𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 ³ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁴

ten.

CHAPTER TEN
the big 20

Lucious

Giuliana was really trying Lucious' patience right now. She wasn't lying when she said she'd be there tonight. With so many people around, Lucious hoped he'd be able to avoid her, but she had tracked him down.

Giuliana was all over him a second ago, and he couldn't handle it. He had walked away from her and he was sick of doing so. How many times did he have to reject her before she got the hint? He guessed the answer was too many damn times.

"Hey boss," Thirsty said as he walked up to him.

"Hey, Thirsty," Lucious said irritably.

"You seem down."

"I'm irritated. Giuliana's here."

Thirsty was unsurprised. "Of course she is. She's drawn to you."

"She certainly is. Even with all of these people here, she managed to find me. She was all over me, and I hope Cookie didn't notice."

"Um, I think Cookie is occupied."

Lucious turned to see what he was on about. He saw Cookie conversing with a man he assumed was Damon. Lucious stood there wondering why Cookie was so taken with him because he didn't seem to be all that impressive. Damon had nothing on him.

Lucious was even more convinced they wouldn't last.

"Do you want me to handle him, boss? One phone call and-"

Lucious interrupted him. "No. Let Cookie have her fifteen minutes of fun. She'll be back."

"Are you sure about that, Lucifer? Because I don't think she will be," Carol said as she approached them. Candace was also with her.

"What the hell do you want, Carol?"

"I want you to leave my sister alone."

"I have been, because she left my ass."

Carol thanked the God's above. "Oh, praise the lord!"

Lucious didn't want to deal with her at all. "Alright, did you need anything? Because if not, I'm going to walk away."

Candace spoke to him. "You don't have to be bitter, Lucious. You should be glad Cookie found a good man."

He snorted. "I'm sorry to break it to you, but the man you're all worshiping is only temporary. Cookie and I will be back together."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because she loves me and always will," he replied confidently. "And I will always love her. We're meant to be together."

Carol yelled at him. "Nobody loves you, Lucious! Except for the woman you slept with, so go to her. Stop waiting for Cookie; she's long gone and she's not coming back."

Thank god Warren went on stage to address the audience. Lucious couldn't stand listening to Carol any longer.

"Hello, everybody!" said Warren. He looked around as everyone applauded loudly. "You know, I wasn't expecting to see some of you for another five years, but tonight is a special occasion. Tonight, we're here to honor the man himself, Hakeem Lyon."

Everyone went crazy as Warren continued to speak. "And, while tonight should be about Hakeem, he wants it to be about all of you. This year, he wants to give back and express his gratitude. How? The first thing he has in mind is a performance. So, are y'all ready to see the birthday boy?"