Page 140 of Are You Going to Love Me

“Nigga, if you ain’t here with my money, get the fuck from around my shit. Snitchin’ ass,” she muttered. It was only to coax a reaction out of him. A reaction he happily gave her. He flipped her desk over and glared down at her.

“Hear me, Ma. Smoke that nigga out before I turn everything on its head. You included. If you want your shit remaining intact, you deliver a location. You got three days before I revert back to who I used to be.” Maximus offered her a sinister smile. “You know better than anyone how I used to get down. A fade ain’t nothing for me. Is it?”

Mama tried to remain cool as she swallowed a lump in her throat. “Get the fuck out of my office.”

“Tick tock, Moriah. Three days before you find out what’s goodie.”

Maximus flashed her a menacing smirk, spotting the fright in her eyes before he strolled out, passing Priya in the hallway. He didn’t bother cutting his eyes to observe her. But she took him in, full of regret. Maximus left Midnight and took the slow ride back to his house. Once showered, he met Brody and Keon in the living room.

“Aight, MB, codes changed, all the digital locks have been replaced, and I had them replace the windows around the door with shatterproof glass. My girl be laying her head here, I can’t have her unprotected.”

Maximus shook his head. “I’m too tired to go back and forth with you. Thank you, though.”

“Nigga, don’t thank me for doing my job. I got the gate people coming by, too. We’ll figure out what’s going to work best for the house. Until the shit is calm, I’ll be in the pool house. Where you go, I go, nigga. No more fuckin’ solo missions. I got two men with Staysha and two with Eden. One at the door, one in the lobby.”

While Brody ran down everything, Maximus checked the gun he’d had since touching down.

“You need to get rid of that. At least use one I got,” Brody said. “That way that shit comes back to me.”

“I got it from a dealer, it’ll go back to him. He a pussy anyway,” Keon spoke, sliding Maximus a box of rolled blunts. “Those are from your lady. Go clear your head, get some sleep. We’ll be here when you get up.”

Maximus could count on one hand how many nights he’d spent away from Eden. It felt out of place but until this street shit was handled, she was safer away from him. Taking the box, he nodded his thanks and started up the stairs.

He’d smoked three blunts while musing over the words Eden texted him.

Eden: You fought wars within yourself to get where you are now. You’ve overcome. You grew despite there being no sun. A ditch can’t hold you. A gang can’t keep you, and darkness can’t have you. When this chapter is closed, you’ll emerge untouched. The crown might slip, but you better not let that shit fall.

“Ay, MB,” Keon called loudly, jolting him from his sleep. He wasn’t sure the exact minute his eyes closed, but he knew it had to be Eden whispering prayers in his direction.

He looked around, still on the terrace, gun still by his side. “What?”

“UVE called an emergency meeting. I think it’s that time.”

Maximus clenched his jaw and swiped his hands down his face. “Aight. Give me a minute.”

“Daysha already sent over the highlighted portions of the contract, if they try to back you into a corner. Go in there cool.”

Maximus stood and stretched his long limbs. “Yeah, heard you.”

Already dressed in a white tee and sweatpants, he grabbed a pair of sneakers and exited his room behind Keon. Brody was already behind the steering wheel, ready to go. Maximus could appreciate that in the midst of a crisis, his team moved swiftly and efficiently.

Once parked, he arrived at the UVE office, and they were ushered straight back to the conference room where Anzel stood stress-stricken.

“Ms. Ellis, they’re here,” the receptionist announced.

Anzel waved them in, watched as the men took their seats, and surveyed for legal representation. “No lawyers?”

“Is it that type of party?” Keon questioned.

Anzel cleared her throat and tugged at her jacket. “UVE is moving in a different direction. We’re shelving all the projects. Anything you put out will put you in breach of your contract.”

Maximus looked over and Keon and asked. “What’s the clause in the paperwork? About breaching my contract?”

Keon snapped his fingers happily. “Addendum two, section four states that an artist who releases any music under UVE after initiating release will be held in breach of contract. Wherein all masters owned by UVE will remain. Max, did you initiate release?”

“Nah, it seems like Anzel did. Were you counting on me being some rapper who couldn’t read a contract or didn’t have a team of people? Don’t answer that. That’s exactly what you wanted us to do. Spend up all the money, come in here showing our asses. Here’s how we’re going to play this – I'm taking the masters of everything I recorded thus far. I’ll stay out of your way, and you’ll stay out of mine.”

Anzel glared at Maximus, and he returned it. “You know. How?”

---