“Well… you know that Marcos is rich… and fine, may I add,” I teased.
Lainey froze, then slowly turned her head toward me. “You don’t say.”
I shrugged. “Just saying.”
“So you mean to tell me I’ve been in the same house with this fine man, not knowing that he wasrich,and you’re just now bringing this to my attention?”
I folded my arms. “Lainey, it’s quite obvious. I mean, look at how he dresses, not to mention he works for my father… the plug. You just weren’t paying attention, my good sis.”
“I was overwhelmed!” she defended quickly. “It’s a lot going on in here—luxury, trauma, secrets—I had to pick a struggle!”
That took me out.
I shook my head, still laughing.
Lainey rolled her eyes, then added, “And second of all… just because a man dresses nice and works for your daddy doesn’t automatically mean he’s rich; that just means helookslike he got money and got access. That doesn’t mean the money is his.”
I smirked. “You sound experienced.”
“I am!” she exclaimed without hesitation. “I done met a few ‘borrowed lifestyle’ men in my day.”
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“But don’t worry,” she added, already fixing her hair. “I’ma do my research this time before I get emotionally invested in somebody’s assistant salary. If you not gone act right, I will!”
I laughed again.
“Wait. He like funny girls, right?”
Lainey waved me off before I could answer.
“Oh, well… he’s about to,” she stated confidently.
That girl.
***
The black SUV cruised toward the private estate like a hearse carrying royalty. I sat beside my father, watching him out the corner of my eye. He was dressed sharp and regal. His salt-and-pepper hair was brushed back perfectly, and the Black King ring on his finger caught the light every time his hand shifted. But that cough?
“You okay?” I asked a bit worried, adjusting the strap of my dress.
He waved my concern off like it was nothing. “Probably coming down with a little cold,mija. Don’t start worrying. Tonight is about celebration, not concern.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t convinced.
That wasn’t a cold.
His body shook when he coughed, and it sounded rough and heavy in his chest. I wasn’t a nurse or a doctor, but I knew enough to recognize when something wasn’t right, and that didn’t sound like something to ignore.
But I let it go… for the time being.
The place where the event was being held was massive, similar to my father’s estate. Spotlights cast golden beams into the night sky. Security stood everywhere, dressed in all black, with Black King chains glinting around their necks. Domino trailed behind us, sharp in all black. His chain matched the others, but his presence was different. His steps were silent but threatening; his eyes scanning the scene like he expected danger behind the bushes.
And me?
I had one goal for that night: look good enough to knock him off whatever dark pedestal he’d placed himself on.
Domino hadn’t spoken to me inthreedays. That was days of silence, tension, and pretending I wasn’t affected when I damn sure was. So when my father took me to find a dress, I made sure I got the one that was tailored for trouble, and a plunge that made conversations pause mid-sentence, and people look twice… and then again.