Page 228 of Invisible Bars
She blinked, visibly rattled now. “I don’t need clout; I have followers?—”
“You don’t have respect,” I rudely interrupted. “And inmyworld, that’s the only thing that keeps people breathing in certain circles.”
Aaliyah’s expression slipped somewhere between humiliation and realization, finally realizing who she was talking to.
“I don’t give a damn what fantasy you’re feeding yo’ lil’ internet fanbase. But here’s the truth. You don’t belong near me, and you damn sure don’t belong nearher.”
“Imanio—”
“Don’t. Say. My. Name.”
The walls felt closer; like the hallway itself wanted to hold its breath.
I moved in closer, allowing my presence to do all the shouting I didn’t have to.
“You see, mywife,she’s theonlywoman I’ve ever taken seriously. The only one I’d bleed for and build a life with. Hell,I’ll burn this entire fucking industry to ash before I let a glorified selfie merchant likeyoutry her again.”
“Selfie merchant?!” she retorted, offended.
“Yeah. You take pictures for likes. She walks through life being stared at, judged, and laughed at—and still shows up like royalty.You couldn’t carry her shadow.”
Aaliyah’s mouth opened, but nothing made it past the hesitation sitting in her throat.
I leaned in, letting every syllable drip like acid.
“You move messy again, Aaliyah, and I won’t just blackball you; I’ll make sure every brand you’ve ever tagged forgets your name. I’ll have your endorsements running for cover like rats in a flood. You’ll be back doing Fashion Nova hauls in your mama’s living room, wondering what went wrong.”
Her eyes darted once. She glanced off to the side, like maybe the exit sign would save her.
“Now keep yo’ distance before you find out how much darker I get when I’m protecting peace.”
I turned without waiting for her reply and ended up bumping into Chi, who was leaned against the entrance door, obviously eavesdropping.
“I was wondering how long you were gonna keep it corporate before snapping,” Chi said with a grin as he sipped from a champagne flute.
I didn’t smile… not right away.
“You saw that?” I asked.
“I saw the spill, the setup, and yo’ ass go from zero to hellfire just then.”
I exhaled.
“Bro, I’m sick of that bitch,” I muttered.
“Just say the word.”
I nodded then replied, “I didn’t think yo’ ass was coming here.”
“Bro, you know wherever Dess rolls, I’m there. Plus, I couldn’t miss your big moment,Mr. CEO. You sounded real grown up in there.”
I smirked, tired. “That obvious?”
“You dropped the ‘Gatez’ tone for once… used real words. Had Malcolm looking proud enough to levitate.”
We both chuckled.
Chi glanced toward the door Aaliyah had exited through. “She gone?”
