Is this destiny?

Hong saw that he has everyone's full attention, so he continued... "If I knew that my action will cause a disaster, I would not be so rash. I was blinded by pure happiness and thought of myself as invincible. And I believed that I can protect my loved ones. Tamara and I were happy and soon Tashi was born. Tashi was close to one year old when we received an invitation from my father, it was his birthday party and I was confident how that is a perfect opportunity for him to meet his granddaughter... and he was delighted. I remember my father holding Tashi in his lap with a big smile on his face and I neglected to see disapproval of others. I knew that they were full of greed and jealousy, but I was blind to see the danger. Long story short… my cousin Simeon killed Tamara and kidnapped Tashi. He made it look like an accident, but I know that Simeon is behind Tamara's death. Simeon wanted to be the next Grand Master and he was collecting support for a long time. The only thing in his way was me because my father never revoked his previous announcement of me as his heir. I was devastated by Tamara's death and desperate to find Tashi, and then I got a call from my Cousin Simeon who said that if I try to find Tashi, he will kill her and the only way to save Tashi's life is if I give up my own. I knew that is not a valid deal. Simeon will kill me in order to clear his path as the next Master and he will not care about Tashi. I was aware that my death will not guarantee her safety, but I knew that as long as I am alive, Simeon will keep Tashi safe as a chip against me, so… I fled. I took a different identity and roamed under the radar, hoping that I will find out something about Tashi, one day. I spent my days fighting to earn a living, learning new skills, and hiding the ones I learned as a child… and that is where you found me."

Hong ended his story while looking at Sarah and Aiden.

"Simeon Voronin…", Stella said. "He is the current Grand Master of the Voronin family."

Hong confirmed. "That is my cousin."

Sophia frowned. "If you knew that Simeon is behind it, why didn't you talk to your father then? As the Grand Master, he could help you find your daughter."

"Maybe… but my father could not save Tamara. How could I be confident that he will find Tashi in time? I was not willing to take that risk."

"OK. OK…", Sarah mumbled while composing her thoughts. "So that is why you didn't approach Tashi… you believe that Simeon is still watching her."

Hong nodded. "I am confident that he is watching her. While Simeon has the power and men under his command, Tashi is not safe. He is keeping her away from the family, to give me a false sense of security, and to get me to approach her. However, if I get close to her, he will catch me and Tashi will not be valuable to him anymore, but she will be a threat because she is a direct descendent of my father."

"If Tashi lived separated from you and the rest of the family, she has no skills or knowledge of Voronins. How is she a threat?", JoAnna asked.

"My father was the Master for a very long time and within the family, there are people loyal to him." Hong glanced at Aiden. "Those people protected you after his passing. You told me that for some time after the Orosia summer camp, skilled masters were coming to teach you for a few years. They were people my father sent."

Hong saw that Aiden nodded in acknowledgment, and Hong continued his explanation.

"The fact that Simeon took over the family without the blessings of the previous Grand Master, makes his position shaky. If Tashi returns to the family, people who are loyal to my father or to the rules set by the family, will do their best to protect her. She does not have skills or knowledge to challenge the position of power, but that does not mean that her children can't learn and be a threat as they are growing up."

"If they will protect Tashi, they will be willing to work with you, right?", JoAnna asked.

Hong confirmed.

Stella saw this as a ray of hope. If someone from inside of the Voronin family will protect Hong, and he is with Sarah and Aiden, that means they will provide their assistance to Sarah and Aiden as well.

"Do you know who they are?", Stella asked Hong.

Hong bobbed his head. "Several names come to my mind, but nothing is certain. After all, my father is gone for a long time and if they are not publicly loyal to Simeon, they would be eliminated. In order to confirm, I would need to approach them and expose myself."

Everyone fell into silence.

Sarah needed additional information. "That still does not explain your motive. Why do you want to join us? Do you want to take over as the next Master? Do you want to take revenge for them killing your wife?"

Hong exhaled sadly. "Revenge is something I left behind a long time ago. Punishing them for Tamara will only bring back bitter memories and Tamara would not approve. She was a kind and gentle soul. However, I can't let them off if I want to protect Tashi and my grandchildren. Simeon killed for his position, and he will do it again. I need to eliminate him."

"You want to use this tournament as an opportunity to get close.", Aiden voiced his conclusion before asking: "Will you be able to keep your cool when you see him? What if he recognizes you? Do you have a plan?"

"I'm holding onto this for a long time. A few more days or weeks won't make a difference. We haven't seen each other in more than thirty-five years. I doubt that Simeon or anyone from the Voronin family will recognize me. As for the plan… I will go with you, protect you and do whatever you tell me to do. In return, help me remove Simeon from power. I will punish Simeon, and you can do whatever you want with the rest of the Voronins."

Sarah was suspicious about this stubborn man listening to them. "You will follow our plan? And do whatever we say?"

Hong confirmed.

Sarah looked at Aiden and he understood that she is done asking questions. Well, he was done as well.

"Thank you for telling us all this. We will need to think about it.", Aiden said. "You dumped a lot of information on us, and we need to process it."

"I understand.", Hong said and left the study.

When the door closed behind Hong, Aiden spoke to JoAnna, Sophia, and Stella: "I believe that we could all use some time to process this. Let's meet in a few hours…"

JoAnna, Sophia, and Stella didn't need any time, but they all understood that Aiden and Sarah want to talk in private first. After all, Hong stayed with them for three years and this impacts them the most.

Less than a minute later, Aiden and Sarah were on their own in the study.

Aiden glanced at Sarah whose expression was unreadable. "What are you thinking?"

"This explains why he decided to help us. When I met him, he was reserved, and he started teaching me seriously only after you showed up. He knew immediately that I am a Lebedev and he identified you as a Voronin. Do you remember when he said that our families will not allow us to be together?"

"I remember."

"Hong was about our age when they killed his wife and took away his daughter…", Sarah's voice drifted away as she cradled her belly with her palms.

"Shh…" Aiden wrapped his arms around Sarah. "That will not happen to us."

Sarah leaned into Aiden's embrace and fisted his t-shirt while tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

Aiden could not see her face, but he felt the moisture seep through the thin fabric of his t-shirt, and her shoulders shivered, and he knew... "Why are you crying?"

"I need you to stop asking me that. I am pregnant. And pregnant women are emotional. And this… was emotional…"

Aiden sighed helplessly and rubbed Sarah's back while waiting for her to cry it out.

Jeff and Felix told him about crazy food cravings, warned him not to mention anything related to her weight, and they said that he will enjoy as her breasts increase in size. But they didn't mention crying spells.

Aiden decided to do more research related to pregnancy because it seems that Jeff and Felix are not reliable.

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