┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
"At the end of hardship
comes happiness."

- Korean Proverb
┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Chapter 23 - What A Year

▪️J A D E▪️

So much had happened within the last twelve months.

At the beginning of my third year at university, just a few weeks short of our one-year anniversary, Cristiano and I had ended our relationship.

Well rather, he broke things off with me.

In the end, he had decided to finish his degree via distance learning, not wanting to be too far from his mother's side. This meant that he would be moving hundreds of miles away and he felt that there was no sense in trying to make things work.

We had both agreed that we did not want the burden of a long-distance relationship, and a part of me felt guilty for being so thankful that things had ended.

I was relieved not to have to admit my feelings for Dominic. I did not want to hurt Cristiano.

As a result, we had parted on good terms and he had visited me a handful of times since he had moved away. Every time he came, Blaire and I made it our duty to spend as much time with him as we could while he was around.

Even though I had barely seen Cristiano, we still remained great friends.

On the other hand, things with Dominic had shifted.

We were now both more open about how we felt, me more than him of course. Neither of us made a move to take our relationship further or even put a name on it.

As far as the enigmatic mafia boss was concerned, he may have acknowledged his feelings for me and occasionally gave in to brief moments of passion that resulted in toe curling kisses that left me breathless. However, Dominic was clearly holding himself back, torturing us both.

But hey, we both enjoyed the playful back and forth that we had going on, so I figured it made no sense to ruin a good thing.

Of course, I was not dating anyone. My attention was solely focused on him. I could not say if Dominic was doing the same as there were nights that he would go off on his own, making me wonder if he was still visiting the brothels.

Although I suspected that he may have, I could have been wrong.

But then again, he was a man, and one whom had needs. I knew that our kisses and dry humping would not be enough to satisfy him and I was not narcissistic enough to think that he was not engaging in any other sexual activities.

As jealous as it made me to think about him fucking other women, he did not belong to me, at least not yet.

Since we were not official or anything, I comforted myself in the thought that I was playing a long game. It was obvious that he had deep feelings for me, he had said as much. So, I knew that those women meant nothing to him. I mean, Dominic never let anyone touch his skin besides me and that fact alone was what kept my green-eyed demon in check.

He could continue his brothel runs all he liked. But once we had properly established the boundaries of our relationship, I would be the only one who would have the pleasure of servicing him.

Unlike those other women, I would be able to touch him and fuck him in return and the thought made my body shiver.

I just decided to accept things as they were, letting whatever we were building develop naturally. To be honest, I felt like it was better this way, as trying to force things might have pushed Dominic away. Especially as he liked being in control. I needed to play my cards right if I intended to take the reigns from him at some point.

The amorous attention he was giving me was more than I could have hoped for, even if he did not express those urges as often as I would have liked.

Unfortunately, as the months flew by, I had begun to crave more than just his fiery kisses and teasing touches. I needed more, and ached to take our physical relationship further.

Even though I had vowed to take things slow, I figured that I would talk to him about our situation on my twenty-first birthday, which thankfully was only a few weeks away. After all, we had been doing this dance for more than nine months now, so I thought that we were both ready.

I had just written my last exam the day before. Financial Engineering, ugh! It had been a tough course, but I was confident that I would pass.

Now, all I had to do was just focus on completing three more summer courses. If everything went according to plan, I would have attained enough credits to ensure that I would be able to graduate a year early and I could not wait.

Apart from keeping on top of my academics, I had also made it a point to increase my training with Jee-min.

Given everything that I had on my plate, I was exhausted, but it had been worth it as I had made vast improvements with using the larger calibre weapon within the last twelve months, particularly the Beretta M9.

I had a goal in mind and I was not about to let anything get in my way.

At the moment, I was being put through an intense regimen in the gym at the Calvetti residence.

My personal bodyguard and trainer, Jee-min, was presently engaged in hand to hand combat with me. We had been exchanging blows for the last thirty minutes and I was proud to say that I had been holding my own.

As usual though, Jee-min was not satisfied.

"What's going on today, Jade? You're sloppier than usual!" he exclaimed as he aimed a kick at me.

Huffing slightly, I tried to control my breathing while dodging his attacks before successfully landing a few more blows of my own, "I'm not! You've just been going more Terminator on my ass than normal!"

"I just want to make sure you're ready!" Jee-min said between punches.

"Ready for what? Death? You might kill me before I even get to blow out the candles for my birthday, the hell!" I shouted back, as I barely managed to block his last hit.

Letting up, Jee-min grinned as he went and drank some water, "So, you turn the big two-one soon, now you can say that you're finally a real adult! What will you be asking for? That chrome purple Porsche Panamera that Dominic gave you last year is going to be hard to beat."

Dropping myself roughly to the ground, I greedily chugged down some water before replying, "Well you know, I'm thinking of having a repeat of my oh so lovely nineteenth," I said, while making a face.

Jee-min who was usually not one for many facial expressions laughed slightly, "Please don't dance up on Aleksandr again, I swear the boss was going to shoot the both of you that night."

Choking as I drank some more, I coughed to clear my throat as I said, "I'm definitely not that eager to die. Looking back on things, I realise how childish of me it was to try and use Aleksandr to make Dominic jealous. I like the place that we're in now, so I'll definitely have a more direct approach this time."

Inwardly groaning, he implored, "Just don't piss him off, please!" Jee-min lay back on the padded ground, "You did really good today by the way."

"If by good you mean me almost dying, then thanks," I jokingly responded, while adjusting the scrunchie that held up my purple hair.

As my fingers shifted through my sweaty locks, I could not wait to go visit the hair dresser and touch up my dye job. I did not think that I would have kept this colour in so long, but it had clearly grown on me and I loved the contrast the purple created with my green eyes.

Jee-min chuckled as he closed his eyes, "But did you die?"

"I did not, son-seng-neem..." I exhaled softly as I said the Korean phrase.

Even though I might tease him often or act like a brat to frustrate him, I respected Jee-min a lot. He was more than just a bodyguard to me; he was my mentor. The Korean term was a sign of respect and I knew that it pleased Jee-min greatly whenever I used it.

Not to mention we spent a lot of our waking moments together; for many years. It was only obvious that we had formed a close bond over time.

Though he did not often express it, I knew that Jee-min cared for me very much. He had told me that I was like a little sister to him and his actions proved that he loved me dearly.

Jee-min would take a bullet for me. Not because Dominic paid him to, but because he genuinely wanted to keep me safe. Which is probably why he was often so hard on me, as he wanted me to be the best at whatever I had set out to do.

Within the last year, he had seen me work harder than ever before.

Seeing me push myself made Jee-min be even more strict at times, but I welcomed it. There was a Korean proverb that he would always recite, 'At the end of hardship comes happiness' and even though it sounded unlikely, I was indeed very pleased with the results of all the hard work that I had put in. 

I was proud to admit that I had not only grown stronger physically but emotionally as well. The way I had matured served not only to impress him, but those around me as well, and I knew that Jee-min and Dominic had noticed the changes I had achieved.

"I do hope that things will go better this year. I might come across as an unfeeling robot, but I do want to see you happy..." Jee-min admitted before he went on to say, "And well, I would be lying if I didn't admit that when you and the boss are not butting heads it was a plus for everyone involved."

A soft giggle escaped me as I thought about Dominic's usual grumpy disposition. I was happy to know that I had a calming effect on him, even if just a little.

Turning to look at me, Jee-min asked, "Will you be heading over to Raeni's again?"

"Yep!" I replied with a grin.

"I still can't believe that she agreed to help you," he shook his head slightly, "it's like no one can say no to you."

Scoffing slightly, I pointed out, "That's not true! You and Dominic tell me no all the time!"

"And do you ever listen?" Jee-min arched an eyebrow.

Pouting slightly, I tried to give him the cutest look that I could. There was no denying it, even when they told me no, I still found a way to get whatever it was that I wanted.

Jee-min took my silence for confirmation and said, "My point exactly!"

"Well it's not like I'm asking for anything bad, I'm just attending some dance classes at one of the schools that she owns. I just love how they dance in the Caribbean," I beamed, clearly having something up my sleeve.

"Uh huh, from the look on your face you're obviously going to use it for seduction of some sorts. What's the dance called again? Wining? Like the drink?" Jee-min enquired before taking another sip of water.

"Yes, to wine, exactly like the drink, pleasure-inducing! Not to be confused with twerking, there's a huge difference!" I noted before adding, "As for using it for seduction, I just want to make sure that when I get my chance to dance on Dominic for my birthday, I make it worth his while."

Shaking his head in slight disbelief, he scoffed, "You are unbelievable, Jade."

"Why thank you!" I giggled, "Besides, the way Raeni and they dance is so hypnotic, you can't blame me for wanting to learn some of it."

Rolling his eyes as he ran a hand through his damp blond hair, Jee-min said "Uh huh, well you've been practicing for almost a year now, so I'm sure I'll see some of it on your birthday, especially with Blaire around, I don't know why you let her learn that."

I giggled as I remembered her dancing up on the tables at a party a few weeks ago.

If Blaire was seen as a seductive temptress before, she was even more lethal now. The way in which she would move her hips had even made Jee-min steal a few glances, even though it was obvious that he was trying not to look.

His calm voice interrupted my thoughts as he stated, "Like I said earlier, once you stay off Aleksandr, the night should go relatively smoothly."

"Yea yea, I'll behave," I promised as I shook my head.

I meant what I said, I definitely was not eager to die, especially on my twenty-first birthday.

——————————

A/N: What's your ideal birthday celebration?

The term "Son-seng-neem" is a sign of respect, kind of like Mister or Miss in English. It's what you would use when addressing your teacher, but it doesn't mean teacher.