*Flashback*
35 and a half years ago
Renee walked through the hallways of the hospital, looking for her daughter. She had gotten word that the job had turned sideways when Cookie was caught in the middle of the crossfire trying to help Lucious. She instantly got to the hospital after seeing what looked like Lucious driving Bunkie's car. A door opened and shut, a rush of nurses and doctors came out, followed by Lucious. Waiting until they passed, she walked by the door, hearing her daughter crying while the doctors continued to work on her. "Why does it still hurt!?" Cookie cried out.
"It's your body trying to remove the placenta. It's going to feel like you're giving birth again. Just bear with us," the doctor answered. Soon another rush of nurses and doctors came out. Holding another infant. "Is that my daughter's child?" Renee asked, keeping up with their pace. "Yes ma'am. This is the second one. We're going to the OR and we're going to try and save her. "Does she know?" Renee questioned, a thought running through her head. "Not yet. The doctor working on her wants to wait until we get the news on both of the babies. This is as far as you can go ma'am," the nurse told her.
"Can you inform me about this one. I don't think she can handle any more bad news. I should be the one to tell her," Renee said, hoping that the nurses bought it. "I'll let the doctors know. We'll keep you up to date," Renee let them go on to work on her second grandchild. She prayed and hoped that the little one lived. She wanted to tend to the child since she figured that Cookie and Lucious most likely didn't have the funds to do so. It's not like they knew how to raise a normal child let alone a preemie with possible medical conditions.
Hours passed, a doctor informed her that Cookie had left against medical advice and refused to sign off on anything. Neither wanted to hear what the doctor had to say about a baby when they just held their dead daughter. Anything pertaining to twin B was solely Renee's responsibility unless she could get Cookie and Lucious back up to the hospital, given that technically they abandoned the child. Renee swore that she'd try to get her daughter back in to sign off on anything involving the child, except she didn't. In her mind, she was doing Cookie a favor. Taking a problem off her hands.
Finally the little one was out of surgery, the next 48 hours being critical to her living. After being cleared, she spent about another month in the NICU. Renee stayed there everyday, making sure nothing happened to her. A day before she was about to be released, the nurses asked of she had came up with a name. "Did her parents give the other twin a name?" She asked. "Ummm yeah. Nevaeh Reign," the nurse informed her. Her face scrunched up at Nevaeh, but she liked Reign. She looked down at her grandchild realizing that even though she was a little light bright, she looked like her little Lolo as a baby.
"Leilani. Leilani Reign Holloway," Renee said as she held her. "The last name on file is Lyon," the nurse pointed out, catching a glare from Renee. "I said what I said. My daughter doesn't want to be a mother. So I'm going to be a mother to her. Put down what I said," she said. The nurse nodded, doing as she was told. "You're mine. I'm gonna do right by you. You deserve so much more than a trap house. It's okay bright eyes. I got you," she whispered down, looking into the green eyes of her grand child. It seemed as though Lucious' hazel green eyes split between the two girls. Naevaeh having dominant hazel eyes and Leilani with green.
A couple days later after getting the birth certificate done with her name as mother and the father section blank, Renee took a trip through the neighborhood she last saw her daughter. She wanted to give her a last chance to come with her. A chance to be a mother with the help of her own. "COOK! Why are you acting like this!?" She heard someone yell out. She pulled over, watching to see what happens. "GET OFF ME LUCIOUS! Stop acting like you care about me! You haven't been with me since she died!" Cookie yelled as she stormed through the streets. Renee grew excited. This was the perfect time to pull Loretha back in.
"Baby stop! I'm hurting too but I can't show it like you want me to. That's why I'm out here trying to hustle up some money so I can keep my mind off of it. STOP WALKING AWAY FROM ME!" He snapped, grabbing her by the hand. "You don't want me. You don't care about me. You just want to make music," she cried. He pulled her into his chest. "You make me want to keep doing music. You are the music that plays in my head all day. I love you Cook. I care about you more than I've cared about anything in my life. I'm sorry I haven't been here. But I'll be here now. We'll grieve together," he told her, wiping her tears.
A kiss to seal the deal, Renee felt her anger bubbling forward. How could her daughter be so damn weak? What was it about this yella nigga that had her so bent? Leilani started crying as the couple walked back towards their place. "Shhhh. It's okay baby. You don't need them. I promise you don't," Renee lulled. Pulling off, she made her decision. Cookie would never know her daughter as long as she lived. She didn't deserve to. And little miss Reign wouldn't care or need to know her. She wouldn't come looking for her anyways.
*PRESENT DAY*
"Alright so I looked into this Leilani Holloway for you guys, matching with the date you gave. Got a birth certificate with Renee's name on it. And a hospital report. Abandoned at the hospital, grandmother granted custody. The girl has a few health problems. Four kids, husband, baby daddy. She's an elementary school teacher. Uses music in her lessons. Ummm used to sell during high school. Got busted twice. Got pregnant with her twin girls and got out the game. Then she goes blank for a while. Pops back up, married, pregnant with the weed man's baby," Thirsty rambled off.
Cookie and Lucious stared at him blankly. "Fours kids?" Cookie said. "Goes blank?" Lucious asked. "Yeah. I would definitely talk to her and see about that blood test. She sound like one of your crazy ass kids," Thirsty confirmed. "You couldn't see how Renee legally got a hold of her? I didn't know she lived. She died. I held my dead child," Cookie said. "Oh that's the thing. She's not Nevaeh. Nevaeh is actually dead. You had twins. Apparently she slid right out after Nevaeh and they rushed her out. Ummm mother too distraught, confide in grandmother. That's a note," Thirsty showed them on his laptop.
"Wow. This bitch was there the whole time," Cookie spat. "Who is this husband?" Lucious asked. "Names Treyvon Jackson. They went to the same high school, he's the father of the twins and the last one. Guy's an architect and owns his own construction company," Thirsty listed off. Lucious stood up to get a drink, trying to understand what this meant. "Who knows what she lied to her about. Thirty five years of shit from Renee is going to be hard to erase. Lucious do you have anything to say?" Cookie asked. "How exactly do you plan on getting her to believe us?" He questioned taking in everything she was saying.
"My suggestion would be to just talk to her first. Get to know her. She seems like one that likes to talk about herself. Use the little gremlin to soften her up. That usually works with new people. I mean she does have 4 kids," Thirsty suggested. "How old is the youngest one?" Lu asked. "She's 5," Thirsty told them. "Wow. Perfect for Haven to hang out with. I'm gonna call her," Cookie stood up, going into another room to call who she believed was her daughter. "Boss. Just a heads up. She's like Dre," Thirsty threw out. "In what way?" Lu asked. "She's been in a mental institute. She's bipolar," Thirst dropped the bomb.
"Damn!" Lu hissed. He had hoped that no other kids had this disorder. He started to think maybe Renee was bipolar too. But then again, he started thinking rational and accepted that she was just a dope fiend. "She hasn't been committed recently, so I'm assuming she's doing good. But then again neither has Dre," Thirsty threw out, getting a glare from Lucious. "I'll talk to her about it. Thanks Thirst," he said, downing his drink. "Don't sweat it. I'm gonna have a doctor on standby for that DNA test," Thirsty said as he walked out the house.
Cookie came back around the corner and grabbed Lu's new drink. "She's coming. Why am I so nervous?" She asked, rubbing her hand over her chest. "Because she's ours. We have to tell her the truth and get her to understand that we love here no matter what," he said, rubbing her arms. She pulled away, not understanding what he meant by that. Of course they'd love her. She was their child. Flesh of their flesh, blood of their blood. "What did you find out?" She asked, her eyes glaring into his. He let out a deep breath and sat back down.
"She's bipolar like Dre. I don't want her to think that's a problem," he told her. "Why would it be? Why even bring it up? Are you still hung up on your issues with your mama? I thought you moved passed this Lucious," she hissed. He glared at her, a nerve hit as she mentioned his mother. "This has nothing to do with her Cook. You never know how she feels about it. Who knows how Renee made her feel about the fact that she is bipolar," he explained, covering his deeper feelings. "Either way, we'll love her unconditionally like the rest of our kids. So whatever thoughts are in your head need to be removed. NOW!" she snapped at him.
He leaned back, taking a moment to sort through his thoughts. Haven came bouncing downstairs, ready to ask for something. "Daaaadddddyyyy," she sang out, climbing into his lap. "Yes princess?" He answered, knowing that tone. "I want umm I want a big party like umm," she sat thinking of what to call all the big events that were thrown. "Like?" Lu questioned, waiting for her to come up with the right words. "Like the big ones. The ones that Keemy and Mal sing at," she explained, fiddling with her hands. Lucious smiled at his baby girl, tickling her sides just to hear her laughing.
"You want us to throw you a big concert? Who's gonna perform?" He asked, taking in everything she was saying. "Umm I want Keemy and Mal to make me a new song and I want TT and Porsha...and Miss Anita, Miss Patty. Umm Steebie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Big Markie, LL cool J, Toni Brakton, Frankie Beberly and Mase, and Keith Wet," she rambled off. Lu's eyes grew big as he looked at her. "What the hell do you know about Keith Sweat? Who have you been listening to music with?" He asked. "Mommy and Mal," she answered, looking at him with an innocent face. He shook his head at her, not believing that they really had her listening to this.
"Sing a Keith Sweat song," he told her. She sat for a second thinking of what to sing then she came up with the perfect one.
Are we living a lie, baby
Is that magic gone
Ooh, do you feel the same way you used to, girl
Ooh, tell me is it wrong for us to love like this
How deep is your love
"Stop!" Lu snapped, throwing his child over his shoulder. She laughed the entire way to the bedroom where Cookie was. "Why does our 2 year old daughter know Keith Sweat songs by heart?" He asked. Cookie turned around seeing Haven bouncing on the bed. "Would you rather her knowing lil Yachty by heart?" She threw back, putting Haven on her hip. "I would like her to stay in a child's lane and not be running singing about somebody got her twisted," he told her. "She's fine. Leave her alone. You need to go work on your real issues," Cookie spat, walking out the room, going downstairs.
Haven squirmed out of her arms, getting down the stairs before Cookie. The doorbell rang and the little one darted for the door, expecting Hakeem to bring Bella and Mani. "Haven if you don't wait! What I tell you about opening the door by yourself!?" Cookie yelled. Haven held the door handle, waiting for Cookie to come in sight. As soon as Cookie hit the bottom step, she opened the door, coming face to face with Reign. "Hi!" Reign said, kneeling down to Haven's eyesight. Haven looked at her with her head cocked to the side, taking in her features.
"Do you know my daddy?" She asked, not looking away. Reign looked back at Cookie then realized that her daddy must be Lucious. "I just met your daddy but I think I'll be getting to know him and your mommy. My name is Reign. What's your name?" Haven smiled, then looked back at her mom for approval to say her name. When Cookie nodded, the little one was all too eager to answer the question. "My name is Haven Nevaeh Lyon. Why are your eyes like mine and daddy's? And grandpa Joe," Haven questioned. "I don't know. Maybe someome in my family has eyes like this," Reign responded.
"You don't know your mommy and daddy?" Haven asked, her bottom lip quivering. "No, but it's okay. I had one of the greatest grandmother's ever," Reign told her with a smile. "Haven why don't you go make a list of who all is coming to this concert of yours. Ask Juanita to help you," Cookie told her. "Yeah go add North and the rest of the Kardashian Wests," Lu told her. "Uh Noooooo! No Kanye at my concert!" Haven shouted. "What's wrong with Kanye?" Lu asked. "Keemy says he don't like black people no more," she answered, running off to find Juanita.
"She's adorable. A busy body like my youngest. So you're ready to talk?" Reign questioned. "Umm yeah but first we'd like to know about you. Everything about you honestly," Cookie said, leading her to the living room. "Drink?" Lucious offered. "Oh no thank you. I can't drink with my meds," she told him. He cursed himself for forgetting that detail. Joining his wife on the couch, they both turned their attention onto her. "So what exactly do you want to know?" Reign asked, feeling weird that they were staring at her with inquiring eyes.
"How were you raised? Where were you raised? I.. we want to know about your life," Cookie spat, Reign looked between the two Lyons. "So you want the story my grandma told me?" She verified. Cookie and Lucious nodded, ready to hear it all. "Well I was born in Philly, raised in Chicago. Was moved there a month and a half after I was born. My grandmother tried to get my mom to come with us but she kept choosing not to. So my grandma gave up and took me. Was in honors classes and in choir. Got bullied a lot because of my eyes. Umm started selling when I was 14, got pregnant with my twins at 16 had them at 17.
When i got busted the second time after having my girls I had to leave the game. I did just that. Got married, lived a normal life until one day I tried to drown my baby in the pool. I got committed found out I was bipolar. My husband sent me away to have time for myself but I took that as time to do what I wanted. Fooled around with my ex dealer slash boyfriend for a while and came home pregnant. Vowed I'd stick to my medicine in order to keep my family. Life's been great since then. Had my daughter 4 years after my son and that's that," she told them. They took in everything she said, realizing how much she sounded like Cookie.
"What do you know about us?" Lu asked. "That yall most likely killed my grandmother. I just need to know why," Reign told them, getting comfortable on the couch. "I think there's other things we need to focus on at the moment," Cookie said. "Like what?" Reign scrunched her face, looking like Hakeem. "Like making sure you're our daughter," Lu threw out. "Oh I am. I cross matched the DNA with Jamal's. Match through and through. We got the same blood type too. So why did you kill her and why did you leave me? Lemme guess she pissed you off?" Reign inquired.
"Okay pause. Let's go back to the beginning. We didn't know about you. We held Nevaeh and she died. We didn't know that you existed," Cookie told her. "Who is Nevaeh? I've heard that my whole life. Is that the good twin? And how didn't you feel your body pushing out another baby?" Reign let slip. "Good twi- She was your twin and because the pain never stopped. They kept telling me it was the placenta. Lu went with Nevaeh and i guess once he left you came and they rushed you out as well. We honestly didn't know about you. I didn't even know Renee was back in town let alone at the hospital," Cookie reiterated.
"She told me that she talked to you and you said you didn't want me. Then you left without her knowing. Then she tried to talk to you again and you still chose to leave me. Who am I supposed to believe?" Reign questioned. "Baby I promise you if we knew about you. You would've been with us the whole time. We didn't know. I would never abandon my baby. Even as young as we were, you would've been with us. Do you believe me?" Cookie asked, now sitting next to her. "I don't even know you. And I still need to know why my grandmother is dead," Reign spat to hide her tears.
"Was Renee clean the entire time she raised you?" Lucious asked, seeing Cookie trying to pull herself together. "Yeah. Why wouldn't she had been? She never touched dope. She said she saw what drugs did to people and their families so she never did it," Cookie let out a frustrated sigh. "She lied. That's the reason why she didn't have us. She was a junkie," Cookie explained. "Look whatever she was to you was not the same as she was with me. She was a parent unlike you two," Reign threw out. "Okay see what I'm not gonna do is let you keep talking shit as if what happened over 35 years ago hadn't been explained," Cookie voiced.
Reign rolled her eyes, feeling her phone vibrate. Putting up a finger, she answered the phone, not even remotely bothered by Cookie's attitude. "Hi bumblebee. What's up?" She spoke, seeing her 5 year old on facetime. "When are you coming home mommy? Daddy's trying to give me dreads," Journey blurted. Cookie and Lucious held in their laughter as they listened to one of their many grandchildren. "Oh no baby. We can't have that. I'll be home soon enough you been behaving?" Reign asked. "Yes ma'am. Did you find Nene?" The little one asked.
"No but I found her family and they can't wait to meet you," she told her child. "Okay mommy. I love you," Journey said. "I love you too bumblebee. I'll call you and daddy back later okay," getting an okay back, the two hung up. "You know about my life now. Why is Renee dead?" Reign threw out, not in the mood to drag out this answer. "She let her dealer slash baby daddy rape my sister. He wanted to rape me but I guess my sister was easier to get. You know she is the reason why you were born early and why Nevaeh died," Cookie elaborated.
"What? I don't believe that. She wouldn't have kept me if that was the case," Reign said, putting her phone in her purse. "It's true. She tried to kill me and didn't expect Cook to be around as well. She probably wanted to use you as bait but it backfired," Lu explained, noticing how antsy Reign was getting. "I'm not believing this. I knew yall would try and make me believe that she was a terrible person but this is despicable. I think it's time for me to go," she stood up, ready to leave. "Wait. We lost you once. Don't willingly stay away this time. We're family," Cookie told her.
"Okay and your point? Renee isn't the only grandparent I'm missing. I haven't seen my grandfather since a month before Renee went missing. My search isn't done," Reign spat, throwing Cookie and Lucious for a loop. "Your grandfather? Who-" the door opened wide, Kemani and Bella running in, giving their grandparents hugs before rushing up to Haven's room. "Hey ma. Sup dad. Who is this?" Keem eyed Reign. She let out a chuckle, putting on her sunglasses. "Sup baby brother. Nice to meet you. I'll come around but I'm not done handling my family issues. I'll decide what I believe later," Reign said as she walked away.
Hakeem looked at his parents then at the door. "Who cheated?" Keem questioned, not understanding what had happened. "Nobody fool," Lu spat, smacking him upside his head. "Renee stole her from us. She was Nevaeh's twin," Cookie told him. "So that's why Mal is having twins," Keem blurted out. "Mal is having what?" Lu shockingly asked. "Y'all been so caught in whatever the hell got yall attention that yall didn't find out that Skye is having twins? The babies are Mal's. That's why he been hiding at Becky's. He avoiding Phil again," Keem spilled.
"It's been 2 days. How did that much shit get discovered within 2 days?" Cookie asked. "It's been 4 actually but you get an A for effort. Anyways, I'm leaving the kids here and about to finish up my album. When are you two going to sign off on my solo tour?" Keem inquired. "Get yo ass out of here," Lu hissed. Keem smacked his lips, heading out. Cookie started texting Thirsty, a key detail stuck in her mind. "What are you doing?" Lu looked over her shoulder trying to be nosey. "I need to know if Renee got remarried. I don't know what other grandparents Reign could have. Daddy died," Cookie said.
"Babe you need to process one thing at a time. When she comes back around then we can ask her about it. Calm down and just focus on what we know so far. We have a 35 year old daughter and 4 more grandkids," Lu pulled her in for a hug. "I can't wait to meet them. All of our babies have babies," she smiled up at him. "And all of them are crazy as hell. I'm surprised Keem isn't doing some crazy stunt," Lu voiced. "We just haven't found out yet. That boy always got some shit going on," Cookie said, not realizing that her words were most definitely true.
A Couple Hours Later
"Keem this song is not it. It's too harsh. Come up with something better," Becky told him shutting down his plans. Once she left the studio, he dismissed everybody, including his crew. Lounging on the couch, he looked at his note pad, trying to see what was so harsh about his lyrics. "What are you doing big head?" Destiny asked, taking a seat next to him. "Becky keeps shutting down my track. It's not flowing like she wants it but I don't see why that even matters. It's my song not hers. I'm putting in work making this album not her," Keem complained.
"Maybe you need a break? It's always cool to relax for a little bit," she purred in his ear. He looked at her and smirked. Pulling her onto his lap, he didn't take a moment to think about a break. He didn't think about it the first time she crawled into one of his late night studio sessions. Why he was messing with her, he couldn't explain it. He loved Tiana. He was happy as hell with her. They were even talking about having another baby after the tour. But something about Destiny Parker was pulling him in the wrong direction. The same direction that Dre was going in. So much for not doing anything crazy. It would only be a matter of time before everyone found out. Sooner rather than later.
TBC
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SORRY FOR THE DELAYED UPDATE. I JUST COULDN'T GET THIS CHAPTER RIGHT