Saints (SAINTS #1) | ✓

53

"IT'S TAKING A WHILE for them to return," Mahsati noted, though no part of her looked worried.

Yves indeed had been gone for a while and Jasmina could see her father was losing interest in the game. It didn't matter much though, because she had played hers and she was winning. Her mother took one look at her face and rose to her feet, Hakim following suit once he noticed his wife's expression.

"Did you use your parents as pawns, Jasmina?" her mother said.

"I think the question should rather be if you let yourself get used as pawns, mother," Jasmina smiled innocently.

Her mother stared at her a moment longer and Jasmina could feel the tension from the people sitting around the table. Still, she wasn't that anxious herself. Sure enough, after a second her mother laughed, cupping her daughter's cheek and flashing that wicked smirk of hers.

"We raised you right," she said fondly.

"I don't have time for this," Hakim said as he turned towards the door," send Azriel my way once he's done with whatever you manipulated him into, Jasmina, I have a few other business associates to talk to, but he's one of them."

"I'd describe Azriel more as a willing participant than anything else," Jasmina said, before waving at her parents," but fine, I'll let him know. I'll see you both downstairs."

Her mother's hand lingered on her face for a second, her expression beautifully calculating as always. "If anyone ends up dead, you know who to call, don't you? I'm not interested in seeing a scandal in the papers because you couldn't play the game well."

"And you won't," Jasmina replied," you know I never make mistakes with chess."

Her mother gave her one last smile, before leaving with her father, the door closing behind them. The people around the table had been silent during her conversation, but now they started laughing, surprising the men standing around. One of them waved a hand, causing the deed to Yves' house to be put in her hands, her eyebrows raised.

"You know we could have easily done this with magic," Priyanka remarked.

"And make it all less fun?" Jasmina asked.

She looked around at four of the sins, all of them having played a crucial role in letting Azriel win each important round and Mahsati a few others to avoid suspicion. Not like it mattered in the end, her mother had left her winnings behind for Jasmina, so she would have gotten it either way. Now all she had to do was attend the grand finale and thankfully she was dressed beautifully for the occasion.

"You know what to do with it," Jasmina said to Priyanka.

"Lucy is done downstairs too," Victor said.

"Is it time to finally break some bones now?" Ira grinned.

"I can create some nightmares if you'd like," Gio suggested, leaning with his head against Priyanka's shoulder as he did so.

"I think our new queen of hell here functions enough as a nightmare on her own," Priyanka said.

"And you'd be right," Jasmina smiled, rising from her chair and walking to the door," I'll meet you all downstairs."

She let that smile stay on her face as she graciously walked down the stairs, only stopping to chat with a few important people she passed in the room. Halfway through her polite business talk someone pulled at her arm, a certain hurry in the movement, but she didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Alan, I was in a conversation," she said, her voice sugary sweet.

The ambassador she had been talking to looked between her and Alan, before stepping back, a knowing look on her friendly face.