Chapter 27
Ajori
The moment we got back to the room, Lainey kicked her shoes off and flopped across the bed like she had been waiting all night to say something.
“Okaaay…” she dragged out. “What was going on between you and Mr. Mean I saw it in the way he wouldn’t look at me, in the way he shut me down too quickly, and in the way he kept pulling himself back.
Whether it was lust, guilt, boundaries, or all three, I wasn’t sure.
I waved my hand at Lainey like I was done with the whole topic.
“Honestly, he’s probably just like every other man,” I said, shrugging it off. “Interested one minute, distant the next. It’s nothing new. And it’s not like I want him or anything,” I lied.
Lainey’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “Mmm,” she hummed. “That didn’t sound convincing at all, sis.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious.”
“Girl, please! You don’t stare at a man like that unless there’s at least a thought.”
“There was no thought,” I let it be known, fibbing.
“Not even a little one?”
“No.”
Lainey squinted her eyes at me. “Okay. So we’re just lying in here now?”
I grabbed the pillow as if I was about to throw it again. “Lainey—”
She held her hands up, laughing. “Alright, alright. I’ma let you have it… for now.”
Then her expression shifted, eyes lighting up again.
“Well, since you clearly don’t want him, I need you to redirect your attention to somebody else who can be useful.”
I frowned in confusion. “Useful?”
“Yessssssss,” she dragged. “As in… beneficial. As in… rich. As in… somebody that can change my life too.”
I giggled. “Girrrrrrrrrrrl.”
Then a person came to mind.
“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 was rich, 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 he looks like 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 in three days.
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.
I didn’t say much when I got out of the car; I just made sure Domino saw me first.
And he did.
Inside, everything moved. Music played low, glasses clinked, women planted kisses to my father’s cheek and laughed as though they didn’t have a care in the world. Men greeted him with respectful nods and just enough caution to let me know they knew exactly who he was.
My father was loved, but he was feared more.
Roughly thirty minutes being there, my father stood next to me and raised his glass to speak.
“Good evening,” he commanded everyone’s attention without effort. “You all know what I’ve built, the risks I’ve taken and the decisions I’ve made that most people wouldn’t have the stomach for.”
A few quiet chuckles rippled through the crowd.
“That part of my life has always been loud… visible… and measured in wins, losses and power.”
He paused, and for a second, his hand tightened slightly around the mic.
“But the things that matter the most? They’re usually the things we protect the hardest and speak on the least.”
His eyes found mine.
“And that’s where I’ve made my mistakes.
I spent a long time believing that providing was enough and that building something great excused not always being present for the people I was building it for.
Money will come. Power will come. Respect will come…
and it will go just as fast if you let it define you. ”
A few heads nodded in the crowd.
“But time?” he scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Time doesn’t wait on nobody… not for wealth…. not for status… not for pride.”
His gaze shifted briefly, landing on Domino, then back to me.
“And the people you love…” he continued, voice lowering just enough to make everybody lean in, “they won’t always say what they need from you.
Sometimes, they just wait… quietly. So if you got people in your life that matter, don’t just provide for them, be there.
Speak to them... show them. Because one day…
you might not get the chance to make up for what you didn’t give. ”
Something in his tone brushed against something deeper; something I couldn’t name, but I felt it.
“And family…” he added, exhaling softly. “Family is the only thing that makes any of this worth it… not the money… not the titles… not the fear people attach to your name.”
His eyes came back to me.
“It’s them.”
Silence wrapped around the room. Then, just like that, the moment tucked away like it never happened.
“That being said,” he finished, voice returning to that familiar authority, “I want you all to recognize the future of my name… and someone I should’ve shown more of a long time ago.”
He extended his hand toward me.
“Tonight, I want to formally introduce my daughter, Ajori.”
I forced a smile as the crowd clapped happily.
My father looked so proud. But all I could focus on was the way he looked at me. It was like he was trying to tell me something without saying it out loud.
A few minutes after all the excitement died down, a fine ass man, appearing to be around my age and reeking of inherited money and danger, approached me. He picked my hand up and kissed it, letting his lips linger.
“Dios mío,” he said, eyes dragging over me. “You’re beautiful.”
“Gracias… y tú no te ves nada mal tampoco,” I replied smoothly, tilting my head with a soft smile.
(Thank you… and you don’t look bad yourself either.)
His brows lifted, impressed. “So you know a little Spanish.”
“A lot actually. But thank you for the compliment,” I expressed sweetly.
I felt Domino’s stare before I saw it.
I glanced past the man’s shoulder… and there he was. Domino stood by the column, close enough to hear every word, with his arms folded, jaw clenched, and tongue poking the inside of his cheek.
“A face like yours should be illegal in all fifty states,” the man continued, clearly getting a little too comfortable. “I hope your father doesn’t kill me for saying that.”
I leaned into his flirtation just a little more, smiling like I wasn’t fully aware of the storm brewing ten feet behind him.
Ajori, what are you doing, girl?
Why do you care if Domino’s watching? He’s not your man.
Exactly.
So why does it matter that his expression has gone from annoyed to dangerously quiet?
“Again, thank you. But I actually have a boyfriend.” The lie rolled off my tongue too easily.
“Oh.” He straightened, immediately respectful. “My apologies.”
“Yeah…” I exhaled, like I was letting him in on a secret, lowering my voice just enough to make it feel personal. “He’s a little intense… a bit of a meanie if you ask me.”
My gaze slid past him again, and right back to Domino.
Still watching.
Still not moving.
Good.
“Between me and you,” I continued, stepping just a little closer, “he kills for a living… real quiet about it too… the brooding type… don’t smile much…
definitely not friendly. Oh… and he doesn’t like men talking to me,” I added, my tone laced with just enough warning to sound believable but just enough edge to make it messy.
Why am I doing this?
Why am I poking at something I don’t even understand?
Because Domino’s standing there like I belong to him.
Because he hasn’t said a word but his silence is loud enough to feel.
Or maybe, just maybe, I want to see him break it.
The man’s Adam's apple bobbled as he let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah… I think I’m gonna go ahead and respect that.”
He cleared his throat, stepping back as if the floor had suddenly heated up.
“Well… you have a good night.” His voice faltered, no longer smooth or confident, just laced with nervousness and fear.
I offered him one last sweet smile. “You too. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
He nodded quickly, already backing away.
I turned and walked away, my heels clicking against the floor, oblivious to the silent panic I had just instigated. As I strutted off, I felt Domino’s stare carve into my back like a tattoo.
My father joined me a second later, a knowing look on his face. “I thought you said you were single.”
I took a sip of my champagne. “I am,” I confirmed. “Just a lie I tell men when I’m not interested.”
But in my head, I added the truth.
And sometimes I do it to see if the devil behind me still has a soul.
My father chuckled. “Mm-hmm.”
I felt Domino’s eyes on me that entire night. He didn’t say a word, but I heard everything loud and clear.
He’s mad, but he’s watching… which means I’m winning.