Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Mediteranean villa ~

"I like it.", Elanor smiled after JoAnna gave her a small tour of the villa. "Did you move in here?"

"We need few more days and then we will move." JoAnna explained ambiguously.

"What Sarah is doing… is that part of things that needs to be done before you move in?"

"Correct." JoAnna didn't want to say that it's for Eve, because that is for Sarah to disclose (or not). JoAnna knows that Eve is Sarah's baby and that besides her family, Aiden, Jeff and Felix, no one else is aware of Eve's existence.

Sarah joined them shortly, and three of them sat in the study room with Sarah and JoAnna on a sofa next to each other facing Elanor on a sofa chair opposite of them.

Elanor looked excited and uncomfortable at the same time, like she is not sure how to start. She turned few times toward the door to make sure it's closed before talking.

"Since you will be marrying into the White family, there are things you should be aware of. I can't tell you everything until you are officially Whites, but there is a lot to take in, and I believe you should get a head start. It's a bit of a long story covering various topics and I hope you have the patience and an open mind to listen to what I have to say. My intention is to make you aware of some things."

Elanor didn't want to say that she is aware of Eastern European families. When four parents discussed, they agreed to tackle this topic when all of them are together, in due time. Main reason for delaying was Stella who said that she fears if her girls know about Lebedev family and their intentions, they will retaliate or maybe even attack. Stella does not believe that her daughters are strong enough at this time to come out of that conflict as victors.

"Jeffrey will be a married man soon and in White family that means he will get access to another level of family's dealings. I can't disclose what that is at this point, but let's say that White corp. is only a tip of an iceberg."

Elanor looked at JoAnna. "Just how his status will change, you as his wife will also become responsible for certain things… Historically, women who marry into White family come to live in the family home which is an estate in Austin, Texas area. It's called White Mansion. After marriage, new Mrs. White gets training where she learns about her role and responsibilities, and about six months after wedding, reception is held where she officially gets a title of Madam White in front of guests who are… relevant for White family."

Elanor noticed that JoAnna is uncomfortable. "Oscar and I broke the tradition by not living in that place, so I don't expect you to make it your permanent residence, but it is an option, if you wish. Events related to White family are held in that place, and as a Madam, you will be a hostess."

Elanor saw that JoAnna relaxed and continued speaking about that estate and its role as well as high level responsibilities of a Madam White.

"There is much more to cover but think about what I said at this time. I hope that soon we can find time so that I can take you to the White Mansion in Austin. You should see it and get to know the staff."

Elanor looked at Sarah. "You might wonder why I insisted of having you here as well. Even if Aiden is not interested in our business, as Jeffrey's brother, he will be second in command of White family resources. We will discuss what that means when the time comes."

She directed rest of her talk to both JoAnna and Sarah. "I wanted to talk about this with you before the wedding, for a reason. There is a lot of work involved in managing everything related to White family, but most of the people see us only as power and money ignoring hard work and difficult decisions which are necessary in order to keep our standing. Your new status will put you in a spotlight and attract many who think that they can easily obtain what does not belong to them."

Elanor sighed before continuing. "As wives in White family, you will be targets. Always. Both of you and my boys included. You will face endless stream of men who will try to deceive you and use you against my sons. You will need to fight off infinite line of women who will do unimaginable things while trying to climb into their beds. Because of this I insisted to know if you care for each other before I accepted your relationships. Road ahead of you will be hard and challenging and the only way to survive what is coming is to trust each other and to trust in your love." Elanor paused.

"Back to the wedding… I'm confident that you know this, but I want to emphasize: most of the people invited are not on the guestlist because we like them. Some of them work for us, some of the collaborate with us, and some of them are enemies. They will judge you and some will even openly tell you that you are not worthy. Ignore them. It only counts what current Master and Madam of the family say, and that is Oscar and me. And we accepted you. Both of you. However, many don't see it that way, and no matter how good you are, in their eyes you are not good enough. Don't try to convince them, because it's a waste of energy."

Elanor looked at both of them and smiled. "I am very happy that two of you are getting along with my sons and with each other very well. You also have Sophia on your side. I believe that these few relationships are something you can rely on unconditionally. Don't give your trust to others easily and keep in mind that even some of your friends with good intentions will be manipulated and used against you, most of the time without their knowledge. Considering your background, I'm confident that you are familiar with these schemes but still I want to remind you to stay vigilant."

Elanor exhaled. "OK. I think I said most of the things I wanted to say. Do you have any questions?"

Both JoAnna and Sarah were in their thoughts.

JoAnna was wondering what roles Madam White has, but Elanor already said that she can't reveal too much before she is married, so there is no point in asking.

Sarah was thinking about 'infinite line of women' who will try to climb into Aiden's bed and her face darkened… it's not like she didn't see all kinds of women ogling at her Greek God, and few even openly offered themselves, in front of her! She shook her head trying not to think about it, and her next thought landed on one woman who wants to climb into Jeff's bed.

Sarah glanced at JoAnna and pulled her phone. She texted Eve asking her for Regina's location and within seconds got a response.

Sarah looked at Elanor. "We will think about this and get back to you. How about lunch? I know an amazing place close to White corp. HQ, we can meet with Jeff and Oscar, and walk there. It's a beautiful day..."

JoAnna and Elanor agreed and Sarah went to get Aiden with a slightly evil grin on her face. 'You want to avoid confronting Regina? Let's see if you can ignore her now…'