Page 19 of Dreaux: The Corporate Assassin

“I don’t want shit but to see the city thrive.” He frowned at me before adding, “A percentage of the casino’s revenue will go toward the city’s building fund. I don’t want any personal profits, if that’s what you mean byelsewhere.”

With a smirk, I nodded and reached over to dap him up. Uno was a stand-up nigga, and to decline millions, if not more, was commendable. “I respect that.” I waited as he pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket and broke out into a smile. “Look at this nigga grinning like a schoolgirl and shit.”

He chuckled as he responded to his text and tapped his phone before looking back at me. “Fuck you, nigga. Harley talking that shit I like, though, so we gotta wrap this up. Our baby girl is barely one, and I’m itching to put another one in her ASAP.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” I stood to walk him to the door. “Love looks good on you, real shit. I never thought I’d see you in love like this.” I slapped him on the back and smiled. I liked Harley for him. She was a good person. “Now, if we can get Wild to settle down…”

“Nigga, please!” He gave me a knowing look once we reached the door. “That boy is a lost cause. He just had to blow a nigga’s top back because the man caught him fuckin’ his wife in their house a few months ago.”

“And the wife?”

“Still touching her toes for that nigga every chance she gets.” He shook his head in disappointment. “You think your grandparents will come to town and pray for that nigga?”

Chuckling, I told him I would work on that before letting him know I would holler at him when he came back into town. Closing the door behind me, I looked around my dwelling for the next few months. I rolled my neck as I wandered to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat before I called it a night. I still needed to unpack my suitcases and get settled in. Deciding to make myself a club sandwich, I heard my phone vibrating on the counter just as I finished. Looking at the number, I couldn’t help but smile my damn self.

“Well, well… if it isn’t my favorite girl,” I mumbled as I bit into my food. “I miss you.”

“It’s only been two days since you left, son.” My granny giggled as her sweet voice flowed through the receiver. “How are you getting settled in?”

Looking around, I took note of the three-bedroom space and nodded. “I like it, Sweets. I might have to get a spot out here for us. I think you and Pastor will love this place.”

“And your mother?”

Sighing heavily, I continued to eat my sandwich piled with everything I could find in the refrigerator. I haven’t seen or heard from my mother since I left her at my grandparents’ house. Neither of us has reached out, and the shit lowkey bothered me. I was her only child. She should’ve been trying to solve the issues between us. At the end of the day, she was my mother, and I do love her.

“I don’t know, Sweets. You know how Mama feels about me.” I sipped my water before I continued, “I love her, and y’all know that. At the same time, I’m not gonna let her keep talking to me like she’s crazy. She demands respect, and so do I. Mother or not, her threatening me is a no-go.”

Sweets sighed heavily. “Andre… She’s your mother. She has a lot of misplaced anger, baby. Give her a chance to speak her peace.”

As I listened to my grandmother plead my mother’s case, I fought to avoid being disrespectful. I was conflicted about it all, but I was clear on my mother and her disrespect toward me and my business being unacceptable. Zoo wasn’t going to let her threats go unheard or unpunished. The extent of her punishment was on her at this point. The best thing she could do was attempt to make amends with me and undo the damage she’d done with her accusations.

“Regardless of what you’re saying, Sweets… I’m a man, and I will be treated like one,” I stated as calmly as I could. “Mama thinks she knows everything when, in actuality, she knows nothing.” I finished off my food and threw the paper plate in the trash. “How y’all doing, though? Do you need me to send Jules by there to check on y’all?”

Although I wasn’t talking to my cousins at the moment, I knew they would never hesitate to check on my people if I needed them to. For them to be older, they got around well, but I still wanted to make sure they were okay in every aspect.

“He checked on me earlier and let me know to call him if I needed anything.” I nodded in appreciation of him for that. I heard the smile in her voice that caused me to do the same. “Your little girlfriend stopped by the church to speak to me on Sunday. You left her in quite a mess, Andre.”

Frowning, I cut the light off in the kitchen as I made my way through the penthouse. The night sky was brightly lit as stars shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows. If I didn’t get a condo out here, I was definitely getting a multi-story house. The view was something serious as the sun faded away earlier, and now the darkness had stormed through making me wonder why nightfall never looked like this in Florida. Focusing back on the call, I sucked my teeth. I knew whatever narrative Sandra told Sweets was a lie before I could even hear the details.

“Sweets, I didn’t do anything to that girl.” I stepped into the room, causing the light to turn on automatically. “She knew nothing was going on with us, and it’s not my fault if she thought she could change my mind.” I placed the phone on speaker and began to undress. A shower and sleep were calling my name. Anything I didn’t do today could be done tomorrow. “I hate that she got her feelings hurt, but that's not my fault. She knew what our arrangement was when we started said arrangement.”

From the time I dropped her off at her crib until the time I had to block her yesterday, Sandra has been blowing my line up. From text messages professing her love for me to voice notes hoping I died, she hadn’t let up, and it was evident she had lost her damn mind. Blocking her number was the best thing for me—and her if she wanted to live. The alternative was cutting off her fingers one by one for talking crazy to me, of all people.

Sweets was giggling again. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. I just want you to be happy, baby. I want you to find a good woman and have me a great-grand before I leave this world. I worry about you, Andre. Who is going to take care of you when I’m gone?”

“You’re going to live forever, baby. Plus… if you go, I go. God knows we’re a package deal.”

Hearing her sweet laugh was enough for me. I hated when she got into her feelings about me being single. This is the life I chose, and I’m happy with it.

“Well, I just wanted to hear your voice, baby.” She yawned, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before she was going to bed as well. “Also, please think about talking to Mattie—for me. I love you, sweetheart, and you be safe out there. Tell my baby, Adrian, I said hello.”

Chuckling, I thought back to how Wild called my grandparents and had my granddad pray for him after witnessing what Jules did to Carlos. Since then, he has called Sweets at least once a week to check on them. After saying our goodnights and me promising to think about communicating with my mother, we ended the call.

I took a seat at the foot of the bed and dropped my head in exhaustion. My mother and I will never be the same, so there was no need to speak to her. I’d entertain a conversation for my grandparents’ sake, but my relationship with my mother was on its last string of hope.

* * *

I’ve beenin Milly Grove for about a week, and I was just now settled and ready to see what the city’s day-to-day agenda was. Riding through the busy streets, I was pleased with the hand Boudreaux Enterprises had in restoring the beautiful town. Granted, the city was never busted or rundown, but the landscaping could have improved, and it has. It makes me feel good to know that our company had a lot to do with that.

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