Is this destiny?

~ Unknown location ~

Jarred entered a silent room and took his usual seat at the circular table.

There is one spotlight illuminating the center of the table, making everything outside the surface of the table fall into shadows.

Jarred reached into his inner pocket and retrieved a palm-sized golden medallion that is shaped like an octagon and has a hammer made out of a single black diamond in the middle. The medallion fits perfectly in the groove on the surface of the table in front of Jarred.

"Why are we here?", Jarred asked while looking at eight shadows seated around the table. This meeting came two weeks ahead of schedule.

The group gathered is known as 'the Council' and they have the power to influence politics, economy, military, and anything else that matters on Earth.

People seated in their chairs are hidden in the shadows but Jarred knows they are there because each of the people present has a golden medallion in the groove on the table in front of them.

Two spots are unoccupied. One since five years ago, and one for more than twenty years.

When a member of the Council perishes, it is not an easy task to replace him. Everyone present has his own interests and they need majority votes to agree on a new member. Swaying votes one way or another is always a mammoth's task.

"It's an emergency meeting.", one voice responded.

Jarred snorted. "What emergency? Is this about the oil market? You know that I am not interested in that. Saudis didn't want to play by the rules, and I helped you to tank the prices. If you changed your mind, you don't need to call me. I don't want to talk about it and you don't need my vote for it."

"This is about your protégé…", another voice spoke, and a man leaned forward. The light hitting the center of the table revealed his head full of silver hair. The man is Albert, originally from Sweden and he has a strong influence in European politics.

It is common that the people involved in discussion lean forward, so that their head is hit by the light. If someone stays in the shadows, that means he is not interested in the current topic.

Jarred narrowed his eyes. He knew this is coming. Albert is the biggest opponent to Jarred's suggestion on the candidate for the Council. Ever since Jarred revealed how corrupt Albert's son is, and disqualified him as the potential new member of the Council, Albert is against whatever Jarred supports.

"What about her?", Jarred asked threateningly.

Albert looked at Jarred smugly. "Why didn't you tell us that she is expanding to Eastern Europe and Asia? Or was that supposed to be a secret?"

Jarred stifled a laugh. "And I thought this is important. Do I need to tell you things you already know? Let's be serious. Is this why you summoned the Council two weeks ahead?"

"Are you saying that Sarah increasing her power is not important?", female voice was heard. A woman leaned forward, and the light revealed an older African woman. Her name is Sinet.

Jarred waved his hands, indicating that it's not a big deal. "We all know that Vasily was looking at Sarah with great interest. The man is unpredictable and borderline crazy, but no one will deny that he is a genius. Four years ago, I decided to get closer when I bumped into Sarah in Las Vegas. Since then, I am watching her closely and sharing my findings with you. Sarah is constantly increasing power and gathering allies. However, even with all that power, she prefers to stay low profile and not cause waves unless someone provokes her. That is why I decided to support her as a good candidate for this Council. I know that you have your concerns, Sinet. And I know that you can't wait to prove me wrong, Albert. But how I see it, nothing changed. The more Sarah grows, the more I am convinced that she deserves a spot at this table. Right now, her influence is close to what we have. As for her character… I am sure that we have one more person to vouch for her…"

Jarred smiled smugly and gestured to the shadow of a person seated two spots away, on his right.

The person had in front of her a hexagon-shaped golden medallion with an emerald in the middle that was cut in the shape of a snake.

"Nice, Jarred. Thank you for putting me on the spot…", the woman said sarcastically and leaned forward so that the light can illuminate her face which showed irritation.

Jarred's smile widened. "Hi, Suvedini. It's always nice to see you."

"How did Jarred manage to get you on his side?" Albert didn't try to hide his displeasure.

Suvedini narrowed her eyes at Albert. She is not a fan of Jarred because he is too noisy and speaks whatever comes to his mind, regardless if it's appropriate, but she despises Albert. Suvedini will not forget when Albert called her 'Patel's dog' more than once in the first few years after she joined the Council. 

Suvedini is working as an assistant for Mr. Patel only because it allows her to travel low-profile and use her resources while not attracting attention. If anyone notices anything out of place, she says how that is Mr. Patel's and everyone believes it because Mr. Patel is super-rich. However, that is what he is: rich. If something can be bought with money, Mr. Patel can have it, but the Council is for the people who are above that.

It took two years for Suvedini to confirm that Albert is opposing to any new member of the Council. She is not sure why, but her guess is that he is threatened by the 'new blood', how he calls it. No matter what his reasons are, she does not forget her grudges. One of these days, Albert might find himself poisoned by the snake's venom. There is a reason why the symbol on Suvedini's medallion is a snake.

"No one can influence me, Albert.", Suvedini said to Albert curtly before looking at the other shadows around the table. "Sarah White called Saurabh Patel, asking for help to find her husband who was kidnapped. We all heard a lot about Sarah, so I decided to volunteer and take over the case because I was curious about her and this was the perfect opportunity to approach her. Sarah is resourceful, decisive, and she prioritizes her family. Her loyalty can't be bought. That's all I will say about Sarah."

Suvedini didn't want to disclose that before Sarah called Mr. Patel, Jarred called Suvedini and told her about Sarah's predicament. That is why Suvedini was able to snatch the opportunity and act in Mr. Patel's name. The reports on Sarah are bordering science-fiction and Suvedini was curious to see for herself if Sarah is really so amazing. Well, Suvedini was not disappointed.

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