𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 ¹

six.

Then she stood up and they questioned her. "Where are you going?"

Cookie just smirked. "To see my princess."

Royalty

Royalty was laying in bed, still feeling so disgusted. She didn't eat with the rest of the family anymore; she ate in her room because she couldn't stand seeing Lucious' face. From now on, she was calling him Lucious and not dad because he was a liar. She hated liars.

She was even more angry because Jamal was right. Lucious let them lose their mother for seventeen years with no shame at all. Royalty didn't even think he missed her, honestly.

Well, she missed Cookie. Lucious better not try to keep Cookie away from her because she wasn't going to let it happen.

Speaking of the devil, Lucious stood in her doorway and she gave him her best resting bitch face. "Ro-"

She cut him off. "Where's mom?"

"Does it look like I keep track of that woman?" Lucious retorted.

"That woman has a name. You should learn it," she fired back.

"And you should learn some manners because this is still my house. So you better figure out what you wanna do with your life because you're not gonna be sulking in this room all day!" Lucious yelled.

"Whatever, Lucious."

Then he walked away. Royalty rolled her eyes, planning to listen to some music, but she heard Lucious yelling at someone. "Why are you in my house again?!"

"My kids live here, do they not? I have every right to be here."

Cookie.

Royalty ran out of the room to them. "Mom!"

"Hey, baby!" Cookie hugged her tight and rocked back and forth. Then she held her face. "Oh, you're so beautiful! You get it from me, and not The Grinch Who Stole Seventeen Years Of My Life."

Cookie scowled at Lucious and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Hurry up and talk, and then get out of my house. You can take Royalty's ass with you for all I care."

He walked away and Cookie yelled at him. "You better stop disrespecting my daughter, Lucious!"

"He's just mad because I don't wanna be an Empire artist anymore," Ro told her.

"But why, baby?"

"Because he's a liar!"

"You do know Empire is much bigger than Lucious, right?" Cookie said.

"How? He owns it."

"Yes, but it's not about your father. It's about the music. That's why your brothers haven't quit; they love what they do."

Royalty gave her a confused look. "So you want me to join Empire?"

"That's up to you, baby. Do you love music?"

"Yes."

"Do you wanna be a singer?"

"Yes."

"Then you should. Don't let that man mess with your money. He already messed with mine," Cookie grumbled.

Royalty frowned. "Dad already told me my pay won't be as high as Hakeem and Jamal's."

Cookie wasn't happy about that at all. "Oh really? Well, I'm not having that! We ain't sexist in this family, Lucious!"

Royalty heard him yell, "What are you talking about, Cookie?!"

Royalty chuckled as Cookie held her face again. "I got your back, baby."