Is this destiny?

Stella returned with another plate of food and Edward by her side, and even though she was upset that the spot on Sarah's left was occupied by JoAnna, Stella was happy to see all her kids at one place and she and Edward sat between Jeff and Sophia.

They all enjoyed a long-overdue meal without stress.

Topics of conversation were mostly around pregnancy. Felix and Jeff mentioned events they remembered from when their wives were pregnant and Aiden listened attentively. He understood that Sarah's food cravings might go crazy, but so far she had none. Aiden was not sure if that was a good thing or not. He took a mental note not to talk about her weight, ever.

JoAnna and Sophia would occasionally glance at the picnic blanket where their kids were in the shade with nannies. They played well with Milica and Attila, even though there were occasional cries about sharing toys, but that was a stage every toddler needs to go through. And a few cries were when dogs ate their snacks (while kids were holding onto them).

"It would be nice if Elanor and Oscar are here.", Sarah said while caressing her (still) flat belly.

She knows that Jeff and Aiden have pending issues with their parents, but she is carrying their grandson, and she wished that they were present for the gender-reveal. Sarah remembered that Elanor would pester her about grandkids and Sarah avoided her. Now she finally has a baby in her belly, yet that grandma is not around.

"How about we take a few days of rest and then we go and visit them?", Aiden asked Sarah.

Sarah liked the idea. They haven't visited Elanor and Oscar in a long time.

JoAnna exhaled. "With all the changes that impact the White family, we will probably need to organize an event in the White Mansion." She heard Jeff grumble something in disapproval, so she added: "You are the Master of the White family, and it's necessary to assure your subordinates and allies that you are on top of things. In the last week, our influence increased, and that is a reason to celebrate. I know you don't like these functions, but it needs to be done."

"You are not alone." Aiden's comment surprised Jeff and he smiled a little.

"We will all help.", Felix assured Jeff and Jeff's smile widened when he saw that Sophia and Sarah nodded in agreement.

…

Igor was surprised (and slightly scared) when Maksim took a seat next to him. He knows Maksim as the scary person from the Voronin family. Why is he here? Igor felt like crying.

"You are from Iskra's base.", Maksim said.

"I was.", Igor responded stiffly.

"Were you part of her base for real, or like as an undercover Lebedev?"

"I have nothing to do with Lebedevs.", Igor responded quickly.

Maksim smiled and eyed Igor's uniform. "I can see that. You are with the Army of Chaos."

Igor shifted nervously in his seat and didn't respond.

Maksim glanced at the table where Sarah was sitting with her family. "Who are people with Divna?"

"Divna?"

"Your Goddess.", Maksim clarified.

"Oh… Aiden is her husband and others are her family. I think."

"You think, or you know?"

"I am not sure. I just joined recently.", Igor admitted.

"You joined recently…", Maksim repeated. "How did you join?"

Igor was not sure how much he should say, but Sarah told him that as long as he does not disclose any sensitive information about the Army of Chaos, he can speak freely. And other than the location of the base at the Ceresc Solutions, Igor does not know anything important. "Some people were after Sarah and Aiden while we participated in the tournament at the Voronins. I didn't want to be part of that and Iskra sent men to teach me a lesson. Sarah offered me to join."

"Divna came to you and asked you to join her army?"

"Not really. She offered me a way out of there, and I didn't know where I'm going. I only knew that if I stay, I will not last long, so I took my chance. I was shot and Sarah gave me medical treatment. A few days later, Sarah asked me if I want to leave or stay and I decided to stay. That is when I found out that I was in the base of the Army of Chaos."

"How does someone join the Army of Chaos?", Maksim asked.

Igor was surprised that Maksim spoke to him like they are equals and he wondered, why did he freak out at the beginning? The more they spoke, the more Igor relaxed.

"We have fight clubs across Europe. If you win a number of fights, generals will take note of you and you will be offered to take additional tests."

Maksim was interested. "What tests?"

"I don't know the details. You should ask Sarah. She is the one who came up with rules and she is easy to talk to."

Maksim nodded in understanding. "You mentioned generals. Are you one of them?"

"No. I am a newbie. They invited me here only because I am familiar with the Voronin family. It is not an easy thing to get close to a general.", Igor said proudly.

"I am aware of three…", Maksim said and gestured toward Noah, Aaron, and Michael.

Igor chuckled. "Noah and Aaron are not generals. They have a special status, something like Sarah's helpers. They report directly to her and all members of the army listen to the two of them."

"What about the third guy?", Maksim asked about Michael.

"His position is even more special. Noah and Aaron obey him."

Maksim was annoyed by the lack of information from Igor. Who classifies people as 'special' and 'more special'? "Can you give me more details than just levels of special status?"

Igor confirmed. "Noah and Aaron stay with the army members, they are soldiers. Michael moves with Sarah, like a personal guard but they are all friendly."

"What about the pretty boy?"

Igor understood that Maksim is asking about Aiden. During the tournament at the Voronin family, everyone called Aiden (aka Alex) as: 'the pretty boy'.

"Aiden has the same status as Sarah, but everyone knows that she runs the show. Other than joining her, he does not use his position."

Igor didn't know more about Aiden, but Maksim was aware that Aiden is the second master of the White family and in charge of their people. And one of the men at the table is Aiden's older brother who is the Master of the White family. Maksim knows about Aiden and Jeff because they have detailed records on them in the Voronin database.

"Do you regret joining the Army of Chaos?", Maksim asked.

"No.", Igor responded without missing a beat. "I am just a soldier, but they treat me like I am important. It is not just me. Everyone gets a chance to show what they can do. There are various things we can learn, and many places where we can use our skills. I am going to be a strategist soon."

Maksim remembered their meeting earlier that day and Sarah talking about training their men for more than just muscles and reflexes. He connected the dots… the training she mentioned is similar to what she is doing at the Army of Chaos.

"What other trainings there are?", Maksim continued probing.

Igor shrugged. "Anything you can think of. Sarah said that the more we know, the more value we can bring. People learn anything from statistics to languages and arts. If you make a painting and sell it, you can keep most of the money for yourself. And you get help in finding a job."

Maksim understood that Sarah is not leading only an army of soldiers, but also an army of spies. By teaching them various skills, her people are integrated into various layers of society and she could easily be in a position to control much more than anyone imagined.

Maksim recognized Mr. Wang, Suvedini, Mathew, and the Ronin twins. Maksim read a file about Madam K, and from there he knows who Jasper is. Since Jasper is the son of the previous Madam K, Maksim could easily connect the dots that Ellie is the current one. 

"Interesting…", Maksim mumbled. 

"I would say that it's fascinating.", Igor said enthusiastically. "I will go with them to Los Angeles. I heard that the whole neighborhood belongs to the Army of Chaos. They have residential buildings, restaurants, and of course, a fight club. I will be security there until I complete my training for a strategist…"

Igor blabbered and Maksim listened intently. 

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