Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Three

Chapter 123

The Valerian estate had been transformed into a labyrinth of fear and uncertainty. Every shadow seemed to carry a threat, every rustling leaf a prelude to danger. Jemima’s hand remained steady on the cold metal of her gun as she stood in the garden, her gaze locked on Vanessa.  

Vanessa's eyes flickered with a mixture of desperation and resolve, but the crack that had shattered the tense moment was impossible to ignore. The silence that followed was suffocating, pressing down on them like an unseen weight.  

Jemima’s voice was low but firm. “You said you came for forgiveness. If this is a trap, I swear—”  

“It’s not a trap,” Vanessa interrupted, raising her hands again in surrender. “I don’t know what that was, but we need to get inside. Now.”  

Jemima hesitated, her instincts warring with her emotions. Despite her better judgment, she nodded sharply. “Move. And don’t try anything stupid.”  

Vanessa stepped cautiously toward the house, Jemima close behind her, the gun trained on her back. The garden felt like it was closing in around them, the darkness alive with unseen eyes.  

They reached the door, and Jemima shoved it open with her free hand. The library was still dimly lit, the flickering light from a nearby lamp casting eerie shadows on the walls.  

“Sit,” Jemima ordered, pointing to the chair near the desk. Vanessa obeyed, her movements slow and deliberate.  

Jemima locked the door behind them, her back pressed against the wood as she tried to catch her breath. The confrontation with Jay, the chaos of the night, and now Vanessa’s sudden reappearance—it was too much. Her mind was a storm of conflicting emotions, but she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.  

“Start talking,” Jemima demanded, her voice cutting through the tense silence.  

Vanessa clasped her hands together, her knuckles white. “I meant what I said in the garden. I’m not here to hurt you, Jem. I came to make things right.”  

“And you think showing up unannounced in the middle of the night is the way to do that?” Jemima’s voice dripped with sarcasm.  

“I didn’t have a choice,” Vanessa said, her voice trembling. “I needed to see you.”  

Jemima narrowed her eyes. “Convenient. And why should I believe you?”  

Vanessa’s gaze met hers, unflinching. “Because I left everything behind to come here. Zora is safe, hidden far away from Jon’s reach. I risked my life to protect her, and I’m risking it again by coming to you.”  

Jemima’s grip on the gun tightened. “And what do you want from me? Sympathy? Forgiveness? You don’t get to walk back into my life and act like everything’s fine.”  

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” Vanessa said quietly. “But I need you to understand. I was weak, Jem. I let my fear and jealousy cloud my judgment, and I betrayed you in the worst way possible. But I’m here now, and it looks like a lot is going on so I want to help.”  

Jemima scoffed. “Help me? After everything you’ve done, you think I’d trust you to help?”  

“I don’t need your trust,” Vanessa said, her voice firming. “I just need a chance to prove myself. Please, Jem.”  

The sincerity in Vanessa’s eyes was hard to ignore, but Jemima wasn’t ready to let go of her anger. She opened her mouth to respond, but a loud bang from upstairs cut her off.  

Both women froze, their eyes darting toward the ceiling.  

“What the hell was that?” Jemima whispered, her heart racing.  

“Jem!”  

Jay’s voice was a harsh whisper, his hands raised in surrender.  

“Damn it, Jay,” Jemima hissed, lowering her weapon. “What are you doing here?”  

“I heard the noise,” he said, his eyes scanning the hallway. “I thought you might need backup.”  

Jemima hesitated her anger at him momentarily eclipsed by the danger they were facing. She nodded curtly. “Fine. But stay close.”  

Together, they ascended the staircase, their movements synchronized. The upper floor was dark, the faint moonlight filtering through the shattered windows casting an otherworldly glow.  

The sound of muffled footsteps reached their ears, and Jemima’s grip on her gun tightened. She motioned for Jay to follow her, her heart pounding as they approached the source of the noise.  

They rounded a corner and found themselves face-to-face with a figure clad in black. The intruder turned, his face obscured by a mask, and lunged at them.  

Jemima fired, the gunshot echoing through the hallway. The man stumbled but didn’t go down. Jay tackled him, the two of them crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs.  

“Get the mask off!” Jemima shouted, rushing to help.  

Jay struggled with the intruder, his strength barely keeping the man at bay. Jemima aimed her gun, but the risk of hitting Jay made her hesitate.  

Finally, with a grunt of effort, Jay ripped the mask off, revealing a face Jemima hadn’t expected to see.  

It wasn’t Mancini like she feared.  

"Dimitri!l Jemima exclaimed, recovering quickly. She stood, folding her arms across her chest. "What are you doing here? And why are you wearing that mask? Have you turned against us too”

Dimitri held up the wedding invitation. "I received this. Thought I’d come and see for myself how things were going." His gaze swept over the room, taking in the remnants of chaos—the maps, the weapons, the tension etched into everyone’s faces. "I arrived at an interesting time."  

Jay crossed his arms. "We didn’t exactly send that to invite you into a warzone."  

Dimitri smirked faintly. "Lucky me, then. I’ve always enjoyed a good fight. Plus I couldn’t miss my cousin’s wedding for the world!"  He smiled before embracing Jay warmly. 

Jemima sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This isn’t a game, Dimitri."  

"I didn’t say it was," he replied, his tone softening. "I came because I want to help. Mancini is a threat to all of us, and I’d rather deal with him now than wait for him to come knocking on my door."  

Before Jemima could respond, Vanessa coughed, wanting to be noticed but didn’t know how to. The moment her eyes met Dimitri’s, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.  

"Dimitri," Vanessa said, her voice tight.  

"Vanessa," Dimitri replied, his tone colder than Jemima had ever heard it.  

The silence that followed was suffocating. Marcus shifted uncomfortably, glancing between them.  

"Right," Jemima said, breaking the tension. "If you’re here to help, Dimitri, we need to focus. Vanessa, go find Ava and Marcus. We need to regroup. Here take my bracelet and show Ava so they won’t try to kill you before you speak.”

Vanessa hesitated, her eyes lingering on Dimitri for a moment before she nodded and left the room.  

When the door closed behind her, Dimitri exhaled sharply. "What the hell is she doing here? I thought she vanished!"  

Jemima’s jaw tightened. "I thought so too. She’s not my first choice, but we need all the help we can get."  

Dimitri scoffed. "Help? From her? After everything she’s done?"  

"Enough," Jemima snapped. "I don’t have time for personal grudges. If you’re going to help, then help. Otherwise, leave."  

Dimitri studied her for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. What’s the plan?"  

The war room was tense as everyone gathered around the table. Jay stood beside Marcus, his expression hard as he glared at Vanessa, who sat stiffly in a corner. Ava leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her distrust evident.  

Jemima entered with Dimitri behind her, and the room fell silent.  

"Dimitri’s here to help," Jemima announced, her tone leaving no room for argument.  

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. "And we’re just supposed to trust him?"  

"Trust is a luxury we don’t have right now," Jay replied sharply. "Besides, he is my cousin and the only wrong thing he has done was loving Vanessa. We need to focus on Mancini."  

Dimitri stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Mancini’s targeting Jay," he said, his voice calm but firm. "He’s making it personal, which means he’ll be reckless. We can use that to our advantage."  

Jay crossed his arms. "And why do you care?"  

Dimitri’s eyes flicked to Jemima for a brief moment before he answered. "Because if Mancini wins, he won’t stop with you. He’ll come for all of us eventually."  

Ava glanced at Jemima. "What’s the plan?"  

Jemima unfolded a map on the table. "We know Mancini’s base of operations is in the industrial district. He’s been using the old warehouses to move his operations. If we can cut off his supply chain, we’ll cripple him."  

Vanessa spoke up hesitantly. "I’ve been gathering intel. He’s expecting retaliation, but he’s spread his resources thin trying to cover all his assets. We can hit him where he’s weakest."  

Jay shot her a withering look. "And we’re supposed to trust your intel? No shit Sherlock! What happened the last time?"  

Vanessa flinched but held her ground. "I’m not asking for your trust. I’m giving you facts. Do with them what you will."  

"She’s right," Dimitri said, surprising everyone. "Mancini’s overconfident. He thinks he’s untouchable. That’s his weakness."  

Jemima nodded. "Then it’s settled. We strike tonight."  

As the others dispersed to prepare, Jay caught up with Jemima in the hallway.  

"Jem, we need to talk," he said, his voice low.  

"I’m busy," she replied curtly, not breaking her stride.  

"Jemima, stop," he said, grabbing her arm.  

She turned to face him, her green eyes blazing. "What do you want, Jay?"  

He hesitated, his jaw clenching. "About what happened—"  

"I don’t want to talk about it," she interrupted.  

"You can’t just ignore it," he said, his frustration evident. "I made a mistake, and I’m sorry. But I need you to know—"  

"Know what?" she snapped. "That you don’t trust me? That you think I can’t handle myself? That you think that I don’t have good judgment?”

"That’s not what I meant," he said, his voice softening.  

"Then what did you mean, Jay? Because people died! People who should have lived died! Their blood is on your fucking head so what did you fucking mean Jay black!” she demanded.  

He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head. "Forget it. I don’t have time for this right now." She pulled away from him and walked down the hall, leaving him standing there, his expression a mix of anger and regret.  

Night fell quickly, shrouding the city in darkness. Jemima, Dimitri, Marcus, and Jay led the charge, while Ava and Vanessa coordinated from the estate. The warehouse district was eerily quiet as they moved in, their footsteps muffled by the damp ground.  

Dimitri took point, his movements swift and precise. Jay watched him warily, but Jemima focused on the mission.  

They breached the first warehouse, dismantling Mancini’s operations with ruthless efficiency. But as they moved deeper into enemy territory, the resistance grew stronger.  

Gunfire erupted, shattering the silence. Jemima ducked behind a crate, her heart pounding.  

"Marcus, cover the left!" she shouted.  

Dimitri was at her side, his gun steady. "You’ve gotten better," he remarked, a faint smile playing on his lips.  

"Save the compliments for later," she replied, firing a shot that took down one of Mancini’s men.  

Jay and Marcus worked in tandem, their movements synchronized as they pushed forward. Despite the chaos, Jemima felt a strange sense of unity among the group—however fragile it might be.  

As the last of Mancini’s men fell, Jemima exhaled slowly, her body aching but her spirit unbroken.  

"This isn’t over," Dimitri said, his voice low.  

Jemima nodded. "No, but it’s a start."