Is this destiny?

Jeff and JoAnna reached the event and saw Charlie and Emma surrounded by people.

The staff told them that they can sit and eat, but they refused with an excuse that they had dinner before coming here.

Jeff touched his ear stud. "Where are you?"

"Eating. On your two o'clock." Aiden responded.

Jeff and JoAnna both smiled when they looked slightly to their right and saw Sarah and Aiden two tables down, busy with the food.

"What did we miss?" Jeff asked when they took seats next to their siblings.

"Jarred officially announced his retirement and that he is giving everything to Charlie." Sarah summarized.

Jeff nodded in understanding. "That explains the crowd around them."

"How was your mission?" JoAnna asked.

Sarah responded with a thumbs up. "You should eat, the food is great."

JoAnna rejected. "We had dinner at home, and I'm trying to lose pregnancy weight."

Sarah eyed her sister, and other that JoAnna's breasts being bigger, and her hips being a tad wider, she can't see much of a difference. Sarah does not want to talk about weight. "How are Alice and Jayden?"

JoAnna bobbed her head happily. "They are doing great. We would come earlier, but Jeff insisted on sleeping off Alice, and she is not a big sleeper, so it took a while."

"She is used to her daddy putting her to sleep, she loves my lullabies the best. If we left without an explanation, she would feel that we abandoned her." Jeff explained matter-of-factly.

JoAnna didn't respond. It's Jeff who is used to sleeping off Alice not the other way around. But she will let him have it. He is a very caring husband and a father, and she does not want to spoil it.

After a short chat, Jeff asked JoAnna. "Do you want us to go and congratulate the new patriarch of the Smith family?"

JoAnna would like to, but… "The line is long."

Jeff raised his eyebrow and looked at her smugly. "Since when we wait in the line?"

JoAnna bobbed her head happily. "OK. My powerful husband, show me what you've got."

Jeff flashed a smile and stood up. He offered his hand to JoAnna and they made their way toward Charlie and Emma.

"When should we go?" Sarah asked Aiden.

"Are you done with food?"

Sarah confirmed.

"Let's wait for Jeff and Anna to clear up the crowd for us."

"OK." Sarah responded and her eyes widened when she saw that the crowd parted on their own, giving way to Jeff and JoAnna. "Wow… this is some power…"

Aiden chuckled. He found Sarah's exaggerated expression funny. Everyone here knows who Jeffrey White is, and they fear him. But Aiden does not envy his brother. Because of Jeff's position, he has many enemies as well. Aiden likes that he and Sarah are more low-key compared to Jeff and JoAnna. It allows them more freedom to live because they are attracting less attention.

"I heard that there is a reason to congratulate you." Jeff said when they reached close to Charlie and Emma.

Jeff's comment made the last few people move away.

Charlie smiled. "Congratulations coming from you makes all this much grander than it is."

Jeff and Charlie gave each other man-hug, showing everyone that they are close.

JoAnna and Emma smiled at their men before they started their chatter.

Emma comes to visit JoAnna and the twins every afternoon, so they are in touch, and besides their medical background and a long-term friendship, Emma is helping out at the LA Medical Center in JoAnna's absence and they have a lot in common.

People who were waiting in line to congratulate Charlie and Emma were dejected to see that they are walking away with Jeff and JoAnna. But no one dared to say anything.

Among the crowd-in-waiting were Charlie's second Uncle, Thomas, and his wife, Caroline.

"Let's go and take our seats. We will get our chance when the Whites leave." Thomas mumbled to his wife.

"I suggest we get drinks first." Caroline responded.

Thomas agreed. By going to the side to get drinks, it will be less obvious that they were two steps away from Charlie when Jeff showed up and Charlie ignored everyone completely (them included). How undignifying.

At one of the tables…

"This party got interesting." David said to Aileen while pointing with his chin toward Jeff and JoAnna. "Do they change anything in your brilliant plan?"

Aileen shook her head confidently. She saw that Charlie, Emma, Jeff, and JoAnna took a glass of drink each and they toasted. "If anything, it's helping my plan."

David frowned. "Don't tell me that you are planning to spike her drink."

Aileen rolled her eyes. "Who do you think I am? I would never do anything that can be traced to me."

"You will have someone else spike her drink?" David continued guessing. He does not really care how Aileen will make Emma go to the room during the party, but he is curious to find out from where her confidence is coming.

"There will be no drink spiking. I'm not stupid." Aileen responded in an urgent whisper. "Stop saying nonsense. If someone else does such a thing, and they overhear you, I will be blamed."

Aileen is confident that if anyone gets to be blamed for the failed attempt, that will be her brother. And she has no problem with throwing him under the bus. Just like many Smiths, their sibling rivalry is vicious.

"You are not stupid…" David said mockingly. "But you are going after a woman who already defeated you. In the restroom."

Aileen's face turned ugly. That day, at the opening of the rehabilitation wing of the LA Medical Center, David noticed that Aileen is super-upset and she never told him the details, but she said that she met Emma in the restroom and that she lost. "I am sorry I told you about that. Other than a Mercedes I want you to also promise not to mention that incident again!"

David raised his hands. "OK. You get her into that room, and I will make sure our cousin Charlie sees Emma in a different light. Who knows? Maybe they break up and you get him for yourself. In your dreams…"

Aileen made a face and her gaze returned back to Charlie and Emma who are chatting with Jeff and JoAnna. Her eyebrows shoot up when she saw Aiden and Sarah approaching them.

"Ah, there is another dream-boy." Aileen said with an exaggerated sigh.

David looked at his sister in disbelief. "You are kidding, right? Aiden White?"

Aileen wiggled her eyebrows in response.

David could not believe this. "You are going from bad to worse. Instead of dreaming about Aiden, I suggest you return to Charlie."

"Why? How can he be worse? He is good looking and not a cousin." Aileen said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, you don't see anything beyond your target."

Aileen didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"The woman by Aiden's side… Is. His. Wife."

Aileen pursed her lips. "So? Many men are married. That does not guarantee monogamy. And there is always divorce."

David waved his finger in the air. "That is only if you think of her as a regular socialite."

"And what is she? A princess?"

"Do your research, dear sister. Don't they teach you anything at your college? She is Sarah White. Last year at the White corp. annual meeting, she gave a speech about redoing their security. She is a computer expert and she is the one training Charlie's personal bodyguards. She is not a woman you can afford to offend."

Aileen looked at her brother suspiciously. "You made that up. She is my age. How can she be a computer expert and train bodyguards and be married and…?"

"Why would I make that up?" David cut off his sister. "And just for the records, she is one year younger than you are. Don't try to compare yourself to her. While you are attending parties at your college, Sarah White graduated from Tesla University last year and is one of the main people in White corp. related to computer security. And there is not a single bodyguard at the Smith family who can defeat her in hand-to-hand combat."

"How do you know so much about her?"

David looked at his sister smugly. "She is a gem that caught my eye at that event when Emma hurt you in the restroom. Of course, I would do my research. Do you think you can get Sarah into my room?"

Aileen frowned. Why did he bring up that event again? "If she can beat our bodyguards, she can break you in half."

David had to agree with that. "OK. We will stick to the nurse."

---

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