Is this destiny?

Author's note:

The next few chapters are introducing new characters: Liz, Max, Mia, and Hunter. To know more about their background, read my novel 'Accident Prone'.

Actually, this is not the first cameo of characters from 'Accident Prone' in 'Is this Destiny?'. 

In chapter 1383, Aiden was peeking inside the event hall where the Symposium of Neurosurgeons was held and he witnessed a proposal. That was Max proposing to Liz. 

For readers who completed 'Accident Prone', the current timeline is about seven months before the epilogue.

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~ Los Angeles, the Hilton Hotel ~

Wednesday

10:02 AM

In the top floor suite of the Hilton Hotel…

"Yes, Dr. Hill, thank you for asking. The room is wonderful. We arrived without any problems. I will see you at the LA Medical Center at 11 o'clock…", Dr. Williams ended the call with JoAnna.

Dr. Elizabeth Williams-Anderson (aka Liz) is a renowned neurosurgeon from Seattle, currently the Chairwoman of the Franciscan Medical Center where JoAnna used to work before moving to Los Angeles with Jeff.

Dr. Williams is one of the numerous neurosurgeons JoAnna contacted related to Vasily's condition and she agreed to examine him personally before deciding if she will attempt to operate on him or not.

Liz arrived in Los Angeles with her husband, Maximilian Anderson (aka Max), who is the CEO of the Alpha group. Other than accompanying Liz, Max hopes to establish a collaboration with the White corp. 

The Alpha group is a multi-billion dollar business with thousands of employees and a big influence in the Pacific North-West. As the CEO, Max does not travel to meet with business partners (because they come to him), but this also overlapped with Liz's interests, so he made an exception. If there is one person for whom Max will break the rules, that is his wife.

Also present in the luxurious suite are Hunter and Mia.

Hunter is Max's brother and right-hand man in the company.

Mia is Liz's best friend and Hunter's wife.

Other than being husband and wife, Mia and Hunter are skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as they lead an organization of assassins that Mia's father left her, and Hunter is in charge of security that works for Andersons.

Mia and Hunter came to Los Angeles as Liz's and Max's bodyguards, but also with the hope to establish a collaboration with the Army of Chaos. Their network of informants found out that Sarah and Aiden are behind aliases Nyx and Erebus, and when Mia heard that Liz is coming to meet with Dr. Hill (who is Sarah's sister), they decided to tag along and try their luck. So far, their attempts to meet with the leaders of the Army of Chaos were rejected.

"They are showing sincerity. That patient must be important.", Mia said with a mouthful. Since they arrived, she didn't leave the long table that was lined up with all kinds of delectable dishes.

"We just got off the plane, and you are eating random things. You will upset your stomach.", Liz warned Mia, but her gluttonous friend only waved her away.

Hunter was working on his laptop with a plate full of bite-sized snacks. He and Mia have matching appetites and Liz is often teasing them that most of their income is spent on food.

Max exited the bedroom and asked Liz, "All set?"

She confirmed. "Yes. How about on your side?"

"I'm set for a meeting with Jeffrey at the White corp. I got a confirmation that we will all meet for lunch."

"Great. We have time for a video call with Mila…", Liz said and went to get her laptop. Max was one step behind her.

Mila (aka Emilia) is their 14 months-old daughter, currently home in Seattle with grandpa and grandma Anderson (aka Max's parents). They love to babysit, and Liz and Max used this opportunity to spend a few days in Los Angeles, do some work and relax.

~ Los Angeles, the White corp. HQ ~

Leah welcomed Max and Hunter in the main hall of the White corp. HQ, and escorted them to Jeff's office.

"Mr. Anderson…", Jeff greeted Max.

"Mr. White…", Max returned the greeting. "This is Hunter. He is my assistant and my brother."

"I believe you've met Leah.", Jeff said. "And these are Allen and Julius. The three of them are my assistants and the two lads double as bodyguards."

Hunter was interested in Allen and Julius. They looked young, and their firm handshakes didn't disappoint. Hunter assessed that Allen's and Julius's bodies were balanced and guessed that they practiced some martial arts and that the 'bodyguard' title was not only for show.

After exchanging the pleasantries, they sat in the sitting area. Allen and Julius brought drinks and snacks for everyone and retreated to the side desks that are used as their workstations.

Leah sat next to Jeff, ready to take notes or assist otherwise.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Anderson?", Jeff asked, and added, "I assume that you are not here only for sightseeing because your wife is considering to take on a patient."

Max (aka the Alpha group) requested a meeting with Jeff without providing details. Normally, Jeff would not entertain such a request, but when he connected the dots that Max is Dr. Williams's husband and that Jeff's refusal might cause Vasily to lose a chance for recovery, Jeff accepted.

Jeff is a wise man and he calculated that potentially wasting an hour or two is a small price to pay if it can avoid JoAnna getting angry at him (and Sarah and Sophia). 

"I have several business deals that can be lucrative for both of us.", Max said while Hunter pulled various folders from his briefcase and arranged them on the coffee table.

Jeff took the closest folder and flipped through it. He returned the folder on the table and eyed Max. "You could have sent this in an email. How about we skip the warmup and move on to the main topic of why you are here?"

Max stifled a laugh. "You are a smart man, Mr. White."

Side of Jeff's lip lifted into a smile. It's always good to hear praise. "Please, call me Jeff."

"Then I expect you to call me Max."

Jeff nodded in agreement and waited for Max to speak.

"I am interested in your security systems."

"You can find our products on the website.", Jeff stated a fact.

"I am interested in things that are not on the site."

Jeff paused. Additional offerings are not common knowledge, and Max's comment told Jeff that Max did some research on the not-so-legal dealings of the White corp. The questions were, why did Max do that, and how much he knows?

"And what would that be?"

"Don't be so cautious. You said that we should skip the warmup.", Max reminded Jeff.

It was Jeff's turn to laugh. "I am curious to hear what you know."

Max gestured toward the folders on the table. "These cover some of the areas where we can collaborate, and I am confident that we can find more common points of interest and support each other…"

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