Twisted Fixation

『 Chapter 30 』

That encounter must have taken a toll on her because she did not even notice that she fell asleep until she heard knocks on the door. After a few moments, her mother walked in with a worried look on her face.

"I was just wondering what you were doing because you did not come out again. How are you feeling right now?"

Yuri massaged her temples as she tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn't shake off the uneasiness that lingered from her conversation with Cassius.

"I'm fine, mom," she replied, forcing a smile. Agatha's face is evident of concern as she sat down next to her daughter on bed, caressing her back.

"Do you know the story about Russians and Germans working together during World War I because of a wolf plague?"

Yuri narrowed her eyes at that, remembering how the story went but she must have been asleep during one of her history classes back in school. Her mother smiled seeing her loss at thoughts.

"During the time of war, there were big wolves who were increasingly starving because of the migration and war between two countries. Since there were a lot of dead people in the area, it became an attractive place for these animals to scavenge, and neither of the two parties could turn a blind eye to it as these wolves became increasingly boldfaced, attacking both soldiers and civilians. And what's alarming was that these wolves are larger and stronger compared to any animal they have ever seen."

Yuri remained quiet as she is still trying to understand how such a historical event is relevant to what's happening to her right now.

"So when it came to a point that they couldn't control the situation anymore by simply following the orders of their commanders, the two parties decided to declare a temporary ceasefire and banded together to hunt these wolves."

Upon careful thought, Yuri was finally able to make the connection. It seems that her mother is inadvertently telling him that working with Cassius is not a really bad idea.

"The idea of working with a sworn enemy against a common opponent seemed surreal, but sometimes survival requires setting aside differences for the greater good. I am not saying that you should forgive and forget what he did, but consider the things Cassius could also offer on the table. I know that the mafia is very capable, but Giancarlo's influence could only do much, especially since these are cops you are dealing with."

Yuri understands the importance of unconventional alliances when it comes to achieving justice, but she also recognizes the inherent risks involved.  While she may not care about Cassius' fate, she understands that his involvement could have serious consequences for him, that his career and life would be at stake.

And she doesn't want to be indebted to him.

"It's really worth considering, but I really need time to think about this, mom. After all, I am certain that Giancarlo wouldn't want to work with the police as it completely goes against the rules of his family, so this is something I couldn't just decide on my own."

Despite whether Cassius could prove himself useful to her mission, she couldn't still risk losing Giancarlo, especially if things could go wrong and she needed a contingency plan. She couldn't ignore the fact that involving a cop would undoubtedly create a rift between the mafia boss and herself.

And deep down, she knows that trusting Cassius again would be a leap of faith, a leap that could either lead to healing or reopen old wounds.

***

Cassius knows that it would be an incredibly difficult decision for Yuri to make, so when she left, he also decided to bid her farewell to Agatha, as he did obey Yuri's order for him to go.