Is this destiny?

The next week passed quickly.

JoAnna consulted a number of specialists before coming up with a treatment plan for Vasily. She was working with Felix on creating the shattered bones of the skull and if everything goes according to the plan, within next week, JoAnna will perform the surgery.

Sarah was happy to hear that JoAnna is 85% confident that the surgery will be a success, but the prognosis of Vasily waking up is grim. However, all three Hill sisters believe that something is better than nothing, and as long as there is any hope, they will not give up on Vasily. For all three of them keeping Vasily alive is much more than one life, it's their chance to fix things and redeem for their mistakes.

All kids were busy with their summer assignments, internships mostly.

Allen and Julius started working as Jeff's assistants by Leah's side, Corey and Merve continued working as Sophia's assistants by Pam's side, while Imani and Jamari were JoAnna's assistants. JoAnna thought of snatching one (or two) more kids from the Cliffside Villa to help her manage the Golden Ocean Resort because since Bridgette became Mrs. Long, Bridgette's schedule is busy and even though she is helping JoAnna with managing the resort, that place needs someone who can focus on it properly.

Other kids worked at White corp., Smithsonite corp., Heinelurgy, Blanc, and a few kids even went to Long Industries. Ade and Hande focused on the art gallery, so everyone was busy.

Sarah and Aiden were pleased how Michael, Oni, Haru, and Nala were managing things with kids, businesses, and organizations in their absence. Genie was handling the household flawlessly. For Sarah and Aiden, it was a relief to know that they can leave for a few days (and probably longer), and things will run smoothly. 

On a Wednesday morning, Sarah, Aiden, Zack, and Masika made a trip to New York to see men who reported to Vasily directly when he was active as an Elder of the Lebedev family, in charge of North America. Vasily called them commanders.

Twelve people (aka commanders) met in a conference room to discuss the current situation.

The commanders knew that Sarah is the Grand Elder and that Zack was a temporary Elder. Konstantin did a good job in keeping everyone informed about the changes in the leadership. They were surprised when they heard that Aiden is an Elder of the Voronin family and it took some time for Sarah to explain that Voronins are not enemies. Not anymore.

They looked at Aiden apprehensively, but Aiden didn't mind. He came to accompany Sarah and to make sure no harm comes to her, not to deal with Vasily's subordinates.

Sarah confirmed that she will be Vasily's proxy in his absence, but they didn't know the details of why Vasily stepped away from his position and when he will return.

Sarah shared information that Vasily was hurt during a mission and that he is recuperating. She didn't disclose the extent of his injuries and that Vasily is in a coma, waiting for surgery to fix his skull because she believed that things will work out fine and that he will wake up. Telling others about his serious condition will only make them anxious, and they might start infighting in order to snatch resources, thinking that no one is watching.

Lebedevs don't have a strong presence in South America, and Sarah shared her plans on how that will change. With Voronins losing their bases in South America, the Army of Chaos and Lebedevs have a chance to expand their influence. This news made commanders excited.

'Good', Sarah thought while observing their enthusiasm. 'With their thoughts of gaining more resources, they will not think about fighting for what is here...'

Initially, Sarah didn't want to expand to South America. Acquiring new territories requires work and resources, and she wanted to focus on sorting out Lebedevs and Voronins (mostly ensuring that they are not a threat) and focusing on her pregnancy. However, they got reports that since the influence of Voronins faded, various rogue organizations started popping out and creating havoc which prompted Sarah to think about reclaiming those bases and taking advantage of those territories.

Sarah asked twelve commanders to suggest people who might be good candidates for prominent positions in the newly acquired regions, and they were happy to oblige.

"This is also an opportunity for you to show your leadership and strategizing…", Sarah said while offering the commanders opportunities to participate in missions in South America. She welcomed anyone who wants to join the attack force, with an emphasis that defending existing assets comes first.

They agreed to go through reports and data that Sarah brought with her, and to give her their responses in three days.

Sarah was glad that the commanders understood current conditions and they accepted that Zack and Masika will act as contacts when Sarah is unreachable.

The truth is that Sarah has too many things on her hands, and she wouldn't be able to handle this as well, so Zack and Masika offered to help. Sarah agreed right away because Zack acted as an Elder of the Lebedev family while they were in Eastern Europe, and Masika was his assistant, so the two of them were already familiar with how the organization works. Sarah also suggested to Zack and Masika to pick two other people who will be working closely with them, and they agreed to talk about it when they return home.

Sarah wanted to transfer this base from New York to Los Angeles, but some commanders were not willing to move, and she didn't want to force them. As a compromise, she allocated one building in Boyle Heights neighborhood and seven commanders agreed to move to Los Angeles, while five decided to remain in New York.

Sarah didn't have an intention to merge Lebedevs and the Army of Chaos, but it seemed that close cooperation would be inevitable. The seven commanders with their subordinates and family members will move in the area of Los Angeles controlled by the Army of Chaos, so Sarah instructed Noah, Zack, and Masika to ensure they are settled well and that they are familiar with the surroundings. Keeping those people from the Lebedev family outside the protection of Sarah's forces would put them in danger, and she didn't want to risk it.

After a long day full of meetings, Sarah, Aiden, Zack, and Masika returned to Los Angeles and focused on other issues.

The most pressing matter (for Sarah) was Emma's upcoming baby shower. What can she gift to a pregnant woman (aka Emma) who has it all?

Sarah did her online research to see what to gift to the baby and parents-to-be, yet things either seemed inappropriate or irrelevant. Buying diapers, onesies, or a crib would be a waste because Emma can handle those. 

Seeing Sarah's struggle, Aiden decided to help. "How about you gift some stocks to the child? Maybe a piece of land or an apartment? Those investments will appreciate in time." Seeing her frown, he clarified: "Yes, Smiths are loaded, but this will be something for the child, and not from the Smith family. Or we can always commission customized jewelry set from Blanc..."

Sarah was not sure about the jewelry since the baby shower was only days away and there won't be enough time for customization, but gifting an asset to the child sounded brilliant. Now the only problem was: which one?

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