Vera's sharp gaze landed on me and Juste, her eyes sweeping over me with quiet calculation before settling into a polished smile. It was the kind of smile that let you know she was used to being in control of a room. "Oh, nephew, you better introduce me to this beauty," she said, stepping forward, her arms outstretched toward Juste. Juste smirked but kept his usual cool demeanor as he leaned back, letting her wrap him in a brief, careful hug. "Chiana Alexander," I spoke up before Juste could, turning to face her as Vera turned her attention to me. To my surprise, she leaned down for a hug. Hell, Ms. Evie never willingly hugged me—I always had to initiate it. But Vera? She embraced me like she already claimed me as family.
"The Accountant?" she said smoothly, pulling back just enough to hold my arms and look me over again. "Oh, we've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally put a face to the name." Before I could respond, a voice cut through the conversation. "Nephew, you fuckin' the accountant?" I turned toward the source—Abel St. Jean. His eyes cutting as he lifted a brow in amusement. The way he said it was blunt as hell, not even an attempt at tact. Juste's entire body tensed beside me. Before he could respond, Vera shut that down instantly. "Abel, come on now. Be respectful." Her voice was smooth but held that sharpness that let you know she was used to getting her way. Abel smirked, throwing up his hands. "Just asking, baby. I'm just saying, you don't ever catch these young niggas with somebody like that. Never thought I’d see the day Juste have a piece like this on his arm."
Juste let out a low chuckle, shaking his head before gripping my thigh under the table, his silent reassurance that he had this. "You askin' questions that don't need answers, unc," Juste said, his tone easy, but edged with that underlying warning. Abel met his stare for a moment before chuckling, leaning back in his seat. Vera gracefully lowered herself into the chair next to Ms. Evie, and I swore I saw Ms. Evie's entire posture shift.
The night stretched on, but that thick tension at the table never disappeared. It was lingering, heavy, like something unspoken was trapped between Vera, Evie, Saint, and Abel—something that was never meant to see the light of day. After a while, the men excused themselves to a separate room, disappearing behind closed doors. That left the women to drink, talk, and gossip—and if there was one thing we were gonna do, it was that. I stood by the bar, sipping champagne, the bubbles making my head a little lighter as I leaned against the counter. Nia was next to me, high as hell, while Amina sat on the barstool, her nails tapping against her glass.
"Okay, but what was the tea at that damn table?" Amina asked, eyes wide. "Evie looked like she was two seconds away from spitting on Vera." I choked on my drink, laughing. "Mina, don't be messy now," I giggled, sipping from my glass again. I was definitely feeling it now—that warmth, that easy looseness creeping into my bones. Amina smirked. "Girl, I'm just saying. You saw the way Evie was holding that wine glass like she wanted to throw it at her head."
"She right though," Nia giggled, covering her mouth like she just said something she wasn't supposed to. Her ass was definitely high. Amina squinted at her. "Wait a minute. What you know?" Nia hesitated, then leaned in slightly, eyes flickering around like someone was eavesdropping. "Say..." she lowered her voice. "Saint and Vera had an affair." I damn near dropped my champagne flute.
"I know you fuckin' lying," Amina gasped, sitting up straight. I blinked, trying to process what the hell she just said. "Nia, girl, what the hell ?"She shrugged, all nonchalant like she just told us the weather. "I mean, it was years ago. Before Pierre was even born."
"Wait, Pierre is Abel's son, right?" I asked. "Right," Nia nodded. "But for a long ass time, niggas wasn't sure. 'Cause Saint and Vera was on that type of time." Amina's jaw dropped. "Oh, nah. That's messy as hell."
I shook my head. "So you mean to tell me Evie been sittin' across from this woman all these years, knowing she used to fuck her husband?" Nia gave me a look. "And you see why she got wine in her cup at all times." Amina threw her head back, laughing. "Bitch, I'd be an alcoholic too."
I covered my mouth, trying to hold in my giggles, but I couldn't. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense—the way Ms. Evie looked at Vera like she was chewing glass, the way Saint tried to diffuse everything at the table before it got too deep. All of it.
"But hold on," I said, eyes narrowing. "If Saint and Vera had a thing... does Abel know?" Nia let out a slow exhale, shaking her head. "Girl, that's the real question." Nia's words drifted off, her focus shifting. I followed her line of sight, my eyes landing on a woman who had just entered the room. She was bright-skinned, with a tight-fitting navy blue dress that looked sprayed onto her curves. Body snatched—probably paid for—and her jet-black weave cascaded down her back, stopping right at her ass.
She moved like she was untouchable, shoulders back, chin up, like she knew it. I sipped my champagne, side-eyeing Nia, who hadn't blinked once since she spotted her. "Oh, this bitch think she bigger than the program, huh?" Nia muttered, her voice sharp. I raised a brow. "Who is that?" Nia turned her glass up, downing what was left of her champagne way too fast for it to be casual. Then she licked her lips, keeping her gaze locked on ol' girl like a lioness eyeing prey. "Jade . That's the bitch that's been suckin my husband's dick," she said flatly.
I damn near choked on my drink. Amina—who had been scrolling through her phone, clearly half-listening—suddenly sat bolt upright. "you fuckin with us right ? " I swallowed, setting my glass down before I threw it. "Nia, girl, are you serious?" I whispered, my voice lowering like we was in a courtroom instead of a loud ass formal event. She hummed, still watching, her expression calm... too calm. "Mhmm."
"Wait, hold the fuck on—you telling me this heifer got the audacity to walk up in this bitch knowing she's been messing with Jules?" Amina looked ready to swing. I was with her on that. Where was security? This a hazard. Nia let out a low, humorless laugh, swirling the little bit of champagne left in her glass. "Oh, this ain't the first time we been in the same room," she admitted, voice coated in something dangerous. "But this the first time she ain't got Jules standing between us."
I didn't miss the way she said that. The way she was plotting something. The way her fingers tapped against her glass, like she was counting down to an explosion. And the way ol' girl was looking right back at her, smirking, like she wasn't standing in a lion's den. "Oh, this finna get real ignorant," Amina muttered, reaching for her purse, turning up the last of her champagne . The woman—Jade—had the nerve to wave at us. That same smirk still plastered on her face, knowing damn well what she was walking into.
Nia was already up, moving across the floor like a bullet with a target. Me and Amina were right behind her, because what we wasn't about to do was let her loose a fight. But babyyyy, it turned out Nia ain't need nobody's help. "Bitch, you bold huh?" Nia said, stepping right into Jade's personal space, her voice cool but carrying a dangerous edge. Jade rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "Nia, ain't nobody thinking about you, honey." That's when she got even cuter with it, tilting her head just so and letting her eyes scan the room. "You seen Jules?" Oh.
Oh, this bitch was suicidal. Before I could even inhale, before Amina could even say, "Oh, hell no—", Nia's hand was already in motion. Whack! That first slap snatched the smirk off Jade's face so fast, you'd think it owed her money. Jade stumbled back, her mouth parting, but she didn't get a single word out before—
Whack!
Whack!
Whack!
Nia didn't stop. Left, right, left again. Like she was playing the drums on this bitch's face. Jade finally snapped out of it, throwing a wild ass swing, but Nia wasn't phased—like she saw that shit coming a mile away. She dodged, then clocked her one last time, sending her ass straight to the floor. And just like that, it was over for Jade.
Nia lifted her dress, stepped over her, and sat dead on her chest, pinning her down like she was claiming a prize. Then she went fists first. "You thought I wasn't gonna see you?"
Whop!
"You thought I wasn't gonna catch your ass?"
Whop!
"You thought you was just gon' be the happy little side bitch forever, huh?"
Whop! Whop! Whop!
Jade was screaming, wiggling, trying to block the punches but failing miserably. The room was stunned, people were standing around with the mouths wide open, not one person stepping in to help. Amina, meanwhile, had whipped out her phone. "Oh, incase hoes try to lie about what happened . " I grabbed her wrist, dying laughing. "Girl, put that damn phone down before we all end up in some shit!"
Nia was still going, still unloading frustration she'd probably been holding for months, and I swear I saw the devil in her eyes. And honestly, Jade had it coming. Jules barely had two seconds to pull Nia off Jade before she started swinging on him. "You invited that bitch here to embarrass me?" Nia's voice was pure fire, her chest rising and falling as she lit into his ass.
Before anybody could stop her, she was slapping him upside the head, over and over. "You got me fucked up, Jules!" Jules held his arms up, trying to block her blows, but he wasn't trying hard enough, which told me he knew he deserved that shit. "Nia, chill!" he gritted out, trying to grab her wrists, but failed. "Man, yall come on with this shit !" Juste's voice cut through the chaos as he stepped between them, gripping Nia's wrists before she could land another hit.
