Chapter 18 Zainab
ZAINAB
I was still floating when we stepped off that elevator.
My legs felt like jelly. My hair was definitely not the same as when I’d arrived. And I was pretty sure my face was still flushed in a way that had nothing to do with the champagne I’d been sipping on.
But Prime had his hand on the small of my back, steady and grounding, and nobody seemed to notice that we’d disappeared for the better part of an hour. Or if they noticed, they were too polite to say anything.
“There you are.”
Quest appeared out of the crowd, a knowing smirk on his face that made me want to melt into the floor. “Grandma’s here. She’s been asking for you.”
Prime’s whole demeanor shifted. Softened. “Rita’s here? I thought she wasn’t feeling well.”
“You know Grandma. Wasn’t gonna miss a chance to see her grandbabies show out.” Quest’s eyes slid to me. “And to meet the woman who finally locked Prime down.”
Oh Lord. Meeting the grandmother. Right now. While I still had the taste of her grandson in my mouth.
This was fine. Everything was fine. I’d met her once before at the farmer’s market.
Prime led me through the crowd toward a seating area near the windows. And there she was, looking pretty and regal. Prime and his brother Cannon favored her a lot.
“Grandma.” Prime bent down to kiss her cheek. “You made it.”
“Boy, you think I was gonna miss this?” Her voice was warm but sharp and it had probably put many men in their place over the years. “Banks Reserve breaking ground on a casino? Your grandfather would be spinning in his grave with pride.”
“Grandma, I want you to meet someone.” Prime reached back and pulled me forward gently. “This is Zainab. You sort of met her at the farmer’s market a little while back.”
Rita turned toward me, and even though I couldn’t see her eyes behind those dark glasses, I felt like she was looking straight through me.
“Come here, baby.” She patted the seat next to her. “Let me get a look at you.”
I sat down, suddenly more nervous than I’d been all night. This woman had raised Prime. Had shaped him. Her opinion mattered more than anyone else’s in this room.
“I’m legally blind,” Rita said, reaching out to touch my face with surprisingly gentle fingers. “But not all the way. I can see shapes. Light. Enough to know that you’re a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am.” She chuckled. “I like that. Respectful. Too many young women these days don’t know how to address their elders. So, you are the pastry chef, huh?”
“Yes, ma’am. I own a dessert catering business. Sweet Zin.”
“Those cinnamon rolls on the table? Those yours?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“I had one earlier. Damn near slapped somebody, they were so good.”
I laughed, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. “That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
Rita leaned closer, her voice dropping so only I could hear.
“Take care of my grandson, Zainab. He’s got a lot of darkness in him.
Seen a lot. Done a lot. Things that would break most people.
” She squeezed my hand. “But underneath all that, he’s got a good heart.
The best heart. He just needs somebody who can see past the hard exterior to the softness he hides. ”
My throat tightened. “I know. I see it every day.”
“Good.” She patted my hand. “Then we’re gonna get along just fine.”
Before I could respond, Serenity appeared, looking gorgeous in that burgundy dress.
“Grandma, stop hogging Prime’s girlfriend. Some of us want to get to know her too.”
“Girl, sit your fast tail down.” But Rita was smiling. “You young people and your impatience.”
Serenity slid into the seat on my other side, and suddenly I was sandwiched between two generations of Banks women. It should have been intimidating. Instead, it felt almost… comfortable.
“So, Zainab, ” Rita’s voice took on a mischievous tone. “Those cinnamon rolls of yours. The way they’re shaped, all swirled up like that…”
“Yes ma’am?”
“They remind me of my rose toy.”
I blinked. “I’m sorry. Your… what?”
Serenity’s head whipped around so fast I thought she’d hurt herself. “Your WHAT?”
“My rose toy. You know, the vibrator. The swirl pattern on those cinnamon rolls looks just like it.” Rita waved her hand dismissively. “A lady at bingo told me one day. I got it off the . Technology is amazing these days. Two-day shipping.”
“GRANDMA.” Serenity looked like she was witnessing a crime. “You have a… since WHEN do you have a…”
“Since I learned how to use the internet, baby. You think just because I’m old I don’t have needs?” Rita sucked her teeth. “Please. Your grandfather’s been dead fifteen years. A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.”
Serenity pressed her hands over her ears. “I can’t unhear this. I’m gonna need therapy. MORE therapy.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. This woman was absolutely unhinged and I loved her immediately.
“I’ll… keep that in mind, Mrs. Banks.”
“Just Rita, baby. We’re family now.” She stood, surprisingly steady for a woman who claimed to be legally blind. “I’m gonna go find some more of those cinnamon rolls. Serenity, keep Zainab company. And stop acting brand new—you’re grown. You know what a vibrator is.”
She shuffled off toward the dessert table, leaving Serenity staring after her in horror.
“I need a drink,” Serenity muttered. “Several drinks.”
“She’s…” I searched for the right word.
“A lot?” Serenity offered. “Insane? The reason I need therapy?”
“Amazing. I was gonna say amazing.”
Serenity smiled, and it reached her eyes. “She really is. Grandma Rita’s the only reason any of us turned out halfway normal. She’s the one who held the family together when…” She trailed off, her smile dimming slightly.
“When Vivica was being Vivica?”
“You know about that?”
“Prime’s told me some things.” I chose my words carefully. “Enough to know that his mother isn’t exactly… maternal.”
“That’s putting it mildly. She truly is an amazing woman because technically I’m not her granddaughter.
She’s Prime’s father’s mother. I’m the daughter of another guy.
But she treats me like the boys. Actually better since I’m a girl.
” Serenity shook her head and laughed. ”But let’s not talk about her.
Tell me about you. Prime said you care for your nephew? ”
“Yusef. He’s twelve. He’s at home tonight. Hopefully not destroying Prime’s penthouse.”
We talked for a while—about Yusef, about Sweet Zin, about Serenity’s new job that she was vague about but seemed excited for.
She was different than I expected. Warmer.
Less guarded than she’d been at the beginning of the night.
Whatever had been going on with her and her brothers, it seemed like she was coming out the other side.
I’d taken a liking to her. She was young, about Mehar’s age.
“I’m really glad Prime found you,” she said. “He deserves someone who—”
A scream cut through the ballroom.
High-pitched. Theatrical. The kind of scream that demanded attention.
Every head in the room turned toward the dessert table.
Farah was standing there, holding one of my cinnamon rolls like it was a dead rat. Her face was twisted in disgust, and she was pointing at the pastry with her other hand.
“There’s a ROACH!” she shrieked. “There’s a roach baked into this!”
Time stopped.
I watched, frozen, as people near the table recoiled. As whispers started spreading through the crowd. As phones came out—because of course they did—recording everything.
And then I saw it.
That little smirk at the corner of Farah’s mouth. The satisfaction she was trying to hide behind the performance of horror.
That bitch.
I was moving before I even made the conscious decision to do so. Pushing through the crowd, my blood pounding in my ears, every ounce of composure I’d built up tonight evaporating like steam.
“You put that there.”
Farah’s eyes widened in mock innocence. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I stopped right in front of her, close enough to see the way her pupils dilated with excitement. She wanted this. Wanted a scene. “There was no roach in my rolls. I baked every single one of them myself in a brand new kitchen. You planted that.”
“Are you insane?” Farah clutched her chest like I’d wounded her. “I’m trying to help. Someone could have EATEN this. There could be an infestation—”
“The only infestation here is you.” I stepped closer. “You’ve been trying to sabotage me since the moment you realized Prime wasn’t interested in your desperate ass.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Farah’s mask slipped, that fake concern replaced by something uglier.
“Desperate? Please.” She looked me up and down with pure contempt. “I’m not the one who had to spread my legs to get a man to invest in my little hobby business. Those rolls taste as cheap as you look—”
I slapped her so hard my palm stung.
Her head snapped to the side. A collective gasp went through the room. And for one perfect second, there was absolute silence.
Then chaos.
Farah was screaming—real screaming now, not that performative bullshit from before. People were crowding around. Phones were definitely recording. And I was standing there with my hand still raised, breathing hard, feeling absolutely zero regret.
I was so TIRED of people trying me. My father. Meech. Larry. And now this obsessed, delusional woman who couldn’t accept that the man she wanted had chosen someone else.
No more. I was done being the victim. Done swallowing my rage to keep the peace.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind.
“We’re leaving.” Prime’s voice was low in my ear. “Now.”
He started steering me toward the exit, but we didn’t get far.
Vivica materialized out of nowhere, blocking our path. She was immaculate as always—expensive gown, perfect hair, that cold smile that never reached her eyes.