Poison Ivy | Jordan Poole

twenty four.

I gotta let you go
(I'm so devoted)
You keep me open
Gotta let you go, gotta let you go
I gotta let you go, I must
But you're the only one that's holdin' me down (Ooh)
You're the only one holdin' me down (Only one)

Two days ago, they'd been in Europe. Now, as Ivy looked around she and Jordan's condo she came to grips with her new life. The all-white theme was oddly comforting. While Jordan had been settling in with his new team, she'd been decorating with Kai and Kota as her trusted assistants. She'd also taken the alone time to send out job applications.

Yara had offered to let her do a soft launch of her business there. Ivy was after all good with people and numbers. If she hadn't recently expanded to Las Vegas, Yara would have loved to take over Washington D.C. as well with Ivy at the helm. Still, Ivy didn't know if it was for her. All she'd promised to do was oversee a party for DJ Priya Singh in DC this weekend. After flaking due to personal drama on the first party she felt she owed it to Yara and her husband Quincy who'd ultimately had to fill in.

Jordan had also told her there was no rush to work, but she hated to not feel rooted. What else would she do here while he was working? Having her own life was important to her and if she was going to be comfortable then she needed to start establishing herself too.

It was 7 AM and she'd woken up in bed alone after yet another riveting night of having some of the best dick of her life. Making up for lost time was almost accomplished and she would never complain.

Portugal was nice but it had a grey cloud over it, one that didn't dissipate once they'd gotten to DC. Jordan had prodded her a few times to talk but she didn't want to. Not about that topic at least. Honestly, she was having trouble coming to terms with the idea that Darius was in fact missing and not playing some cruel mind game with her like he normally did.

At least she had her mother and Isla's visit to look forward to. Being surrounded by almost everyone she loved would surely help her feel more like herself.

She walked into the kitchen and found the man of her dreams glued to his phone. The breakfast he'd made them was discarded. As badly as she wanted to forget, one glance at his face and the image across his screen made her realize she may not have a choice. Her heart dropped just as her phone began to ring. She ignored it.

The headline that was glaring at them from Jordan's phone was more than enough to jolt her.

SCORNED LOVER LET GO AS MISSING ACCOUNTANT IS FOUND DEAD OF APPARENT OVERDOSE IN PARENT'S ALAMEDA ISLAND TOWNHOUSE!

Chills ran up her spine as she opened her phone, found the story, and read further. It didn't reveal the details of what happened. However, it did state that no foul play was suspected, hence Essence's release. One glance in the comments had her thinking the worst, someone had stated it was fentanyl and his parents were too ashamed to admit it.

Dennis & Olivia Williams had already put out a statement regarding their family's grief at the incident and thanked the public for their support. They stated that Darius was a light and encouraged families to look after their loved ones. It all pointed to suicide and Ivy immediately felt sick. Oddly, she also felt a sense of relief that added to her nausea.

Who in their right mind would feel relief at someone losing their life? Darius was manipulating her even from the grave she couldn't believe he was in. Nonetheless, her mind raced. She didn't believe for a second that he had put himself there. Darius loved life; in fact, he thought his life was more precious than anyone else's. So, why would he do anything that would take his?

Resting gently against the counter, she tried to comprehend a thousand and one emotions as her phone rang again. It was Isla and she knew she should pick up, but she didn't have any words at the time. Everything seemed wrong, the way this had happened, his parents' response. This was their only son, only heir and they'd reduced him to a statement on taking care of someone. She knew how Olivia felt about Darius. The same woman that had almost beat up Essence in a parking lot would never resign herself so quickly.