Chapter Sixty

Chapter 60

"And the new Godfather is Jemima Luciana Valerian!"

The electoral chairman announced and Jemima’s gaze immediately widened. It felt as though everything suddenly slowed down. She could not hear anything or anyone other than the loud ringing that buzzed in her ear.
Surely it had to be a dream, Jemima thought to herself.

Jemima got up from where she was sitting, her movement seemed slurred as she was assisted to the podium to give her speech. Even though she had some help, she doubted she was going to win.
Never in the history of the mafia world has a woman emerged as the Godfather.
She could name countless women before her who had tried to rewrite history but none of them had succeeded until she.

“Wow!” Jemima voiced out, her whisper resonating across the world as she spoke into the mic. Her eyes searched the crowd that had gathered looking for a familiar face. The cameras around her clicked away crazily, each reporting station, struggling to get a good glimpse of her.

Finally, her eyes found Alan and they both shared a knowing smile. He winked at her discreetly and gave her a thumbs-up.
Vanessa stood behind the stage, watching her with tears in her eyes. She felt proud.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to stand here before y’all as the new godfather or should I say godmother!” Jemima joked, eliciting a rupture of laughter from the crowd.

This was her chance to announce to the world her true intentions. She knew everyone was watching.

“I’d like to start by thanking Jon Ross, my father and mentor. Without him, there would not be an SK. I’d also like to thank Alan Ross, my best friend, my brother, my everything. He stood by me when I couldn’t even stand myself. He loved me when I hated myself. He was there, he was always there.”

Jemima said, her voice suddenly becoming shaky. A few people in the crowd had tears in their eyes. Everybody waited for what she was going to say next, their eyes glued to where she stood.

“Many of you might not know this but I was…” her voice trailed off as she swallowed down her emotions. Her eyes roamed the crowd and finally settled on a camera that was in front of her. She knew her audience and she wanted the gravity of her words to be felt.

“I was raped by the man I considered my father when I was twelve and the one person I thought would shield me from the pain and comfort me, sold me to be killed. I endured so much pain and I fought tooth and nail to be where I am today. There was no justice for me. I had to live with my trauma and it in turn affected the people around me. I have come to realize in my two decades here on earth that this is a common occurrence and it shouldn’t be. Statistically speaking, 50 percent of girls are raped or sexually assaulted by someone they know.”

Jemima paused to catch her breath, she was struggling to control her emotions but she continued, “I am a testament that your trauma does not define you. I must say that I am not proud of some of the things I’ve done and that’s why I’m here today, to make things right. Effective from today, I am denouncing any illegal mafia activity and openly declaring that the ring shall now be known as an agency. An agency set out to help women and girls get the help they need. I am offering a voice to the voiceless and helping those in need. You don’t have to fight alone anymore.”

Jemima concluded and everywhere became silent. She watched with apprehension as they all regarded her, her mind reeling with different thoughts of what could be going on in their minds.

She saw the scornful look on the other Mafians' faces and she hid the smirk that formed on her face. Jemima was not going away easily and she certainly wasn’t going down without a fight.

And just like a volcano, the cheers erupted. For the first time in a long while, Jemima smiled. She didn’t smirk, she smiled. Wholly and genuinely.

“And remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” Jemima added before exiting the stage. She ran into Vanessa’s open arms and exhaled, allowing all the emotions to pour out without giving a care in the world.

In a matter of minutes, Jay, Dimitri, Alan, and Ross rushed in the back.
They saw her embracing Jemima and without thinking, they all embraced her as well.

Jemima couldn’t help but think that maybe things didn’t turn out so bad after all.
She might have been betrayed by her own people but perhaps it was a twisted blessing in disguise.

The number of guards that surrounded them doubled since she was announced as the new godfather. A lot of people were going to try to take her out and she needed to be armed and ready at all times.

“Jemima?” Jay called out as soon as they all parted from the embrace. She turned to look at him, her smile evident as she stared into his eyes. She could not believe she had loathed him not so long ago and wanted to even kill him.

Everyone watched Jay, waiting to hear what he had to say and in one swift moment, he knelt and brought out a ring in a box, causing Jemima to gasp and cover her face with her palms.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and Mrs Jay Black?”
**********


“Jem wake up! Jemmy!” Jemima groaned as Ava tapped her awake, rather impatiently.

“Go away, Ava!” Jemima groaned as she turned to the other side of the bed. She took the pillow and buried her head beneath it, causing Ava to giggle softly.

“Jemmy!”Ava’s voice grew louder, causing Jemima to sit up abruptly.

“Ava?” Jemima called out, her heart racing suddenly as she stared into her sister’s eyes. Ava’s brows were raised in contemplation as she studied Jemima.

“Yes it’s me, why are you acting like you’ve seen a ghost?” Ava queried and Jemima, without thinking, engulfed Ava in a warm embrace. Her heart was beating rapidly as she held Ava close.

“Where is Marcus?” Jemima asked, her voice shaky as she remembered that Marcus had died.

“He’s at the site already. That’s why I came to wake you up. We’re late and it’s way past noon. The opening of the agency will soon commence. Mother left for the salon and Dad is in the living room.” Ava explained as she eyed Jemima cautiously.

Her heart pounded at the mention of her father and mother.

“Is everything alright?” Ava asked, concern lacing her tone as she touched Jemima’s forehead to make sure she was feeling well. Jemima nodded, her throat suddenly becoming dry.

“I had a dream!” Jemima confessed after pulling Ava away from the hug.

“One of those your mafia dreams again?” Ava asked, amusement dancing across her face as she looked at Jemima. Jemima only responded with a nod, prompting a soft chuckle from Ava.

“What happened this time?”

Jemima opened her mouth to speak but thought against it. This one had felt too real and it was going to change the dynamic of their relationship. She didn’t want to jinx it.

“Jay asked me to marry him this time,” Jemima said instead, not divulging too much and hoping it was enough for Ava.
Ava’s eyes widened and she shrieked in excitement.

“Who knows, he could ask you today during the opening ceremony. I mean it’s long overdue anyway, you guys have been dating forever!”

Ava gushed as she danced around the room, her excitement palpable.

“It’s just two years,” Jemima pointed out, eliciting an eye roll from Ava.

“Two years too long. Anyway, get dressed. My husband is on his way with the kids and we don’t want them seeing their favorite aunt like this.” Ava announced a sly grin plastered across her face as she eyes Jemima coyly.

The action, though seemed innocent, caused Jemima to shiver. Ava locked the door behind and Jemima fell back to the bed.

“What the fuck just happened?” Jemima asked herself as she struggled to get out of bed and get ready.

“Of course, it was just a dream, my father would never rape me. Mother would never sell me and Ava would never betray me like that. Marcus would never even leave me. Silly dream!” Jemima said to herself as she applied the last bit of makeup.

When she was done, they all drove to the site, she and Marcus had pooled money together to open an agency that helped kids get the help they deserve and they called it ‘JEMARC.’

“The commissioner is on his way with his son,” Jay announced to Marcus and Jem where they sat, and just as he said, a car drove into the driveway.

Guards got down to open the door for the commissioner.

They all stood up to show their respect as the commissioner and his son alighted from the vehicle, causing Jemima’s breath to hitch in her throat.

Maybe she was dreaming again but when Marcus nudged her forward so they could give the duo a handshake, Jemima knew she wasn’t dreaming.

The commissioner and his son were none other than Jon and Alan.
“Hello, I’m Alan. My father and I are thrilled to witness the opening of such a magnificent agency.”

Alan was saying but Jemima wasn’t paying attention and then when he turned to her, their eyes met. Jemima could feel a current pass within her as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

As if she hadn’t had enough, Alan winked at her.


Was it all a dream?


The End!


Or not…