Is this destiny?

Aiden and Maksim eyed each other while they stood in the fighting cage and Sarah prayed silently that they will be able to control their egos.

Maksim has serious internal injuries from the punishment Simeon gave him, and Aiden's body didn't heal from the beating he got when they were captured. Both Aiden and Maksim are in bad condition physically and are standing proud fueled by sheer stubbornness.

"After the beating you got, I assumed that you will stay home and lick your wounds.", Maksim said tauntingly.

As Maksim spoke, Aiden examined Maksim's body with Eve-lens and confirmed that Sarah didn't exaggerate. Maksim's insides are messed up.

"I thought the same about you, but here you are."

Maksim frowned at Aiden's words.

"Is Divna your woman?", Maksim asked Aiden with a lowered voice, only for Aiden to hear.

"Sarah", Aiden corrected Maksim in a hushed voice, before responding: "Yes. She is my wife."

"And you don't mind all those men around her?"

Aiden didn't understand. "What men?"

"I saw how those guardians from last night looked at Divna, and I bet there are more. If she is my woman, I would not allow that."

Aiden understood that Maksim is talking about Noah and Aaron. And maybe about Michael also because he is also protective of Sarah but in a much less creepy way.

"That is the difference between me and anyone else. I know that she is mine and only mine. Sarah comes to me because she chooses to, and she is perfectly capable to keep all the unwanted flies away from her."

"How arrogant…", Maksim muttered.

"Confident", Aiden corrected Maksim. "There is a…"

Aiden stopped talking when his phone started vibrating without any intention to stop. Coincidentally (or not), Maksim's phone also behaved weirdly by buzzing repeatedly.

Both of them had suspicious expressions as they reached for their phones in slow motion to see a message from Sarah: "Can you leave that for later?"

Maksim and Aiden turned their attention to Sarah and saw that she is giving them a look that a mother would give to her children who were caught in mischief. Maybe others didn't hear the exchange between Maksim and Aiden, but Sarah accessed Aiden's ear stud and she heard their childish spat clearly.

Aiden kept his phone in the pocket and cleared his throat, feeling a bit guilty that Sarah caught him. "I am not here to chat. Are we doing this or not?"

Maksim assumed a defensive stance. "Sure, come at me."

Aiden delivered several neatly stringed attacks, each barely grazing Maksim, and then Aiden assumed a defensive stance and blocked Maksim's attacks.

Maksim and Aiden took turns in attacking and defending and everyone understood that they are not fighting.

Aiden's and Maksim's moves were elegant and precise, and the two of them were surprisingly in sync, as they performed a well-practiced deadly dance that brought the audience to the edge, but there was no blood spilled.

Two minutes later, their movements halted, and Maksim and Aiden bowed to each other. After this, Maksim and Aiden had a bit better opinion of each other. But just a little bit.

Maksim turned toward the table where Elders sat and announced: "He is qualified to challenge an Elder."

"You call that a fight?", Elder Sergey asked angrily.

Maksim lifted his chin arrogantly. "My task was to test if he is qualified, nothing more. Elder Sergey, the challenger is yours to face."

Sarah watched Maksim leave the fighting cage and she smiled, happy that this went better than she thought it will go. Part of her feared that Maksim and Aiden will engage in a macho-showdown and forget themselves and why they are here. She knows that Aiden is super-protective of her, and Maksim is making her nervous. But Maksim did his part well, and now it's up to Aiden to take his place as an Elder in the Voronin family, a necessary step in their plan for the day.

Simeon glared at Maksim as the latter took a seat on the chair next to Simeon.

"You did that on purpose.", Simeon squeezed through his teeth.

Maksim blinked. "I did what you asked me to do, father. Or was I supposed to do something else? A thought of fighting the guy for real crossed my mind, but I suppressed it because I remember the punishments you give me whenever I do something you didn't order."

Simeon scrutinized Maksim. "I'm trying to get you to be obedient for more than twenty years. How convenient that now you decided to straighten up."

"Maybe this time I found something that works better than beating."

Simeon noticed that Maksim is looking over his shoulder. He turned to see that Sarah is sitting there. She had a small smile on her face as she looked at Aiden who was in the fighting cage, and her right hand scratched the head of a black panther.

Simeon's gaze returned to Maksim and he realized… "You are in this with them. Because of a woman!"

Maksim rolled his eyes. "Do I hear your paranoia speaking again? Or are you not thinking clearly because of your lack of sleep?"

Simeon frowned as Maksim reminded him that last night they were robbed.

"I should have killed her when I had a chance. She got you wrapped around her finger and you are listening to her just because she spread her legs for you."

Maksim knew that Simeon is talking about Sarah. "Do you hear yourself? In order to be in this with anyone, I would need to communicate. I didn't leave this base in ages and I'm sure that you are monitoring my computers and phones."

Simeon pressed his lips into a line and turned to look at the cage. He would beat up Maksim, but he can't do it in front of everyone. He will keep that for later.

Simeon knows that Maksim's words are the truth. Simeon is watching everything and if Maksim tried to communicate with Sarah or anyone else outside of the base, Simeon would know about it. But Simeon can't shake off the feeling that something is off. Last night they were robbed and now Lebedevs are here… could it be a coincidence?

"I should just wipe them all out while I can. They are right here, surrounded and outnumbered…", Simeon muttered, and Maksim heard him.

"Careful, father…" Simeon's head snapped toward Maksim as he waited for Maksim to continue. "Did you forget the mess from two days ago? A handful of them littered our streets with bodies and debris. I think they sent us a clear message that they have abilities we are not aware of. And I believe that the new Grand Elder brought that technology when she took over the Lebedev family. I asked around and the word is that she didn't become the Grand Elder by warming someone's bed, but because she is smart and skilled."

"You are infatuated with her...", Simeon voiced his thoughts.

"There is nothing wrong in admiring a capable person. Expand your view to see more than one young woman with an overgrown pet. I see a number of Elders and even the previous Grand Elder Konstantin is there. All of them seem to be here willingly. Do you think they came here unprepared?" Maksim gestured toward the large screens that are suspended above the fighting cage. "Unless you authorized this streaming, they have access to our network."

Simeon swallowed his words. He was not sure if Maksim suddenly became wise or if he is being tricked as well. "What do you suggest?"

Maksim gave himself a thumbs up internally. He is not sure how prepared Sarah is for this, but he knows that if Simeon orders his soldiers to attack, there will be a lot of blood spilled. 

Maksim does not care about the soldiers, but he does not want to be caught in the middle of a gunfight. And he does not want to risk losing his Divna either.

Maksim leaned closer to Simeon and spoke softly while carefully choosing his words. He needs to get Simeon to back off from the idea of attacking without making his intentions too apparent. "Let's wait until they reveal their cards. You are right that they are in our territory, surrounded and outnumbered, but it is obvious that they are provoking us and if we act rashly we might fall into their trap..."

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