Grim

65

I didn't think that Ace was paranoid at all. Something definitely was up. I always had a feeling that the Boss was always ten steps ahead, as if this little game had been designed way before I was able to play it. Everyone was a pawn for the Boss, who, in my metaphor, would be the game designer.

Maybe he was using someone I truly wouldn't have suspected.

"It's definitely not Marco," Ace defended as he got ready to do a process of elimination. "He's been our most loyal friend for the three years we've known him. Remember 2020 in Atlanta?"

I nodded, "He took a bullet for me." He damn well nearly died from the bullet too. He was truly a ride or die. He had proven his loyalty time and time again, not only to me, but also to Ace.

He even left his safe house to see if Ace and I were good. I knew better than to rule anyone out, but I never got any bad feelings about him.

"It's definitely not Sapphire either," I vouched. I had gotten great at reading Saph's body language the closer we got. I knew that she was completely honest with me, and she wouldn't agree to have a child with me if she were still working with the Boss.

"What about her mom? We've never suspected her," Ace brought up. Ace definitely was right about that. I never suspected Emory because I viewed her as a second mother. She was always very comforting and supporting, and I knew she thought highly of me.

That day when I let it slip from my mouth to Sapphire that I was needing to speak with Emory, it wasn't to do a check-in, though I often checked in with Emory without anyone's knowledge. Really, I had wanted to speak with Emory that day to ask for her blessings. She was the second person to find out about my plans to propose to Sapphire. I genuinely trusted her.

Ace added, "And Rose too."

"Rose was the reason Sapphire and I kept on bumping into each other..." I reminded my brother.

I knew that Rose and I often got into heated conversations, and as annoying as I sometimes found her, I knew she was just playing the role of a big sister to Sapphire. When she wasn't being protective of Saph, she was actually a chill person.

Out of everyone in the house, I had the least connection with her, but that didn't mean she was a spy. I still trusted that she had my best interest in mind because Sapphire and I were so close, and she also seemed genuinely excited for Saph when we announced our engagement.

My only loose end with her was that she was the reason Saph "coincidentally" bumped into me those two times.

Ace added, "And she got defensive when Marco suggested that her name should go on the suspect list."

"I say we question Rose," I suggested, and Ace nodded his head in agreement.

We then made our way to Marco and Rose's room, and I knocked on the door.

It wasn't before long that Marco came opening the door. "Y'all good?" He questioned, referring to the fact that Richard pulled up here.

"Yeah," Ace nodded. "We wanna ask Rose something."

Marco looked curious but stepped aside nonetheless so that we could speak to Rose. Rose, who was burping Pharaoh, greeted, "Hey..." She too looked confused by Ace's and my visit.

"Why did you invite Sapphire to the club the day I was visiting?" I cut to the chase.

"Great! This again," she rolled her eyes. "You need to let that shit go, Reaper! It was an honest coincidence."

Who the fuck was she talking to like that?!

I looked at Marco, who saw my face and immediately knew I was not in the mood for Rose's attitude. I rarely let Saph talk to me like that. No fucking way was I gonna allow Rose to.