Love Games

10|| Failed Invements

⚡️Easton

Things had been relatively quiet lately. Rob hadn't delivered any troubling updates, which was a relief for me. With that weight off my shoulders, I could now shift my focus back to my legal business and the motorcycles I planned to incorporate into my dealership. As I sat in my office, meticulously examining my accounts to ensure everything was in order before selecting the models I wanted to add, my father walked in.

"What's going on, son?" he greeted, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before taking a seat across from me.

"Just going over the books before I place an order for the bikes," I replied, my attention still fixed on the figures in front of me.

"Everything's in order?" he inquired, his expression betraying a hint of concern. Although the dealership was solely mine, my father still kept an eye on the investments he had entrusted to me and my brother, Drew.

"I nodded, offering a small smile. 'Everything's peachy.'

"Great, where's your trip going to be this year?" he asked abruptly.

I closed everything up and began to put everything away. "We're thinking Jamaica or the Virgin Islands," I said, trying to hurry the conversation. I had an investment of my own to check on.

"Nice, I'd go with the Virgin Islands," he suggested.

"Why?" I asked, curious about his reasoning.

"Because you already need to go to Jamaica to renegotiate soon," he explained, sitting back.

"Is that why you're here?" I asked, wanting to know the purpose of his visit.

"Partly," he replied, leaning back comfortably. "The other part?"

"What's the update from Rob?" he inquired.

"Basic stuff. She's checking phone records and watching us," I shrugged.

"Welp, that's all I came for. Oh, and tell Drew to stop ignoring me. I'll catch up with him soon," my dad said as he walked out.

I had no idea why Drew had been avoiding my dad, but I laughed because honestly, it was probably Drew avoiding starting a legitimate business. While he did hold responsibility for the drug business, my dad always instilled education or entrepreneurship in us. I happened to pursue both, and for the last year or so, my dad had been hounding Drew to either get into school or start a legitimate business. Mainly because it provided a good cover-up, but also because he wanted more for us than just being drug lords.

••••

As I knocked on the door, a mix of anticipation and nervousness washed over me. Ivy's surprise when she opened the door was unmistakable, accompanied by a warning look that left me puzzled. However, as I stepped inside and saw Amina standing there, looking absolutely stunning, everything suddenly clicked into place.

Guilt washed over me for not grasping Ivy's warning sooner. It was evident she had wanted to prepare me for Amina's presence, perhaps concerned about potential awkwardness. Especially since it had been a week since I'd given Ivy the car, and I'd been dropping hints to Amina, though it seemed she hadn't picked up on them.

Despite the initial surprise and realization, I composed myself and offered Ivy a small, understanding nod before turning my attention to Amina.

Suppressing a sigh, I plastered on a polite smile and greeted Amina warmly. "Hey, Amina, you look amazing," I complimented, trying to mask my confusion.

"Thanks, you're not looking too bad yourself," she replied with a playful smirk, giving me a once-over.

"So, what are you getting into looking all nice?" I asked casually, throwing myself onto Ivy's couch. Since Ivy wasn't providing answers, I figured I'd take matters into my own hands, as I had intended from the start. I could sense Ivy wanting to strangle me with her warning look, but I continued, "Ivy didn't tell—" My words were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who's that?" I asked, turning to Ivy, whose face turned red. When I glanced back at Amina, she was smiling from ear to ear.  The fuck was she smiling so hard for ?
Ivy walked to the front door and opened it.

"Troy, heyy," Ivy greeted, then turned to Amina, saying, "Mina, your boo is here."

I couldn't help but cough, which quickly turned into a scoff. 'Her boo?' I thought to myself, dumbfounded. Once I gathered myself, I immediately looked up at Ivy, who nervously smiled. I watched in disbelief as Amina happily walked over to the slender guy at the door.

After Ivy bid her goodbyes, telling Amina to enjoy her date before closing the door, she came to sit down and immediately tried to change the conversation. "So, why are you here?" she asked, attempting to divert my attention.

"What the hell was that?" I exclaimed, ignoring her attempts to brush it off.

"What?" She widened her eyes, feigning confusion. "That, Amina and her boo?" I spat.

"Yeah, that's someone she's seeing. She met him a few weeks ago," she explained, still playing dumb.

"And I gave you a damn car to do a job a few weeks ago. One that's supposed to have her liking me," I finally said, growing tired of her pretense.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Look, I can't force her into anything. I told her about you. It's your job to do the rest. She's not naive, like Kayla," Ivy said seriously.

"Why the hell did I give you the car for?" I demanded, snatching the keys from her table. Ivy quickly snatched them back. "Because I did what you asked, and because Uncle said to give it to me," she retorted, sticking her tongue out defiantly.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes because deep down, Ivy was right. Eventually, I would have had to give her the damn car. I just expedited the process because I needed a favor. My dad truly treated Ivy, Aria, and Aries as his bonus daughters, and their parents reciprocated the sentiment towards me and my brothers.

I sparked up my blunt, fully aware of Ivy's disapproval.  "Uh uh, no! Put that out," she demanded. Ignoring her, I took a huge puff and blew out a massive cloud of smoke into the air, just to annoy her. "You're annoying," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"And you're useless, as usual," I retorted, blowing smoke in her direction again.

She shrugged, unfazed. "I did what you asked. It's your job to make her like you. Bad enough you told her about your dog-ass."