Is this destiny?

With interrogation (aka interview) done, and grim results of voting on the screen, it was time for Sarah to take over.

She stood up and went next to JoAnna.

"Elder Gavril, our people have spoken. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Elder Gavril stared at the screen in disbelief, seeing the results and his own face magnified. Are they going to kill him? He knew that their soldiers are upset because punishments were always harsh and this is their way to get even with someone who is up in the ranks but... is this how it ends for him?

"You can't be serious."

Sarah assured him that this is serious. "We agreed on the process in advance. You openly admitted to your wrongdoings and accepted the possible outcomes. As an Elder, it's expected from you to set an example. Imagine what would happen if everyone made deals under the table and acted for their own interests. How long would we last? Lebedevs are strong because we have rules and we stick to them. If you catch your subordinate stealing and making deals that are disadvantageous for you, would you show mercy?"

"Of course not!", Elder Gavril spoke and cursed himself internally. Why can't he shut up?

"Are you saying that because you are an Elder, there is a different set of rules you can follow?", Sarah asked.

"No."

Sarah's lips lifted into a smile. "As the Grand Elder, I have the right to decide between these three. I can see that death is the most popular choice, but since you admitted to your crimes openly, I will use my authority to pick option number two. You will be stripped from the position of the Elder and placed to work in a controlled environment as a low-level operative. If you wish to overturn this, you can issue a challenge for a fight in the arena."

"No!", Elder Gavril roared. "You did something to me!"

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Elder Gavril. "Careful with that attitude. If you show disobedience, I might change my mind and go for death as punishment without giving you an option to settle things in the arena. Or are you saying that your words were lies? Did you lie just now?"

"I didn't lie...", Elder Gavril exhaled in defeat.

"Did your assistant lie?", Sarah continued probing.

Elder Gavril gritted his teeth. "No."

Sarah nodded in approval. "OK. Back to the arena. If you win, you can void this decision. Do you accept?"

Elder Gavril accepted right away. Anything is better than giving up his position without a fight. But no matter what, he was not very confident in his abilities because it was ages since he fought the last time. To say that he is rusty is an understatement.

Looking at Sarah standing in front of him, Elder Gavril assumed that he will fight against her. He remembered Sarah's fights with Elder Nikolai and with Konstantin and shivers ran down his spine. Will he have the same fate? Probably. But he will not admit defeat without trying.

"Good!", Sarah said happily. "Your assistant will have the same fate as you since he was your accomplice. The two of you can decide which one of you will fight in the arena. Or do you want to fight separately?"

Elder Gavril was not sure how to respond to this because he does not care what happens to Branimir. But maybe if Branimir goes first, he can tire up Sarah and maybe injure her. That option was like the light at the end of the tunnel and Elder Gavril smiled.

"If you don't know, maybe we should ask our audience!", JoAnna chimed in before Gavril could speak and she looked at the camera with glee. "Should we have one fight to determine the fate of the Elder and his assistant, or should they fight separately? Let us know by sending a message to 555-Lebedev!"

Sarah stifled a laugh at JoAnna's enthusiasm. She is too much into it. "Fights will happen at the end, after everyone is done talking. Next is Elder Dimitri!"

Sarah went back to sit next to Aiden, letting JoAnna enjoy her TV host role fully.

Aiden was happy to feel Sarah back in his arms so that they can witness this reality TV-show together. 

Too bad that Jeff is missing it. He had to deal with things related to White corp. and the White foundation. But he will watch the recording later if he is not watching it live from the office he is using.

JoAnna gestured to Branimir to move away and for Elder Dimitri to step forward.

Elder Dimitri was visibly nervous.

JoAnna turned to face Elder Dimitri and started with some encouragement. "Relax, Elder Dimitri. The way you are acting is telling me you are hiding something. Would you be so kind to tell us about your recent encounters with people from outside our organization where you disclosed confidential information?"

Elder Dimitri balled his hands into fists and spoke slowly while carefully choosing his words. "Last month I met with the representative from the Bluemoon organization*. I had issues with our resources in Italy, and I negotiated short-term cooperation."

"Tell us the details, please…", JoAnna urged him.

Elder Dimitri nodded and continued with more confidence, unsure why Elder Gavril made such a fuss about this. It's just a chat. He always thought that Elder Gavril is smart and shrewd, but now he just sees him as ridiculous. Why did he incriminate himself so much?

What Elder Dimitri does not know was that Gavril got a dose of the truth serum, while Dimitri was spared.

Sarah spoke with Konstantin, Owen, and Stella about the personality of each Elder, and based on that they decided in advance who will stay and who will be removed. Of course, the whole concept of Elders and what they do will be changed, but they will address that after they remove bad apples who are driven purely by greed.

They decided that Elder Dimitri, Elder Todor, and (of course) Elder Milena will stay, while everyone else will be stripped from their positions. 

Sarah has no intention of dealing full-time with the Lebedev family, and Konstantin agreed to stay as her proxy. Konstantin will manage the Lebedevs with help from Dimitri, Todor, and Milena while working with Sarah, JoAnna, and Sophia when needed. Three sisters plan to sort out this mess of Lebedevs and Voronins and to return to their lives in Los Angeles. Hopefully, by the time the school year starts in September, they can go back to normal. 

Back to the present…

Elder Dimitri ended his interview with JoAnna which revealed that he went around Zack to talk to others, but he didn't damage the Lebedevs or act against any other Elder. His assistant confirmed Dimitri's words and the audience voted that Elder Dimitri is a good leader who should keep his position, but because of his disrespect to the rules, he will pay some monetary fines over time to Zack.

Zack didn't want to challenge Elder Dimitri to a fight after Dimitri promised not to break the communication protocols going forward.

This made all Elders look at Gavril with ridicule, and their confidence swelled. If Dimitri didn't incriminate himself, that means the process is fine, and Gavril is stupid. Why did he shout that Sarah did something to him?

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