Friday, 11/5/21
Newport News, Virginia
Now Playing: Dreamville, Ari Lennox and Bas
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"Am I going to see the baby?" Jasmine asked while Axel assisted her out the car.

He reached inside for her book bag then shut the door with his foot. "Well, you weren't, but now we are," he answered.

Jasmine gave him a large smile knowing he was right. With deadly puppy eyes, she had managed to get herself out of going to school. Axel was a weak man when it came to her and her large doll-like light brown eyes. The way she'd stare at anyone would make them want to give their whole life to her. Or a free day from school and donuts. This wasn't her first time getting her way like that either.

Once Axel had everything he needed, he turned towards the brightly expressed child. "Okay, here's the rules. Mrs. Carter recently had a baby-"

"Nadia!" Jasmine shouted.

Axel chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes, Nadia."

"Nadia is Mr. and Mrs. Carter baby!" She exclaimed with throwing her hands in the air.

"Correct. Nadia is Mr. and Mrs. Carter baby," he repeated after her. "Now, Mrs. Carter needs help with doing some basic things like cleaning and watching Nadia."

"And that's where we come in!"

Axel nodded. "Yes, that's where we come in. I'm going to help Mrs. Carter around the house, so I'm going to need you to behave for me. Now, remember that Nadia is a baby and you're not old enough to hold her. I know you're eager to see her and you can do exactly that, but no touching."

"Not even a kiss?" Jasmine frowned while crossing her arms. Axel bend down in front of her and held her hand. He understood her dejection and killing her childish spirit was the worst. Yet, it was a rule that he needed her to understand.

"I know sweetheart but it's to keep Nadia healthy. For now, I'm going to need you to behave while I help Mrs. Carter. Are you going to be able to do that for me?" He asked her. After thinking it through, Jasmine nodded her head.

Axel gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood up. "Good. Come on, kiddo."

With her hand finding his, the two walked up the driveway to the big home. Axel shifted the box of donuts under his arm then knocked on the door. As they waited, he glanced down and seen the glow that rested on Jasmine face. The cheerfulness that she expressed always had him delighted that he found Heaven and her. He had his own small family who he loved and would protect until hell freezes over.

After waiting for a few seconds, the door opened and Dess presented herself debilitated with droopy eyes. Axel was even more thankful that he chose to come help her. She was looking more defeated than she did yesterday.

Feeling like it was needed, Axel gave Dess a huge smile to brighten her day. "Good morning," he greeted.

He was returned with a small smile and a raspy, "Good morning."

"I hope you don't mind that I brought Jasmine. She talked me out of taking her to school," Axel apologized.

"It's alright. Come in." Jasmine was the first to popped inside the house after giving Dess a loving hug around her legs. Axel did the same, giving Dess a hug, and entering the home.

"Umm, please don't mind the mess. Most of our packages finally came and I've been opening them," Dess told them. She hurriedly pushed away the broken boxes off the couch for Jasmine to sit.

"Theres nothing to apologize for. Where's the baby?" Axel questioned, looking around. He turned to Dess and seen how dazed she was as she stood idle. He squinted his eyes then stepped forward, touching her arm gently and scaring her.

"Sorry," Dess quickly apologized.

"So sorry," she went on, shaking her head.

"No, it's good. It's all good," he assured her while rubbing her arm.

"I was just wondering where Nadia is," he said, Dess slowly nodding her head.

"She's upstairs sleeping. The monitor..." She looked around the living room trying to find the baby monitor. The mess made her sigh deeply and rub her forehead. "I don't...I don't know where the monitor is. It's-it's somewhere around here. I don't...I'm sorry," she stammered over her words.

"Nah, you're all good, Dess." Axel scanned the living room then turned to Jasmine.

"Hey, Jazzy, come here," he called her over. The young girl raced by his side and he bent down in front of her.

"Do you wanna play a game?" He asked, placing the box of sweet treats on the floor.

Receiving a thrilled head nod, Axel proceeded. "It's hide and seek but a little different. There's a baby monitor I need you to find amongst all of this mess. If you find it then I'll buy you a toy later on. Is that fair?"

Jasmine didn't respond and darted away, beginning her game. She moved around the trash in search for the device. Axel stood to his feet then went to Dess.

"Let's go in the kitchen," he suggested.

He placed his hand on her back and they went to the other room. Once in the kitchen, Dess sat at the dining table while Axel rummaged through the cabinets. He retrieved a plate and stacked two donuts on it which he gave to her.

"You can never go wrong with a donut." He smirked while sitting across from her. Dess forced herself to smile back. She started picking at the sprinkles just before a huge yawn escaped from her.

"Tired?" Axel asked the obvious.

Dess gave him a weak thumbs up. "Extremely. I haven't gotten any sleep since being home," she answered. The plate was moved out of her way and she rested her head on the table.

"How about you go get some sleep and-"

"I found it!" Jasmine hollered while running into the kitchen. In her hand was the baby monitor and a wide smile from being successful.

"Good girl," he praised while taking it. He looked at the video and seen the sleeping newborn.

As he got ready to tell Dess, he noticed she had fallen asleep at the table. She snored lightly so he knew she was in a deep sleep. He didn't bother to move her either as she looked comfortable in her position. The sudden loud snore helped him come to that conclusion. It made Jasmine giggle and Axel pinched her arm.

"Don't laugh. She's tired," he told her.

"Now," he huffed while getting up. "Help me around the house sweetheart."

"Can I get a donut after?"

Axel chuckled then responded, "Yes."

______________________

Shai thanked the waiter after he was handed his meal. French toasts, scrambled eggs with cheese, and hash browns. The smell of the food made his hungry grow larger and within seconds of having the plate in front of him, he began stuffing his face with the food. As he ate, he ignored Athena and Maverick who sat across from him and watched the devouring their client was doing. They both had different reactions.

Maverick was impressed and even astonished at Shai's ability to stuff his face without choking. Then there was Athena who was rightfully disgusted and more so irritated at how this meeting was beginning. They haven't talked since they took a sit close to sixteen minutes ago. Shai admitting that he was not speaking until he got his food. Now with his food, it didn't seem like he was in the mood for talking still. However, Athena was adamant on this going her way. Whether Shai wanted it to go that way or not.

With a sharp clearing of her throat, Athena tapped her nail against the table. The noise only caught the attention of Maverick as he placed the napkin on his lap. He looked ahead at Shai who was eating still and ignoring Athena. Maverick was full aware of the two and their troubling relationship. Personally, he knew what the problem was and supported how Shai handled the situation. Professionally, he would have to side with Athena and sometimes that was hard to do. However, he managed to balance the two opinions he withheld.

Coming to assistance, Maverick cleared his throat loudly which made Shai glance up. Subtly, he tilted his head in Athena's direction and Shai caught on instantly. Fixing his posture, Shai cleaned his mouth then decided to force himself to be in the mixture.

"I guess we should begin," he stated, playing with his straw.

Sharply, Athena responded with a "Yes, we shall."

She reached beside her into her bag and pulled out a thick folder. She slammed it on the table causing Maverick and Shai to widen their eyes because of it. Neither said anything and allowed Athena to take control of the conversation. She was going to do that regardless as she loved being in control. Athena started flipping through the huge stack until she found what she was looking for.

"Alright, we need to discuss this contract with the Warriors. Yes, they gave you up to a year to sign with them, however, the Celtics and now the Clippers are discussing a price for a trade. The Celtics are offering thirteen millions and the Clippers are offering twenty. Henry and Derek have been contacting me the last few weeks so they can get in contact with you. They need to know what you're going to do before they make a decision," Athena said in one full breath.

Her attention went to Shai while she tapped the stack of papers. "What are we doing?" She questioned him. Shai shrugged, taking a bite of his French toast.

That set Athena off. "Shai, I need you to have legitimate answers because this is your future-"

"I got it!" Shai had to cut her off before she went down the same path of discussion.

"I don't need you to keep bringing the same thing up, Athena. That's why I don't listen and choose not to have a conversation with you. Just...wait," he told her.

Athena rolled her eyes. "There's no time to wait. The owners are not the type to hold off on a deal longer than they need to. They want enthused young men who are ready to get on the court and make them some money. You were picked for a reason, Shai, and if you're not going to give them what they want then they're going to pass you along. I'm sorry but that's the truth." Athena didn't hold back. It was the undoubtedly truth that Shai needed to hear and she was going to make sure he heard it.

"Well, to be fair, if the timeframe for a contract is a year then he has every right to wait that long. Rushing a process when he doesn't need to is a bit unethical," Maverick chimed in.

Shai nodding his head in agreement. "There's no reason for me to rush when I don't have to," he included in correspondence with Maverick's comment.

Athena felt differently. "I get that and I respect that. However, if an owner has no clue what your intentions are moving forward and are being given quotas for your player rights, it's best to get a move on with your decision," she argued.

"I-you have a point," Maverick stated.

"Not to mention..." Athena glared at Shai. "When your own client doesn't inform his management about his moves then it becomes frustrating to talk to teams. I have to display information to people and I don't even know what to say. Why? Because I don't know anything," she snapped.

"You also have a point with there too," Maverick added in there.

"Exactly. I understand you have a family to tend to and I'm not forcing you to choose one over the other. I'm simply letting it be known that at some point playing house is going to have to be pushed aside. At the end of the day, you chose this career fully knowing what'll be expected of you. I'm sorry but you cannot go on thinking you can ignore these people. If you don't speak up then Henry and the Warriors are going to make a decision for you. And trust me, they'll try to give you less of everything."

A heavy sighed came from Shai once the news was brought upon him. He didn't want to admit but Athena was right. He needed to get himself together before he ends up on a boat, sailing somewhere that he doesn't need to be. The Warriors were giving him a chance and the opportunity was bigger than anything else in the world. In actuality, he didn't want to be sent to another team as there was a possibility he could be shortchanged and not used to his full potential. The last thing he wanted to be was a bench warmer the first time in the league.

"I understand all of that and I know what is expected. The thing is if I have a year to make a decision then I'm going to take that timeframe given. However, I want it to be known that I'm staying with the Warriors. I don't want to be traded and I'm not going into the free agency. The Warriors is my one and only choice, so you can let Henry and Derek know that," he spoke to Athena.

He hummed while writing it down on the paper. "They might want to have an in-person meeting with you. Can that be done?" She asked.

"In-person? No. A phone call or zoom? Sure. I said this before and I'm going to say it again, I'm not going to up and leave my wife and daughter on anyone's demand. I want that to be respected as I have a responsibility at home currently and I need to be there. That's just what it is," he made known.

While bringing up his home, he remembered what he had to say to Maverick. He turned the discussion towards him. "As for my home, there needs to be something done with my address constantly being posted and people showing up at my door. I need it to stop now!" He emphasized.

"It happened again?" Maverick was filled with surprise. He had assumed the situation died down after the second time. Knowing that it didn't caused for him to work harder this time. Something he found more than doable.

"Yes. This is the third time and it's different now. I don't only have a wife but I have newborn at home. And I promise you if someone comes in my property with my child there, we're going to have a problem." Shai's tone and voice gave off strong severity from his statement.

He wasn't playing before and he wasn't playing now. If people wanted to keep messing with him then he was going to show them a side they won't like. If they wanted angry Shai then they were going to get him. If one more thing was to happen then he would be forced to turn into a monster he tired hard to tuck away. He did not want to go back.

Maverick hummed then pulled out his phone, Shai assuming he was going on social media to see what was up. Seeing the chance, he went back to eating his meal that was starting to become cold. It still tasted good though.

"Well, you're currently trending on Twitter, but it's not behind your address leaking," Maverick announced.

Curiously, Shai asked, "Why am I trending?"

There was a small chuckle that came from Maverick before he handed his phone over while a video played. Shai couldn't contain his annoyance the second he see the most arrogant, conniving, insensitive person know to man kind. And who, unfortunately, shared the same blood as him. His younger brother, Shamar. The first time around he didn't catch what was stated. It was when he watched it the second time he heard the nonsense Shamar was speaking.

"Shai, I know you're going to see this, and when you do I'd love for you to know that I'm ready whenever you are. Give me the time and the place for when you're ready to get shit started."

Shai's reaction was him going back to eating his food. He wasn't going for entertain anything Shamar wanted to spur into the media. It was all show too. The brothers didn't have a problem with each other no more. Well, Shai liked to think that they don't. Whatever issue they had was solved on the court and left there. That was the plan after all. Even with Sean constantly wanting a trio to happen between all of them.

That was all he kept stating in interviews and Shai ignored it every time. He was going to do the same with Shamar and whatever drama he was trying to conjure up. Shai assumed the money wasn't good if Shamar was busy bringing him up.

"Any thoughts?" Maverick questioned, pulling his hand phone back.

"No. And it's weird that you were expecting one," Shai sassed back.

"Well, to be fair, this is a public callout. I understand people in your generation take those serious-"

"I'm not like everyone else," Shai interrupted. "I don't care to put on a show for a bunch of people who want to have discourse over the internet. Everyone else can do that on their own time."

"A public callout will help with marketing, building an audience, and a sponsorship. Remember that," Athena threw in there with a finger point.

Shai didn't want to hear any of that. After all, he couldn't care less about the fans, sponsorships, or marketing. He was enjoying life as such without the dramatics and fuss other people live by.

"It's also something the younger generation will watch and enjoy. You have an AAU team, so showing those boys that you can do what they're doing is a good encouragement," Maverick pointed out.

"I hear you both. Now, hear me out, no." Shai gave them a firm look with his eyes affirming that this conversation ended.

And it did exactly that.

The table went quiet as the three adults did their own thing. Maverick searching through social media to see what people were saying about Shamar's press conference. Many intrigued and interesting in seeing the brothers go at it. Others believing it was for clout and wondering what Shai was going to say. That was Maverick job who was going to put out a statement later.

Athena was looking over the documents in her filled folder, making notes on the side of what she'll bring up in later conversations. Then there was Shai who stopped eating altogether and was staring ahead in a daze while going through the details of this meeting. There were moves he needed to make along with risky decisions that'll determine his future. He knew Athena was trying to do her job by trying to rush his signing. He was appreciative of that, however, he was focused on only one thing right now.

His family.

______________________

Los Angeles, California

"Thank God!" Shamar declared aloud while he praised the man above.

The reason behind his abrupt celebration was behind the note he just read. It was the ultimate letter that any man in his position would greatly appreciate. The letter of a woman leaving. Kimberly had said her goodbyes and declared that she could no longer deal with a man so unloving and unappreciative like Shamar. That did not faze Shamar in the slightest. It was actually what he wanted.

He could continue moving the way he's been doing without the ongoing attacks behind his decisions. It wasn't like he felt a certain way about them either. He did what he wanted and how he wanted. If Kimberly didn't like, and it was obvious that she didn't, then she could leave. Thankfully, she did, but not without a statement.

"Bitches could've left without destroying my shit though," Shamar muttered.

He glanced up from the letter and scanned his living area that was destroyed. The television and glass was shattered everywhere. Food stripped from his pantry was spread over the floor. Juice and other liquid containments were splattered on his walls. It was pure abomination and caused for many emotions when he walked into his condo. Indeed, this was expected from the wrath of a woman who has had enough.

While looking around, Shamar noticed an unopened package of cookies. He smiled like a child walking in a candy store and grabbed it off the floor.

"At least she left me a cookie," he joked, opening the package.

Hearing the door open made him glance back. Entering the condo hesitatingly was his agent and manger, Murphy. A small, chubby, four-eyed brown skinned man. He reminded Shamar mainly of the cartoon character Mike Wazowski with his stubby stature, ambitious personality, and hardworking. Shamar found him through social media as he was first and only
interested in Murphy educational stats. He was an honors student since grad school, skipped a couple grades, graduated college early, and held an accounting job right before Shamar hired him.

Though the short man didn't know much about managing, he was one hell of an achievement when it came to anything financial. He was the reason behind the increase in Shamar's contract deal. Though his pay went up only a couple thousand dollars from the original, Shamar wouldn't have gotten that without Murphy.

"Murphy!" Shamar shouted at his friend. He noticed how weirdly the four-eyed male was checking the area and could tell he had a bunch of questions.

"Yeah, a bit of a girl issue. That's not stopping my shine though," Shamar stated. Murphy slowly nodded, stepping over the broken class.

"Anyway, what brings you over here? Any exciting news? There has to be something," Shamar changed the subject to get Murphy was looking around.

With the loosening of his tie, Murphy swallowed hard then pushed back his glasses. "I-I-" he stuttered while checking his tablet.

A flaw that Murphy did have that Shamar despised was his stuttering. Murphy did it extremely often even when he wasn't nervous about something. He was always good for a couple of sentences before he's sounding like a broke record and Shamar is growing annoyed.

"Come on dude," Shamar told him while snapping his fingers.

"S-S-Sorry," Murphy apologized. He tapped away on his tablet then held it in front of Shamar.

All he read was the first sentence before sucking his teeth. "That's bullshit!" He yelled.

"Why is my brother such a bitch?" He rhetorically asked right after. He stepped over the glass and went to the kitchen, Murphy following behind him.

His rant went on as he grabbed the tequila bottle from the cabinet. "I mean who in their right mind is going to decline a match against their brother? Like seriously? Not to mention have their manager make the statement instead. That's a bitch move right there!"

Shamar drunk straight from the bottle, downing the liquor as if it was water. He finished then set the bottle on the counter with a loud gasped.

"I don't think a game would be a-a-appropriate right now for him," Murphy informed.

"And why?"

"Because he had a baby."

Shamar paused his drinking to give Murphy a bewildered look. All Murphy did was show his tablet again. An Instagram blog post showed on the screen. Its black and bold headline revealing Shai had a baby with pictures of him and Dess. The caption was short and simply congratulated the married couple on their new beginning. With close to four thousand comments, Shamar assumed a few of them were thinning the same thing as him.

"A baby?" Disgustingly, Shamar had stated. "This nigga had a baby?"

"Correct," Murphy confirmed.

Shamar busted out laughing from the news leaving Murphy confused. He stood awkwardly while looking around trying to understand what was funny. It must've been an inside joke that he didn't get. He didn't bother to ask either and allowed Shamar to have his moment until it died down.

"A fucking baby," he repeated in astonishment.

"First he marries her and then he has a baby. It's like this nigga is purposely killing his career. Having a baby?" Shamar scoffed at the thought as he found it ridiculous.

It was obvious to him that his brother had no idea what to do with his life if he was having a child. That was one of the most stupidest decisions a person could ever make. His brother was trapped and he was utterly disappointed at that.

"He's a lost cause now. There's no way he's coming back from having a baby. Why would someone want to ruin their lives so young? Just stupid," he criticized as if Shai was around to hear it. Even if he wasn't, these were words that needed to be spoken.

"You know what I should do?" Another rhetoric question coming from him. Murphy was in a daze and forgotten what the conversation was about. Luckily, he didn't have to respond and allowed Shamar to have the floor.

"I think I'm going to pay him a little visit," he answered his own question. "Give him and the wife a congratulations present. Shit, I'll even let him know how much of a sucker he is for choosing the family life over basketball. How does that sound?"

He was looking for an answer now. Murphy realized that by the long pause and staring Shamar was doing.

"Oh!" Murphy exclaimed. "I don't think that's a good idea. I-I-"

"I think that's a good idea," Shamar interrupted. He hit the counter then grabbed his bottle, raising it in the air.

"I'm going to go see my brother!"

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Hey! I'm sorry if my updates are late, I'm trying to write longer chapters by having a goal at 4k words. I hope that's enough for y'all and not too much.