Is this destiny?

Sarah observed Angelo for some time before asking: "What if there is a reason behind Bruno meeting Emma?"

"Like what?" Angelo narrowed his eyes at Sarah and Aiden and waited for them to respond. After some time, he realized that there is a motive hidden behind their silence. "You want something in return for the information."

Sarah nodded enthusiastically, happy that he got it. "You have bases in Milan, Bari and Naples."

Angelo didn\'t understand. "I have many bases. What about them? Are these three special?"

Sarah gave him a knowing look and repeated: "You have bases in Milan, Bari and Naples."

It took few seconds for Angelo to understand the meaning behind Sarah\'s words.

"You want my bases?", Angelo asked in disbelief. 

"One of them. You pick which one.", Sarah said flatly.

Angelo wondered, how ambitious and outrageous are these two? He heard all kinds of rumors about the leaders behind the army of Chaos, but to just come in and ask for something like that is too much. "I can\'t just give you bases. The higher-ups of Nero armi will neve allow that to happen."

Sarah tilted her head. "You are the capo. I\'m sure you can find a way to make it happen." Her mocking voice told Angelo that she does not believe him.

"You are crazy.", Angelo voiced his thoughts. He fought many battles, but he never had an enemy come and demand a base. It seems that the stories about Nyx and Erebus being unreasonable is true.

Aiden didn\'t deny the crazy part. He and Sarah being crazy together, sounds good. And it\'s probably true. But the old man should watch his mouth. "We are here to talk, and you are being rude. Do you think that we can\'t take them by force?"

Even with half of Aiden\'s face being covered, Angelo can tell that he is not joking. And the rumors are that the army of Chaos is powerful beyond belief. There is no need for him to doubt that because the facts are that they took over California like a storm, and they are still expanding their influence. And they even came into his bedroom without triggering any of the alarms, and he still does not know what happened with his security and staff.

Angelo reminded himself who he is. He should not show fear. The worst thing that can happen is death, and if that is what waits for him today, he will face it with his head held high.

"This is blackmail. You want to trade Emma\'s safety for my base? Or is this about Bruno\'s safety?" These were the only things that came to Angelo\'s mind.

Sarah shook her head in disagreement. "This has nothing to do with Emma\'s or Bruno\'s safety. And we prefer to call it an exchange."

Angelo was confused. How can this not be about Emma or Bruno if they showed him their photos? "What do you mean?"

Sarah raised her hand, indicating that she will explain. "You don\'t know the information we have, but based on the photos and us being here, you understand that we know a lot. I can assure you that without the information we have, you will lose your position at Nero armi soon. And with that, you will lose everything. Without your position as a capo, your children will be in danger. In order to prevent that, we are asking for one base. How I see it, you are getting a good deal."

Angelo stared at Sarah while processing her words. Finally, he heard their reason for being here, but he has difficulty believing it. Nyx and Erebus are here to help him stay in a position of the capo? Why would they do that? He remembers that his request for alliance was flatly refused few months back and they didn\'t even want to meet with him in person. Did they change their minds? 

"You are here to trade one of my bases for a piece of information which can allow me to maintain my current position?", Angelo shook his head in disbelief for a second before looking at Sarah intently. "That must be a very valuable information."

Sarah\'s smug smirk told him that she is confident. 

Angelo observed Sarah and Aiden and thought about the current situation. The two of them got inside his bedroom and if they wanted, they could kill him easily, but they didn\'t. Angelo decided to talk to them. He has nothing to lose at this point.

Angelo decided to summarize: "You are telling me that someone is after my position, with a good chance to succeed. And you will reveal him to me in exchange for one of my bases? How can I trust that your information is truthful? How do I know that you will not come back next week and ask for something else?"

Sarah laughed. She was irritated that old man is still asking questions. It feels like they are going in circles. "Old man. Are you in a position to doubt us? Do you think that you can negotiate?"

Aiden held Sarah\'s hand in his, indicating her that he will take over. He can see that she is getting agitated, and they came here to negotiate. If tempers flare up, no one will benefit.

Sarah understood Aiden\'s intention and she gave him a small nod of agreement.

Aiden spoke to Angelo: "Few months ago, you approached us with a request for an alliance. We don\'t think that our methodologies are matching, so we didn\'t accept. But we are open to something like a truce. We are establishing number of bases in Europe. As part of the truce, Nero armi will not attack the army of Chaos and we will not attack you. Unless we are provoked, of course. As a sign of our sincerity, we will give you the proof that one of your men is plotting a coup. And we request one base from you as a proof of your sincerity."

Angelo was not convinced, but he still asked: "What proof do you have?"

Aiden got a USB memory stick from his pocket and held it for Angelo to see. "How about this... We will watch a video. When it is finished, you decide if you will give us a base and if you want to agree to a truce."

Angelo could not believe that they will just show him the video without some insurance. "What if I\'m not interested?"

Sarah responded: "You are known for being unpredictable. But you care about loyalty and you reward it accordingly. We have faith that you will make the right decision."

Sarah and Aiden came prepared, with a laptop and everything.

Few minutes later… 

Angelo is watching the recording from the safehouse owned by the White family which is showing Bruno\'s chat with JoAnna. Only Bruno is visible, and his voice is clear: "…Once I get Emma to be my wife, other people from Nero armi who blindly believe in the value of blood and family will support me… I don\'t need Angelo. And when I establish myself as the next capo I will not need Emma either… Maybe I let her go at that point, but it\'s probably better to cut the loose ends. After all, I don\'t want her to come back later and claim her father\'s position. While at it, I should get rid of other Angelo\'s children as well…"

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