Rags To Riches Volume One

By Really Rashida

Henry and his wife Dana have made every sacrifice imaginable to build their empire and give their family the best that life has to offer. Their union produced five beautiful children; four girls and a boy. The children grew up privileged among Cleveland’s elite and the Cooper Legacy is tattooed on the city’s streets. The picture they paint is pretty but even the biggest mansions have closets. And they’re usually filled with skeletons.
The biggest sacrifice Henry made was the first family that he created. He left his girlfriend, Barbara Bradley, and their two daughters to start over with the younger, prettier Dana. He has never publicly acknowledged his children but he was sure to send money once a year.
Barbie and Redd Bradley have known who their father was for years despite their mother’s desperate attempt to keep it from them. They lived a life that was totally opposite of that of their father, but they’ve always dreamed of having the good life. A meeting between Barbie and Dana gives them the opportunity to do just that but will the rest of the family accept them and play ball?

The Cooper sisters are rocked to the core when their mother, Dana, announces that she will be going to federal prison. Genie, the eldest who is known as the evil one, plans to strike her mother while she is weak. Her undying quest for power leads her down a path that threatens to tear the family apart. Honey is Genie’s favorite but she can’t talk her sister off the ledge. She puts her quiet nature to the side and secretly declares war on Genie. This move causes a slow burning implosion among all of her sisters.
As the only boy, Henn, was always treated special. The prince of the Coopers has never wanted for anything. His last name has blessed him with easy money, women, and hood fame but, quite frankly, he’s bored to death. All of that changes when he meets Vanna, a free spirit that matches his soul perfectly. She fills the empty void he feels with a love and excitement that makes him a new man. He learns a secret about his sweetheart that devastates him and he is forced to contemplate if being with Vanna is worth losing all he’s ever known.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Really Rashida
• Release date: Oct 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781370231294

Really Rashida

Really Rashida is a Cleveland based writer, artist, and multimedia personality. She inherited her love of books and music from her mother and began reading at the age of three. Her career began in 2005 when she became an intern for the Ohio Hip Hop Awards. During her five years with the organization, Rashida was able to get a taste of what the music industry was about from behind the scenes. During that time writing never left her and she eventually found her way back to it when she started blogging in 2009. She went on to write for the event's blog until 2013. In January of that same year Rashida dropped her first book, Toxic, an urban murder mystery. Currently Rashida hosts her own podcast, writes a lifestyle blog dedicated to today's urban woman, and has an African American book review vlog. She is still living in Cleveland and is hard at work on her next novel.

Book preview

cover-image, Rags To Riches Volume One

Rags To Riches

Volume One

By

Really Rashida

Rags To Riches Volume One

By Really Rashida

Copyright 2013 Rashida Williams

Distributed By Smashwords

Dedication:

To my blood sisters MeeMee, Carmita, Lisa, and Cam.

CHAPTER ONE: LEGACY

  Dana stepped up to the jets of warm water shooting from the shower head. She closed her eyes and allowed her stress to wash away. She looked down at the drain and watched the blood rinse from her body. The pinkish mixture swirled and released to the pipes below. She used her hands to help the cleansing process, rubbing her arms and chest. Turning so her back was facing the water, she leaned her head back to saturate her long black hair. A sob crept from her lips followed by the flow of tears.

~

  I feel sorry for my dear friend, Dana. The woman is beautiful for her age. At 60 she has the body of a 30 year old and only a few strands of gray hair. If only being pretty guaranteed happiness…

  Her lovely appearance hides an ugly truth. One that makes my heart ache. There isn't enough water in the world to clean her dirty laundry.

  Who am I? Well, let’s just say I’m a very good friend of Dana’s. No need to name names, to protect the innocent of course.

  I’ll be your eyes and ears behind the scenes as you navigate the Cooper family saga.

~

  Genie looked around the dining room table at her siblings and shook her head. She hated every one of them. Always have. Always will. Just the mere mention of her brother and sisters made her blood boil. She rubbed her warm cheeks and blew out a frustrated breath.

  Twin, Henn, and Sparkle laughed and chatted among one another as they waited for their mother to arrive. She called them to the family estate to make some emergency announcement.

  Drama queen, Genie said to herself and sat there silently. She was not about to waste a breath entertaining these idiots.

  Dana was the person Genie despised most in the world. She was less than human in her eyes. Nothing more than an egg donor. She patted her itchy wig and rolled her eyes at her brother Henry Junior whom everybody called Henn. He was telling one of his regular stories about some random ratchet hoe he smashed that nobody wanted to hear. His topic of conversation was another thing added to the list of reasons why she loathed him.

  Genie’s face was a puzzle consisting of caramel and ivory colored pieces. An evil expression graced it like a twisted Mona Lisa. Dana’s oldest daughter was a unique beauty because she’d been blessed with vitiligo. Whispers among the community said that she was the prettiest of the Cooper sisters despite her skin condition. She loved how jealous it made them and her mother.

  Where is Honey, she asked with an attitude.

  Damn, you just gon' interrupt my conversation like that, Henn said. She's late as usual. We know you can't live without your precious baby sister. She'll be here, Genie don't worry your patchy little face.

Sparkle chimed in. You know that incest shit is nasty, right? Sucking your sister’s twat on the low.

  Henn busted out laughing and reached across the cherry oak antique dining table for a fist pound. Sparkle chuckled along with him and gave him dap.

  Helayana tried her best not to crack a smile. Leave her alone, yall.

  Shut up, Twin! You always tryna protect some damn body, Sparkle snapped at her.

  Helayna and Genie were nine months apart so the family nicknamed Helayna Twin since she was younger.

  I don't need her to protect me, fuck y'all. Honey will always be my favorite. Deal with it.

  You need to watch your mouth when your sitting at my dining room table, Genie. Their mother walked up without them noticing and she was not happy. Everybody at this table is well over 21 but y’all steady bickering like kids. Dana sauntered over and took her seat at the head of the table. The scent of her perfume lingered as she passed each of her children dressed in a silk gown with matching robe. She folded her satin gloved hands on the table in front of her. She, too, had vitiligo but it only affected her hands.

  Genie waved her hand unbothered. Whatever. What’s the emergency, Dana?

  You’re father’s on his way down. As soon as he’s here we’ll get started. She looked around a frowned. Where’s Honey?

  Honey sat naked kneeling in front of Jaylen as he stroked his throbbing penis. She threw her head back and opened her mouth wide. A few seconds later, Jaylen grabbed her by the hair and released his load for her to taste. When the last drop fell Honey swallowed it all and licked her lips.

  Jaylen collapsed on the bed breathing heavily. You the coldest...

  Yeah, whatever. Honey giggled and stood up. I gotta go. Her plump, curvy frame was glistening with sweat as she gathered up her clothes that were thrown around the room.

~

  Her smooth complexion matches her birth name. She may not be slim but Honey is bad chick in every way possible. Beauty, brains, and bankroll all wrapped in an amazing personality. I’ve tried to get my daughters to hang with her more so some of her aura could rub off on ‘em, but them heffas too busy chasing niggas in the street to do the right thing.

~

  Why don't you stay? Come on, Honey, please. Spend the night with me for once. A nigga be lonely in this big ass house by his self all the time. Jaylen, better known to the streets as Jay Bandz, had been living in his house for two months now. He bought it with the advance money from his record deal with Interscope Records. With the recent success of Machine Gun Kelly, Jay knew he was going to be the next one to blow out of Cleveland.

  We haven't been kicking it long enough for that yet. She pulled out her cellphone to find that it was dead. She unplugged Jay's iPhone and plugged hers up. A few seconds later is started to power on.

  Jay threw up his hands. Oh my God, man! Are you serious? It’s been like a month now.

  I need a shower bad after all we just did so the sooner I can get home the better. She pulled her panties up over her pear shaped behind.

  I got water! Take a shower here and watch a movie with me.

  It’s late, Jay.

  "What's the difference