𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 ¹

forty seven.

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN
forget everything

Lucious

next day

Juanita made breakfast for Lucious, Royalty, and Cookie, but the atmosphere was awkward because of Cookie. She was still waiting for Lucious to confess to loving her back, he could see it in her eyes. But he was never going to do that. It was better if he didn't.

Royalty ate her food. "Why are you two so quiet?"

Cookie spoke. "I'm waiting for your father to say what he has to say."

"I have nothing to say to you, Cookie."

"I think you do."

He changed the topic. "Anyway, how did Blake take the news, Ro?"

Royalty frowned down at her plate. "Not well. He's mad at me again."

"Why is that boy always mad?" Cookie said.

"Because of the song I wrote about him. He doesn't want me to perform it. He says I'll be humiliating him."

Cookie spoke harshly. "Fuck his feelings. You gotta do what you gotta do. And those lyrics are accurate. He does need to let you rock, or I'mma rock my foot up his-"

"We're eating, Cookie!" Lucious interrupted.

"I'm just saying! I don't like that controlling little boy, so let him stay mad, Ro. You can do better."

"But I really like him!" Ro whined. "I wanna make it up to-"

"You can do better," Cookie said sternly. "Tell her, Lucious!"

All he said was, "Just follow your heart, Ro."

Ro smiled. "I will."

Cookie shook her head at him. "No damn help."

Then Jamal strolled in cheerfully. "Guess who had sex last night?"

Royalty scrunched her face in disgust. "Ew? But what the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about? You're back with Mateo?" Cookie asked.

"Nope. It was with Tory."

Lucious gave him a shocked look. "You had sex with your fake girlfriend?"

Jamal sat down. "Yup. Aren't you proud?"

"Hell yeah, because I guess she's your real girlfriend now!"

"Nope. I felt absolutely nothing afterwards." Jamal shrugged briskly. "I'm gay for life."

"Damn. Damn. Damn," Lucious muttered.

Cookie rolled her eyes as Ro spoke to her brother. "Well, I hope you didn't tell Tory that. That's rude."

"I did tell her, and she didn't care. She wasn't expecting me to feel anything. We had sex for the hell of it, honestly."

"Did you use protection? Because you may like men, but you can still knock a chick up," Cookie warned.

Jamal huffed. "No, I didn't use protection, Ma."

Cookie gave him a sharp look. "Boy, are you crazy?! Are you trying to have babies?!"

Lucious inserted myself. "I hope he does. I want some grandkids before I die."

"You can have something else before you die, but you'd rather play games," Cookie retorted.