Beyoncé Knowles can't believe her annoyingly perfect personal assistant has actually resigned from her cushy, highly paid position, and she intends to tell her exactly what she thinks about it.
But when she gets to her place, she comes to realize s...
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Beyoncé eyed the pile of colorful sandwiches her mother had stacked on a little plate with suspicion, wondering why the bread was green.
Onika's and Kehlani's voices still resounded in her mind, telling her what she should have known: she was a crappy girlfriend, and if she wanted her future relationships to work, she had to do something about it.
She didn't know what made Michelle tick outside of the bedroom; she'd never even wondered. And although they'd spent three years together, she couldn't even come up with one thing Kehlani liked. She knew she'd gone to the cinema from time to time, but she had no clue what kind of movie she liked; she'd always been to busy to accompany her.
"So, let me get this straight. You picked Michelle because she was the opposite of Kehlani," her mother summarized.
She nodded; the fact that she'd risen from nothing, and managed to earn a good six figures on her own, had made her believe that she wouldn't care about her money, and that she'd understand how hard she had to work.
"And she was cheating on you with her boss."
Another nod. She hadn't even denied it when she'd confronted her the day before; she'd simply stated that they'd never talked about exclusivity. A lie. Beyoncé demanded it from day one.
"Well, you went for a whore. That never helps," her mother replied good-humoredly.
She'd never liked Michelle and she hadn't tried to hide it, but Beyoncé had just assumed it was one of those mother vs girlfriend kind of things. They're supposed to hate each other at all costs.
"But, Beyoncé, truth is, no other kind of woman is going to want you."
Oh. Okay, then. Weren't parents supposed to be supportive of something?
"You work about twice as much as you need to. I may not know what you do every second of your life, but I bet you didn't spend any time with that girl outside of official functions and bedroom time. No decent woman is going to be attracted by that. You want a good relationship? Daughter, you'll need to work for it."
Beyoncé felt like her delicate, kind mother had slapped her in the face—and for all intents and purposes, she had. Out of a morbid sense of curiosity, she asked what she'd never had the gall to ask before: "And with Kehlani? Where did I go wrong?"
Tina Knowles sighed sympathetically and smiled, perhaps a little sadly.
"Same difference, really; you weren't there for her—and as she is a decent woman, she didn't stand for that. Beyoncé, you were raised by a self-made man who you admire, as you should. You grew up hearing tales of how hard he worked for what is now ours. And that's part of who you are now... But Matthew hasn't worked as hard as he used to in a long time. He chose his family. He chose us. You're not going to have what he's had with us and managed to work like you are now. It's a matter of picking what is more important to you."
Beyoncé stuffed a weird green and orange sandwich in her mouth so she didn't have to answer. To her relief, it tasted edible.
As she chewed, she came up with a plan. Her mother was right: she wanted—needed—to prove herself as a businesswoman. She'd been successful so far, but there was no glory in pushing a thriving company built by your father even further. Her priority was making a name for herself in the business. Then, once she was satisfied, once she felt that she could slow down, she would try again, taking her time to pick the right woman this time. Even if she had to ask her mother for help.
Onika's cat like eyes flickered in her mind, but she blinked them away. She was an employee. She was—technically—still married. Maybe if things changed when she was ready...
Time would tell what fate had in store for her. But now, she was more focused than ever.
That afternoon, the first thing she did was stop by the maintenance floor to talk about the elevator.
"Remove the entry code," she ordered.
She was done using her office as a den—if any deal, any client fell in her lap, she wanted to know. Onika would be a good gatekeeper; she knew enough of the industry to be able to tell what was worth her time, and she'd reschedule or delegate the rest.
She walked into her lobby, a humongous smile on her face, eager to inform her of this latest development, but instead of finding her usually calm and collected assistant behind her desk, she bumped into her at the door.
She looked panicked, distraught, and one glance told her that she'd packed up her things and cleared her desk for the day.
"Ms. Knowles, I've tried to call," she told her. "I need to go home right now."
What... She glanced at the clock; it wasn't even three. She usually worked until five, and she had a lot of plans to share with her. Things were going to change considerably around the office, and she'd be the first one affected.
"No."
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This Chapter?
Nicki?
What do you think she wants to leave early for?
What do you think her reaction to being told no will be?
