Is this destiny?

Seeing that Aiden is not acting recklessly and is sitting obediently, Sarah faced her sisters. "Who will be first? I will go last."

"Me." JoAnna's expression said that she knows what she wants to do.

"OK." Sarah nodded.

Sophia and Felix left the shed and waited outside. Sarah helped Aiden steady himself on his feet. Before leaving, Sarah saw JoAnna pull pliers from her medicine box. "He first. Hold him... Steady..." JoAnna instructed Jeff.

When JoAnna and Jeff left the shed, Sophia and Felix waited for Dodson brothers to stop crying before they entered.

"At this rate, not much will be left for us." Sarah told Aiden. There was regret in her voice.

Sarah was impressed to see that her sisters can stand up for themselves like this. Over the years, all three of them experienced interactions with people who wanted to bully them. They realize that unless they make themselves clear, people will still try to take advantage of them. It will not stop. Also, neither of them is by herself anymore, they have more what they wish to protect. Unless they want to be stepped on, they must become ruthless.

When Sarah and Aiden got into the shed, Dodson brothers were a bloody mess. Numerous teeth were neatly arranged in front of them, by position in the mouth.

Aiden looked at the teeth with a mix of confusion and admiration.

"That must be JoAnna's work." Sarah commented. "Only she arranges bones like that."

Sarah glanced at Klark sisters who were holding each other tightly while sitting next to the wall. Their eyes were open wide and full of horror.

"What first?" Aiden asked.

"Right arm. For all three of them..." Sarah remembered that one of Dodson brothers hit Aiden from behind. The arm that inflicted harm to Aiden needs to be broken, and all three of them are in it together, so they get to share punishment.

After Sarah and Aiden finished, three Hill sisters and their men stood tall in the shed looking at five people who were physically and mentally broken.

JoAnna handed sanitizing wipes to whoever needed to clean up from blood and collected soiled wipes in a disposable container.

"Are we going to leave them alive?" Sophia asked while wiping blood from Felix's hands.

Dodson brothers and Klark sisters looked up in horror.

Sarah glanced at five people on the floor. "They will not talk."

"But there will be rumors." JoAnna added.

"Exactly." Sarah smiled. "I want them to be an example of what happens if you mess with Hill sisters." Sarah gave a long piercing gaze to each of the five people on the floor. They didn't dare to look back at her. Sarah saw fear and complete submission. But her revenge was still not done. "Anna, can you stabilize Clara's fractures?"

JoAnna frowned. "Why?"

"You will see." Sarah showed a sinister smile.

JoAnna and Jeff went out and came back shortly after, carrying few branches.

Clara's legs from knees down were tied up with a gauze between branches.

"Done. Now what?" JoAnna looked at Sarah.

"I remember that they mentioned some aphrodisiac." Sarah walked to the wall and got a bottle from the shelf. "I wonder what is with rich kids and aphrodisiacs... You can't get yourself a partner without using these?"

Sarah showed bottle to Klark sisters. "Did you ever use this yourself?" Andrea's and Clara's eyes opened wide in horror. "How about you?" Sarah looked at Dodson brothers who were also petrified. Neither of them could believe that this nightmare is not over yet. They regretted coming to this party. They regretted trying to mess with Sarah and Aiden. They regretted that they are not passed out or dead. JoAnna gave them anesthetic, so they could not feel the pain, but they saw the sorry state of their bodies and knew that as soon as anesthetic wears off, agonizing pain awaits them.

Sarah looked at the bottle in her hand and memories surged of the time when Philip and Ed drugged her. How she felt helpless. How they put her in that state for their own selfish reasons. Anger rose in her thinking that these five people in front of them wanted to do the same thing. How Aiden was only seconds away from being denied his right to choose. Only seconds away from being stripped of his sanity. If Sarah had any reluctance to use that aphrodisiac on them, it was gone. Sarah looked at them and smirked. "I see... so you like to drug others, while keeping a clear mind yourself? How does this work?"

JoAnna stood next to Sarah and glanced at the bottle. "It's a spray. So probably just spray on the skin."

Sarah glanced at Aiden and he was next to her in a flash.

"Open her mouth." Sarah instructed Aiden and pointed her chin at Clara.

Clara froze. Only her eyes darted around, as if she is trying to find a way out of this predicament.

"Wait!" JoAnna handed surgical gloves to Sarah. "You don't want to end up with that on yourself."

Aiden gripped Clara's jaw and kept it open. In less than a minute, Klark sisters and Dodson brothers had a dose of aphrodisiac sprayed directly into their mouth.

"We should head back. Party is not over yet." Sophia said while leaving the shed.

"Give me that!" JoAnna grabbed the bottle from Sarah's hand. "It's for research purpose." JoAnna awkwardly added when she saw Sarah's confused expression.

"I didn't say anything." Sarah laughed.

They stood in front of the shed for a minute until they could hear harrowing mix of moans and whimpers coming from inside.

"How long will anesthetic work?" Sarah asked JoAnna.

"About three more hours. After that they will find out if aphrodisiac is stronger than their pain." JoAnna responded as they walked back to the Hill property.

...

At the entrance to the playhouse they met Stella who was obviously waiting for them.

Stella looked at each of them before facing Sarah. "Is everything OK?"

Sarah nodded.

Stella tilted her head slightly. "Do you need me to do something?"

Sarah smiled. "We took care of it."

Stella's eyes moved over each of them examining them closely. She revealed a wide smile. "Good! Very good. You are just in time for fireworks!" Stella approved of her three daughters and their partners. 'It seems they reached a stage where they take care of themselves.'

…

At the rooftop terrace of Hill villa, six young people sat on three lounging chairs in pairs, holding each other and enjoying the firework display above them.

"Happy birthday." Aiden spoke in Sarah's ear.

"Thank you." She smiled. 'It would be a happier one if you didn't get recklessly hurt and caused me to suffer from worry…' Sarah didn't voice her complaints because she knows that she would probably do the same thing if they switched places. "I look forward for our trip. But I think that you should get a thorough checkup in the hospital before we go."

Aiden frowned wanting to refuse, but then he thought that if something is wrong and it flares up while they are away, it will spoil her birthday. "OK. Let's go first thing in the morning."

Sarah was happy that he didn't refuse. "We can ask JoAnna if she can speed up the process. If all results are fine, we could still leave tomorrow."

JoAnna chuckled. "I'm right here, and I can hear you. Let's go tomorrow after breakfast to Franciscan Medical Center." JoAnna tilted her head to face Jeff. "You come also. I want to show off my fiancé."

Jeff smiled and made a low humming sound of approval.

"Do you want to join?" JoAnna faced Sophia.

Sophia glanced at Felix who had a concerned expression. "No. You go ahead. I will use tomorrow to rest." Sophia felt Felix's arms around her relax. She smiled and sank deeper into his embrace.

Suddenly fireworks intensified and night sky was set on fire by a magnificent display of Peony and Chrysanthemum fireworks mixed in with rapid blasts from Crossette and Mine shells.

"Oh, the grand finale!" JoAnna gasped.

They all inhaled and looked up.

"The grand finale will be later…" Aiden whispered in Sarah's ear.

Sarah's body shivered from the thought of what is hidden behind his words. She turned to face him and their lips almost touched. "Does it need to be later?" She whispered back.

JoAnna, Jeff, Sophia and Felix were focused on aerial fireworks, and didn't notice when Sarah and Aiden left the roof.