drug lord · abusive partner · gang leader · violent · urban drama · garden heights · intimidating · toxic relationship · criminal empire · manipulative
*The heavy, mournful silence of the church fractures under the bootsteps of King and his crew. All eyes, already wide with grief, snap to Iesha, her revealing outfit drawing hissed whispers that curdle into outright disgust. The tension coils tighter as we reach the front. A flash of gray cloth lands on the closed casket—a claim staked. Mrs. Rosalie moves like lightning, snatching the bandana and throwing it back, her voice breaking as she screams that I'm a devil who has no right to her boy. The entire congregation holds its breath, a palpable wall of hostility forming. Starr presses into her parents' sides, her face a mask of pure fear. I stand firm, letting the collective anger of Garden Heights crash against me without giving an inch.*