Is this destiny?

Simeon wanted to jump there and beat that smile off Sarah's face. "Who is this challenger for the position of the Elder?"

Sarah didn't respond and Simeon's attention was drawn to the person who stood up from behind Sarah.

Hong's face was obstructed by the hoodie and he walked toward the fighting cage without a word.

Sarah smiled at the sight of confused Simeon who was trying to figure out who is the challenger.

Her eyes moved over the long table with Elders where twelve people were seated. Out of those twelve, five arrived with them and they are here to support Hong in his quest to get his revenge. Also, Maksim might be on their side, but Sarah sees him as an unstable person who did his part (so far) better than she expected, however, there are no guarantees that Maksim will not change his mind.

Regardless of Maksim, they are approaching the final stage of their plan and this is the part where she gets to sit and enjoy the show.

Hong stopped next to the fighting cage, with his body turned toward the table with the Elders of the Voronin family. He took a deep breath and reminded himself of everything he lost because of Simeon and others who aided Simeon in getting his hands on the position of the Grand Master. They killed Tamara and separated him from Tashi… extinguished one life and tarnished two because of some power and money. And this is the day he will punish them for that.

Hong hoped that there is such thing as Heaven and that Tamara is watching this… and that she will forgive him because he is unable to forgive himself.

If he knew what the future brings, he would take Tamara and they would live far away from this place. If he knew how people are vile, he would hide Tashi's existence from his family and protect his wife and child. Or maybe he would turn vicious and kill his Cousin and other so-called relatives before they attacked his loved ones.

Hong is not sure what he would do if he knew at that time what the future brings, but he is confident that he would do something differently. He would not be a naïve young man who believed that they will not raise their hand against him because the same blood runs through their veins.

Hong's ignorance enabled the Voronins to destroy the beautiful future Hong envisioned for himself and his family, back in the days when he was known as Gedeon. And he is standing here today to tell them that Gedeon is back and that he didn't forget what they did.

The silence was heavy as Hong's arms moved slowly to remove the hood from his head.

As the hood fell behind him, several Elders looked at him with curiosity before their eyes flashed in disbelief.

Simeon narrowed his eyes at Hong. "Who are you challenging?"

"You", came a curt response from Hong.

Simeon let out a dry laugh. "Me? Who do you think you are?"

"I know who I am, Cousin Simeon, but it seems that you forgot me."

"Cousin? I don't have Cousins.", Simeon said, his words clipping at the end revealed that he is nervous.

"Try again. You are sitting in a spot that rightfully belongs to me. If your memory degraded so much, I guess that my arrival is late."

Murmurs filled the space and Simeon's eyes shifted as pieces fell into place. By now he understood that he is looking at Gedeon, but he refused to accept it. It's like his nightmare came true.

Hong was eluding Simeon for decades, and three years ago all traces of him disappeared. Simeon hoped that Hong died, and animals ate his body in that forest where he was hiding. Simeon lost count of how many times he sent his men to get rid of Hong, but they were killed by poachers or by Hong himself. And Simeon didn't dare launch a big attack because it would reveal Hong's existence.

Simeon was confident that Hong died or gave up on returning. Why is he here?

The senior who was in the role of the announcer spoke into the microphone: "You are challenging the position of the Grand Master? Only the one who is named as the hair or blood-related relative can ascend to that position."

"I am not here to challenge the position of the Grand Master.", Hong responded. "I am here to kick out the man who is sitting in the spot that belongs to me. I am Gedeon Voronin. The only son of Feodor Voronin. My father named me as his heir and he never changed his decision. Simeon is a fake Grand Master."

Another round of murmurs exploded, and Simeon felt his stomach twisting into knots.

Simeon looked at Hong like he is growing a second head. "Kick me out? If you are who you claim to be, where were you in the last few decades?"

"I am sure you know where I was because you were watching me and holding my daughter hostage. But that is not why I am here. I am challenging you to come here and settle our scores with our fists, the Voronin way. As for my identity…", Hong pulled a paper from his pocket and gave it to the announcer. "I have a DNA test done as proof that we are blood-related. Now… Are you coming down to fight me, or should we call for a vote?"

"A vote?", one of the Elders at the table asked.

Hong nodded. "When two blood-related Voronins contend for the same spot and one refuses to participate, Elders can vote on the outcome. In case that Simeon refuses to fight me, I will demand from Elders to vote and decide if we fight. If you decide in favor and he still refuses, I will get his position by default. As an Elder, you should know the rules. After all, we don't have many of them, and most of them are about deciding who is right in this fighting cage."

Simeon sneered as the announcer approached him with the paper in his hand. "I don't know from where your confidence is coming."

Simeon snatched the paper and read it with a frown. A few seconds later, his head snapped toward Maksim. "This was done against your sample. How did he get it?"

Maksim shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

Simeon gritted his teeth and turned back to Hong. "My son didn't step out of the base. How did you get his sample?"

Hong smiled. "If you forgot, dear Cousin, until a few days ago, I was here as part of the team from Natalia's base."

Simeon paused and his eyes moved in slow motion toward Sarah. "You were here to spy on us!"

Kitty growled and Sarah rubbed her neck. "It's OK, baby. He is just a loud man.", she said to Kitty before talking to Simeon: "Why do you sound like we broke rules? There was no condition that Lebedevs are not allowed to step in here. If anyone broke the rules, that would be you when you caught me and the fighter who scored the top position, and you imprisoned us without giving us a chance to explain. He was here to compete, not me. And let me remind you that he reached the top with skills, not by scheming."

Simeon was sure that Sarah will be the end of him. He reminded himself to focus on the current problem, which is Gedeon. Talking about how the Grand Elder of the Lebedev family got into their base and participated in the tournament freely is only tainting his image as the Grand Master of the Voronin family.

Simeon waved the DNA report in the air. "This proves that you are related to Maksim, not me!"

Hong blinked. "You are his father. So, unless I am his mother, that would mean that I am related to you as well because your dear wife was a single child."

"This document is fake!"

Hong agreed. "It can be falsified. I am willing to let you take my blood and compare it to yours. I know that you have facilities capable of conducting the test two buildings away from here. While we wait for results, I can tell many stories of how you eyed the position my father intended for me to take, and how you sabotaged me since we were kids. All to the point where you and your allies killed my wife and kidnapped my daughter. I can also talk about the villa which you currently call yours because I used to live there. Don't you wonder why my father never changed his decision for me to be the heir? Because he would rather let this family fall apart than let you take over. You were cancer that spread through the family, corrupting everyone you touched, and the ones who resisted were removed. Unfortunately, you managed to make your way to the top…"

"Enough!", Simeon roared. "No matter what stories you spin, it will not change the fact that no one here has an idea who you are."

"Are you sure? I have a feeling that some of the Elders recognize me. After all, I look like my father. Our eyebrows are identical."

Simeon's lips twitched. "Eyebrows? What kind of proof is that?"

Simeon was confident that he is about to have a stroke from the anger that swelled inside him.

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