CHAPTER TWO Making Moves
XERXES
“ARE YOU ESURE you vant to do zhis?”
I’d been avoiding his gaze for a few minutes now. Ever since I’d delivered the news that I was sure he would have questions about. Making a move wasn’t unusual in our line of work, but the reasons had to be there. I had never given my father or my mother a reason to question anything I did. Until now.
I sat in my father’s expansive office he worked out of in the primary home he shared with my mother. He’d taken a step back from the day-to-day managing of the massive commercial breeding and real estate firms he’d started before I was born and handed down to me. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still the CEO and person I wanted to ensure approved of my work.
The MC Corporation had only been under that name since their marriage. The Mahdavi name had been one he’d used his entire life, but in the states he had no issue going by my mother’s name. Especially since it held more love and provided the same access to power as the Mahdavi name. It was another strike against him with his family. That he would think to adopt his wife’s name in any shape. The crazy thing was, it was nothing official, just what he was called. He wasn’t any less who he was because people referred to him as Bijan Cannon instead of Prince Bijan Mahdavi. He preferred the self-made man he’d earned over the title he’d been given. Another reason why they couldn’t understand him. And much to their chagrin, he raised me with the same values.
With confidence, I looked up into brown eyes that mirrored mine and nodded. “I’m esure.”
A grin broke over his face and I could already hear what would come out of his mouth next before he spoke.
“ Wallah , she must be esomzing extraordinary to have you going to zhese extremes.”
He leaned back in his cushioned leather office chair looking every bit a man of power. His almost jet black hair was streaked with gray, a change my mother said only made him more distinguished and irresistible. His height was slightly shorter than mine, with a full salt and pepper beard. My father made no secret of ensuring he took care of himself so that my mother was still just as attracted to him after almost forty years as he was to her. They never lost the desire to want to be their best for one another and it was a sentiment I prayed I had the chance to carry into my union.
“I’m esure you’re more zhan familiar with zhat experience. Zhe one vhere your heart stops beating and when it begins again it is a cadence zhat only she is privy to.”
“I am. And I’m blessed to relive it every single day I awake to see Babette’s beautiful face. But is she going to be to you vhat your maman is to me?”
He steepled his hands in front of him, a move not challenging my decisions but forcing me to think it through. He was like that often. It was born of his own father’s inability to do more than dictate. Baba never wanted to be anything like the man that made him a prince and then snatched it all away.
“ Bah fazl Khoda khahod shod, baba . (By God’s grace it will be).”
His head bowed briefly in agreement and sending a silent prayer to God. “ Mashallah . Vhen are you planning to make zhis move?”
I slouched slightly in my seat letting my head fall back against the back of the chair. “Soon. I was given advice zhat I need to allow her to see zhe prince and protector in me more zhan zhe…” I waved my hand in the air unsure of what I could truly say to describe myself.
“Psycho? Deranged?” He was hurling out insults lovingly knowing he was where part of my inability to react normally to slights came from. Despite being in this country for years, his accent was still heavy whenever he spoke.
“I was going to say brutal but somehow your words hold more accuracy.”
“We all have zhat in us. Even your love I’m sure. But balance is de key to all zhings, pasar man .”
He’d always addressed me as my son when he needed to impart a lesson. Rarely did he or maman call me by my name. It was a way of expressing their love by reminding me of the bond between us.
“What are my two favorite men talking about?” My mother glided into my father’s office without bothering to knock.
He always told her that every room in the house was hers and they didn’t need any secrets between them. She could keep him out of whatever space she wanted, but he would never keep her from anything or anywhere.
Vanya’s aura reminded me so much of my mother’s but not maternally. They looked nothing alike besides being beautiful, but their spirits felt similar. It was the way Vanya exuded this soft femininity that wasn’t diminished by her ability to be a boss. So many of the women in my friend group held the same power. Vanya expressed herself in bright colors, florals, and something that called to me like she was the flower and I was the bee happily buzzing around her to bask in her beauty.
Maman walked toward me, pecking the top of my head, before walking into my father’s open arm and taking a seat on his lap. Even though I knew what was coming, I waited patiently as they greeted each other. The kiss lasted longer than normal, which meant they were going to be putting me out soon to finish what they were starting now. If it weren’t for a botched surgery that ended my mother’s ability to have children, I’d probably have had a newborn sibling yearly since my birth with the way they went at it.
I cleared my throat, and the two of them still took an additional few seconds to come up for air. My mother’s golden toned face was slightly flushed, my father’s eyes fixated on her lips. Her long, deep brown and midnight black hair was in a soft bun at her nape. She wore what she called a housedress, but was probably nicer than most women’s evening wear. From the looks of it, it was printed silk with a tie that emphasized her narrow waist. It was as bright as she was, with geometric shapes decorating the fabric.
“If zhe two of you are done.”
“Awww, mon amour , we can still make him blush at this age. It means we are doing something right in this life.” She pecked my father quickly before turning on his lap to face me.
My mother was a beautiful woman. She was often told that she favored Lonette McKee and Lena Horne. She had deep dimples, a slender nose and wavy hair. Despite having a son my age, her figure was still fit and she worked out to ensure that her health was in top shape. I glanced behind their heads at the picture my father had painted of her when they were married and she barely looked any different. Her smile lines were more prominent and she had tiny lines around her eyes so she said, but they were only in her head.
I sighed and balanced my chin on the hand that was propped up on my knee. “You live to embarrass your son.”
“I live to show you the good example of what love should be. Take notes.” She pointed at me sharply before wrapping her arms around my father’s shoulders.
“After a lifetime of witnessing it, I zhink I could write the book.”
“Forget zhe book, put your knowledge into practice and make your mother happy.” My father’s hand now rest on my mother’s hip as she snuggled further into him. I was used to having them with both eyes on me, existing within the same space and to see them like this always brought me joy.
“Zhat is what we were discussing, habibi .”
She sat up, my father pulling her back down into his arms and she turned to him with a scowl. “Without me? Tsk tsk tsk, you will never learn.”
“ Maman —”
“No, I want to hear this plan that has been hatched without the input of a woman. What have you two come up with?” She clapped her hands and then waved them as though to beckon the information out of me. I glanced behind her to my father but as usual, he was on her side.
I rolled my eyes but caught myself before she saw me. Or at least before she mentioned it.
“I’m moving to where she is. We see each other too infrequently for me to make any real headway in attempting to show her that I’m serious in my pursuit. I can’t do it a state away, so I’m going to move to Charlotte. Zhe horses need a home on American soil and zhe Charlotte climate should be sufficient for zhem to not have any setbacks to zheir health.”
“Hmmm. And this will benefit her how? Because I have to tell you, my love, it’s giving stalker.” Her southern accent had softened because of the French boarding school she’d attended for several years. Our accents were all unique, which made it difficult for people to pinpoint where we were from.
“I plan to hire her agency to find me a home, an estate really, along with an office building. Charlotte is a city zhat is constantly expanding and although zhere is plenty zhere in our portfolio, people are moving to North Carolina in droves because of zhe cheap land zhat is surrounding zhe city and down into Souz Carolina. We’ve already invested in zhe wedding venue so I will be scouting more opportunities for us. Zhat, along wiz zhe stables, opens up many opportunities.”
“That seems like a solid plan. And you came up with this on your own?”
My head cocked to the side as though I wasn’t the romantic she ensured I was. “You doubt me?”
“I know the man I raised. You are far more prone to run off and be a bully to get your way instead of having so much… finesse . You must really like this girl.”
The eagerness in her voice was there meaning she wanted me to hurry and get my shit together so that she could meet Vanya and dote on her. She’d loved on every one of my friends’ wives but had to take a backseat to their own mother’s in law. She’d had the chance to bond with Nyima because Jahmir’s mother was…committed. Literally. And she was a terrible person who shouldn’t be allowed around kind-hearted people.
“I do. But zhe rancher’s fiancée provided me with good advice.”
“Ah! A smart woman. I approve. Make sure you have her look for more than one house, please.”
“More than one?” I mean I had the money, but I wasn’t keen on just buying property to let it sit vacant.
“Do you not want me to come and visit? When my petit-enfants are born, do you not want me to have a roof over my head where I can be comfortable?” She was gearing up to have an argument and I could see my father patting her hip to calm her down.
“Maman, you would just stay with us.” I was confused because surely she didn’t think I was going to buy a damn starter home. My criteria for a home was sure to include seeing to their comfort when they visited.
“I hate to embarrass you, Xerxes, but there is no way I would do that. I do not prefer to be quiet about how much I love your father nor does he with me. I endured too much of that when you were a teenager, which is why we had our room soundproofed. No, no. A separate house will be fine. That way, you can also be loud about your love.” She nodded resolutely and my father was sniffing the side of her neck, which meant I was going to need to leave soon.
“we are way too open in zhis house.”
“Isn’t it beautiful? Bijan, send your son away now.” She was grinning but I knew she meant every word about my father kicking me out.
“Getting started on zhat love?” I didn’t hesitate to make moves to leave. I’d had my fill of the Bijan and Babette show. Damn shame when I was jealous of my parents. If I stayed around, I’d turn into a hater and I didn’t want that.
My father’s brow cocked with the arrogance of a man who’d had the woman of his dreams for years.
“But of course. However, you need to pack. No time like zhe present to get my daughter-in-law, Shahzadeh .”
“Everything good?”
“Peachy. How ‘bout your way?”
My cousin was constantly checking in with me since I’d gotten back from Texas. I thought since he’d found his wife and they’d had a little boy named Mansa he would ease up. Clearly, I failed to understand how easily my cousin could multitask.
When I told him of the shit that we might have to get into with my father’s family, he didn’t hesitate to reach out to his best friend, Adam Hartison, to track the players who might attempt to come for me. Few people would realize that Midas Warren, my mother’s brother’s son, was my second in the Consortium. To the world, he was the son of an NFL legend and a former model who became a billionaire by owning his first hotel and casino at 21. To me; he was fucking Bruce Leroy because he preferred to handle people using his hands and martial arts than with a gun. I couldn’t talk shit, my ass liked to toy with prey as well.
“I’m blessed but I can hear in your tone you ain’t right.”
“It’s been silent. Which is bozering me.”
Midas was shifting around on his end of the phone and I hated when he did that talking code shit. He was the older cousin and I knew he liked to keep track of me and our people because it comforted him. No matter that he didn’t want to be the head of the Cannon family, he was still heavily involved. My mother was the oldest and fully intended to run things with her brother at her side. They’d been raised to co-chair the family until my uncle’s football career showed extreme promise. He wanted to follow his passion and giving up his spot was the price. He still made moves on the Consortium’s behalf, which is why we were now partial owners in a baseball franchise. We had our eyes on the NFL next.
“Dom says that they haven’t been moving. Are you going to send word to them that you’re pissed or let them figure the shit out?”
The problem with punishing my cousin Kamran was that it wasn’t as simple as just fucking his life up. I had every intention of doing so, but it would take more finesse than I let on to Mr. Chisholm-Love. Stripping him of his money was easy. The problem with that was his entire life was funded by my grandfather. Kamran would simply run to him and complain and since the practice of a harem was still something the king indulged in, he would be too lenient on my cousin because he was the son of his favorite child. With the frequent trips they made across the sea, I was sure the king was taking part in the debauchery alongside his offspring. With the number of sons he had by multiple wives, fidelity was a concept he ignored.
The next issue was if I punished them all, it would destabilize an entire country, leaving it ripe for the next colonizing assholes to come in and attempt to take over. The Middle East didn’t need instability right now so I had to tread carefully. Democracy wasn’t something that the OG colonizers liked in the Middle East unless one of their figure heads were in place. Since they didn’t currently have a suitable candidate, the Mahdavis kept their place. That was a stipulation I didn’t mind keeping.
“I’m letting zhings play out for now. When I go back, I need to ensure I won’t get stuck.”
“You haven’t been gone that long, you think a return trip is necessary?” Midas knew how this side of the family behaved and I was sure he was wishing he had time to pull up on me and travel to Tehran. He knew how much protection and clout I had in Iran, but it still didn’t stop him from worrying.
“I have eyes zhere. And me being in zhe same country as Kamran isn’t advised right now, but it’s necessary. If I wasn’t assured of zhe plans zhat were in place, I wouldn’t be able to resist taking his head from his neck. Zhere are too many pieces left to put into place for zhat to happen so I will move within zhe bounds of reason until everyzing is ready.”
“What are you thinking?” I could hear the laughter in his voice and I wasn’t sure if he was doubting my ability to act right or the plan.
“I’m going to have to lure him here. Despite how much it angers me to do so. But zhat will be later down zhe line. For now, I will let him squirm. I have business scheduled wiz Afshin wizin zhe month so I will be heading zhere soon.” I leaned back in my office chair looking at the number of items that would need to be packed up.
“Afshin still gunning for my spot as favorite cousin?”
I grinned unable to not poke at him. “Since he’s technically my uncle, your spot is secure.”
“You act like that’s the only reason.”
“I mean—”
“Get your Aladdin ass off my fucking phone. I know you don’t need them, but we got you if you get into some shit over there.” The smile was in his voice even as he offered help he knew I would never need.
My eyes went to the photo of Vanya I kept from Liam’s wedding. His photographer had the candid shot of her framed so she was the only one in it. In her maid of honor dress, and with her head thrown back, she was joy personified. “I’ll never knock zhe help, but hopefully zhey all move like zhey have sense.”
Midas’ sarcastic huff broke me out of my revelry. “On that note, let me have my Black ass in Dubai on standby. Mansa could use a vacation.”