“You knew Dash?”
She nodded. “Yes, he worked for the same man that is selling me. Look, it isn’t my business what Mr. Seojun has going on. The only thing that ran across my mind was the fact that he didn’t allow anyone to fuck him over.”
I flicked my tongue across my bottom lip as I quietly chuckled. She really had no idea that I was Seojun. Did she think because I owned a multi-million dollar business and looked like this uptight man that I didn’t get my hands dirty? Then again, I had been in hiding for so long and only a few people knew what I looked like. Of course, there were a lot more people that could point me out, but I’ve already checked them off my list and had their remains scattered to send a message to the remaining five ex-Jaguars.
“So, you want revenge? I asked, turning around to look at her.
“Hell yes!” Addison eagerly replied as she stood to her feet. “You don’t know what this asshole has put me through. Not only is he selling me, but he’s allowed others to abuse me, and I want them all gone. Honestly, if I could, I would do it myself.”
I arched an eyebrow. I had to admit that I thought Addison was going to be this sweet woman who just needed financial help, but I have been mistaken. Her thirst for revenge has me intrigued and the fact that she wanted to be involved turned me on.
“Please, Mr. Adalyn.” Addison whispered. “I know this is probably not the norm for you, but I’m dolorous.”
Rubbing my chin, I walked towards her with my hands behind my back. “How about this; you come with me tonight to handle some business. There, you’ll be able to see how Seojun works. If you can handle it, then me and you can come up with some type of deal.”
“I’ll be there. Just tell me when.” She eagerly stated.
“Hold on, dear Addison; you need to understand what I am saying. If you cannot handle tonight, the last thing you have to worry about is being shipped off to a new husband. If you fail tonight, then it just may be your last night here. Are you willing to risk your life for your freedom?”
She looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. Her honey brown eyes slowly stared into mine. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
A small grin spread across my face as I extended my hand to her. She placed her dainty hand into mine before sealing our deal. I hope Addison was ready for tonight – I’d hate to have to kill her.
Chapter 19
Addison
Iexited the car without bothering to wait on Jerome. He was useless as a driver and I hated to admit it, but I would rather have Bruno here. I may not like the man, but at least he knew what the hell he was doing.
I mean, Jerome had gotten us lost after bragging that he grew up in Philly for the first twenty minutes after leaving Mr. Adalyn’s office. Mind you, according to our GPS, the hotel from the office was only 20 minutes. We had been in the car for damn near an hour before we finally made it to my hotel. If I wasn’t in my right mind, I would have called Mr. L to beg him to bring me Bruno back. Not that I wanted to deal with his shit, but like I said, at least I could get from point A to point B without being lost in the middle of nowhere.
“Do you need help taking your bags upstairs?” Jerome asked, unbuckling his seat belt before rubbing his hands together.
“Hell no!” I spat, slamming the car door closed.
I heard Jerome mumble a ‘fuck you’ but at this point, I didn’t give a damn if he was mad. Instead of trying to make his way upstairs in my space, he needs to learn how to follow the damn GPS, which shouldn’t be hard. The woman is literally telling him turn by turn instructions and yet he still got lost.
After getting checked into my hotel room, I jumped in the shower and finally washed away the day. Between dealing with Xavier, Bruno, Mr. L, Jerome and Mr. Adalyn, I was completely drained. My thoughts were running rampant, and my nerves were on ten thousand. I needed a drink.
My phone began vibrating on the side table next to the bed in the room. Checking my notifications, I saw I had a text message from Akira who was checking in to make sure I landed safely. I smiled as I sent her a quick message back explaining that I would call her in a few. As much as I wanted to tell my best friend everything that has happened to me since we graduated, I couldn’t. Not yet anyway. If I passed this so called test tonight with Mr. Adalyn and Seojun, maybe I can tell her what I was going through. Of course, I wouldn’t tell that I was pretty much hiring someone to unalive Mr. L, but at least she could know what I’ve been going through this past year.
After texting Akira, I sat on the bed and dialed my grandmother’s number. I hoped today she was feeling up to talking. Usually with her dementia, there are days when she’s not all the way with me. She thinks I’m either my mom or her sister who had passed when she was in her late thirties. Those days were hard for me.
My grandma was my first best friend, and I could talk to her about everything. When my mom was demonstrating her famous disappearing acts, my grandma stepped up to the plate. She taught me how to be a strong independent woman, but she didn’t teach me how to handle my mom without her. She didn’t prepare me on how to handle impossible situations like her getting sick and how to get away from people like Mr. L. The only thing I didn’t mind during her episodes was that I could confess everything that was happening to me, and she wouldn’t remember a thing.
I took a deep breath and called her phone. I briefly chuckled because my nana was one of those people who still had a landline in her home. After a few rings, I heard the line pick up.
“Henrietta Billingsley’s residence.”
A smile spread across my face as I heard the chipper voice through the line. “Hey Ms. Yolanda. How are you doing?”
Yolanda was my grandmother’s caregiver. She was an older Jamaican woman with a no bullshit tolerance, but she loved hard. My grandma loved Yolanda and when she was in a better state, they would be sitting around gossiping and cooking like old friends. Yolanda was family and with her around, I never worried over my grandma. Even though I despised Mr. L, I was grateful that he allowed me to hire her with little input.
“Oh, Addison, baby! It is good to hear your voice. I am blessed, baby girl, but I owe you a congratulations on graduating with your bachelor’s degree.”
“Thank you! It was a lot of hard work, but I’m kind of sad that it’s over. I mean, I guess I liked the distraction.”
Yolanda hummed. “Well, that is understandable dear. I know that you and Henrietta are really close and watching her having to go through this sicknesshasn’t been easy. Just know that she is really proud of you – whether she’s going through an episode or not. Hell, I’m proud of you too. Not too many folk able to take care of their family while trying to go to school full time.”
