Chapter 10 Zo
Zo
“You ready, Ma?” I opened our bedroom door and called out to Remy. The trucks had just pulled up, and it was time to go.
"Almost, can you come zip this up for me?" she screamed from the closet. I pushed the door open and walked in to see her struggling with the zipper, arms twisted behind her. I stood behind her, probably closer than needed, and zipped it slowly.
She turned to me with a grin on her face and shook her head. “You are actually disgusting.” She laughed as she grabbed her brush and headed over to the mirror.
Remy was fine as hell in that black dress.
She was fully covered, but it fit her body like a glove, and the high split alone had my dick about to put a hole in these slacks.
I told her earlier to tell Storm’s mom that she needed one in every color.
No matter how long we had been together or how many ways I had folded her, my body reacted this way to her every time I saw her. She was pressure, for real.
Once she was done in the mirror, she turned to me and smiled.
“I’m ready, Mr. Richardson,” she said as she walked past me.
We walked out of the room and down the stairs. The house was quiet, and I was grateful for that. The kids were already in bed, and all the babysitter had to do was sit here with them until we made it back.
We walked outside to the truck, and I opened the door for Remy and let her slide in before I went around to the other side and got in next to her.
The line of black trucks pulled through the gates of our estate and onto the road so we could make it to our destination.
Tonight was Remy’s annual ball. At the beginning of the year, she’d organize a fundraiser; at the end of the year, everyone came together to celebrate the work they’d put into the foundation.
Rem loved to complain about how dramatic her pops was, but she wasn’t too far behind him.
Every year, I watched as she worked her ass off, making sure each event was bigger and better than the last. I wasn’t complaining.
She was passionate about this foundation.
It was something she loved. Aside from our kids, this was her baby.
Remy had one of the dopest souls I’d ever known.
That was the thing I loved most about her.
She was passionate about the women she served, and as long as I was here, I would be right beside her.
Whether it meant letting her go crazy in our accounts on her projects and ideas, or walking six miles for her charity walk.
Last year, Rem had me and the whole JMF walking through the streets of New York to raise awareness for her foundation.
The whole day was straight from a comedy show.
Jax’s pops stopped after the first mile and cussed us all out.
He met us at the finish line. Trouble looked like he wanted to shoot the sidewalk, and Judah kept complaining that his bones were hurting and said he was starting to realize he wasn’t the YN he thought he was.
Remy took this shit so seriously, but we all showed up because she did. Especially her family. Her mom planned every event. Her sister, Taylor, always hosted. Her pops cut her a check with no questions. Shorty was surrounded by support.
“Mommy, is the chef there? I just checked the vendor portal, and he hasn’t checked in,” Remy whined from the side of me on the phone with her mom.
“Yes, Remy. He’s been here since five,” Her mother confirmed over the noise in the background.
Remy exhaled, “Okay, I’m on the way.” She said before she disconnected.
I reached over to her and rubbed the back of her hand, “Relax, baby. They can handle it.” I assured her, trying to calm her down.
“I just want it to be perfect. The news will be there tonight. This is a big moment for the foundation, and I want everything to go as planned.” She groaned.
I pulled her to me and kissed her forehead. “It’ll be good. Chill out.”
I knew there was nothing I could say to get her out of her head, so I didn’t try.
No matter how many times I told her to stop stressing about donors and these events, her answer was always the same.
“It’s not about the money, babe. It’s about these connections.
These women depend on these resources.” We’d had the conversation so many times I could hear her saying it.
She asked the driver to turn on some music, and she just sat in the back seat, against me, and sang it softly.
We drove for the next 30 minutes without talking while I gave her a chance to get her head and nerves together.
Once we pulled up to the venue, the fleet of trucks came to a stop.
I took in the scene, watching every checkpoint.
Armed guards stood one after another around the perimeter.
A black truck sat at the front gate, another at the back exit.
The two guards at the front door checked every person who entered or left.
I nodded in silent approval. The streets were quiet.
We hadn’t had chaos since the mock war with the Cartel.
Though danger wasn’t near, we would never be unprepared if it appeared.
I opened the door and then went around to Remy’s side and grabbed her hand to lead her out. We walked to the front, hand in hand, when we reached the front door.
The guy at the front put his hand out to block Rem’s entrance and then lifted his wand to scan her body. The other guy closest to me pushed it down immediately. These niggas had to be some of Sanchez’s people.
“That’s the boss and his wife,” He warned the other one.
“I’m sorry, Boss. Boss Lady.” He nodded, lowering the wand and reaching out to shake my hand. I took it.
“You push my wife again; I’m going to fuck you up,” I said as I chuckled and we bypassed him, but I meant it.
“Zohan, behave. That boy did not push me; he was doing his job. They trained him well,” she said, slapping my arm playfully.
“That’s what my eyes saw,” I laughed, putting my hand on her waist to guide her through the sea of people.
We stopped a million times before we made it through the door. Rem had me shaking hands and introducing me to all her donors. She was glowing, and it was always dope to see her in her element.
When we finally got inside, we walked toward the family table. I went to her mother first and pulled her into a hug.
“How you doing, Mom?” I asked as I embraced her.
“I’m okay. You clean up nice, son.” She smiled, holding me out by my shoulders. Remy’s mom and I had a decent relationship. If anything happened, she was always on my side. Our children loved her. When she was home on weekends, she made sure they stayed at her house so we could have time together.
After I went to her mother, I embraced her father. He and I had gotten better over the years. At first, I had smoke with him about those arrangements, but he grew on me fast. We talked every other day. I had even brought him into a deal with JMF.
“What’s up, Son?” He asked as we shook hands, and he tapped my back lightly.
“What’s going on, Pop?” I shot back as we parted.
I went around the table, dapping up the JMF and hugging their wives, and then I took a seat.
I looked over at Judah, who was sipping from Ivy’s cup, and shook my head.
This wild ass nigga was married and had kids.
Even if I wasn’t, he was definitely proof that the right woman will make you do shit you never thought you would.
Remy finally stopped working the room and came over, sat next to me, as my sister-in-law started climbing the stairs, which meant the event was about to start. She grabbed the mic and stood in the center of the stage.
“Welcome to the third annual Rich Ball,” Taylor said as the crowd started to clap.
She smiled and nodded before she continued.
“This year, the Remy Rich Foundation has reached a record high and served over nine thousand eight hundred families. This would not be possible without our beautiful founder, Remy Richardson, and of course, you. Our dedicated donors. Tonight, we will be honoring you all by highlighting everyone who has made this possible. Of course, if you are new here and would like to join our efforts, you may do so with our wonderful event and donation coordinator, Mrs. Shelby Cross. Again, thank you for all you do and thank you for supporting the Remy Rich Foundation, where rich starts small, grows big, but begins with you.”
Everyone clapped as she started the program for the night. The event went smoothly for the most part. Taylor gave out awards to the donors and Remy’s staff. Then Rem went up and gave her ‘thank you’ speech.
After the awards, everyone was up and mingling. I let Remy do her thing and work the room. I could blend in in any setting, but this isn’t really my vibe. The less interaction I had to have, the better.
I made my way through the crowd to find Jax when I overheard a conversation between two donors.
“Nice little event she got going here,” One of the two scoffed as he took a sip from his glass. Looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Yeah, the room is full. But we all know that she’s getting funded because she’s in bed with the right people.” The second one said, throwing back his drink.
“Nah, did you see the ass on her? She could bat her eyes and get half the city to write her a check. When she walked her fine ass into my office, I almost gave her a blank one.”
“Hell yeah. I gave a donation. But I want a return on my investment,” The first one said as they slapped hands.
I cut off their celebration and approached them quickly. They stood frozen, knowing they had just fucked up.