𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 ¹

twenty.

CHAPTER TWENTY
straight toxicity

Hakeem

"You're moving into...this house?" Hakeem asked Cookie to make sure he wasn't tripping.

"Yes I am."

"Is that necessary?"

"Yes it is, Hakeem. We need to be a family again."

"We can still be a family without you living here," he countered.

Aunt Carol's jaw dropped. She looked at Aunt Candace. "Did he just-"

Aunt Candace shook her head at Hakeem. "Unbelievable."

"Oh hell no! You better beat his ass, Cookie!" Aunt Carol demanded.

"Oh trust me, it's gonna happen real soon if he keeps talking like that."

"Then you'll go back to jail," Hakeem fired back.

Lucious yelled at him next. "Hakeem, that's enough. I thought we talked about this?"

"She started with me first!"

Royalty put her two cents in. "No, I'm pretty sure you started."

Andre's fake ass agreed. "Yes he did. That's not CEO behavior."

Hakeem focused on him now. "What was that?"

Andre brushed him off. "I wasn't talking to you, Hakeem."

"Oh okay, because I could've sworn you said something about CEO."

"Actually, I did."

"Well, you can stop dreaming because you're not becoming CEO."

"And you won't either if you keep disrespecting your mother," Lucious told Hakeem.

Hakeem's jaw dropped as Cookie thanked him. "Thank you, Lucious!"

So now everyone was against Hakeem? "Pop-"

"Don't Pop him! You need to be disciplined for once!" Aunt Carol said.

Hakeem let out a huff. "I just wish someone would've ran this by me first."

Pop spoke. "I didn't run it by you because it wasn't your decision."

"Then who's?"

"Your sister's."

That made Hakeem fixate on his sister angrily. "You told her to move in?"

Royalty spoke proudly. "Yes I did. She's here to stay, so you have to accept it."

"He better accept it, or he's not performing at the club," Pop threatened.

Lucious was really pissing Hakeem off. Since when did he defend Cookie this hard? It was probably because his aunts were there.

Cookie was curious. "What club?"

"There's a new club opening up this weekend. Tiana and Hakeem are performing together."

"I'll be there then."

Hakeem shut her down. "You're not invited."

"The entire family is going, Hakeem," Pop said.

"Going where?" Jamal asked as he walked in. "And why does Ma have suitcases in her hands?"

Aunt Carol gasped. "Jamal!" She ran up to him and hugged him tight. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"Aunt Carol? Aunt Candace? I didn't know this was a family reunion," Jamal joked.