Heartbreak And Past Mistakes Read online

  “It was my pleasure. I’m just happy that she’s okay,” Lyric replied.

  “That makes two of us. Parker Malone,” Paisley’s father said as he extended his hand and introduced himself.

  It was then that Lyric realized where she knew him from. Malone and Associates was one of the biggest law and investments firms in Louisiana and they had offices in just about every parish. Parker Malone was the founder and his face was on the commercials and billboards everywhere. He was filthy rich and his appearance screamed money.

  “Lyric Carter,” she replied politely.

  She was taken back when Mr. Malone pulled her in for a hug. He was a no-nonsense kind of man and she could see that he didn’t show his emotions very easily.

  “Thank you, Lyric. I’ll be forever indebted to you,” he said sincerely.

  “It was my pleasure. Paisley was great company,” Lyric said while smiling at her new little friend.

  “Do you have a job Lyric?” Mr. Malone asked her.

  “I just graduated from Dillard University a few weeks ago. I’ve been looking, but I don’t have a job yet,” Lyric replied.

  “You do now. Be at my office on Monday morning at nine,” Mr. Malone said while handing Lyric his card.

  “I haven’t even told you what my degree is for,” Lyric said as she looked at him in confusion.

  “It doesn’t matter. You’ll have a very well paying job for the rest of your life if you want it,” Mr. Malone promised before he and his family said their goodbye and left her house.

  Lyric was speechless as she leaned up against her front door. She stared at the card for a while, trying to grasp what had just happened. It was crazy because she had put in for a receptionist position at the firm about a year ago and never heard back from anyone. The pay was decent and the hours were good too. To think that she could possibly have an even better job was like a dream come true. She couldn’t wait to call and tell her mother and Jena the good news. Hopefully, once she got her foot in the door, she could put in a good word and get Jena on there too. Her girl was struggling financially and she was hoping that her blessing could somehow bless her too.

  Chapter 1

  Lyric pulled her Mahogany metallic Porsche Cayenne into her assigned parking spot and killed the engine. It was after ten and she was over an hour late for work, but she was too tired to be on time. Three years had passed since she’d found Paisley’s battered body on the side of the road and so many things had changed since then. Mr. Malone proved to be a man of his word. When Lyric went to his office that Monday morning like he’d requested, he offered her the opportunity of a lifetime. He really didn’t have a position for her to fill, but that didn’t stop him from creating one. Lyric was hired as his administrative assistant and her pay was something serious. Mr. Malone gave her a huge office with a beautiful view of downtown and not too many people were happy about that. Most of the employees had been there for years and didn’t get half as much. They were all wondering how Lyric came out of the clear blue sky and was getting the royal treatment.

  Admittedly, her first few months there were rough. Rumors were circulating that she was screwing Mr. Malone and she felt like a fish out of water. None of them knew her connection to their boss, but they clearly saw the favoritism that he showed her. When Spencer, one of the attorney’s with the firm, approached her when she first started, he was like a breath of fresh air. After only two months, he and Lyric started dating and stayed together for over a year. Lyric thought they were in love, but the feelings obviously weren’t mutual.

  “Hey cousin,” Lyric said when she answered her phone for Kierra.

  “My twenty-fourth birthday is approaching bitch. I’m trying to turn the fuck up, so I hope you’re ready!” Kierra yelled.

  “When am I not ready bitch? Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there,” Lyric assured her.

  “I want to do an all girls weekend of fun,” Kierra noted.

  “Like a sleepover?” Lyric asked.

  “No, I just want to have something different planned for each day. You know I’ve always wanted to do a scavenger hunt or a wine tasting event. It doesn’t have to be the club all the time,” Kierra pointed out.

  “It’s your day cousin. I’m down with whatever you decide,” Lyric replied.

  “And that’s why you’re my favorite cousin. You never complain or give me a hard time,” Kierra said.

  “Who’s complaining and why?” Lyric asked.

  “Nobody yet, but I’m sure they will. You’re the only one who will just go with the flow. Zina always wants to bar hop, but there’s more to having fun than just that,” Kierra said, speaking of her other cousin on her father’s side.

  “Is she coming?” Lyric asked.

  “I don’t know girl. You know if it ain’t the club, Zina ain’t interested.”

  Lyric and Zina didn’t run in the same circles, but they were cool because of Kierra. They were both her cousins on different sides and they all hung out a few times. Zina was as ratchet as they came, but she was real and honest. That was what Lyric liked about her the most. She hadn’t seen the other woman in a while, but it was always like no time had passed at all when she did.

  “Well, just let me know cousin. I just pulled up to work and I’m already late,” Lyric said.

  “As if that matters. That man loves you too much to tell you anything. You don’t even have to show up at all and you’ll still get paid,” Kierra laughed.

  “Yeah, but I can’t do that. I’ll never take my job for granted. I need to do better and get my ass here on time. Mr. Malone is never really here anyway, but I still need to get my life right,” Lyric replied.

  “Call me when you get some free time,” Kierra said.

  “Okay, I will,” Lyric promised before they hung up.

  After grabbing her heather gray Birkin bag, Lyric exited her car and walked into the building. She waved at the security guard before taking the elevator up to her office on the fourth floor. The entire four-story building belonged to Mr. Malone and everybody in there worked under him. Mr. Malone’s main office was in the downtown building, but he had offices in each of the firm’s locations. He tried to make it a point to visit each location at least once a month, but it didn’t always happen. Lyric didn’t really do much, but she often stepped in whenever he couldn’t. If there was a meeting that he couldn’t attend, Lyric was there to take notes on his behalf. She and Mr. Malone talked by phone or via email each day, just to keep him up to speed on everything. It was busy work, but she got paid a nice salary to do it.

  “Hey cousin,” Nova said when she walked up to Lyric.

  Nova was also Lyric’s first cousin, being the daughter of Melody’s oldest brother, Nolan. She had lost her job at a media firm a while ago and Lyric got Mr. Malone to hire her as a receptionist. Nova loved her job and she appreciated Lyric for getting her on. The firm had a total of six receptionists and their job wasn’t hard. They transferred calls, took messages, and set up appointments for the attorneys and investors. Occasionally, they had to escort a client into one of the board rooms, but that was about it.

  “Hey girl. What’s up?” Lyric asked while smiling at her cousin.

  She locked eyes with Jena, but her ex-best friend rolled her eyes before turning her head. Lyric’s friendship with Jena was one of the many things that had changed over the years. After getting her the job at the firm, Jena basically gave Lyric her ass to kiss. Lyric had been hurt by friends before, but Jena was more like her sister. Her betrayal was a hard pill to swallow. Even worse than that was the fact that Jena didn’t seem to be remorseful.

  “Her stupid ass came in here crying again. That’s good for that dumb bitch,” Nova whispered as she followed Lyric to her office.

  “Fuck her. She deserves whatever she gets,” Lyric replied angrily.

  “Nobody even bothered to ask her what was wrong because we already knew,” Nova said, rolling her eyes.

  “That’s good for her weak ass. I’m done being sympathetic to bitches who do me dirty. I’m tired of being nice to muthafuckas who turn around and give me their ass to kiss. I’m good on these fake ass friends. Right about now, it’s whatever with these hoes,” Lyric snapped as she flopped down into her chair.

  “I know that’s right cousin. Let me get my ass back to work. Let me know if you’re available to do lunch,” Nova said as she rushed back to her cubicle out front.

  Lyric only nodded her head as she turned around in her chair and stared out the window at downtown New Orleans. She tried not to get in her feelings, but it was hard not to. She and Jena had been friends since elementary and she let a nigga come in between their bond. Lyric didn’t know it when she first started, but Spencer was nothing more than a male whore in a fancy suit. She wasn’t exactly anyone’s favorite when she started, so no one bothered to tell her that he preyed on every new female employee who entered the building. Lyric was stupid enough to think that she was special because he showered her with gifts and lots of affection. She had purchased a three-bedroom home not too long after she started working there, and Spencer had helped her move in and decorate. He was like a dream come true, but Lyric soon woke up only to discover that it was really a nightmare.

  After leaving work early one day due to stomach cramps, Lyric went home and got straight into bed. It wasn’t until she woke up hours later that she discovered she’d left her cell phone at the office. Every number that she had was saved in her phone and she didn’t know any of them by memory. Since she felt a little better, she decided to go get it and grab her something to eat while she was out. It was after seven that evening and the office was fairly empty. That’s why Lyric was surprised when she heard raised voices coming from Spencer’s office. Nothing could have prepared her for the conversation that she walked in on though.

  “What are you telling me that for?” Spencer asked.

  “Why do you think I’m telling you? I’m pregnant and you’re the father. I haven’t been with anyone else but you in the past five months, and I’m nine weeks in. You do the math,” Jena replied.

  “How much?” Spencer asked.

  “Are you serious? You think giving me money will make me go away?” Jena asked.

  “I’m not trying to make you go away. I’m trying to make our problem go away,” Spencer replied.

  “Wow. Everybody told me that you were an asshole, but I just had to go and see it for myself,” Jena chuckled sarcastically.

  “I’m in a relationship Jena. But, shit, you already knew that,” Spencer laughed.

  “I don’t find anything funny. You knew you were in a relationship when you pursued me. I’m not getting rid of my baby because you don’t want Lyric to find out.”

  “You really don’t have a choice. Don’t fuck with me, Jena. Cross me and I’ll make sure that you lose more than just your job,” Spencer threatened.

  “Look, we don’t even have to tell anyone that you’re the father. I haven’t been here long and nobody really knows me,” Jena said.

  “That’s not good enough. I’m not ready for kids and, when I am, it’ll be my wife who’s having them. Find out how much and get back with me. Close my door on your way out,” Spencer said as he dismissed her.

  Neither of them were prepared to see Lyric standing right there when Jena opened the door. Lyric pushed her back into the office and it was on from there. She tore the office up beating Jena and Spencer’s asses and that was the end of their years of friendship. Now, when Lyric and Jena saw each other, it was if they had never met. Spencer had been trying to get back with her since that day and he got the exact same treatment. Jena must have gone through with the abortion because it was never mentioned again and she never had a baby. Crazy thing was, she was still with Spencer, even though he was always begging Lyric for another chance. Jena really believed that finding a man with money would solve all her problems. It was sad that she risked their years of friendship behind it though. She was always coming to work crying over something that he’d said or done to her, but Lyric didn’t care. In her opinion, Jena was getting exactly what she deserved.

  That was a wake up call for Lyric and she’d learned her lesson. She was too trusting with telling her so-called friends her business and it always came back to bite her in the ass. Her ex-friend Jade had done her the exact same thing with her ex-boyfriend Bradley. Lyric made the mistake of talking to the wrong people and it always turned out bad. Still, she wouldn’t have thought that Jena would do her like that, but she was sadly mistaken. Her cousins were always telling her that she was too secretive now and that was just the way she liked it. She kept whatever she did and whoever she did it with to herself and it was better that way.

  Lyric didn’t even want a steady relationship anymore. She was having fun and enjoying being twenty-four. Besides her cousins, Lyric only had one friend and he was a male. Jared had been working in their mailroom for about two years now; Lyric was the one who had to train him. He and Lyric went out to lunch on his first day there and they had been close ever since. Jared was a military kid who was born and raised in New York. His parents were originally from New Orleans and that’s where his father purchased a home at when he retired. Jared was a senior in high school at the time and he had been in New Orleans since then. He had a huge crush on Nova, but she was giving him a hard time.

  The ringing of her phone pulled Lyric away from her thoughts. She swung around in her chair and smiled when she saw Paisley’s number pop up on her work phone. Paisley had just turned twenty-one and was in her senior year of college. She was always spending nights at Lyric’s house and they enjoyed each other’s company. They were like the big and little sister that the other woman never had.

  “Hey P,” Lyric smiled when she answered the phone.

  “What are you doing?” Paisley asked her.

  “In my office about to check your father’s calendar for the day,” Lyric answered.

  “Great, because that’s why I was calling you,” Mr. Malone spoke up in the background.

  “But, you didn’t call me; Paisley did,” Lyric corrected him with a giggle.

  “Well, I was about to call you until she rushed to do it herself,” he laughed.

  “What’s up Mr. Malone?” Lyric asked.

  “I forgot to tell you that I needed you to be my stand-in for a meeting this morning at ten. Javier needs my assistance on one of his cases and I need you there to take notes. My wife and I have to handle some business with Paisley this morning.”

  “Hey Lyric!” his wife Chelsea yelled in the background.

  “Hey Mrs. Malone,” Lyric spoke back.

  “The meeting is gonna be in the big conference room. We’ll touch bases later this evening, so you can fill me in,” Mr. Malone spoke up.

  “Why do you insist on doing this to me every time? I’m gonna walk in the meeting an hour late and Javier is gonna bite my head off,” Lyric sighed dramatically.

  Javier Livingston was second in command when Mr. Malone wasn’t there. He was a thirty year old no-nonsense attorney who prided himself on never losing a case. He had only been with the firm for a little over a year, but his reputation preceded him. He commanded respect and he was tough in and out of the courtroom. He wasn’t well liked around the office either because of how fast he climbed up the ranks. Many of the attorneys were older than him and had been there for years. None of them were as good as Javier though, as Mr. Malone often reminded them.

  The firm was privately owned by Mr. Malone, but the DA’s office often hired them to help with prosecuting their cases. Thanks to Javier, they had never lost one yet.

  “You let me know if he gives you any problems and I’ll deal with Javier myself,” Mr. Malone insisted.

  “Okay. Let me get ready to enter the lion’s den,” Lyric said as she stood to her feet.

  “Do you want some company this weekend Lyric?” Paisley asked.

  “Duh. I always want company,” Lyric replied as they all laughed.

  “I’ll call you later Lyric,” Mr. Malone said before he hung up.

  “Just fucking great. I didn’t even have my damn coffee yet,” Lyric fussed under her breath.

  She started to ask Jared to go get her some Starbucks, but the mailroom was usually too busy in the mornings. Lyric opened her drawer and grabbed her MacBook and a few other things that she needed. After taking a deep, calming breath, she headed down the hall to the largest conference room and pressed the buzzer to be let in. Mr. Malone had all the doors equipped to where they automatically locked once they were closed. That was even worse because that meant that Lyric had to interrupt a meeting that was already in progress. All eyes were on her as soon as she entered the room. She was almost to her seat at the far end of the table and Javier hadn’t acknowledged her. He was in the middle of saying something, but she knew that it was too good to be true.

  “Ms. Carter, thanks for finally joining us,” Javier said sarcastically as a few people in the room snickered.

  “I just found out five minutes ago that I even had to be here,” Lyric flippantly replied.

  “You’re an hour late and I don’t have time to catch you up right now. We’re on page twenty-four of a thirty page document, so you almost missed it all,” he replied.

  “You can continue, I’ll be fine,” Lyric said as she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

  Everyone in the room looked a bit uncomfortable, but that was nothing new. No one ever dared to go up against Javier, but Lyric obviously didn’t get the memo. He was an asshole and they all knew it, but she was the only one who was bold enough to ever challenge him. Lyric sat there bored out of her mind as she took a few notes for Mr. Malone. She didn’t know what the hell Javier was talking about, but she always put her notes in her own words. She wasn’t familiar with all of their legal terms, but Mr. Malone was always pleased with the information that she gave him. He had no problem going to Javier for more information if there was something else that he needed to know.

  “Okay, that’s it for now. If you have any questions, email them to me and I’ll get back to you with an answer before the end of the work day. Ms. Carter, you need to stay put, so I can sum up everything that you missed,” Javier said in his usual authoritative voice.