Chapter 5 #2
Rachel turned to her computer and clicked her keyboard a few times. “Well, Xylina, from the notes listed, it looks like your father did multiple large withdrawals recently and then—”
“He did what!” I shot up from my seat. Rachel looked startled by my sudden movement. Her eyes darted to the closed door on the side of us.
My trust funds combined totaled over seven million dollars. There was no way all of it was gone and unattainable. The whole reason my dad set one up for me was for me to be set in the future. How the hell could he snatch it all back?
Bending over the desk, I slammed my hands down and glared at Rachel. “This is unacceptable! Someone needs to fix this now!”
“Xylina, as much as I would love to help, it’s out of our hands. We—”
“I don’t care about any of that! Where’s the branch manager? Get them in here now! As much business as I’ve brought to this bank, I deserve better treatment than this!” She blinked a couple times before nodding and typing on her computer.
I had been dealing with Rachel for years.
She was a middle aged, brown skinned woman who had been in charge of my personal assets for as long as I could remember.
While being here I’d learned that not only were my trust funds having issues, but my bank accounts were too.
Outside of the account I had alone, none of my money was accessible.
Learning that more than just my credit cards were unavailable made me feel like I was in the middle of a horrible prank.
It seemed that any accounts connected to my dad were all frozen.
It didn’t make any sense and no one would give me answers.
While I had my own bank account from money I’d gotten from life as an influencer and my modeling, it didn’t add up to the funds in my main accounts.
I was trying not to freak out, but having unlimited funds at my disposal was something I was accustomed to and I refused to accept anything different.
“Excuse me for a second.” Rachel stood from her desk.
I bit the inside of my jaw and plopped back down in my chair.
My leg bounced wildly as I pulled my phone out of my Hermes crossbody.
I never bothered to check my bank accounts.
Since the funds were endless and Daddy made sure it stayed that way, I never had a reason to.
Before a few days ago, I’d never even bothered to use the money in my solo account because my other ones always held a larger balance.
Learning all of this felt like someone had attached me to a machine and sent bolts of lightning through my body.
I felt like I had multiple shots of espresso from how worked up I was.
“Where the hell is she?” I mumbled, glancing toward the entrance of the room in search of Rachel and her manager. I didn’t care who needed to be called, but someone was going to give me answers and fix whatever was wrong with my account before I left this bank or there would be hell to pay.
Ihad been in the same position on the couch in the main living room for hours since I’d arrived home. After being at the bank going back and forth with the branch manager for over an hour, I finally stormed out with angry tears pooling in my lids.
Broke.
That was what I was gathering by what I was told.
The IRS had put holds on any accounts my dad was connected to.
He had taken my trust fund and now he and my mom were out of reach, according to his assistant.
I had gone by their house and it looked like no one had been there in weeks.
How could all of this be going on and no one thought to reach out and tell me?
The only funds I had access to were the ones I’d received from modeling and influencing over the years.
That was a little over three hundred thousand.
That wouldn’t even last a week. Since this was more of a hobby for me and I always loved showing my life off, I never took influencing seriously enough to go for the big deals.
It felt too much like work and I wanted to keep things simple. Now I was regretting it.
“Princess, what are we going to do!” I cried when she pawed at me.
I yanked the pillow off my face and turned on my side to look at her.
I knew I had promised to give her attention when I got home, but the news I had received left me heavily depressed.
“We can’t be broke! I don’t even know how to be that.
” I sniffled and used the back of my hand to swipe a few leftover tears away.
My eyes were sore from all the crying I had done since leaving the bank.
Princess released a bark before laying her head on the edge of the couch.
She looked up at me with concerned eyes.
“Are you worried about Mommy? Don’t worry, I refuse to let this matter go.
I’m sure Daddy is somewhere taking care of things right now and that’s why he’s MIA.
There’s no way he’ll allow his precious daughter to be poor.
” A low whine left her mouth when I stroked the top of her head.
Princess always knew when there was something going on with me and it was clear she could feel the stress I was under.
Eventually the exhaustion from all the tears caught up to me and sleep found me.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed but I was woken by Yosiah standing over me and shaking me awake.
“Xylina,” his voice rang out. I groaned and swiped his hand away. “Get up.”
Fluttering my eyes open, I strained to focus my vision.
“Yosiah?” I mumbled.
My body felt heavy and weak, like someone had dropped a boulder on my head.
“We were invited out to dinner. I need you to get dressed.” At the mention of dinner, my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything besides the protein shake I had earlier.
Covering my mouth as I yawned, I slowly sat up and looked around the living room. “Who did what?” I questioned, turning toward him.
Yosiah stared at me, confused. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”
Quickly, my hand went to my eyes and I wiped them. “I’ve had a long day.”
His head cocked to the side and he gave me a once over. “If you need to stay home then I’ll say you weren’t feeling well.”
“No!” I blurted out just as he turned to leave. “I’m fine now.” Clearing my throat, I looked around for my phone. “What time do I need to be ready by?”
He didn’t look convinced before checking the time on his phone. “By eight. A few clients invited us out with their wives.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready.” I nodded, locating my phone and checking the time. I had two hours to get myself together.
The news I learned today came crashing down the moment I was alone.
Slumping forward, I dropped my head in my hands and released an exasperated sigh.
Before I didn’t want the divorce because of my pride, but now a sense of survival had kicked in.
Never in my life had I been this stressed out.
Life was supposed to be easy. All I wanted was to party and enjoy my youth while my husband spoiled and loved on me. Was that too much to ask?
More than ever, I needed to get Yosiah to drop his resentment toward me and fall for me. Not only did I now have to make sure I ended up pregnant before my birthday, but now I also had to secure my future by getting divorce off the table.
This wasn’t the first dinner I’d been with Yosiah for business.
Most of the time I sat next to him with a smile on my face, looking pretty and allowing him to do his thing.
It was something I grew up seeing my mom do often with my dad.
She always told me a pretty face was meant to be seen and not heard.
At the time, it made sense. Business talk was boring to me and both my dad and Yosiah were able to secure contracts all on their own.
Tonight I was still nursing the hangover from yesterday and the devastating news I’d received earlier.
Being social was the last thing on my mind, so just looking good next to Yosiah benefited me tonight.
So far I’d been tuned out of the conversation. There were two other couples at the table not including Yosiah and me. From what I gathered, they were all in the sports entertainment industry.
I was in the middle of bringing my medium-well steak to my mouth when my name was called for the first time this evening. It seemed like everyone had forgotten I was even here until now.
“Yes?” I turned to Maggie. Her husband owned the Riots basketball team. Apparently they were looking to upgrade their computer system in the arena and wanted to work with Yosiah’s company.
“You’re popular on social media, correct? If I remember correctly you’re always doing mini fashion shows and what not?”
I was surprised she knew who I was. Most of my following ranged from mid-teens to mid thirties. Maggie had to be in her fifties at least. She looked good for her age, but not someone I was used to following me.
It was subtle but Yosiah slightly tensed next to me when I was addressed. I was sure he thought I would make a fool out of myself and mess up his deal by being brought into the conversation. Ignoring him, I answered.
I nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
Her mouth split into a smile. “I knew it. My daughter loves your page! Corey, this is the girl that Casey was talking about the other day.” She tapped her husband’s arm.
“Our daughter just turned sixteen, and when we went shopping for the winter, she insisted most of her outfits came from a haul you did at the beginning of the year. She’s always watching your page for fashion tips. ”
My brows shot up. That wasn’t what I was expecting to come out of her mouth.
“I’m glad I could help. If she liked my winter haul, then she’s gonna love my spring haul.” I grinned.
“I’m sure my wallet won’t,” Corey mumbled, causing both me and his wife to laugh.
“Are you a stylist?” Brandy asked. She and her husband, Jason, were stakeholders in the Riots franchise.
“I should be, but no, I am not. I just enjoy clothes, shopping, and looking good.” I lifted my shoulders.
“Mhm, do you have a card? Our twins are turning eighteen at the end of the month and they have a photoshoot scheduled for their senior photos. I planned on bringing a stylist in, but looks like one just fell into my lap. I would love to hire you to help style them. Of course you’ll be compensated.”
Her question caught me off guard. I had been messaged for styling tips before but no one had officially come out and asked me to style them.
Blinking a couple times, I nodded and cleared my throat. “I don’t have a card, but I can give you my number and we can work out the details.”
“Great! As much as I love those two, I’m afraid they got their fashion sense from me. I’m not the one to dress up and prefer to be comfortable.”
I gave her a once over. She was dressed simply in a black dress, little to no makeup, diamond studs in her ear, a gold tennis bracelet on her wrist, and a large rock on her left hand.
Her hair was pulled into a long ponytail that flowed down her back.
She was right; her style was plain. She was a beautiful woman, but nothing to double take at.
Sitting up straighter, I nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Corey spoke up. “Well, I believe tonight’s been beneficial in more ways than one.”
“I agree! Yosiah, it sounds like Blue Shield is exactly what we’re looking for when it comes to upgrading our systems at the stadium. Have your lawyer set up the contract and send it over so ours can take a look at it.”
“Sounds like a plan. I look forward to working with you both.”
Corey bounced his eyes between me and Yosiah.
“I’m not going to lie, I was hesitant about working with you.
I’ve seen a few articles about your wife and the way she was spoken about…
she seemed very immature and I didn’t want anyone who couldn’t keep their home life in order close to what we had planned.
Not to mention, her father doesn’t have the best reputation.
There was a lot weighing against my decision, but seeing her tonight, I can say that doesn’t seem to be the case. ”
My heart stumbled. It reminded me of what Yosiah had said to me this morning. Instead of showing him that his words bothered me, I sat up straighter and kept my smile wide. Dragging my tongue over my glossed lips, I reached for Yosiah’s hand and curled mine over it.
“I can admit in my younger years I was a bit wild, but being with Yosiah has changed me a lot.” Tilting my head in his direction, I smiled.
Yosiah cleared this throat. “While my wife can be a handful at times, she helps keep me grounded when things get too serious.”
My skin prickled at his words. It was the first time he’d ever spoken about me in that way. Yosiah turned his hand over and interlocked his fingers between mine.
“There’s a gap between you two, right?” Corey mentioned. “In age I mean?”
“There is,” Yosiah answered.
“Me and my wife too have an age difference. Twelve years to be exact. Most people thought we wouldn’t last, but we’re going on year twenty-five and in love more than ever.” He grabbed his wife’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I’m happy to see another couple beating the odds.”
Heat bloomed in my chest. It made me happy when other people complimented my relationship. It helped show I was right about me and Yosiah being together.
“Plus, us girls gotta make sure to keep these boys in line, right ladies?” Maggie snickered, taking a sip of her wine.
“Agreed.” I grinned.
The events tonight were unexpected, but I was happy to say it was a small distraction from the crisis I was currently facing.