"Can I join you?" Jasper asked, his demeanor warm and friendly. Nichs replied simply, "Sure."Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Jasper gracefully sat opposite him, arriving alone with no backup.


    A palpable tension hung in the air even before a word was spoken.


    "Mr. Beckett," Nichs began, "a man of your stature wouldn''t be drinking coffee in a ce like this."


    Nichs then took a deep drag of his cigarette. His eyes were grim. "So, this isn''t a coincidence. You''ve been following me."


    "It''s not what you think," Jasper countered. A slight twitch of Jasper''s lips apanied his sincere gaze. "My wife told me everything that happened at the nursing home. She knew you''d be here if I couldn''t find you at home. After all, both of us prioritize our wives. We might take detours, but we always end up in the same ce, don''t we?"


    An intelligent man would never directlymunicate what he meant.


    Nichs continued to smoke. "Are you and Ms. Alyssa married?"


    Jasper blinked and said, "Not yet."


    "Then, addressing Ms. Alyssa as your wife is merely a term of endearment; it''s for fun. Our situations are different. You can''t understand mine."


    Jasper''s jaw clenched subtly, but his voice remained calm and low. "Don''t you think it''s odd that Aidan Lovce was suddenly arrested, Chief Novak?"


    Nichs'' eyes were listless. "The Sna City police force don''t just do nothing. Justice will always prevail. This is what he deserves."


    Jasper held his gaze unflinchingly. "Then, who do you think is next?"


    The air suddenly turned stale.


    "How would I know?" Nichs dismissed him coldly, but a tremor ran through the hand holding his cigarette.


    "Aidan and Jameson worked extremely closely. Aidan, the president of Lovce Group and a Belbanks bigwig, helped Jameson distribute illegal drugs, amassing a fortune in the process. Yet, Jameson cast him aside like a disposable tool. As you can see, Jameson trusts no one."


    Jasper squinted his eyes and continued, "Jameson was merely getting rid of Aidan after he outlived his usefulness. Chief Novak, are you certain you''re any different?"


    Nichs felt a slight stirring in his heart. However, he knew Jameson had eyes all over Sna City. He had no idea how to exin himself if Jameson found out that he had secretly met up with Jasper. S


    Jameson was cold-blooded, sinister,


    and distrusting. No matter what,


    Nichs had to survive; only then,


    could protect his wife. Besides, was already entangled with


    Jameson-there was no turning


    back.


    he


    As Nichs rose to leave, Jasper lunged forward and pressed a silver lighter into Nichs'' palm.


    "You didn''t bring a lighter, right? If you don''t mind, you can have it."


    Nichs'' eyes constricted as an inexplicable pain surged in his chest. He then epted the lighter, lowered his head and hastily left the café.


    Jasper remained in his seat, observing the hustle and bustle of the night. Nichs hadpletely disappeared from his sight.


    Just then, his phone buzzed with a message from Alyssa on WhatsApp. "Did you meet with him?"


    He smiled faintly, his calloused fingers dancing across the keyboard. "Yes, we talked."


    Alyssa replied, "Was the chat aplete bust? While your IQ is amazing, your EQ leaves much to be desired."


    "Even you can''t reason with him, Lyse. What else can I do?" Jasper paused as his eyes darkened. Then he added, "But turning him wasn''t my goal from the outset."


    A beat of silence followed. Then, a


    flurry of emojis filled the screen, followed by a text. "So you met with him to make Jameson suspicious? You want to sow discord between them!"


    "You''re so smart!" Jasper replied.


    "You''re so cunning!" Alyssa was stunned by the audacity of the n.


    Meanwhile, Jasper appeared unsure how to respond after that. However, his gaze remained loving.


    "There''s a 30 percent chance this gambit works, even if it puts us in the crosshairs."


    Just then, a camera retracted discreetly into the darkness of a parked ck car.