Page 39 of River & Crown
Jerking me back, I stumbled but caught my composure before I hit the floor.
"Someone is moving in on Crown's territory in Ember Hills. Handle it before I have to."
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I spun on my heels and got the fuck out of there. I bypassed Crown, Lynx, Rize, and Talon without saying a word. Talon eventually treaded behind me, pissing me off even more.
"When I move, you fucking move," I gritted once we were in the car.
"Had you spoken to me, I'd know what to do. We're a team. I can't know what to do if you don't?—"
"Just shut up!" I barked.
Kage caught my glare in the rearview mirror and motioned for me to calm down. I sucked my teeth, knowing he was right.
"You're better than whatever happened in there. Remember who you're doing this for and let all the other shit roll off your back."
"But—" I started, and Kage flashed me a warning glare.
"But nothing. If you can't take what that nigga is dishing, then stop being the one he serves it to."
With that, Kage focused on the road, and I sucked my teeth. Had Talon not been in this car, I could've vented and let go of the frustration burning me up inside. Talon didn't get to see the softer side of me. His access had been revoked the minute he left me to deal with his father's rage while he went gallivanting with the men he loved. I wasn't mad at his preference and never have been. Since he couldn't give me love, the least he could've offered was real friendship. It was supposed to be the two of us knocking his father off the board. Unfortunately, Talon was the pussy his father wished he loved, so I had to do it on my own.
Chapter 9
River Ashland
Awide smile spread across my face as I watched the twins' faces light up as they read over the numbers on my computer. Life had gotten in the way of me sitting them down to finally explain where their dues were actually going. Crown had a meeting at the mill with his brothers and Choyce, so I figured today was perfect to have the twins come to my office and show them the numbers.
"There's no way my young ass is a quarter million up," Kysre declared, unable to look away from the screen.
"I can believe it!" A cheeky grin took over Kyree's face as her eyes lit up. "I always knew I was destined to be a rich bitch!"
Chuckling, I shook my head, admiring the difference in the sisters. Both were hotheads who stayed on go. Kyree was more of the talker and extremely full of herself, with good reason because she, like her identical twin sister, was gorgeous. Yet she didn't command attention with softness or the allure of a woman used to admiration. Kyree's confidence was unsettling to anyone who didn't possess the same aura. She never begged to be noticed. The sexiness of her walk demanded it. People didn't flock to Kyree. They reacted. Some out of curiosity, others with hostility.
I liked to think of Kyree as the disruption, while Kysre was the quiet that loomed in the air right before lightning struck. She wasn't the type of girl who needed to take up space to own it. Kysre simply existed, patient and watchful but unmoved by most things. Her confidence didn't exist in the way she walked or how she spoke, but in the way she didn't have to. The ones who mattered noticed exactly who Kysre was, and those who didn't... realized when it was too late.
"The goal isn't to be rich. It's to be wealthy," I corrected Kyree while Kysre just nodded.
"I know, River, but damn, can't I be happy about being rich in this moment?"
"You can, and I want you both to be happy. However, I also want y'all to understand the difference between rich and wealthy. The difference will keep you both on God's soil and not the devil's playground. Now tell me the difference."
"Rich is for?—"
The moment I glanced in Kysre's direction, she snapped her mouth shut. She knew better than to step in and save her sister when dealing with me. Around me, the twins were their own people. I didn't group them as one the way their foster mother did. I forced them to embrace their individuality.
"Being rich is having the opportunity to lose it all. It's synonymous with control and used as a weapon that makes you fragile because money by itself doesn't make you untouchable."
"Nice to know you've been listening."
"I'm always listening when you talk, even when you think I'm not." Her cheeky grin and wink got a chuckle out of me.
I glanced toward Kysre and nodded for her to finish it off.
"Wealth isn't the point in which someone has money. Wealth is when someoneismoney. It's rooted in legacy. Legacy is the power that's never flaunted because it's woven into the fabric of society. Wealth allows the world to bend at your will. You'llown things that matter, including land, influence, and people's futures. Wealth guarantees your ability to shape outcomes rather than react to them. Wealth is the lineage of power that lives long after you're gone."
"Exactly." I smiled in approval. "I want that for both of you. These accounts are the first steps in making sure wealth runs deep within the roots y'all are planting."
Soft sniffles paused my words. I grabbed a few tissues from the corner of my desk and passed them to Kysre. Her confidence was undeniable until the mention of her future. For a reason never told to me, Kysre didn't believe she'd live past twenty-five. The first time she broke down was when I asked what she wanted to do after she graduated. She was sixteen at the time, with the presence of a woman twice her age. She cleared her throat, then answered, "Alive." Heavy tears treaded her cheeks right after. In that moment, I saw what it looked like for an inner child to live without being healed.
