Page 11 of Are You Going to Love Me

“She’s not leaving,” Eden stated, as she attempted to unstrap Poppi, only for the officers to pull her back forcibly. “Let me go! She’s not going with you!”

“She is,” Anzel said smugly, adjusting her jacket. “Got my mother locked up in some tiny ass apartment with you and your whoring ass sister. You’re not taking care of her, barely feeding her. You thought asking that cryin’ bitch to help you wasn’t going to get back to me? Ha. I’ve been waiting for you to move out of my way. Filling my momma’s head up.”

“Whore?” Eden questioned and lunged as if she were coming out of her body. “You’re the biggest fucking whore I’ve ever seen! You left us here! Left all of us here! What are you taking her for, for real? Huh? For what money?”

It took two officers to hold Eden back and another two to keep Staysha from going after their mother. Anzel, in it all, appeared to be unbothered by the cries and whimpers of her mother and daughters. She was cold. Evil, and powered by greed.

As if Eden hadn’t already felt hopeless, this was bound to send her into a spiral. Her life had been her, Poppi, and Staysha. The trio of women who stayed up all night sharing stories, watching Poppi cook, and going to local spots. If it weren’t for Poppi, Eden and Staysha would have never known love.

Eden and Staysha held each other in the doorway as they watched the private ambulance, the officer, and their mother’s chauffeur-driven SUV pull away in a caravan.

“We’re not going to see her again, are we?” Staysha somberly asked.

Eden tearfully shook her head. “No.”

It was just like all those years ago, when they stood in the door watching their mother leave in a cloud of pomp and circumstance. Something in Eden broke, something she wouldn’t attempt to mend either. The dull pain in her chestwould serve as a reminder to never get too close to anyone again. Poppi was her girl, her world, and if Anzel had anything to do with it, Poppi would be gone before the year closed out.

“You needto perk the hell up; there’s niggas with money in here!” Pri gritted as she walked past Eden, who was removing the black dress she wore to Poppi’s funeral.

She hadn’t even made it to the end of the year, let alone two months away from Eden and Staysha. According to the pastor, and everyone else was sold a lie by Anzel, Poppi passed peacefully in her sleep. Eden was sure Anzel paid people to change her medicine and fast-track the end of her journey through life.

Eden swiped a tear from her face. She would have loved to be like Staysha, curled up in the middle of the bed, wasting away in sorrow, but things still had to move, and as the oldest, Eden was charged with making sure she and her sister made it out alive instead of being swallowed up by the darkness.

“I’m fine,” Eden huffed, looking over to see Pri with her arms folded, looking at her up and down.

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. “Are you going to be a sad bitch tonight or are you actually going to make us some fuckin’ money?”

Eden brushed her curls out and looked at her sadness in the mirror before huffing.

“What you need to perk yourself up?” Pri questioned, placing her hands on her expanding hips. Priya was showing now, andwith the pole was no longer an option for her, Mama put her over pussy management. “I got percs and coke.”

“She ain’t taking none of that shit,” Mama’s voice sounded off. “Eden, bring your ass over here.”

“What?” Pri questioned. “I was just trying to perk her sad ass up. She’s been in here crying over her nigga or something for days.”

Mama ignored Pri and waited until Eden was close enough to walk away toward her office. The minute they were behind closed doors, Mama pointed at the screen of her iPad.

Eden’s eyes drifted over it quickly, reading the headline. Rising Music Mogul Acquires Dying Music Label, Making History as the First Black Woman to Hold the CEO Title.

“About six months ago, she called me, asked to hold some money but I told that bitch Trae Way’s money doesn’t come without a price, and I expected to be paid back four times over as well as her moving product. Needless to say, she cussed me out and hung up. Poppi might’ve been losing her damn mind, but she knew where her money was. What bank, what floor panel, what corner store. Since then, there have been a string of robberies. Nothing my niggas can’t handle. We dropped a few bodies, but Anzel got hold of the safety deposit box. That was used so she could purchase the record label.”

“Why are you telling me? I’m still stuck here. Staysha’s stuck here. None of this shit has anything to do with us.”

Mama smirked. “Listen, I know I haven’t been the best daughter or sister, hell, or mother because Aysha has teamed up with that bitch for some change. But I'm a decent aunt and I’m not going to have you or your sister out here falling in the same shit we did. So, we’re going to make a deal, you get your ass out this club and make something of yourself and the stash Poppi had is yours.”

“If there was a stash, why the hell did you let us struggle like that?”

“Because had I given you money, you wouldn’t have gotten your ass out the house and tried to get a come up; you would’ve been knocking at my door every ten minutes. You got six years to prove to me you can make something of you and your sister. I’ll watch it, grow it, and make sure it’s clean. You do the fucking work. So, figure out how you’re getting your pretty ass out this club.”

Eden groaned, unsure how she was even going to do that. Instead of asking pointless questions, she nodded and started out of the office. Her somber eyes found Pri hugged up in the hallway with the same hooded man from before. Whatever she had going on with him, Eden didn’t want any parts of. She headed to the stage, before she could touch the pole, the floor manager pulled her by the elbow.

“You got someone in VIP waiting on you.”

Eden eyed her oddly before stepping down and heading toward the VIP. The moment she stepped in, she caught the gleam from Mac’Roy. Eden huffed and started to turn around and walk out.

“Hold on, Eden,” he spoke. “Come on now, I paid for this, at least oblige me for twenty minutes.”

“No offense, but I don’t have twenty minutes for you to sell me some bullshit or anything else.”

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