𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 - 𝚓𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚎.

six.

Jordan Poole.

I settled into my seat, watching Karianah rehearse with the girls. It felt good to see her doing what she loved, even if it was a reminder of everything we'd been through.

Jahkari sat next to me, his little legs swinging back and forth as he absorbed the sights and sounds of the studio. He clapped and giggled, mimicking the choreography as best as a toddler could.

But as usual, things weren't destined to remain perfect for long. Camille waltzed in late.

"Did you forget we were practicing today, or did your alarm clock just hate you?" Mariah quipped, but Camille simply rolled her eyes and strutted past her, barely acknowledging her presence.

A few minutes later, Serayah walked in.

"Well if it ain't the bitch who loves my leftovers, nice of you to join us," Camille said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"It's not my fault he left you for me," Serayah shot back.

I leaned back, trying to tune out everything as I focused on Karianah, who had just scooped Jahkari up and was dancing with him. The sight of them together made me smile. Karianah was so natural as a mom, her joy radiating as she twirled Jahkari around.

"How cute. I didn't know we were running a daycare," Camille sneered.

"With all the dick eating you do Camille, I figured you would be running one too." Karianah replied while covering Jahkari's ears.

Serayah laughed, and I watched her approach me. "Congrats on your baby, Jordan," she said, her voice light, but I felt irritation bubble up within me.

"Yeah, Thanks," I replied rudely, my eyes narrowing slightly as I glanced at Camille, who was now visibly annoyed at seeing Kari so happy.

The choreographers arrived, explaining that the opening number for the reunion tour would feature a choreography set to "More Than A Woman" by Aaliyah.

"Let's recreate the magic from the video!" one of the choreographers said.

Jahkari giggled as his Karianah kissed him one last time on the cheek and encouraged him to come sit with me.

"Daddy, look!" he exclaimed, pointing at Karianah as she started to practice.

"Yeah, buddy. She's amazing, isn't she?" I replied, ruffling his hair as I tried to shake off the unease that lingered.

As they were halfway into the choreography, the energy in the room shifted again as they started discussing which parts of the song each of them would sing.

"I was thinking maybe I can sing the opening verse," Serayah suggested.

Before she could continue, Camille interrupted, "This is a conversation for the ones who actually have a career," she shot back, her eyes narrowing at Serayah.

"Can y'all stop arguing over some mediocre dick for five minutes? The both of y'all look dumb. Damn," Summer exclaimed, her frustration clear. I couldn't help but smirk at her bluntness; she always had a way of cutting through the nonsense.

Karianah, who had been sipping on her water, had burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer. "You know what? I'll do it," she said.

The room went quiet, and all eyes turned to her. Camille's expression shifted from annoyance to surprise. "You?" she scoffed. "And you think you can handle it?"

"Please," Karianah shot back with a grin. "I've been doing this longer than you've been in the industry, Camille. I'll take the verse, and I'll make it sound good."