Chapter 29
N aylor Southern was the last time I saw Treason relaxed.
We made it back to Madison Pointe, and he was all business once again.
Even I couldn’t pry him out of his office at night.
A few times, I even used the baby because desperate times called for desperate measures.
He was going to run himself into the ground at this rate, but I didn’t want to put anything else on his plate.
My own was full of community service appearances to remind the city of all the good I’d done and would continue to do when Treason got elected.
His numbers were improving, so it was working, but we weren’t out of the woods yet.
That was the sole reason Sloane stood in my kitchen while Danielle and the cameraman had a sidebar in the living room.
Part of repairing my image also meant repairing Sloane’s, too.
I wasn’t in the mood for either of them today, but I had to pretend like there wasn’t a baby pressing on my bladder underneath my pant suit.
It was becoming harder to hide. It felt like once I decided to keep the baby, I woke up with a ball under my shirt.
Treason welcomed every change, while the fluctuating hormones made me extremely self-conscious.
“Is it time to go yet?” Sloane yelled, interrupting Danielle’s conversation.
“Almost,” Danielle replied, not even looking up.
“This is taking up a lot of my time for something I’m not getting paid for,” Sloane fussed.
“What else do you have to do?” I asked.
Sloane, accompanying me to the Women’s League meeting, felt more like Fallon setting me up than helping the campaign.
“Alright, we’re ready. Navie, enter from the hallway and transition to a normal mother-daughter conversation.”
“We don’t do that,” I replied.
“Then pretend,” Danielle chided.
Rolling my eyes, Sloane rushed to her feet, joining me in the kitchen.
“She’s got one more time to get smart before I show her what I do !” Sloane was looking at me, but definitely talking to Danielle.
We laughed, making conversation about nothing to make the best of it, even trading quiet side-eye commentary when Danielle wasn’t looking.
We were in between takes when Treason strolled in, all fresh from the shower and annoyingly composed.
He flashed that grin, kissing my cheek on the way to the fridge.
“Morning Blue.” Treason entered the kitchen and kissed my cheek before walking to the fridge.
“Good morning.”
“I think your whore is in her feelings.”
“Watch your mouth around Gummy Bear!” Treason fussed, smacking my ass while disregarding Danielle’s existence.
“ Gummy Bear better get used to it. I’m not censoring my mouth for somebody that can’t even hold their own head.”
Treason grabbed my arm, positioning my back flush to the fridge so he pinned me between it with his body.
“You’re gonna do whatever my baby says.” Treason’s teeth were gritted, but he couldn’t control the corners of his mouth whenever Gummy Bear was the topic of conversation. That made me laugh while he tapped my temple to enforce his point.
“You think so?”
“You value your life. I know so.”
“I run a tight ship, you and this baby will fall in line.”
“I know you do, Navie .”
Treason might as well have changed my name to Blue. He used it much more than the name on my birth certificate, which made it easy to point out its well-placed pun.
“There you go being corny again. We might need a girl if those are the genes you’re passing down.”
“These genes got yo’ ass so watch your mouth.”
“Why weren’t you rolling the camera. You missed some quality BTS,” Sloane asked, getting her lick back.
“We’ve got enough footage for now. I’ll be in touch,” Danielle announced, grabbing her bag and marching to the elevator.
Sloane watched her step inside, waiting for the doors to shut before venting, “You’re better than me. I would’ve dragged her by those hairy ass sideburns and told her something.”
“She’s pregnant, or did you forget?” Treason snapped.
“It’s hard to miss these days. Soon, clothes won’t be able to hide it.”
“Thank you for pointing out the obvious,” I sneered.
“You’re welcome,” Sloane smiled, hunching her shoulder.
“Have a good day.” Parting my lips, I raised myself to meet Treason’s kiss before he turned to Sloane, “Call me if you need me.”
But she raised his warning with a reminder, “She’ll be fine. It’s not like I’ll get her arrested and thrown in jail.”
“You’ve done worse for less.”
“Go to work. I’ll see you later,” I interjected, before they spent the next hour bickering.
Treason stepped on the elevator, winking at me just before the doors closed.
“What is your problem with him?” I fussed.
“What’s his problem with me?”
“My childhood! Hello!”
“That has nothing to do with him.”
“He loves me, so yeah, it does. Stop being rude, or you will be banned from coming over here,” I enforced.
“Fine. I’ll be quiet because being nice isn’t an option,” Sloane groaned, throwing her designer bag on her shoulder. “You sure he loves you?”
“As sure as you are about Jaleb,” I quipped, pressing the button on the wall. “Are you still fuckin’ that woman’s husband?”
“Stay out of married people’s business.”
“You first,” I snickered, knowing she was.
If Sloane weren’t, it would’ve been the first thing out of her mouth because the only thing she loved more than money was being right. She deflected because she knew it was wrong. She just didn’t care, and that frustrated me.
Did she also know her parenting style was wrong and didn’t care enough to change it? Dazed, pondering the question, she tapped my arm so I could follow her off the elevator outside.
“This is a nice car,” Sloane approved, kneading her shoulders against the caramel interior. What seemed like a compliment on the surface was a segue to criticism.
“But?”
“He could’ve gone for the G-Wagon, but it’s nice.”
“Why, because it costs more? Not everything is about money.”
“I’m glad I’m sticking around because he’s really brainwashed you. Everything is about money. If you think otherwise, you’re lying to yourself.” Sloane propped her elbow on the door, “And love doesn’t pay the bills either while you’re over there in fairytale land.”
“Thankfully, I have both,” I replied, turning the music up for a conversation-free commute.
I pulled up to the curb and let the Valet park. After I reminded Sloane to be on her best behavior, we walked into the building. She paused at the entrance, collecting every stare in the room. Sloane enjoyed pissing people off. It was like a high she chased as I followed her further into the room.
“Hey, boo!” Daige opened her arms, waving me in for a hug. “I missed you.”
“Girl, you have no idea.”
“What are you doing after this? Let’s get lunch.”
“Dropping her off first,” I replied, pointing at Sloane scoping the room.
“Hi, I’m Daige,” she introduced.
“Abdul Hampton’s wife,” Sloane accepted her hand, “I know who you are.”
Daige cut her eyes at me, and I shook my head, begging her to let it go.
“This is my mom, Sloane. Daige is my friend, so play nice,” I warned.
“We’re going to need a drink after this,” she whispered, watching Sloane take a seat.
Daige had no idea how much I was craving a glass of Chateau Margaux. I tottered to the empty seat next to Sloane while Daige sat on the other side of me. Every eye in the room was on Sloane, which also fell on me.
“Why the hell is she staring over here?” Sloane whispered.
Following her eyes across the room, Jazmeen’s vacant eyes bore into us. She was also friends with Evina, who’d just waddled in, sadness marred her features.
“That’s Jazmeen.”
“She needs to get over it. He wasn’t even her biological father. She was never smelling that money.”
“Lean back over to your seat. I don’t want to get hit if God strikes you down.”
“God knew Vivian was a whore before she knew herself. We’re safe,” Sloane said, tapping my arm.
Shaking my head, Daige and I chatted along with the rest of the room while members trickled into the room, including Yassah. She didn’t linger too long out of loyalty to Michelle, who was noticeably absent. The traffic died down, and Sloane began looking around the room.
“Let’s get this meeting started. What cause are we fake caring about today?” Sloane’s voice echoes through the room.
Sloane might’ve been annoying, but she was right.
Today’s agenda was a waste of everyone’s time.
The pressing issues were privileges that people outside of this room could only dream of.
I had nothing else to do but drink water because I honestly didn’t care enough to pretend.
Now, Gummy Bear was pressing on my bladder.
“Can you keep an eye on her while I use the bathroom?” I asked, leaning into Daige.
She nodded, and I shot Sloane a warning before excusing myself to the bathroom. After relieving myself, I stepped out of the stall to wash my hands, but I was distracted by Treason’s text.
Stink: You good?
Me: Been away an hour and already missing me?
Stink: I always miss you.
Smiling at his insane response, Evina pushed through the door, sadness and anger filling her eyes, frozen in time.
I cast a slight glance at her protruding belly before tapping the lever.
I don’t know if she was expecting me to say something or was unsure what to say herself, but I washed my hands while she stared.
“Is he alive?”
Scrubbing my hands together, I ignored her question. His family was still pleading for help on every platform. Even Evina appeared on the news, begging the public for help, as if he was worth the energy they gave.
“I just,” she paused, snapping her lids shut before swallowing her emotions, “I feel like I’m going crazy.
I don’t have any answers, and trying to find them creates more anxiety.
Then I start thinking worst-case scenarios, and it’s so draining, leaving you feeling restless and unable to focus on anything except what if,” she rambled, running her hands through her hair. “I just need to know. Please!”