Page 47

I spread my arms wide and gestured toward the space. “Like this shit would be yours. I can train you in, and by next year, this can all be yours. You can change the name, hire who you want, do what you want. It’ll all be yours.”

Paris looked stuck as she stared at me for a moment. “I . . . I . . . no . . . no, it should go to Yara.”

“I don’t want it,” Yara quickly said.

Paris snapped her mouth shut and then spoke again after a few seconds. “Then what are you gonna do?”

Yara shrugged. “I can work for you⁠—”

“She’s gonna go to school and then be a substitute teacher and raise money for her disease and shit,” I interjected.

Yara looked up at me, but she didn’t argue.

“Okay, friend!” Paris’s eyes found me. “But are you sure?”

“Positive. I don’t want shit to do wit’ Aniya.”

“Shit, I’ll take it then. Show that bitch how to run some shit!” Paris did a happy dance in her seat, and Yara giggled and clapped.

“I’m so happy for you.” Yara glanced up at me. “If I’m really going to school and to substitute, I still want to work for you . . . you know, help you out a few days a week. I can’t imagine not working with you anymore.”

Yara wiped a tear from her eye.

“Girl, you can be my assistant, and I’ll pay you well,” Paris joked, and she winked at Yara.

“For now, I’ll send out an email to the staff and let them know work will resume next week, and we’ll set up a staff meeting, letting them know about the changes. I’ll start showin’ you the ropes next week.”

Paris clapped. “I can’t believe this. I knew you was a good guy. Ain’t I told you, Yara? I told you he was a good man. I told you he wanted you.”

Yara’s skin blushed red, and I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Good lookin’, Paris.”

Yara looked up at me with a wide grin. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.” I snuggled into her neck.

She giggled, and I pulled away. “Come on, y’all. Let’s go.”

We gathered our things and walked toward the elevator. The women chatted happily about the changes Paris would make within the company, but my eyes and ears were only for Yara. She looked radiant, and I couldn’t believe I was in a place where I could finally love her openly. Our future was shaping up perfectly, and I couldn’t wait to see it all come to fruition.

Yara clung to my hand as we walked into the courthouse. I knew she wanted to be anywhere but here. Hell, so did I, but I had to show up to make sure my plan was moving along accordingly.

It had been a couple of weeks since Aniya’s arrest, and today was her arraignment. My lawyers advised me that she would most likely plead not guilty, but that was fine. We were ready for every scenario. The DA had also assured me that the commissioner had completely turned on Aniya and was doing everything he could to bury her under the jail.

“Relax, fave. Everything good. You good,” I coached as we entered the courthouse hand in hand.

I knew it was a bold move to bring Yara here and to walk around like we were a couple. I knew that it could point the finger at me as the freshly divorced man already with a pretty thang on my arm.

Truthfully?

I didn’t care.

It was true that money made me cocky, and I wouldn’t fight that claim. Here was what I knew for sure: There was nothing that would keep me from being up under Yara.

My lawyers and team had done their due diligence and quadruple checked that there would be nothing that could point to me. Over the past year, I had quietly extinguished any enemies or flakey niggas that could have turned on me. I made sure my shit was ironclad, so damn right I was going to pop my shit with my girl right next to me.

“Are you sure I should be here, Gino?”

I stopped walking and made her face me. “Do you want to be here with daddy?”