Sophia was completely distraught by Jasmine's words. The news of Maria's death had struck her emotionally, and Ziyaisko's mental vulnerability concerned her. Jasmine requested her to help Ziyaisko, and Sophia felt compelled to accept the responsibility.
Jasmine did not linger. She had obtained valuable information, and Ji-han could arrive at any moment.
Jasmine gave Sophia one last, stern look.
"I'm leaving, Sophia. Do exactly as I said. Make Ziyaisko see his mistake. You are lucky to still be in his life."
With that, Jasmine quickly left the drawing-room. Sophia didn't get a chance to respond.
Jasmine walked quickly toward the front door. Ziyaisko was still pacing restlessly on the outer balcony. Seeing Jasmine, he rushed over.
"Jesi! What did you two talk about?" Ziyaisko's eyes held intense curiosity.
Jasmine ignored him. "Get in the car, Ziyaisko. My work here is done."
Ziyaisko didn't hesitate. He opened the car door for Jasmine.
Then Jasmine left, getting into the car.
Jasmine quickly sat in the back seat of the Bentley. Ziyaisko got into the driving seat and started the car. Jasmine now took out her phone. The reply to the message she had sent to Ziyaisko's fiancée might come immediately.
A new way to weaken Ziyaisko had been discovered. But in this complex game between Dmitri and Viktor, Jasmine now had to move to the next stage. Jasmine was checking her encrypted phone in the back seat of the car. Ziyaisko was in the driving seat, but all his attention was on Jasmine in the back. Her private conversation with Sophia had made him extremely uneasy.
Just then, Ziyaisko suddenly looked at her and said something that broke all of Jasmine's caution in an instant.
Ziyaisko smiled softly, but his eyes were sharp and cautious.
Then Ziyaisko said, "Code name Red Phantom ghost? Yes, NLS works."
'Red Phantom Ghost' was the internal code of Jasmine's spy network, known only to her high-level associates. And 'NLS' (No Last Sight) was the name of her encryption protocol. Hearing this secret code from Ziyaisko's mouth, Jasmine was completely stunned.
Jasmine was amazed. "How did you know?"
All of Jasmine's professional coolness shattered. Viktor knew, Ji-han also knew, but Ziyaisko? It was impossible! Ziyaisko was supposedly just an emotional mafioso.
Jasmine didn't delay. She quickly climbed out of her seat and sat on Ziyaisko's lap in the driving seat.
Then Jasmine again sat on his lap and grabbed his tie.
The car was still moving. Ziyaisko began to tremble with intense excitement once more. His concentration was completely lost.
Jasmine pulled him towards her by his tie, their breaths almost mingling. Jasmine's eyes now held extreme curiosity and a hint of fear.
Jasmine asked in a whisper, almost in the tone of a command.
"What did you say?"
Ziyaisko's face turned red. He was defeated by both Jasmine's physical presence and the pressure of her code name being exposed.
"I... I know everything about you, Jesi," Ziyaisko whispered. "I've been watching you since the beginning of Viktor's game. Viktor wouldn't tell me the truth behind Maria's death, but... he knew your code name. You are a spy, Jesi. And I am a mafioso. All your secrets come to me."
Ziyaisko now confronted Jasmine with a hard truth.
"I don't want revenge for Maria, Jesi. I hate Dmitri, because both Viktor and Dmitri lied to me. I can be the only ally in your game, Jesi."
Jasmine was still sitting on Ziyaisko's lap, clutching his tie tightly. Ziyaisko's confession—that he knew her code name and was part of Viktor's game—was unexpected to Jasmine. She realized that Ziyaisko was not just an emotional mafioso, but a driving force.
When Ziyaisko offered to be her ally, Jasmine took an extreme risk. She decided to put Ziyaisko to the final test. She revealed her own biggest secret.
Then Jasmine said, "Do you know Maria died by my hands?"
This confession was like a thunderbolt. Ziyaisko's eyes widened. His heartbeat was audible to Jasmine. Would Ziyaisko seek revenge? Or would this harsh truth free him?
Jasmine then exposed a major part of Viktor's conspiracy.
"And Viktor will not harm you; you are outside of his main chapter/plan."
Jasmine made it clear that Viktor's real game wasn't about Ziyaisko, but about removing Dmitri from power. Ziyaisko was merely a pawn in their conflict.
Ziyaisko was confronted with the ultimate truth: Maria was dead, and he himself was not part of Viktor's grand scheme. All his anger, love, and desire for revenge became meaningless in an instant.
All the blood seemed to drain from Ziyaisko's face. He quickly freed his tie from Jasmine's hand and pulled the car over to the side of the road.
Then Ziyaisko slowly placed his hand on Jasmine's cheek. His touch was soft, devoid of anger—only extreme anguish.
Ziyaisko spoke, as he touched her cheek.
"I... I knew, Jesi. I felt that Maria was dead. But Dmitri lied to me, Viktor lied to me. I was made to believe that you were just an ordinary model, and Maria died of an illness."
A tear rolled down Ziyaisko's eye. For the first time, Jasmine saw the man inside the mafia boss.
"Maria died by your hands... that's good. She ruined my life," Ziyaisko said with a trembling voice. "You freed me, Jesi. You closed that chapter of my life."
Hearing Ziyaisko's words, Jasmine realized that her move had been successful. Ziyaisko was no longer seeking revenge; he was now free and her ally.
Jasmine quickly moved off Ziyaisko's lap and sat in the back seat. Now they would focus on their true enemy, Dmitri.
Jasmine quickly moved off Ziyaisko's lap and sat in the back seat. Ziyaisko's mental release after the truth of Maria's death was revealed had created a new ally for Jasmine. Jasmine now wanted to start her real plan with Ziyaisko.
"Ziyaisko," Jasmine said, her voice now calm but authoritative. "We are not going back to Dmitri's fortress right now. I want you to take me to a place where I can talk to Ji-han. Ji-han, my friend. He will join our game."
Ziyaisko nodded in agreement. "Alright, Jesi. I'm arranging a safe house. It's outside the city; no one will know."
Ziyaisko quickly turned the car around and sped toward the exit of the city. His mind was no longer consumed by the fire of revenge for Maria, but by the cold determination to expose Viktor's conspiracy against Dmitri.
Then Jasmine was going towards a house—a safe house, in this context.
As the Bentley sped down a deserted highway, disaster struck.
In the rear-view mirror, Jasmine saw a black SUV rapidly approaching them. The SUV suspiciously began to close the distance.
"Ziyaisko," Jasmine said in a low voice. "Look behind us. It seems we are not alone."
Ziyaisko looked in the rear-view mirror. This kind of chase was common in the mafia world. The people in the black SUV were not from the Volga empire, as the Volga mafia would not attack Ziyaisko. These must be people from some other rival mafia syndicate.
"They are chasing us, Jesi," Ziyaisko said, his face hardening. "It seems these people are outside the Ziyaisko empire. Most likely, some old enemy of Dmitri's."
Mafia men chased them from behind.
Jasmine quickly assessed the situation. If they were caught, Viktor's game, Maria's death—everything would be exposed.
"Speed up, Ziyaisko!" Jasmine commanded. "If they get closer, do you have a weapon?"
"Yes," Ziyaisko said. "But driving is my main task right now."
The black SUV sped up even more. Their intention was clear—to stop the Bentley.The mafiosi were chasing Jasmine and Ziyaisko's Bentley. The objective of the people in the SUV behind them was clear—to capture them, dead or alive.
At Jasmine's command, Ziyaisko took no chances. He used all his lifetime driving experience and accelerated the car.
Then the car suddenly sped up.
The Bentley, primarily a luxury car, instantly transformed into a racing machine. Ziyaisko pressed the accelerator with all his might.
Such speed, the velocity was deadly.
The car raced along the deserted highway like the wind. Objects on the roadside became blurred due to the speed. The powerful engine of the car roared.
Although the mafiosi's SUV behind them also increased its speed, Ziyaisko's driving skill and the Bentley's engine power began to leave them behind.
Jasmine looked back at this moment. "They are not gaining on us, Ziyaisko! But this won't last long. Is there any diversion ahead? We need to take a chance."
"There's a broken bridge about five miles ahead," Ziyaisko replied. "Next to the bridge, there is an old service road. If we can get onto that service road without slowing down, they will definitely lose us. But it will be extremely risky."
Jasmine did not waste a second.
"Do it, Ziyaisko! Take the diversion. I am ready."
Ziyaisko nodded in confirmation. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, looking at his new ally, Jasmine, and smiled. In this game, he was now entirely on Jasmine's side.
Ziyaisko was driving at intense speed, ready for the service road diversion. Just at that moment, Jasmine made an extremely risky decision.
"Stop the car, Ziyaisko!" Jasmine shouted.
Ziyaisko hesitated at first. "Stop? Jesi, they will catch us!"
"I said stop!" Jasmine's voice held a harsh command.
Ziyaisko was forced to obey her order. He carefully braked the Bentley and brought it to the side of the road. The black SUV was rapidly approaching them.
Then Jasmin said, "Stop the car."
Jasmine quickly opened the car door and stepped out. She was wearing a white dress, which created a strange contrast with the action scene.
Jasmin was wearing a white dress and started shooting.
Jasmine pulled a small, but powerful, pistol from beneath her white dress. In a moment, she used her spy training to quickly aim and fire several shots at the SUV. Her aim was precise—the driver and the car's engine.
The first few bullets pierced the SUV's windshield, wounding the driver. The car momentarily lost direction.
The mafiosi from behind also started firing, but Jasmine's position was relatively secure.
Seeing Jasmine's deadly action, all of Ziyaisko's hesitation vanished. He quickly pulled out his own hidden weapon.
Ziyaisko kept shooting.
Ziyaisko used the car door as cover and fired at the mafiosi. An intense shootout began between the two sides. Ziyaisko was primarily providing cover fire so that Jasmine could destroy her main target—the SUV's engine.
Jasmine took this opportunity to fire a few more targeted bullets toward the SUV's engine. After one shot, smoke was visible on the SUV's bonnet. The car lost control, screeching its brakes, and crashed into a tree on the side of the road.
The shooting stopped.
Jasmine and Ziyaisko quickly lowered their weapons. The SUV was disabled; the mafiosi inside were either injured or dead.
Jasmine quickly turned to Ziyaisko. "Hurry! We don't have much time. They might call for backup."
Jasmine realized that this chase might not have been Dmitri's work, but rather the action of some rival mafia syndicate that wanted to eliminate Ziyaisko.
Jasmine and Ziyaisko quickly took cover around the Bentley. The black SUV was disabled after hitting the tree. Although the mafiosi inside were injured, they had not surrendered.
Jasmine turned to Ziyaisko. "They are still alive. We need to leave this place quickly, but first, we must take their weapons."
Ziyaisko's face no longer showed hesitation; only professionalism. "I'll provide cover. You go."
💥 The Fight with the Mafia
Jasmine made a quick decision. She readied her pistol and cautiously moved out from behind the cover of the tree, advancing toward the SUV.
First Attack: The injured mafiosi were trying to open the car doors. Jasmine quickly fired a few more targeted shots at the car's windshield. This sudden attack disoriented them.
Second Mafioso: A large mafioso emerged from the back door of the SUV. He was armed with an assault rifle. Before he could fire at Jasmine, Jasmine quickly dove to the ground. Her white dress got covered in mud, but she was safe.
Silent Kill: As soon as she dove, Jasmine, following her spy training, shot the mafioso in his most vulnerable points (leg and elbow). The rifle fell from the mafioso's hands. Screaming in pain, he collapsed onto the ground.
Ziyaisko's Cover: Just then, another mafioso emerged from the other side of the SUV. Ziyaisko immediately used his pistol to provide cover fire. Ziyaisko's accurate aim hit the mafioso in the chest, and he slumped down right there.
Confronting the Third Man: Jasmine got up. Though her breathing was rapid, her eyes were calm. The third person inside the car, who was perhaps their leader, was trying to crawl out through the car door.
Disarming: Jasmine quickly rushed over to the mafioso. The man had a small pistol in his hand. Jasmine quickly struck the man's hand with her foot and, with a twist, snatched the pistol away. In a moment, she pressed the pistol against the man's forehead.
Information Gathering: Jasmine asked in a cold voice, "Who sent you? Dmitri? Or Viktor?"
The mafia leader was trembling with fear. "No one... It was... it was Ivan's men. Ivan wanted to eliminate Ziyaisko."
Ivan was a minor rival mafioso of the Volga empire. Jasmine realized this was not Viktor's game; it was routine mafia violence.
Escape: Jasmine took no chances. She struck the man on the head, knocking him unconscious. Then, she quickly collected the rifles and other weapons from the mafiosi and returned to the Bentley.
Ziyaisko looked at Jasmine with admiration. "You... you are more dangerous than my fiancée, Jesi."
"I am a spy, Ziyaisko," Jasmine said, wiping the mud from her white dress. "Now drive. We need to talk to Ji-han."