The Princess of Empire

13

Freida's Pov

Last night was crazy. One minute I'm chilling with my shawty and the next I'm beefing with that bitch Tiana. Now I'm sitting with my head down. How did it come to this? I can't go back to jail.

"Freida Gathers!" The gaurd calls. I look up at him. "You've made bail." Thank God. I hop up off the bench and walk over to him as he opens the cell.

Now who could have bailed me out? Maybe it was Litany. Naw her parents wouldn't let her do that. Maybe it's Hakeem? Nope we ain't close. It has to be Jamal. He always been there for me.

I walk out into the waiting area and see no other than Lucious Lyon himself, otherwise known as the devil. "Let's talk." He smiles.

"There is nothing we need to talk about." I demand.

"I bailed you out." He says. "I did you a favor now you do me one."

"Man A'ight, but this go be the only favor you ever get from me."

*****
"I want you to stay away from my daughter." He orders.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know you got feelings or whatever for Litany and I know she feeling something for you, but my daughter is confused. She don't know what's good for her and that's why I'm here." He explains.

"Litany is pretty smart and if she likes me then I'm not gonna go away." I tell him. "And she is far from confused."

"Litany is still seventeen for the next few months and if I see you anywhere near her I will have your ass thrown in jail." He threatens me.

"Why you doing this Lucious?" I wonder. "She turning eighteen."

"I will always do what is best for the empire until I die. I don't care how old the princess is."

"You'd just rather her be with a man." I roll my eyes.

"You damn right. My daughter will never be with a woman." He laughs. "I already have one gay child and I don't need another. She just needs to find the right boy."

"You're in denial if you think you go be able to keep me from Litany."

"What's more important Freida? Litany or your career cause you can't have both."

"You go mess with my money now?" I question him.

"I will mess up your whole life if you don't stay away from my family."

"I don't take to kindly to threats."

"This is not a threat. This is a request. A threat is what will come next."

******
Litany's Pov

I've been calling Freida all day and she has not been responding to me. I toss my phone on my bed and head downstairs for breakfast.

When I walk into the kitchen Cookie is sitting at the head of the table and Lucious at the other end. I sit down on the right side and Juanita brings me my food.

We sit there in silence listening to nothing, but the sound of our forks hitting the glass plates. Is this the family I always dreamed of? What I wished for as a child? The people that are supposed to love me more than anything else in the world?

"Did you sleep well?" Lucious asks.

"Yes, I did." I tell him. "Why?"

"You just haven't been in your own bed for such a long time. I figured by now you wouldn't be comfortable anymore." He teases me.

"Not right now Lucious." Cookie says.

"What's going on with you and Freida? Has she tried to call you?" Lucious taunts me.

"What's going on between you and Cookie? She here everyday are y'all fucking?" I ask.

"You need to watch your mouth." Cookie demands.

"Yeah, cause what we do ain't your business." Lucious demands.

"And what I do ain't yours."

"You are the child. Everything you do is our business." Cookie says.

"Not for long. I'm going to be out of here quicker than you know it." I huff.

"Mhm." Cookie sighs.

I roll my eyes and head up to my room. As I'm walking passed my grandma's room I hear her whispering about something. I have never really had a conversation with her because Cookie warned me about her illness.

"Oh my lord." She whispers. "How could he do that to his sister?"

I was curious as to what she was talking about. I pushed the door slightly open and walked into the room. There on the screen was a video of Hakeem and Tiana.

"I love her Keem. She can't die." Tiana says. Hakeem pushes her hair back and pulls her into a kiss. She pushes him away and slaps him. "How dare you?"

"Don't act like you don't want this." Hakeem tells her.

"You are such an ass." Tiana says.

Hakeem shrugs his shoulders and kisses her again. This time she kisses him back and he picks her up and sets her on the desk in Lucious's office.

"What are you doing?" Lucious demands as he walks into the room.

My grandma turns around and stares at me. "I didn't know she was in here." She says.

"I overheard her whispering and then I walked in and seen this." I explain. "Why do you have this?"

"That's not your concern now go to your room."

"I'm not a little girl. Don't send me to my room." I demand.

"Litany do as I tell you."

"Why do you have this video? Why would you keep something like this?" I demand.

"For blackmail." Grandma says. "He's been blackmailing Tiana."

"Don't listen to no nut job." Lucious says.

"You shouldn't talk about your mother like that." I tell him.

"As if you care about mother's after the way you speak to yours." He huffs.

"I'm leaving."

"You better not go to Tiana. She cheated on you." He says.

"What she did was wrong, but what you're doing is also wrong."