Chapter 33
Monopoly on My Heart
Junie and Dream pulled up on me while we were pre-gaming for the Black and White party with some DeLeón.
Naturally, we all decided to wear white as the leading ladies of the Ruff Diamond Gang.
Me and Junie both rocked matching white YSL bags, fast-tracked with express delivery courtesy of our men's credit cards.
Dream sported an all-white Dior bag that I knew she charged to Trent—who was now her official fiancé.
Honestly, I would have married his ass, too.
Who’s going to turn down a man willing to kill for you?
While the men all rode together in convoy, us girls rolled up in our own black truck.
And let me tell you, it felt fucking amazing to be a First Lady of the Ruff Diamond Gang.
I had two million dollars sitting in my bank account, owned a local laundromat and a franchise restaurant, and legitimately washed my man's dirty money.
On top of all that, I was a full-time godmother, a business owner, and a dedicated girlfriend who cooked, cleaned, and kept her man's mental peace intact.
I was more than ready to enjoy my night.
When we arrived, the club looked breathtaking—Dream had truly outdone herself.
The walls were painted crisp white, a massive crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room, and dancers dressed entirely in white performed on white-and-black silks while others spun in silver hoops.
I made a mental note to tell my man she deserved a major raise and a brand-new Chanel bag for this transformation.
The hostess led us to our exclusive section.
The Top Dogs' VIP area sat right next to ours, where Don, Trent, Silk, Mario, and Rizz held court.
The rest of the guys occupied the surrounding tables.
We had professional caterers on-site serving an upscale menu: steak with loaded baked potatoes and mac and cheese, paired with your choice of broccoli or asparagus, alongside lemon-herb baked chicken for anyone skipping red meat.
The appetizer spread featured spinach crab dip with toasted points, shrimp cocktail, and a selection of buffalo or barbecue wings.
While the men huddled in their booth talking business, I sat back and soaked it all in next to my ride-or-die, Junie.
If someone had told me nine months ago this would be my life, I would have laughed in their face.
But love changes you—sometimes for the worse, but in my case, my life was infinitely better.
Needing to freshen up, I headed toward the restroom with Junie trailing close behind. We stood side by side at the mirror, double-checking our makeup.
"You want to know something messy?" Junie asked, striking a pose with one hand on her hip.
Knowing Junie, if she called something messy, it was atomic-level messy. "Bitch, I don’t need any surprises tonight."
"Relax, it doesn't even involve you. But I’m tired of keeping this secret, and if I don't spill it to you, I'm going to tell Donny—and you know things will really explode then."
I laughed. Donny and Junie were the definition of a chaos-driven couple. "All right, what is it?"
"So, Mercedes is dating this guy named Renardo. He's sweet as fuck to her, takes her on dates, makes sure she eats every day, and even pays her bills. Mind you, he doesn't even live with her; the nigga has his own everything. Which I love for her..."
I rolled my eyes, knowing she was about to give one of her signature monologues before getting to the point. "Get to the juicy part, girl. My good sis moved on and upgraded—unlike nasty-ass Silk."
"Girl, guess what Renardo's nickname is?"
"What is it, bitch?" I snapped back, completely over the suspense.
"Bitch, it's Rizz. She even sent me a picture of him."
I burst out laughing. So that was why Silk had been harboring such intense, irrational hatred for Rizz. I couldn't wait to whisper this into my man's ear during our pillow talk tonight.
After handling our business and washing our hands, we stepped out of the restroom just as security was lunging to separate Rizz and Silk.
"Bitch-ass nigga, I am an original member! Your ass needs to go sit down at the table with the other low-level grunts who work for us," Silk sneered.
Rizz didn't even flinch. "Man, ho-ass nigga, I’ll never work for a guy like you. You're beneath me, and you only have your spot because of who your best friend is. You're right about one thing, though—I'll go sit with my guys. I ain't trying to act like I'm better than them."
With that, Rizz turned on his heel and took a seat at a regular table. Clo immediately stood up from the VIP section, walked past the tables, and stepped right up onto the stage.
"I want to apologize for the ignorant behavior my right-hand just displayed," Clo spoke into the mic, his voice echoing through the room.
"We are all equals here. We've all worked hard, and there are levels to this life. Rizz, I fuck with you. Silk, I love you. But tonight isn't about division—it's about celebrating where we've built this together."
He raised his glass high into the air, and every man in the building immediately followed suit.
"To us," they chanted in unison.
Suddenly, Rudy appeared near the edge of the stage, slipping something discreetly into Clo's hand before vanishing back into the crowd. Clo looked down, grinned, and grabbed the mic again.
"Goldie, I need you to come up here with me."
My heart instantly slammed against my ribs. I hated being the center of attention—especially in a room full of people I didn't know—but I swallowed my nerves and walked up the steps.
Over the speakers, Wale and Usher’s Matrimony began to play softly in the background. Clo grabbed my hand, looked deep into my eyes, while Rudy stood nearby with her phone camera's flash glaring brightly.
"Tammy, I never in my life knew I needed a woman until the day I met you," Clo said, his voice steady and sincere. "You're the reason I go harder when things get rough. You're my biggest blessing and my biggest motivation."
He dropped to one knee, pulled out a massive princess-cut diamond ring, and looked up at me. "Will you marry me?"
Tears pricked my eyes, but I forced them back—refusing to look vulnerable in front of a crowd of strangers. Instead, a wide smile broke across my face, and I nodded. "Yes."
He slid the heavy ring onto my finger, and we sealed it with a kiss as the crowd erupted. Rudy slipped away just as quickly as she had appeared.
The rest of the night blurred into a celebration of popped bottles and high spirits. By the time Clo and I finally made it back home, we were completely kid-free, utterly exhausted, and too drunk to even make it to the bedroom—we just collapsed onto the living room couch and fell fast asleep.