Is this destiny?

~ Austin, the White Mansion ~

6:32 PM

The main lobby is packed with guests who are standing there from before 6 PM with a hope to get the first glance of the new Master and Madam. Looking at the time, they are late. All these people are rich and powerful, and they do not like to wait, but no one dares to voice their grievances. Whoever thought of leaving back to their seat was contemplating the possibility that if they leave 'right now' and then the two most important people for the night appear, they waited all this time for nothing. So, they waited some more.

All chatter stopped when Jeff and JoAnna appeared on the top of the stairs. Only music from the ballroom mixed with the crisp sound of JoAnna's high-heeled shoes as they stepped down the stairs to the main level where the party is.

Jeff's white suit makes him stand out, and JoAnna's silver dress is eye catching. The two of them look amazing together. The aura they project is like a king and a queen who are descending among commoners.

If they knew that JoAnna was scolding him for the last half an hour, they would probably laugh (but not openly). Luckily, only Bradley and Russel were there, and they left the room as soon as they saw JoAnna glaring at Jeff. It took him forever to pacify her. Luckily, she realized that they are late, and she adjusted her mood.

Looking at her smile, no one would know that she was raging just few minutes ago because Jeff didn't come to pick her up with the rest of the guys.

Jeff told himself never to stay behind and he should stick to Aiden and Felix, because if those two go early to pick up Anna's sisters and he does not get his wife, somehow he ends up as a bad guy.

Jeff and JoAnna made their way through the crowd while returning greetings of the guests without stopping.

The two of them found Sarah and Aiden at the main table in the ballroom and they joined them at their seats. Sophia and Felix are there, together with Jasper, Ellie, Charlie and Emma.

Each table has ten seats and per custom Jeff should sit with Oscar and Donald (the previous Masters), but Jeff requested to sit with people he trusts. He is still not 100% confident in Charlie because they met only recently, but Emma and JoAnna are getting along great, so he ended up bonding with Charlie as well.

At the neighboring table are Jeff's friends from university: Bradley, Christopher, Russel, and Vincent with their dates. Steve and Bridgette are at that table as well.

At the table on the other side of the stage are Oscar, Elanor, Edward, Stella, White grandparents Barbara and Donald, Hill grandparents James and Mary. Elanor's father, Richard is there as well and unexpectedly, tenth person at that table is Jarred (Charlie's uncle).

JoAnna and Sarah already noticed that Elanor has some history with Jarred. They are bickering like old friends every time they meet. Two sisters suspected that Elanor and Jarred might be old lovers, but if that is true then Oscar would not be so friendly with Jarred, right? Elanor personally worked on seating arrangements, so they know that Jarred would not sit there without Elanor's (and Oscar's) approval.

Other than those three tables, everyone else is potentially hostile. The ones who are not hostile, are here with some agenda.

Sarah observed their eight 'security additions' scattered through the room in pairs, at four tables. She worked on this with Elanor.

Each of the kids has some identity that will match of a person who would be invited to this occasion. Jesse and Oni, and Ron and Zula are acting as young couples, while Allen and Julius are having roles of siblings, the same as Tejan and Daniel. That explains why they would be seated together.

Sarah glanced at Jesse and Oni who are seated with Marcus few tables away. Sarah trusts that Jesse knows what to do, and Oni has a lot to learn from him.

They all observed that Marcus didn't come with his wife. Marcus brought as his companion Jasmine, his assistant. Many people gossiped that Jasmine is providing Marcus with services which are not limited to the ones of an assistant, and now those rumors are confirmed. Jasmine is by Marcus' side proudly, her face glowing, like she belongs there. Lukas is present, and surprisingly (or not), Kyra Bell is his date for the night. Marcus' daughter, Samara made her appearance tonight, and she came without a date.

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan are few tables away from Marcus' and Ron and Zula are at that table.

…

At seven o'clock sharp, Oscar stepped on the stage with Elanor.

"May I have your attention…", Oscar started. "As you know, my successor is my older son, Jeffrey. He is performing the role of a Master for some time already, and this event is organized to make the transfer of power official…"

While Oscar delivered his speech, Jeff and JoAnna made their way to the stage.

"…I hope that you will support him as he takes over this challenging role." Oscar ended and gave Jeff few pats on the shoulder while handing him the microphone.

"Thank you, dad.", Jeff nodded to his father and turned to the people present. "I am honored to take this role. When I found out what all it means, I was overwhelmed but soon I realized that I am not by myself. I will work closely with a number of people who have my complete trust and I am lucky that they are willing to spend their time and effort…"

As much as Jeff is not a chatty one, over years as a CEO he is used to giving speeches (just like Oscar).

Jeff introduced Aiden, Sarah, Sophia and Felix as his closest associates in his new role, and he didn't forget to talk about his wife either. He also mentioned Steve and Bridgette and people who worked under Oscar and will continue reporting to him.

Oscar returned to his table with Elanor, and Donald gave him an approving nod. Both Oscar and Donald looked at Jeff with pride evident on their faces.

Marcus observed the scene at the stage, and then at his brother and father and his hands balled into fists. That should be him! He thought that he can take this well, but now he sees that he was wrong. There is no way that he can calmly watch those people give and take what belongs to him!

Marcus felt a soft hand land over his fist under the table.

"I know what you are feeling…", Jasmine comforted him. "Think about how long you are waiting. What is few more weeks?"

Jasmine saw that Marcus relaxed slightly and she continued in a soft voice. "That's right. We have a plan. Everything is in place. Soon we will start… Don't make a scene and jeopardize it…"

Jasmine was more than happy to be by Marcus' side. For so many years she is following him, and this is the first time that he brought her as his +1, officially. Ah, she is so close to being next Madam White that she can almost touch it. Almost.

Marcus looked at Jasmine gratefully. She is so sensible. Always available and understanding. Now that he thinks about it, Jasmine is a good-looking woman, loyal, reliable, capable… and she serves him well in the office as well as in the bedroom. How come he didn't notice that so far?

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