Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside Villa ~

Later that evening…

Sarah was in a room full of medical machines, sitting next to the bed and observing Vasily as the steady sound of the heart rate monitor filled the space.

Vasily's head was shaven due to the recent surgeries and he had exposed stitches over his scalp. His skin was pale and slightly grayish, and he lost a lot of weight, making him a shadow of a man he used to be.

Sarah sighed. When Aiden was in a coma, he looked like he was sleeping, but with Vasily, it's obvious that his body is unwell.

"Get better…", Sarah said. "I need you to get better, Uncle."

She choked a bit on her words as this was the first time she called him Uncle, yet he didn't hear her. Sarah wanted to tell him that she was sorry for everything, but she held her words back because he will wake up and she will tell him while he is watching her… and she hoped that he will forgive her.

The door opened and Hero, Luna, and Bella rushed in and started circling around the bed where Vasily was lying. Sarah didn't need to look back or to check on Eve-lens to know that Aiden came into the room.

"You are still here?", Aiden asked when he entered the room. He saw that Sarah's expression was not good and he put his arms around her.

Sarah sighed and leaned her head on his stomach.

Aiden knew that Sarah was torturing herself with regrets, and he was helpless because no matter what he said, it didn't help. Missions, tasks related to kids, vacations, everything was a temporary distraction, and she would revert to this state whenever her mind was idle.

Now that Vasily will be with them in the Cliffside Villa, won't this make Sarah's mental state worse?, Aiden wondered.

"Love, if you don't think about this in a positive light, I will ask Anna to take Vasily back to the hospital.", Aiden said after some time.

Sarah looked up to meet his concerned gaze. "What positive light?"

"Vasily is alive, and we are giving him the best care possible. What he did was of his own accord and you can't blame yourself for it.", Aiden said sternly.

"I know all that but…"

"There are no buts.", Aiden interrupted her. "Yes, you misunderstood him. But whose fault was that? If your parents, Owen, or Vasily told you the truth, you would not see Vasily as some big bad wolf who was waiting to harm you and your sisters."

"I can't blame them for my actions.", Sarah responded.

"You can't but you can't take all the blame on yourself either. The surgery was a success, and his condition is stable. With our care, Vasily will get better, and you will have a long heartfelt talk and clear up the air between the two of you."

Sarah smiled. "OK."

Aiden's expression softened. "That's my girl. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Sarah knew that Aiden was asking her about her going to a meeting that Jarred is trying to set up for some time. Jarred agreed that Sarah can take with her personal security and that he will inform her about the location in advance, and that they can check the room before the meeting starts to ensure that there are no traps. With that, Sarah accepted.

"Yes. I am ready. You?", Sarah asked in return, knowing that Aiden is more anxious about this than she is.

"I will never be ready to put you through anything shady, but… I will be there, and I will be watching you."

"There is no one else whom I would trust with watching my back.", Sarah said and sank into his embrace.

Sarah and Aiden agreed that Jarred would not put Sarah in danger knowingly. Jarred agreeing to Sarah bring her security was already a concession and a sign of his good faith.

With that, Sarah and Aiden decided to treat this as any other meeting and to see what is hiding behind it.

Aiden will not join Sarah personally, as he will watch her from the distance. In case this is a trap, they don't want to be caught in it at the same time. Sarah will go with Nala and Oni, while a dozen of others will wait outside the building, and Aiden will be about half a mile away with several other teams, and everything will be overseen by Eve and her army of invisible drones.

Sarah really-really hopes that she will meet with a group of kings, presidents, or maybe military generals because anything less than that would be disappointing. All the secrecy and unreasonable conditions Jarred required initially got Sarah's hopes up and she believes that people she is about to meet should be someone important. She also wondered about the topic of the meeting and she suspects that it's related to her role in the Lebedev family or the Army of Chaos (or both). Do they want her to retract her troops? Or to attack a country? World domination? Who knows?

…

In an apartment building in Boyle Heights neighborhood…

Chloe finished dinner with Matilda, Rosie, Chad, Tim, and Mark, and she was helping out Matilda clear up the table.

The other four work at the Chaos nightclub and they were about to leave and get ready to work.

"Chloe, can I have a word with you?", Mark asked.

"Sure…", Chloe responded with a smile while wondering if he is nervous or she imagined it.

This is the second time Mark and Chloe are having dinner in Matilda's apartment and Chloe got an impression that Mark is a nice guy. His large build makes him appear intimidating, but he is a softie inside who is full of interesting stories and he can make Chloe laugh.

Tim and Chad are also nice guys and with Rosie and Matilda it all looks like a cozy family Chloe always missed and she looks forward to dinnertime when she gets to spend time with them.

With everyone still lingering in the living room, Mark asked Chloe if they can step out to the hallway, to which Chloe agreed. She was curious why is he so secretive.

"I was wondering…", Mark said while glancing through the gap in the door behind Chloe, to make sure no one overhears them. "Do you have plans for later this evening?"

Chloe blinked, unsure where this is going. It's Thursday evening, what kind of plans could she have? "Later this evening?"

Mark nodded and explained: "I am free from 10 PM to midnight and if you come to the club, I can get you that drink I promised. I thought you will come last night, but you didn't and that is why I'm asking now."

"Oh… Sorry, Mark, but I don't want to go out on weekdays anymore. I was out on Tuesday evening and I overslept for work on Wednesday. I learned my lesson to keep late outings for weekends."

Mark was not discouraged. "How about on a weekend? Do you have plans? Even if it's not in the evening, we could do something in the afternoon."

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