~> The story written below is purely fictional. Not a fraction of truth is riddled between these words nor does the author imply that there should be. Most of the events in the pages to follow are created in the author's mind and thus should not be taken as fact in any way. He takes no responsibility for any illegal activity such as underage reading because it is done without his knowledge or sanction. The story's solitary intention is that of entertainment and nothing beyond.

~> Plagiarism of any part of this, or any other story without the author's consent is immoral and not to mention unlawful.

~> Inquiries and opinions are encouraged. Send your thoughts to jc71883@hotmail.com and put something related to the story on the subject line so the author does not overlook it.

The G-Unit rapper is startled awake by the robust alarm of his phone. He jumps up on the bed and looks around in the dark, lost and not realizing his surroundings. A cold, damp sweat drenches his naked upper torso as beads trickle down from his temple and face. When his mind is finally able to focus, he uses the back of his hand to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead. He continues to sit in the middle of his bed, his mind still trying to process his most recent dream. He was kissing another man and liked it. It was managing to turn him on the way Ludacris kissed and touched him. Lloyd Banks rests his head on his still wet hands and tries to be logical; the same way he tried to do after he and 50 Cent slept together. Unable to extract any reasonable thoughts from his mind, the rapper gets up and walks into the bathroom to get ready to make his appearance. His heart is oddly beating a little faster than it should for someone who just woke up. The dream appears to be so real; intense. Is he going crazy? Is this what he wants?

At Dr. Dré request, 50 Cent is flying to New York to help him with Young Buck's album and to also see if Olivia has improved in the studio. He arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport at nine o'clock at night and is immediately rushed to a distant recording studio to meet up with them. It always feels good when he comes back to New York. No matter where he goes in the world, New York will always be his most favorite place. His home. The driver speeds through the night to get the rap superstar to where he needs to be. He calls Dré to tell him that he is en route to the studio and decides to stay a couple days; to see his son. He knows Lloyd Banks will have to return to the East Coast soon, the MTV Video Music Awards are around the corner, so he decides that they can finish his album during that time. Seeing how Olivia does in the studio is one of 50's major priorities at the moment because he knows that Dré will be pushing her to start recording for Buck's album and if she is not ready then that is money gone.

The gangster rapper walks in to the deserted studio lobby and the receptionist directs him to where he needs to be, saying that he is expected. While in the elevator, he removes his black NY hat and scratches his head before exiting and making his way into the studio. After greeting everyone, Olivia gives him a hug for believing in her, they get to work. She smells so good. Her hair is tied up tightly in a bun and she is wearing a pair of jeans that shows off her sexy body perfectly. She looks professional though, and ready to work. Young Buck is in the booth with the earphones on and his notebook in front of him. He is experimenting with words and rhymes. 50 Cent takes a seat next to Dr. Dré and they start working on beats. He finds himself looking at the newest member of his team on several occasions; she is now in the booth helping Buck with his words. Everyone is busy and the productive hours slip away from them. After recording three songs, Young Buck relaxes for a while and gets a bottle of water to soothe his throat.

It is Olivia's turn in the studio. In a matter of mere moments, the buff rapper comes up with a hook she can sing so he and Dré can see where she is and how she is going to do. Her nerves are shot, mainly because 50 is there, but after a small pep talk from him, she willingly steps into the studio and slips on the headphones. The first female of G-Unit memorizes the words on the paper in front of her while the two producers work on a mellow beat for her. The beat plays and she starts to sing the words from her mind. It is rough at first but as she repeats the verse over and over, it starts to happen. Her voice is harmonized and enhanced by the music. Once she is comfortable with the idea that she can do it, more and more emotion becomes noticeable through the words and creates passion. Olivia sings her heart out, only needing a little push to get here to that point. She repeats the hook over and over, now having no doubt in her mind that this is for her. 50 Cent, Young Buck, and Dr. Dré all look at each other and smile. It is all worth it.

"What did I tell you boys?" Dré says. "She got something."

"She just needed to get over those first time nerves," Young Buck declares before taking another drink of water.

50 Cent looks at her in the booth. Her eyes are closed and she holds on to the earphones like a true professional. He is so proud of her. "She does have it. A lil' rough at first but this is gonna sell us records."

"And that's what's most important right now."

She emerges from the booth, not knowing what to expect from the three men. She thinks she did well but she knows how picky Dré and 50 can be at times. When they all hug and congratulate her, she knows she did great. A great relief is lifted from her shoulders because she knows they all are impressed, especially her boss, 50 Cent. Dr. Dré may have discovered her and gave her the contracts to sign but she views the buff rapper as her boss because G-Unit is his group and he is the leader. If anything were to happen then she would have to answer to him first before anyone else. In her mind, this classifies him as her boss and she is so excited that she finally is able to get over he nerves and deliver a performance she knows she is capable of. Her performance is good but Olivia still isn't ready to collaborate with Young Buck yet. She will be very soon though. Buck hugs her one more time before going back into the booth; his voice seems to be recovered enough to keep working. They all continue constructively working. Concentration is key.

It is a few minutes past three when the worn out rapper checks in to the hotel and enters his room. It is Saturday morning and the perfect day to hang out with his son because he has no school and the rapper earns the day off, having worked so hard tonight with Dr. Dré , Buck, and Olivia. 50 Cent is hungry but his body is too tired to function after a quick shower so he just turns the lights off in his room and drops into the comfortable bed. The darkness around him is the only thing he sees as he stares up at the ceiling and wonders about everything from his only son to his mother, who was killed when he was twelve. He didn't have enough time with her. He never told her he loved her. 50 wonders if she is looking down on him or even if she approves of the man he has become. Marquise will never know his grandmother. Things have been so difficult for him since she died, even now. He misses her and would give up everything he ever thought meant anything to him for a chance to see her. To tell her that he loves her.

50 Cent awakens a few hours later, at nine exactly, feeling refreshed and revitalized. Today is dedicated to his son so he gets up and quickly brushes his teeth and takes a shower before changing is clothes and leaving the hotel in a hurry. The buff rapper does not call his son to tell him that he is coming because he wants it to be a surprise so he has to hurry up and get to their house before he misses them. He is a little weary about seeing his former girlfriend, because of all the tension and fighting between them as of late, but it isn't about either of them. Marquise is his main and only focus today and he is going to try and make more of an effort to solely focus on his son from now on. The little boy deserves all his attention. 50 will not let his constant thoughts and fears of letting his son down defeat and break him. The rapper is stronger than that. Excitement courses through his veins as he gets closer to the upscale house he bought for his ex lover and their son. After a tip to his driver, he opens the gate and walks up to the house.

He knocks twice and hearing his son tell his mother that there is someone at the door only fuels the rapper's anticipation more. "Yes? Curtis?" the woman asks, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in there neighborhood so I stopped by to see how you and Tré are."

She is stunned. "Oh," is all she could muster to say.

50 hugs her tightly while they are still in the doorway. "I'm sorry," he whispers, while still holding on to her. "For everything."

They release each other and Marquise's mother looks into her past boyfriend's eyes, seeing sincerity there for the first time ever. "I don't know what to say."

The little boy starts walking toward the door and asks, "Who is it mommy?" He stops dead in his tracks when he clearly sees who is at the door.

"What's going on Twenty-five Cent?"

"Daddy!" he frantically yells as he runs up to the buff rapper. 50 bends down and scoops up his son before kissing every part of his face. The boy holds on to his father tightly, kissing his neck and jaw.

"You missed me that much?"

"Yes daddy! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"I missed you a lot too buddy."

His mother watches her son holding on to his father. He is so happy. "You going somewhere?" he asks her.

"I have some errands to run. How long are you staying?"

"My day is free. I'm here for you," the rapper replies, kissing his son once again.

"You mean it?" the youth asks, his voice so full of hope.

"Yep lil' man. I'm all yours today."

"Okay then Marquise. You can stay here and play with your father while I go out okay?"

"Okay mom!" He cannot hide his excitement.

"Be a good boy for your father okay?"

"You're always a good boy aren't you Tré ?"

"Yep!"

She returns and gathers her purse and car keys before kissing her son on the cheek. "I'll see you two guys later then."

"Bye mom."

"Bye," the ebony rapper says.

"Be careful."

"We will," both father and son says together. It is cute.

She kisses Marquise one more time before leaving, closing the door behind her. The little boy cannot stop holding on to his father as they walk deep into the house. The rapper feels so good. Holding his son in his arms like this comforts him and manages to chase all his insecurities away. He is responsible for the life he is holding, meaning that there is no chance to be weak or unstable. His son deserves much better than that and no matter how hard 50 Cent has to fight for it, he will give the little boy what he deserves. The pair finds themselves in the living room and he sits on the sofa, Marquise still in his arms. The six-year-old finally lets go and sits next to his father; they are talking about school and their lives in general. He proceeds to take of his shoes and pretends to be taking his socks as well before quickly tackling his little man onto the sofa. He screams with laughter and shakes in a frenzy as 50 tickles every inch of his small body. No amount of money is worth the moment the two share with each other. It is everything to them.

"I give up!" he yells out of breath. "I give up!" The youth is laughing so hard that tears are streaming down his face. "No more! No more!"

"Am I the winner?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"That's what I thought! See what you get for talkin' all that mess lil' boy?"

"No fair," Marquise cutely pouts. "You tricked me."

"Gotta be quicker than that Tré ."

He is lying on the sofa, the top of his head presses against his father's thigh, and is looking up at the ceiling. "I'm really happy you came daddy. I love when we hang out."

"Me too son. I needed to see you so I came."

"You needed to see me?"

"Yea. Sometimes I think I'm going crazy when I don't see you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you so much. I keep telling myself that you're okay and that work's important but it's not working anymore."

"Oh."

"So I have to try hard to see you as often as I can."

"Oh."

"See what you doing to me Twenty-five Cent? You making me go all crazy over you," 50 Cent says as he looks down at the little boy next to him and smiles. Marquise looks back into his father's dark brown eyes.

"It's not me! You've been crazy since a long time ago!"

"Oh yea?"

The superstar rapper once again grabs the youth and touches the right places to cause him to howl out in laughter. After a seemingly eternity of tickling, he lets up so Marquise can catch his breath and they begin to relax and talk about every aspect of their lives. 50 goes into the kitchen and brings them both back a soda as his son flicks on the TV, still recovering from all the tickling and laughter. They both sip their sodas and continue to talk, not paying much attention to the television at this point. The buff rapper sees the ID band still on his son's hand and he smiles to himself because he knows the little boy is taking care of the very expensive piece of jewelry he bought him. 50 Cent feels his phone vibrate deep in his pocket but he does not bother with it because work is nowhere near his mind today. Whoever it is, he can call back later when he has the time. Marquise is watching the television while leaning against his father's muscular arm and still sipping his soda. He bends down and kisses him lightly on the forehead.

The youth looks up at the man. "What was that for?"

"Can't a father just kiss his son whenever he wants?" 50 asks as he flashes his sexy smile.

"Yep!"

"You're a special lil' guy Tré . Always were."

"Huh? Why?"

"I dunno. You just are to me."

"Daddy are you sure you're not gonna get in trouble with work or anything?"

"You let me worry about work sport. This is where I wanna be. With you baby boy."

"This is where I want you," he replies cutely as he moves up and kisses the rapper sweetly on his cheek, close to where he was shot.

When Marquise starts to get hungry, the pair leaves the living room and head to the kitchen together to see what they can find to eat. He informs the rapper that there is leftover spaghetti and meatballs from last night that his mother made and 50 searches through a few cabinets before finding the one with plates. He takes two out while his son is getting the container of cold spaghetti out from the refrigerator. The meatballs come out next and the rapper finds a fork to gather up the noodles. Once their lunch is warmed by the microwave, the father and son duo return to the living room and begin to eat. 50 Cent cannot remember the last time he had a home-cooked meal so it is indeed a treat for him. And he knows that his former lover can cook great, from what he remembers of their past together. They eat and watch TV together; the day is surpassing the G-Unit rapper's expectations tenfold. The home-cooked food does his body a world of good; he only now realizes how much he truly misses it. It offers comfort and stability.

Once the mess they make is cleaned up, the little boy takes his father up to his room. Everything is in place as he opens the door. All his toys are on shelves and in trunks, his schoolbooks and book bag are neatly piled on his desk, and his large bed is neatly made. Everything has its place. 50 Cent is so impressed with him. He immediately picks the boy up and kisses him. The pair relax in his room and talk some more. The rapper tells his son that it is important not to listen to everything the media has to say about him because most of it is not true and that they are only doing that to promote themselves. Marquise listens carefully to his father's words. Even his closet is neatly packed away. His school uniforms are on one side, away from his regular clothing. They play with his Playstation 3 for a while before 50 starts to lose interest and just begins to look at his son. He really is too perfect to be real and the rapper cannot believe he helped make him. It is surreal that he could be linked so something so pure and innocent.

They turn off the Playstation 3 and 50 lies on his son's bed, with Marquise right next to him. They talk more as both look up at the ceiling fan that is rotating above them. Once again, he feels a vibration against his leg but pays no mind to it. The moment the pair finds themselves in means everything to the rapper. The little boy's head is slightly touching his as they share a pillow together. He hates himself for being as selfish as he is and not putting his only child first in his life. He can only imagine how many precious moments like this he missed out over the years because of his own selfishness. There is no noise in the room except an occasional word or two from either. 50 Cent's eyes roam every inch of his son's room, taking it all in. He honestly does not know the next time he will be able to do this so his mind tries to preserve everything the way it is at the very moment. It will be of great importance to the superstar rapper later when work is taking too much from him. The rest of the day goes by without notice.

It is around six when the front door opens and Marquise's mother enters. "Marquise?" she calls as she shuts the door and enters her house. "Curtis? Where are you guys?" she asks as she walks into the kitchen.

"We're up here mom," her son replies back.

"In your room?"

"Yea."

"Is your father up there?"

"Yes mom."

"Okay. I'll be up in a minute. I have some things to put away."

"Okay."

50 Cent looks deep into his son's caramel colored eyes, something he gets from his mother. He sees everything he's ever hoped for within them. Everything he's ever wanted. It is satisfying to him on so many levels. "I gotta leave soon Tré ."

"Already?"

"Yea. It's getting late buddy."

"But---"

"I know. I don't wanna go."

"Then stay. Spend the night here. With me."

"That's really, really tempting baby but I can't."

"I know," he sulks and looks away. "It was worth a try."

The buff rapper rests his finger on the six-year-old's chin and guides his caramel colored eyes to meet with his dark brown ones. They lock instantly. "There'll be other times Tré . I promise okay?"

"Okay. I love you so much daddy. Thank you for hanging out with me today," he says sincerely.

"Don't thank me. Believe me lil' man, I enjoyed it more than you did. Thank you for always believing in me Marquise. Sometimes, your love and support are the only things that keep me going."

"I'm always gonna believe in you daddy. You're my best friend."

"You're mine too. I love you so much baby boy."

The little boy jumps into his father's arms and they hug for a long time before getting up from his bed and making their way downstairs, where his mother is packing away some groceries. 50 smiles at her and she smiles back, knowing that he's made their son so happy today by putting him first. They help her finish packing up the groceries; it is a little awkward at first but neither adult lets it get to them because if the son they share together is comfortable with it then they can be as well. Once everything is packed away, the rapper checks the time, noticing that his driver should be there to pick him up within a couple of minutes. As he did when he first arrived, he scoops Marquise up into his arms and kisses his treasure multiple times, promising to call him more and be there for him more. The boy does not let go for a while but finally gives up because it is the way it has to be. 50 Cent hugs his former girlfriend and commends on the wonderful job she is doing raising their son. He holds his father's hand as they walk to the door.

The busy rapper is in the back seat of an Escalade as his driver takes him back to his hotel room. Darkness surrounds them as he rests his head back and tries to relax. It is hard hurting his son but he really cannot stay with him tonight. Apart from getting ready for the MTV Video Music Awards, he has to have a conference with his management team. It is awkward that they are going to have it on a Sunday but all are so busy that it is the only free time they have. The wonderful day that just passed plays over and over again in 50 Cent's mind. He never wants to forget how his son looks, how his room looks, how he smiles. Everything. When the rapper finally checks his phone, he sees that one call is from Dr. Dré and the other is from Eminem. They are most likely to remind him of their business meeting tomorrow so he does not bother to return their calls. 50's mind runs on Banks and what he is up too. Everyone is going to be at the meeting tomorrow so he will see them all. He wonders if Olivia knows or not as he contemplates.

Flipping his phone open, the rapper search for the newest member of his crew's number and calls it. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's me."

"Hey," she says a little shyness apparent in her voice.

"What's up? Why you sound like that?"

"Like what?" Olivia asks, already knowing the answer though.

"Shy or something."

"Guess I'll never get used to Fifty Cent calling me."

He laughs. "Chill out girl. It's not that serious."

"You're right."

`Ay ay! Stop messin' with me."

She is the one laughing now. "Okay okay. I'm sorry."

"But ay, good job at the studio. You did great."

"Thanks."

"What you got going on tonight?"

"Nothing much. I just got out of the shower actually."

A mental picture develops within 50 Cent's mind. He smiles but remains professional. "Do you know about the meeting tomorrow?"

"Yea. Buck called and told me."

"Good. Hey you wanna go out for dinner?"

"What?"

"Lemme take you out to dinner. Celebrating for you killing it in the studio."

"I'm not ready or anything---" she starts.

"Didn't you just get out the shower?"

"Yea."

"Well that's more than me. I'm going back to the hotel now. I really wanna take you out though."

"Um okay," Olivia hesitates. She is going to have dinner with 50 Cent.

"Cool. I'll call you when I'm around."

"Okay. Bye Curtis."

"Later."

She tells him where she is staying before they hang up. 50 does not know why he does what he did but he wants to do something nice for her. He wants this time to be as easy and stress free as possible for the newcomer. Once at the hotel, he informs the concierge at the front desk to get him instant reservations to any exclusive and private restaurant around before walking into the elevator and riding it up to his room. After a refreshing shower, his body is cool now, the concierge calls to inform him that he has a reservation at Masa, one of New York's premiere Japanese restaurants at nine. It is a little past seven so he has the time he needs to get himself ready. 50 Cent decides on a different style for tonight. In lieu of jeans and a shirt, he searches through his closet to find a refined black Christian Dior pinstripe suit. Seeing as the restaurant is so proper and it is a celebration, he decides to wear it. The shirt goes into the pants and a black tie offsets the white shirt covering his toned abdomen. He looks on point.

As secretly as possible, 50 and his date enter the restaurant and are immediately shuffled off to the very exclusive and private quarters so that they will not be disturbed during dinner. Olivia is wearing a black dress that shows off her figure subtly and black heels that make her appear taller than she really is. Her makeup is done perfectly and her hair is loose and straightened. She looks beautiful. They take their seats across from each other at the very quaint, round table. He looks at her from time to time; she looks so gorgeous right now. She smiles at him, taken aback at how good he looks in front of her. Olivia would've never guessed that the tough, hard rapper 50 Cent could look so good and wholesome in a suit. She is impressed by him the more she gets to know him. They order and their waiter returns almost immediately with an expensive bottle of champagne before he begins pouring it into their empty glasses. She does not know what to think; everything is so perfect and she never imagined it could ever be like this for her.

"This is to you baby girl," 50 Cent says as he raises his glass of champagne. "You killed it."

"Thank you Curtis," she says as their glasses gently clink together.

"You're welcome. You blew me away last night."

She looks at him for a spilt second. "I wanted to impress you," she admits.

"Consider me very impressed then."

"This is all so nice. I can't believe it."

"Believe it. This is what it's gonna be like from now on."

"It's going to take some getting used to."

"You'll be good. You have Buck and Banks and Dré and---" the superstar rapper trails off.

"You."

"Yea. Me too."

"It's going to be hard isn't it?"

The formally dressed 50 Cent looks directly into her eyes. He gets lost for a moment before recovering. "Yes. It's going to be hard at times but if you really want it then it'll be worth it."

"Nothing worth it in life is ever easy."

"Yea. You look beautiful," he truthfully says.

Olivia blushes a little. "Thank you," she manages to softly say.

The evening is full of mild conversation and jokes as they eat and genuinely enjoy each other's company. Subtle feelings are gnawing away at 50 Cent and he does not pick up on them but he does recognize that something is different within himself. He does not question it at the moment because he is almost scared of what his probing will uncover. The rapper stores it all away and continues to enjoy his evening with the first female of G-Unit. Her smile keeps him addicted to her and he knows that Olivia is becoming more comfortable around him and her surroundings. They order dessert together and laugh and have a great time together. After 50 pays their pricy bill, they exit the same way they entered and hop back into the black Escalade. The driver begins the route to Olivia's hotel. For the most part the ride back is silent because there is a slight nervousness there, though neither will ever admit it. Few stars attempt to illuminate the sky as the rapper gets out to escort her up to her room. The evening is a success to him.

"I didn't know you were such a gentleman," Olivia says as they are outside her room.

"There's a lot you don't know about me sweetheart," he tries to be slick and says. A smile adorns his face.

"Maybe I'll get to find out more."

"Maybe," he says as he puts a hand in his pant pocket.

"Thank you Curtis. This is one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me."

"No problem. I'm glad you had a good time."

"I did. I won't forget it."

"There'll be plenty more where that came from. You one of us now."

"I don't know how to thank you all for everything you're doing for me," she starts to say.

"You don't worry about that. It's what you deserve so sit back and enjoy it. Don't get too lazy though. You gotta work," 50 says as he smiles once again.

"I know. I want this."

There is a moment where nothing is said and they both stare at each other, not knowing what to do next. It is the perfect spot for a kiss to happen but it cannot. She works for him. It is inappropriate. It will not happen. Olivia hugs the rapper, to thank him, and disappears into her room. She smells so good and feels so good in his arms. 50 Cent loosens his tie; it has been cutting off his air supply for the better part of the evening, and walks to the elevator to make his way out of the hotel. His mind is a disorderly mess and he tries to figure some things on the ride back to the hotel. The clock says one when he returns to the suite; his thoughts still a foreign mystery to him. 50 gives up on trying to decipher his feelings; he can't seem to figure them out ever since he slept with Lloyd Banks. It frustrates him but he keeps his cool and starts removing his clothes. After brushing his teeth and remembering to plug his phone in to charge so it will be alive tomorrow, he gets into bed. His son Marquise is his last thing on his mind before his eyes close.

The Sun's light breaks the once darkly veiled room and the sleeping rapper takes no notice to it. New York City is bustling outside with everyone doing everything from shopping to going to work as he continues to give his body the rest it is usually denied. At around ten in the morning, 50 rubs his eyes and sits up on the lonely bed, running his hand along his sculptured torso. Marquise's innocent face comes into his mind. As of late, his son is the first thing on his mind in the morning and the last thing he thinks about before going to sleep at night. Last night's thoughts slowly begin to let themselves into his head and he is not mentally ready to deal with it all right now. The stressed out G-Unit rapper drops back onto the bed and stares up at the ceiling, not knowing why it seems like he is all of a sudden under so much emotional stress. 50 Cent does need a vacation away from everyone and everything but that will not be a possibility for the superstar anytime soon. He gets up and starts getting ready for the business conference.

The rapper usually has these types of meetings over the phone but it is convenient for them to have one now because everyone is in town for the Video Music Awards. Caleb and Danny are with him as they drive to the Aftermath offices in downtown New York. The men talk through the traffic about their lives until 50 Cent gets to where he needs to be. The two bodyguards enter the building with him and disappear after he gets into the elevator and starts his ascent to his destination. The buff rapper makes a mental note to call his son today and also hopes that the conference with everyone does not take the rest of his day with it. Maybe he can even find some time to surprise Marquise with another visit but he is not going to hold his breath. He waves to the receptionist, who is busily talking away on the phone, before entering the professional conference room. It is almost ten minutes before twelve, which means he's early for once, when he enters the room. Olivia is the only one there and looks up when she hears the door open.

She looks at her watch and playfully says, "What is this? Curtis Jackson is on time? This is new."

"I'm actually early smarty pants," he fires back as he takes a seat next to her. Olivia looks professional in a black jacket, a white blouse, and a black skirt. The business suit fits her perfectly. "Look at you tryin' to look all professional."

"I'll let that one slide because you treated me to dinner last night."

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

"More than you know."

"Good," he smiles.

Lloyd Banks walks into the conference room and stops in the doorway when he sees his best friend and Olivia talking amongst themselves. They do not notice him because their backs are to the door and he begins to wonder what they are saying. Something stirs within the younger rapper but he will not admit what it is. He cannot feel that way because it is not a valid feeling. It is still unknown to him why that night happened between them and although he tries to convince himself that things are not different between him and 50, it is a lie because he feels it every time he sees the older rapper. Denying it will do him no good. Banks leaves the room as quietly as he entered and walks down the hall to the water fountain. He pulls out a cone-shaped paper cup and gets himself some water. A deep breath enters his lungs and exits as he smashes up the cup in his hand and tosses it in a nearby garbage can. His insides are twisted and not functioning properly. He makes his way back into the large conference room for the confrontation.

"What up?" Banks makes himself known.

"Ay Banks boy!" 50 gets up and takes his friend's hand. "What's good with ya?"

"Chillin'. What's up girl?"

"Hey Chris. How are you?" Olivia asks as he gives her a hug.

"The same old. You know how it is. Where's everyone else?"

"Dunno. It's only twelve."

"Don't we usually do these things during the week?"

"Yea. But since we all here we might as well get it over with now."

"Right," Banks says as he eyes his friend. Something is up with him.

Eminem is the next to enter and is shortly followed by Dr. Dré and a small group of executives. Young Buck walks in a few moments after that. After they all greet each other, it is down to business as everyone sits around the large conference table and the meeting begins to take life. The executives of Interscope records start by talking about sales figures and what needs to be done in order to push each individual artist through to the next level. The hand out sales figures along with correlating graphs and charts to emphasize their strong and weak points. Every member of the table pays close attention to everything that is being said, most taking notes on the papers in front of them. When 50 informs the group that the younger rapper's album is near completion, both the executives and Dré push him to get it done. Lloyd Banks feels a little guilty but continues to pay attention. They have to complete his album as soon as possible. He looks over the charts and sees that they want to release his album within the month.

Young Buck informs everyone, much to the delight of the record executives, that he and Dr. Dré are more than halfway finished with his new album. It will have to hold off though because they want Banks to release his first so that there is no competition between the two friends. The group sits still as 50 Cent plays the nearly completed album from his fellow G-Unit member; they are all going to decide what the first single should be, that is going to be released to radio stations tomorrow morning. Each listens carefully to the thirteen songs before weighing in on their favorites. After much deliberation, the song Ride or Die emerges as the first single off the album. To promote it more and hype up the record's release, the executives inform Banks that he will be performing at the Video Music Awards, which is only two weeks away. The single will be fresh and the publicity gained will push album sales through the roof. The young rapper agrees and minor business is discussed before the meeting is finally concluded.

50 Cent pulls Banks aside in the meeting room as everyone starts to clear out. "Sorry we haven't wrapped the album yet Chris. We gotta get working on it though."

"I know. How's tonight for you?"

The rapper hesitates a little. "Uh---"

"What's wrong? You got plans?"

"I wanted to go chill with Tré tonight," he admits.

"Oh."

"Let's do it," 50 then says.

"You sure? Hanging out with the squirt is important man."

"Yea. But I hung out with him all day yesterday and this gotta get done quickly."

"Aight."

"I'll tell the receptionist to set it up at the studio down the street."

"Straight."

"I'll call you later kid."

"Aight homie," Banks replies as their hands touch once again.