Is this destiny?

"Can you be serious?", Sarah asked Maksim. Why did he call them 'pretty boys' and how could he think that she has a harem?

Sarah was sure that Aiden blew a fuse when he heard the harem part. If Aiden was here, Maksim would get a few more internal injuries.

Maksim grinned. "Anything for you, Divna."

"By now, you should know that my name is not Divna."

Maksim shrugged. "For me, you will always be Divna." Maksim narrowed his eyes playfully. "Don't tell me that you are here because you are missing me. Did you finally get to your senses and you want to have dinner with me?"

Noah could not take this anymore. "Why you…"

Sarah lifted her hand, snapping her fingers to indicate to Noah to stop whatever he was planning to do.

"We are here to talk.", Sarah reminded Noah and Aaron. She could see that both of them were on the verge of jumping at Maksim. At least Michael was calm.

Maksim smirked at Noah. "Good dog."

"Don't push it Maksim.", Sarah warned Maksim and decided to move onto the topic of why she is here before the boys start fighting. "If I understood correctly, you are not happy with your current situation."

Maksim was not sure where Sarah is going with this. "Keep on talking."

"If there is a way out of the Voronin organization, would you take it?"

Maksim was surprised by Sarah's question and he didn't think it's something that could happen. "I am a Voronin. You want me to join Lebedevs? Should I change my surname? Or is it enough just to hide and play dead?"

"No. When I say a way out, I mean, a way out. You can join whomever you want or live your life without any attachments."

"Can I work under you?", Maksim asked suggestively.

Sarah saw that Noah and Aaron tensed up and she heard Aiden cursing Maksim again. She regretted having all these guys around. It's too much testosterone.

'I should have gone with my original plan to have Oni, Masika, and Zula accompany me', Sarah thought. But she gave up on bringing girls because she knows that this is a patriarchal environment and there is a chance that Maksim would not take them seriously.

Sarah pretended not to notice the lecherous undertone Maksim used. "To work under me, you need to prove your skills. At this point, you can't take down any of my three guards and you are not worthy of the position you requested."

Maksim's ego was bruised. "Are you sure about it?"

"Mhm…", Sarah hummed. "No matter how stubborn you are, it will not compensate for the fact that you are struggling to stand straight. How are you going to fight? You can bring this up when you heal. If you pass my tests, I will consider your application."

Maksim was surprised that Sarah is aware of his condition to this extent and he wondered what are tests she spoke about. He decided to go back to the topic. "My father will never let me go."

"Let me take care of him.", Sarah said confidently, and Maksim was sure that she is bluffing. No matter how he looks at her, she does not qualify to solve his problems.

"What can you do, Divna? Kill him? That will only speed up the process of me becoming the Grand Master. My only way out of here with a free pass is if I die. Will you kill me? If you wanted to kill me, you could have done that already."

Based on the information they collected on Maksim, Sarah knew that he is ruthless and unpredictable, but also a free spirit who does not want to tie himself to one place. In a way, Maksim reminded her of Aiden, before she met him at the University, with the difference that Aiden didn't leave such a thick trail of blood behind him.

Sarah had her assumptions, and she wanted to confirm: "Do you want to inherit your father's position?"

Maksim thought for some time if he should respond or not. The way she looked at him told him that she means business, and Maksim wondered if Simeon is right to fear Sarah. Maksim was confident that Simeon freaking out about Sarah was just one more of his father's paranoid episodes, but what if Sarah is really capable of accomplishing the impossible?

"Not if I could have a choice.", Maksim responded after some time.

Sarah's eyes lit up. She knew it! "What if you could walk away freely from here without any strings attached? You can keep the cars and mansions that currently belong to you. If you want to have a business or two, or something else, we can talk about it. You can even take with you people that are loyal to you. I will promise that no one will bother you from the Lebedev or Voronin families as long as you don't retaliate or use your knowledge to aid my enemies."

Maksim chuckled and shook his head. "It all sounds great, but how can you accomplish that? Other than my father and myself, Elders and other seniors will not acknowledge anyone else as the Grand Master. Did you plan to run for the position? Or one of your pretty boys?"

Michael, Aaron, and Noah frowned. It's not about Maksim's words, but how he said it, like he is mocking them.

"That Voronin guy has good eyes…", Michael heard Oni's voice in his ear stud. "You are pretty and a boy… and ravishingly handsome."

Michael relaxed his shoulders and the edges of his lips curved up slightly at Oni's words.

Sarah ignored the guys who were behind her in defensive mode. "What if there is someone else who can take over as the Grand Master and people will accept him?"

Maksim was confident that Sarah is bluffing. Who could that mystery person be? But… did she return to this place and risk her safety in order to bluff? "If there is someone like that, I would like to meet that person. But unfortunately, that person does not exist. Don't you think I already considered that as an option? There is no one."

"I can do it…", a voice came from the corner behind Maksim, and Maksim jerked his head that way to see a man standing with a hood over his head which covered the upper half of his face.

When Maksim entered the room, it was dark, and with the lights on, he focused on Sarah, Kitty, Michael, Aaron, and Noah, without checking the other areas of the room.

"Who are you?", Maksim asked.

Hong slowly removed the hood and revealed his face. "I am Gedeon Voronin, your Uncle. Your father is sitting in my spot."

Maksim blinked. "You are dead."

"I resurrected.", Hong said with a straight face.

Hong was irritated that his own nephew called him dead right in his face. Is he cursing him? Sarah said that Maksim is smart, but this does not look like it.

Maksim needed a few seconds to process the information. "If you are Gedeon, where have you been so far? Why didn't you show up all this time?"

"Because your father holds my daughter hostage.", Hong responded.

Maksim had to agree how that sounds like something Simeon would do.

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