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25. Runnin'

Runnin'
Chapter Twenty Five

November 5, 2012

Beyoncé's eyes looked out of the window as she sat in the backseat of the black on black SUV. It was her first time back in New York City since everything happened, and she was keeping the lowest profile ever. The only person that she had human contact with was Clifford, and that was because he'd been sneaking in and out of the city to meet with her. She hadn't been in living in Chicago since Shawn left her, in fear that he would come back. It wasn't something that she wanted. He left her in a time of need without looking back.

Today, she was going to handle some business in New York, and that meant ending a few ties. This was the last city she wanted to be in, and it showed by her demeanor. The snow was starting to fall in the city, showing that the holidays were quickly approaching. It was one year that she wasn't in the mood for it.

When the SUV pulled into her office building, Bey stepped out without the driver's help. She examined her building from the outside, noting that no damage had been done to it. She hadn't been handling anything, and she knew Kelly was pissed with her. She knew for a fact, given that she'd openly expressed it several times to many different people.

"Give me a few minutes," Bey told the driver as she went into the building the same way she always did. When she arrived to her floor, she was met with several glances. No one wanted to say anything, and she knew why. Kelly had whipped them into shape.

"Beyoncé," Kelly greeted dryly. "You actually know where this building stands?"

Bey shook her head. "Nice to see you as well, Kelendria."

"Is it, really? It would be nice to see you actually working. You know how many dea-"

"I get the emails," Bey stopped her. "I get everything you send me. I read them."

"Then why not come to work? This is your dream, not mine. I'm honestly tired, Beyoncé. I'm tired of coming here and having to take home all the problems while you get to go parade around wit-"

"I haven't been parading around." It was obvious that Bey wasn't in the mood to argue with the girl. She didn't come to argue with Kelly. She came to make a decision on her business.

"Then what have you been doing, Bey? Huh? We all came back after the hurricane to work, and you didn't. You lied to me and said you were coming to work that day, and you bailed!"

"For good reason," Bey vaguely explained. "Truthfully, I don't feel as though I have to explain myself to you. I just came to let you know I'm shutting all of this down."

Immediately, Kelly grew angry from the news. The first time she finally decides to show up, she speaks about shutting the entire company down. She'd given up so many things to help a best friend with a dream, and it was snatched away. "Are you kidding me, Beyoncé?! What is wrong with you? This was once your baby!"

"Nothing in this city is my baby!" Beyoncé yelled at her.

Kelly took a step back to transform into friend mode. She could tell that something was hurting Beyoncé, and she was truly trying to keep it together. Softly, Kelly asked, "Bey...what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Bey dismissed in her very own soft tone. "I'll write everyone a nice check, but this is over. I'm done."

Hearing the defeat in Bey's voice, Kelly could only watch as she began to leave their floor by stepping into the elevator. Owning a clothing line had been a dream of hers for many years. When she decided to attend college, everyone knew that the line would be big. She had the talent and the drive, and up until recently, she'd been doing so well.