Jade

Chapter 20

The driveway of the Browns' Star Island mansion gleamed with twinkling string lights as black luxury SUVs rolled in one after another. Beyond the estate's gated entrance, paparazzi and press stood around for a glimpse of high-profile guest, cameras flashing. A custom infinity pool, adorned with floating white orchid arrangements, shimmered beneath the Miami moonlight.

Servers dressed in crisp white tuxedos worked the crowd, offering trays of Dom Pérignon and hors d'oeuvres, while a live jazz band played soft, sophisticated melodies. At the center of the event was  Jade's Teen Vogue cover, blown up to larger-than-life proportions, surrounded by signed copies of the magazine for her closest friends and family.

Jade stood by the fountain taking pictures with Paris in hand, her dress was nothing short of breathtaking—a piece so intricate it felt like art come to life. Amar'e had worked with one of Paris' most exclusive ateliers to bring her childhood dream to reality, and it showed. The dress was a refined, grown-up version of the one she had sketched in her Jade journal at 12.

It was made of champagne satin, hugging her frame due to the corseted bodice that laced up the back. The off-the-shoulder draping gave old Hollywood glamour. Her hair was styled in soft bombshell curls, and a slender platinum necklace with a flawless teardrop-shaped jade stone that was a gift from her grandmother adorned her neck.

She spotted Karina once she was done getting her pictures taken, holding a flute of champagne. "Girl, this party is giving Oscars afterparty vibes I'm living for it. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you Karina." Jade said with a smile, giving her cousin a hug and tight squeeze like they used to do when they were kids.

From a distance Jade spotted A'mouri, making his way over to them dressed in an all-black tailored Tom Ford suit.

"Oh okay, look who decided to show up." Karina said, shaking her head. The event started almost two hours ago.

"My fault, I got caught up," he said, adjusting the Rolex datejust on his wrist. "Congrats though Jade, I'm proud of you. You been talking about doing this since we were kids."

"Thank you A'mouri." Jade said with a smile as they hugged. "This really was always it for me... I used to sign everything from papers, napkins, even your sneakers."

"And I wanted to kill you every time," A'mouri said with a chuckle as Jade laughed.

Reign and Nova walked up to her right as she wrapped up her conversation with A'mouri.

"Not my man running from me." Nova frowned, delusional as ever seeing A'mouri walk away before they walked over.

"You need to get over that, seriously," Reign said to Nova before turning to Jade. "Congrats bestie, I'm so very proud of you, you literally shut the city down."

"Thank you, love you." Jade said with a smile as all three girls embraced.

"Now, be a doll and sign this for me." Nova said, handing Jade a copy of Teen Vogue.

Jade laughed as she took the magazine and signed it.

As the night went on, Jade moved through the crowd, greeting guests, laughing, and basking in the glow of her accomplishments. The jazz band soon transitioned to a DJ set that featured a curated mix of old-school R&B and reggae vibes.

From a distance, the press captured what they could, trying to show the grandeur of the party through their lens. On the blogs and social media, the event was already being dubbed the party of the season.

Jade stood by the edge of the pool as the night began to wind down, the sounds of laughter and music quieting down as Amar'e took the stage.

"I wanna thank everybody for coming out to celebrate my baby girl, Jade." He said with a proud smile as the crowd exploded in applause and cheers. "Man, when Jade was like five, we had her write out her Christmas list and the stuff she used to ask for was insane." The crowd laughed as he reminisced. "So when she told me she wanted to be an actress, I was all the way behind it. I just knew no other career was about to fund the lifestyle she's used to. She been high-maintenance since day one taking after her mom and her aunties." He said as the audience laughed.