𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 ¹

twenty two.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
saboteur

Andre

Andre heard his mother calling for him. "Andre, baby!"

He was a little shocked that she was there, to be honest. Didn't Lucious say she wasn't going to show up at Empire again? Regardless, he walked up to her. "Hey, Ma. Pop. What's going on?"

Lucious said, "Your mother's going to follow you around today. She needs to get familiar with the company."

Andre's face fell flat after that. "Oh...may I ask why?"

"If I'm going to be CEO, I need to understand the company I'm running," Cookie answered.

"You made her CEO?!"

"I haven't chosen anyone yet, Andre. I'm not going to anytime soon," Lucious said.

Cookie hit Andre. "And if he did choose me? What's so wrong with me being CEO, boy?"

"Nothing, Ma."

"Mhm. Now show me around!" she demanded.

"Be good to her, Andre," Lucious told him.

Andre and Cookie walked off, and he was trying his hardest to contain his anger. He didn't know if he could because he felt like he was about to go berserk at any second. Lucious promised Cookie wouldn't be at Empire anymore. He promised and he lied! Andre blamed his sister a little bit because she had said Cookie deserved to be CEO, and now this was happening?

Cookie wasn't there for seventeen years. Meanwhile, Andre had been by Lucious' side for years. He knew the company inside and out, which meant he was the most qualified to run Empire. Why couldn't Lucious see that?

"You okay, baby?" Cookie asked worriedly. "You're fuming."

"I'm okay, Ma. I'm just feeling hot." Real hot.

She looked around. "Okay...well, who are the important people here?"

"There's me, obviously."

Cookie tilted her head. "I already know you, Andre."

"Then there's Becky; Pop's assistant. He trusts her with his life, which means a lot since he doesn't trust a lot of people."

"Becky?"

"Yeah, she's right over there. Becky!"

He and Cookie approached Becky and she smiled. "Hey, Andre." Then she noticed Cookie. "Oh...you must be Cookie!"

"Finally someone knows me!" Cookie joked.

Becky laughed. "Lucious tells me a lot."

"Yeah, I heard he trusts you. You must be a good person then."

"The best."

Then Jamal came running up to them. "Ma! I need a favor! I need you to talk to dad!"

Andre's ears perked up. Why, Jamal?

"About what, baby?" Cookie asked.

"About letting me perform at that club that's opening up," Jamal said. "I wrote a song, and it's the best song I've ever made. I really wanna perform it, but Lucious isn't letting me."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't like the song."

Cookie rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, baby. I'mma make sure you perform."

"Thanks, Ma. And please make sure you're there."

"Of course, baby! The whole family's going to support you!"