King of Hearts (gxg) | ✍︎︎

1. Staff Meetings ♔

"Home. I'm gonna take my ass back to sleep cause I'm tired as hell."

"You coming back tonight?" Chantal asked her.

"Of course I am. Ain't no way in hell I'm missing Babi Bandz's birthday event. He's one of the hottest male rappers out right now. Do you know how much promo we're about to get from this?"

"As if we need any more promo. Do you know how many people the bouncers turn away every night because we're always at capacity?"

"I told you I'm already in the process of looking into opening up another location. Just give me some time to work all the kinks out first."

"And who's gonna run this new location? I can barely keep this place afloat because Luna barely be doing shit."

"Luna isn't that bad-"

"Don't do that Kiara. Don't lie. I don't care that she's your little sister, she's fucking terrible at her job, and you know it."

"I told you I have some people coming in for interviews next week. Just stick it out until then Chantal. You know I got you, always."

"Huh," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I think Luna still needs to be fired."

"Fine, then you fire her. You are the boss after all. You're the hiring and firing manager."

"You're so annoying," she rolled her eyes in response to that.

Chantal won't ever fire Luna. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she feels like it's not her place to.

*
*
*

Earlier That Same Morning
Marriott Hotel, Miami

"Good morning baby," Monique woke her daughter, Ava, up with a light kiss on the cheek. She ran her hands along the girl's long black curls that should have been tucked away in a bonnet if they didn't both pass out the second they got there.

"Good morning mommy," Ava's dark brown eyes slowly fluttered open to meet her mother's matching ones.

Of all the features Ava got from her father, being nearly a spitting image of the man, she definitely got her innocent, doe-looking eyes from her mother.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Good," the little girl sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "But I'm hungry."

"Yeah, me too," Monique admitted.

They'd gotten off of the plane late the previous night and were too tired to find anything to eat that they came straight to the hotel and fell asleep.

"Marco," Monique called over to her fifteen-year-old brother who was still fast asleep on the bed next to theirs.

"Maybe say it louder?" Ava offered.

"Marco!" Monique threw a pillow at her little brother's head. "Come on, get up."

"Bruh, what?" He grumbled, clearly not ready to wake up just yet. "The fuck is yo problem Monie?"

"Get up," she just repeated again. "You know I got shit to do today, and Ava is hungry. So come on, get your ass up."

"What you having shit to do gotta do with me?" He brought the pillow over his head in a poor attempt to drown out his sister's voice.