Is this destiny?

The sun descended behind the tree canopies marking the end of a day that started with Sarah and Aiden being captured by the Voronins, and continued with Vasily's sacrifice, finding out the truth behind Vasily's actions, followed by remorse and grief and several other talks… but the day is not over.

Even after the sunset, the heat of July was unpleasant. The air was dry and the breeze was warm.

The cold temperature in the conference room didn't reflect the outside.

Sarah looked at the people gathered in the room.

Konstantin was with his two assistants, Vuk and Bogdan. JoAnna and Sophia were present, as well as Zack and Masika (aka Zack's assistant), and seven other Elders with one assistant each.

Normally, in addition to the Grand Elder, there would be twelve Elders, and that is how it was for as long as they can remember, but since Milena joined, things started changing in the Lebedev family.

Milena toppled two Elders while taking one of those seats as Elder Milena, and they never found a solid candidate to fill the vacant position.

In addition to that, Vasily became more aggressive and he crippled two Elders who were unable to take their regular duties. The rumors were that those two Elders were plotting against Elder Milena, but nothing was ever proven as they refused to talk.

No one ever leaves the family due to security reasons, with choices being death or accepting a lower position. Of course, those two individuals stayed close, and some speculate how those two ex-Elders really can't remember why Vasily went after them. However, regardless of why, it was a clear message not to upset Vasily. Everyone knew to stay out of Vasily's way, but Vasily still liked to remind them of that occasionally.

The Lebedevs ended up being victims of their own system. Appointing a new Elder was not a frequent event, and for the last two decades, existing Elders got comfortable in their roles and they would make sure to suppress anyone who might challenge their position before that person had a chance to make his (or her) move. Because of that, for more than two decades they didn't have new blood among Elders, and the existing ones were focused more on the politics than on honing their skills, making them vulnerable to fall under their own rule that disagreements will be settled in the arena where the strongest stays on top.

That is how they found themselves in a current situation with three empty seats that should belong to Elders… well, four empty seats because Zack is not really an Elder, but a proxy only.

It was unprecedented that assistants were present, but this was not a usual meeting.

Assistants were happy and wary to attend the meeting while Elders wanted to know if this will be a common practice going forward, but no one wanted to be the first to bring it up.

Sarah stood up and addressed people in the room. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. As you are aware, earlier today, we lost Elder Vasily."

Everyone nodded solemnly. No one was surprised because the news spreads fast.

They waited to hear what else Sarah will say, eager for her to finish with the introductions and to move onto the topic of who will get Vasily's territory. Every Elder wants more either because of the greed that is eating their hearts by corrupting them with power or because they believe how they would do the right thing by preserving Vasily's legacy and increase the influence of the Lebedevs, with a twist of their own.

"We all know that Elder Vasily was a capable man. Unfortunately, he didn't delegate work because he preferred to handle it personally, and replacing him will be a daunting task. Other than spreading fear and respect wherever he went, Vasily was also an amazing businessman. Whoever takes his place will need to maintain that level of competence. Do you agree?"

Everyone nodded at Sarah's words.

"Excellent!", Sarah exclaimed, happy that things are going as they predicted. "I will work with Elder Konstantin on creating a list of what was under Vasily's command and we can use it to discuss how to divide it."

"Divide?", Elder Gavril asked Sarah what many were thinking.

Sarah confirmed. "At this point, we don't have a suitable candidate for an Elder who would take Vasily's place, and each of you has your territories and responsibilities. Managing the whole of North America is a big task that carries a lot of work, unless you are familiar with Vasily's subordinates and contacts."

Elder Gavril pressed his lips into a line, and Sarah noticed Elder Milan's stiff expression which told her that he didn't like her words either. That was not outside her expectations and she continued, knowing that JoAnna, Sophia, and Eve are watching for any signs of displeasure from people in the room.

Their plan is simple, whoever disagrees will be relieved of his duties. The tricky part is to execute it without causing a riot within the organization. Sarah is aware that each of these Elders has soldiers who are loyal or maybe they stick together only due to benefits, but in any case, she needs to make the process of stripping them from the position of power appear to be within the rules of the Lebedev family which everyone seems to adhere to.

"Does any of you have knowledge of Elder Vasily's network, assets, and dealings?" Sarah met each gaze directed at her to confirm what she knew. Vasily didn't collaborate with anyone. "Then, we can all agree that this requires a systematic approach."

One by one, Elders nodded in agreement.

The net is cast, and Sarah was slowly pulling them in where she wants them. Sophia instructed Sarah on several strategies on how to sway the Elders in the right direction, and the first step is to say several things they agree on, to loosen them up.

"You can expect the list to be sent to each of you within two days and after that, we will meet to discuss in person."

"Two days?", Elder Bozidar asked Sarah. "What if someone attacks during that time?"

Sarah raised her arm, indicating to him to wait. "We got that covered. Konstantin and I will temporarily manage resources that belonged to Elder Vasily. In that way, everyone can focus on their own tasks. You should manage your territories and come up with data to support your case if you want to claim anything from North America."

"We need to come up with a case?", Elder Gavril voiced his objection.

Elder Gavril is currently ranked as the Elder number one, and it is normal to assume that based on his position he will get the biggest share of what used to belong to Vasily (if not all of it). Sarah insinuated that he needs to prove himself and he does not like it.

"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "We don't want anyone to take more than they can handle efficiently. If you show that you can handle more assets, they will be allocated to you. Our list will be more than a list of bases and personnel count. It will also include expenses, income, and an estimate of how much effort it takes to manage it. If anyone wants to expand to North America, and it's too much…", Sarah looked at Elder Gavril. "You always have an option to say that you will give up on what you are currently managing in favor of the North American region."

"What if we can't prove it? We are already swamped, what if no one can prove it?", Elder Milan asked.

Sarah gestured toward Zack. "I have capable people ready who can take over as proxies until a permanent Elder is appointed or until you learn to manage your existing tasks with greater efficiency. You are welcome to present your case and claim any available regions at any time."

As much as some were not willing to let Konstantin and Sarah manage North America, they had to agree with Sarah's words. No one would dare to ask for more territories if it's obvious that they can't handle it. Unfortunately, they are all busy with their current workload and no one is willing to let go of the territories they are managing for more than two decades.

The idea to prove they can do it, sounded reasonable. Everyone was taken by the promise of more territories.

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