Is this destiny?

Sarah froze when she heard that the man called her \'Divna\'. There is only one man who addressed her as such, and there is no way that he is here, right? Just what are the odds of something so unfortunate happening?

She yanked her arm out of his grasp and responded without looking at him. "You have the wrong person."

"Do I? I would never forget those enchanting green eyes, and the black ring is… unique. You are underestimating me if you believe that a change in hairstyle is enough for me not to recognize you.", he said confidently in an amused tone.

Sarah turned robotically and met the grayish-blue eyes that smiled at her knowingly. She is bad at remembering names and faces, but that cocky grin is something she can\'t forget. And it seems that he was unable to forget her as well.

Her eyes widened when she saw him wearing a dark blue uniform and on his left chest pocket was an embroidery in the shape of a falcon and letters that spelled: "сокoл 1".

Sarah\'s mind exploded. The stalker from Moscow (aka Maksim) is the team lead of Aiden\'s team? This is horrible.

At this moment, Sarah didn\'t care about the infiltration or anything subtle. The thought that Aiden is in danger fueled her with adrenaline and she was ready to rip into pieces anyone who tries to harm him. Including the smug man in front of her. But she knew that if she attacks him, it will be a futile struggle that will only speed up their demise. She told herself to talk to him and maybe find an opening to warn Aiden and Hong, because this does not look good.

Sarah is aware that she is trapped with this man next to her, and the best-case scenario is that Aiden and Hong can escape, but how can that happen? Aiden would never leave her... if she gives him any sign that she is in danger, Aiden would come to her side no matter what.

Sarah gritted her teeth and forced words out of her mouth: "What do you want?"

He lifted his hands defensively. "Woah! Easy there… I only came to say hi. There is no need to look at me like I am your mortal enemy."

Sarah tilted her head slightly while trying to figure out what he is up to.

Sarah\'s eyes darted toward the stage and she saw that Aiden is engaged in a talk with his team members. She would admire the fact that everyone is looking at Aiden as if he is the leader because people follow him naturally… but there is a big problem only half a step away from her and she needs to focus on that.

Maksim chuckled. "Did you enjoy your two days off? You know… If I didn\'t intervene, you would not get them."

"And if we didn\'t get them, we would leave and not come back.", Sarah responded icily.

"Hmm… Assuming that you can leave." He smiled, amused by Sarah\'s reaction, or lack of it. She didn\'t move, but her pupils dilated, and he noticed. After all, his eyes didn\'t leave hers. "In that case, I made a good decision in granting you a safe pass. They say that if you love a person, you let her go, and if she returns, she loves you back. And here you are."

A stiff laugh escaped Sarah\'s lips. Is this guy hitting on her? He can\'t be serious, right? "Are you saying that I love you? You are delusional."

"We will see about that. I would love to chat, but I have a team to lead.", Maksim said with a smile and patted his left chest pocket. "It seems that your boyfriend, or a husband, or whatever you want to call him today, is in my team. What a coincidence, don\'t you think? It will give me a chance to get to know him better."

Sarah\'s expression darkened. "If you hurt him, I will kill you."

"Tsk… Divna… I am a lover and not a violent person. Let\'s make a deal. If the pretty boy comes out unharmed, you will have dinner with me."

"And what if he is harmed?"

Maksim shrugged. "You name it, and it will happen."

"I will kill you.", Sarah said without batting an eyelid.

Maksim exhaled and shook his head in disapproval. "It\'s a pity for such a beautiful woman to be so violent. First, I will punish Natalia for not taking better care of you and then I will not give you a reason to be violent." He winked and made a step backward. "I look forward to our dinner tonight. You can come as a blonde or brunette. Surprise me."

Sarah watched him walk toward the stage and she was not sure if Aiden will recognize him. Probably not. Aiden didn\'t see him in the Bolshoi Theatre and they briefly crossed paths in the lounge at Madam Kovac. It was less than a minute, and it was dark.

Sarah was still struggling to wrap her head around the current situation, but she calmed enough to know that he belongs to the Voronin family and considering where they are, if she does anything drastic, it will be suicidal.

His words confirmed that he thinks she is from Natalia\'s base, and that should be a good thing… maybe.

Sarah walked to sit next to Hong, and she was conflicted. Should she warn Aiden? She can use the Eve-lens to send him a text that only he will see. What would she say? That a creepy guy who was hitting on her in Moscow is his team leader, and that he saw through her disguise? But… Maksim does not know who Sarah is, or Aiden. Telling this to Aiden will make him edgy, and he already knows to watch his back because everyone is an enemy. Ah, this is a nightmare!

"What is going on?", Hong asked Sarah in a whisper which was not necessary over the clamor from the spectators. "Who is that guy?"

"He is the lead of falcons and… I bumped into him in Moscow a few weeks ago."

Hong\'s brows furrowed in worry. "Does he know who you are?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. But he knows that I am wearing a wig."

Hong exhaled in relief. "That is fine, Olga. It is not uncommon for the operative of the Voronin family to use disguises."

Hong used her \'Olga\' alias to remind her of her current identity. As long as people don\'t find out who is behind that name, they will be safe. At least that is what Hong hopes.

Sarah agreed with Hong. Even if she is not pretending to be Olga, people can change their hairstyle without an apparent reason... but there is more that Hong should know: "He said that he will ensure that Alex does not get hurt in the exchange for me having dinner with him tonight."

Hong\'s eyebrows shoot up while wondering, how much trouble can Sarah and Aiden attract? He was right, they are a magnet for trouble.

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