Is this destiny?

Sarah went into the master bedroom where Emma was with Tiffany and she found in the sitting area a scene of Emma crying on Tiffany's shoulder with the latter comforting her.

"What is going on?", Sarah asked with concern obvious in her voice.

Tiffany looked at Sarah helplessly while patting Emma's back. "Pregnancy hormones. Everything is a problem."

"I'm sorry, Sarah, for letting you see me in such a state…", Emma said while wiping her eyes with the back of her palm. "It's nothing really, but at the same time it's everything."

Sarah's brows furrowed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tiffany took this as her opportunity to step away. She saw too many crying spells in the last few months, and she will let Sarah deal with this one.

"I will go and check on your dress…", Tiffany said before disappearing into the master closet.

Seeing how quickly Tiffany took her exit, Sarah realized that she got herself into something unpredictable. But she already asked, and there is no going back. 

Emma sighed and looked at Sarah. "I don't know where to start…"

"How about from the beginning?", Sarah suggested while taking a seat on the sofa next to Emma.

"There is no beginning and no end. My belly is big and heavy, my back is aching, my feet are swollen, I need to pee on every ten minutes, yet I am supposed to go out be graceful and smile at the people who want to harm me, and snatch Charlie's position, and they will not stop until we are left on the street poor or dead."

This scene reminded Sarah of the incident when JoAnna was very pregnant and she found a bed climber lurking in Jeff's office. JoAnna's anger was fueled by pregnancy hormones, and she even thought about divorce. Compared to JoAnna seeing a woman around her husband, Emma is dealing only with pregnancy and the pressure of being the Madam of the Smith family.

Sarah knew that Emma's problems appear to be unfixable (from Emma's angle), and that is why she is falling apart. Telling her that it will pass or that it's nothing would be a big mistake, but Sarah had to say something.

"It's not that bad…", Sarah said in a small voice.

"It's bad enough that I can't tell anyone that the baby in my belly is a girl. It's bad enough that I can't trust anyone. I know that Charlie is by my side, but he is dealing with so many things and I feel all alone. This pregnancy was supposed to be a blessing, yet I am so stressed that I started suspecting if my morning tea has some poison in it and everyone looks like an assassin. I don't care if Charlie is the CEO and I don't think that the Smith family deserves him. If it's up to me, he would quit his job, sell his stocks, and leave his family to deal with their own problems. They are all grownups, why do they need a patriarch who will tell them what to do if they are all coveting to take him down?"

Sarah knows that Charlie leaving is not as simple as just quitting a job. He didn't get his current position based on the stocks alone, or because Jarred endorsed him, but it took many years of creating connections and social balancing for Charlie to be accepted as the patriarch. Jarred picked Charlie as his successor for a reason, and if Charlie leaves his position without proper arrangements, the Smith family will split into factions, and Charlie and Emma will probably find themselves in the middle of it. But Sarah also knew that Emma is upset and pregnant and that this is not the time to delve into technicalities. "Did you talk to Charlie?"

"People depend on Charlie and he is aware that there are things only he can do. If I complain, he will only feel burdened and I don't want to be the one to make him neglect his duties. At most, he will tell me to hold on, and that once the baby is born things will be easier. Or will he suggest a vacation?"

Sarah thought how that is a good idea. "Maybe a vacation is what you need. A stressful routine clubbed with your pregnancy is like a recipe for depression. It does not need to be long, a few days could be enough to recharge your batteries. Once the baby is born, you will focus on her, and everything else will seem insignificant."

"How do you know?"

"I don't.", Sarah admitted. "However, I am aware that things like forever happiness don't exist. A happy life is something we need to work for, and sometimes fight for. Don't think about being happy long-term but think about what will make you happy now. And I believe that is you and Charlie away from all the mess. With Tiffany and Mike around, you and Charlie can afford a few days away from everything. If you don't know where to go, I can suggest a few locations. Do you like snow or the beach? Or maybe you are the forest type? How does a cottage next to the lake sound?" Sarah saw that Emma frowned, so she started talking dreamily: "Imagine a snow-covered mountain, and you and Charlie in a cabin, in front of the fire-burning fireplace… cuddling up with a cup of hot cocoa. Marshmallows are optional."

Emma smiled. "That sounds nice."

Sarah loved seeing Emma's smile which told her that she is making a progress. "Or if you want casual company, we are going on Thursday for a four days-long weekend to the White Rock Lake with our kids. With the event already set, you only need to pack clothes and that's it. There will be boating, games, and a bonfire in the evening. It will be lively outside, but when you and Charlie want privacy, you can stay in your room, or go somewhere on your own. Other than humans, my fur-babies will also be there, and you are more than welcome to join. I can set internet and cell phone restrictions for Charlie to half an hour a day, that will force him to stay away from work and focus only on urgent things, if any."

Emma looked at Sarah thoughtfully for some time before asking: "Can Sean and Ryan come?"

Sarah shrugged. "I don't see why not, but I must ask if there is a particular reason behind your request."

"They are detached, focused on Nero armi, and I think that they forgot what's important. I tried talking to them, but they changed. Everything is a game and they feed off each other's energy for adventure and seeking their next thrill. I fear that if they don't realize that people matter… in a few years they will be all alone, and then it will be too late."

"That sounds a bit like Angelo.", Sarah voiced her thoughts.

Sarah remembered when they met Angelo, he was alone in his villa, and the only person close to him was Bruno, the young man who Angelo treated as his son, yet Bruno was consumed in his desire to become the next Capo. Sarah felt sorry for Angelo because his real family didn't know that he was alive, and his adopted family wanted him gone.

"Luckily, Angelo found Melissa, but I don't want for my brothers to settle down when they turn fifty years old." Emma looked at Sarah with a slight panic in her expression. "Don't get me wrong… I'm not trying to match them with any of your girls or to force them into a relationship. I know that they are close to Al and Juju, and I hope that they can reconnect with kids their age and get a bit grounded."

Sarah had no problems with having Ryan and Sean around. "I can invite them, but I will not force them to come. Did you talk to Angelo about that?"

Emma frowned, obviously not liking the idea. "What can he do? He messed up his life, should he mess up theirs as well?"

Sarah shrugged. "It can't hurt for him to be aware of your concerns. Ryan and Sean are in their positions because of Angelo. I know you are close to Melissa, she might have some good inputs also."

Emma sighed and looked at Sarah seriously. "How are you managing everything?"

Sarah was confused. "I don't understand the question."

"I mean… People who try to get between you and Aiden… people who want what is yours and they don't mind hurting you… how do you manage them?"

Sarah understood that Emma went back to the topic of bed climbers and greedy Smiths and that she is hoping for good advice.

"I don't manage them.", Sarah responded. "I cut the problem at the root and I show them no mercy."

Emma blinked. "When you say cut and no mercy… what does that mean?"

"What do you think it does? When an entitled woman tries to seduce Aiden, do you think that me asking her politely to back off will work?"

Emma's expression stiffened when she saw madness in Sarah's eyes. She never saw her like that, and Sarah forgot her previous thoughts about how Emma is pregnant and that she should spare her of harsh topics.

"Aiden is mine, and so is our home and our kids and whoever tries to steal them from me or harm them in any way will need to face the consequences of even thinking about it. I will teach them a lesson, even if that means breaking a few bones or killing them."

Emma opened her mouth and closed it. It took her some time to respond. "I don't know if I can do that."

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