The Confrontation: Ziaisko and Jasmin
Ziaisko Volga gripped Jasmin's hand tightly in a rage. His eyes were fixed on Jasmin's blue ones. His voice was low and dangerous. The agony of Maria's disappearance had caused the mafia boss to forget his usual cold composure.
"Did you kill her, Jasmin?" Ziaisko hissed with fury. "Is she dead? Have you destroyed me?"
Ziaisko's question was about Maria's life, but his real concern was his own power and his standing in Viktor's network. Maria was his weakness, and her death meant Ziaisko was now completely exposed to Viktor.
Jasmin offered no answer. She merely held that cold, arrogant smile on her face.
When Ziaisko realized Jasmin would not give him a direct answer, he shook her arm.
"What is your objective? Ji-Han? Dmitri?" Ziaisko said harshly. "You wanted revenge, you got it. What do you want now? Do you want Viktor's downfall so Dmitri can become the boss? Or will you leak all the information to Ji-Han?"
Ziaisko's last words were born of his own fear. He realized that Jasmin now possessed information that could destroy the entire Volga family.
Jasmin finally responded, her voice as hard as stone.
"I am not a puppet, Ziaisko. And I am not participating in your or Dmitri's game," Jasmin said. "Maria's death was my personal act. And now, the rules of this game will be set by me."
Jasmin tried to pull her hand away. "Your weakness is gone. Now, the decision is yours—whether you betray your brother or form an alliance with me. If you hand me over to Viktor as Maria's killer, I will also expose the information about setting a trap for your brother."
Jasmin had turned the tables on Ziaisko. By making Maria's death her responsibility, she was giving Ziaisko the opportunity to expose his brother's weakness. The tense moment between Ziaisko and Jasmin had not yet concluded when an encrypted call arrived on Jasmin's phone. Ziaisko gritted his teeth in rage, but Jasmin smiled when she saw her phone.
"Your 'Godmother'," Jasmin mocked. Pointing toward Ziaisko, Jasmin quickly answered the call.
On the other end was Alia, whose voice, usually cold, now held clear anxiety and urgency.
"Jasmin, listen," Alia said quickly, her tone unexpectedly sincere. "Listen to me. I will not hurt you. I am not like Viktor."
Alia told Jasmin, "Jasmin, listen, I won't hurt you. I'm not like Viktor. I have 5 children. Believe me."
Alia's words were unexpected. The 'Godmother' of the mafia empire was revealing a personal vulnerability. Mentioning her five children was an attempt to prove her sincerity to Jasmin through a maternal appeal.
Jasmin laughed. Her laughter was bitter.
"I believe you," Jasmin said. Her tone derided Alia's intent. "But your children didn't stop you from working for Viktor, Alia."
Alia ignored Jasmin's sarcasm and quickly got to her main point.
Alia said, "Viktor is a very good guy. You let it go. You spend time with your husband. You have to go there [back to Russia]."
Alia gave a clear directive—Jasmin should abandon her rebellion and her attraction to Ji-Han, and return to Dmitri in the Russian mafia empire. Alia tried to convince Jasmin that Viktor was a 'very good guy,' as if his crimes were trivial.
It became clear to Jasmin: Maria's disappearance had completely ruined Alia's plan, and now Alia wanted to get Jasmin out of Korea by any means necessary.
Jasmin did not hang up, but her eyes were filled with resolve.
"Alia," Jasmin said calmly. "Maria is gone. What you wanted to happen, didn't. Now, new rules will be made for this game. And I will tear off the mask of Viktor's 'good person' facade. For my husband to get back to me, he must prove his brother's betrayal with his own hands. I will not return."
Jasmin ended the call. Ziaisko was still glaring at Jasmin with a furious look. His hand had dropped from Jasmin's wrist.
"Your Godmother is afraid now," Jasmin told Ziaisko. "You have lost your weakness. Dmitri is ready for revenge. And I... I am Maria's killer. Now it's your decision whose side you'll take."
The Unexpected Confession: Viktor's Kindness
Jasmin turned back to Ziaisko after ending Alia's call. Ziaisko was still lost in grief over Maria and concern for his own future. But Jasmin's next words were completely unexpected. The previous coldness or the fire of revenge in her eyes was gone, replaced by an old pain and hesitation.
Jasmin suddenly started crying.
Tears rolled down her eyes. This crying was not for show to Dmitri or Ji-Han, but an expression of her inner, suppressed truth and agony.
"Viktor is truly a good person, I know that," Jasmin said through her tears.
Ziaisko stared at Jasmin, stunned. Jasmin, who just moments ago was threatening to destroy the entire family, was now defending Viktor!
Jasmin explained the reason amid her tears: "He helped me once."
Jasmin began to explain how, at the beginning of her modeling career or during some difficult moment in her spy life, Viktor had helped her when no one else would. This help might have been insignificant compared to the magnitude of Viktor's crimes, but to Jasmin, it was a life-saving moment.
Stopping her tears, Jasmin announced her final decision.
"I will not cause trouble for both of them [Viktor and Alia]," Jasmin said.
Jasmin chose not to launch a direct attack against Alia and Viktor. Maria's death was her personal revenge, but she wanted to avoid direct interference in the power structure of the mafia for now.
Ziaisko slowly began to understand the situation. Jasmin had taken personal revenge, but she did not want to break the core structure of this mafia empire, possibly because of a kind of gratitude toward Viktor.
Ziaisko looked at Jasmin with a mixture of relief and curiosity. "So, what will you do, Jasmin? Who will you blame for Maria's death?"
Jasmin composed herself, the tear stains still visible in her eyes. "I will push the news of Maria's disappearance toward Ji-Han. Ji-Han will think Maria is missing, and that Ziaisko Volga is responsible. Alia knows I killed her. I will tell her to use this incident as your weakness against Ji-Han. I will tell your brother Dmitri not to search for Maria."
Jasmin was now completely in control. Due to her gratitude towards Viktor, she chose to play with the balance of power within the Volga family rather than destroy them.