Chapter 1524 - Preparations For The Test Of Courage

In the study room…

"Wow! When did you get all this data on the Payne family?", Sarah asked Aiden with admiration obvious in her voice.

The two of them collected high-level information before they came here, just so that they have an idea about their neighbors, but Aiden dug out a lot of information that is not publicly available. 

Aiden threw her a smug glance and didn't respond. He did it before lunch, while Sarah was talking to Master Hollow about Evalina shooting at them and what happened after that. Unintentionally, Sarah reminded him of what happens when he does not take a threat seriously, and a snobby person like Darlene can cause trouble. He will not allow that to happen.

Sarah looked at the information Aiden collected and summarized: "Their income is from real estate; they are earning a lot of money, but their debt is eating up almost all of it. Darlene has a few scandals worth gossiping that can't cause real damage, but her father has a mistress…" She smiled. "It's interesting that they don't own the land where their house is. With more than half of it owned by the bank, they are paying it off in small installments…"

Sarah's eyes lit up while looking at the number of hidden accounts they have offshore.

"It seems that you have an idea…", Aiden said in a singing voice while enjoying Sarah's mischievous (and slightly evil) expression.

Sarah nodded in slow motion. "The Payne family did a poor job in raising Darlene. She dared to come to our house and act like she is above us. Someone who has so many secrets should not act so bold…" Sarah looked at the map of the area which showed the peninsula where their property is, and her finger traced the outline of the property owned by the Payne family. "We are the army of Chaos. We take what we can use, and we destroy the rest. And this…", she paused and turned to Aiden. "…we can use."

Aiden's lips curved into a devilish smile and he winked. "Let's start…"

…

Sarah and Aiden joined others outside just in time for the voting.

There were different categories to vote for: the suavest move, the biggest impression, the most elegant win, the best team player, etc.

"The two of you stayed inside for a while after the visit from the police…", Michael said when he approached Sarah and Aiden. "Problems?"

Sarah and Aiden smiled, and shook their heads in unison.

"Thank you for your concern, but we got it covered.", Sarah said and lowered her gaze back to the paper where she needs to cast her votes.

Michael nodded in understanding and didn't bring out the topic anymore. He usually does not ask such questions which might sound like he is nosy, but since he got injured, he is not getting much work to do, and he feels useless. He hopes that Sarah and Aiden know that they can rely on him.

Sarah glanced at Michael's retreating back and sighed. It's not that she wants to keep it a secret, but she does not want to talk about the Payne family and what they have in the store for them. And Michael's services are not necessary, he should rest and recuperate.

Sarah and Aiden published online a number of articles which are revealing dirty laundry of the Payne family: tax evasion, drugs, scandalous behavior, etc. They also made sure that the biggest clients of Mr. Payne get this information. After all, the real estate business relies on connections and networking and no one wants to associate themselves with someone whose reputation is tarnished.

Sarah and Aiden are confident that the articles will mess up the business of the Payne family, and their private life as well. In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Payne will get a shock when they see that their 'hidden' offshore accounts are empty. Ah, there are more surprises for the Payne family, but they will be aware of it in the morning.

The award ceremony went great.

Medals for the best results were already known, and the kids were excited to see the results from voting. There were many categories to vote for, and everyone could write in a name, so they had no idea who won.

Haru and Nala went to the stage and announced winners.

Julius and Allen won an award for the best teamwork, Ron and Zula are the cutest couple, Ade got the most votes for the suave move (when he saved Hande from the lake), Sarah got called out for the sneakiest move (when she hit Aiden during dodgeball) and Hande was recognized as a great helper.

Hande was super-embarrassed about this. She is confident that Merve had something to do with the 'great helper' title. What did Hande do? Arranged a few flags and then ended up falling into a lake and being rescued. But she didn't want to make a fuss. Hande swallowed her grievances and went on the stage to receive her award.

The awards are plaques and tokens which will be later exchanged for a prize from Sarah and Aiden. Those prizes are a secret, and the kids will find out what they are when they return to the Cliffside villa.

When the award ceremony was completed, Nala announced that after nightfall they will have the test of courage and that whoever wants to participate needs to pair up in teams.

Nala explained that the courage test will happen after the sunset. All the lights on the property will be turned off and kids will move in twos while following their map with a flashlight to collect various items from predefined locations inside the villa and through the property. The night is moonless, and the stars will provide almost no light, which is perfect for the occasion.

Nala gave hints that the task of collecting tokens will not be straightforward, but she didn't want to reveal more details.

"There is one hour until dinner. Use it to find your partner, relax, and come up with strategies. Maps with the location of the tokens are available in the playroom on the bar next to the bowling lanes.", Nala informed everyone.

During the break, Sarah, Aiden, Haru, Nala, Ron, Zula, Nico, and Beck went to set up things for the courage test which will happen after dinner, later in the evening. Each of them is in charge of the specific area, so other than Sarah and Aiden, no one knows all the points of interest.

As a twist for the test of courage, the tokens will be in not-so-accessible locations, there will be eerie sounds, Sarah and Aiden are setting up holograms, Michael and Oni will be dressed up as zombies, Nico and Beck are messing with electronic locks on doors and windows, and there will be other traps along the path so it's not a simple challenge of just collecting things.

Of course, generals need to keep their Eve-lens in their rooms. There will be no cheating with night vision and looking through the walls!

"Do you have a partner for the test of courage?", Ade asked Hande.

Hande shook her head. She was embarrassed to admit it, but who will pair up with her? Hande was about to say that she is tired, as an excuse not to participate, but Ade was talking again…

"Do you want to team up with me?"

Hande blinked. "What?"

"Or do you have someone else on your mind? Your sister, maybe?", Ade guessed.

"No, no!", Hande said louder than intended. She glanced around nervously to make sure no one noticed her outburst before responding to Ade's question: "I mean… I don't have anyone on my mind. I would love to team up… with you."

Ade smiled. "Cool. Let's go to the playroom. The maps are already there. We can study the map and come up with a strategy. Let's decide which location we will visit first, and then..."

Hande saw that Ade is walking away and she wanted to go after him, but her legs were super-stiff.

Ade paused when he noticed that Hande is not with him. He turned and looked at her questionably. "Are you coming? Or do you have something else to do before dinner?"

Hande scolded herself internally. Why is she not moving? She forced her leg up to take a step forward.

"Sorry… I am just surprised that you want to team up with me.", Hande admitted in a small voice.

Ade observed her embarrassed expression for a second before breaking into a smile. "Why would I not team up with you? This is a test of courage, and I know that you are brave. You are perfect. Now let's go and check the map…"

Hande inhaled sharply. Ade said that she is brave! And perfect…

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