La Familia

01. Dangerous Woman

Dangerous Woman

Chapter One

May 9, 2014

The lights were turned on, showcasing the light beams in the sky. The red carpet had been rolled out and everyone knew that something special was happening. Privé was opening its doors yet again after shutting down in 2012 unexpectedly. Everybody that was somebody and respected by the Knowles family had been invited to the grand reopening. The feeling hadn't been the same in the building. There wasn't a Knowles family member in the building, and it was unusual for the club. Ever since Beyoncé disappeared into thin air, the feeling around New York City had changed. Many still sympathized with what transpired with her in October of 2012, and some felt that she wasn't hiding – she was dead.

"I can't even believe they opened back up," one girl at the bar said to her best friend. Two years ago, Mathew was too into his family situation to keep up with the upkeep of the club. The normal responsibility to make sure that Privé stayed at its best was Beyoncé. Once a rumor had gone around that she had been spotted in New York City, it had sent both families into frenzy. Finding her or Shawn was one step closer to answers that everyone desperately needed. Some even speculated that Michael Carter, younger brother of Shawn, actually knew where she was, but no one had seen Michael since the very same day. Several people speculated that he was dead, as well. Unlike with Bey's speculated dead, many thought Carter knew that Michael was dead and was simply covering it up to not let anyone know that he was vulnerable without his sons.

"Girl, this place is their money," the friend smartly replied. "I'm more surprised they closed it for that long. This shit was the hottest!"

"Still is. There go Terrence. He doesn't look himself."

Terrence Knowles maneuvered throughout the club like a high profiled celebrity. He had security and an entourage that included his new wife, Christina. He wore his normal attire of a business suit, letting everyone know that he held a standard in the building. The line of people led up to the VIP above the normal people. The minute they got up there, Terrence began barking off the orders that they had come up with before even getting dressed to attend the event.

"This is nice," Christina commented with a smirk. She looked down below to find women giggling at her man. It wasn't something that she could easily get used to, because she knew the type of women that frequented clubs to find their men. She had previously been one of them.

"It is. They redecorated."

"I can see that, but why are we here? When Privé was open years ago, you rarely visited. Why now?"

"This," Terrence spoke as he used his hands, "is a business meeting."

Christina frowned. "Of?"

Terrence smirked a bit before chuckling. "Kings, baby. Kings."

Her frown remained at the comment, not understanding. She didn't know much about the street dealing, but she knew that the streets had seemingly been halted. The Knowles and Carter families were too busy trying to find their loved ones to even deal with fighting one another. Carter was lost at sea because he didn't have a single son to account for. It was the reason that Terrence and Christina were even able to get married. Terrence realized that he had no threats against him. With his sister's whereabouts being unknown, no one knew what to do.

Soon, there seemed to be commotion down below. It was clear that someone of importance had entered the building. Women were standing on their tip toes to get a peek of the man that had entered the building. He was a light skinned fella with an apparent status. He even looked the part. But, he wasn't familiar to Christina's eyes. He seemed to breeze throughout the club as though he was an owner, which caused an uneasy feeling within her.