Is this destiny?

~ Eastern Europe, the base of the Lebedev family ~

June 6

10:02 AM

In the villa of the Grand Elder Sarah…

Sarah left the meeting irritably.

After a thorough investigation, they concluded that Vasily was right. There are no bases of the Lebedev family in the area where Marija met those mercenaries, and Sarah instructed them to look into other organizations.

She knows that Michael, Oni, Haru, and Nala are doing everything they can, but this is the seventh day without any news of Aiden and Sarah is running out of patience. Everyone is saying things like 'we will find him', and 'they will not hurt him'… but those people said how they will not hurt Aiden a week ago, what if they changed their mind?

Aaron sent men to the same location where Marija met people and they confirmed that Voronins and two other groups are frequenting that place.

Oni's team was looking into trade information from the data ex-Elder Nikolai left behind and there they found that two of those groups were mentioned related to the drug snovidenie. 

Sarah used her position as the Grand Elder of the Lebedev Family to get information on the bases of the Voronin family and any other group in that area, and Nala's team is investigating and assessing their bases.

While walking to her bedroom which has a bed covered with piles of printouts and a laptop she is using to fix Eve, Sarah heard someone calling after her. "Sarah… Sarah…"

"What?" Sarah responded to JoAnna impatiently.

"You didn't eat anything. I brought you some breakfast."

Sarah turned and saw JoAnna holding a plate with a sandwich in one hand. Sarah exhaled and rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry, I am edgy and… Thank you.", Sarah said while accepting the plate JoAnna gave her.

Sarah glanced on the side. "Why is your medical bag here?"

"Because you are not eating or sleeping well for a week. I want to check your current condition."

Sarah realized that she can't shake off JoAnna easily. "Let's go to my room."

A few minutes later…

"You are so dehydrated, that I can't find a vein for a blood draw." JoAnna grumbled. "Why are you not taking care of yourself? Make sure you take these vitamins. And please eat and drink more. I will ask kids to ensure to bring you food whenever you don't join us in the dining room for a meal."

Sarah wanted JoAnna to leave so that she can go back to work. "What else?"

"Can you pee?"

"I can try."

"Do it in here…" JoAnna handed her a sterile cup. "And leave it on the sink."

Sarah did her business in the restroom and resumed her work on the laptop while munching on the sandwich that JoAnna prepared for her.

JoAnna went to the bathroom and Sarah forgot that her sister is there.

"Sarah? Can you come here?" JoAnna called.

"Now what?" Sarah mumbled and went into the bathroom.

She saw that JoAnna is looking at her with a complex expression. "What? Do I have some disease?" Sarah assumed that JoAnna did some tests on the urine sample she left.

JoAnna pointed at the pregnancy test on the sink.

Sarah frowned and approached it slowly. She knew what it is, but she was not sure if she wants to read what it says. But she could not prevent her eyes drifting toward the display that had a result: 'Pregnant'.

Sarah gritted her teeth and grabbed the test stick in slow motion.

"Why did you do it without my permission?" Sarah asked icily.

"I'm sorry, Sarah, I was curious, and I hoped that it will motivate you to take care of yourself because that is taking care of more than…" JoAnna stopped talking when she heard the plastic shell of the test cracking. "Sarah?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes at JoAnna and spoke through her teeth. "If you tell anyone about this, I will never speak to you again. If you ever do a test I didn't approve of, I will never speak to you again. Do you understand?"

JoAnna frowned. "Sarah, I am worried about you. You are not eating or sleeping, I can see your body degrading in front of my eyes. Do you see the eyebags you are having? In just one week you visibly lost weight."

Sarah can see that JoAnna is full of sisterly concern, but Sarah does not care about it because there is only one thing on her mind. "Aiden is missing, and I called you here to help me find him. If you can't do that, I want you to get out of my way."

JoAnna pressed her lips into a line and watched as Sarah crushed the pregnancy test completely before dumping it into the trash bin.

"If you can't keep your mouth shut about this. Go home."

"Sarah, you are pregnant. There is a child growing inside you, Aiden's child. You need to relax, eat well, and rest. For the baby. That is what he would want."

JoAnna jolted when Sarah banged the tiled wall with her left fist and the tiles cracked.

"How the fuck you know what Aiden would want!?" Sarah asked angrily. "Let me tell you what he would want: he would want to be by my side. You want me to rest and relax while he is going through who knows what? I want you to think, really think, if Jeff is missing and there is a chance that every day he is forgetting more things about you… like an anniversary, or a vacation, or your morning cuddles, how you look like… would you be able to relax and rest and enjoy with Alice and Jayden?"

Sarah observed JoAnna's frown deepening for a few seconds and then JoAnna lowered her gaze guiltily.

"I thought so. You are not in my place and you don't know what I'm going through. Don't talk to me about health and babies and happiness. Nothing matters without Aiden. Nothing. And don't you dare do things behind my back again! I didn't forget how you brought me lunch and you lied to me that he is busy! You didn't tell me that he left for the port because you didn't want me to worry, but at that time he was already missing!"

Sarah stormed out of the bathroom and she was too upset to work on anything. She went out of the villa, through the garden, and ended in the forest which borders with the property. Sarah wanted to run and scream her lungs out, but she was low on energy.

Sarah sat on the ground and leaned her back against the trunk of a big tree. A few seconds later, there was a slight rustling sound from behind her, and Sarah didn't need to look to know that it's Kitty.

Kitty settled by Sarah's side and placed her head on Sarah's lap.

Sarah sighed and started scratching Kitty's head while tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

This was supposed to be good news. Finally, she is pregnant. This should be the time when Sarah starts planning the romantic dinner with Aiden's favorite dishes as the occasion for the big reveal to daddy-to-be and her biggest problem would be that Aiden does not see her grinning while she comes up with ideas on how to tell him that his child is growing inside her, and this… nothing is right.

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