Chapter 006

Desmond says, "You're making a mistake, Lola," in a smooth and lethal voice over the phone. "You know you're better than this. I can give you actual power. You can support me or you can support Yemi. However, I can assure you that having you on my side will make you far more beneficial to us both.

I try to ignore the icy, calculated tone of his voice by squeezing my eyes shut. The offer had unexpectedly swept me into an uncontrollable storm like a sudden blast of wind. The weight of his words sinks me, and I tighten my grip on the phone, my heart quickening.

"No," I mumble, the word stinging my tongue. I didn't anticipate finding myself in this situation, but I did. The guy I had been fighting against, Desmond, was giving me everything I had ever desired: security, power, and the opportunity to finally get away from the never-ending battle with Yemi. "I refuse to do this."

The line is filled with a long, pregnant stillness. My heart thuds uncomfortably in my chest as I wait for him to answer. Like static electricity, the tension crackles.

When Desmond eventually adds, "Think about it, Lola," his tone shifts from one of threat to one of uncanny serenity. Loyalty and folly are two sides of the same coin. You'll see it in due time.

My thoughts is racing as I stare at the phone in my hand after the line cuts off. I just agreed to what? Did Desmond's alluring offer truly make me want to give up Yemi and everything I had worked so hard to achieve?

Setting the phone aside, I try to calm my breathing and close my eyes. However, nothing feels stable these days. Desmond's words reverberate in my mind, dragging me down a pitch-black, light-headed path. I had been torn between two men and two universes, and neither of them was prepared to let go.

"Lola?"

Startled, I turn around. Yemi is standing in the doorway, his posture tight, his eyes black with worry. He has been colder than normal lately, and I can sense our distance from one another widening. But right now, when I see him, I only feel guilty. I had kept things from him. The proposals. The temptation. the temptation to go a different route.

"What is it?" His tone is gentle and circumspect.

I refuse to tell him the truth, so I bite my lip. Not quite yet. It doesn't feel so brittle right now. "Nothing," I answer, almost letting the word out. Even as I attempt a smile, it feels phony. "Just... deep in contemplation."

He observes me for a while, looking into my eyes, but then he enters the room and gets closer to me. And now he's too close. His eyes lack warmth, but the heat of his body chills me to the bone. I wonder if he knows since there's something colder than ice in the way he stares at me.

I back off, my heart pounding. "What's the matter?"

His voice is firm and low as he urges, "Lola, don't lie to me." It is filled with a silent, frightful certainty rather than rage. "Something is happening. What did you receive from Desmond?

I feel like I'm drowning in the question that lingers in the air. I want to scream and tell him that I didn't ask for any of this, but the reality is too much to handle. The words are like shards of glass lodged in my throat.

"I didn't—"

“I’m not dumb, Lola.” Yemi interrupts, his tone piercing. "I am acquainted with Desmond. I am aware of his strategy. However, I'm not sure why you're becoming involved in it.

I turn my head away, unwilling to look him in the eye. The stillness between us becomes more oppressive and denser. Although Yemi remains silent, I can feel his disappointment bearing down on me like a thousand-ton mountain.

I whisper, "I'm sorry," before I can stop myself from saying it. I'm not sure what I'm sorry for, but I feel like I'm solely to blame.

Yemi lets out a weak breath, and for a second I believe he's about to leave. He doesn't. His fingers feel chilly across my flesh as he reaches for my hand instead. His touch gives me a sudden electric shock, and for a little moment, I nearly forget about Desmond and the decisions I have to make.

"Lola, I need your trust," he says in a low voice. "You must remain with me. We're waging a conflict that's not just mine. We own it. However, we will both lose if you continue to withhold things from me and allow him to entice you in.

I can't talk, but I nod. I'm crushed and suffocated by the weight of his words. I'd like to think he's real. I want to stick by him and support him in his fight against Desmond and the future. But when I'm being ripped apart from the inside out, how can I?

I take my hand away from his and take another step back. A cold, strange sensation settles in my chest as the distance between us grows. It's not the betrayal or the rage I anticipated. It's the anxiety. the worry that I might not be able to have both. Without losing everything, I can't have Yemi and the life I've created.

For a moment, I can see the storm building in Yemi's eyes as he looks at me. However, he turns and leaves without saying anything. He doesn't turn around.

I stand motionless, breathing rapidly and shallowly. I sense the room growing empty around me, the lack of his warmth and presence occupying the place where he used to be. The quiet is intolerable.

I'm numb by the time I return to the office, but I'm not sure how long I stand there before I eventually move. I can still hear Desmond's remarks. The strength. the command. The flight. But if I lose Yemi in the process, what's the point? Is it really possible for me to leave him and everything we've created together in favor of something simpler and safer?

As I pick up the papers in front of me, my hands shake as I sit at my desk. I feel more pressure than I can bear from the decision's weight and the repercussions. I've always felt that I should support the people I care about, but right now it seems like there is nowhere safe to stand.

With a gentle creak, the door opens, and when I look up, Yemi is once more standing at the doorway. His eyes don't appear icy this time. However, there is another element—something gloomier, something that cannot be read.

"Lola," he adds in a low, menacing voice. "Desmond isn't finished yet."

The door shuts behind him before I can reply.

And for the first time in a long time, I'm not sure if I'm prepared for the impending storm.