Is this destiny?

Sarah and Aiden went to the study in order to join the virtual conference with Jeff, Steve, and Charlie without disturbing others in the planning room.

"Based on the videos, it seems that the methods of attack are similar, the fact that it all happened at the same time and that internet is flooded with information about our three families, also supports our theory that this is coordinated." Aiden summarized what they have so far. "We have our people working on cleanup of the internet for everyone so you should focus on securing your resources."

Steve and Charlie admitted that they are short on manpower.

"Gabriel is on the phone since this morning. It's almost like all our facilities are encountering some issues, and in many places, video monitoring is offline." Steve said while pinching the roof of his nose. "Some incidents are minor and not worth looking into, but with our security system messed up, we can't see what is serious without going in person."

"I'm facing a similar situation." Charlie admitted. "For the first ten locations, I dispatched men, but in the last hour, whatever they reported, I told them to sit tight and wait for backup. I can only hope that these are false alarms or that attackers are not heavily armed. If my competition finds out about my current state, I will be decimated."

It was Jeff's turn to give his updates. "My phones are also sizzling. Leah is taking care of it. I am good with men, but we are overwhelmed with technology failures. Ben assured me that the servers at the HQ are operating without any issues and that we didn't have security breach, so this is the problem only with my warehouses and facilities outside city limits." Jeff was the only one with some positive news. He briefly explained to Charlie and Steve what Samara told him and how that is the reason he had more security than usually. "I thought that this is only for my company, otherwise, I would give you a heads-up."

"Of course." Steve said. He trusts Jeff because they worked together for a long time, and Jeff is the one who helped Steve climb up the ranks of the Long family. "Let's figure this out. Can you spare some of your men to check a number of my locations?"

Aiden glanced at Sarah and she understood that he is silently asking her about the members of the Army of Chaos because everyone else is stretched thin.

"Send us the locations in order of priority." Sarah said. "If you have any information related to the current situation, include that as well. We will distribute our manpower and let you know the timeline… How about we sync up in half an hour?"

Charlie and Steve logged off and Jeff used this to ask about Eve.

"How come Eve is down?"

Sarah shook her head helplessly. "We noticed irregularities and had to shut her down. It looks like a virus, but I need time to look into it."

"I suggest you work on getting Eve back online." Jeff said. "We are depending on Eve to alert us of attacks, and in some locations, to fend them off. Without Eve, we are sitting in the dark and it will take time to get to the bottom of this manually. My concern is that attacks are coming in waves and stretching our people to the point of them not being able to retaliate. They might plan for a big attack on a location with insufficient defenses and that could be catastrophic. Soldiers are one thing, but most of my locations are secured by regular people as well. Unless we deal with this swiftly, it will get out of hand. Just like Charlie, Steve and I have enemies in waiting. We can't afford to stay vulnerable."

Aiden exhaled. "How I see it, everything is messed up. This attack was planned for a long time, and it's massive. Watch your back, Jeff. If this is related to the person who contacted Samara…" Aiden didn't finish his thoughts. He wondered if they have a traitor close to them. Someone from the Cliffside Villa? Anything is possible. Aiden told himself not to go there. If he starts suspecting kids and their friends, he will end up alone in a dark place. 'Focus, Aiden. There is so much to do…'

Sarah looked at Aiden and asked softly: "What do you think?"

If it's up to her, she would work on Eve right away, because she does not see Eve as piles of code. However, that also means that Sarah's judgment is messed up, and she relies on Aiden to keep her grounded.

Aiden snapped out of his dark thoughts and agreed with Jeff. "Sarah, work on Eve. Get Mishi and the group from Ceresc Solutions to help you isolate and analyze the virus and how it got in. It might be a clue to who is behind all this mess."

Sarah realized that Aiden will not join her. "What about you?"

"I will be ground control. I have Anna and Sophia here to help manage the situation. We will analyze data from Jeff, Charlie, and Steve, come up with a plan and dispatch people. Leave this up to me. Your only focus should be on getting Eve on-line. OK?"

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Don't take unnecessary risks. I want you to be careful."

Aiden caressed Sarah's cheek and spoke into her lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Before the two of you start making out, I'm going to log off…" Jeff grumbled, and the screen went dark.

Sarah and Aiden didn't hear Jeff, they were lost in each other's eyes.

Aiden closed the distance between them, and they kissed. It was a long kiss that left Sarah's lips throbbing and asking for more.

"I don't feel like parting from you." Sarah admitted her thoughts.

Aiden smiled. "Same here. But we have a mess to clean up. Let's get this done quickly so that I can taste you again."

He gave her a quick kiss and they walked out of the study room.

In the hallway where the planning room is…

Sarah hugged Aiden and took in a deep breath, inhaling his scent.

Sarah didn't want to part from him. With Eve being offline and all the attacks, she was uneasy and only Aiden's proximity made it better. But the best place to fix Eve is from the room with the most powerful computers in the house, and that is on the lowest level where only Sarah and Aiden have access.

"I wish that you can come with me."

"So do I, love…" Aiden said and tightened his hold on Sarah. "Focus on Eve. I will come to bring you lunch and keep you updated. OK?"

Sarah wanted to say that she will come out, but she is aware that fixing Eve will take hours and that once she starts digging into code, she will probably forget about the time.

"I'm counting on you to take care of everything. Me included. Don't allow me to starve."

Aiden laughed. "I will never let you starve. Didn't I prove that many times already? More than once, I cooked for you in the middle of the night."

"Mhm..." Sarah hummed in agreement. "Sometimes I wonder why you pamper me so much."

Aiden chuckled. "I am trying to prove that I am ready for when your cravings start."

"I love it when you cook for me. It makes me feel special."

"I will always cook for you. I will do anything for you."

Sarah exhaled. She can stand in the hallway and talk with him forever, but there is work that needs to be done.

Sarah felt silly for being so clingy because Aiden will be only a few floors above her, and they can see each other anytime. "I should go."

Aiden gave her a lingering kiss and they held hands as they walked in opposite directions. Their bodies parted, and then the contact between their hands reduced to tips of their fingers. Sarah watched him walk away and her gaze fell on her black wedding band.

She was tense and her insides trembled as she descended to the lowest level. Sarah shook it off. "I'm nervous because of Eve and all this other mess… It will all be better when we find out who is behind it and give them a good beating..."

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