Rebuilding Our Empire

For The Last Time

Holloway Residence

"I don't know why you were expecting us Renee. If I'm looking for you that usually means that I'm about to kill you," Lucious roared in his low demeaning tone. Renee chuckled out loud, moving to the side so the Lyon couple could walk through. "You are not just a pretty man with pretty words, but you're pretty funny as well. Do ya'll want something to drink? I have tea, water, Jack Daniel's. You seem like a bourbon type of man, Lucious," Renee decided to change the subject. "Cognac," Cookie corrected, slowly walking the living room, remembering the entire layout.

She saw the wall where Candance pushed her face first into when they were 12 and 14. She saw the floorboard where Carol threw up the first time she took her out to a party and they got too drunk. She completely tuned out Lucious and Renee's banter. "So, you're a cognac man, just like her daddy. Carol said you reminded her of that man. You know he was dangerous. And he was toxic for those girls. He spoiled them too much, always making them feel like whatever they want they can get with ease. I believed in teaching them how to use their resources to get everything they want and need," Renee ranted as she poured a shot of Hennessy.

Lucious watched her intensely, glancing back at the wandering Cookie every once and a while. He was trying to keep his focus on the task at hand, but Cookie seemed to be lost in her own world, better yet her old life. "And when were you the better parent? When you were snorting coke? Or when you were trading their innocence for your fix?" Lucious asked, running his trigger finger over one of the guns he had on him. Renee gave him a smirk, knowing he was going to bring it up.

"I can read you like a book. You took away your sons' innocence at a young age too. Whether you believe it or not, you did. What kind of life was that for them to be around. Seeing their parents selling dope then watching their mother be snatched out of their lives, because you were just too scared to take the fall," Renee continued her rant. She looked at the shot of Henny, and instead of giving it to Lucious, she drank it. "There you go again assuming stuff. I took the fall because I wanted my family out of this place and I wanted them successful. I didn't snitch because that was the plan," Cookie said, running her hand over the old china cabinet that still stood against the wall, holding rewards and trophies instead of china.

Renee and Lucious stopped going back and forth for a few minutes, staring at the reminiscing Cookie. Since she walked through the door, she hadn't looked up to face them once. She put in her comment every now and then, but she kept staring at her surroundings. "Babe?" Lucious called out. Cookie hummed, still not turning to face either one of them. "Cook, focus!" Lucious yelled at her. She jumped slightly and walked closer to him. "There is a door that leads downstairs. It's down the hall," She whispered once she got by his side. Renee cleared her throat. "We are past that whispering shit, Loretha. I know you know about that back room. I used to lock you in it. You remember that?" Renee bragged, pouring another shot for herself. Lucious turned facing Cookie, anger spreading across his face like wildfire. Cookie bit the inside of her cheek and dropped her head slightly.

"You can keep going down memory lane and remember all the fucked up shit you've done, but one thing I know is that you have my sister here. And if Carol is here then I know my daughter is too. She better not have anything wrong with her either. Now we can drag this out or you can hand them over now. Either way, it's not ending good for you," Cookie fed Renee an ultimatum. Renee looked between Cookie and Lucious, smirking at their matching scowls. "You two have been around each other too long. You're starting to morph into one," Renee said, completely ignoring the threat at hand.

"That's because we are one. We don't move without the other. I don't know why you don't understand that, but it doesn't matter. You won't live long enough to get the chance to understand. Where is my daughter?" Lucious asked, growing impatient. "Oh, she's fine. She's with good company. Have you seen this house, and I mean other than the outside bricks?" Renee asked, walking towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms. Lucious stared at her. He put his hand on the gun in his waistband, but Cookie grabbed his arm. "Not in my daddy's house," She said, walking by the back door, unlocking it. Lucious let out a heavy breath. He was getting tired of Cookie stopping him from doing things that he had been doing since he was 10 years old.