It was as if Aaliyah had always been a part of D.C. politics and the fundraiser was her prom.
“You must be Aaliyah,” Briana Gooding walked over to her. She wore a red head wrap and matching gown. “I’m Briana Gooding.”
“Briana,” Aaliyah smiled. She was an admirer of the activist and potential Congresswoman. “Congratulations on your campaign. This is quite a turnout.”
“It is. I hope these same people who donate money are willing to donate their votes to me as well.” Briana looked around. “Low-key, I think people wanted to be here tonight for the photo-ops and Instagram likes. They really couldn’t have given two shits what my campaign is. Some of them aren’t even from California and they’re here.” She shook her head. “Welcome to Politics 101.”
“Word.” Aaliyah concurred. “I hope you win, sista. We need more of us in Congress.”
“It’ll be a trying road but one I’m willing to do.” Briana smiled. She waved to another benefactor. “Excuse me. Duty calls. Let’s meet up for lunch. Ocean knows how to reach me.” Briana kissed Aaliyah’s cheeks. “Pleasure of meeting you, Aaliyah.”
“Same here.” Aaliyah waved her goodbye.
“Cinderella finally came to the ball,” Soul Ellison greeted Aaliyah with a glass of champagne. Creator of the Fresh Nectar clothing line and FuckBoi Logic sneakers, Soul went into a completely different direction than his brothers.
He wasn’t cut for the corporate life nor did he want to spend more time than necessary in board meetings about his clothing and shoe lines. He went to college to get his business degree and graduated with top honors. He also made it very clear to his parents he wasn’t going to be their puppet for their political ambitions.
In other words, leave Soul out of their bullshit and everyone will be happy. “You need one of these,” he handed Aaliyah a glass of champagne. “Drink up. It’ll make you feel better.”
Aaliyah grinned at Soul. He stood over six feet tall with a muscular build and a tight fade only a barber in Inglewood could deliver. He was sleeved-up and sometimes wore grills in his mouth. Everywhere he went, he always wore his custom-made sneakers.
Despite his stance in not getting involved with the family business, Soul was a vital part of the hip-hop community. He networked with many artists, and often employed black models for his lines.
He was also a quiet philanthropist and always hit the pavement during election seasons, encouraging everyone to vote. He just had no desire to ever run for politics. Being a politician meant he had to give up a certain lifestyle and there was no way Soul was going to give up his PS4 to read a damn bill.
“How do you deal with all of this?” She asked. Her cheeks hurt from all of the smiling she had to do. “This is pretty overwhelming.”
“Well, for one, I don’t go to a lot of these,” he mentioned, “and two, I just be myself. Everyone knows how I get down. Don’t talk to me about no political bullshit, don’t tell me who or what I should vote for, and don’t ask to get the homie hookup for my shit.”
Aaliyah smiled. Soul always kept it one hundred no matter where he was or who he was with. “What advice do you have for me?”
“I know my brother and I know when he’s hopeless and hapless sack because he’s head over heels,” Soul took a swig of the champagne and pointed around the room. “All these other bitches? He doesn’t care about them. He couldn’t have cared less. He wants you, Liyah. That dude would walk on hot coals and listen nothing but that adult contemporary bullshit for the rest of his life if it meant he could lay next to you forever. And yeah, being a politician’s girl means you’ll be under scrutiny, too. You buy a brand-new car, people are gon’ wanna know if it was your money, his money, or the taxpayer’s. You go out partying with your friends, people are going to think your activities are distracting him from office. You take a picture with a celebrity, people are going to think that celebrity is endorsing your man. It’s an endless cycle of bullshit and that’s why I stay as far away from it as possible.
“Now, O will protect you as much as he can, no doubt. But I have to keep it one hundred with you – he can only protect you so much. If you don’t have thick skin, you need to walk away. The press harassing your parents was just the top of the iceberg. Wait until they start digging out stuff from your past. You stole a candy bar from a grocery when you were five? That’ll be brought up. You went on a date with a guy back in high school and got to second base? That’ll be brought up. You flirted your way out of a ticket? That’ll be brought up.”
A chill went through Aaliyah’s core. She could handle petty, childhood theft and puppy love. Could she really handle the backlash from her past?
“And always,always, look out for number one,” Soul pointed to her, “yourself. Always protect your neck, no matter what. Once people know you’re connected to the family, the leeches will come out in full force.” He took a sip of champagne and nodded ahead of him. “Like those assholes right there.”
Aaliyah turned forward and were greeted by one familiar face and one she wasn’t sure. She recognized the woman as the one Ocean took to the philharmonic. What was her name? It sounded and looked more exotic than the woman who walked towards her.
“Who are they?” Aaliyah whispered.
“That sack of shit is Ximena Montez. The bigger sack of shit is her papi, Ricardo. Them two assholes have been trying to get into the family for years.” Soul’s eyes turned into slits and he didn’t try to hide his contempt. “They tried with me and I said fuck no. Savior paid them dust, and now they have their sights set on O.”
Aaliyah wondered if their attempts with the brothers would ultimately fail, would the pair try cousins of the family? “Does she even love O?” Aaliyah asked.
“She loves his power, wealth, and connections.” Soul replied. “Big bro is worth a lot of money due to his investments. One thing our parents did teach us is how to invest our money. Every dime we earn, we save a nickel. O played the stock market and invested in real estate when no one else was doing it. He downplays his wealth but any journalist can find out the true worth.”
Aaliyah remembered the research she did on her own. It was estimated Ocean was worth somewhere between two and three hundred million. It was pale in comparison of Soul, who was worth close to six hundred million. Savior rounded out the list by having a little over a hundred million.
It also meant the father, Thomas, was likely a billionaire or close to being one.
“He also has connections that go beyond their reach. He can get them into places they couldn’t previously go.” Soul mentioned. “A rich, single white male politician who’s passionate about social justice issues? You do the math.”
Aaliyah read between Soul’s words. Ocean had the exact look and prestige any family would want. He was worth several million on his own but the family as a collective were billionaires. It had been long-rumored Thomas had millions of dollars stored in offshore accounts.
“Word on the street Ximena wasn’t too happy when she saw pics of you and Ocean. She’s not coming over here to make nice,” Soul warned, “she’s coming over here to scope out the competition.”
