CHAPTER EIGHT That somebody
“WE HAVE A problem.”
That is how my mother, light of my life that she was, greeted me when I entered her office. Her perfectly manicured, ebony and brown brows were furrowed over her eyes as she stared at something on her screen.
I’d come dressed for business because she told me that’s what this was about. I might be in her home, but Babette didn’t play with dressing for the job. I was barefoot but in a full suit. No matter what, I wasn’t about to break the rules and wear outside shoes in her house.
I took my seat in front of her desk after kissing her on both cheeks. “What is zhe issue?”
“I can’t discuss it with you, but we are about to get on a call that will allow everything to be revealed.” Her brows were tight but that was the only sign that something negative was going on.
My mother’s office reflected her: vibrant colors, soft textures and gilding over the rich wood of the bookcases. Her desk was an antique passed down throughout our family for years. It was one of the first pieces of furniture that our ancestor purchased when they received freedom. It was a historical artifact and would never be sold.
“Zhere is no part of zhat statement zhat I like.”
She rolled her eyes and I smiled because apparently she was just as annoyed by whatever this was as I was starting to be. “Trust me, the feeling was more than mutual when I found out. But as an elder, I have to bring this to you the way I would anyone else.”
My brows shot up and a smile was on my face because, if my mother was aggravated, that didn’t bode well for anyone. Of course, seeing her in action was always a pleasure. “Sounds ominous.”
She chuckled and waved her hands as though rebuking whatever devious thought had come into her head. “You know I would blow all of this shit up before I let it harm you. Everyone here loves you despite you thinking you’re too damn grown. But one thing we have to be is fair, and sadly, that’s where this comes in at. This is about your choice.”
“I have no qualms about equality. I’m a double minority too, maman . You have more zhan raised me well so I do not want to be treated differently from others because I am rich. I welcome whatever task zhey might put before her because I know she is more zhan up to it.” I shrugged as though it was no big deal, but my mother’s face was one that was still tight. “ Maman ?”
“Xerx? Tata Babette!”
Midas’ voice echoed through the hall announcing himself before he appeared in her doorway. His voice forced me to focus on him instead of questioning my mother. She’d already said that she wouldn’t be able to give me anymore information but my curiosity was now getting the best of me. My cousin was dressed in a three-piece dove gray suit, which was ironic because I was in slate gray.
My mother stood up from behind her desk smoothing her hands down the day dress she wore. It was always a beautiful contrast to see my deadly mother bask in her femininity. She wasn’t above getting her hands dirty, but she would rather poison someone or ruin their life to the point they took care of themselves for her. But when she needed to up her guns, she still did it with style.
“Where is Omega?” We embraced Midas and he unbuttoned his suit before he took his seat.
“With your men enjoying some of Tata’s bread pudding.”
I turned to my mother feeling betrayed as she sat behind her desk looking smug. “You did not even tell me you had some!”
“You are a spoiled boy. I didn’t have time to talk about your stomach since I am worried about your future. Forgive me for focusing on the larger picture.” She rolled her eyes again like dealing with me was a trial.
“My future? How is zhis an issue? I’m finally going in toward marriage but now y’all are worried about my future?”
Her sigh revealed her frustrations and the way she didn’t want to be in the middle of this shit but was forced to be. “Like I told you before, sit down, shush and wait for the meeting to start.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t want to do this in person.” Midas looked between the two of us and we could only nod our agreement.
“The subject of the meeting was one that didn’t necessitate it. If it is something that progresses, then we absolutely will move to in-person discussions.” She was playing with the large ice lavender oval diamond that comprised her engagement ring. It was my mother’s favorite color and I always teased her because it should’ve been pink. She told me that pink represented the newness of life and blue represented the sky, which was limitless. That was the reason she was always drawn to lavender. Over the years, my father and I had added to her parure so no matter the occasion, she could have a piece of jewelry that matched her ring.
“ Tata , you about to give this man a stroke. It ain’t even about me and I’m concerned.” Midas had his hand on my shoulder and I was bouncing my leg in anticipation of this call.
She cut her eyes at him giving him a look that let me know he was in trouble too. I laughed because he immediately looked on guard. “Well, since this is partially your fault, you should be.”
“Wait, I just sat down, what did I do?” She rolled her eyes and before she could repeat herself, Mi recited the words she’d spoken to me. “Wait for the meeting. Okay, I hear you.” Midas turned to me, pushing me on the shoulder like my ass was the one that got him in trouble. “What have you done?”
“How do we know zhis ain’t somezing you did?” Cause Midas was acting like he didn’t have outside activities
“Bruh, I just got word about this. I was chillin’ in Atlanta with the in-laws trying to convince them that my son doesn’t need a private island in his real estate portfolio.”
I bust out laughing because leave it to my cousin to be blessed enough to find a wife as wealthy as him and he be annoyed about it. And not mad in the sense that he was bitter, but mad that his father-in-law loved to spoil is son even more than he did. His wife, Nevaeh, was an only child and having a grand baby was a big deal for both of them. There was no escaping the way Mansa was going to be spoiled. We just had to make sure his work ethic matched his money. And don’t get me started on how crazy my Uncle Michael and Auntie Pam were to be grandparents.
“You gone be a hater all your life?” I stretched out in my seat wishing I had a footstool but knew if I put my foot on my mama’s desk she’d put hers up my ass.
Midas’ ass glared at me like I’d called him a bad father and threatened to call CPS. “Mansa is more than well taken care of, stop playing with me.”
“Never can have too much real estate—”
He crossed his arms and it felt like old times getting on his nerves like this. Midas was only a few years older so it gave me pleasure driving his ass crazy. “Of course you feel that way. It’s an excellent investment, but I need them to let me do for my son sometimes.”
“I know better zhan to argue with maman when zhe time comes. She’s made it clear zhat my wife and I will be zhe parents, but zhat gifts are her love language.”
My mother grinned because even if I told her no, something I wouldn’t do unless Vanya needed me to, she’d do what she wanted, anyway. It wasn’t like those weird ass mamas that you saw on TV. My mother showed her love by spoiling but would only push boundaries on small things.
“Hopefully, your future bride understands. But, my boys, before we devolve into a fight where I have to call Pat and bring out the hose, can we focus? The meeting is about to start.”
We immediately straightened up, my mother cutting on the large screen that dropped from its place in the ceiling to cover up the family portrait that hung over the fireplace in her office. Midas and I turned our chairs around to face the screen.
Silently we waited as she signed into the meeting using a fingerprint scanner on her computer that Dom, Midas’ best friend, had created for all of us.
Mr. Miller, Yacouba’s father, was seated at a desk when three other people popped on the screen. Two I knew, the other I wasn’t familiar with.
“What is he doing here?” The meeting was still on mute, which I was thankful for because Midas’ ass acted like he didn’t have any professionalism. He had sat forward, his eyes on the person I didn’t know.
“Who is zhat?”
“William Avery. That’s one of Nev’s best friend’s daddy.” He was still looking confused about what was going on and now my ass was, too.
“Zhe William Avery? Multi-billionaire William Avery?” That was a name that many regular people didn’t know, but people we dealt with weren’t regular. And neither was the man on the screen.
Midas sat back with a slow nod. “The same.”
My interest was definitely piqued because none of us were hurting for money. “Zhis is about to get interesting.”
Mr. Miller, because he wasn’t uncle X while business was happening started the meeting before my mind could wonder too far.
“To my fellow members of the elders’ council, there was a proposition brought to us through an outside source to plead their case with joining the consortium. Since our numbers are limited, only the parties that will be directly affected by this have been invited to the meeting today. Once the discussion progresses, we will move forward with discussing it with the rest of our members.” Mr. Miller had the same booming voice as Yacouba but nowhere near his height. His style and looks were passed down to his son as he was impeccably dressed in a black pinstripe suit.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Ori’s cavernous voice boomed over the line and you could hear the displeasure in his tone. His grandfather glanced at him as though he expected his grandson to have some larger measure of decorum just because this was an official meeting. Anyone who knew Ori knew he wasn’t going to change no matter who was in the room. I knew that he was probably ambushed by the time he got back to DC. Which is probably why he looked like he was going to put his fist through the wall.
“Ori, just listen along with everyone else. We are trying to solve a problem and you and Xerxes are the only two who have the solutions. If you would allow Mr. Avery to speak, he can give you all a better idea of where we’re at.” His grandfather was almost his same height and weight and was still fit, despite his age. If the two of them started to tussle they would tear up the office.
Mr. Miller motioned to Mr. Avery who nodded his thanks before he began to speak.
“My name is William Avery. I own the largest Black owned venture capitalist firm in the world.” The man spoke with an affluent British accent but it was clear his origins were from the Horn of Africa.
“Second largest, no matter what.” Mi was feeding me the information under his breath and I was taking notes because money wasn’t my forte. Well making it was, but my focus was on weapons and real estate and ways to launder money. Yacouba dealt with that end of the money pool, which is why his father was the one leading this meeting.
“For those who don’t know me I was born in Eritrea, a small country on the eastern coast of Africa near Ethiopia. As all of you know, we have been through a lot. Famine, killings, invasions from the east and more. I’ve petitioned the country officials to let me do more to help, but so far I have gotten no support.”
I didn’t know if he was trying to build up sympathy or just giving the background, but my ass was intrigued.
“What is it zhat you want to do wiz zhis help? Not zhat your help isn’t altruistic, but zhere has to be somezing going on.” I knew the work that Nev did with the UCCA and hearing that one country wasn’t allowing a citizen to help when the collective was trying to move forward was surprising. Since he couldn’t voice his question because he was my second, I did it for him.
Mr. Avery turned to me not looking at all bothered by my question. “Corruption is the issue. They want me to pay them a kickback for any program that helps them help the people. I call bullshit on that. My money is to go straight to the people of Eritrea, which will eliminate the financial burden they say that socialism will provide. Why they aren’t jumping all over this is because it doesn’t benefit them. They don’t care if the national budget isn’t meeting the needs of the people as long as they can siphon off of public funds and live like kings.”
“You should remind them what happens to kings when they do not care for their people.” My mother gave the warning and I could see her mind turning as to how she was going to help. Which worried me because somehow our family was supposed to be in the center of all this.
“That would be a tactic if this country weren’t currently allowing a child to run it.” A point for Mr. Avery because the US didn’t have room to talk.
“Revolutions happen everyday. The point is knowing the right time to strike.” My mother’s sly smile held secrets I wasn’t privy to and wouldn’t ask her about. All would be revealed when necessary. “Please continue with what it is we can do for you.”
“I understand that it’s not my business. My issue now is how to get the help to the people anyway. I know that there are many people who have influence, but yours is the largest.” He looked hesitantly at the screen as though he didn’t want to speak too much on who we were or what we did.
“I don’t know if I should be proud of that fact or pissed that someone is speaking about us in ways they shouldn’t.” Mr. Miller’s face proved it was pride but you could only tell if you knew him.
“It was a compliment let me assure you.” Mr. Avery didn’t hesitate to smooth over any confusion, but he didn’t kiss anyone’s ass.
“The thing is, our family, our extended family was founded because of a mutual connection. There isn’t any room for new connections because that isn’t how we work.” As I spoke the feeling of dread increased in the base of my gut.
“Unless, like the Nakoa family, there was a marriage.”
I wanted to swear at the hopeful look on Mr. Avery’s face as he glanced between Ori and I.
Fuck.
“The reason the Cannon and Nakoa families are here is because you both are the only two who are left eligible to marry.” Mr. Miller looked concerned about having to bring this to us, but it was necessary.
“The Benoit family also has an heiress—” My mother with all her love was offering another solution because she knew how both Ori and me were.
“As progressive as we are, Ms. Benoit is not into women. We asked.” That was Mr. Miller’s way of letting us know he’d done his best to avoid this and it hadn’t worked.
“And the alliance with her brother as second wouldn’t be strong enough for us to throw as many resources behind this.” The shit we were in was coming even more clear by the second.
“Precisely.”
I wanted to run my hand down my face in frustration but I didn’t. It would show that I was conflicted and I wasn’t going to show that type of hand to anyone. My eyes flickered to my mother who signaled to me that she understood how I was feeling by the gentle raising of her brows. Since Midas was off screen, he could express his aggravation with all of this far easier than I was. His foot was shaking, as was his head. I knew he was trying to find someone to blame, but he couldn’t. His wife wasn’t guilty in any of this just because Nev knew the girl who was involved. I could also tell his frustration stemmed from her father having this conversation without his daughter present.
“And so you will propose marriage to one of us. I thought you had a son who was to be the heir to your empire.” Ori didn’t give a fuck about this man and what he wanted. He’d lived the ramifications of a woman being used for her father’s benefit and he refused to do it to someone else.
“He is. But one thing I’m more than keenly aware of is his faults. My son has a tendency to want too much control and sadly he has been granted it by virtue of his affluence throughout the world. He’s not a bad person, but I wouldn’t want him to mess up the entire foundation of your organization simply because he couldn’t or wouldn’t allow his wife the control of what her family built.”