Is this destiny?

When Sarah left the conference room, the rest of the Council was left in a daze, each in their own thoughts.

"How did Sarah get her hands on that medallion?", Albert asked angrily. "What if it's counterfeit?"

Sinet snorted in displeasure. "I examined it. It's the real thing."

"Do you think she stole it?", Rance chimed in.

"Nonsense!", Jarred barked. "Will you keep your medallion in a place that can be easily taken?"

In truth, Jarred was not sure how Sarah got it. Obviously, she never brought up the topic.

As for the clues he could pick up himself, Jarred is one of the oldest members of the council, being there for more than fifteen years, and that spot behind the kolovrat-shaped groove was always empty.

The Council members would usually not cling onto their medallions after they pass their prime, as they would strive to find their successor. That is a precious position to hold, and they would give it to their sons or daughters, together with the power and wealth they posses.

Since no one showed up for a long time for two empty spots, the existing seven members of the Council assumed that those two medallion holders are dead and that their medallions are either well hidden or destroyed.

The only member who was there longer than Jarred was Sloan.

"Do you know the origins of that medallion?", Jarred was genuinely curious.

Sloan shook his head. "I never saw the previous owner, and you know that we don't talk about other members here. However…", Sloan said thoughtfully. "The shape resembles the one that's on the crest of the Lebedev family. Considering that Sarah is the Grand Elder, the timing would match that with the leadership of the Lebedev family she also got possession of that medallion."

After giving it some thought, Jarred nodded in agreement. "This would reinforce that she didn't steal it, but rather inherited it."

Albert and Rance exchanged dissatisfied glances.

They didn't like the idea of Sarah being a member of the Council, but with things as they are now if they complain, the other members of the Council will become their enemies.

Albert thought of Sarah as a greenhorn, not worthy of such an esteemed position. The fact that the Army of Chaos was expanding their influence in Europe didn't sit well with him, and on top of that, the Lebedevs ended up in Sarah's hands as well. She was becoming a bigger threat by the day, and he had to stop her before it goes beyond control.

Unfortunately for Albert, the rest of the Council didn't agree with him, so he had to find allies secretly.

Rance saw Sarah as a kid who has too many toys to play with, and he wanted to take some of them away (aka the mines). Since Sarah is inexperienced, Rance assumed it would be easy picking.

Albert and Rance had different motives, but their common goal was to act against Sarah, and they collaborated. Who knew that things will not go as smoothly as they planned?

Now they had their own problems to settle. Both Albert and Rance had a mysterious force intrude into their well-secured homes and rob them completely with no traces left behind.

No matter how they looked at it, Sarah was the biggest suspect. But without any evidence, they didn't dare point fingers rashly.

The timing matched, but neither Albert nor Rance dared to admit openly that they were planning to act against Sarah and that she robbed them because of that. They needed evidence that Sarah was the robber.

After the Council members dispersed, Rance got into his car and powered on his phone. Since Sarah mentioned a lack of funds, he had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. He needed to check his bank accounts.

A few minutes later, Rance was staring at his phone with a vacant expression. He checked a number of his savings and checking accounts, and they were completely empty. His credit cards showed a negative balance. How is that possible?

It took him some time to compose himself and think how this might be related to Sarah. The more he thought about it, the more likely it was that she was the culprit.

He called Albert.

"Did you check your bank accounts?", Rance asked in a shaky voice.

"Why would I?" Albert was not in a good mood and his spiteful tone showed it. Everything was a mess and he was on his way to the airport.

Why is that useless guy (aka Rance) calling? Rance's mind is polluted with greed and Albert used him to attack Sarah's mines.

Albert didn't plan to act rashly against Sarah and expose himself. No. His plan included using a number of his associates who would make some minor trouble for the Army of Chaos. With that plan in place, Albert would get Sarah's attention just enough so that she knows he can cause damage. It would be a warning for her to be obedient.

Albert's actions in Europe would pale in comparison with the offense Rance caused by attacking Sarah's mines.

After all, Albert is a politician. He pulls the strings and manipulates people while keeping his hands clean.

The plan was perfect to mess with Sarah while Rance takes the heat of Sarah's ire and the Council, but the guy was useless.

"My bank accounts are empty.", Rance said without any energy, like he is about to pass out any moment.

"What do you mean, empty?"

"Empty. There is nothing left. Someone took all my money. All of it. The logs are erased, and it appears like the money was never there.", Rance spoke choppily.

"And why are you telling me that?"

"Because…", Rance paused to inhale forcibly as he felt the lack of oxygen. "It was Sarah."

Albert frowned. "How do you know?"

"In the same way we know it was her robbing our homes, Albert. The timing is right. Only a handful of people would dare to act against me, and even less are able to pull such a stunt without leaving traces behind..."

Albert ended the call. He was not willing to listen further. Even if Rance spent or lost his money, how is that related to Albert? Besides, if his bank accounts change in balance, his banks would notify him.

But both of their homes were robbed in the same way, at approximately the same time, so… Albert called his main bank in Switzerland.

About a dozed on angry phone calls later, Albert shouted at the driver, "Stop the car! We are not leaving Los Angeles!"

Next, he called his assistant… "I want you to schedule me a meeting with Sarah White for RIGHT NOW!"

"She is not seeing anyone.", the assistant responded right away.

Albert was flabbergasted. "What? How do you know, when you didn't call her? You are useless! Why am I paying you?"

"We got a memo earlier this morning from Sarah's assistant that she is dealing with personal matters and that she will be unreachable in the next week.", the assistant explained calmly, despite Albert's insults.

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