Page 155 of Shâhzâdeh

I was so disappointed in myself for thinking I could’ve been that little girl. I’d promised myself that I would only look toward the future and not the past. I had been given so much now in the life I’d built for myself. “Oh well, then it’s clearly not me. I’m alive and well.”

“Yeah, you are.” He nodded his agreement but there was still something behind it that felt strange. Determined.

“So, I’ll send those comps over to you—”

“Funny thing about my sister. They never found her body in the fire. Tried to say it would turn up but it never did.” Mr Thornton’s eyes were still focused on me and that feeling returned.

Quentin had now pulled out his phone and started typing. “That’s strange.”

“Yeah, it is. But something about this ain’t right.”

I was feeling more nervous the longer we just stood there and I wanted to leave to help the feeling abate. “I’m not sure what you want me to say to that.”

With a glance to Quentin, he turned back to me and asked something I would’ve never expected. “I know it’s unorthodox, but would you agree to a DNA test?”

“For what?”

“Because I think you’re my sister.”

I chuckled because he said that so smoothly like it was a daily thing. “You said she died. Besides, you’re a famous NBA player. Shouldn’t you be trying to keep yourself out of DNA situations instead of volunteering yourself for them?”

“Crazier shit has happened. A few years back, there was this football player in the league who found out he was a Black man. His ass is blond with blue eyes. He got a fine ass wife, too.”

“He don’t play about his lady so if you like breathing…” Quentin let his words trail off and I looked and him confused. How many people did he know?

Mr. Thornton smirked before he looked back at me. “I have no problem with setting up—”

“If you’re serious about this Vanya we can set this up, but let Xerxes know. We can do it at the medical facility in Uptown.”

Now Mr. Thornton looked offended at Quentin’s interference. “It’s like that? I know plenty of private—”

Quentin pushed up from the wall and pulled himself up to his full height. “Her DNA isn’t about to be entered into a database and the information sold once the people run into financial difficulties. They’re about to screw over about thirty-five million Americans with that right now. Our facility or none.”

“Damn, Quentin can I speak for myself?” I sat back on the edge of Navi’s desk thinking about everything that had gone down in the last few hours.

“You can. But I already see you doing that soft-hearted thing you do and I gotta look out for you because I like my head on my neck.” He waved his phone at me and shrugged.

Mr. Thornton nodded as though he knew the results were going to be worth the hassle. “Fine. Y’all tell me where and when—”

I stood up ‘cause now I was too anxious to work. First seeing my brusband to having this potential client claim me as his sister, I was ready for some answers and a nap. “Now. Right now. You’ve got my nerves bad and I won’t be able to relax until I know.”

“You want Xerxes to meet us there?” Quentin was still holding out his phone and I had to roll my eyes at his ridiculousness.

My hands shook as I put my tablet back inside my tote bag and sighed.

“As if I could keep him away.”

“Baby, are you alright?”

I was pulling on my fingers nervously because I wasn’t able to stop fidgeting. I looked back over at Xerxes who wasn’t his normally composed self.

“Yeah. Just wasn’t feeling good.” And he didn’t look it. His face was slightly flushed and he looked uncomfortable. He’d pulled his tie off and his shirt was completely open. He was sitting on the sofa in front of the French doors in our bedroom and looked too tired to even put his clothes away. He was always meticulous with his clothing so I was concerned.

Immediately, I walked over to him and put the back of my hand to his forehead. He was sitting down on the sofa with his head thrown back. Xerxes felt slightly warm and now I was worried about him. “What’s wrong?”

He shifted and put his arm around me a slight smile on his face. “Felt clammy. Like I ate somezing bad because my stomach was all messed up.”

“Messed up out the mouth or out the ass?”

---