Page 18 of Dom 3
“Petty keeps people alive in this business.” I warned.
Keondra tried the heels on and stood in front of the wall mirror admiring them, full of herself in the best way as her laughter bounced off the walls. Liyah kept filming clips for reference for more business while muttering about the accessories. I sat there, smiling to myself. Dom was right again. Keondra needed structure, not criticism. She had the fire; she just needed direction. I loved the heels on her; she had the perfect legs shape and body. As she posed in the mirror with her bonnet finally off, and her hands on her hips like she owned something, I thought,yeah… she’s going to be alright.
After an hour of jokes, try-ons, and more laughter than I expected, the energy finally started to settle a little bit. The racks were now half empty and Keondra had a pile of keepers draped over her couch, and Liyah was still snapping pictures for her lookbook. The air smelled like perfume, fabric, and sweet candles that Keondra had lit.
Through the cracked hallway door, I saw Amour curled up on the couch in her princess bedroom, knocked out cold with her tiny braids tied up in pink bows.Miss Rachelstill played softly on the TV, but she was out. That answered my question wondering where she’d been this whole ordeal. She still didn’t look like Dique to me, but she was definitely his and such a cute little girl.
I turned to Liyah. “Go ahead and step outside for a minute, babe. Grab some air… me and Keondra need a quick chat.”
Liyah nodded, with no questions asked. “Got it, boss. lady” She wiped her hands on her jeans, grabbed her iPad, and slipped out the front door. My security closed the door behind her,taking their cue. The house was quiet except for the faint hum of the AC and Amour’s cartoon echoing down the hall.
Keondra raised a brow. “You sendin’ her outside like she a kid. She don’t get to stay for the grown folk talk?”
I eased down on the couch, crossed my legs, and shook my head. “No, not this part. This right here is woman to woman and before you ask, yes, she’s connected. Liyah has been working with the Royals since before you even knew Dique. She’s the stylist for all of us. We keep the money in the family.”
Keondra’s eyes widened. “Oh, so y’all really got like, afamily family. I mean, I knew ya’ll was like that but damn.”
“Exactly,” I said, nodding. “Everybody who moves with us are either blood or loyal enough to feel like it. Liyah isn’t just a stylist, she handles public looks, event prep, appearances, all that. When O’Shynn got invited to that charity gala last year that went public, Liyah dressed her. When Dom and I went to the Miami gala, Liyah made sure the photographers caught us in the right light. She’s solid and she’ll take care of you too.”
Keondra sat across from me, paying attention. “Okay, I see why y’all keep her around then. She nice too.”
“She’s the best,” I said. Then my tone slightly shifted. “That’s why I wanted her to step out for this part. I need you to really hear me.” I told her. She straightened up a little bit, realizing this was about to be one of those talks. She was street smart for sure. “You’re a part of this now, Keondra and this isn’t just talk. You have our bloodline tied to you through Amour, and that comes with eyes on you twenty-four seven. Nobody is expecting you to turn into a lawyer overnight, but we do expect you to carry yourself like you know who you stand next to. You have protection that people die for, but that protection has to be respected every day by how you move.”
Keondra nodded. “I hear you. I know I be talkin’ too much sometimes, but it’s just how I am. I ain’t used to all this ‘image’ shit. I’m used to speakin’ my mind, you feel me?”
“Oh, I feel you, trust me.” I said with a small grin. “I used to have a mouth just like yours. Still do, when it’s necessary, but there’s a time and a place. Out there?” I pointed toward the street, where my security, or should I say the cartel still stood by the trucks. “That’s a world full of vultures. They look for weakness. They’ll take your words, twist them, and use them against you or Dique. I can’t have that.”
Her voice lowered. “So, what you want me to do then? Be fake?”
“Hell no,” I said, shaking my head. “Never fake, just smart. You again, you are who you are you just have to learn when to show what parts. There’s the Keondra for the hood, and there’s the Keondra for the table. Both of them are important, but you have to know which one to send to which fight.”
Keondra bit her lip, then smiled. “You really sound like a motivational speaker right now. You trying to start a podcast?”
I laughed while leaning back. “Don’t tempt me, I might and call it ‘Carmen Royal: The Rebrand Chronicles.’”
She started laughing too. I never thought I would actually take a liking to the girl. “Oh my God, I wouldwatchthat,” she said. “You’d be in there with your Glock sittin’ next to a glass of ginger tea talkin’ ‘bout ‘ladies, elevate yourselves.’”
“You have jokes, but you’re not wrong.” I said composing myself. “But seriously, this right here, this conversation, it’s part of your elevation. You’re going to make mistakes. Hell, I still make them if I don’t stay sharp, but you have to keep your composure through it all. People are going to test you just to see if you’ll fold. Don’t give them that satisfaction.”
Keondra’s smile softened. “You know, you not what I expected. I thought you’d be, like… stuck up or mean, but you cool.”
I tilted my head. “You thought I’d be mean?”
She nodded quickly. “Yeah, based off of our first interaction and of course cause Dique always talk about how you the boss lady who don’t play about shit. I was ready for you to pull up and tell me I was gettin’ evicted from my own fuckin’ life.”
I smirked. “If I wanted to evict you, baby, you wouldn’t have heard me knock… but no, that’s not my goal. I’m here to make sure you survive this life and look good while doing it. You keep your head down, you play your part, and you raise that little girl right, we’re going to get along fine.”
Keondra looked toward the hallway, towards Amour’s room. “She all I got. I’d do anything for her.”
“That’s why you’re here,” I simply replied. “Dom doesn’t move on emotion, but he respects loyalty. You stay solid, you’ll never want for anything again. Dique is doing his part as well. He’s tough, but he knows what he has to do.”
For a long few minutes, we just sat there. The low hum of the AC was the only sound that filled the quiet space between us, and I could feel the shift between us because it was no longer boss and baby mama, but two women who understood what it meant to live in a world built by men and survive with their names intact.
Then Keondra broke the silence the only way she knew how. “So… be honest, how many pairs of heels you think I’m gon’ fall in before I get used to this?”
I smiled and stood up. “Probably all of them.”
She burst out laughing. “See, that’s the part they don’t tell you in the fairy tales.”
