Is this destiny?

The doorbell rang…

Ian moved toward the door to see who it is… probably one of their people. But, shouldn't the security system warn them when someone accesses the floor?

"Wait…", Matthew stopped him and got his phone.

Matthew grinned while watching the video feed on his phone which shows that Sarah and Aiden are at the door. He likes that the surveillance system connects to his phone.

"It's the maid-of-honor and the best man.", Matthew gestured to Ian to let them in. "We should get a system like this for our home and bases."

Ian rolled his eyes internally while walking to the door. Why do they need such a system when they have armed people at the gates? And don't they already have video surveillance? Ah, his boss gets easily attracted to gadgets no matter how useful they are.

Ian is not happy. He was planning to go downstairs for his afternoon break. And now that the guests are here, he is not sure if the boss will ask him to stay.

Ian perked up when he came in with Sarah and Aiden and Matthew told him that he can go for his break.

"Are you sure, boss?", Ian asked reluctantly while his eyes darted toward Sarah and Aiden.

"Yes, yes. Go and rest until dinner time. This place is safer than a fortress and our hosts are here to give me company.", Matthew ended with a hearty laugh.

"Uhm… Mister Young…", Sarah cleared her throat awkwardly. "We came only for few minutes to make sure you are comfortable, and we don't plan to stay long. Definitely not until dinner."

"No problem, no problem…", Matthew gestured to Ian to leave.

Ian left and Sarah placed a decorative gift bag on the table before sitting on the sofa next to Aiden.

"We heard that you enjoy exquisite drinks, so we thought that you might appreciate this one.", she gestured toward the bag.

Matthew's eyebrows shoot up with curiosity when he reached for the bag and his mouth was slightly open while examining the bottle of cognac.

"Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande…" he said under his breath while remembering that one bottle of this exquisite drink goes for about 2 million US dollars each. "These are almost impossible to get your hands on. And you are giving it to me, just like that?"

Sarah smiled and leaned onto Aiden while thinking what his reaction would be if he knew that they have fifty of them. Correction: forty-nine because they just gave one away. And they got them for free thanks to plundering the storage of Lebedevs.

"It's not 'just like that'.", Sarah explained. "We are hoping to coax you into cooperating with us. So, treat this as a token of our good will."

Matthew looked at them suspiciously. "Cooperating with you?"

Matthew was not sure what to think about these two youngsters whose eyes are clear and contain a hint of playfulness. Do they want to stage a prank on the newlyweds, and they want his help? He could not think of anything more serious than that.

Sarah made a confirming sound. "Yes, Boss Young. We believe that we can help each other."

Matthew frowned when Sarah addressed him as 'Boss Young'. Only people from the underworld call him by that name.

He saw that Sarah stretched her arm and placed something on the table.

Matthew looked at the big golden coin-looking thing for few seconds before reaching to inspect it closely. He felt that his heart jolted when he observed the symbol engraved in the coin: a circle with eight arrows coming out of it. It's the same symbol that was on the USB drive which Ellie brought to him last weekend. But even without that USB, he knows that this is the symbol of Chaos.

"You? …", he asked in disbelief while his hand moved to reach for his phone. Or maybe his gun. He usually keeps it there, but now he doesn't because he feels safe in this penthouse.

"All your men are downstairs.", Aiden's words made Matthew freeze. "If you call them, by the time they reach here, we can kill you more than ten times… If we want."

Matthew saw these two youngsters who are lazily resting on the sofa in a new light. He knows that they are connected to Chaos… What are their roles? He heard that there are two bosses, a female and a male… What are the chances that it's the two of them? He shook his head while dismissing that thought. They are too young. But he can't neglect that they are high enough the ladder to be able to negotiate for the organization.

From the incident with Ellie, Matthew knows that Aiden can fight. He defeated five ruffians who attacked Ellie. But he is not just a regular ruffian...

Matthew smirked. "Kill me? You are twenty years too young for that."

"We are not here to threaten you.", Sarah decided to defuse the situation before it escalates. She felt Aiden's muscles tensing. Really… he is always itchy for a fight. Must be a guy thing.

Matthew saw that Sarah is relaxed so he relaxed as well. "Tell me about the cooperation you have on your mind…"

Sarah told him that they want his assistance in Europe while they can provide him with assistance in United States.

"Our attacks are not random, no matter what others say. We are focusing on specific groups, while other incidents are only retaliation for their insolence.", Sarah explained. "At this time, we expect from you to provide us with information related to specific organizations which we will name if we come to an agreement. Also, if you are capable, to assist us in limiting their influence…"

Matthew listened and even though it was mostly high-level explanation without naming their targets, he understood that they have a goal to suppress one or more organizations which are stationed in Europe. That can mean only one thing: revenge. But their motive is not his business, not yet. If they come to an agreement, he will find out more about their roles and reasons. "What do I get out of this?"

"We can help you with information gathering. If anything is in electronic form, it is not off limits. Also, you can count on our forces, if they are present in the area, we can make it happen. As for anything additionally… name your price." Sarah gestured toward the 2 million dollars' worth bottle of cognac. "Please, accept that as our sign of good will."

Matthew nodded absentmindedly while thinking about it. There was not much to think about, the deal is good, for initial stages at least, and it is enough to proceed to sharing more information. But he still does not understand few things…"I am aware that you rejected many other organizations who approached you. Why me?"

Aiden answered this one: "We are not interested in calling someone an ally if we need to watch our backs from them. Your history shows that you follow a code of conduct, a gentleman within lawbreakers."

"If I refuse, will Ellie be in danger?" Matthew wanted to clarify this. What if they are pretending to be friendly to Ellie only to get access to him?

"Ellie is my childhood friend.", Sarah responded. "She is our friend. And she will remain that regardless if you work with us or not."

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