บท 101: 2L
"Well?" Crystal asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
India swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. "It's positive," she managed to croak out.
Crystal let out a long, slow breath. "Shit."
The sisters stood in silence for a moment, the weight of the revelation hanging heavy between them.
India sank down onto the closed toilet lid, her legs no longer able to support her. "What am I going to do, Crystal?"
Crystal knelt in front of her sister, taking India's hands in her own. "Hey, look at me. We're going to figure this out, okay? You've got options."
India nodded numbly, her mind racing. "I can't... I can't tell Arell. Not yet. It's too soon, we're not ready for this."
Crystal's brow furrowed. "Are you sure? I mean, he has a right to know..."
She trailed off, her brow furrowing as a new thought struck her. "India, I hate to ask this, but... are you sure it's Arell's? I mean, you've only been together a short time, and before that..."
India's head snapped up, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Are you seriously asking me that? Of course it's Arell's. I haven't been with anyone else in months."
Crystal held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm just trying to cover all our bases here, sis. No judgment."
India ran a hand through her hair, frustration evident in her voice. "I know, I know. I just... I need time to process this. To figure out what I want to do."
Crystal spoke again, her voice gentle but hesitant. "Have you thought about what you want to do?"
India stiffened slightly, then pulled away to look at her sister. "What do you mean?"
Crystal took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "Well, you have options. You could... you know, get an abortion. If that's what you wanted."
India took a deep breath, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. "I don't know. I guess I need to decide if I'm ready to be a mother."
The word 'mother' hung in the air between them, loaded with implications. Crystal stood up, pulling India to her feet and into a tight hug.
"Whatever you decide, I'm here for you," she murmured into India's hair. "We'll get through this together."
As they pulled apart, India managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Crystal. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Crystal's lips quirked up in a small grin. "Probably make even worse decisions than usual."
The joke, weak as it was, broke some of the tension. India let out a watery chuckle, grateful for her sister's attempt to lighten the mood.
"So," Crystal said, her tone turning more businesslike. "Doctor's appointment. I can make some calls, find someone discreet. We don't need this plastered all over the tabloids."
<>
The antiseptic smell of the emergency room filled Arell's nostrils as a nurse carefully stitched up the gash on his forehead. Despite the pain, a wry smile played on his lips.
"I guess this means I don't have to go to that fashion show, huh?" Arell quipped, his eyes darting to Geoffrey, who stood nearby, his face a mask of concentration.
Geoffrey watched the nurse intently for a moment, seemingly weighing his words. Finally, he spoke. "Actually, Arell, I want you to go."
Arell's eyebrows shot up in surprise, causing him to wince as the movement pulled at his fresh stitches. "Really? I thought you didn't want me around... them." He glanced meaningfully at the nurse, careful not to say too much in front of her.
Geoffrey's eyes never left the nurse as he replied cryptically, "I also said we'd play their game. You won't have to go to the after-party, but the fashion show? Yes."
Arell nodded slowly, processing this information. "Alright," he conceded. "But after that, straight back to Atlanta."
As the nurse finished up and left the room, Arell's mind began to wander, mapping out his upcoming schedule. Post Malone had already flown down to Atlanta, so they'd definitely link up. The thought of getting back to his music, away from all this drama, was incredibly appealing.
After Atlanta, he mused, he'd probably fly out to Memphis. Dolph had invited him, and he was working on his own project. Arell could probably help with that, and it would be good to get Dolph on the mixtape. He already had Travis and Thug, but Swae wasn't there, so getting both Swae and Dolph on would be ideal.
The mixtape was really starting to take shape. He had a list of songs to choose from; now it was just a matter of selecting the ones he wanted. One thing was for sure - he was definitely going to see his first Golden State game. The thought brought a genuine smile to his face, a brief respite from the tension of the past few hours.
Geoffrey's voice cut through his reverie. "There's more," he said, his tone serious. "If you go to the fashion show, Craig's promised more prime time placements for you're songs on all streaming platforms… and a potential collab with Nicki."
"Nicki Minaj?" Arell asked, his interest piqued despite his weariness. Normally, he'd be thrilled at the prospect, but after everything that had happened in Florida, he found himself more skeptical, especially after what Pharell hinted about Rihanna. He just hoped that was all and nothing crazy would pop up. At least he could always go to India if he needed a break from all the chaos.
The thought of India brought a warmth to his chest, a calming presence amidst the storm of his life.
Geoffrey continued, updating him on the progress of Fair Trade. "It's at number 18 on the charts," he reported, a hint of pride in his voice. "239,333 units sold so far. It's close to Gold, Arell. Your first certification."
Arell let out a low whistle, the reality of his success starting to sink in. "Damn," he murmured. "That's wild."
"And that's not all," Geoffrey added. "It's unsurprisingly the number 3 song in Canada and number 8 in the UK."
Arell's eyes widened. "For real? How much has it sold over there?"
Geoffrey consulted his tablet. "In Canada, it's sold 47,000 units. You need 80,000 for Gold there. In the UK, it's at 52,000, and you need 100,000 for Silver."
Arell nodded, processing the information. "So close, yet so far," he mused. "It's crazy how the system only rewards us for charting in American charts, not other countries, I would have gotten so many rewards by now." Geoffrey nodded in agreement.
As they discussed the intricacies of chart positions and sales figures, Arell's mind drifted to Infinity. Geoffrey seemed to have this uncanny way of controlling their profits. Now that he was open to being more 'strategic or aggressive,' he had suddenly decided it was time to start working on their collaboration with Puma.
"How's the Puma collab going?" Arell asked, genuinely curious.
Geoffrey's face lit up. "I've put Aisha on the head of it. We're progressing well on the sportswear. With the way things are looking and the fact that we're at 400k in total sales, even though I've been taking things slow... it's safe to say we'll smash the 10 million total sales milestone Puma put in your contract."
Arell let out a low whistle. "Damn, they must be loving that."
Geoffrey nodded, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Oh, they are. We're also working on designing the RS-X shoes, but that won't be completed until next year. For now, it's just custom designs and colorways on existing shoes."
Geoffrey's sly smile widened as he watched Arell's enthusiasm grow.
"Speaking of future plans," Arell said, leaning forward in his seat, "we need to talk about Jahseh. I want to make sure we get him and his mom set up in a nice apartment."
Geoffrey nodded, his expression turning thoughtful. "Of course. I've already started looking into some options. But tell me, Arell, what is it about Jahseh that interests you so much?"
Arell paused, considering the question. Jahseh - barely more than a kid, really, but with a raw talent and intensity that was impossible to ignore. "It's... everything about him, I guess," Arell mused. "The aggression, the protectiveness, the love, the loneliness. It's like looking in a mirror sometimes….."
"Myself," he concluded softly, almost to himself. "He reminds me of myself."
Geoffrey's eyes glinted with understanding. "You two are more alike than you might realize," he agreed. "It's part of why I think he'll do well under your guidance."
Arell nodded, feeling a surge of protectiveness towards him. Jahseh - or XXXTentacion, as he was said he would be known by - was a diamond in the rough, all sharp edges and brilliant potential just like Jarad and Stokely. Arell was determined to see them all shine.
"So," Arell said, shaking off the moment of introspection, "what else are you cooking up in that mastermind brain of yours?"
Geoffrey's lips quirked upwards. "More business, of course. We're going to expand Infinity, start venturing outside of clothing. Our investments are building up well, and I've begun agressively acquiring small stakes in various companies."
He paused, his eyes gleaming. "W already have major stakes in what I'd call, the giants of tomorrow - GitLab, Notion and Figma. These are future billion-dollar enterprises, Arell. One day, they will make you a billionaire."
Arell's eyebrows shot up. "How can you be so sure?"
Geoffrey just watched him, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
Arell chuckled, shaking his head. "Right, I forgot. You've probably seen the future or something."
"Speaking of the future," Geoffrey continued, his tone casual but his eyes intent, "have you ever heard of Lyrical Lemonade?"
Arell frowned, searching his memory. "Can't say that I have. What is it?"
Geoffrey leaned back, his fingers steepled. "It's a multimedia company, founded by a young director named Cole Bennett. They're attempting to pry themselves into the hip-hop world with interviews, music videos and live events. I think we need to get a large stake in it. I've been in talks with Cole, and our discussions are going well."
Arell nodded slowly, processing the information. "Sounds interesting. What else you got?"
Geoffrey's eyes lit up, and Arell could almost see the gears turning in his mind. "Well, you know how Uber has revolutionized transportation? I'm thinking about a similar concept, but for deliveries. Not just food, but anything - groceries, toiletries, you name it. Imagine being able to order something and have it at your doorstep within minutes, without having to queue up a delivery driver."
Arell frowned. "Aren't people already doing that?"
"Yes, but not like this," Geoffrey insisted. "I'm talking about hyper-local, ultra-fast delivery. We could call it... Getir."
Arell chuckled at Geoffrey's enthusiasm. "Alright, alright. I trust you. But isn't all this a bit much? We've got Infinity, the music... when are we supposed to do all this?"
Geoffrey's smile turned mysterious. "We'll focus on Infinity clothes throughout this year. But come September or so, we'll start looking at everything else."
"September?" Arell exclaimed. "You mean this year September?"
Geoffrey's smirk widened. "I told you we would get more strategic, didn't I?"
Arell shook his head in amazement. Sometimes it felt like Geoffrey was playing chess while the rest of the world was still figuring out checkers.
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