Chapter 1888 - Brunch With Family

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

After getting ready for the day, Aiden and Sarah stepped out in the garden at the back of the main villa where they were greeted by many familiar faces.

Sarah took in a deep breath and appreciated the moment.

The summer sky was cloudless, and the fresh morning breeze eased up the heat from the sun that was slowly rising up. It's a perfect day for an outdoor brunch.

On the left was a long table filled with various breakfast items and beverages that were constantly being refilled by the staff from the Lebedev family and cooks from the Army of Chaos.

People were seated at the tables or on the benches that were in the garden, and many more were seated on the soft grass beyond the garden.

Alice, Jayden, Lia, Adam, and Valentin were on a picnic blanket in the shade of a big oak tree where three leopards were perched, and Sarah imagined that their baby will join in that mix soon. The little ones were snacking and playing under the watchful eyes of their nannies who also kept their eyes on the mischievous Hero, Bella, and Luna who would sometimes try to eat food that was prepared for the kids.

Other than the kids from the Cliffside Villa, present were JoAnna, Jeff, Sophia, Felix, Stella, Edward, Owen, Hong, Elder Dimitri, Elder Todor, Konstantin, Vuk, Bogdan, Aaron, Noah, Igor, Elliot, and further down were soldiers from the Army of Chaos who arrived from the United States and other bases in Europe.

People chatted with smiles on their faces and the overall mood was good.

Later, they will go to the main base of the Voronin family and topple Simeon, but before that, Sarah wanted to spend the morning with her kids and family. It's a long time since they did something like this relaxing.

Ever since Aiden was kidnapped, Sarah was busy with plans and missions and she didn't unwind with family or appreciate all the good things in her life.

Sarah and Aiden stopped on the terrace and Sarah leaned on her husband while smiling at the view in front of her.

One by one, people stopped talking and they turned their attention to Sarah and Aiden.

Sarah realized that they are waiting for her to say something. Sarah had no intention to give a speech, but she and Aiden are standing, so it looks like it. Well, they are already here so she might say a few words...

"We are happy to see everyone gathered. We hit a hectic period and I am sorry that I neglected you. If any of you wants to chat with either of us, let us know, we are available. I hope we can all enjoy the peace of the next few hours, after which we will get busy again. Thank you for being here with us."

Aiden kissed Sarah's temple and smiled. He was worried that Sarah's mood will be bad because of what happened to Vasily, but she surprised him when she asked for this brunch.

"Instead of crying for what is lost, I want to appreciate what we have.", Sarah told Aiden. "Many people came from afar to support us and I want them to know that I am grateful for that."

Aiden was delighted to hear this and he immediately instructed staff to set up breakfast outside and to notify others to join them for an impromptu brunch. He wanted Sarah to be surrounded by love and support because only like that she will remember that there are many people who are depending on her.

Back to the present…

Sarah took a seat at the table with Konstantin, Owen, Igor, Noah, and Aaron, and Aiden got busy filling up plates with food to bring to his wife.

"You look tired.", Sarah said while observing Noah and Aaron who couldn't deny dark circles under their eyes.

"We were busy sorting out things that arrived last night.", Noah said, and Sarah knew he is talking about the things they swiped on the previous night from the Voronin family.

Owen stifled a yawn. "I was up also." He wanted to make sure he is not neglected.

"Why were you up?", Sarah asked.

"I woke up around midnight and I spent the rest of the night watching the video feed from the Voronin base. It was hilarious seeing their reactions when they realized that they were robbed. It was brilliant." Owen said and chuckled. "No one from the Voronin Elders slept last night, and when Simeon started raging they were not sure if they should gather for a meeting, or hide in their homes. Simeon ordered all buildings to be searched. It's still ongoing. I'm here for the food and will be back to watch more. I can't get enough of them pointing fingers at each other while no one has an idea of what happened. One said that it was ghosts, and another version is that they are cursed."

"Who is cursed?", Aiden asked as he arrived while balancing four plates of food in his hands. He looked like a professional server with three plates that were lined up over his left forearm from elbow to tips of his fingers and the fourth plate in his right hand. All heaping with food.

"Owen is enjoying the show from the Voronins.", Sarah responded and popped a grape in her mouth.

A minute later, Owen walked away, saying that he is done with food and is going to continue watching the security feed from the Voronin family.

"I don't want to spoil the mood, but we need to decide what to do about our territories now that we are four Elders short.", Konstantin said. He was hoping to get a meeting with Sarah, but with everyone getting cozy at this brunch, it does not seem that he will get a chance.

"Later.", Sarah said curtly. She didn't want to think about work but she saw that Konstantin needs more information, so she explained: "One or two days of delay will not make a difference. Send a message to everyone that we are working on it and in the meantime, you will manage it directly. I want us to focus on Voronins. If things go as planned, at the end of the day, Lebedevs will have more things to manage. If we decide on anything today, it will be useless because we will need to redo it later."

Konstantin blinked. "You are taking over Voronins?"

Sarah bobbed her head. "We will see how things turn out, but regardless if we manage to form some alliance, or we wipe them out, that will impact our current operations because we will increase territories." Sarah didn't want to specify if those territories will belong to Lebedevs or the Army of Chaos. 

"Alliance?" Konstantin found it hard to accept. How can they be allied with their enemies?

Aiden responded by gesturing toward Hong. "By end of the day, he will be the Grand Master of the Voronin family."

"Oh…", a sound escaped Konstantin's lips. He was not sure what Sarah and Aiden are planning, but they seemed confident. "Then… I should go and get acquainted…" Konstantin stood up and went to join the table where Hong was sitting.

"How are you doing?", Sarah asked Igor.

Igor's eyes widened. He was happy that Sarah spoke to him. "My leg is fine. Noah and Aaron are helpful in giving me pointers so that I can learn things."

"He is a fast learner.", Aaron praised Igor to which Igor grinned.

"What do you think about the Army of Chaos so far?", Sarah asked Igor.

"Uhm… I am still adjusting. It's nothing bad, but I am used to bad, and sometimes I pinch myself secretly."

Everyone at the table laughed at Igor's words.

"Sometimes I pinch myself also.", Sarah said with a smile.

"You created a nice place for everyone.", Noah shared his thoughts. "We are expanding by taking in various characters and swallowing other organizations, but the goodness here is so strong that we are not getting corrupted."

Sarah was happy to hear that. Wouldn't it be nice if people stop fighting and scheming and just let them be?

"You sound like we are invading others.", Aiden said to Noah with disapproval in his voice. It's not what Noah said, but Aiden knew that Noah is sucking up to Sarah. Not on Aiden's watch! "We are not expanding because we want to dominate others. We are only defending ourselves and eliminating threats."

Noah shrugged. "Po-tay-to, Poh-ta-to… It's the same thing. But you can frame it to whatever makes you feel better."

Aiden narrowed his eyes. "You…"

Sarah exhaled and focused on her food. Noah and Aiden are bickering again, as they usually do. She wondered how come Aaron is standing on the side but then she saw him smiling smugly and she realized that he is waiting for his chance to jump in. And she didn't need to wait for long. A second later, Aaron joined, and Noah, Aaron, and Aiden were bickering over ridiculous things while jumping from one topic to another.

Ah, things are back to normal. For now.

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