The Love Of Money - Episode 199
30-07-25 (11:36)
Mom hesitated before saying, "We didn't really date. I
was sixteen, and he had nine years on me, so I was a
secret. Oh my, but was starstruck by that man! I
thought I was gonna marry him."
"Then he died?"
"He disappeared," Mom clarified, and a little sadness
crept into her expression. "I tried to find out what
happened to him, but that's when the man showed up
and warned me to back off. It was four years before I
found out that he died."
I felt a pang of sorrow for my mom, imagining what it
was like to be stuck as a single mother after being
ghosted by someone you thought you were head-over-
heels for. It made me feel a little guilty for berating her
on the phone a couple weeks ago. "God, I'm sorry,
Mom.
"Don't be," she said, "I got you out of it. Then I met your
father and Emily and had the boys. Everything turned
out just how God Intended."
And that was Mom in a nut-shell - unbreakable.
"Anyway," she said, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for
not telling you sooner. Now, we should catch up with
the others."
"Hang on," I said, fishing my phone from my pocket. "I
wanna show you something." I opened my pictures
folder and showed her a picture of Cartwright. "Is this
the guy who showed up that day to buy you off?"
Mom took the phone from me and stared at it intently
for several moments with a look of pure bewilderment.
"That's him! He's older, but I'd recognize that face
anywhere'. Looks like you could carve a roast on it." She
looked up at me. "Where'd you get this?"
I decided not to tell her that I met him when he pulled
a gun on me. "He worked for Colin Gerrard. Apparently,
he's still on the payroll."
Friday 5:53 pm
"Broooooo!"
With arms raised and drink in hand, Dillon strode over
to me as soon as he saw me approaching. He crashed
into my chest and wrapped his arms around me in a
hug. "This party is fucking lit, dude!"
He wasn't wrong. The entire rooftop had become a
festive gathering with a large D.J station. The bar was
fully stocked and manned by someone I didn't know.
Furniture I didn't recognize was scattered chaotically
and being utilized by people I couldn't have pointed out
in a police lineup-most of them beautiful and well-
dressed. In front of the DJ station was a dance floor
filled with even more unfamiliar faces.
On the way to Dillon, I spotted a couple of people I
recognized. Honey and another dancer I only knew by
her face were talking to my old college roommate,
Ryan. Joel, my temporary chef, was there with a
woman I guessed was his wife, and I spotted Shea
coming off the dance floor with a man I didn't know.
Both of them were making their way to the bar.
"Glad you're enjoying yourself," I said with a chuckle.
"Enjoying myself?" Dillon said as he guided me to
where' he and Jonah were talking to two ladies. I
vaguely recognized the one facing me while she was
talking to a dark-skinned woman who had her back
turned to me, but I couldn't quite place her. That didn't
last long as Dillon made introductions.
"Ladies! This is the man who orche... ochre... who made
the whole party, Marcus Upton! Marcus," he pointed to
the young woman I vaguely recognized, "this is Venus."
That was it. Venus was a streamer Dillon and Jonah
had introduced me to, and because they had shown me
several of her clips, I randomly kept seeing her pop up
on various feeds. It didn't break my heart. Half the
reason she had a fan base was that she was a fine-
looking young woman. The other half was that she had
a really good sense of humor.
"Oh!" I said and shook her hand. "I didn't know you
would be here!"
She seemed pleased with my enthusiasm as she shook
my offered hand. "Happy to meet you, Mr. Upton!"
"Call me Marcus," I said. "I really enjoy your videos." I
had to fight to keep it from being too thick.
The dark-skinned woman turned around at that
moment, and I immediately recognized her.
Dillon started to say, "And this is R-"
"I know who this is," Rose said, cutting my friend off as
she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug. As we
embraced, she brought her lips close to my ear and
said, "Thank you for taking care of my girl, Marcus. I'm
gonna have to get a second round with that cock again
real soon to show you how grateful I am."
"I'll hold you to it," I said before she let me go.
"Wait... you two know each other?" Dillon asked.
"We met at a work function," Rose said with a
conspiratorial smirk. Venus had just brought her cup to
her lips and sputtered into her drink; at least someone
understood what Rose meant.
"Good to see you, man," Jonah said, giving me a brief
hug and a clap on the back. "It's been a while."
"You too, man," I said, hugging him back.
"So, what happened to you?" he asked, pointing at my
face. "I've heard the rumblings."
"I'll tell you about it a little later," I said, spotting Helen
standing by the pool. "I've got to make the rounds and
see some people. Don't you dare leave without seeing
me."
"Sure thing," he said, and I left the group to approach
Helen. I heard Dillon let out a whoop behind me as the
music changed pace to something with a fast-paced
beat.
She was watching the dancers and didn't notice me
approaching. She was radiant in a light blue dress that
fell just short of her ankles. It was nearly backless, and
the cut across the chest showed a fair amount of
cleavage without it being scandalous. Her blonde hair
was in a complicated braid wrapped around the back of
her head into an even more complex bun, and if I
squinted, she almost looked like she was cosplaying
Elsa in Frozen.
"Want to build a snowman?"
Helen glanced at me and then did a double-take once
she realized who I was. She gave me a half-smile and
said, "What?"
I shrugged. "You just look like you should be casting ice
spells or something."
"Oh," Helen said. "That horrible movie." She looked back
at the dancers, and I noticed her tightening her arms
across her midsection. Something seemed a little off
with her, which definitely hadn't been the case the last
time we saw each other. I remembered falling asleep
entangled in each others' arms while a naked Bobbi lay
at our feet. Don't forget to leave a Comment 
