CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEEN – THE CONFRONTATION AT CENTRAL PARK

The journey back to the city felt like a march into battle, each mile crossed bringing them closer to the inevitable confrontation. Jasmine's fingers tightened around the worn notebook that contained Clara's meticulous records, her knuckles white with determination. "We're ready for him," Gordon murmured, his gaze flickering towards her as he navigated the bustling streets of Manhattan. "Whatever he throws at us, we'll face it head-on." Jasmine's lips curved into a grim smile, her eyes burning with a newfound fire. "He won't know what hit him." Yet, even as they steeled themselves for the impending clash, a nagging sense of unease lingered. Adrian Vance was a master manipulator, a serpent who had ensnared them in his coils time and again. Who knew what depravity he might unleash in his desperation? The answer came sooner than either of them could have anticipated. It was a sunny afternoon in Central Park when the first strike landed, a vicious volley that caught them both off guar