Chapter 3 #2
One thing Salem couldn’t do was lie. Not to his twin, his father, or even his damn self. He rolled his eyes and ran behind Sage to catch up.
They entered the grand ballroom as a sea of the most elite families in the cartel came into view.
“Damn, it’s packed in here,” Sage said. “KJ went all out with the guest list.”
Tonight, the cartel will open their arms to one of the elders of the Vampire Society, which was unfamiliar territory for everyone. This night was not one to forget, and hopefully one to go as smoothly as possible.
Salem and Sage scanned the crowd for Kannon to get the last bit of direction they needed before the night fully began. Standing in the back corner of the room were Kannon and Kaliyah getting acquainted with Phoenix and his wife, Naomi.
“Glad y'all could finally join us,” Kannon said in acknowledgment of the twins.
“Be nice,” Kaliyah nudged Kannon. “Hey, babies.” Kaliyah opened her arms to embrace them for a hug.
“Hey Ma!” They embraced all of Kaliyah’s love.
Kaliyah always has a soft spot for her babies.
Although they’re not her children by blood, she loves them like they’re her own.
A few years after their mother passed, Kaliyah came into their life and has been there ever since.
She embraced them with everything in her and that love for them will never change.
With the twins being so young when their mother passed, she has always been protective over them.
Kaliyah promised their entire family she would be there always, even if things didn’t work out with her and Kannon.
After 20 years, it’s safe to say she’s stuck with them, or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, their bond is unbreakable.
“What’s the plan, Pops?” Sage asked.
“Kaliyah and I will be going on stage in a few to make a toast, then Phoenix will announce the partnership. There’s security in every corner of the room to make sure nothing gets out of hand,” Kannon said, scanning the room behind him as Kaliyah rubbed his back.
“Is everything okay?” Salem asked, concerned for his father.
Sage and Salem seem to be missing something. The ear mics beefed up security, and now their father looks a little on edge. Something wasn’t right.
“Everything is good, son. Just keep your ears and eyes open tonight.” Kannon cleared his throat. “Code red if anything seems out of line. Code black if it’s an emergency. Text me if ya’ll need to report anything. I’ll have my phone on me all night.”
The twins nodded in understanding, then descended from their parents. They grabbed a fluke of champagne in preparation for the toast and moved their way through the crowd. Sage waved her hand to her eldest brother, KJ, in the distance.
“What’s up bro?” she said, dapping him up.
“Just getting my mind right for tonight,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “And you two?”
“We’re good. Just touched base with Pops,” Salem followed up.
“He good tho?” Sage questioned. “He seemed real uptight about tonight. I know this announcement is a big deal, but his energy felt…” Sage stopped, searching for words.
“Off,” Salem said, finishing her sentence.
“You know how he gets with new deals,” KJ said in a hushed tone. “This is a big move. Since the outbreak, we’ve taken a big hit at OneHeart. Everything goes right tonight, we’re set.”
“Ahhhh okay,” Sage said understanding.
“Also,” KJ continued. “This is the first time the cartel has dealt with a vamp in business. You know they haven't always seen eye to eye with how to exist. Pops wants to make sure nothing goes left.”
“That’s some real shit,” Salem said in agreement.
“Shit, I just hope they don’t start trying to feed on us. Everybody in here had to test negative to be here. This would be a good opportunity for them, but also bad if they want things to go through with this operation,” KJ said.
“Could easily turn into a complete blood bath.” Salem skeptically, looking around.
“Chill,” Sage nudged him. “Pops got it. This operation is going to be a win-win for both sides.”
“Exactly,” KJ said, nodding as he rubbed his hands together.
Clank, clank, clank. A loud cling of a champagne glass grabbed their attention as everyone looked to the front of the room to see Kannon and Kaliyah on stage.
“Thank you, everyone, for being here tonight,” Kannon said into the microphone. “It’s an honor to share this moment with you all as we celebrate a new partner in business. But before we begin, my beautiful wife, Kaliyah, would like to make a toast.”
The ballroom erupted with cheers and applause as Kaliyah took the mic.
“Y'all lookin’ gooooood!” Kaliyah sang into the mic as everyone laughed.
“Thank you, beautiful people, for being here tonight. As you know, OneHeart is my baby and I wouldn’t be able to sustain this life-long dream without your support.
Thank you to everyone that has played apart in the idea and the business.
” Grinning at her husband, she said, “Most importantly, thank you to my man for being my backbone throughout this process. None of this would be possible without him.”
Kaliyah blew him a kiss, and the audience let out a collective "aww" as he pretended to catch her invisible kiss.
“With so many of our families being affected by the outbreak, I’m blessed to have every last one of you here to witness our new partnership. As we raise our glasses…” Kaliyah lifted her glass in the air, prompting everyone else to follow. “I would like to cheers to this new season for OneHeart!”
Everyone cheered as they clinked their glasses together and sipped their champagne in celebration. Once the audience settled, Kaliyah prepared them for the introduction of their next guest.
“It is with great pleasure, I welcome our newest partner, Phoenix Denzel,” Kaliyah announced.
A few claps were heard from the audience, but most of the cartel members were not impressed. Despite the increased cash flow from the deal, they didn't believe it was worth the risk for what they considered a minimal return.
“Thank you, everyone, for having me,” Phoenix began. “I’m grateful to be here to announce our partnership with OneHeart. I know it has been a rough few months for us all.”
Many of the cartel members groaned in response to Phoenix's statement. Even though both human and vampire lives are at risk, many members fail to see any benefit for themselves in this partnership.
“On behalf of the Vamp Society, I would like to say we’re fully committed to our obligations in this partnership and can assure you this will be your best investment yet.
With welcoming us in, we have planned to launch our new non-profit TenderCare to assist in not only bringing in more money but also helping those within the community.
A part of our proceeds will be donated to Health Haven Solutions to help further the research in finding immunity for the disease. ”
Applause rippled through the crowd, clearly signaling their approval.
Despite the longstanding discord between vampires and humans, tonight offered a compelling reason for unity.
It promised increased profit for the cartel, a richer blood supply for the vampires, and greater community support to improve lives overall.
As the church announcements concluded, the DJ pumped up the celebration by playing “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill. Instantly, everyone joined in singing along with the lyrics.
I used to pray for times like this, to rhyme like this
So I had to grind like that to shine like this
When the beat dropped, the dance floor became a sea of people jumping up and down, belting out the bridge of the song.
Hold up, wait a minute, y'all thought I was finished?
When I bought that Aston Martin, y'all thought it was rented?
Sage flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom stall. As she washed her hands, she leaned into the mirror, checking herself. I look too damn good.
She turned the water off and shook her hands to dry.
“Well hello,” a familiar voice chimed in as Sage turned around to grab a paper towel.
Sage smirked a little as she came face to face with Portia.
“Nice to see you finally pulled up,” Sage said. “I was wondering when you were gonna show.”
“Got tied up with the seamstress,” Portia said, pulling at the back of her dress. She practically had to sew me into this thing.”
“Well, you look beautiful tonight,” Sage said, admiring Portia’s dress.
“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” Portia blushed. She touched the lapel on Sage’s jacket and looked her up and down. “You clean up well.”
“Ohhhhh. Are you hitting on me?” Sage clutched her chest, mocking Portia.
“Shut up!” Portia giggled as she lightly tapped Sage’s arm. “And don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. You’re not even my type.”
Portia was lying to herself. She knew damn well Sage was her type–tall and dark skin with locs. And tattoos… her weakness.
Ignoring the flutters in her stomach, she stepped in front of the full-length mirror in the lounge area of the bathroom to adjust the sides of her dress.
Portia donned a floor-length black silk dress, featuring a thigh-high slit that gracefully opened just below her hip.
The sweetheart neckline accentuated her cleavage, beautifully framing her collarbones.
The dress was stunning, clearly tailored to her figure, complimenting every curve.
However, the only downside was that every time she sat down, it rode up, making it a bitch to adjust.
“Please remind me to hire a new seamstress when I leave here,” Portia said over her shoulder to Sage, who was on her way out the bathroom. “Could you help me adjust the back of my dress?”
Sage damn near stumbled in her tracks. She knew this girl already had some type of hold on her, and getting any closer was the one thing she needed to avoid.
“Uh… yeah,” Sage sounded unsure.
“If you don’t have time…” Portia started.
“Nah, it’s cool. I got you.” Sage walked up behind Portia. “Shit, I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on you. So you know we on the same type of time.”