"We must not fall apart on this news. Maybe it's a mistake. Some-one is looking to cash in on Father's fortune," Noelle said.

They settled back into their seats. Baron didn't know whether or not to get Aniyah out of the building and deal with the will later. After all, following two intimate moments with her, the tabloids would report him as her lover or bed partner. He decided that since the can of beans was half open, he might as well open the can all the way.

"She's here for the reading of the will," he said.

The sisters looked back toward the door. They shouted in unison, "Where?"

"She's sitting in the meeting room," he said.

The sisters had many questions. But one question Milandra blurted: "Why is she here for the reading of the will?"

"Your father indicated her in his will," the attorney stated.

"Father acknowledged her? It must be true." Noelle cried.

"She wasn't raised in our home under the family name. She'll never be family to me." Milandra said as she sat back in her seat with her head up high. Milandra pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her neck.

"Father probably left her a few dollars in his will, no big thing. Let her get her few dollars and be gone," Kenley said, annoyed.

Milandra smiled. "You can speak like a Houston when you want to," she said to her sister.

Baron paged his secretary. "Sara, send Miss Aniyah Sanchez in."

The door opened and the Houstons turned to see Aniyah walk in. Aniyah's smile was brighter than the sunlight shining in the room. They could see she had to be a child of one of the Mexican servants.

"Unbelievable," Milandra said.

"As they say in the hood, a hoochie," Kenley said.

Noelle didn't express her thoughts. Wh.o.r.e flashed across her mind, though.

"h.e.l.lo, half-a.s.s sisters; that's not a way to welcome me." Aniyah smiled.

From under her skirt, the sisters could see that Aniyah's legs were exposed up to her thighs. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s bulged out of her outfit. The hot pink color that she wore turned the business mood into a room for partying. Bangles jingled on her arms. The platform heels raised her high off of the floor. She flung her hair.

"Have a seat, Miss Sanchez," Baron said.

"Yes, sugar," she said as she winked at him.

Aniyah sat down and crossed one leg over the other. She gave him a good view of her whole right side up to her thigh.

Noelle wanted to rip her eyes out. This was something she was supposed to be doing to arouse him.

"Mr. Chavis, please get on with the reading of the will so we can get out of the presence of such company," Milandra said.

"b.i.t.c.h, you got a problem with me? Don't hate. Now I know why Papa always said I was his favorite and fun daughter," Aniyah teased, continuing to play in her hair.

Kenley was annoyed for she had always considered herself as her father's favorite daughter. If he were still alive, she would run to ask him if he loved Aniyah more than her.

Milandra was appalled. "How dare you?" She stood up.

Aniyah stood up, too. "Bring it on," she said as she waved for Milandra to come near her.

Baron rushed out of his seat to attend to them. "Please, let's handle this with intelligence."

"Wh.o.r.es don't know anything about being intelligent-just spreading their legs," Noelle spoke.

Aniyah was quite aware that it was the photo of Noelle she had copied and pasted on the computer with Baron. This was the sister she was blackmailing him with.

Aniyah laughed. "So, it's you?"

Puddles of sweat gathered on Baron's forehead. "Please, have a seat, Miss Sanchez, and be quiet," he begged.

Noelle didn't forget Aniyah's words. "What do you mean, it's you?" she asked.

Chavis answered in response for Aniyah, "You and Aniyah are the same age," he explained.

"Oh, Father, how could you do this to us, even to Mother?" Milandra sobbed.

"Father had two women pregnant at the same time," Kenley said.

Aniyah laughed. "Yes, Papa had a bed in the big house with his black wife and a bed in the maid's room with his Mexican honey."

"Who's your mother?" Milandra demanded to know.

"Tessa Sanchez."

The girls recalled the woman coming up to them at the funeral and how she remembered Milandra as a little girl.

"Your mother was at the funeral. But for you to be Father's daughter, how can you be here for the reading of his will, but not attend his funeral?" Milandra was appalled.

Aniyah pointed at Milandra. "Girl, get your facts straight. I was there. In and out-just like he did with my mama."

"Despicable," Milandra said. "I have no other words for you. Mr. Chavis, read the will."

"Ladies," he said, "no matter what is read, please don't interrupt."

Baron read the will from beginning to end. Tears flowed down the Houstons' eyes, except for Aniyah, who sat with a big smile on her face.

"Fabulous," Aniyah said, excited.

The words he read spun over and over again in their heads.

Rupert had left in his written will that Baron would be executor over the construction business and estate. He left huge sums of money to his daughters. He explained that they had lived at the Estate all their lives and now it was Aniyah's turn.

Their father stipulated that Kenley could stay in the house until she finished college, after which she could move on. And in any event, upon Aniyah's death, the estate would go back to the rest of his children to sell and divide equally. His daughters should move immediately into his other property, the Houston Villa in Lake Murray. A smaller home, but cozy enough for them. All the servants who wished to stay, their jobs were secure. Elsa would remain head servant until she either retired or pa.s.sed away.

Baron showed no emotions of joy about being executor of the Houston Estate, as the will also stated, until Milandra turned fifty. He could build his own empire by then.

Kenley looked over at Aniyah. She could see the glow in her eyes. "Father expects me to live with a total stranger," she said, even though she knew all of the Houstons' rules would be doomed.

"Girl, I'm not a babysitter. You need to get to stepping with your two sisters sitting over there," Aniyah said, snapping her finger at Kenley.

Milandra screamed, "This has to be some mistake! This matter must be investigated. Mr. Chavis, do what you have to do to cover this matter and report back to me."

"The only thing that has to be done, b.i.t.c.h, is for you to pack your stuff and get out my house," Aniyah retorted.

"We will not!" Milandra yelled.

"No fighting anymore. If this is Father's wish, so be it. We have each other." Noelle wept.

Milandra looked over at Aniyah. "Never!" she screamed. "I won't accept her moving into what's rightfully ours."

"Listen, if you don't move out of my house, I'll call every newspaper in America and tell my story," Aniyah bluffed.

Milandra knew a scandal in the media would destroy what good was left of their family name. She stood up and looked back at Baron. "Handle it. Come on, Noelle and Kenley, let's leave. We have work to do."

The sisters left the office. Once they disappeared, Aniyah burst out laughing. She slammed the door behind them.

Baron came from around his desk and shook her. "This isn't funny. I've never seen them so lost and hurt."

Aniyah s.n.a.t.c.hed him by the tie. "Don't worry about their pain. Your only concern should be my pleasure." She reached up and kissed him, leaving her lipstick on his lips. "I'll take a limo back to the apartment and pack. Call me one. Put it on my bill. No, you pay for it, Executor." She laughed.

He got on the phone and called her a limo. Somehow or some way, he had to get her out of his life.

Chapter 13.

Tessa made her way, in a private cab, to the Houston Estate. She looked out of the window as she crossed the bridge into Lake Murray. The rising sun beamed on the smooth waves of the lake.

Reaching the Houston Estate, the cab stopped at the security station. A security guard, or as Tessa remembered Rupert called his security "security help," came up to the cab.

"Yes, may I help you?" the security guard asked, dressed in black with gold patches on his shirt.

Tessa rolled down the window. She pulled out an old work badge and held it up to the man. "I worked for the Houstons many years ago. I've come to see an old friend, if she's still here working. Elsa is her name."

The security guard smiled, speaking in his deep-toned voice, "Elsa is an old shoe around here."

The guard called her on the radio dispatcher. "Elsa, you have a guest. Her name is Tessa Sanchez."

Elsa's voice came through loud and clear. "Oh my G.o.d, let Tessa in the gates. Tell her I'm in her old room."

The man turned back to Tessa. "Do you remember how to get there?"

"Yes, I could never forget."

The guard pushed a b.u.t.ton inside his small security booth office. The gates opened.

The driver was amazed as he proceeded into the estate. "Wow! I've always wanted to see what this place look likes. It reminds me of the Biltmore Estate."

As far as the driver could see there was nothing but manicured green lawn. Nowhere in sight was any visibility of unwanted weeds.

"Follow the road to the left," Tessa said, as the right would lead them to the house.

The driver drove up to a row of small, attached houses. To him it was like the apartment complex he lived in.

"I won't be long. Please wait for me," she begged.

"I'm enjoying every bit of this." The driver cut the engine off. He got out, taking his own private tour around on the grounds of the servants' quarters, hoping he could strike a job. "The Houstons have their own tenants, I see."

"Not at all, this is where the live-in workers stay."

"This is the kind of job I need. Hook a brotha up."

Tessa looked at him to see unshaved gray whiskers under his chin. Rupert would have hired him on the spot. The driver wouldn't have been any threat to stealing his wife.

She knocked on the door. Elsa opened the door dressed in a burgundy uniform.

She recognized her plum cheeks.

Elsa reached out her hands to her. "Give me a hug. Lord, I prayed for you every day."

Tessa embraced her. Elsa stepped back from her, extending her arms to rest her hands on Tessa's shoulders.

"Let me take a good look at you. You're still pretty as the day I first met you. Got a little meat on your bones." Elsa chuckled.

"I hope it's in the right places."

"Come on in your old room. I'm here getting things ready for a new girl."

Tessa walked into the room. No brown spread covered the bed. A burgundy spread covered it. Pictures of floral arrangements accented the wall. The room gave her a sense of home, instead of a servant's quarters.

"Everything has changed."

"Oh yeah, Tessa, that's because of Mrs. Houston. She came to me one day and said she's going to ask her husband to let her have fun decorating our rooms. You know, to keep her happy, he gave her the okay."

Tessa thought of how he could treat his wife with such dignity but degrade any other woman, or maybe it was just the ones who he felt were beneath him.

"Child, she asked me to help her. I felt like we were sisters, not by race, but by blood."

"I'm happy for you and the others."