Page 32 of Mister Artist

“Ta ma de zhège gou shi,” Malorie said, flipping the man in the office off.

It caught me so off guard I had to fight to keep my laugh in as I asked Malik, “What the hell is going on, bruh?”

“He is trying to charge her for the full year, and she’s upset because she was under the impression she was paying a month to month lease. I told her I could just go in there and beat his ass to make him give us the key to her storage unit, but she said I can’t be fighting anymore because of the twins.”

He sounded sad over the fact that he couldn’t fight for his sister, which further amused me.

“What is she even speaking?” David asked.

“Mane, I’on know,” Malik replied. “It’s either Korean, Japanese, or—”

“It’s Chinese,” I answered, walking over to a still pacing Malorie.

“How do you know?” Elias asked with a smirk.

“Trust me, I know.” Though she spoke Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, Chinese was her favorite language to curse in. Back in the day, she’d taught me a few phrases. Earlier, she said fuck this shit, and now she was calling the man and his mama a punk bitch.

“Hey,” I called quietly, not wanting to immediately touch her and she swing on me. I felt like she was about to be off with my head that night at the lounge until she realized who I was. When she looked at me, I took her hands into mine and did what I didwhen we were younger to calm her down. “Is this something you can control?”

She huffed, rolled her eyes, and stomped her foot. “No, but—”

My head shook as I gently squeezed her hands. “Unh-uh. If you can’t control it, how much energy are you supposed to give it?”

Malorie pulled in a shaky breath before muttering, “None.”

“Aight, so emotions aside, what are your options?”

“I’m not sure. I have my lawyer friend looking over the contract. I’m not paying him over a thousand dollars for the year when I only had my shit here for less than a week and he told me the lease was for a month to month unit. He won’t give me my key.”

“Okay. Wait here.”

I released her and went inside. The smug looking nigga straightened his back as I walked over to the counter. His eyes widened when I reached in my pocket, and I chuckled. After pulling out my phone, I used my thumb to open my bank app.

“C’mere,” I demanded, turning my phone so he could see my four accounts and the amounts in them.

His mouth literally salivated, and he licked his lips from the multiple commas. I wrapped my hand around his tie and used it to slam the side of his face onto the counter.

“You see I have more than enough to buy her out of her contract, but I also have enough to pay my bond and attorney after I beat your ass and get charged with assault and battery.”

“B-B-Bu—”

“Give her the key and terminate that lease.Rightthe fuck now.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

I released him, and he made quick work of typing on his computer with shaking fingers before taking the key to her storage unit out of his pocket.

“If you try and charge her card when we leave, I’m going to come back, and I’m not going to speak a word. Do you understand me?”

With a fast nod, he gulped. “Matter fact, delete her information right now. Let me see you take her card information out the system.”

I heard the guys laughing as I made my way behind the counter, but I didn’t give a fuck. Regardless of what was going on with me and Malorie personally, I wasn’t going to letanyonetake advantage of her. Plus, Malik was trying to do right, and I had no problem stepping up for him. After he permanently deleted all of her information from his system, I went outside and gave Malik the key.

“Thank you,” she said with an airy tone, wrapping her arms around me for a hug. This time, I hugged her back.

“You’re welcome, my sweet girl.”

I should have released her, but I couldn’t. Resting her hands on my chest, she asked, “I’m still that?”

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