Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Mediterranean villa ~

Tuesday

6:51 PM

Emma and Charlie followed the maid who led them to the living room where Jeff and JoAnna are.

They found that Davis family is there as well: Mr. Davis, his wife, and their two children Chelsea and Dylan.

There are twelve bodyguards in the room.

Ever since the incident with Timothy Cox who managed to get into the White property and hold a gun to Jeff\'s face, Jeff is taking their security seriously. Before entering the villa, Davis family members were patted down to make sure they don\'t have any weapons on them. Eve checked that the newcomers are not armed, but a manual pat down has a more dramatic effect.

JoAnna gestured to Charlie and Emma to sit on the sofa without leaving her spot next to Jeff.

Emma and Charlie understood that they should observe from the side and not interfere.

Chelsea\'s eyes flashed when she saw that Charlie\'s arm is around Emma. Her mother tugged her hand to remind her to stay quiet and not to cause more trouble. She received her mother\'s signal, but she could not stop her eyes from wondering that way.

In Chelsea\'s mind, all this is because of Emma. If Emma didn\'t show up, Charlie would still be interested in her as his choice number one for future Mrs. Smith. If Emma was not on that party acting all self-important, Chelsea would not spill the wine on that wretched dress. If Emma is not connected to Whites, her family would not come here to ask for lenience… If Emma disappears, all this will go away as well, and her life will return to normal!

"You were saying…", Jeff reminded Mr. Davis who stopped talking when he noticed that someone else arrived.

Mr. Davis did his best to adjust his mood and to focus on Jeff. "It was just the younger generation having an argument between each other. Does my whole family need to suffer because one child behaved badly?"

Jeff observed Mr. Davis who is standing in front of him for some time before responding: "I see... Are you denouncing your daughter?"

"Of course, not.", Mr. Davis controlled his temper with difficulty. As much as he fears Whites, right now he is facing Jeffrey who is young enough to be his son. How can he bow down to a youngster?

Jeff looked at the man with contempt. "Mr. Davis… your daughter openly ignored the power of Whites. And you want us to ignore the fact that you are related?"

"Jeffrey… We are loyal to the White family for more than five decades. Even since your grandfather was in power…"

"What loyalty you showed to me?", Jeff interrupted him.

Mr. Davis frowned. "Excuse me?"

"When speaking about your family, you want me to treat your daughter like an isolated case, yet when speaking about loyalty to Whites you are bringing up my grandfather. If you treat me as an extension of my family, I should do the same to you. Don\'t you agree that is fair?"

Mr. Davis was not sure how to answer this question. No matter how he answers, he is in trouble. If he says that Chelsea should be treated as part of the Davis family, he is practically giving Jeff his permission to punish the whole family. And if he says that Chelsea is separate case, then that means the he needs to show loyalty to Jeff and everything they did so far for the White family while Oscar and Donald were in charge, does not count. This… is a problem.

"Are you really going to go this far because of a spat between two girls and one ruined dress?", Mr. Davis made another attempt to lower the importance of the incident.

Jeff looked at the man coolly before responding: "This is far larger than that. This is about your daughter raising her hand against someone who is in my inner circle…"

"She does not know what that means.", Mr. Davis interrupted Jeff impatiently.

"And whose fault is that? If you raised her properly, she would know what it means when Madam of the White family gives personal attention to a person. That person is untouchable, yet your daughter dared to touch her."

JoAnna\'s gaze directed at Jeff was full of admiration. Her husband is so cool!

Emma was observing the situation and taking it all in. She understood that Davis family came in order to ask for some favor, something related to the party when Chelsea bullied her with other three women… and Jeff is not giving in. So far, she interacted with Jeff many times and he was mostly friendly, detached sometimes, but now… he is scary. Emma never saw anyone so intimidating. She is happy that Charlie\'s arm is around her protectively, otherwise she would shiver in fear.

Chelsea could not bear to watch anymore. Charlie\'s arm on Emma\'s waist, Jeff looking at them like they are trash, her father almost kneeling in front of Jeff… She is born in a prominent family, never lacking anything. She always got what she wanted. Her parents raised her to be a proud young woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. And this… just what is this?

"Daddy, why are you allowing him to bully you? Who is he? What does he…"

PAK!

Mr. Davis slapped Chelsea.

"Shut up! All this is because of you!", he squeezed through his teeth.

Jeff shook his head lightly in disapproval and addressed Mr. Davis. "Do you see my point now? She is showing disrespect to me openly."

Chelsea boiled on the inside. All this was too much for her. Her father bowing down to Jeff, Charlie with Emma, and she got slapped again!

Chelsea ignored her father and advanced toward Jeff while raging: "Who do you think you are? Do you think I\'m afraid of you? …"

She was three steps away from Jeff when all bodyguards in the room moved at the same time.

Chelsea was petrified at the sight of the guns aimed at her. She glanced around and the color from her face drained. Every bodyguard in the room had a gun in his hand, aimed at her!

Emma stiffened in a moment of panic. All those guns flashing at the same time was a powerful and terrifying sight. One split second later, Charlie\'s hold on her tightened, reminding her that he is by her side. She glanced at his handsome profile and smiled while relaxing and leaning onto him. Emma didn\'t realize so far how safe Charlie makes her feel. Her hand moved under his suit jacket, behind his back at the height of his waist. Her thumb caressed his lower back, telling him that she is OK.

"Miss Davis…", Jeff\'s threatening voice told her that she is in danger. "I am the current Master of the White family. And you should be afraid of me even if you don\'t know what power lies behind my title."

No one dared to move.

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