Sarah and Aiden got into the living room and saw that Elanor and Oscar are there with JoAnna and Jeff.
"Den-den…", Elanor called when she hugged Aiden.
"Thank you for finding him…", Elanor spoke to Sarah without letting Aiden out of her hug.
"How are you doing, son?", Oscar asked while waiting for Elanor to let go of Aiden so that he can get his turn.
"I have some withdrawal symptoms from the drug they gave me, but other than that, I'm fine.", Aiden responded stiffly. "Why are you here?"
Elanor let go of Aiden and watched as Oscar hugged him. "We came to check on how you are doing and… can you sit? We would like to talk to you."
"What is this about?", Aiden asked when he sat on the sofa with Sarah by his side.
Elanor glanced at Oscar before responding: "It's about us and the Voronin family."
Aiden frowned. "There is nothing to say."
"Listen before judging…", Oscar said with determination in his voice before starting his story: "Aiden, son... you attending a program at the Orosia summer camp in 2006 was not accidental. We meant for you to go there and meet the Master of the Voronin family... After the Master of the Voronin family died, I reached out to people I knew were loyal to the Master and I asked them to protect you and Jeff... We gave Jeff the opportunity to lead our family, as our firstborn, and this was setting you up for an entrance to the Voronin family. We wanted both of you to have an opportunity to shine." Oscar ended his talk.
Jeff snorted. "How can you compare those two? You decided that I will inherit your position while sending my brother away."
Oscar exhaled. He knew that Jeff will be a problem, but Aiden's silence was equally concerning.
"You are both Whites and it's inevitable that people will target you. We were thinking about how to protect you and the only way was to put you in a position where you can protect yourself. Dividing the White forces was not an option we wanted to consider, so we had to look for other opportunities."
Oscar saw that both Jeff and Aiden have troubled expressions and he realized that he needs to keep on talking. He needs to explain their motives with the hope that their children will not hate them for it.
"No one knows better than me what it means when the second born gets to inherit an organization and when there is a need to share. It caused a divide and my own brother plotted to kill me and my family. I didn't want that to happen again. Jeff, I made sure that you get the right education and environment to be the leader that the White corp. and the White foundation deserve, and that no one can challenge your position.", Oscar explained to Jeff before adding: "And we were not sending Aiden away. This was an opportunity, and it would be up to him to decide if he wants to take it. I've met the old Master when both of you were kids and he said that his current disciples are not worthy and that is how I got an idea for Aiden to get involved."
Oscar turned to Aiden. "We wanted to tell you after you finish school and if the conditions are right… but the Master died before that and we had to think about your safety. And then we found out that you are dating a Lebedev and things got complicated."
Elanor nodded in support of Oscar's words and spoke to Aiden: "We thought that in the worst case, you will not want to be willing to go to Voronins, but you would still keep the skills. We were unable to foresee that after old Master passed, his disciples will find out about your existence and start hunting you and everyone else who might present a danger. We agreed that a number of trustworthy Voronins can come into our ranks with a goal to keep an eye on you boys and to ensure your safety."
"What about Evalina and Alexander?", Sarah asked Elanor.
"We didn't know about them. They were sent by the disciples who were looking for Aiden, and they didn't go through proper channels that our contacts could pick up because that would alert the current Master. The disciples were not willing to share that news with the whole organization because..."
Elanor stopped talking when Aiden stood up and tugged Sarah's hand, indicating for her to follow. "I've heard enough. Let's go out, our guests are waiting."
Elanor and Oscar looked after Sarah and Aiden who left the living room.
"Give him some time to process this information.", JoAnna tried to comfort Oscar and Elanor.
Jeff snorted. "There is nothing to process. The only new is the twist of how the whole thing is for Aiden's benefit. Do you think he will believe that? Do you think that any of us will believe that?"
Elanor pressed her lips into a line and exhaled when Jeff and JoAnna left the room.
Oscar patted Elanor's shoulder. "Look at this from the bright side... at least Aiden and Jeff are sticking together..."
In the hallway…
Sarah saw that Aiden's mood is not good and she didn't want him to go like that outside, where kids are preparing a party. She led the way to one of the side rooms.
"Are you OK?" Sarah asked Aiden when she closed the door behind them.
"You don't look surprised."
Sarah confirmed. "While you were missing, Oscar and Elanor came here and they told us a portion of what they said now. At that time, Oscar disclosed that he has contacts inside the Voronin family, and he gathered the information that helped us pinpoint your location. No matter what, they are your parents and I believe that they didn't have ill intentions."
"Easy for you to say." Aiden lowered his head in guilt because he accused Sarah of not knowing how it's when parents keep secrets, and she grew up surrounded with them.
"I have experiences with my parents keeping things from me.", Sarah reminded him. "The important thing is to take a step back and cool off your head before you decide how you will interact with them going forward."
Aiden was relieved that Sarah's tone was soothing. "How did you accept Stella's secrets?"
"I told myself that those are her secrets and that no matter what, she never put me in danger on purpose. I am confident that she thought my ignorance is protecting me and in a way, she was right. If I knew about Lebedevs as a child, I would be looking for my grandparents, unwilling to accept that they want to control me. And as a teenager, I would probably go there to tell them defiantly to stop following me. In either case, I would end up in their hands. But in the end… We all have our secrets… some to be revealed under the right conditions and some will forever stay secrets. I remember that when we met, you kept your Omega identity from me. Try to think about why you did it. I'm confident that it was not with bad intentions."
Aiden thought how a minute ago he accused Sarah of talking lightly, yet now she is giving him profound advice. "I'm sorry…"
"Stop apologizing.", Sarah cut him off. "You are apologizing so much that I suspect those medications messed up your mind. Where is my cocky husband who does what he wants, without apologizing?"
In the next moment, Aiden pinned her against the wall and his passionate kiss took her breath away.
"The only thing I will never apologize for is loving you.", Aiden spoke into her lips.
"Then… love me…", Sarah breathed.
Aiden smirked when he felt Sarah's grip on him tightening. "What about the party?"
"They can wait."
Aiden's hands moved to undo the buttons of her pants. "In situations like these, I really wish that you are a skirt-girl."
Sarah giggled and her hands moved toward his belt. "Let's see who can undress whom faster."
The gleam in his eyes told her that he accepted the challenge and he paused in shock when he heard his belt buckle cracking under the grip of her left hand.
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