Is this destiny?

~ California, the Beach house ~

4:29 PM

Sarah, Aiden, Jeff, JoAnna arrived at the Beach house with Imani and twenty-five girls.

The staff was ready for them, and they were visibly happy that after a long time they have people staying at the villa. 

The staff lined up at the main entrance to welcome them, and they were slightly confused when they saw that Sarah and Aiden are leading everyone to the clearing behind the house.

"We need to discuss something before coming in...", Sarah explained to the butler when she greeted the staff briefly.

First, Sarah and Aiden faced twenty-five girls at the clearing behind the house, with the purpose of telling them about the rules of the house.

Aiden was listing house rules, such as that the girls need to respect each other, leaving the property without permission is not allowed, talking with outsiders about what is happening here is not permitted, etc.

Sarah continued: "As you already heard, we have more than one property and we are a family. We expect that you will respect us and each other. Our rules are in place to keep you and everyone else safe. Scheming and backstabbing will not be tolerated. If you have a conflict or a misunderstanding with someone else, we demand that you bring it out in open. You can talk about it, or fight it out, but keep in mind that it needs to happen with a referee and at least two witnesses. Random fighting and plotting are NOT permitted."

The girls nodded in understanding.

Aiden took over: "You are aware that your families believe you are dead, so it\'s up to you if you wish to let them know that you are alive or not. However, if they are aware of your existence, that probably means that you should return to them. If you are not returning home, we will provide you with new identities and this is your chance to change your name if you wish. Soon, you will get to interact more with our other kids, and we will give you a few weeks to figure out what you want to do. At any time you come up with a decision, let us know."

Sarah nodded while Aiden spoke and added: "For the ones who decide to stay, we expect to hear your plans for the future. Whatever you want to accomplish in your life, we will do our best to be supportive and make it happen. Keep in mind that we expect from all the kids who stay with us to have at least college degrees. So, if you want to work in a circus, that is fine as long as you finish college."

Sarah\'s last comment made girls smile and giggle. Sarah was happy to see that almost half of them are relaxed enough to smile.

"Aiden and I will be visiting you, but we will not be staying here for long. We will leave you with a way to contact us."

Sarah looked at Aiden. "I think that\'s it."

Aiden confirmed and gave to the girls a few more advises: "Use next few weeks to forget about the ugly past and focus on what the future might bring. Some of you probably have an idea about what you want to do, and some might need months, there is no rush. Feel free to reach to any of us with questions. The staff of the house and other kids are helpful as well." Aiden stood up and gestured toward the villa. "We will show you around the house and to your rooms."

Sarah informed them that the girls will be two or three in each room, and they can organize themselves or she can help them out.

They all showed to the girls the common areas, and then JoAnna went with Sarah and Imani to help the girls settle in, leaving Aiden and Jeff behind.

…

Jeff and Aiden are in the study.

Jeff is sitting on the sofa and staring at the carpet absentmindedly.

Aiden is busy on his laptop, and the force of his keystrokes is a giveaway that he is agitated.

Jeff lifted his gaze and observed Aiden for some time before speaking: "I\'m sorry for adding to the troubles during your honeymoon."

Aiden smacked the keyboard before meeting Jeff\'s gaze angrily.

"Sorry, my ass!", Aiden said through his teeth. "I don\'t want your \'sorry\', fix the things with Anna already!"

"I don\'t know how.", Jeff admitted.

Aiden snorted. "What is your problem? We had a talk about your work, and everyone agreed that the plan is promising and that it will take at least few weeks until there are results. So you need to work on the personal side. I know that this is your first relationship, but come on… you are with Anna for more than a year, don\'t you know how to make her happy? And let me give you a hint: buying a resort will NOT solve this. You know that she wants you to fix it, she is waiting for you to make a move."

Jeff didn\'t respond to Aiden\'s angry ranting. He was too depressed for that. "I want to fix it, but I don\'t know how close I can get without upsetting her. I fear that I will push it too much and... push her away."

Aiden\'s eyes flashed in annoyance. "That is your problem right there. Why are you so timid? Is that the man Anna fell in love with? How much I remember, you were after her like a stalker and then you punched her mentor before ousting him from the medical community. She fell in love with a confident man who has his shit together and who would use his strength and his connections to make her life easier while refusing to return Steve\'s calls to the point of Steve calling me for help. Remind her who you are. Remind her of the good times you shared. And if you tell me that you can\'t think of one, maybe you should give up."

Aiden saw that Jeff is on the verge of breaking down and he exhaled in frustration. "Come on, Jeff. How broken are you? Think. When was her smile the most dazzling? When was Anna the most relaxed? I\'m sure that there are times when you made her happy. Remind her of that…"

…

Sarah and JoAnna showed rooms to the girls and made sure that roommates are agreed upon before leaving them to settle in and freshen up.

The girls were ecstatic that they found fresh clothes waiting for them and that bathrooms are full of toiletries, just for them. And they finally got their beds. Ah, simple pleasures.

Sarah and JoAnna went to the garden on the side of the house, and Imani went to her room to study until dinner time.

In the garden…

The bench Sarah and JoAnna are sitting on shows a wonderful view of the ocean, but none of the sisters is enjoying it.

"Do you think that it was wise to let the girls mutilate Akmal and his two men?", Sarah asked.

JoAnna confirmed. "Yes. Their minds were filled with nightmares. Today they were in control and they went to the bottom of the dark pit to get rid of their demons. Now it\'s up to us to help them climb up to the surface and to show them that life can be beautiful."

"OK.", Sarah agreed reluctantly. "It\'s not that I think you are wrong, but they are just regular teenagers. I\'m afraid that their minds might snap at the sight of all that violence and it can backfire."

JoAnna waved her hand dismissively. "It\'s too late for that. They stopped being regular teenagers when Akmal got his hands on them. Akmal broke them, and we will glue them back together."

JoAnna\'s gaze met Sarah\'s, and she asked: "Did you hear about kintsugi?" JoAnna continued without waiting for Sarah to respond: "It is a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending it with gold, silver, or platinum. It emphasizes the cracks and showcases them as beautiful. That is what we will show to these girls: that we will not give up on them or discard them no matter how broken they are, because they are beautiful. Isn\'t that what every girl wants?"

JoAnna sighed and walked into the villa.

Sarah looked after JoAnna with a complex expression. She was not sure if JoAnna was talking about those girls, or about herself because… aren\'t we all broken? 

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