Twins of Empire

False Imposition

"What Hakeem?" Mercedes head tilts. "That sounded so stupid."

"Who you calling stupid?"

"Unfortunately, what I shared a womb with."

"See, that's what I'm talking about." Hakeem points to her, looking at Lucious. "She can't answer nobody phone call but can come back with an attitude and we supposed to accept it."

"Boy you wake up with an attitude, what's your excuse?" Mercedes eyes him.

"That song you featured on my album, it's about to get cut."

Mercedes holds out her hand. "Did I jump?"

Lucious pinched the bridge of his nose when the two of them started arguing.

"Shut the hell up, both of y'all."

Anika shakes her head. "Lucious, let's just think about pushing back the release date for both of the albums so..."

"No, no, we're not pushing back the release date." Lucious shakes his head. "His album drops the day that Empire goes public. Her album comes out the day after."

"Can we talk about that?" Mercedes raised a finger. "I been working my ass off-"

"And I haven't?" Hakeem retorts.

"Don't make me answer that."

"You been stuck on these same three songs for months," Lucious snapped making her wave him off. "You need to work on that and you want these music videos, but can't give me the choreography."

"I haven't been able to find any good choreographers, I told you that."

"That's not my problem," Lucious says. "It's yours. And I expect it fixed before you want to go run the streets again."

"Right." Hakeem said to a look from her.

Lucious looked down at him. "When I need a damn amen I'll ask your ass for one."

"Why are you riding everybody so hard?" Anika throws up a hand.

"Okay, let me explain to y'all what I want." Lucious walked to the front. "I want..."

Cookie barged in the office with Porsha and a running Becky trying to stop them.

"Let me tell you what I want." Cookie steps in between the chairs of her children. "What I want is a better office not a broom closet on the 13th floor next to Accounting."

Mercedes smirks, looking over. "Hey, Ma."

"Hey, baby." Cookie smiles, she drops it quick when she looks back to Lucious. "And I would also like to have full benefits for my trusty assistant here." She motioned back to Porsha.

Lucious looked to Becky.

"Sir, there's nothing I can do." Becky tells him. "Homegirl gave HR a dead person's social security number."

Mercedes brows pull looking back. "Now, Porsha."

"Uh, sorry, but I don't do taxes." Porsha tells them.