Page 53 of Certified Pressure 3
I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, she continued. “It is not about love or convenience. It is about legacy. It is about aligning families, wealth, and purpose. My husband and I built this family on legacy. We do not operate on emotion. We move with intention. Every decision, every connection, every marriage in this family serves a greater purpose. That is what you walked into, whether you realize it or not.”
I sat there in silence. Her voice was calm, her tone smooth, but her words hit like stones.
“My family’s name has lasted through generations because we understand power,” she went on. “And power is not maintained through emotion. It is maintained through vision, through structure and unity. When I speak of my grandchild, I am not just speaking of a baby. I am speaking of the future of this family, a continuation of everything we have built. That is something you may not yet understand.”
I could feel my nails digging into my palms as I tried to stay composed.
She looked directly at me. “I don’t say these things to hurt you, but I must be honest. You are beautiful and intelligent, andI am sure you mean well. But you must learn that in this family, it takes more than charm to survive. It takes discipline, loyalty, and an understanding of what it means to carry legacy. You cannot understand that because you made yourself an outsider when you decided to still tie yourself to my son knowing he has a child on the way.”
By the time she finished, I felt like I had been stripped bare.
Abeni took another slow sip of her tea and smiled faintly, like nothing had happened. “Now,” she said, “I believe that clears things up.”
She stood and smoothed her dress before glancing toward the door. “I will have someone walk you out.”
I stood too, my voice barely steady, and wanting to call this old bitch every name under the sun. “That won’t be necessary. I can see myself out.”
Her lips curved again into that faint polite smile. “Of course you can.”
I walked out of that mansion with my pride hanging by a thread. When I got back in the car, I told the driver to take me home and sat in silence the whole way. My head hurt, my chest hurt, and all I could think about was every word that woman said. She had smiled the entire time, but I could feel the venom under every single syllable.
Still, one thing sat heavy on my heart as the car pulled away from the mansion…
She might have thought she put me in my place, but I was not going anywhere…
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
“You sure you good?” I asked Kash while grabbin’ last minute shit for this flight I was ‘bout to catch.
She was laid across the bed in one of them silk gowns that damn near looked like liquid against her skin. The lights was dim, candles half burned, and that soft R&B she loved was playin’ low from her phone. A blunt was sittin’ between her fingers, and her glass was halfway gone. She looked good, but her vibe was off. I could tell she had been in her head about some shit.
She didn’t even look up at me, but just said, “Yeah, I’m straight.”
I knew she wasn’t. Kash never did know how to fake that shit right. She could say she was fine all day, but her body and facial expressions always told on her. It was always in the way she exhaled too long, the way her eyes never left the wall and the way her voice came out soft like she was tryin’ not to start somethin’.
I walked over and sat my designer duffel on the edge of the bed. “You sure? ‘Cause you been actin’ different since last night.”
She let out this light laugh that didn’t sound like no real laugh. “Pressure, I said I’m good. Just tired, that’s all.”
That was her way of tellin’ me she ain’t wanna talk about it. I knew better than to press it. Kash had a temper like mine, and when we both was mad, shit didn’t end well.
I sighed and leaned down, kissin’ her forehead. “A’ight then. I’ll be back in a day or two.”
She ain’t move or even blink, and that told me everything I needed to know. Whatever it was, she was pissed, but I had somewhere to be.
I grabbed my bag, and walked out the room. Soon as I hit the foyer, one of my drivers was already waitin’ out front. I nodded at him, got in the backseat, and told him to take me to the airfield.
It was close to eight when we pulled off. The city lights was stretchin’ across the skyline, and for the first time in a while, I felt my mind go quiet. I pulled out my phone, looked through my messages, and texted Pluto.
Me:On my way to the jet.
A minute later, she text back.
Pluto:Okay.
That one lil’ word did somethin’ to me. It had been a minute since I seen her in person, but lately we had been talkin’ more about the baby, her appointments, Zurie and the adoption shit.
I looked out the window, thinkin’ about how this was gon’ be my first time pullin’ up to her city and not stayin’ the night withher. This time I booked a hotel for just me. I knew how it would look if I stayed with her, and Kashmere ain’t need no more reasons to be trippin’.
