CHAPTER 18
We were almost done cooking when the doorbell rang.
Jordan rushed to open it, and Violet walked in—looking as glamorous as ever.
Black stilettos, black pantyhose, and a navy-blue dress that fit her perfectly.
She was always overdressed.
She paused when she saw Jordan standing in front of her.
"Hello, Jordan," she said warmly. "What a fine young man you are."
Jordan took her hand like a little gentleman and led her to the couch.
"I heard you're my mom's sister. Is that true?" he asked.
She nodded, clearly amused by his confidence.
"That makes you part of the family then," he said. "Welcome to the pride."
He stretched out his hand for a handshake.
After shaking it, he casually walked upstairs like he hadn't just made a whole introduction.
Violet watched him go, then looked at me.
"That's one hell of a kid you've got there."
"Tell me about it," I said.
We greeted properly and joined the others.
At some point, I asked her about our father.
"Father had colon cancer," she said quietly. "He battled it alone. Never told anyone. We only found out the night before he died. The next morning… he was gone."
She paused.
"My mother couldn't take it. She got depressed… and eventually took her own life."
The room went quiet.
I didn't like the way she said our father, but I kept that to myself.
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.
"Well… that was in Africa, right?" Lupita asked gently. "How did you end up here?"
Violet straightened slightly.
"I was a very intelligent student," she said with a small smile. "I'm sure you can still see that."
We chuckled.
"I got a fully funded scholarship. Monthly stipend and everything. I saved as much as I could and worked part-time at a diner. When the program ended… I just stayed and started job hunting."
She shrugged.
"It wasn't easy. But here I am."
Impressive.
That was the only word that came to mind.
Later, she asked me why I was on Red Notice.
I smiled lightly.
"I've killed a lot of people," I said, simply.
She didn't panic. Didn't react the way most people would.
She just… accepted it.
After a long, surprisingly easy day, she got ready to leave.
Jordan came downstairs just in time.
He walked up to her and gave her a hug.
We walked her out.
"She's nice," he said as we came back inside. "I like her."
Then he looked at me.
"And I like how she dresses."
I already knew where this was going.
He glanced at Lupita too.
"You two should borrow her style."
We both nodded like we agreed.
We didn't.
The next few weeks were smooth.
Violet visited often. She got along well with the ladies, and Jordan never missed a chance to compliment her outfits.
But Kora…
Kora started coming home late.
Every time she called, it was the same thing—
"Hey, I'll be late. Don't leave food for me, I'll eat where I am."
At first, we let it go.
Then one night, we decided to wait.
The house was quiet. Lights off.
The clock struck 2:00 AM when the door finally opened.
Kora stepped in quietly, trying not to make noise.
She didn't know we were all there.
Marissa flipped the lights on.
Kora jumped.
"Jesus! You scared me," she said, looking around at all of us.
"Why are you sitting in the dark like this?"
"I'm glad you know it's late," Lupita said, stepping down from the stairs. "Where are you coming from?"
"I told you I'd be late," Kora replied, dropping onto the couch.
That's when it hit us.
She was drunk.
"You're drunk?" Lupita's voice rose. "Kora, what's gotten into you?"
Silence.
Then—
"Is it that man you're seeing?" Lupita pressed. "Is he the reason?"
That did it.
Kora sat up straighter.
"His name is Felipe," she snapped. "And I drink because I want to. Just because you don't enjoy yourselves doesn't mean I can't."
Indira shook her head.
"Is he even black?" I asked.
"Felipe?" Marissa added slowly. "That doesn't sound like it."
Kora laughed bitterly.
"Why does it matter?" she asked, looking at each of us. "Even if he was a green goblin or a blue alien, it shouldn't bother you."
She was drunk.
There was no point arguing.
So we let it go.
We helped her upstairs and got her into bed.
The next morning, Kora woke up complaining about a terrible hangover.
Indira made one of her strange concoctions and handed it to her. After that, she sat beside her and gently took her hand.
When she spoke, her voice carried both concern and disappointment.
"Are you sure about this relationship with Felipe… or whatever his name is?"
Kora nodded without hesitation.
"I've never been in love before, Indira. This is the first man I actually feel something for. He's kind… he says things I've always wanted to hear. He's the full package."
"Is he now?" Marissa asked, adjusting her glasses.
"Is he black?" I added.
Everyone laughed.
"What's your obsession with men of color?" Marissa asked me.
"Do you prefer a white man?" I shot back.
She shook her head.
"Exactly," I said.
Lupita leaned back, clearly amused.
"You know, I watched a movie yesterday where Jesus was sold," she began. "And none of the people there were black. So you better be careful before someone trades you for two pieces of silver."
She paused.
"Actually… I think it was thirty."
I frowned.
"I don't know where you're going with this, Lupita."
She shrugged. "I'm just saying… I understand why you judge by skin color. In short, Jesus wasn't sold by black people."
I didn't fully get her point, but I let it go.
Kora lifted her mug proudly.
"To answer Brandi—no, he's not. And to answer Marissa—yes, he is."
She smiled to herself before continuing.
"He plays chess. He's really smart… and too handsome to be true."
"Girl," Lupita scoffed, "don't tell me you fell in love with a man because he can play chess."
Honestly… I agreed.
"Thought Taylor was like that too," I muttered, flipping pancakes. "But anyway, I rest my case."
Kora turned to me.
"Not every love story ends like yours, Brandi. Yours just wasn't meant to be."
That stung.
I looked at her, already forming a response.
"That was harsh," Indira said quietly.
It was.
But I wasn't going to sit there and take it.
"Oh, so yours is meant to be?" I replied. "He might still leave you for someone with 'grandpa legs'—as you call them. But hey… I wish you luck. And if you need tissues, I'll buy them for you."
Marissa slowly removed her glasses and pretended to cry.
Laughter filled the room.
"So… when are we meeting him?" Indira asked.
"He'll come on J's birthday," Kora replied.
Jordan's birthday was in a month, and Violet had already decided to throw him a party at our place. She couldn't do it at hers—not if we wanted to keep things quiet.
Even though things had been calm, we all knew better.
Later that day, Lupita and I went out to buy a few things for the party.
On our way back, we got pulled over.
My heart dropped instantly.
It felt like it had fallen straight into my stomach.
A police officer walked up to the window—a black man.
Lupita rolled it down calmly.
"Are you from around here?" he asked, leaning slightly to look inside.
"Yes, we are, officer," Lupita replied smoothly. "Is there a problem?"
I watched her carefully.
For once, she was… extra polite. The soft voice, the smile, the blinking—it was a bit too much.
Was she distracting him?
Before I could think further, she stepped out of the car.
I couldn't hear what they were saying.
A few minutes later, she came back, got in, and drove off.
Just like that.
The drive home was quiet.
Too quiet.
My thoughts started running wild.
Was Lupita really just into women… or—
"Black cop in Singapore?" I finally said. "That surprised me."
No response.
"What did he want?" I asked. "You even got out of the car."
"Nothing serious," she said casually. "We were just talking."
I looked at her.
"Is there something I should know, Lupita?"
She ignored me.
Instead, she glanced ahead and said, "What about what we talked about earlier? Want to try it?"
I knew then she wasn't going to answer me.
So I let it go.
"Yeah," I said.
Before heading home, we made one more stop.