Page 5

Britain shrugged. "He said it was business."

"Then believe him," Jazzy settled. "Priest is a lot of things, but he's not a liar. I can attest to that.”

"It's not him I'm worried about. It's Paula," Britain openly admitted. She didn't want to bug Priest about it anymore, nor did she want to come off as insecure. She just wantedPaula to understand her boundaries. Paula was clearly trying to intimidate her, and unfortunately, it was working.

She was the older woman, beautiful, wiser, and had a lot more going for herself. Paula was definitely competition, and she knew that, which was why she made her presence known.Jazzy understood Britain's concerns. Seeing another woman around her man was naturally a red flag, no matter how secure the relationship seemed. "What do you know about her?" Britain asked Jazzy.

"Usually, me and my brother's girlfriends don't get along, but I like you," Jazzy stated truthfully. "So, what I tell you stays between us. Understand?"

Britain swiftly nodded her head. "You have my word," she promised.

Seeing that Britain was genuine, Jazzy let out a light sigh. "They met through a mutual friend at the time, and they hit it off. He didn't start bringing her around until they were about a year in. I guess that's when they realized that feelings were involved, and they weren't just fucking. He devoted a lot to her, and she took that for granted. Her vibe was always off to me. She always had to fit him into her schedule like she was oh so busy, but in reality, she had a lot of fucking free time.

“I think Priest saw the signs. He had to. Hell, everyone did, but he was too in love. She caused a lot of chaos in his life. She came in between friendships that will never be salvaged. He missed out on big opportunities for her, and she liked planting bugs in his ear. He began distancing himself from her for a short while after she tried to accuse J'Ru of trying to play him out. She would trash their friendship then smile ear to ear in J'Ru's face as if she had said nothing. It's kinda psychotic if you ask me," Jazzy concluded as she shrugged before shaking her head.

"She ended up swindling herself back in with Priest and basically separated him from everyone. He wouldn't answer anycalls, wouldn't show up for any dinners or events, and just completely isolated himself. Around that time, I had just gotten to Paris. Priest promised to call at least once a week. I started to worry when he missed a week, then he missed another, and after that, he missed another week. I always had J'Ru fill me in on what was going on since I was all the way in Paris, but even J'Ru was oblivious. J'Ru finally got a call from him, explaining that he had gotten picked up and needed to be bailed out. I flew back as soon as I could, ready to blow my top at him, but once I saw him, I just felt bad. He looked pained and empty. I'm not sure what exactly went down between the two, but he never spoke of her or mentioned her again, and whenever we mentioned her, he just grew enraged, so we just left it alone."

Britain was aware of what happened between the two. It was clear that Priest had never opened up about Paula's betrayal. Even after she robbed him and left him when he needed her the most, he still protected her from scrutiny.

"Paula's manipulating. She knows all of Priest's triggers and soft spots. I know this may sound crazy, but your best bet is to stay out of it and let Priest handle it all. If she knows she's gotten under your skin, she'll try her best to stay there," Jazzlyn advised Britain.

Britain scoffed. "And you're sure she's older?" Sarcasm laced her words since she thought Paula's pettiness and motives were a bit infantile for a woman her age.

Jazzy laughed while nodding her head. "Old as hell," she clarified, evoking some laughter out of Britain.

Their laughter was cut short by the sound of the elevator doors sliding open, revealing Priest. "Yo, Jazzy, Taylor's waiting downstairs for you. She said she called, and you didn't answer," he informed his sister as he stepped into the penthouse.

Jazzy let out a light groan. "I completely forgot." She rose from her seated position on the floor. "Clean this up for me, willyou?" She shot Priest a set of persuading puppy dog eyes, hoping that would get him to pick up the mess she made with her fabrics and sketches so she could run out and meet Taylor.

Priest smacked his lips lightly as he took off his suit jacket. "Bet," he agreed. "And charge your phone. I need to be able to reach you."

Jazzy grabbed her dead phone off the couch, sliding it into her pocket. "You got it," she assured him. "See you later, Britain," she said before heading out.

Once she was out of sight, Priest sighed heavily. He gathered all her things from the floor, putting them on the bookshelf that contained the many books he and Jazzy had both read over the years.

"So now you aren't speaking to me?" Britain asked Priest as he loosened the tie around his neck.

Priest sighed in light frustration. "I don't know, Britain. You tell me. Are we on speaking terms or not?" he asked her since he was uncertain himself.

Britain looked down at her hands as she nervously toyed with them. "I want to be," she admitted as she shrugged lightly.

"Britain, one second you’re blocking me out your life, then the next, you’re popping up on me. Does that shit even make sense in your mind?" He raised his brows at her. He knew women were complicated, but right now, Britain was just confusing him completely. He wasn't sure if she was still upset about the situation with her father, or if she was now upset about his business lunch with Paula. He wanted to assume that she was trying to make amends, but she was being so cryptic about everything at the moment.

A deep frown plastered itself on Britain’s face. "I was scared to call to apologize. I wasn't sure what headspace you were in, so I just avoided it. I thought you needed time. I would've given you another week, but I downed a whole bottle of wine. Then Igo and try to talk to you, only to see that Paula is around you. I want to cry right now, but I don't want to play victim ‘cause clearly, you're the victim in this situation, and I'm just horrible," Britain went off on a tangent, allowing her words to turn into circular arguments. She was confusing herself in the process, but it didn't matter to her. She was getting it all out. She now sat before him, flustered by his frustration and agitation along with her own.

Her face immediately softened as he shook his head at her. She was trying to hold back her tears despite the desperate urge to just cry endlessly. Priest claimed a seat next to her on the couch, pulling her into his arms. "My little functioning alcoholic," he sighed in light amusement before kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I take back everything I said."

Priest shook his head as he tilted her head up so she could look at him. Her eyes were tinted red as she withheld her tears that were now brimming her eyes.

"Nah, you said it, so you got to stand on it. I completely understood your frustration and anger, though. The issue came about with your delivery. Britain, I tell you all the time to think before you speak. You let your emotions get the best of you, and we end up in situations like these," he preached to her.

At the end of the day, she was a grown woman and was allowed to say and feel however she wanted. He would never take that away from her. He just wanted her to be a bit more mindful. Deep down inside, Priest knew he and Britain were a lot alike. He too acted off emotions sometimes. The only difference between the two was that Priest learned how to control his emotions a lot better.

"It'll never happen again. I promise," she assured him.

Priest sighed. "Don't promise that it'll never happen again," he said while shaking his head. "Promise that you'll work on it. Don't set your expectations too high."