Chapter 18
T HE MORNING SUN beamed in through the window forcing Chris to slowly open his eyes. He stretched, finally able to extend his legs on the couch until his feet were no longer under the covers. There was no rush to move. He didn’t have to play host any longer since he’d already watched Carrah tiptoe out at the crack of dawn.
Besides he’d taken the day away from the office, and thank God, because he was still processing last night. He’d been alone with women before but none had ever made him feel like he’d trekked down the mountaintop into a valley full of dense fog before being tossed in the ocean. If there was such a thing as an emotional hangover, this was it, and he was even more confused than he had been prior to meeting Carrah at the cottage.
It was his fault. If he had stuck to the plan—meet, advise, sign—then he wouldn’t have mistakenly lowered his guard. Since it had fallen he found parts of himself unraveling. How long had he thought Carrah was beautiful? What would it be like to be in her company longer? Was Trent the sole reason she looked down on marriage? Why did she feel trapped, and was there a way for him to help her? He shook his head, decapitating the thoughts, and got up from the couch.
On the way to the bathroom he saw that she’d left a paper on top of the counter. It was the contract. Carrah had signed it, accepting the deal with Hurston House. The normal fist pump accompanied by a euphoric high after landing a deal didn’t happen.
In fact, he slumped down to the stool. He sat staring at the paper, attempting to rationalize his actions and build a solid defense against his betrayal. One day he would have to present to his father and siblings the taboo he’d invited in, because they were bound to find out. There was no going back for him. Especially after witnessing the turmoil upon her face as she confessed that she was trapped. He couldn’t stand by and allow Carrah to be boxed in by anyone or anything.
Uncertain and unwilling to understand why he suddenly felt the need to be a protector, he got up from the stool and took care of his morning hygiene before he threw on running shorts and left the house. His thoughts emptied as his feet began beating the pavement. There was something peaceful about running first thing in the morning. Chris didn’t know if it was because the sunrise presented renewal and allowed him to consider possibilities for the day while forgetting the problems of yesterday, or if he simply enjoyed the smell of morning dew, hearing birds tweet, and watching squirrels race up trees as the Shores came to life. Regardless of the reason, a morning run always cleared his head.
Five miles and forty-five minutes later, he hadn’t been able to escape his thoughts like he’d hoped he would. Instead he stood on the front porch bogged down in what-ifs while removing his sweat-drenched shirt. His phone vibrated and he found himself hoping it was her. One thing he uncovered during his jog was that he didn’t like the way she had sneaked out this morning. Nor did he relish the elusiveness she clung to even after they agreed to divulge lesser-known facts about each other. He wanted to know her and was compelled to understand the experiences that gave her a bad taste for marriage. Simply put, he needed to make sense of what it all meant.
When he finally looked at his phone, he saw that it wasn’t Carrah, but his father summoning him home. These cryptic messages often translated to there being a need at the company that required his legal advice. Instead of grabbing his fishing pole and heading to the dock like he planned to, Chris showered, dressed, and tidied up the cottage before he was on his way home.
Upon arriving at the family compound, he noted that his cousin Miles’s car was in the driveway. Which was odd, given that Miles rarely made it to the Shores during the summer months. Miles and his mother often visited during the winter months to escape the frigid snow season in the Northeast. Still, Chris was excited to see his big cousin, who was more like his older brother. A year had passed since they last had a chance to get together, and it was nice they could for once in a long time explore the Shores together.
The laughter meeting Chris as he entered the home was music to his ears. Ms. Watson informed him of where his family was gathered and he rushed down a rear corridor following the voices until he stopped outside the sunroom. It warmed him to hear his father in good spirits. The man had been struggling to find his place this summer without his wife.
Surprise overcame Chris as he entered the room and saw Benjamin Peters, the company CFO, and Carolyn Elliot, the chief operating officer, along with Miles and Carter. Irony was not lost that mere days ago his father had stood at the golf course lecturing him about reducing his work schedule while summering in the place they called home three months of the year.
“Good morning!” Chris stole everyone’s attention as he entered. “Miles.” He chuckled, embracing his big cousin who had taken all the genius scientific genes of the family.
“How’s it going, little cuz?” Miles mocked with laughter as they hugged then exchanged the secret handshake of men within their fraternity. They came apart and stood shoulder to shoulder at six-three. “Your pops summoned me here. What’s the old man got up his sleeve?”
Indeed that was the million-dollar question. Chris glanced across the room to where his father sat in a comfy armchair. “I have no idea. Sounds like we were both beckoned here.”
“Have a seat, Christopher.” His father tilted his head to the open seat next to Miles.
Meanwhile, Chris wanted to know what hocus-pocus was being conjured. His father seldom addressed him by his full name and only called impromptu meetings to avoid a challenge. Never mind that two of the company’s most loyal employees were sitting opposite of where he stood making small talk with Carter.
Before Chris took his seat he exchanged pleasantries with Mr. Ben and Ms. Carolyn. He’d known them all his life, was friends with their children, and respected their business sense. They’d helped his parents shape Chennault into the company it was today, and so as he sat, he knew this was not an average I need you to do something, Chris request.
“Chloe,” Chauncy called for his daughter.
“I’m here, Dad.” Chloe raced into the room. “Oh.” She slowed, side-eyeing Chris. “I see you found your way home.” She winked and then claimed a seat next to Carter on the couch.
“Alrighty, we can start.” Chauncy perched up in his chair, steepling his fingers. “Thanks to the vision and pioneering efforts of Claudette to develop and manufacture products for all skin types and hard-to-match skin tones, Olina Chennault Cosmetics continues to be an industry leader in makeup, fragrance, and hair and skin care for Black women. Claudette left us a blueprint for how to continue being change makers in an industry that scrutinizes beauty by European standards. Yet there are members of the board whom believe it is not the best trajectory.
“They’ve believe it is outdated and have expressed that it may be time for a change in leadership.” Chauncy looked Chris dead in the face and then continued. “Basically, it seems they want me gone and something quote, unquote, fresh. Of course, these board members do not have the shares or votes to oust me as the president and chairman, but we don’t want disgruntled stakeholders. It’s bad for business.”
Chloe cleared her throat. “Excuse me,” she interjected. “What of Mother’s plans are they unhappy about exactly?”
“Not unhappy.” He released an audible breath as his hands fell to his lap. “More like room for improvement. They feel as though we need to attract a younger audience while also providing products that consider aging. We have a few products that address anti-aging, and of course we use ingredients with antioxidants and free radicals that combat the signs of aging, but we do not have a robust pipeline.”
“Because over ninety percent of our customers have skin with high concentrations of melanin. You know this, Ace.” Chris huffed a chuckle hearing Ms. Carolyn address his father by his nickname. He hadn’t heard it in almost a year. “Claudette explained the science of this a long time ago. It’s a natural combatant of fine lines and wrinkles. Why are we deviating now?” Ms. Carolyn’s elegant voice was always strong, and fierce.
“For the reason that competitors are making these products and women of color are buying them.” Miles spoke up. “There is a market, an opportunity for us to reclaim those who purchase such products. Many of the ingredients used to formulate anti-aging products often do not support the pH of melanin-rich skin because it’s designed for lighter skin tones.
“However, there is a way. I’ve been experimenting with nanoparticles and I think I may have found something.”
Chris read the room. He saw Ms. Carolyn toot her lips, Mr. Ben seemed impartial, his father was in deep contemplation, Miles was confident, and his siblings hadn’t offered one word. If he spotted their shortcomings, then by his father’s standards, Chloe and Carter were incompetent.
At Carter’s age, Chris knew the product lines, domestic and foreign markets, investments, and strategic plans. This was a huge problem for him as he considered the future of being absent from leading Chennault.
Instead of offering his opinion, which was in agreement with Miles, and giving his father a glimmer of hope, he focused to Chloe and Carter. This was when he needed them to show up, prove that the company would be in capable hands. “Do either of you have any questions or feedback?”
Carter gave a slow head shake. “I’m just listening right now.”
“No,” Chloe replied.
His father made eye contact with him again from across the room. Chris’s mind faltered back to Carrah’s question from last night about the expectation of giving something to his family. He’d shied away from the business a long time ago after seeing the toll it placed on his mother. Therefore, there was nothing he could give without disregarding the life he chose. However, his siblings’ lack of engagement made him question those decisions while possibly serving to validate their father’s sentiments on Chris taking the helm of their company.
Feeling trapped was an emotion he understood more than Carrah would ever know. However, for him, it could possibly be worse since he’d experienced freedom, only to have it taken away. Chloe and Carter had to do better.
“You’re right, Miles, there is a market. It would be wise to tap into it. This expansion would be a win-win for us since it would diversify our pipeline while reducing the noise from other board members.” Chauncy scanned the room as if checking the temperature. Not that anyone here would contest his wishes. “As Miles stated, he has already begun working on a solution.”
This was the point where Chauncy solicited approval. However, Chris remained reluctant to engage. He was destined for a different path in life and he’d known it from a young age. Growing up in a Southern state full of old plantations that had some of the harshest accounts of slavery exposed him to the double standards of race.
Advocating for equal access became his passion. The accounts he’d read about or heard his parents discuss where Black men and women in the entertainment industry encountered inequities fueled his desire to make a difference. Becoming an entertainment attorney allowed him to push back and break down biases to give Black celebrities more opportunities. The work he did to create and ensure access for entertainers of color was gratifying. The same would not be achieved in working at Chennault Cosmetics.
Chris put his hand in the air not waiting long for his father to acknowledge him. “I don’t understand my purpose here. It doesn’t sound like you need something from me. You know you already have my vote.” He had to push back in public, remind his father, siblings, and cousin that he wasn’t giving up everything he’d worked for to make his firm a top-tier entertainment group, only to get sucked into the family business.
“Actually, you are here Christopher, because I’ve been approached with an offer for us to become a part of a joint venture. It would be for a skin care agent that addresses both anti-aging and hyperpigmentation.”
“Mergers and acquisitions are not my wheelhouse, Dad. However, I can assure you that I will find and retain the best attorney to review all contracts should you chose this path.”
Chauncy got to his feet. He paced the room while everyone looked on in silence. “That won’t do. I need you on this, son. The company that approached me is Noir Cosmetics.” The entire room audibly gasped, but Chauncy continued. “Our history with them taints my ability to trust so I need to make sure that if we do this deal, the contract is ironclad. You’re genius at that.”
“Noir?” Both Chris and Chloe stood at the same time, challenging their father.
Chris wasn’t sure if this was the reaction his father wanted—to drag him back in. However, going against everything his mother stood for while she was alive was a sure way to reel Chris in. Claudette was his weakness, and Chris wouldn’t allow her work to be tainted by his father’s wild ambitions. Therefore, he wouldn’t sit idle, considering this bold move. “The people that pushed your father out after everything Great-Grandad Cyrille started, and tried to steal the formulas you and Mom created?”
“Mom wouldn’t agree to this.” Chloe’s nose flared, golden skin turning a deep shade of red.
“She would not,” Ms. Carolyn echoed Chloe as she cast a hate-filled gaze on to their father.
Chauncy ignored both his children and Ms. Carolyn, then sat back in his chair. His attention went to Mr. Ben. Both Chris and Chloe followed his line of sight and watched as the older man set his tea down.
“She would if she knew the financial trouble they were in,” Mr. Ben stated. “When your father told me Melvin approached him—”
“Wait a minute,” Chris interjected. “Is that what the tiff at the ball was about?”
Their father nodded then gestured for Ben to continue. “After Melvin approached him, I did some digging into Noir’s financials. They’ve been struggling to turn profits. Their pipeline has dried up… which makes sense because they were beholden to what Cyrille and Alphonse started the company with. Minor evolution with Charles and Edouard, and then of course they lost access to your father and mother’s revolutionary ideas. Noir hadn’t had anything great until a mascara about two years ago and a fragrance this year.”
Chris was already tuned in. However, he perked up, learning that Carrah’s ingenuity had probably helped to keep the company afloat. The logic he often applied in his business dealings took the driver’s seat and he deduced that Carrah might be trapped because she was desperately needed by her family to save their crumbling empire.
“I hear the youngest daughter engineered both,” Ms. Carolyn announced. “The girl is said to be the only one of Melvin and Camille’s children that took his science gift.”
“Yes, Carrah is her name. Melvin told me she had been working on a skin-correcting formula,” Chauncy confirmed and Chris hated that his instincts were on par as usual.
“Mm-hmm, though it seems as it has taken her longer than expected to develop it, and the shareholders are not happy. I’m hearing rumors of a takeover.”
“Then why do we want to go into business with them?” Finally, a question from Carter. Only it revealed his naiveté and the need for his business killer instinct to be honed.
“Because”—Chris had a sinking suspicion as he looked his father dead in the face—“Dad is going to take it back.”
Chauncy chuckled as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. “I am. They are desperate right now. We will use their vulnerability to our advantage and acquire them. Revenge is long overdue.”