Page 104 of Certified Pressure 4
You killed my son. For months I have done my research, learning everything there is to know about you. I know every company you own, every investor tied to your name, every shell corporation you use to move your money. You are not the only one with wealth and power. You’ve built your empire on arrogance, and now it will fall. I am coming for you, for your husband, for your son, for every child connected to your bloodline. I will burn everything you love, and when I am done, you will understand what it feels like to lose everything that gives your life meaning.
There was no signature or name. Just that empty void at the bottom of the screen, like the sender knew I didn’t need to see one to understand who it was from.
Clearly, this was Lyrick’s father. It had to be…
I felt Kojo’s gaze on me before I even looked up. He could read me too well. “What is it?” he asked.
I didn’t speak right away. Instead, I handed him the phone. His eyes scanned the screen quickly, and for the first time in years, I saw that look in his eyes. It was the one he used to have when we were younger, when someone tried to cross him. He exhaled slowly, leaned back against the headboard, and let the phone rest on his thigh.
“So it begins,” he muttered.
I tilted my head slightly. “You’re not surprised?”
He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Not at all. You handled business, and business always comes with consequences. But let him come. His first hit better be his last, because that’s the only chance he’ll get.”
His tone was calm, but there was a deadly certainty behind his words that made my heart flutter in a way that had nothing to do with fear. Kojo had always been a man of action. I’d seen him take down empires quietly, efficiently, leaving no trail behind. That was why we worked so well together.
I reached over, took the phone, and set it on the nightstand. “He’ll make his move,” I said softly. “Men like him always think they can. But you’re right. He won’t get another chance.”
Kojo turned his head and looked at me with a faint smirk. “That’s why I married you. You got the heart of a queen but the mind of a general.”
I smiled faintly and leaned forward to kiss him. His lips were warm, and when he pulled me closer, I let myself melt into that comfort for a moment, but even as I kissed him, the email replayed in the back of my mind.
The words weren’t haunting, but in my heart, I knew they were a promise.
As I pulled away, I laid my head against his chest and closed my eyes. “We’ve done many things in the name of family,” I whispered. “But some things don’t stay buried forever.”
Kojo ran his hand along my back, his voice low. “Then we deal with it, just like we always have.”
I smiled, letting the rhythm of his heartbeat lull me. “You know something,” I said. “For the first time in years, I almost feel like the game is beginning again.”
Kojo’s chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Then let’s make sure we win.”
I closed my eyes and felt a strange calm wash over me. The empire we built had always drawn enemies, but this time felt different. There was a darkness on the horizon, one that I had called upon myself.
Deep down, I knew I had opened a door that could never be closed when I killed Lyrick and took Kashmere’s baby. And now, whatever walked through it was coming straight for me and everything I loved.
But fear was something I had buried long ago.
If destruction was on its way, then I would meet it with my crown on, my family behind me, and my empire intact.
A new saga was on the way…
TONI ROC
Trill-Land, ‘LoLux Estate
Abitch can’t lie… wakin’ up as Mrs. Mensah every mornin’ felt good as fuck. I was laid up in the softest bed money could buy, wrapped up in silk sheets that smelled like me and Kay’Lo. Every time I opened my eyes and saw this big ass ring sittin’ on my finger, it hit me all over again that I was his wife now. Mrs. Toni Mensah. That name had power to it. That name meant I was tied to a real one.
VYCE City had been a dream from start to finish. We spent weeks out there just livin’ it up like we ain’t have a care in the world. Every night was a movie. We stayed in a penthouse suite with a glass balcony that overlooked the whole city. Kay’Lowould have champagne waitin’ for me, rose petals on the floor, and a playlist goin’ with nothin’ but slow jams and trap mixed together. He knew how to make a bitch melt and turn her up all at once. We’d make love ‘til the sun came up, and then we’d sleep half the day away before hittin’ the strip again just to wild out.
He rented out whole sections with bottles lined up like soldiers, and sparklers shootin’ off while the DJ was shoutin’ our names. People knew who we was. “Mr. and Mrs. Mensah!” they’d yell out when we walked in. I loved every second of it. I loved how he looked at me, how he’d keep his hand on my thigh, remindin’ every nigga in that club that I belonged to him. It wasn’t no question. The whole vibe was luxury and love, mixed with that hood shit that made it real.
Even with all the fun and the flights, part of me did feel a lil’ sad sometimes. We ain’t have his family or mine at the weddin’. We ain’t have no big ceremony, no dress fittings, no flowers, or no crowd of people cryin’ while we said “I do.” It was just me and him, in that quiet room in VYCE City, lookin’ at each other while the man asked if we was ready to make it official. I said yes before the man even finished talkin’. I wanted ‘Lo, all of him, and I didn’t care who wasn’t there.
Kay’Lo told me he wanted it to be just us. Too much had been goin’ on with his family. It was too much tension, and too many eyes watchin’. And honestly, I got it. I was tired too. After everything we’d been through, it felt good to just escape and make our own moment, so that’s what we did. We made memories that no one could take from us.
Now we was back home at ‘LoLux Estate, and when I say this house was a damn dream, I meant that from the soul. Six bedrooms, a gold and black theme that made it feel like royalty mixed with street royalty. Every wall had somethin’ that looked expensive, from the black marble floors to the custom gold fixtures. The chandeliers in every room sparkled like theywas made from diamonds. Kay’Lo’s taste was different from Pressure’s, more dark and bold. This was a house built for a king who had no doubt about who he was.
