Chapter 168: The Uneasy Alliance

The city lights flickered through the window as Jasmine sat alone in the café, her fingers drumming nervously on the table. The evening rush was beginning to die down, leaving her in a cocoon of semi-privacy. She checked her phone again, a deep frown creasing her forehead. She didn’t like feeling out of control, and Marcus’s unexpected summons had thrown her off balance. She glanced at the entrance just as Marcus walked in, his casual demeanor contrasting sharply with the tension she felt. “Evening, Jasmine,” Marcus greeted, slipping into the seat across from her. His eyes held that familiar glint of amusement, as if he relished the turmoil he caused. “Cut the pleasantries, Marcus,” Jasmine snapped, unable to mask her irritation. “I want to know how sure I am that the documents you gave me on Kimberly are legit.” “Well, there is no way to know but by confronting her directly, or is there?’ “What are you up to? Why drag me into your schemes again? And why give them to me instead of