Page 163 of Shâhzâdeh

I swore I needed to stop coming in this mall because why were they always finding me here? It was crazy that in a mall this size; they kept finding exactly where I was.

“Vanya?”

“Girl, you know this crazy bitch is very much still crazy. Ignore her.” Frankie shot my adoptive mother a look that screamed she needed to stay away.

We’d just left the Russian spa getting manicures and pedicures and were walking to have lunch at the factory of cheesecakes. But my good afternoon was ruined when I saw this woman’s face that was withered like a white grape in the sun.

“Can I get caught up or do I need to get her moved to a secondary location?” Navi was blatantly ignoring my former adoptive mother as she stood there blocking our path. The mall was less full because it was a weekday, but that didn’t mean it was empty enough for Navi to not be seen dragging a whole white woman through a mall or parking lot.

I didn’t voice that out loud because I felt as though she would see that as some sort of challenge. I looked at the woman that used to force me to call her mother and frowned in disgust.

“I haven’t done anything to your son. Now, I need you to get out of my way and go back to pretending I don’t exist. You’ve wanted that all my life, now you have your wish and you still aren’t happy.”

“Johnathan is losing his hair. He said his thing isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. He told me your husband has some type of curse on him. As soon as you walk away from us you do devil worship with people. Look how easily you could be led astray! You’re much too weak to stand on your own.”

“It’s a damn good thing I’m no longer on my own then, isn’t it?”

She looked at the two women standing with me and I could tell she completely underestimated them both.

“I see the type of people that you hang around now. These women with you with their fake hair—”

“Always a white bitch with over processed hair thinking some shit coming out of my scalp had to be purchased.” Navi was rolling her eyes and glaring at that woman like she wanted to jump on her. I was proud because she was showing amazing restraint.

“You think you’re so much better than us now?” She didn’t have anything to say about Navi so she’d turned her attention back to me. I was sure I’d never be allowed back in this mall since my presence seemed to draw a disturbance.

“I know I’m better than you and it has nothing to do with my husband or the money that he provides.”

Her face was red and she glanced around like a stranger, ignoring us to mind their own business, would back her up. “You are such a jezebel. You could’ve been so much more than you are now—”

“Oh, she’s jealous? Yeah, it’s clear that she wishes she had the life she knows you live. From the way you could outperform all of them when you were on your own. And then you had the audacity to marry a wealthy man. Vanya, you probably keep her up at night sick.” Frankie was standing up for me the same way that Navi had and I could tell that it angered the woman who’d kept me indentured to her.

“Husband? It’s funny that you all would justify bigotry. God is not going to bless this marriage because He doesn’t believe you’re truly separated from our boy. Even as a little girl I could see the spirit of temptation within you. Look at how you acted with my husband!”

Navi gagged and Frankie stood up taller like she was going to lose it. “Did she just say—”

I just laughed in that woman’s face because she was truly delusional. “Don’t try to rationalize her madness, Frankie. You’ll get a migraine.” I tapped their shoulders so we could continue on to where we were headed.

“Don’t you hear me talking to you, girl?”

I turned my head slowly knowing what the tone she was using was trying to evoke in me. I’d long since grown taller than her and I exercised to ensure I was stronger. I took a good look at her and had to agree with my friend. She was a nondescript woman who genuinely looked like at least five other women that had walked by since we’d been standing here. She had dyed blonde hair and a malnourished physique as she desperately tried to hold on to thinness since youth had long since eluded her. Conformity to whatever was the norm gave her a sense of belonging and acceptance and she couldn’t understand why I never reached for that.

“Yes, I hear your voice but none of your words are going to settle in me. When I was a child I was forced to endure your presence. I won’t be beaten or starved because you think I got too smart in the mouth or I wasn’t sufficiently demure enough for you. But then again, you’re a woman that would protect a man who had creep behavior.”

Her face turned redder than my hair as she glanced around to ensure no one heard me. “That is an ugly lie. Just like I said—”

“One thing my friend doesn’t do is lie. If you protected a creep she’d say so. If she said dude was a molester, call his ass Chester. Which just makes you a piece of shit horrible woman who would still be married to someone who would do something so abhorrent.” Frankie spoke furiously and I know it was the combination of being my friend and having small children that fueled her anger.

“And just who are you supposed to be? Are you supposed to be somebody of importance to me? ‘Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone’.”

“Oh, so we’re admitting to the sin? Gotcha. I don’t say this the way most wealthy people say this, but I could end your life. Today. With a smile on my face and not think twice about it. See the only thing saving you is that my sweet friend here, despite you deserving everything that is coming to you, would feel some sort of way.” Navi was nodding at Frankie’s words and I knew they needed to get away from one another. Thankfully, Jada and Smoke had left after the wedding, because I couldn’t imagine all of three of them together.

“Uhh… don’t be so sure Frankie.”

With surprised eyes, Frankie nodded her head proudly. “See, you’ve irritated someone as saintly as Vanya. That means we have a problem. More specifically, you have one and we just might be the solution. There’s just no part of you that should be okay with the idea that you’ve made an enemy out of Vanya Cannon.”

“Her name is Kennedy.” That woman hissed her last name like I was going to feel some sort of way.

“My name is Vanya Grace Cannon, princess of the house of Mahdavi. My husband is Xerxes Cannon and I’m sure that ingrate you call a son has more than relayed all of my business to you. But please know he left out one thing.”

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