Yongye spread his hands, his smile as bright as the midday sun over Manhattan. "She said she'd pay any price. Wasn't that obvious enough? We both know what she meant. Nice and simple."
Sharon opened her mouth, then remembered how she herself had been drawn into a similar arrangement. She said nothing more and turned to leave.
The sound of her heels tapping against the floor faded away. The door closed behind her with a dull click.
The office fell quiet, save for the steady hum of the central air conditioning and the occasional wash of city noise beyond the window.
Lois crawled out from under the desk, her blonde hair disheveled around her shoulders. A flush still lingered along her neck, and a faint, dazed smile touched her lips.
She wiped her mouth with a wet wipe from the desk, then lay back across its broad surface. Her chest rose and fell. She stared at the ceiling lights with her light-brown eyes for a long moment before slowly breathing out.
"Daisy Johnson?"
Her voice held a languid note, but her professional curiosity was already stirring. "Quake? What does she want with you?"
As Yongye put his hands to work, he replied with a casual smile, "Who cares? She said she'd pay any price, so I'll give her the chance."
Lois turned her head toward him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She was an excellent reporter, after all. Even with most of her attention elsewhere, her mind kept working.
"She's probably run into trouble she can't handle herself."
"She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and an Inhuman... Be careful. Don't let her get something she can use against you and catch you off guard."
Yongye's smile stayed bright. "Don't worry. I'm very good at finding out what people are capable of."
Outside,