ꨄThe Debutanteꨄ

27.

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Christmas Day

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Hakeem checked out himself in the mirror, adjusting his outfit. "It's Christmas morning, time to make it do what it do."  He said, nodding. He grabbed his coat, heading out of his condo.

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Andre looked down at his medication, releasing a sigh and popping them into his mouth. After gulping two pills down, he smiled slightly to himself. "Let's make this an unforgettable Christmas, Andre." He said, rubbing his face to make sure his face was clear of facial hair.

...

Jamal stood in his kitchen, making an morning expression for himself. "Chestnut blend, don't mind if I do." He said. "This is going to be quite a day." He said, chuckling as he thought about his mother and Anika.

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Lucious sat on the side of his bed. Rubbing his face. He opened his drawer, glaring down at the divorce papers between he and Anika. He moved them out of the way, then grabbing a tie for himself before walking into his wardrobe.

After he was dressed for the day, he adjusted his suit in the mirror. "The Lyon roars tonight." He said.

...

Anika swung her feet as she watched Cookie make breakfast for the both of them. She sat on the kitchen counter, her eyes glued in fascination to every move Cookie made. "Okay, so this is what I'm thinking. You like healthy stuff, so how about healthy breakfast sandwiches?" Cookie asked. "Ooh.." Said Anika, furrowing her eyebrows as if she was impressed. "Avocado, because I know you like that. Um, Spinach, bell pepper, and of course some cheese. All on an English muffin." Suggested Cookie.

"You're making me starve just talking about it." Anika smiled. Cookie began to gather the ingredients for it, and Anika watched her with a smile on her face.

Once Cookie was done, she presented it to Anika. "I think it's about done." Said Cookie. "Oh, is it?" Anika asked. "I can't wait to eat it." She said. "Tell me what you think." Said Cookie, offering one up to her mouth. Anika took a bite from it, and released a sigh of satisfaction. "You bake, and you cook. What could be a better combination?" Anika asked.

Cookie smiled, beginning to prepare their plates. They sat together eating while discussing the Christmas event for later tonight. The moment they finished eating, Anika headed out of the door to head back to her condo to get prepared for work.

...

"Over to the left, slightly. Okay, okay right there. And then after that, the streamers need to be shot immediately after the end of the last performance, not a few seconds after, okay? So that needs to be adjusted..." said Becky, looking down at her tablet repeating the orders that Lucious had given to the stage decorators.

They stood in Leviticus, while many other stage members decorated multiple parts of the stage at once. There were sets, and various backgrounds all being prepared for the event to come.

...

Cookies office was decorated with subtle Christmas decorations, small mini trees and home sets. She typed away on her laptop, indulged in the amount of tasks she needed to have completed before later that night. She saw Lucious walk inside, glaring at her. She looked up at him for a moment, then back to typing. "What is it, Lucious?" She asked.

He stared at her for a second, walking slowly up to her desk, then sitting a purple bag onto the top of her desk. She glared up at him, a slight look of surprise on her face.