I sighed. “My father managed to lose all the family’s money.” I told her. “I think that’s why he ripped off a drug dealer—to replace it. But he couldn’t touch my inheritance because I had become an adult and had control of it.”
“And if you don’t mind me asking—how much is that?”
“About seventy-five million.” I explained.
She whistled.
“It wasn’t all his money.” I told her. “My grandfather was into oil, so he left a chunk of it to me when I was a kid. My father added to it over the years.”
“That’s still a lot of money,” Maia said.
“I’d give it all up if Tarek would just…” I hung my head.
“Seriously, you should tell him.”
“I know but when I was a kid…”
“About that.” Maia glanced at me. “What did you do?”
“Accused him of rape.”
“Oh shit. That explains why he’s pissed off at you enough to light things on fire.”
“That’s putting it lightly.” I frowned. “I saw him with another girl, and I lost my god-damn mind. It was a stupid as hell thing to do, but I thought it was the best thing I could ever have thought up at that time. Told my father don’t press charges just fire Tarek’s father. As I gloated, his anger was like a knife, tearing through my flesh and boy was he mad. I’d never seen him like that before and if I’d known better, I would have been scared.”
“I’m not going to excuse what you did.” Maia told me. “But jealousy makes us do stupid, hurtful things.”
“Trust me, I know.”
“The good news is, you can always make amends.” Maia checked the mirrors and pulled into the mall’s parking lot. “Tarek is a good guy. All you have to do is show him you’ve changed. Show him you’re a better person than the kid who almost ruined his life and that will go a long way into helping him see you differently.”
“I don’t know how much difference that’s going to make.” I picked up my purse and let myself out the front of the vehicle and closed the door.
We walked side by side toward the entrance, Maia’s eyes darting around. Tarek did the same thing when we went into public. I knew what they were doing—trying to spot the danger before it saw us. Once inside, she looked around as if mentally taking pictures of the exits and entrances, staircases and escalators. I did the same. Though I doubt I would remember them all, taking stock of my surroundings had become the norm since my father managed to sell my soul to the devil.
Usually, in the mall, I would wander from store to store. This time, I wasn’t there for fun. Instead, I headed straight to a specific store where I could get everything for the night. First, I needed to pick out an outfit that saidI came to slay.Each outfit I exited in, Maia shook her head.
“Come on, girl!” Maia pouted. “Fashion is your thing, remember? Just think, you want an outfit that will knock Tarek off his feet.”
I guffawed. “Sure, yeah. That will happen.”
“Don’t be so cynical. Try the next one.”
I frowned and closed myself into the stall again. This time, I slipped in a black corset that pushed my breasts up to my eyebrows, paired it with a black pencil skirt that clung to my curves and slipped my feet into cherry red, sky-high stilettos. When I stepped out, Maia’s eyes widened. “What do you think?” I did a runway twirl.
“That’s the outfit.” She gave me the thumbs up. “What size shoes do you wear?”
“Eight.”
“Perfect. I’ll be borrowing those at some point.”
I laughed. “Just say the word.”
“You do know I’m not joking, right?”
I nodded. “I know. Me either.”
We bought the outfit along with the shoes, makeup and a few other things I needed like makeup and nail care. I secretly picked up a bracelet for Maia. We exited the store and Maia instantly drew close to my side. It didn’t take a genius to know something was up.
