Chapter 1899 - Fulfilling His Part Of The Bargain

Hong opened the door and summoned others from the hallway to come to the office.

Bo, Souta, Wing, Camila, Azra, and Francisca walked in and joined Hong, Haru, and Nala.

They separated screens into groups, so that none of the Elders and seniors is being missed, while taking notes on the behavior observed, in order to decide what to do with them. 

Hong was glad to see that a few people were pleased with Gedeon's return to the family, and he believed that they can keep them. Some of the seniors were afraid, but most of them were trying to take advantage of the situation and grab more things for themselves, thinking that no one is watching.

Noah, Aaron, Igor, and Elliot were outside, coordinating efforts with the members of the Army of Chaos.

Hong told everyone in the office that Maksim will join them shortly and that he will collaborate with them, but he warned youngsters not to trust Maksim blindly. Maksim appears to be willing to work with them, but he is unstable, and no one knows him well.

Sarah told Hong not to worry about Maksim because Hong has other things to do, and that she will keep an eye on Maksim. Actually, Eve will watch over Maksim and if he tries anything funny, she will let Sarah know.

Hong shared the plan which he previously devised with the Hill sisters: "We need to interrogate everyone in order to verify if they are loyal to the organization or to someone in particular. Regulars will be handled by others, but we need to deal with Elders and seniors personally. Maksim will make sure we are asking relevant questions. They will be unable to tell lies, but if we don't ask the right things, it will be useless. If anyone has an intention to backstab us, we need to eliminate them, but not before we find out everything about their assets and connections... They will start waking up in about one hour. By then, I want us to have a list of questions ready. Each of you got a copy of the questions that Sophia prepared, and you are welcome to add more. Don't go anywhere on your own, move in couples… We will all stay in the main villa that belongs to the Grand Master. Noah and Aaron are making arrangements for other soldiers where to stay… We need to finish interrogations and the first phase of sorting out things in two days, or we will not be able to make it to the party…"

Everyone smiled at the mentioning of a party. They could already see the bonfire, and hear the music mixed with laughter, and smell the barbecue. It will be epic!

…

Sarah and Aiden followed Maksim with Kitty, Michael, Oni, Stela, and Konstantin. Others decided to check out the base of the Voronin family and wait by the cars.

"You have him in your villa?", Sarah asked Maksim when she realized where he is taking them. She didn't see it on the security footage, but then, she was not looking at it either because they were busy with planning for this day and sorting out things in the Lebedev family.

"Mhm…", Maksim hummed in confirmation.

They descended into the basement, and then Maksim moved a bookshelf that revealed a tunnel.

Sarah frowned when she confirmed that this is not a tunnel that shows in the maps they obtained.

"Is this new?", Sarah asked Maksim.

"What makes you think so?"

"You should know by now that we have access to all maps that are related to this base."

"Hmm…", Maksim hummed. "This one is not mapped."

"Are you sure you are not walking into a trap?", JoAnna's voice sounded in Sarah's ear.

"We will see…", Sarah responded. At this point, she was not sure where Maksim was taking them, but considering who all was in the group and that they have three drones hovering above them, Sarah was confident that they will manage.

A few minutes later, they reached the stairs that led up, and they found themselves in a hallway. Sarah checked the map on Eve-lens and confirmed that they are in a building that is in the outer layer of the base.

Maksim stood in front of the closed door and gestured toward it.

"Is Vasily's body in here?", Sarah asked.

"He is in there.", Maksim responded.

"How did you get him in here?", Sarah asked. She expected that Maksim will take them to some mass-grave or a remote place, and this looks like a building that has an industrial feel to it.

They didn't see anyone since they came out of the tunnel, and Sarah assumed it's because Eve knocked out everyone.

"At that time, it was chaos, and no one counted bodies. My men got him here through the tunnels so that my father does not find out about it.", was Maksim's response.

Maksim smiled a bit and Aiden wanted to punch that smile off his face.

Sarah nodded in understanding and she was in no condition to notice Maksim's smile or that Aiden is back to mode to fight with Maksim.

If Simeon knew about Maksim taking Vasily's body, Simeon would definitely figure out that Maksim is up to something.

Sarah reached for the doorknob and retracted her hand. She was not sure if she is ready to see what is behind that door.

Aiden hugged Sarah and rubbed her back gently. He knew what she is going through, and he wished that he can help her out somehow. But other than being there for her, he could do nothing else.

"You don't need to do this, love…", Aiden spoke softly. "Let me handle it."

"No, I want to do it, but I need a minute.", Sarah responded. "I owe him this much."

"OK. Take your time.", Aiden said and continued holding her.

Sarah fisted Aiden's shirt and took deep breaths, letting his woody-flowery scent fill her lungs. It calmed her nerves a bit, but not enough for her to gather enough courage to look inside. She felt her eyes burning again and she knew that the flood of tears is going to happen within seconds.

She felt like a coward, but she couldn't make herself move because in that room is Vasily, or what is left of him. He spent the last two decades watching over her, making sure she is safe, yet she shunned him every time he came close and she was convinced that his intentions are bad, no matter what he did. Those are wrongs she will never be able to fix, and the guilt was eating her from inside.

Last two days, Sarah kept busy planning and sorting out Lebedevs and Voronins and she did everything she could in order to forget about the fact that Vasily sacrificed himself for her, but now she is at the point where she needs to face her regrets again.

Sarah knew that when she sees him, she will fall apart because even now she is crumbling from inside.

"Honey, do you want me to go in first?", Stella asked Sarah.

Sarah exhaled thinking that it does not matter who goes first. And Stella is part of the family. "OK."

Sarah saw Stella approach the door, and Sarah buried her face in Aiden's chest with her eyes closed tightly.

Sarah heard the soft click of the door opening and for the next two seconds was silence.

"Oh, God!", Stella's shout made Sarah freeze and she saw that Konstantin dashed inside to support Stella.

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