Page 34 of Rich Forever: Zo & Remy

“I just want it to be perfect. The news will be there tonight. This is a big moment for the foundation, and I want everything to go as planned.” She groaned.

I pulled her to me and kissed her forehead. “It’ll be good. Chill out.”

I knew there was nothing I could say to get her out of her head, so I didn’t try. No matter how many times I told her to stop stressing about donors and these events, her answer was always the same.“It’s not about the money, babe. It’s about these connections. These women depend on these resources.”We’d had the conversation so many times I could hear her saying it.

She asked the driver to turn on some music, and she just sat in the back seat, against me, and sang it softly.

We drove for the next 30 minutes without talking while I gave her a chance to get her head and nerves together.

Once we pulled up to the venue, the fleet of trucks came to a stop. I took in the scene, watching every checkpoint. Armed guards stood one after another around the perimeter. A black truck sat at the front gate, another at the back exit. The two guards at the front door checked every person who entered or left. I nodded in silent approval. The streets were quiet.We hadn’t had chaos since the mock war with the Cartel. Though danger wasn’t near, we would never be unprepared if it appeared.

I opened the door and then went around to Remy’s side and grabbed her hand to lead her out. We walked to the front, hand in hand, when we reached the front door.

The guy at the front put his hand out to block Rem’s entrance and then lifted his wand to scan her body. The other guy closest to me pushed it down immediately. These niggas had to be some of Sanchez’s people.

“That’s the boss and his wife,” He warned the other one.

“I’m sorry, Boss. Boss Lady.” He nodded, lowering the wand and reaching out to shake my hand. I took it.

“You push my wife again; I’m going to fuck you up,” I said as I chuckled and we bypassed him, but I meant it.

“Zohan, behave. That boy did not push me; he was doing his job. They trained him well,” she said, slapping my arm playfully.

“That’s what my eyes saw,” I laughed, putting my hand on her waist to guide her through the sea of people.

We stopped a million times before we made it through the door. Rem had me shaking hands and introducing me to all her donors. She was glowing, and it was always dope to see her in her element.

When we finally got inside, we walked toward the family table. I went to her mother first and pulled her into a hug.

“How you doing, Mom?” I asked as I embraced her.

“I’m okay. You clean up nice, son.” She smiled, holding me out by my shoulders. Remy’s mom and I had a decent relationship. If anything happened, she was always on my side. Our children loved her. When she was home on weekends, she made sure they stayed at her house so we could have time together.

After I went to her mother, I embraced her father. He and I had gotten better over the years. At first, I had smoke with himabout those arrangements, but he grew on me fast. We talked every other day. I had even brought him into a deal with JMF.

“What’s up, Son?” He asked as we shook hands, and he tapped my back lightly.

“What’s going on, Pop?” I shot back as we parted.

I went around the table, dapping up the JMF and hugging their wives, and then I took a seat. I looked over at Judah, who was sipping from Ivy’s cup, and shook my head. This wild ass nigga was married and had kids. Even if I wasn’t, he was definitely proof that the right woman will make you do shit you never thought you would.

Remy finally stopped working the room and came over, sat next to me, as my sister-in-law started climbing the stairs, which meant the event was about to start. She grabbed the mic and stood in the center of the stage.

“Welcome to the third annual Rich Ball,” Taylor said as the crowd started to clap.

She smiled and nodded before she continued. “This year, the Remy Rich Foundation has reached a record high and served over nine thousand eight hundred families. This would not be possible without our beautiful founder, Remy Richardson, and of course, you. Our dedicated donors. Tonight, we will be honoring you all by highlighting everyone who has made this possible. Of course, if you are new here and would like to join our efforts, you may do so with our wonderful event and donation coordinator, Mrs. Shelby Cross. Again, thank you for all you do and thank you for supporting the Remy Rich Foundation, where rich starts small, grows big, but begins with you.”

Everyone clapped as she started the program for the night. The event went smoothly for the most part. Taylor gave out awards to the donors and Remy’s staff. Then Rem went up and gave her ‘thank you’ speech.

After the awards, everyone was up and mingling. I let Remy do her thing and work the room. I could blend in in any setting, but this isn’t really my vibe. The less interaction I had to have, the better.

I made my way through the crowd to find Jax when I overheard a conversation between two donors.

“Nice little event she got going here,” One of the two scoffed as he took a sip from his glass. Looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Yeah, the room is full. But we all know that she’s getting funded because she’s in bed with the right people.” The second one said, throwing back his drink.

“Nah, did you see the ass on her? She could bat her eyes and get half the city to write her a check. When she walked her fine ass into my office, I almost gave her a blank one.”