LUCIOUS & COOKIE: TUG OF WAR (REMASTERED)

LUCIOUS ON STEROIDS

A baby sister was certainly not the news I was expecting to hear from Cookie and Lucious when they asked to meet with us at the restaurant last month. I'm not sure how I really feel about those two potentially getting back together, although they've both said that they aren't together right now, with those two that could change at any minute. Regardless of if they're fussing or civil, there's an undeniable electricity between them that's hard to ignore.

If mom had never gone to prison, they'd probably still be married, and we'd already have a couple more siblings...that I'm sure of though.

When my car pulled up to mom's penthouse the night of the white party I noticed as soon as she strutted outside that there was something different going on with her. When she got in, she seemed antsier than a schoolgirl for some reason, but it wasn't until we were talking about the family song that my radar went off.

The twinkle in her eyes, the slight tint in her cheeks...It was all over her face when she was talking about dad going last instead of Hakeem and I just had to come out and ask her about it. Sure enough, those two were back at it again and I really can't say that it surprised me; it really was just a matter of time before it happened in my opinion, and everyone around picked up on the primal tension and energy between them.

At first, I kinda felt a little sorry for Anika, but after some of her actions and her always trying to shade mom that feeling didn't last very long. Honestly, she never really stood a chance once Cookie stepped back on the scene; there will never be another woman capable of keeping Lucious away from her.

My relationship with my father is getting increasingly better day by day and it's something that I cherish since I've never felt as if he ever really loved me until now. When he was locked down, I made it my mission to keep Empire on top, I had to. He'd given me the keys to the kingdom, and I couldn't give him any reason to regret putting his trust in me.

That was one of the reasons why I hired mom back as head of A& R, she's the best person for the job and I knew that if I was going to keep the company afloat, I needed her.

She'd made me a star, just like she'd made Lucious a star, and just like she'd do time and time again for many others in the future. She has a gift for it; she knows talent when she sees it and her instincts are never wrong. My mother always has my back and God knows that I don't want my father to hurt her again, she's been through so much already and she deserves nothing but happiness the rest of her life.

Nevertheless, those two are combustible around each other and whatever's going to happen between them is going to happen, regardless of if I want it to or not. Shoot, if I'm being honest, regardless of if they want it to or not, they seem to be like magnets.

As my car pulled up to Empire, I strolled onto the elevator then into my new office on the 18th floor down the hall from my parents. Plopping down behind my desk, I turned on the radio to listen to the new track I just laid down yesterday. It's jamming, but it's missing something. What, I'm still not sure but I'll run this track past my parents later and I'm sure they'll help me figure it out.

Easing back into the plush leather of my captain's chair, my thoughts continued to swirl. 

My relationship with my father started out solely based on the music but I think that once he saw me handle Beretti's shady ass and get his masters back he finally began to respect me as a man. The pride and glow dancing behind his eyes that night as I dangled his enemy against the balcony is something he'd never shown me before.

Yes, he's my father. Yes, he loves me, despite his maniacal methods of showing it but he never respected me. Until that very moment. 

Thinking of my relationship with Lucious makes my mind drift towards my relationship with my own child. My father came to me later that night when Reggie was shot, after the cops had left his house, and told me that he didn't think that he was Lola's father.

He admitted to sleeping with Oliva once but was adamant that he was careful and other than the former Mrs. Lyon, he always has been. Despite it all, I was pissed with his ass, but if there was a chance that she was mine, I wanted to know. So, we took the DNA test that day and sure enough Lola's my daughter.

I was then and still am over the moon, she's the best thing I've ever done, not to mention the fact that she's like the cutest little girl I've ever seen, if I do say so myself.

I can't wait until I get a chance to see her next week. Ryan and I split because he didn't want to be in a relationship with a man who has a child, I respect his decision, and I'm just glad that he told me before we'd gotten too serious.

It all worked out for the best anyway, because a few weeks later I ran into Michael while at a business meeting downtown. He'd just graduated culinary school at the top of his class and landed a job as a Chef in one of the most distinguished and high-profile restaurants in the city. Needless to say, we decided to get back together, and he and Lola get along really well.

Olivia and I decided to share joint custody of her, so half of the year she's with me and the other half she's with her mother. I bought her a plush four-bedroom house near her family in Florida because my baby will always have the best and Mom helped me hire a private tutor to commute between both places with Lola, so she won't fall behind on the things she needs to learn.

Suddenly Becky burst through my office doors in a frenzy. I know I haven't even really been here twenty minutes yet the panic in her eyes prompted me to shoot straight up within my seat.

"Jamal, Jamal it's an emergency!" She frantically blurted.

"Hold up Becky, what do you mean, what's going on?" I replied.

She gathered her breathe then spoke again, "I'm not sure, but there's been some type of accident. Olivia's sister is on line two." She murmured.

Oh my God Lola, I thought to myself while swiftly swooping up the phone without hesitation.

I listened to Olivia's sister Veronica speaking frantically from the other end as Becky waited in anticipation. Ten minutes later I hung up the phone, hopped out of my chair, grabbed my suit jacket, then headed out the door with Becky on my heels.

"Becky do me a favor and call Captain Moore. Tell him to have the Jet fueled and ready to leave for Florida within the hour." I ordered, feet bounding around the corner. 

She whipped out her cell, "Sure thing, but please tell me what's going on. Is everything okay?" She probed, hot on my heels.

Nearly sprinting down the hall, I arrived at my father's office but turned to answer her before heading inside.

"No, there was a car accident and Olivia's been killed, I have to go and get Lola." I spat then dashed off to advise my father of the situation at hand.