Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 563(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
It was a strange sensation, to feel my convictions crumbling under the weight of her words.
I had always been the Mountain Master, firm in my decisions, unyielding in my commands. But Monique, with her fiery spirit and defiant gaze, was breaking through the walls I had built around myself.
What the fuck?
The heat within me grew.
My heart pounded in my chest.
I knew I could destroy Rowe Street Mob, but Monique made it clear that she would be on their side. And I never wanted to battle against her.
Monique whispered, “Lei? What’s your choice?”
I glared at her. “Give me a fucking minute.”
To my shock, she whispered, “We don’t have a minute. She is already. . .rotting away. Think of her family.”
My voice went low. “I’m scared. . .”
I couldn’t believe I confessed that.
Monique quirked her brows. “Scared of what?”
“Scared of forgetting Chanel.”
“From what I see, you could never forget her.”
“Then, I’m scared of being alone.”
The weight of those words pressed down on me. It was a truth I had never voiced before, a reality that had haunted me since my father killed Romeo and Chanel.
“You’re not alone, Lei, and you never will be.” Her gaze softened, and a spark of understanding lightened her eyes. “You have tons of men and women that you rule over.”
A bitter chuckle escaped my lips. “I’m alone even when they are around me.”
“You’re not. They adore you. I’ve seen that shit.”
“Sure. I have their loyalty and even their obedience is absolute, but they could never fill the gaping void that Romeo and Chanel have left behind.”
“Well. . .” She touched her chest. “This might not be much, but you have me, too.”
That simple statement sent a jolt through my body.
My heart ached at the possibilities. “Do I?”
“Of course, because we are...” Her gaze searched the sky, as if she could pluck the perfect words from the canvas of blue and white above us. The pause stretched on, each second pounding in my chest like a drum.
“Because we are. . .friends,” she finally said, but it wasn’t a surrender, it was a statement. As if, in her search for the right word, friends was the most accurate description she could find.
Her next words hit me like a freight train. “Honestly...after all the shit we’ve been through together already. We will probably end up being best friends. . .forever. I would love that.”
I parted my lips.
She looked down at the ground. “Sometimes as I take care of my sisters, I feel alone, too.”
“Best friends?”
She put her gaze back on me and shrugged. “I’m no Mountain Master, Lei, but I want to have your back. If you ever need to call me up, I’ll drop everything and talk to you. And you can always come by my place. . .wherever that will be. The East. The South. You’ll get the address, and we could always hang out.”
I studied her.
This concept was foreign to me. It was a strange twist in an already tumultuous sea. I considered what she just said—the possibilities her words held.
Best friends.
Could I find comfort in Monique’s friendship? Could I trust her with my grief, my anger, my pain? Could I lean on her when the weight of my guilt and loneliness threatened to crush me?
As I looked at her, a ray of hope pierced through the fog of my despair.
I found myself considering a future where Monique was not a captive, but a true friend. A companion in this journey I never asked to embark on.
A solace in the chaos of my existence.
The realization was as startling as it was comforting. Maybe, just maybe, I was not as alone as I thought. And perhaps, in Monique, I had found a friend when I least expected it, and when I needed it the most.
Monique raised one finger in the air. “But I must add that best friends don’t let their besties ride around with dead bodies.”
I frowned.
“If you let Chanel’s body go, you definitely have me in your life. . .forever. But you can’t expect me to stay if you’re holding onto her body. It’s not good for you or everyone else.”
“And when I let go of her, what will truly happen to my mind, Monique? You think I will be okay?”
Those questions hung heavy in the air.
“Yes, Lei. Absolutely. Then you can move forward, and. . .” Her voice remained steady. “I’ll help you in any way you need. We can grieve together.”
This decision represented the hardest one of the week. It was like standing on the edge of a precipice, knowing that a single step could send me plunging into tragedy.
Despite the risks, I found myself teetering dangerously close to the edge of listening to Monique. The warmth radiating from her was overwhelming, her strength intoxicating.
In the face of her defiance, my fears seemed to shrink, their power diminishing under the bright light of her courage. I knew then that Monique was more than just a woman I wanted close to me.