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“Why are there four pills instead of three?” he asked, strumming his fingers of his free hand irritably on the island, not bothering with his sandwich.
“Oh, it's depression medicine, birth control and ibuprofen,” she said, washing it down with the juice. Colin’s eyebrows hit the roof and he stood there stunned for a moment.
“What?” he asked, putting down his sandwich.
“Yeah, I got this from Stella, then I called my doctor to make an appointment. I’ve been crying a lot. Ever since China,” she said quietly, sipping more of her juice. Her eyes shifted rather uncomfortably away from him. Guilt of hiding this from him plagued her.
“Okay…but that’s really something you need to talk to me about, baby. I need to know these things,” Colin said gently, taking her empty plate and cup from her and putting it in the dishwasher. He fought back the sudden wave of emotion threatening to overcome him. He couldn’t stand to see her sad, it made him physically ill. Taking a second to himself, he contemplated their age gap, how hard it's been to let go of her independence.
The fact that she didn't tell him she added a medication to her daily pill routine bothered him. He took a deep breath, not wanting to rock the boat considering he'd just gotten her back.
“Is it because of all this stuff? We’ve been going through a lot of shit baby. I wish you would have told me you were feeling like this,” he said, turning back to her and seeing her rub her hand down her arm. The rain pounded steadily against the skylight and the back of the house that the kitchen faced.
“Well, I’m just going to try it and see if it helps. Jonathan gave me his psychiatrist friend’s name, Dr. Richardson, to contact if it gets to be too bad. But I’m starting with a therapist first, her name is Sarah Johnson…I’m sorry, I should have talked about it, but I didn’t want to give you another reason to worry. You have a lot on your plate. Your life didn’t use to be like this before I got here,” she said quietly, her eyes falling to the island between them. Her lips pouted, betraying her emotion.
Colin pushed off the counter and rounded the island. Fuck if we’re dealing with unnecessary distance, he thought to himself, pulling her into his arms.
“That’s where you’re wrong. It was worse. I had nothing to live for then,” he said, putting his lips to her hair and smelling her strawberry vanilla shampoo. “I love you, Olivia.”
“I love you too, baby,” she sighed, hugging him tight.
“Now go put your watch on please,” Colin said, giving her ass a pat, making her skip a step as she hobbled away. She tried to hide it but there was a visible limp in her gait. He smiled, turning to grab his keys.
***
Forty-five minutes later, they were in Vincent’s security building in an obscure plot of land surrounded by trees and gates. They joined Vanessa and Jonathan in a plush, well decorated sitting room with leather seats and a huge aquarium that housed mini sharks which Jonathan was currently standing before staring at, fascinated.
Vanessa sat across from them with air pods on, listening intently to the band’s rendition of her song she recorded for them a month ago. She’d taken up Elijah’s offer and was demoing some covers for them while waiting for the baby to be born.
Olivia was reading a book and Colin’s eyebrow went up as he snuck and read with her over her shoulder. He broke out in a grin, thinking that the main characters might give them a run for their money. Whatever she was reading was crazy. He looked at the side of her face, she was giving no indication she was reading smut. The woman could have a poker face sometimes, but not with him.
“That’s very interesting baby, we should try that sometime,” he whispered in her ear, and she turned off her phone with a gasp, the color coming up into her face finally. He chuckled, pressing her against his chest and kissing the side of her head.
Stella walked in, and Colin almost did a double take at the gorgeous statuesque African American beauty. He nodded in approval at her business suit.
They assessed each other for style every time they met up, and this had become his and Stella’s own little game. He noted that she had traded her usual braided style for a flowing style, with hair halfway down her back and boasting a middle part. She looked like an African goddess in gold color that set off her skin tone perfectly.
You’d never know by looking at her that she was a brat and needed frequent punishments according to Vincent.
“Wow,” Olivia breathed, standing up gracefully and walking into Stella, giving her a hug. “You look gorgeous, friend. This color is to die for!”
“Thanks girl. I’m loving that pantsuit. What are we clocking today? About forty-five grand it looks like?” Stella leaned in and whispered with a small giggle at her friend. Olivia had shared their daily vie for power, and it started with how much money she was ordered to wear on her person at all times.
Colin grinned, letting out a little chuckle. Thinking that the joke was on Olivia anyway, because her wedding ring alone was four times that much. But she didn’t need to know that.
Stella thought it was cute.
“Are you all ready? Vincent is ready for the four of you in our big conference room,” she said, holding the door open and letting them out into an expansive hallway. All the doors were wooden and there were no glass windows anywhere.
“So, Nessie, when are we dueee?” Stella crooned, stroking her hand down Vanessa’s belly as they walked. Vanessa had the cutest waddle.
“Supposed to be seven weeks,” Vanessa said with a little laugh. “But he feels like a freaking bowling ball so he can come out whenever. My god. The doctor said he’s already eight pounds, can you believe it?” Vanessa said, placing a hand on her lower back and pressing.
“Girl that’s what C-sections and vaginal tightening surgeries are for,” Stella joked, making them all laugh as they rounded the corner. She opened another door and let them into a huge room with nineteen intimidating men and Vincent, making up the twentieth. He was sitting at the head of a thirty-foot table, a huge projector screen on the other side of the room across from him. The teams looked like they were split into two sides. Colin’s and Olivia’s on one side of the table, Jonathan’s and Vanessa’s on the other side.
Vincent stood up, welcoming them and waving them in.
Olivia’s eyes perused every one of them. She stared hard, getting her bearings; and they stared back too. One of the men, closest to Vincent on the right side of the table, had an intimidating scar slashed across his face. He was extremely muscular, but not bulky. His hair was in a buzz cut and he wore all black. He stood there staring silently. No life in his eyes. She felt a shiver go up her spine. The man’s aura was heavy and trained straight on hers. Her eyes widened.
