I rolled my eyes—they were only a few feet apart. For all their bickering, they loved each other. It was their banter that kept their spirits alive.
I bent to kiss my Ayyee’s cheek, wiped my hands, then crossed the room to kiss my grandfather.
“Iszo, ambessa,” he whispered.
Be brave, lion.
“Always,” I said, straightening.
???
The launch was successful, and the share prices surged. At first, I thought it was just an initial spike—but then it kept climbing, day by day, in slow, steady increments.
I couldn’t take credit for it all. There was my marketing team, my staff, and my family.
The rest came from countless hours spent building strong supply chains, securing the correct location for mass production, and acquiring the machinery we needed. The legal side of things had consumed any spare time I had.
Too many businesses built by BAME founders were swallowed whole by corporations. I gave up everything to make sure that would never happen to Her Glow.
As a teenager, I’d seen how difficult it was for my family to access quality hair products. Most were imported, poorly regulated, and filled with damaging substances. I chose cosmetic science because it taught me how the regulations worked—and how to work within them. When I first began creating my products, it was all trial and error until I perfected each formula.
Science and nature, blended together.
A dream made real.
My business was rooted in my identity and my family’s history.
Our story.
And no soulless corporation would ever take that from me.
???
“Urgh, we need more staff,” Anji moaned.
“The plant manager’s been interviewing people,” I said.“I told him not to rush. We need the right ones. You know how intense the trading is.”
“I know,” she sighed, rubbing her face.“But we’re selling out faster than we can produce.”
The last three months since the launch had been chaotic. I’d practically lived in our little office.
“Once you get that award, it’ll blow the fuck up,” she said, her grin sudden and wicked.
“I couldn’t have done this without you, Anj,” I murmured.
“I know,” she replied, humble as ever.
It had taken me seven years to build everything to this point. Anji had worked almost as hard as I had, and I’d rewarded my colleague—and friend—with company shares. For tax purposes, some of them went to my grandparents. Since my parents were in a higher tax bracket, it made no sense to involve them.
“Are you taking—what’s his name? Dylan?”
“He bowed out a few months ago,” I said casually, eyes still on my laptop.
“What?” She jerked upright in her seat.“When? How? Why? Where?”
I rolled my eyes.
“He couldn’t handle the number of hours I was putting in.”
