Page 146 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

This gallery and giving back to children was something she was passionate about because the seed had been planted by her mother. Her mother put her into an art class, which molded Stevie into who she was.

Life got her down and she couldn’t afford to follow her passion, so she found other ways to express her creativity. I wanted her to have what she always wanted, and it was a gallery for her to truly follow her dreams.

I’ve bought a jet without even taking a second look, so investing in my wife and her career was nothing for me. I wanted her to have her own life, not just become Menace Caselli’s wife. I wanted her to be Stevie Caselli, and have things that she accomplished on her own, so if me giving her this nudge was what it took, a nigga couldn’t wait to see it.

“You remembered,” she whispered as she held my face and kissed my lips. “Sometimes I don’t think you listen because I talk so much.”

I kissed her lips. “I hear everything that you say. Wonder, I wanna spend the rest of my life hearing everything that you haveto say. I want your advice on art, so you can spend big money on making our family artsy.”

Her eyes widened as she continued to hold my face. “Like auctions and stuff?”

“Yeah. I want you to follow your dreams, Wonder. Boo, I wanna continue to quiet your mind, and keep you warm and safe.”

She hugged me so tight and then looked up at me. “Can we go inside?”

I held the keys up and she snatched them and ran over toward the door to let us in. Soon as she stepped into the gallery, she screeched and did my favorite stomps. “Where you gonna have the kids paint?”

I stood by the door with my hands in my pockets watching her. “Over there. I want to host classes every weekend and even after school some days. I want them to be free, too… something for the kids. Parents need that at times, you know? I have to call Kora because I need her help getting some local Black artists in here. I want so many new and upcoming artist on all of these walls. I think we may need to knock that wall down because we can then put more art there… is that alright?”

“You got the accounts, Wonder. Do whatever you need to do because this shit is yours. I want you to do exactly what you spoke about on that video you made.”

She stood there and looked down at her feet. “God, how is this my life? I need to call Kora tomorrow.”

“You can talk to her on the jet to our holiday vacation as a family.”

She folded her arms. “I may have heard you reached out to your siblings, and they all agreed to come.”

“You the only one that didn’t confirm if you were coming, Mrs. Caselli.”

She ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t know, I’m a gallery owner and very busy. Lots of auctions and events and such.” She put on this snooty voice and flipped her hair.

I laughed. “Even too busy for me? Damn, I’m one of your biggest clients.”

She looked at her phone. “I don’t know, Mitchell… I have to speak with my assistant and make sure everything is all good. I’ll have Greene contact you.”

I shook my head. “So, you just going to steal Mahogony from me?”

Wonder walked over toward me and hugged me. “You just put a battery in my back, Maverick. I’m excited to have something… to do something. I was scared about losing myself when I married you, not having anything of my own. This has renewed me, made me want to finish a painting and actually immerse myself further. I really think I can do this.”

“I don’t think you can do it, Wonder.” She looked down, and I lifted her face, and kissed her lips. “I know you can do it, and I can’t wait to witness everything that you do. You gonna be fucking great, Mrs. C.”

She kissed my cheek and then took off running to the back of the gallery. Stevie was sent to heal me. Every time I counted my blessings, and a nigga never counted his blessings, I counted her twice. I never thought I was supposed to ever be someone’s husband, and at times I still questioned it.

Wonder knew that I wasn’t all the way there and even knowing that she loved me. She wanted to be with me because of who I was, not what I could do for her. When she left, she showed me that she wasn’t about to put up with shit and demanded what she deserved.

I never wanted to imagine a world without my baby, and her leaving our home and being gone was something I never wantedto experience again. Stevie came into my life and shook shit up, made me anxious, nervous, and intrigued all at one time.

While she triggered the fuck out of me, I couldn’t stay away from her. We were learning each other, and I think she knew me best. She handled me with care, and she never judged. No matter how stupid something that I had to do was, she always respected that.

Stevie Caselli was one of a kind, and I would smoke a whole carton of cigarettes if she left me again. I was considering buying me a little jail so if she tried to leave the next time I could lock her ass up, and it would just be us in jail together.

I was downright crazy about Wanda.

“Listen,I need the room with the balcony because I have to have fresh air at night,” Zoya got off the speed boat barking demands.

She and Kora had to fly in later since they had to wrap up cases before the holidays. Kennedy boarded the yacht and smiled at me. “Hey Menace… thanks for inviting me.”

“Didn’t invite you Kennedy.” I looked at Zoya.

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