pity for the family since Clive is locked away, so I gave them time to come up with the money. Yet they made me feel as though they never would."

"I don’t care for the tales you want to share. Write a book if there is a story to be told. I’ve come to settle the debt, and at the present moment, you have not given me a price. I could go to the court to get them involved," Zayne said, noticing Andrew tense up. "But you don’t want that."

Andrew’s smile faltered. "The price should increase just a little since they took so long to pay me. Sixty shillings should settle it," he said, holding his breath as he waited for Zayne’s response.

Zayne stared at him, his mind weighing the temptation to end the matter permanently with a single shot. Instead, he reached into his coat, pulled out a small pouch, and tossed it onto the table. "That covers your best with the family. Leave them alone."

Andrew’s grin widened, stretching ear to ear as he saw the money. He had been down on his luck, no work to be found, but fortune seemed to smile upon him again.

"I won’t ask them for any money, but you must understand something. I have always been close to the Wilkins family, so when I see them, I feel the need to speak," Andrew said, his fingers twitching towards the pouch.

Zayne abruptly stood, his chair scraping back, and seized Andrew by the collar, pulling him forward until their faces were inches apart. "I said to leave them alone. There’s no reason for you to go to the family to tell them the debt is settled or to offer them comfort. Your business with them is done, isn’t it?"

Andrew nodded frantically.

When Zayne let go, Andrew clutched the money to his chest and inched away, his eyes wide with fear.

"You came to a place where men like you shouldn’t be without guards. One little gun isn’t going to help you make it out alive. You might end up needing my help, so don’t get excited about grabbing me," Andrew warned, though his voice wavered.

Zayne welcomed the challenge. "I could kill you and every man in here, then walk away as though it never happened. If you approach the Wilkins family and I hear of it, it shall be the last day you take a breath in this town. Sign this."

Zayne unrolled a contract he had prepared.

Andrew leaned forward, squinting at the paper. "I’m a man of many talents, but reading isn’t one of them. Mind telling me what it is, and be honest."

"It is a contract you will sign if you want to walk out of here with that money. It states the debt has been settled as of today. You will send a letter addressed to the son, declaring you no longer seek the money his father owed," Zayne instructed, keeping his gaze on Andrew. "That will be the last they hear from you."

Andrew assumed it was Iris that Zayne fancied, not Agatha. "The things women can make men do amaze me. Iris is a beautiful young lady-"

Andrew didn’t finish as Zayne’s hand tightened on the gun.

The threat was clear.

Andrew dropped the money, his hands shooting up in surrender. "I didn’t mean to disrespect her. I was only saying how talented she was, to get a man like you to adore her. Amongst the common folk, we all spoke of how she could marry well."

"Don’t think about Iris. Don’t even say her name. Sign the contract now, unless you want to be resting six feet below," Zayne said, lowering his hand. He was close to pulling the trigger.

He truly could kill Andrew and get away with it. Zayne had all the right connections, starting with his uncle, the warden, who would ensure he avoided imprisonment.

Andrew pulled the paper towards him. "How am I to sign it? Using my blood?" he asked, attempting humour.

"That would be best for me. Do you need my help to get the blood?" Zayne asked, eager to cut Andrew’s hand if necessary.

"No, no. Someone should have ink and a quill. Just let me go for a moment," Andrew said quickly, reaching for the bag of money.

Before his fingers touched it, Zayne’s hand touched the gun. The warning was clear.

Andrew backed away, retreating from the table to find ink and quill, desperate to end the ordeal and leave with his money.

Zayne kept a keen eye on him, watching every word and glance exchanged. Andrew was sly, and Zayne had no doubt he would have gone to Iris if he could have found her.

"One over with," Zayne thought, already turning his mind to the other men on the list.

By the end of the day, he could settle the last of the debts, freeing Iris from the burden of worry.

Zayne peered down at the contract he had prepared. Once signed, all those who took the money would be forbidden from sharing with the Wilkins family how it was settled. If they did, they would be forced to pay him back double.

Thanks to his ties in the court and prison, it would be easy to have the men locked away, or he would resort to Damien’s harsher methods.

Zayne’s mood changed as Andrew returned to him with a smile plastered across his face. It was the kind of smile that ticked him off.

"I’m going to kill him," Zayne thought.