LUCIOUS & COOKIE: TUG OF WAR II (REMASTERED)

CURRENT AFFAIRS PT I

3 Month's Later

Jamal

My wondering mind is anxiously toiling over various different thoughts. It's still cold out, although April is approaching so I adjusted my coat around my body while in the back seat of the Bentley coasting me closer and closer towards my mother. I took a deep breath, ran my hand over my chin as my eyes danced along the streets, the shiny high-class scenery of the world I now live in morphed into the hard core and real-world surroundings of the Bronx, as my car rolled off the highway.

We're getting the last little trances of Winter weather, the natural shift of nature showing that Spring's rapidly approaching because the once desolate branches of the trees blurring past me are beginning to pop to life.

I watched as a young girl, can't be no more than 16 or 17 at the most, walked down the streets of the hood with a double stroller and a baby bag over her shoulder. My mind instantly thought about Lola and how easily she could've fallen into that same situation, especially if Lucious had raised her.

Licking my lips, my eyes shifted down to my phone, while my driver continues to maneuver the cracked pavement of these grimy streets. I just came from a meeting with Jamison and he's so excited about me being the bright new face of gays everywhere and for me to help him promote the movement for equality.

Like I'm supposed to be a gay superhero or something now right, he's been in talks with Pepsi over ideas for the commercial, and ever since the ASA Nominations were announced shortly before Christmas, the spotlight has been shining brighter and brighter on me by the day.

I took a quick glance back out onto the streets then down at my phone, a small smile came over my face while I thought about the crazy text message Skye sent me earlier... it was a video message of her being silly with her hair and makeup team.

Her new album with Empire hit the scene a month and a half ago, since then it's been soaring up the charts, so of course she was sent out on tour asap to capitalize on the album's current momentum. I miss my girl though, I mean yeah, we talk and Face Time nearly every day but it's not the same as holding her.

I'm on my way to Ghetto Ass Studios to scoop up Ma so we can stop by the hospital and visit Lola, she and I have sorta made a regular thing outta going in to check on my baby girl together. I know she's potentially my sister, but I can't help but love her like she's my child and things feel super weird now that Laylah and the twins know the truth of the matter from Lucious' lips.

Just Awkward as hell, I thought while shifting my body upright against the soft leather interior of my seat while we continue to inch closer towards our destination. Initially my brothers and I were dead set against Ma setting up shop in this part of town, not cuz it's hood but cuz we were worried about her safety.

Everybody knows she can handle herself, yet her behind always thinks she so tough and invincible that the wolves lurking in the woods around us won't pounce at the opportunity to prey upon Lucious Lyon's ex-wife. They'd try to bleed her ass dry if they could.

But, of course what ever Cookie wants she gets so we all struck a deal with her to at least help ease our minds about her starting her own company in such a shady part of town. Ma agreed to the top-of-the-line security team we hired for her and so Me, Dre, and Keem didn't make any more noise about her location.

My phone chirped with a text message:

Queen Bee: Where da hell yo ass at boy?

Me: Almost there Ma, like five minutes away.

Queen Bee: Well hurry ya ass up, got me out here waitin' in this damn cold.

A few minutes passed, she didn't say nothing else but as we approached her building, I noticed her standing outside in a pair of fitted light blue Seven jeans, a tan blouse, thigh high tan boots, with a white and tan fur draped around her...dripping money.