Don't Hurt Yourself *currently editing*

5

February 2022
Manhattan, New York

Onika "Nicki" Maraj

I was on the phone with a very angry Indian man who was cursing me out for something I have no control over, I was holding back my tears trying my best not to crack under pressure. "Sir I understand your frustration but..I know but...I'm sorry bu-"

"Who am I speaking to?" Ms. Knowles took the phone from me and continued the call. "As she stated previously I'm completely booked, I made it perfectly clear when we had our meeting how tight my schedule is this month... I see, well that has nothing to do with me and quite frankly I don't see myself partnering with an individual like you...have a good day sir." She hung up my phone and placed it back on the receiver. "Are you okay Nicki?"

"I'm fine I guess." She lifted my head up, my eyes met hers and I felt intimidated all over again. "Don't let people like that get to you. Push my next meeting back an hour, I have someone else coming in that's urgent." Just as she spoke a group came in, Lauren was with them. When she saw me she rushed over, "Beyoncé if you did something to her I'll hurt you." She held my cheeks brushing away my tears. "I would never. It was an ex client."

"Who?"

"I'll fill you in when the meeting starts, where's pops."

"Right here." An older man walked in with a woman that resembled Ms. Knowles, come to think of it another woman who was here resembled her too. "Nicki if anymore calls come for me tell them I'll call them back when I'm done." They all walked to her off and the door was shut. I sat back in my seat wondering what that was about, I know I wasn't supposed to be noisy but these private meetings brought some strange individuals.

Beyoncé "Honeybee" Knowles

Everyone took a seat in my office and waited for my dad to start the meeting. "I just want to say to everyone here I'm proud of how well y'all holding things down out here. So I won't hold y'all much longer, Nip you moving up from soldier to lieutenant, your going to oversee the safe house in Brooklyn, is that good for y'all?" He ushered towards him and Lauren. "Yes sir, thank you for this opportunity."

"Kelly and Michelle y'all getting promoted from lieutenants to commanders, Kelly I want you to continue to focus on warehouse. Your methods on information extraction as well as your skills are remarkable. Whoever you want as your crew clear it with Beyoncé. Michelle I want you on transport, that's means drugs, guns, people. Whatever comes through the ports are your responsibility, y'all got me?"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

I sat back in my seat waiting for him to call on me, I knew he was promoting Ermias, Kelly and Michelle's promotion was a shock to me. He never told me about taking away my best players, something was definitely up."Solo, you're moving up from soldier to Lieutenant. You'll oversee the safe house in Manhattan, I want you close to Honeybee."