Next in Line (Monarch of the Kohler Mafia) Book 5 of the Köhler Series

𝕊𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕪-𝕆𝕟𝕖

The next day while Xerxes and the rest were at the gym, Riley hung back with Mariah. Riah wasn't feeling too well, and she wanted to catch her mother-in-law to talk to her about something.

"Hey Riah, you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine. It's just I really need to talk to you."

"Yes?" She asked Mariah, sitting on the bed with her crossing her legs.

"I've been feeling horrible, you know. I know it's been a while since Eli and I got married, hell we are about to welcome a son. But I feel like we're never going to get right. I'm scared. What if I fail at being a mom? I don't want to disappoint my chil-"

"Listen, Riah, what you did was fucked up and all, but if he really wanted you to leave him, he wouldn't have branded you. And yes, you may be initiated and got the sperm, but his ass didn't check. Riah, I love you. You're my bestfriend. I know your history, and I'll make sure you and my teetee baby straight. Okay?" She said, making Mariah nod, letting down a few tears.

"I love you too, Ri," She sniffed as Riley smiled.

"You know once you drop my teetee baby, we gonna get your body back in shape, then we're gonna start having our days like we used to. Sounds good?" Riley asked, making Mariah nod with a smile. After that, Riley left to find her mother-in-law, which she did out by the pool.

"Ma Dele, can I talk to you about something?" Riley asked, not realizing her mom, Nova, Violet, Imogen, and Rylee was out there too. All the older women turned to look at her with a smile as Adele point to a seat for her to take.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to talk to you with all of them," Riley said nervously, looking over at her mom's frowning face. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to her she just wanted her mother-in-law's point of view on it.

"Do you want us to leave?" Paris said, a bit upset, but Riley shook her head no as she looked over to Adele with a small smile. "No, I can talk to all of you. Maybe it will be better if I got all of your opinions on this." She said, and all nodded.

"Ebony, I don't trust her around Xerxes... It's not that I don't trust my husband because I do. I don't trust her and her actions. I feel that she wants to cause trouble between us, and I don't want to kill Ethan's daughter. I-I need to know what I should do?" Adele and her mom stared at her, then at Nova and Violet.

"You mean to tell me you're coming to us about this and not your precious father-in-law?" Nova said, surprised. Making Adele hit her arm and Imogen laugh. Riley sighed, nodding her head as she rubbed her hands together.

"Yes, Aunt Nov, do that surprise you? I mean, I rather talk to another woman about this. Da Luca gives great advice but something like this I don't think he would."

"And why come to me and not your mother?" Adele asked, making Riley swallow hard, looking over that her mom.

"Because I know you dealt with this before. My mom never really had to deal with women coming after him because he was always quiet. Aunt Nov and Ry talk a lot, and I know you dealt with someone trying to wedge themselves between you and Da Luca. I wanted to know how and what you did?" Adele chuckled, looking over to Paris laughing shaking her head.

"Luca killed the bitch," She said, making Riley's eye's widened. "But that was different. Tell me why you don't trust Ebony, and we can go from there."

"For one, I know she was the one that turned off Xerxes's phone the time he was in Salt. X never turns off his phone and the way she watches him. It's like a predator stalking its prey," Riley explains, making Adele and her mom nod their heads.