Esteban, Ready to Risk It All

Chapter 2 ~ The Beauty

"Esteban," my sister calls my name, weaving her way through the empty chairs and tables of  Hot Bean Coffee Cafe

"Estefania,"  standing, I greet my sister, who is hugging me like she is seeing me for the first time.

"I placed our order, I hope you still get the same thing from here"

"Thank you and I do" as if on cue the waiter delivers her double espresso with a shot of heavy cream.

"So, dear brother, has The Beauty  called you yet?"

It's been three days since I met Remi-Blu, and  to my surprise she hasn't called.

I answered confidently. "Not yet, but she will; they always do."

Sipping my espresso, I sit back as sunshine hits my face; I take a deep breath, glad to be home.  Over lunch  Estefania who I call Fania brings me up to date on our businesses.

While I was away, Fania  managed my businesses, the legitimate ones which include   Estelia's, a full-service Salon and Wellness Spa named after our mother. We own the building and it also houses our event spaces. And three Apartments.  The Hot Bean Cafe and the Navarro Building that houses event space and luxury rentals .

I purchased The Navarro when I was sixteen with the money I made from my first deal.  Then it was an abandoned six-story building in the heart of Lil Havana. At sixteen I knew I had to put the money somewhere and with the help of my father and  following in his  footsteps I purchased the building.

Originally it was my crew's secret location. But by the time I was twenty we moved into a bigger spot in South Beach and then the building was empty again until my 28th birthday when I began working  on being legitimate.  The building underwent some remodeling but once I got charged a new plan was put in place.

I switched it up and remodeled it to fit our needs. The first floor of the building  was designed to include a second location of Estelia's .  Our apartments are on the sixth floor. The other floors are a mix of three and two bedroom luxury apartments. The rooftop was renovated and is a luxury event space. We rent the rooftop to an  exclusive list of people. 

Every part of the building is used. The planning paid off, my sister was able to manage most of the business from the safety and comfort of her own home.

The planning paid off because I continued to earn income, keep my sister safe and have a stress free transition back into regular life. I just hope the next three months are stress free as I switch the Crews  business up.

There isn't anything that I could do to repay Fania  for making my businesses a priority and all the sacrifices she made to do so.  My portfolio of business was diverse, and my goal was to be completely legit by the time I turned 30 and live life to the fullest making clean moves. I would have reached that goal if I had trusted my instincts.

I realized early on that I would have to do a bid, I just didn't know how long, the mandatory time for one of my charges was  15 years. My legal teams plan was to get the charges dropped, or lessen if all else failed. Have the no time run concurrently. The team assumed with good behavior I could get home in 7 to 10 years.

The plan was Fania and I would  discuss business through daily phone calls and once a month she would visit. After that first year, the unexpected happened. All the business grew and out earned the forecast, and I made my  first legitimate million. 

Fania is more like me than I realized. I found out she'd also been overseeing my  crew's  business and profits on that end increased and our relationships with other crews improved. Our crew finally was linked with legitimate dealings.