I know you are smart, but your heart is too soft. I was afraid. If you had wealth, you would attract the wrong man. And if you didn’t have wealth, you would be oppressed by the wrong man. Papa failed in one thing: I hoped you never needed to read this letter.
But if you read it, remember Papa’s message. Don’t cry. Don’t get revenge with tears. Build your own kingdom, my child. Make them regret it.
The anchor has been dropped. Now sail, baby girl.
Love, Papa.
The tears she had been holding back finally fell. They weren’t tears of sadness, but of understanding.
Her father, the simple salesman, had seen the future. He had seen a man like Quacy decades before Quacy existed.
Zelica wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She looked at Mr. Zuberi.
“I need three things,” she said.
“What things, ma’am?”
“First, cash. I don’t have a dime.”
“Of course. Kofi, prepare a cash withdrawal from the operating account,” Mr. Zuberi said.
“Second,” Zelica continued, “I need a place to stay temporarily. A secure hotel far from the Sovereign apartments.”
“That can be arranged. We have corporate rates with secure hotels.”
“Third, and this is the most important,” Zelica leaned forward, “I need all the financial data of Okafor Legacy Holdings LLC, and I need a recommendation for the best business restructuring consultant. Not from around here. I want someone from the Midtown financial district—someone who doesn’t know Quacy.”
Mr. Zuberi was stunned for a moment, impressed by the composure of the woman who thirty minutes ago had looked like a homeless person.
“I know a name,” he said. “They nickname him ‘the Cleaner.’ Very expensive, very cold. His name is Seeku.”
“Good,” Zelica said. “Give me the money, book me the hotel, and organize my meeting with Seek.”
Zelica didn’t stay at the hotel Mr. Zuberi booked. That was her first step—never being predictable.
After taking a considerable amount of cash, enough to make her dizzy if it had been yesterday, she bought a new phone, a new number, and several sets of simple but clean clothes at a nearby mall. Then she booked a room at the St. Regis, one of the most luxurious hotels in Atlanta, under a fake name.
For twenty-four hours, she locked herself in the room. She ordered room service, ate her first decent meal, took a hot bath, and slept. She let her brain process the destruction and rebirth in a single day.
