Chapter 44 - Karinna

A/N Warning: This chapters contains themes of domestic violence & abuse.

A/N P.S: I have no clue where this picture of Marshall surfaced from but I feel like there's more or it's either edited. Anyways, if y'all find it lmk pls 🤪. I found this one one Instagram. Also, enjoy this little story of the boys that I included at the beginning just for shits & giggles to lighten up the mood. Anyways, enjoyyyyy 😙.

Marshall's POV:

— Thursday, October 20th

"Yo, bro, that shit was wild as hell!" Boogie spoke.

"Dawg, I'm never going to a strip club with you ever again." Royce rolled his eyes.

"You act like I knew that was going to happen. It wasn't even my fault or my idea to go." Boogie replied as both men walked through the door to the studio after their lunch.

"What are you two dudes on about this time?" I wondered still focused on working on this beat.

Dre was sat beside me, helping me out. And Naunie has walked in with the fellas.

"I can't take these two anywhere. Royce thought it would be a good idea to pull up to that new joint that just opened up recently and see what it was about. Once we get through security all hell breaks loose!" Naunie explained.

"Yea. I'm talking bottles bein' thrown, ass bein' shook, and punches being punched." Royce clarified.

"And what's this gotta do with y'all three knuckle heads?" Dre spoke up, amused by the situation.

"Well you see, one of the dancers was some girl I used to fuck with. I ain't know she was gonna be there though, and she kinda seen me and bugged out on me, dawg!" Boogie said in a high pitched voice, putting his hands up defensively.

Yo, it's always some shit with these dudes. I swear! It never ceases to amaze me.

"Tell 'em what happened after that." Naunie glared at him.

"So then she gets all up in my face cussing me out, right. Talking about how I did her dirty and all this other mess. Whole time I'm thinking "This bitch is bonkers!" Anyways so she's still yapping her mouth so I told her "Don't hate the player, hate the game." I guess that made something click inside her pea sized brain or some because this chick then slaps the shit outta me, dawg!" Boogie exclaimed, reenacting out the scene.

Dre and I were cracking up at this point. There's no way this is real.

"Yo, so how did y'all get to the part about punches being thrown?"

"Keep in mind while all this is happening, me and Denaun already started watching the girls up on stage and ordered our food. So we have no clue what's happening." Royce clarified.

"Okay..." Dre said suspiciously, wondering what was going to come next.

"Ight so she slaps me right. And then she tries to hit me again, but I dodged that one. But then... then her little stripper friends come out the cut. It's like 5 of them girls, acting all hood and bat shit crazy, right. They were all yelling at me like I did something wrong! Talking about some "Don't mess with our girl, don't come up in here starting drama, pay us, pay us."" He mocked in a girly voice, "And I was like "Mane, fuck all of y'all!" Then they jumped me! They all fucking jumped me!"

"Nah, that's crazy. Stop the cap, man." Dre said.

"He is so forreal." Naunie replied shaking his head slowly, "We turned our head after hearing all the commotion, and we seen Boogie getting beat up by a bunch of fucking ladies. All we see are these girl punching him, slapping him, tryna grab him. AND THEN, one of them threw a bottle of Jack at him! I mean it was 6 against 1, what could the man do? He wasn't going going to put his hands on a woman so we had to drag him outta there. It was insanity."

"I just wanted to eat some hot wings and watch some ass." Royce sighed in disappointment.

The room was filled with laughter. I was bent over the soundboard, laughing my ass off, and the other guys all had tears in their eyes.

"Aye, what can I say. The ladies love me." Boogie rubbed his chin.

We all just looked at him like he was out of him mind.

"You just got jumped by a bunch of women... nobody loves you, dawg. It's ight though." I tease him.

"Ight, enough of this." Dre calmed down from his laugh attack, "We got shit to do." He said, getting us all in order.

We all resumed working on the project. We kept it up, being productive and what not for a few hours before we called it a day thirty minutes to five. We were all conversing among ourselves, when Boogie brought up his release party for his first debut album that'd be released tomorrow. Dre had given him his props and raved about how he enjoyed the album.

"Thank you, Dre. That means a lot to me. Are you going to the party tomorrow night for the release?" Boogie asked Dre.

"Oh, of course. You already know I'll be there." Dre confirmed.

"Bet. Marshall," Bpogie directed his attention to me, "You gonna bring Sadé with you?" He asked me.

"I don't know, man. I haven't asked her." I shrugged.

I don't know if she'd want to go to some work party with me. I'd only be there for a few hours anyways.

"You should bring her. We all like Sadé." He encouraged.

"Yea, bro. She's cool." Naunie agreed.

I rubbed my beard, debating on if I should ask her to come with me or not. I looked over at Dre who just shrugged his shoulder, seemingly agreeing with the guys. He was also bringing Nicole, and Al was bring his girl so I guess she'd have a girl friend to chop it up with.

"Ight fine. I'll take her with me."

We conversed a little while longer until it was time for all of us to call it a day. I was on my way out the door when Paul stopped me.

"Marshall, Investigation Myers. My office, now. Jordyn is already on a FaceTime call." He told me.

I stopped walking in my tracks, and looked at him. I had all these thoughts popping up in my head, and I was just hoping that maybe there was some piece of info that would be valuable.

"Ight, I'll be in there in a minute." I told him.

I pulled my phone out, telling Sae I'd be home later than usual. She texted back almost immediately.

She didn't mind and told me not work to hard. That made me chuckle lightly before my smile fell because I knew I'd have to deal with some shit. I walked into Paul's office, taking a seat at his desk. I greeted Jordyn over the FaceTime call, then greeted Paul.

"So what's up?" I asked the both of them.

"We might've gotten somewhere in Investigation Myers. We've been given a lot of info based off of the recent tweets." Jordyn told me.

"Here, take a look." Paul said, handing me papers of the screenshotted tweets as well as this picture.

I looked over it, reading it all. What the fuck? Why are they calling Sadé a gold digger just for choosing to date me? Whoever this person is clearly knows nothing about her at all or just wants to keep expressing their dislike for her clearly. But I did appreciate those that took a liking towards our relationship even though nothing was confirmed publicly.

"Ight, so what's the info y'all gathered from here?"

"Okay so let's start off with the obvious: They finally updated their profile picture. It makes their intentions more apparent." Jordyn began.

"How so? It's just a picture of a skeleton stabbing a girl...oh..." I then realized what they meant when I actually said it out loud.

This is... getting out of hand to say the least.

"I mean normally, it's just be a creepy profile picture. People have crazy cool pictures all the time for the aesthetic, but this isn't one of those cases. And it's only because they've made threats to her before." Jordyn spoke up.

"Well then shouldn't we hand this over to the police then if it's getting that serious?" I asked seriously.

"Unless you want the world to know you two are dating, possibly get arrested for stalking and harassing a hate account, and for them to find out we're onto them and possibly not even have anything come back from the police investigation: No." Paul said.

I didn't even respond. I just kissed my teeth, letting out a short chuckle. I see how this is going to have to go now.

"Well let's keep this moving along. Let's take a look at these two tweets. It seems like the person thinks Sae is taking advantage of you." Jordyn pointed out, "However, we all know that isn't the case. For the two most obvious reasons: 1. Sadé was already poppin' without you, no offense. But she already made a name for herself. And 2. I'm sure her net worth begs to differ. She doesn't need a man for anything with 120 M's sitting in her bank account at all times." She shrugged.

"No offense taken. That's nothing, but facts." I replied.

I wasn't even mad she said that because it's true. Sadé is business woman at the end of the day and she'll never need me or have to use me for anything. She's an independent woman: Plain and simple.

"The point I'm trying to make though is that they act like they know her. It's giving obsessed. Now let's connect some dots and look at the other tweets." She concluded.

"Alright."

"Now you're being brought into the hate account. They seem to be very opinionated when it comes to the both of you two specifically. It's clear that they have something out for Sae, but don't be surprised if they start targeting you as well." Paul said, referring to the tweets about our relationship rumor.

"Yea. That's definitely suspicious. It kinda makes me wonder about who it could possibly be." I said honestly. 

"You think? Because they seem pretty jealous of Sadé. They hate the thought of you two together. Saying how it's "terrible" and "God, I hope not." You know I was kind of thinking it was Zach because they obviously ended on bad terms, and he has tried to win her back a couple of times and tried to reconnect with her. And also that theres a leaked picture that only the two of them would have. But I also feel like there might be something you're not telling us Marshall. Because this account was created this year - the same year y'all both met, and is potentially a female. So is there someone, maybe an ex fling, that could know about you two?" Jordyn glared at me through the FaceTime call.

You see, the thing is... nobody knows about the incident that happened between Me, Sadé, and Skylar. And nobody knows about the incident that happened with Sadé and Skylar at the party. And lastly, nobody knows that me and Skylar were fuck buddies at all because everyone thinks that I look at her like a sister because that's what we convinced everybody to keep things under wraps...

I'm not saying it's Skylar, but I'm saying it's a possibility. She is very jealous that me and Sae are a thing. And she doesn't like her. BUT she wouldn't harass her. She's not a lunatic. Plus, they are doing some hacker shit. Skylar isn't that great with technology. So how would I even explain that? I can't. However, there is someone else in mind as well. And it's not Zach. It's actually Karinna...

So remember how I mentioned that I ended things with her a few weeks before flying Sadé out to my place? Which was actually a few weeks into me knowing Sadé. Well, I may have bent the truth a little bit. Everything I said was true about me ending it when I did, and and not having feelings for her. But I may or may not have had sex with her the same day Paul set up Sae's flight, and one last time the night before Sadé came for a week...

Putting two and two together, Karinna, my assistant that I see occasionally around the studio and at the merch shoots, was around when Paul set up the flights. She also has access to all our shit: Emails, tech, databases, etc. You name it and she has access to it because she's my assistant so she has to. So she knew that Sadé and I had a thing going on. Furthermore, she already knew who she was before that because she flipped out on me and asked me why I didn't want to be with her, and decided to end things. And I told her the truth: Because I was infatuated with Sadé.

— Flashback, August 8th

Karinna and I had just finished our "Netflix and chill" session over at her house, and were both exhausted. I laid in her bed, thinking, post nut. All I could think about while fucking her was fucking Sadé if I'm being real. I don't even know why though. Shit was weird. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Karinna, kissing my neck, saying something.

"What was that?" I looked into her "fuck me" eyes.

"I said we should take this to the next level. You know I want you more than anything, Marshall."

"I don't know about that..." I looked at her emotionless.

"Why not? You know I like you. We've been at this for four months. Let's just give it a shot." She tried convincing me as she rubbed my dick, temptingly.

"Because. I-"

"What the fuck, Marshall! You don't want to be with me after four months of me waiting? So what, you just led me on?" She scoffed angrily, laying on her side of the bed as she interrupted me.

"Now, hold up bitch. I never led you on to shit. You knew what the fuck this was from the second you sucked my dick under the office table four months ago. We had an agreement to be friends with benefits and nothing more. I never even took you on a date or invited you over my house. I didn't make you wait for shit!" I yelled at her, getting up and putting my clothes on.

Fuck this shit.

"Where the fuck are you going?! We're not done talking." She got up, grabbing my shirt to stop me from leaving.

Honestly, I didn't care. I already had my pants and boxers on. I'll leave out of here without a shirt for all I care. I sat on the bed as I put my shoes on and she stood in front of the bedroom door trying to block me. I stood up, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Bitch, you better fucking move. Don't make me ask you twice." I said through gritted teeth.

"Or what? You gonna put your hands on me? Try me. Just answer this for me first."

"What?"

"Why don't you want to date me?"

"Because I don't want you! I want someone else!" I said, the words leaving my mouth before they even registered into my brain.

I didn't even realize what the fuck I was saying as I kept talking, answering her stupid questions that were none of her business. Yet here I am, doing exactly that.

"Who is she?" She eerily asked.

"Don't worry about it." I replied.

*Smack* Her hand flew across my face. This bitch really slapped me. I tried to contain the anger that was now boiling over inside of me. I grabbed the shirt that she had now dropped on the ground, putting it on quickly.

"WHO IS SHE?" *Smack* She slapped me again after asking me the same question.

"BITCH DON'T PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS ON ME OR GOD HELP ME." I yelled back, pushing her in her chest, making her hit her back on the door.

*Smack* She slapped me again.

"WHAT ARE YOU GOONG TO DO ABOUT IT, HUH? WHO. IS. SHE?" She went berserk, slapping me between every word of her last sentence.

I grabbed her by the throat, squeezing lightly as I held both her wrists in my right hand, holding them close to her stomach.

"You really want to know who it is, bitch? DO YOU?!" I got all up in her face, fuming now.

"Yea, I do." She whispered.

I could see that I was scarring her slightly and hurting her feelings. Oh well. She should've moved when I asked her to, and shouldn't have put her hands on me. Now she's going to get the Slim Shady side of me, not that she ever even got close to the Marshall side of me.

"I want Sadé fucking Myers." I growled.

"THE BITCH YOU MADE ME GIVE YOU TICKETS TO LOLLAPALOOZA FOR?" She yelled, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Yup." I said lowly.

I let go of her, shoving her to the side.

"I can't believe you, Marshall. You will regret this. Take my word for it." She bit back.

"Whatever." I said as I was walking out her bedroom to leave the house, "Oh, and don't call me Marshall anymore. It's Mr.Mathers to you, now. This is over." I said firmly before walking out for good.

I got in my car, driving back to my house. Man, what the actual fuck? I swear these bitches are insane. And what the fuck was I even saying back there? Sadé Myers, dawg? Nah. I can't do that. What the hell am I thinking? What's wrong with me, I thought to myself.

— Flashback Over

Did I also mention, that no one knows that I was fucking my assistant for months too? This was going to have to be a lot to have to explain.

"Wellllll..." I gave a weary smile.

"Marshall!" They both yelled in unison.

"Oops. I really didn't want to tell you guys this, especially you Paul. I already know you're gonna kick my ass for this one." I sighed, knowing I'd have to explain myself now.

"Get to talking, Slim." Paul rubbed his bald head and face, exasperatedly.

I then explained everything to the both of them. Both situations. Neither one of them were happy with me for obvious reasons, like the fact that I unknowingly hid information from them, or the fact that I fucked two co-workers at this point that still work with me, or the fact that I've brung Sadé into two shitty situations at this point.

"So now what?" I scratched my head sheepishly.

"Well, I don't know. Those are you and Paul's employees. Not mines or Sadé's." Jordyn rolled her eyes, "But I do think y'all need to keep an eye on little miss Karinna over there. She seems sneaky. And she's the only one who you had relations with that knows and access to technical things."

"I agree. Karinna not only has a degree in Communications, but also has a minor in computer engineering. That's why we hired her. Because she was the only one that could keep up with emails, and all the technical tasks that come along with being a help to you and shady records. So she has the skills to be able to hack into things as well as all access to our databases and servers. That could be how personal and private things are being leaked from that account. That also explains her weird jealousy obsession with Sadé, and apparently you too." Paul told us both.

"So we're all on the same page that it's her?" I asked and they all shook their heads, agreeing, "So then why can't we just fire her and turn her over to police or sue her something?" I deadpanned.

"Because we don't have enough evidence. We need clear evidence that proves that it's her who is behind this. Not anything that's up for interpretation." Jordyn said.

"So we still have to sit here and fucking wait for her to reveal herself?" I question in disbelief.

"Yes. And by the looks of this tweet, it's going to be a while." She said.

"And we can't just fire her?"

"No. It's illegal to fire someone in unjust circumstances. Also, because you're her boss, and she's below you, she could sue you for firing her. She could claim sexual harassment, retaliation, and it's extremely unethical. You'll have a huge lawsuit under your ass. So even when we do get evidence, the most we can do is press legal charges, but even that's risky because she could always counter sue. We'd have to wait for her to quit on her own." Paul explained.

"Un-fucking-believable." I grumbled.

"Yup. That's all for today, folks. We'll meet again when there's more details." Jordyn said, ending the call.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Paul." I grumbled as I walked out his office and out of the building.

I drove all the home pissed. This is a huge fucking mess. And it's all my fault.

— Back At The House

I sat in my car for a few minutes, composing myself before I walked through the door. I didn't want Sae to see me like this. I didn't want her asking questions because I knew I'd have to tell her the truth about everything, and I wasn't ready for that yet. I also didn't want to accidentally yell at her or take my anger out on her. I would never put my hands on her, or disrespect her in any way, but I know myself. I know that once I'm at a certain point there's no coming down from it if I don't stop myself in time. So to avoid of that, I just took some space to myself before walking inside.

Once I was calm and felt safe with myself, I made my way inside to see my pretty lady. It was already late and getting dark out since it was almost 7. I sat the food that I picked up from a nice restaurant on the kitchen table quickly before going to find Sadé. To my surprise, she must've already been looking for me because as soon as I got done setting the food down, I felt a small, warm body hug me from behind.

"Hey, pretty girl. Sorry for getting back so late." I turned my head to look at her as I kissed her hands.

"It's okay, I understand. When work calls, you gotta do it." She replied.

I turned around to finally face her. She continued to hug me while we talked for a little bit. I couldn't look at her knowing that all this hate she was receiving was all my fault. She didn't deserve this. And she has absolutely no clue. I lifted her chin up gently with my fingers, pulling her close to me. She had to stand on her toes to reach, but when she finally did I kissed her sweetly; She gladly accepted. It was slow and tender. I just wanted to reverse all of this shit I did with those other woman so that it wouldn't come back to bite us both in the ass, but I couldn't so I just kissed her instead.

"I'm sorry." I said in between kisses.

"You already apologized for coming back late from work." She replied.

"I know, but I'm sorry. I just feel bad about it."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"Just."

Because I fucked up is what I really wanted to say. She didn't ask any further questions though so I continued to kiss her.

Our make out session eventually ended, and we ate our dinner together before going to bed shortly after for our long day of work and attending Boogie's party tomorrow. Thus, we needed all the sleep we could get.