Yield

Chapter 5

Laurette made her way upstairs, the jazz music fading off in the distance. With each step, more questions surfaced in her mind. Her heart pounding in her chest.

She started to question herself. Was she stupid? Why is she listening to him? What happens afterwards? Why is she doing this if she's supposed to be tactful and intimidating?

Laurette hesitated a bit before opening the door of the lounge. She was immediately hit with Rhodes's familiar cologne.

The room was dim, the only source of light was the city glow shining through the tall, see-through windows and the light emitting from a screen in the middle of the room.

Laurette expected Rhodes in the middle of the room with his shirt off, man-spreading with his hands behind his head, but instead, he was sitting in a chair with his laptop opened and market reports scattered all over the table .

The only sound coming from the room was the gentle hum of the laptop fan and the sound of ice clinking against the glass cup.

Hearing the door open, he turned his head towards it, his gaze cool and subtle.

"I knew you wouldn't resist a challenge." Rhodes remarked. He stood up and made his way towards her, gently taking her hand. He shut the door behind her.

"I never turn down a challenge I know I can win." She responded, gripping his hand mindlessly.

He led her to the table where he'd been sitting, pulling the seat out for her. He placed a wine glass in front of her, pouring the wine into it and handing it to her.

Rhodes started, his voice calm and serious. "You've worked too hard to let your company get picked apart by vultures like Hugo. This isn't a conversation about a merger. It is a conversation about survival."

Rhodes leaned forward, voice low. “Hugo’s not just fishing for leverage. He’s talking to Easton Group.”

Laurette’s eyes narrowed. “Easton? They’re circling Whitmore?”

“Circling Élan Noir too. If this merger fails, we’re both vulnerable. Hugo knows it.”

She exhaled slowly. “So this isn’t just about power. It’s survival.”

Rhodes nodded. “And Hugo is playing chess while we’re stuck in check. We need to work together to suppress both Hugo and Easton Group altogether ”

Taking the wine glass from him, she answered with the same tone as him, scanning through the reports. "Survival is a tactic, Rhodes, not a conversation. Mind you, I don't discuss my tactics with competitions."

She looked back at him. She was sure he wasn't listening. He was just staring at her.

"What?" Laurette asked, confused.

Without answering, he reached up at the back of her head and unhooked the gold cuff that was holding her hair together. Her afro sprang free, framing her face like a crown.

Touching the side of her hair, he whispered with a genuine look on his face. "You shouldn't hide this."

Laurette's breath hitched, she was a woman that was prepared for a fight but not for unexpected tenderness. For a moment, the thick armour she built around herself shattered.

She slowly cupped his jaw, holding him still.

"I don't play chess," her voice low and quiet, "but what I do know is how to keep the king exactly where I want."

She slowly cupped his jaw with her hand while holding his face still. The usual stoic look on her face was wiped as she felt his face soften in her palm.

She watched as his pupils dilated when she unconsciously stroked his cheek.

"Laurette." Rhodes murmured softly, shutting his eyes.

She let her gaze remain on him for a while before she let her hand fall from his face.

The laptop fan hummed again, filling the silence.

Laurette's composure was entirely back. She turned around to face the reports on the table.

Picking up one of the reports, she crossed her legs. "We can't afford to get distracted. Now tell me more about Hugo and the Easton Group you mentioned."