His Emancipator🖤 [His Duet #1]

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN

Friday morning. Birds are chirping, the skies are clear, the end of the Crappers is looming. Who am I kidding? The winter is definitely wintering. December does not give a shit about nobody. If not for Darelle's case, I'd spend the day covered in layers upon layers of blankets and maybe if Darelle is feeling benevolent he'd share his warmth.

"I should've brought two coats." I huff out, stepping closer to the court entrance. Darelle brings his hand around me in a bid to protect me from the paparazzo. "It's not that bad."

"It is very bad." I say as we start moving through the throng of paparazzo slamming their cameras and microphones in our faces.

"Keilee is it true that your financial status quo is only because of your father?" A female reporter shouts from behind us.

I tilt my head slightly. "Why don't you take up that bitterness with your father." I yell back. I'm probably making things worse but I'm so tired of people linking my success to my father. Isn't a child from a rich family allowed to be well off without it being connected to their family's wealth? For God's sake I'm opening my own company not inheriting one of my father's hotels or clubs. Can't I be cut some slack?

"Are you okay?" Darelle asks once we've stepped into the warmth of the court.

"Yes I'm fine. Let's just get this over with." I'm probably already making the headlines but who cares? There's only so much hate someone can take. Over the course of our relationship, I've been called a homewrecker, side piece, whore.

And when the news of me opening my company spread out, it got worse. I've endured it all because at the end of the day it's only Darelle and I in our relationship.

The society doesn't know how many days we've cried ourselves to sleep or the nightmares we've had to pull each other from. So what if ninety percent of the money I'm using to open the company is my dad and mom's? After all parents only work hard for the sake of their kids.

"You'll be fine?" Darelle asks when we stop at my designated sitting position. "Yeah. Go on." I tip my chin towards where Thomas is sitting. For a second he gazes uncertainly at his chair "Okay but shout if you need me." He responds.

"I don't think that's how it works."

"I'm sure we can compromise." His smile is contagious that I find myself having one of my own. "See that's the expression I always want to see on you face." He continues before letting go of my hand and trotting to the front of the room.

Minutes later Kira slumps beside me. "I don't know if sitting through hours of a court case is enervating or eluding those paparazzo out there is." She drops her yellow trench coat on the space between us, leaving her in a white pull neck and black palazzo.

"You're lucky none of them subtly called you a nepo baby."

"I think in the next month or so I'll be the holder of that name. But don't let them bring you down, you've gone through so much to allow a couple of words from nobodies get to you." She's been so supportive that sometimes I forget she too has her own demons. She's actually had online fights with people for me.