Is this destiny?

Sarah saw that Darlene is looking after Aiden with longing in her eyes, and Sarah could not believe how brazen this woman is. She is right there! Ah, some women don\'t realize the danger they are in.

Just by looking at the outfit and the amount of makeup Darlene has on so early in the day, Sarah can put her in the bucket of rich socialites who spend their days gossiping and attending posh parties while always looking Instagram-ready.

Sarah took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. This woman is powerless and unless Darlene crosses the line of looking-only, Sarah should not bother with her. But that does not mean that she needs to tolerate her presence either.

"Miss Payne, if there is nothing else, I will show you out. I have my guests to tend to. As you already noticed, there are many of them and I can\'t afford to idle here. That would be rude." Sarah gestured toward the exit door behind Darlene.

Darlene could not hold back anymore. Sarah is obviously telling her to leave! This never happened to her before, everyone wants her to stick around! "Aren\'t I your guest as well?"

Sarah\'s eyebrows went up in slow motion and she said smugly: "My guests are invited and welcome to stay. And you are neither."

Darlene\'s eyes flashed in outrage. "I am your neighbor. Is there a reason to be so rude?"

Sarah stifled a laugh as a way to release some of her frustration. "I am rude? You are the one who is eyeing my husband in front of me. Are you comparing my few words with your failed attempt to seduce my husband?"

Darlene narrowed her eyes. If Sarah thought that she can intimidate her like that, she is mistaken. "If you think THAT was seducing, you didn\'t see anything."

Sarah took a deep breath while telling herself not to snap Darlene\'s neck. "I can assure you that you will not have the chance to seduce my husband. He would never look at a cheap woman like you. Now, please… leave before things escalate."

Darlene pressed her lips into a line, Sarah called her cheap! She was ready to fight, but Kitty started growling again. That is scary. Why is that creature not on a leash?

"You will hear from my father.", Darlene squeezed through her teeth.

"Yes. My husband would love to talk to him."

Darlene was fuming. "Not about the real estate, but about you mistreating me!"

"Oh… You came into my house unannounced, tried to seduce my husband, threw a tantrum when you failed, and I am mistreating you?", Sarah said mockingly before adding: "I didn\'t realize that we are still at an age where we go and tell our parents that someone is bullying us. Are you still in elementary school?"

Darlene snorted, made a few steps backward before turning and dashing outside without a word. Her car is parked further down the driveway.

Before getting into the car, Darlene turned to the mansion and narrowed her eyes at the sight of Sarah who is lazily leaning against the doorframe and waving at Darlene with a smug smile on her face. And that blasted leopard is next to Sarah!

"Bitch!", Darlene hissed and went inside the car.

As she drove away from the mansion, Darlene replayed in her mind their conversation from the entry hall.

Other than being completely furious, a question hit her: How did Sarah know that she is Miss Payne? She introduced herself only to Aiden, and that was before Sarah joined them.

Darlene inhaled sharply when she realized that at first Aiden pretended not to know who she is, but then he talked about their real estate business. So, it\'s not only Sarah that it\'s unpleasant, but Aiden played her as well! She gripped her steering wheel.

…

Sarah returned to the living room and sat next to Aiden. Kitty was right behind Sarah.

"Do you think she will be back?", Aiden asked Sarah.

"She will keep her distance from us if she knows what is good for her. But she does not look very smart…", Sarah responded.

"An enemy?", Master Hollow asked with surprise obvious in his voice.

Sarah exhaled helplessly. "You can say that. These are the worst kind."

Master Hollow didn\'t understand. "Can you explain?"

Sarah glanced at Aiden and he understood that he needs to answer Master Hollow\'s question.

"Some people believe that they are entitled to things. In this case, a woman wanted my attention, and when I didn\'t give it to her, she left angrily."

Sarah snickered. "Well, she was disappointed about you, and angry about me."

Aiden pouted. "Why did you chase me away? You know that I love to see you face-slap them in person."

"Sorry, love. But if you stayed there, I would gouge her eyes out."

Aiden smiled. "I like it when you are protective of me."

Master Hollow cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. The two of them look like they are about to kiss! "Do you think that she will be back?"

Aiden confirmed. "They always come back. When someone is used to getting their way for a long time, they can\'t accept that some things are out of their reach. They are like little kids who are throwing a tantrum when they can\'t get the toy they want with a difference that these are grownups with money, power, and backing."

"You are taking them seriously.", the old man voiced his observation.

Sarah responded: "Yes. We had too many close calls and if we don\'t take them seriously, they will succeed. They don\'t care how many things they need to break in order to get their way…" Sarah paused and glanced at her left arm. "You remember my hand and that Aiden was in a coma for three months?"

Master Hollow confirmed and Sarah started telling him a story: "In October last year, we had an event late, and we were walking back. A woman came toward us, we saw her as someone who had a crush on Aiden and is having a hard time accepting that he is not interested in her…"

Master Hollow listened about Evalina and how she ended up pulling a gun at them, and that created an opening for Lebedevs to get their hands on Sarah and Aiden.

As Sarah spoke, Aiden put his arm behind Sarah and pulled her to lean on him.

Aiden gripped Sarah\'s shoulder while guilt was eating him up. He knows that Sarah does not blame him, but he blames himself. It\'s his fault that he didn\'t see how dangerous Evalina is. He was unable to protect Sarah and because of that, she was on her own for three months. So many bad things happened during that time, and he was not there to brave the storms with her. He will never forgive himself for that.

His mind also drifted off to Madison and the incident at Jeff\'s wedding. That was another horrible thing that happened, and again… Sarah suffered because he didn\'t see the danger.

Aiden clenched his teeth and made a silent promise that he will never downplay a threat again. And he will start with Darlene Payne.

"I\'m going to the study…" Aiden kissed Sarah\'s temple before standing up and walking away from the living room.

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