Chapter Fourty Six

Chapter 46

“Okay, so what do you want to do first?” Marcus asked Jemima as they entered the kitchen.

“Eat,” Jemima replied simply, causing Marcus to laugh heartily.

“We can go out to eat,” Marcus suggested which caused Jemima to scrunch up her nose in a playful manner.

Jemima opened her mouth to speak but was suddenly interrupted by voices, causing her to furrow her brows in confusion.

“Do you hear that?” Jemima queried as she gently shoved Marcus aside, walking towards the voices.

“Yes, sounds like bickering,” Marcus added, following Jemima as they both walked towards the sound of the noise.

They walked towards the entrance of the house and saw Vanessa and Dimitri engaged in a heated conversation.

“What’s going on?” Marcus whispered, eliciting a shrug from Jemima. They watched on as they got closer to the drama, both Vanessa and Dimitri, oblivious to their presence.

“You always do that! So don’t even try to play the victim!” Vanessa yelled, harshly shoving Dimitri away. Dimitri stumbled, evidently surprised by Vanessa’s strength.

“I am not trying to play the victim. Your aim was terrible and I tried telling you countless times but you wouldn’t listen!” Dimitri tried to reason with Vanessa as he gesticulated vehemently, still trying to maintain a calm tone.

Jemima and Marcus shared a confused glance, shrugging ignorantly at what could have possibly caused the lovers’ spat.

Vanessa groaned in exasperation, tears welling up in her eyes as she attempted to walk away but Dimitri grabbed her by the hand, halting her in her tracks.

“Tell me what I did that was so wrong Vanessa! Tell me!” Dimitri demanded to know, the vein in his neck pulsating as his anger began to rise to the surface.

Vanessa looked up at him as he towered over her, squinting her eyes to not only get a clearer view but to shield them from the harsh rays of the sun.

The sun was at its peak and it was smiting, causing Jemima to perspire.
“Should we do something?” Jemima asked, wiping the beads of perspiration that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand.

“Not yet!” Marcus replied, gazing at the couples.

“The sun is torrid, I need to get back into the house,” Jemima muttered through gritted teeth, not appreciating that they had to watch Dimitri and Vanessa argue and nothing was being done.

“Shhh Jemima and watch. If you do end up becoming godfather, you need to learn how to settle disputes among people and the only way to do that is by observing keenly,” Marcus taught, wisdom dripping from every word he uttered. Jemima’s focus returned to the couple as she paid close attention this time.

“You don’t get it!” Vanessa exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air as she turned around in a bid to avoid the conversation.

“Because you are not saying anything…” Dimitri yelled, startling Vanessa momentarily.

“You are such a condescending piece of shit! You don’t train me with love. You train me as though I should have already known it. When I make a mistake, you give me this disappointed look. You don’t even try to encourage me. Nothing I do is ever good enough!” Vanessa yelled, her voice breaking as each word rolled out from her tongue.

The torrent of emotions that had churned within her began to bubble to the surface as tears spilled from her eyes.

“Vanessa!” Dimitri yelled, his fury bubbling to the surface as he raised in an attempt to hit her but halted in his tracks immediately. Vanessa didn’t flinch, instead, she widened her eyes in disbelief, shock gripping her.

“That’s enough!” Marcus’s voice resonated through the drama as he demanded an audience, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him.

“Now watch and learn, Jemima. Watch and learn,” Marcus whispered to Jemima as he walked towards them.

“Dimitri, what is the first rule of being part of the mafia?” Marcus inquired, his hand crossed behind his back as he gazed at Dimitri. The seriousness of Marcus’s tone became more prominent.

“Never draw the first blood,” Dimitri replied solemnly, his gaze solemnly fixated on the ground. Vanessa stood there, watching the two men with tears streaming down her cheek.

Jemima walked up to her, pulling her away from the commotion until they were at a safe distance.

“Good. Never draw the first blood. Now, what’s the second rule of the mafia?” Marcus inquired, causing Jemima to raise her brows in confusion as she wondered where he was going with this.

Jemima held Vanessa close, watching the drama that was about to unfold.

“Never try to hit a woman unless it’s to save yourself,” Dimitri murmured out the words, not looking Marcus in the eyes. Jemima could see the godfather in Marcus now. She observed as the authoritative aura consumed him.

“Brilliant. Now, not only have you attempted to do so but you’ve also attempted to do so in the presence of the godfather, which is of course, me,” Marcus commented, causing Dimitri to gaze into his eyes, the gravity of his actions sinking in.

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri apologized with a solemn expression, his gaze momentarily fluttering to Vanessa.
Jemima observed the drama unfold intently, waiting to see what would happen next.

“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me. Anyway, I am supposed to naturally allow you to apologize to her right, but I won’t. You will be temporarily suspended from the mafia ring until the victim, your fiancée, writes a written letter, stating why you should be reinstated,” Marcus stated, finality lacing his tone as he gazed into Dimitri’s eyes.

Dimitri opened his mouth to protest but immediately thought against it. He nodded his head in comprehension before stomping away into the house. Vanessa glanced up at Jemima, sobriety lacing her expression. She had not intended for any of this to happen.

“Vanessa, you are still learning a lot and in this game, you will need to think and act with your head more than your heart. Dimitri has been ever so lenient with you. You would have been punished but you aren’t married to him yet so you’re inconsequential to the mafia world. I hope this teaches you a lesson,” Marcus concluded, causing shivers to run down Jemima’s spine.

Jemima had heard about the godfather’s orders but never had she seen him give out one until now.
Vanessa hurriedly nodded her head, exiting godfather’s presence which left Jemima in awe.

“How did you handle that so well?” Jemima asked, awe dripping from her tone.

“Years of practice,” Marcus replied with a wide grin sprawled across his face.

Suddenly, Alan’s car drove straight into the driveway, nearly knocking Jemima and Marcus off the road.

“Next time drive a little faster!” Jemima exclaimed, staring incredulously at Alan who alighted from the car. Alan was fuming with rage as he attempted to storm into the house but was halted in his tracks by Jemima.

“What’s going on?” Jemima queried, her eyes searching his intently. Her gaze fluttered to Jay who had his hands tucked in his pockets with a smug expression dancing on his face.

“What have you done this time?” Jemima questioned as she raked her fingers through her hair.
Marcus observed from a distance, subtly stepping away from them.

“Alan is just being a little emotional,” Jay answered, a smirk gracing his features which caused Jemima to scrunch up her nose towards him. In the heat of the moment, she had somehow forgotten the heat of the sun.

“Emotional you say! You told a sick man to rest in peace!” Alan exclaimed, vehemently shoving aside. Jay momentarily lost his balance as he glared at Alan.

“What!” Jemima exclaimed, her eyes widening in utter disbelief. She glared at Jay who just shrugged nonchalantly, then returned her glance to Marcus who shook his head, indicating that he did not want to be involved.

“Technically, those were not the exact words I said,” Jay uttered in an attempt to vindicate himself.

“So what did you say then?” Alan challenged, walking up to meet Jay face to face. Jemima stepped in their middle, attempting to diffuse the situation.

“He was losing consciousness and I said if he lost consciousness, he should have a safe trip,” Jay reported causing a glint to appear in his eyes. A glint that Jemima could recognize.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” Jemima questioned, addressing godfather as she stared at him.

“I’m sure you’ll handle it just fine,” Marcus responded with a mischievous grin displayed across his face as he turned to leave.

Jemima stared at his retreating figure, confusion lacing her expression as she felt the scorching sun against her skin.

“Okay you two back it up,” Jemima instructed, pushing Alan away from Jay before they started throwing punches.

“You know he’s wrong. That’s my father out there and he shouldn’t have said those words,” Alan lamented, his voice resonating with rage across the atmosphere.

“I only did that to save your dad!” Jay exclaimed which caused Jemima to place her palm against her forehead in an attempt to still the migraine that was rising.

“Come on Jem, you know I’m right,” Alan insisted, glaring at Jay who just shrugged. He didn’t care what either of them thought, he did what he felt was right to save Jon.

Jemima closed her eyes momentarily as she thought of the best possible way to handle the situation.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and glanced up at the clear, blue sky, allowing herself to bask in the heat of the sun.

“Jay is right.”