Is this destiny?

~ Eastern Europe, the main base of the Lebedev family ~

When Sarah and Aiden arrived with Vasily, JoAnna immediately moved Vasily into the room where the medical equipment is so that she can do necessary tests and assess his condition. Imani and Jamari joined JoAnna as her assistants.

JoAnna said that this can take a few hours and that she will contact them as soon as she gets some results.

Sarah exhaled with a happy smile on her face, invigorated with the hope that Vasily will pull through this.

They still had a lot to do, and she would need all the energy she can muster.

After changing into more comfortable clothes and a quick snack, Sarah and Aiden went with Sophia and Zack to the study to go through reports that arrived from their allies.

They found several bases that provided more resistance than expected, and Sarah dispatched members of the Army of Chaos to those locations as reinforcements.

They didn't attack everything that belongs to Voronins, but they took out a big chunk of their power. The territories of the Army of Chaos, Nero Army, as well as the ones that belong to the White family, Madam Kiani, and Mr. Wang experienced an increase in size.

With this, Sarah believes that the threat that Voronins carry is diminished significantly and they will be able to relax and enjoy their future together, as a family.

The resources of the Voronin family that were untouched are left to Hong to decide if it can be useful for him. If not, it will be absorbed as part of the Army of Chaos.

The important part was that they managed to cut off all communication within the Voronin family (thanks to Eve), so no one was able to alert others or call for a backup.

When the initial sweep through the reports was completed, Sarah, Aiden, Sophia, and Zack to meet with Konstantin, Stella (aka Elder Milena), Elder Dimitri, and Elder Todor. Other than assistants (Vuk, Bogdan, Masika, Owen, Marko, and Zivko), Noah and Aaron attended via conference call, and Jeff joined in person.

"I called you here so that we kick off the discussion related to the management of resources that belong to the Lebedev family.", Sarah started the meeting. "Aiden, Jeff, Noah, and Aaron are present as observers and also because I want them to know what is going on here. The White family and the Army of Chaos will collaborate closely with the Lebedev family and I don't think that this is something we should keep from each other."

Sarah saw that Konstantin, Dimitri, and Todor were not convinced, so she explained. "The Army of Chaos reports to me. Noah and Aaron are my sergeants, Noah in the Americas while Aaron in Eurasia. Jeff is the Master of the White family, while my sister JoAnna is the Madam." Sarah glanced at Aiden. "Aiden is the one in charge of the forces of the White family, and as of this afternoon, he is also an Elder in the Voronin family. Zack is acting as a proxy for an Elder here, but he is also a general in the Army of Chaos, and so is Masika. My sister Sophia is the main strategist for the White family and for the Army of Chaos; also, she is the one driving the current reorganization of the Voronin family. If you think that having the Army of Chaos and the Whites mingled with Lebedevs is not acceptable, you are too late because that happened the moment I stepped into this base. Now that the introductions are over, I believe that I will not hear any complaints about them being here. We will all work together, or… not."

Sarah didn't wait for any answer, and she didn't look at their expressions either. They all understood that if they complain, she will remove them.

Sarah's focus was on the big screen that showed a map of the world with blue patches on it. "This is what the Lebedev family manages." Sarah moved her fingers in the air, and green patches appeared on the map, next to the blue ones, increasing the coverage. "And this is what we own currently after the reorganization that happened with the Voronins. Each of you got a list of resources that are currently in the covered areas. I expect you to revise what is in there and to tell me realistically how much you can manage. I don't want to hear that you can handle it all, because you can't. The purpose of this meeting is that we understand how much we can control without allowing rogue units to appear because of mismanagement. There is nothing worse than a base that starts acting on its own while having access to the resources and information of the Lebedev family."

"Will we collaborate with the Voronin family?", Elder Dimitri asked.

"What is left of them.", Sarah responded with a smile and gestured toward Konstantin. "Konstantin already discussed some arrangements with the new Grand Master of the Voronin family and he will be here in two days with a number of Elders from the Voronin family, in person. I hope we will use that opportunity to create bonds, and not stir trouble."

"Can we collaborate with enemies?", Elder Dimitri asked with doubt obvious in his voice.

Sarah shrugged. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The Voronins went through a big reorganization and they need allies. This is our chance to step up and rebuild the bridges that our ancestors burned. If any of you knows why Lebedevs and Voronins hate each other, I want to hear that story. I don't believe that we should be enemies just because someone said so."

Sarah saw that Dimitri lowered his head and she was glad that he gave up on the topic of Voronins.

"North America is not on this list.", Elder Todor voiced his observation while looking at the list of resources that each of them received.

Sarah confirmed. "That is correct. It belongs to Vasily and until he wakes up, I will manage it personally." 

"Will Zack stay here as an Elder long term?", Konstantin asked Sarah.

"No. Zack is my general and he is here temporarily. I expect that the four of you don't bite more than you can chew." Sarah said to Konstantin, Dimitri, Todor, and Stella. "You know your assistants and their capabilities. Feel free to give them responsibilities as you see fit."

"What will your role be?", Elder Dimitri asked.

"Other than handling North America, I will keep my role of the Grand Elder in case the four of you need a mediator. Each of you can stay as an Elder, or give yourself any title you wish, however, in my eyes, the four of you are equal."

"What will happen to the resources that we can't manage?", Stella asked.

"I will take care of it. I want you to think about the future of the Lebedev family while you make your choices. I don't approve of the autonomy the previous system provided because it allowed for corruption to grow roots into the organization. This is our chance to start anew and to be a family. I hope that we can collaborate and help each other when needed. Betrayal will not be tolerated.", Sarah threw a glance at Dimitri and Todor. She does not think that Konstantin or Stella will act against her, but Dimitri and Todor still didn't prove themselves.

"Sophia has a number of suggestions, so I will let her take over from here.", Sarah said before handing over the meeting to Sophia.

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