"Okay take care of yourself for me will you?", I say hugging Jon. He is such an easy going person who no one could be mad at for so long.

"Hey Alan, take care of dad for us okay?", I say fighting the urge not to cry.

He nods, biting his lips too, in an attempt to hold back the tears.

"But who will look after me?", he asks allowing the tears flow freely now. Ah. Such a cry baby!. I pull him in and give him a very tight hug.

"I love you brother bear", I say pecking him on the cheeks.

"I love you more baby bear", he says pecking me back.

"All passengers going to Rome, please board the plane, it will take off soon!", the shrill voice of the flight attendant announces through the mic.

"Before you go, have this!", Alan says before handing me a black chain.

"Goodbye!", I say for the last time as I board the plane. While safely in, I put on the chain and clutch it tightly.

This is not the first time I fly away from home on a mission but the first time without Alan's accompaniment. Jon had sent me on just one mission and that was to dupe Dennis off his money and cut him into shreds. But I have added one more mission to the list. And that is to kill Jay Black.

What do I really expect when I come across this supposed "most revered Mafia"?

I expect one who is 6ft 5inches tall, muscular and well built with a tattoo drawn all over his right hand alone and an oblong shaped face with eyes that demands respect without killing. A straight, long, jet black hair and light skinned since he was in Rome. But of all my expectations, I expect him to be merciless and brutal. But why am I thinking these things, sounding like I have met him before!.

Alan had informed me that Jay's driver who goes by the name Pius, will pick me up from the airport and take me straight to Jay's house.

********************

Woah! That was one heck of a journey! I think to myself as I disembarked the plane.

I move straight to the tarmac, just like Alan had asked me to and just like he had said, I was met with a short, chubby, middle aged man that has a bald head.

"Are you Jemima Valerian?", he asked with a Latin accent, oblivious to the fact that I can literally end his life with a little twig to his fat neck.

I just nod and put on my dark shades. The sun was damn scorching! I just hope my pale skin won't be burnt by the sun.

I take my position in the back of the seat and soon I find myself dozing off.

"We're here madam!", Pius said waking me up.

"Yeah whatever! Just show me to my room, I don't want to see your boss", I say rudely just too rudely than I initially intended.

"Just spare me two minutes ma'am, so I can get your..."

"Then be quick already!", I whisper/yell at poor Pius.

Just take a look at his house...

...Surrounded by nature.

I fight the urge not to gawk or stare too much. Even though our house is so much finer, bigger and better, his house is cool...

...I'll make sure to notify Alan to plant more flowers around the surroundings.

"Let's go in ma'am", Pius says bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I'll leave now, just sit on the couch over there and someone will come to show you to your room", he says rushing out of the room.

"Old fool, I told him to do one thing and that is to take me to my room but look at how he's left me now! If only I know my room", I thought to myself.

"Hello Jem!", I sit slightly straighter as I hear a very strong feminine voice that commands respect call. I majestically stand up, before taking my time to turn around to see the bearer of such voice and as I did so, my breath caught in my throat so much so that I nearly pass out. I pull my jacket because of the sudden heat I start to feel even in the freezing temperature of the room.

She is still the little girl I played with, short and with an extraordinary beauty with the same mixture of brown and black hair,brown eyes slightly laced with blue. But this time, the blue being stronger that it appears to be deep blue.

"A...A...Anita!", I stutter, finally finding my voice.

What is she doing here? This type of life doesn't suit her? How is she connected with Jay?. This could not be her!

So many questions race through my mind as my vision becomes a blur. My head starts spinning and I begin to see black dots. My hand unconsciously moves towards the black chain I'm putting on, clutching it tightly and wishing Alan was here.

'Pull yourself together girl. You're the most feared. Don't act like a whimp. Show her who is boss'!, I begin to think but before I can grasp anything, I'm pulled into an embrace by her. I hesitate to hug her back and I fight the urge not to cry in front of her.

Before I left the estate, she was mean and my mother... Yuck! Eww! Ouch! That hurts! I meant Mrs Valerian usually calls her a witch. I normally play with her at our cottage with him and even if she falls down or injures herself, she doesn't cry. She has always been the strong one and I the weak one. We are so different but when it comes to one thing we have in common, it's hatred for our family.

Except if she has changed though!

"Come on let me show you to your room and then we'll talk"

I only nod my head, still dumbfounded by all these.

**************

It's been two hours since I arrived and I'm now ready to listen to Anita. I've already spoken to Alan and Jon and they seemed to be a bit relieved.

"So Jem, how are you? Where have you been all this while? You know that day you were leaving I saw you. I was angry at you for not telling me anything. I thought we were best friends and when I asked Mrs Valerian, she said you hated me", Anita says, fighting the urge not to cry.

I knew Anita went through a stage of depression. I know she always thought that everyone hated her and to have mother tell her this? I just can't imagine.

"I could never hate you. Well here's what actually happened"...

I begin to narrate to her about Me. Valerian's rape, Ava's scornful treatments and the exchange between my mother and Jon. I tell her how Jon had taken me in as his daughter. How Alan had wiped away my tears. How he wove his way into my heart. How I joined the mafia ring. How I've ended up with 98 kills and hope to achieve my remaining two here in Rome.

Why I was sent to Rome and how I ended up here. I however didn't tell her the fact that my 100 kill would be Jay.

"So how did you end up with Jay?", I ask once I concluded my story.

"Well you know how I was maltreated at home by everyone? Well Mr Reeves didn't want me to get married to my boyfriend of three years and every other person was in support of him, so I eloped with him", she explains and my brow draws apart in a frown.

"But Jay is not a husband material"

Of course I couldn't possibly know for sure. I'm just assuming. Ok

"Oh Jem, I'm not talking about Jay, I'm talking about his cousin, Dimitri"

She begins to tell me how she met Dimitri in school. How she was bullied by him. How they met Zayn and found out his true self. I also find out that she has a little sister now who is just ten years old.

"Wow! I still can't believe you cried. I always thought you were non human", I say jokingly and we both laugh.

"So how long have you been here?", I ask again.

"Since last year"

"How old are you now?"

"Nineteen"

"I forgot you're older than me with one year, one month", I say smiling.

"I know right!"

"Have you killed before?"

"Yes, just 12 kills, I just started training and all. Jay is a pretty good trainer. Dimitri just does the paper work and computer stuff", Anita says eagerly.

Why would Jay put my former best friend in harm's way? Then again it might not have been Jay's fault. I'm sure Anita must have insisted. She has always been too stubborn.

"Why did you decide to join the mafia ring Anita?", I ask her cautiously.

"I want to show the Reeves that even the rejected stone can one day become the corner stone", she says with a deadly look in her eyes.

"Well I joined the Ring so that I can kill those people who claim to be related to me. Especially Ava", I say with so much venom in my voice at the mere mention of her name, matching Anita's deadly looks. I half expected her to freak out, lecture me, yell at me, advice me. Or anything. But what I wasn't expecting her to say was; "well, looks like we both want revenge then".

Okay, I'm a little scared now! This is not the Anita I left six years ago.

"Where is your husband and Jay by the way?", I ask in order to lessen the tension.

"Dimitri and I are not yet married, we postponed it till our next birthday but, They went to America to get rid of Ronald Thump's son", she says relaxed.

Is she fucking with me? Ronald Thump is the united States president and they went to get rid of his 17 year old son?

"Why didn't he take you?"

"Who would you have preferred to welcome you home?", she asks almost rudely.

"You?"

"That's right!"

"One more thing, do you mind showing me around this house, I have no intention of meeting Jay throughout my stay"

"Sure!", she says pulling me out of the room.

We make a quick tour around the rooms and are now headed towards the kitchen to have some ice cream. I'm so glad that we both still love ice cream. Maybe only that didn't change?.

Entering into the kitchen, we are met with two pair of eyes. One with a hazel nut-shaped eyes while the other had small round eyes... The one I'm all too familiar with.

"You're here, so soon!. Jem this is Dimitri and this is..."

"Jay Black"