Chapter 3

3

E yela

I learned the healing power of music after battling lymphoma as a child. After battling my body four times, doctors told my parents the fifth time I wouldn’t make it. By then, the cancer had come back so repeatedly for a decade that I was used to being in the hospital more than at school and home. At fifteen, I’d given up hope. I was a candidate for surgery, but because my cell count was so low and my immune system was so weak, my parents didn’t want to risk it. There was a chance I would die on the operating table. Even though the doctors assured my parents the cancer had a 96 percent chance of never coming back if I had the surgery, they didn’t want to take the chance.

Their lack of faith gave me a lack of hope. The cancer spread, and we were told I only had six months to live. I accepted death as the outcome, but God had other plans for me. He sent me an angel—Samantha Irving. She was a music therapist and world renowned pianist. When she first started visiting me, we didn’t talk. She would just play her keyboard. My parents told her what kind of music I liked, and she played songs by my favorite artists with some unfamiliar tunes in between.

Eventually, I started to look forward to her visits. Hope and excitement to hear her turned into hope and excitement to learn to play. That strengthened me. Out of nowhere, my cell count went up, my immune system strengthened, and I was cleared for surgery. The rest, as they say, is history.

Because of that experience, I devoted myself to music. I majored in music therapy in undergraduate and graduate school. In one week, I would be graduating with my master’s. As happy as I wanted to be, I was also terrified. Graduation day meant my wedding day would soon follow.

As the only daughter of Caesar and Phaedra Mitchell, it was my duty to not only carry on the family name by having children but also marrying into a second mafia family that would double our power. Some women were married off between the ages of eighteen and twenty one, but my parents showed me mercy because of my childhood and gave me until twenty five, or when I was done with school, whichever came first. Since I went to grad school, both were happening the same year.

A part of me wanted to try and find something to go to school for again to prolong the process, but my father had two prominent families in mind, and he didn’t want to risk them joining with another family. So as much as I wanted to pray him wanting to meet with me today wasn’t because he’d decided to go with the Lowe family, I was sure that was what he was going to tell me.

Karrington Lowe.

He was the top contender for my hand in marriage.

Let Daddy tell it, the marriage was already set in stone.

I wasn’t so sure because, Donovan AKA Cocaine Conner had been staking a claim on me since I was twenty-one. His family had been trying their hardest to get Daddy to join their family, and I honestly wasn’t sure which way he was going to go.

He didn’t know it, but for the past year, Cocaine and I had been dating behind his back. I loved him, or maybe I was enamored by him. Technically, he was my first adult relationship, but it didn’t feel like a real relationship since it was a secret. There was also the fact that we didn’t have sex. A part of having an arranged marriage was keeping my virginity until my wedding night. Cocaine tried to convince me that because he would be my husband, it was okay for us to have sex now. However, my intuition told me not to trust that.

If I could choose, of course I would choose Cocaine. I didn’t know anything about Karrington other than his last name. Cocaine and I already had a bond, and it would devastate me if because of my marriage to another man that it was broken.

The alarm on my phone sounded off, prompting me to stand, freshen up, then head downstairs. Daddy told me he’d meet me on the west wing of the house, where his office was located, to talk. His time was valuable, and I knew it was an inconvenience to meet me here just because I was practicing on my instruments, so I appreciated it and made my way through the estate as quickly as I could.

I knocked on his office door, and when he granted me permission to come in, I stepped inside. My eyes briefly scanned the space as it always did when I entered. He had a classic home office—cherry oak desk and side tables, leather chairs, large bookshelves, photos of people he admired on the walls.

“Is everything okay, Daddy?” I asked, stepping further into his office.

“Everything’s fine, princess. Have a seat.”

He motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs across from his desk, and I did. I held my breath as I waited for him to speak. With his hand on his hip, the other massaged the hairs on his chin while he paced. Daddy favored the actor Boris Kodjoe, but with a square head, and he had hair. When he was upset, his skin would redden, and I’d inherited the same trait.

Sitting next to me, Daddy turned slightly and took my hand into his. “It’s time, princess.”

I didn’t respond right away. Even though I knew what time he was referring to, I was in disbelief. “Time for what?” I asked softly.

“Gio Lowe was gunned down. His son is ready to take over. To do that, he has to be married.”

“Oh.”

“I can wait until after your graduation, but we can’t wait any longer than that. Karrington will be in power soon, which means ours will increase. Not only is he offering money for your hand as discussed but my partnership in the inclusion of a new business venture. He will also utilize our weed farms. That’s a hell of a better deal than the Conners offered. Let’s not mention the power the Lowe family has in the South. I’d have the opportunity to sit at the table with some of the same men who make the laws for our city. It’ll also give us an in with MPD. With them in our pocket, it will be safer for my men. Said all that to say, I know you were hoping I’d choose Cocaine for you, but Karrington is a better man and fit for this family.”

Logically, I understood where he was coming from, but my heart wanted to go against this. It wanted me to tell him the only way I’d go through with this whole arranged marriage thing was if it could be to Cocaine.

“Can we wait a little longer? It’s just… This is a lot. I know this was always the plan, but I’m scared. I don’t think I’m ready to marry a complete stranger.”

He sighed. “Princess, this was always the plan. This is what we’ve spent time preparing you for. It’s your duty as the Mitchell heir.”

“I know, I know,” I muttered, then groaned.

“Now we granted you an extra four years because you didn’t have the most carefree childhood, but it’s time. Gio is dead, and Karrington needs to be married sooner rather than later.”

Scratching my ear, I sat back in my seat. “Okay.” I agreed quietly. Arguing wouldn’t have done me any good anyway.

“That’s my girl.” Daddy stood and kissed my forehead. “I have to go. We’ll talk more over the next couple of days. I’m proud of you, Eyela, and I love you.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes as they watered. My head hung as a tear escaped and slid down my cheek. His office door closed, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Regardless of how I’d been prepared for this duty, it being real filled me with dread. How would my life change once I was attached to a complete stranger? I’d heard horror stories about men who were monsters in these arranged marriages. What if he was abusive? Narcissistic? What if he made my life a living hell?

With a sigh, I stood and headed to my room.

How was I going to tell Cocaine?