“Sienna, this is Sincere Bellamy,” he introduced. “These are his… acquaintances: Asim, Reek, Saint. They’re the ones behind the Project 83 we’ve been talking about.”
“I know who they are.” Her gaze settled on me with a soft but teasing grin. “And I know your project. The neighborhood group chats haven’t shut up about it since that town hall clip.” She slid into the chair beside me. She then opened her tablet. “My father gave me a heads-up when you all were on your way. I’ve been watching the neighborhood pages since that town hall clip started bouncing around.” She swiped a few times, then turned the screen so I could see the protest flyers, tweets, Facebook comments, and a video of me, Legend, Icon, and Saintin the back of the meeting with a phone in our faces. “People are already talking about you online. Not all of Chicago, but the neighborhood. It’s loud enough. This is how your name starts to change, for good or bad. My firm can help blunt this. First of all, there needs to be a meeting with Kai Richardson to quiet him.”
I nodded. “I agree. I actually reached out to him this morning.”
“Good. Then we build a clear narrative about what this project actually is. Housing, jobs, community space. Then we translate it into language the aunties and the teenagers both understand. We create content for social, your website, and physical one-pagers for meetings. We organize listening sessions where residents can ask questions and get real answers, not rumors. We identify trusted messengers like pastors, small business owners, and coaches, and get them informed so they can speak from facts, not fear.”
Her father watched her like he was so proud.
“You can mean well and still lose,” she said, looking back at me. “If you don’t control the story, someone else will.”
“I’m open to that,” I said. “We’re not trying to steamroll anybody.”
“Good,” she smiled. Then she paused before adding, “There’s one more thing I’d recommend if you want my father to stay in front of this.”
I waited with a raised brow.
“You’re asking him to assume a lot of risk politically. It helps if he doesn’t feel like he’s doing that for strangers. Right now, ‘Cartier’ is a rumor to most people, and it’s an intimidating one. We can soften that by making it personal. Human.” She glanced back at the guys on the wall, then at me. “A visible relationship between one of you and someone they already trust, someone like me, sends a message. It says our families are aligned. That I’m close enough to see what’s really happening, and I stillchoose to stand next to you. My father’s colleagues see that and think, ‘If Langford is letting his daughter attach herself to this, he must trust them.’ Voters will think the same.”
Langford nodded. “It would make my continued support easier to explain. They know Sienna. They know I’d never let her connect herself to something I thought would explode or is illegal.”
I understood it. Politically, it made sense. Personally, I saw the other layer. I could see in Sienna’s eyes she wanted attachment to Cartier’s money and power. The problem was that all the Cartier men were wifed up. So, that only left me.
I scoffed with amusement. “I appreciate the strategy and offer, but the relationship part is a no for me.”
Her brows rose slightly. “No?”
“No,” I enforced. “I’m not using my personal life as a PR tool. I’ve had my share of phony relationships.”
Curiosity flickered in her eyes at that, but she stayed quiet.
“I’m not staging something for cameras or council meetings. If I ever stand with someone like that again, it’ll be because it’s real, not because it polls well or calms down your colleagues.”
The room went still for a second.
Langford studied me like he was recalculating. “You’re sure?”
“Very.”
Before he could respond, a voice came from the chairs behind me.
“I’ll do it.”
We all turned.
Reek leaned forward, forearms on his knees, eyes locked on Sienna. There was a look on his face that her body should’ve feared, but the way she shifted in her seat and met it head-on told me she wasn’t scared at all.
TARIQ “REEK” HORTON
Langford leaned back in his chair with his eyes locked on me. “Well, it seems we may have found a way to keep everybody invested after all.”
My gaze went straight to her. Sienna sat there with her tablet on her lap with her legs crossed. My eyes traveled up those legs, imagining what kind of pretty, pink, wet surprise was between them.
She met my eyes, and there was nothing shy in her stare.
Fuck yeah, I’d play the role. I didn’t care about all the committee talk, zoning language, “narrative” this and “reputation management” that. That was Sincere’s love language. While Langford finished his little speech about optics and public trust, my mind was already imagining what it would feel like to have my dick down Sienna’s throat.
Beside me, I could feel that Big A was annoyed. Saint didn’t say a word, but I could hear his laugh in my head already. And I already knew Sincere was pissed.
