Chapter 004

"Why are you here, Lola?" Yemi was leaning against the doorframe, his dark eyes staring at me with a ferocity that chilled me, and his voice was sharper than normal. "I thought I made it clear this morning."

I didn't intend to visit his workplace. It had been one of those rash choices, the result of an inexplicable combination of curiosity and irritation. My anxiousness increased as soon as I entered the modern lobby of his company's headquarters. But there I was again, in his world, in his eyes.

I stood in my position and declared, "I needed answers," even though I wasn't sure what kind of answers I was seeking. "You promised to clarify the situation. However, you have only provided me with partial truths.

With a slow, knowing smile on his lips, Yemi straightened up. However, something about the way he gazed at me seemed strange, like an encouragement to engage in risky behavior.

"Answers?" he said again as he moved in my direction. "Lola, you're in over your head. You ought to go back as soon as you can.

I should have been afraid of the words, but instead, I found them fascinating. "Yemi, I'm already here. Maybe I should find out what I'm getting myself into.

Before continuing, he appeared to pause for a second, his eyes softening. "Lola, this isn't a game. It's no longer just about us.

Confused, I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

A voice cut us off before he could reply. "Ah, so this is the mysterious woman," said Desmond, Yemi's cousin and rival, in a scathing, almost derisive tone. Someone who appeared to hover in the background of every business conversation Yemi had, constantly stirring up difficulties and pushing boundaries, was someone I had heard of previously.

In addition to having the same dark hair and sharp eyes as Yemi, he was taller than Yemi, but his demeanor was colder, more hunting. With a smirk, Desmond's eyes moved from me to Yemi, as though he already knew exactly how the event would unfold.

Yemi murmured, "Desmond," in a voice that was taut with an emotion I couldn't identify. "What do you want?"

Desmond focused all of his attention on me and ignored the inquiry. "I understand Yemi's desire to keep you close. However, I'm curious to see how much you actually know about the business you're working with, Lola.

I felt cold. His tone seemed strange—too menacing, too knowledgeable. I swallowed, attempting to preserve my composure. "What are you talking about?"

I could see the deliberate malice beneath Desmond's widening smile. "Oh, I’m sure you’re not naive enough to believe that all of this is about business meetings and corporate growth, are you?"

Yemi stepped forward, his face growing serious. "Desmond, don’t."

But all Desmond could do was chuckle, a horrible sound. "No, tell her about it. Whether she realizes it or not, she is already in the thick of things.

My heart started to race. What did Desmond mean by that? I had gotten myself into what?

"You see, Lola," Desmond went on, "Yemi's empire isn't merely based on innovative ideas and wise investments. Power plays are the foundation of it. manipulation. "Control." His gaze returned to Yemi. I'm going to take that away from him. Everything.

A knot started to grow in my stomach. "What does that have to do with me?" My question was hardly audible above a whisper.

Desmond's gaze sparkled. "My dear, you are the leverage. Yemi cannot afford to lose it.

My blood became chilly. The room felt like it was suffocating me for a second. I stood squarely in the center of Yemi's kingdom, the world I had never asked to be a part of, as it fell apart around me.

Yemi remarked in a low voice and with a stiff stance, "Desmond, you don't know what you're doing." His voice had a rough edge, a strong, even desperate quality. "This isn’t just business anymore."

Unfazed, Desmond shrugged. Yes, I am well aware of what I am doing. "Does Lola?" is the query.

My thoughts were racing as I glanced between them. Although Yemi's face was stern and impenetrable, I had never seen a flash of emotion in him before. It was unfiltered, a mixture of regret and rage. And another thing. Feeling guilty? Fear?

"Yemi," I replied as I turned to face him, trying to remain steady but my voice cracking. "Is he correct? Are you using me as a pawn of some sort?

Yemi narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, and for a split second, I thought I caught a glimpse of something—perhaps regret, or something darker. Then, however, it vanished, to be replaced by that recognizable, circumspect look.

"You’re not a pawn," he stated in a firm tone. "But, Lola, things are more complicated. Desmond is using you in an attempt to seize control of the business.

In an attempt to make sense of all that had just been thrown at me, I stepped back and considered what he had said. "How does this involve me?" I repeated the question in a firmer tone.

Yemi clinched his jaw and inhaled deeply before responding. "You've evolved beyond being a hassle. Desmond believes he can force my hand if he can get to you. He is aware that I will stop at nothing to keep you safe.

Unable to fully understand what was going on, I shook my head. I participated in a corporate conflict that I didn't fully comprehend. I was only attempting to work through the chaos of my feelings and my betrayed trust when I found myself being used as leverage in a game I hadn't agreed to play.

When Desmond responded, "You should leave," his voice was as icy as ice. "Avoid getting caught in the crossfire first. This is not your battle.

I wanted to go out. I wanted to flee this catastrophe as quickly as possible. However, there was something about Yemi that I couldn't get rid of. I couldn't leave just yet. Not with this much on the line. Not while he was staring at me as if I were the most important thing in the world.

I firmly answered, "No," looking directly into Yemi's eyes. "I'm not going to run. Not right now.

There was a faint softening of Yemi's eyes, a glint of something. "Lola—"

The office door opened before he could finish speaking, and a man in a suit entered with a file in his hands. He appeared suddenly and startlingly, as though he had been anticipating something completely different.

The man's calm but authoritative voice remarked, "Yemi, there's an urgent matter we need to discuss," instantly changing the mood of the room.

Yemi turned to face the man after giving me a fixed stare. "Not now," he replied in a harsh tone. "I’ll handle it."

There was a little pause on the man's part. He continued, "It’s regarding Desmond," and my heart began to race with anxiety. "He's acting. dangerous ones.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I turned to face Desmond. The air was too thin, the walls too tight, and the chamber was closing in once more.

With a warning in his eyes, Yemi gave me one final glance. Quietly, "Stay out of this, Lola," he murmured. "This is bigger than you think."

I wanted to yell at him to allow me in and tell me everything, to quarrel. However, I was unable to. With the passing of the moment came the realization that I was now playing a game from which I was unable to withdraw.

I understood with a sickening sense that I had just entered a world far more hazardous than I had ever imagined as the door closed behind the man, leaving Yemi and Desmond standing there.

I also doubted that I would survive.