Southern Gentleman's Club

Change of Plans

Two weeks later

"Why you ain't think of this first?" Sunny frowned in the FaceTime call. "I mean, it's cool..."

"I wanna go now."

"Right now?" she laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, but I have to work."

"Bruh...call out."

Meanwhile, a caravan of Cadillac Escalades pulled up in the parking deck. Several women getting off for the day turned their necks to get a better view of the men wearing full black suits. "To touch the hem of one of those suits."

"Pick ya lip up bitch. Quickly..."

"Even the old one could get it."

"Ma'am...please."

Sunny's words die on her lips for a moment. "I had a few choice words for you but I'm tryna keep the peace."

Mykel stood at the window of his office with a heavy smirk. "Sure, Sunny."

"Sunny? Not Sun-Nae?" she teased with a hand over her neck. "I'm coming up in the world." She flips her back length hair over her shoulder.

He squeezes the bridge of his nose in response. "Bye Ya Highness. I'll be waiting."

Just as the phone beeps off, Mykel's father, Ryan, River, Cairo, Zolan and Chance walked in. Zolan held a briefcase. "I ain't know y'all was coming. I'm on my way out. Can this wait?" Mykel picked up his suit jacket and briefcase of his own.

Ryan looked over at River. "He gon go the fuck off." He whispered.

"As he should. But I like it..." River rubs his beard in thought. "I like it a lot." The elder Minnelli men took a seat on the couches and chairs in the far back of the room while Chance sat at the desk with Mykel.

"How you been bruh?"

"What you want Chance?" Mykel is over the secrecy. "I got somewhere to be."

"Look, you know I love you right?"

"What you want nigga?"

"Okay, I'll just be straight up."

"Don't know why you would wanna try that politician shit with me anyway." He sat down in his chair.

"Joy doesn't want to run with me as VP anymore. And I'm looking for a replacement."

"Aww damn, that's crazy. What that got to do with me?"

"I want you to take her place."

"And do what? Run?" Chance gives him a sheepish face. "Have you lost yo muhfuckin mind?" Mykel stands up in shock. His eyes look over at his father. "Pop, y'all serious right now?"

"I think it could work, nephew." River speaks up. "Think of the possibilities..."

"Mane fuck allat." Mykel yelled. "Y'all ain't ask nobody else? Didn't even look..."

"Calm down, Kel." Ryan asserts his hardly ever used dominance over the situation. "You're not looking at the bigger picture."

"And that's the problem, that's all y'all look at. The bigger picture. The bigger picture is, y'all asking me to leave what I've built fo something I never asked to be part of! I did my part. I do my part. Leave me out of shit." He points to his chest with red eyes, nearing tears at Chance.

"The boy has a point." Maverick walks in. "And that's exactly why you've been chosen."

Mykel bucked his eyes. "What you sayin is, I never had a choice."

"No." Maverick's end all be all voice rang true. "Effective immediately."

Kel sits down in his chair, defeated. "Give me a minute, I need some time."

The group leaves ahead of Chance. "I think it was always aligned this way."

"You told me how Joy didn't want to run after the wedding...or the pregnancy. I should've known it was coming. Still...it's uprooting so much." Kel rubs his temples,

"What can I do to help?"

"Nothing...nothing yet." Mykel looks over the same water that he stared at on the phone with Sunny, his mind suddenly elsewhere. Chance looks back at him one last time before leaving with the others.

Mykel busied himself with making changes. Only one person could handle this flawlessly without a doubt.

"Laci, you in yo office?" Kel comes over the intercom of her office. The rest of the Minnelli's returned from their break to help Mykel exchange power.

"I'm here." She answers, albeit tiredly. "I'm all ears, brother."

"Can you meet me in my office in about twenty minutes? I'm wrapping up a meeting."

"Okay sure..." she agrees. Mykel ends the conversation.

Twenty minutes later, she slides her feet in her 4 1/2 inch Louis Vuitton heels, hopefully for the last time that day. She rode the elevator alone and pressed the number of his floor. Finally she gets off and nods her head in acknowledgement to his secretary.

Laci opens the door and is pleasantly surprised to see Chance, Maverick, Zo and Cairo; along with Ryan and River. "Hey y'all!" Her excitement to see family is hard to miss.

"Laci, have a seat. Please." Mykel asks her. His voice defeated and just a tinge of sadness. The air is tense suddenly, but Laci obliges. "You know I trust you."

"Absolutely." She moved her hair out of her face with a playful smile. Her dimples reminds the older men of her mother, Summer.

"And I know you have my best interests at heart."

"You should, hell. I'm spending all my-"

"Laci." Cairo's commanding voice brought her back.

Laci clears her throat with a small pout. "Yes, I do."

Mykel looks out the window at the view of the water. Laci is confused. "What does you trusting me and me having your best interests at heart have to do with anything?"

"I'm stepping down effective immediately."

"Stepping down?!" She interrupts him incredulously. "We just had morning meetings!"

Mykel continues. "And I'm appointing you acting CEO, effective immediately."

"What the fuck?! Why?"

The room is deadly silent. "I'm joining Chance on the presidential ticket as VP."

"But Joy- and the wedding. I just talked-" Laci shook her head. "Somebody better start talking before I get mad. QUICKLY."

"Joy doesn't want to run as VP anymore. So, I asked Mykel in her absence." Chance spoke up. Nobody likes dealing with her "Parker side." But that's another story for another time...

"Mane hell nah. Seriously?!"

"Yes."

"You CEO just until I get back." Mykel informs her. "For me..."

"What if y'all win a second term? Then what? That's 8 years Kel!"

"I'm aware of that."

"Let's see if they win the first one, Laci." Ryan pats her head.

"Whatever Unk." She waves him off. "Everybody in here have lost their minds. But not me though. Cuz this shit not making a lick of sense." She crosses her arms.

"Thanks for the commentary, Laci." Mykel and Chance spoke at the same time.

"Does anybody else know?"

"Not yet." Cairo answers. "Everybody else will be informed just before the official announcements are made."

When Kel got home, he finally remembered the date with Sunny. The phone rings. Sunny picks up on the last ring. "Hey, I got caught up with work...you got Cashapp or Venmo?" he didn't even wait for her to say hello.

"Yes." She didn't even have something sassy to say.

"Okay..." he hangs up, sends 10 racks and calls back. But this time, Sunny didn't answer at all.