"Here they are!", JoAnna exclaimed when Sarah and Aiden made their appearance in the garden. "You left the living room before us, and we didn't see you, so we got worried."
"We needed to discuss something.", Sarah responded with a big smile on her face.
JoAnna suspiciously looked at Sarah and then at Aiden whose expression matched Sarah's.
"It was urgent.", Aiden added with a sly smirk.
"Right… discuss… urgent... I can see that…", JoAnna mumbled.
Sarah cleared her throat and spoke before JoAnna can call them out on their obvious lie. "Is everyone here?"
"The guys from Romania arrived.", Jeff said and gestured toward the area where Mishi, Petar, Emir, and Tereza are. Next to them, Sarah saw Aaron and several of his deputies. They were all looking toward Sarah and Aiden with smiles on their faces.
"Let's go and say 'hi'…", Sarah urged Aiden.
There is usually a tension between Aaron and Aiden, but this time the two of them shook hands and Aiden thanked Aaron for his hard work.
"I'm glad you are back in one piece. Sarah was a mess and only you can get this amazing girl to smile."
Aiden knows that Aaron was complimenting Sarah, but this time, he didn't mind. She is amazing, and she is his.
"Where are Eliza and Lucija?", Sarah asked while her eyes moved from Mishi to Petar.
Petar responded: "Nala took them to see the toy room where the other kids are. They will be back soon."
Sarah was happy to see that Mr. Wang and Suvedini are present and they were chatting in a good mood with Sophia and Felix. Ron and Zula were with them as well.
Mr. Wang remembered Aiden from Las Vegas when they used aliases Mr. and Mrs. Black. Sarah thought that it's strange how since then she saw Mr. Wang a few times, but it was always without Aiden.
"This is my husband, Aiden…", Sarah introduced Aiden to Suvedini.
"Thank you for helping Sarah find me.", Aiden said to both Suvedini and to Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang was enthusiastic, and Suvedini was more reserved.
"We hope that you will enjoy tonight with us. Here, we are all friends and family, and everyone gathered to welcome Aiden back.", Sarah said.
Aiden was not willing to let Sarah wiggle out with concealing that it's her birthday. "Not entirely true. Tomorrow is Sarah's birthday. Party is for the birthday."
"Oh, if I knew, I would bring a present.", Mr. Wang said.
"You did, Mr. Wang. There is no better present than having Aiden by my side." Sarah was clinging onto Aiden and he didn't mind it, not even a little bit.
Right on time, Oni approached them and she gave two boxes to Sarah.
"These are for you. As a token of our gratitude…", Sarah gave one box to Mr. Wang and one to Suvedini.
The two boxes had one token and a business card each.
Sarah was thinking about what to give them as gratitude for their help, but the problem is that both Mr. Wang and Suvedini can afford many things, so money or valuables didn't seem right.
Sarah sees Mr. Wang as an honorable person, worthy of her respect. Mr. Patel is a businessman who will honor the deal, but Suvedini went above and beyond to help in finding Aiden, and Sarah appreciates that. These presents will provide Mr. Wang and Suvedini with help when needed while strengthening their relationship with Sarah and Aiden.
"The token has a small latch and it can be opened…", Sarah explained. "If you press this button, you will activate a GPS tracker and within twenty-four hours, someone associated with us will find you. Also, if you ever need any assistance, give us a call. We will be happy to come, no questions asked."
"What about this card?", Suvedini asked while holding a business card with one phone number and an email address on it, and the letters 'S&O' (which stands for Sigma and Omega).
"If you ever need a service of retrieving information that is not easy to obtain, call this number.", Aiden responded.
"Is this the way to reach the person who hacked into military satellites?", Mr. Wang was curious.
Sarah understood that he is asking about SP3CT3R because he hacked the satellites while Mr. Wang and Suvedini's men followed Aiden on the ground.
"We have a number of hackers available, and this will provide you with access to one. He is very reliable and if he can't accomplish your task, he will find someone who can.", Sarah responded vaguely.
"On behalf of Mr. Patel, I thank you.", Suvedini said in an official tone.
"These things are for you personally. We made a separate deal with Mr. Patel.", Sarah clarified.
Aiden wanted to ask Sarah what deal she made with Mr. Patel, but he took a mental note to ask later because this is not the time. Aiden remembers negotiating with Mr. Patel and that the man is as tricky as it gets. No wonder he is one of the richest people in India, known as the shrewd businessman.
Suvedini was surprised. "Oh… well… thank you. Uhm... I have a certain autonomy under Mr. Patel, so if you need anything, call me first."
Sarah was happy to hear this. There is a chance that if they need something in South Asia next time, they don't need to sell their souls to Mr. Patel.
A few minutes later, Sarah got a shock when she saw Angelo, Melissa, Sean, and Ryan walking into the garden with several of Angelo's men.
"Whaaaat?", Sarah asked while looking at the newcomers. Sean and Ryan were carrying gift bags, they were obviously prepared with presents.
Sarah nudged Aiden. "Did you tell them to come?"
"I mentioned that we will have a party. I hope that is OK."
"Of course, it's OK. We should welcome them…" Sarah said to Aiden and glanced at Mr. Wang and Suvedini. "Excuse us…"
A minute later, Mathew and Samara made their appearance.
"Thank you for inviting all these people.", Sarah told Aiden.
Aiden smiled. He knows that Sarah loves to have her friends around. He wondered, how will Sarah react when she sees the others? Aiden didn't wait long.
Sarah's eyes widened dramatically when she saw that Emma, Charlie, Jarred, Donnie, Ben, Penny, Steve, and Bridgette joined them in the garden.
"Sorry, we left Los Angeles in a hurry and didn't get a chance to get your present.", Emma said while giving a big hug to Sarah. "We will get you one when you return."
Sarah gave a side-glance to Aiden over Emma's shoulder and his smile told her that he notified them to come as soon as they mentioned the dinner-event. Maybe before that.
"You being here is the biggest present ever.", Sarah responded.
Emma had a troubled expression. "Ellie is sorry that she can't come, but Amber is only three weeks old and Jasper stayed with them and Grayden…"
"It's OK. I understand. I didn't expect you to come either. This is such a wonderful surprise. Thank you. Make yourself at home. You know most of the people, and feel free to introduce yourself to anyone who is new."
"Don't worry about us...", Penny said. "Tejan and Rosa showed us our rooms. We are set."
"You have quite the place here.", Jarred spoke to Sarah and Aiden before looking at Aiden, as if he is searching for something. "It's good to have you back. This little girl mobilized everyone to find you. I didn't know you kids are so well connected." Jarred's eyes gravitated toward Mr. Wang.
Aiden nodded in agreement with Jarred's words. "I am lucky to have Sarah watch over me. And all these people are gathered here thanks to Sarah."
"We left Denise and Oliver in the kids' room with nannies.", Bridgette said. "Your mom told us that kids will join the party when the food is ready."
Sarah glanced at Ben. "Who is keeping an eye on the company?"
"Shh… Don't tell Jeff.", Ben said jokingly. "Pam and Leah are there to hold the fort until we get back, and in case of an emergency, I can work from here. Aiden told me that the internet is good, so I got my laptop."
"But that is just in case…", Penny reminded Ben. "We are here for the party and to enjoy with friends."
"Yes, yes…" Ben immediately confirmed. Between his work at the White corp., and Penny's hotels, they are quite busy and not finding a lot of opportunities to relax. This is for them like a mini-vacation.
Sarah was touched that all these people would come on short notice to celebrate with them.
They all expressed their joy that Aiden is back, and Charlie went to seek Corey. "I need to see with my own eyes that he is fine, or I won't have the courage to face his mother."
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