Inessa's life took a drastic turn when her father owed Vincent Valentino a lot of money. Unable to pay him back, Vincent decided to take Inessa as collateral. Inessa's world came crashing down, but she didn't cry; she was disappointed in her father...
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Thursday morning 10:00- Inessa
Inessa couldn't help but feel happy as she sat down at the breakfast table with her friends. The sun was shining through the windows, and the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes filled the room. She took a deep breath and smiled, feeling grateful for the simple things in life.
As she looked around the table, she saw Elijah grinning at her. "Oh look, the sleeping beauty is finally awake," he said teasingly, causing everyone to roll their eyes except for Inessa, who chuckled.
"Oh yeah, finally woke up from my years and years of sleep," she joked back, taking a sip of her coffee.
Elijah leaned in and whispered, "Are you still mad at me?" Inessa looked at him, trying to keep a straight face, but eventually broke into a smile.
"Oh no, of course not," she said, and Elijah jumped up, doing a little happy dance.
"Yes! I knew you'd forgive me!" he exclaimed, coming over to give her a hug.
Inessa wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "You know I love you, right?" Elijah said, and Inessa felt her heart swell with affection for her friend.
"Of course, I do. And I love you too," she said, kissing his forehead. Elijah was like a brother to her, and she loved him even though he could be annoying at times.
As they sat down to eat their breakfast, Inessa felt a sense of contentment wash over her. She was surrounded by people she cared about, and everything felt right in the world. She couldn't help but think that life was good, and she was grateful for it all.
But her good mood was soon shattered when she remembered something she had been meaning to ask Vincent. She cleared her throat and turned to him.
"Hey, Vince, do you mind if Zariah comes over later?" she asked, hoping he would say yes.
Vincent looked up from his plate, his expression annoyed. "Why would I want her here?" he grumbled.
Inessa felt a pang of frustration. She had hoped Vincent would be happy for her, but he seemed to be in a bad mood again. "Because she's my friend, and I want to hang out with her," she replied, trying to keep her tone light.
Vincent rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you even bother asking me. You always do what you want anyway," he snapped.
Inessa felt her temper flare. "What's your problem? I'm just asking if she can come over. It's not a big deal," she retorted, her voice rising.
Vincent stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "It is a big deal. I don't want her here," he said, his tone final.
Inessa felt her frustration turn to anger. "Fine. If that's how you feel, I'll just go over to her house instead," she said, standing up herself.
Vincent glared at her. "You're not going anywhere," he said, his voice low and menacing.
Inessa felt a surge of fear. She didn't like it when Vincent got like this. "I'm leaving, Vince. I'm not going to stay here and argue with you," she said, walking towards the door.
Vincent grabbed her arm, his grip tight. "You're not going anywhere," he repeated, his face twisted with anger.
Inessa yanked her arm free. "Let go of me, Vince. I'm serious," she warned, her heart racing.
Vincent stepped back, his eyes blazing. "Fine. Go. But don't expect me to be happy about it," he spat.
Inessa ignored him, heading for the door. She could hear Vincent yelling after her, but she didn't look back. She just got in the car and told the driver to take her to Zariah's house. As she drove away, she could feel Vincent's anger and frustration still simmering inside of her. She hoped he would calm down soon, but for now, she needed to get away from him.
(...)
Inessa arrived at Zariah's house and rang the doorbell. She was greeted by Zariah's mom, who was the nicest woman she had ever met. "Hi Mrs. Keita," she said, kissing her cheek.
"Hello my daughter," Zariah's mom said, smiling warmly. She always called Inessa her daughter, and Inessa found it endearing.
"Zariah is upstairs," her mom told her, and Inessa nodded, making her way up the stairs.
As she entered Zariah's room, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Zariah was there, looking as beautiful and carefree as ever. "Hey, girl," Inessa said, giving her friend a hug.
Zariah hugged her back. "Hey, Inessa. What's up?" she asked.
Inessa sighed, telling Zariah about her fight with Vincent. Zariah listened sympathetically, nodding as Inessa spoke.
"That sucks, girl. You don't deserve to be treated like that," Zariah said, putting a comforting arm around Inessa's shoulders.
Inessa smiled gratefully. Zariah always knew how to make her feel better. "Thanks, Z. I really appreciate it," she said, leaning into her friend's embrace.
They spent the afternoon chatting and laughing, and Inessa felt her mood lift as the day went on. She was grateful to have Zariah in her life, and she knew that no matter what happened with Vincent, she would always have her friend by her side.
As the sun began to set, Inessa realized that it was getting late. "I should probably head back home," she said, reluctantly pulling away from Zariah's embrace.
Zariah nodded understandingly. "Yeah, you don't want to keep Vincent waiting," she said, giving Inessa a knowing look.
Inessa sighed, her good mood dimming slightly at the mention of Vincent. "I guess I'll see you soon, Z," she said, giving her friend another hug.
"Definitely. And if you ever need anything, you know I'm here for you," Zariah said, smiling warmly.
Inessa smiled back. "I know. Thanks, Z," she said, before making her way downstairs.
As she left the house and got into the waiting car, she felt a sense of trepidation. She didn't know what to expect when she got home, but she hoped that Vincent had cooled down and that they could talk things out. As the car pulled up to her front door, she took a deep breath and stepped out, ready to face whatever awaited her.
However, as soon as she stepped inside, she knew that things were not okay. Vincent was abnormally mad and angry, and he was shouting at her, getting in her face. Inessa could smell that he was drunk, which only made things worse.
Tears streamed down Inessa's face as Vincent continued to berate her, and she couldn't believe that he could be so cruel. Suddenly, Trey appeared out of nowhere and pulled Vincent away from her.
"Hey man, that's enough. You need to calm down," Trey said firmly, his voice laced with warning.
Vincent struggled against Trey's grip, but eventually, he relented and stumbled away, disappearing into another room.
Trey turned to Inessa, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, gently wiping away her tears.
Inessa shook her head, unable to speak. Mira appeared then and took her to her room, deciding to stay with her for the rest of the evening. As they talked and laughed, Inessa felt a sense of comfort in Mira's presence. They both quickly came to the realization that they had never really hung out one on one before, so they decided to make the most of it and spend the evening together.
As they fell asleep, Inessa felt grateful for the support of her friends. She knew that she had a lot to figure out in her relationship with Vincent, but for now, she was content to have Mira by her side.
