~ California, the Beach house ~

11:12 AM

With a seven hours long flight and nine hours time difference, Sarah, Aiden, Merve, and Hande arrived at the Beach house on the same day, two hours before they left Milan – of course, in local time.

The girls swarmed around Merve and Hande with mixed feelings. All of them were happy to see Merve back, especially Esma and Azra who are from Turkey as well. But they were also sad that she returned because that means how things didn't go well with her family.

All the girls thought that Hande is cute and it was obvious that they are going to take care of her, accepting her as their youngest sister.

Nala and Zula are at the Beach house from yesterday, they swapped with Imani.

Nala and Zula observed Hande from the side and discussed how Ade's position of the youngest (aka the most pampered) is in danger. And about one hour later, Nala and Zula noticed that after initial shyness, Hande revealed her cheeky side. Yup, Ade will have fierce competition. On the other side, they feared what will happen if Ade and Hande join forces. historical

Back to the present..

JoAnna did checkups on Merve and Hande shortly after they settled into their room.

"Both Merve and Hande will be fine.", JoAnna assured Sarah. "They need some time to heal, but in this environment, with unlimited possibilities in the future, I am confident that they will do well."

Sarah was happy to hear this. "What about the other girls?"

"Physically, they are doing well, or are on their way there. Some girls still have cuts and bruises which are fading and the three girls who underwent the procedure are recuperating as expected. When I return next time, I will bring vaccines for Merve and Hande, and then all of them will be up to date."

Sarah thanked JoAnna. "I don't know what I would do without you. How are you and Jeff?"

"It feels like we are starting over, but now we are wiser, so hopefully we don't fall into the same traps again."

"I am glad to hear that. You are heading home today?"

JoAnna confirmed. "Yes. Penny pinged me and asked if we can meet. I think that her request is related to her parents."

Sarah is familiar with the situation. "They are still in her mansion?"

"Yup. In the basement."

Sarah's expression showed that she does not approve. "Does she think to keep them there forever?"

JoAnna shrugged. "They are impossible to control and she does not want to hurt them. Penny confirmed that her mother is spreading the poison, and she is inciting Penny's father."

"I don't know why she can't decide on a way to handle them."

"Do you have an idea? We offered her several things, but she called us cruel. I am curious to hear what your suggestions are.", JoAnna said mockingly. She knows that Sarah is the most vicious out of all three of them and she can't wait to hear what Sarah has to say.

"If she does not want to hurt them, and they are not willing to stop pestering her, there are only a few options.", Sarah said matter-of-factly. "First, I would separate them. Find out how bad her father is when the mother is not filling his head with trash. At the same time, maybe when her mother is by herself, without an ally, her malice will diminish. As for handling her parents, I remember her saying how her parents never committed a crime large enough to land in jail. But, do they need to? Penny can set them up with something big and have them stuck in jail for years. Or maybe in an institution how Marcus and Lukas ended up. Her mom is already borderline crazy. Imagine what few holograms will do to her..." Sarah explained.

JoAnna thought about how those are good ideas. "I will mention these to her and see what she has to say. Are you going to resume your honeymoon, or is it over?"

Sarah made a pained expression and she glanced around to make sure Aiden is out of the earshot. "We will go to Vegas after lunch. I am afraid that if anything else happens, Aiden will ask for a divorce. Since we got married, it's one thing after another, and we are not getting much time for ourselves."

JoAnna shook her head helplessly. "I am sorry. On top of everything, I added my mess as well. To make it up to you, I promise not to disturb you until you return. I will double-check on all your kids, so you don't need to worry about anything.."

Sarah was grateful. "Make sure you take care of yourself first, and my niece and nephew."

JoAnna glanced at the side toward Jeff and smiled. "My husband is taking care of me and the babies, so I can focus on everyone else."

..

They all had lunch together and Sarah observed the newly arrived twenty-nine girls.

Three girls wanted to go home, but when the news spread out that Merve is returning, they all guessed that things didn't go well with her family, and they are having second thoughts.

In addition to those three girls, two more are not confident if they want to stay. Sarah noticed their scared expressions when they saw Merve's and Hande's bruised and swollen faces, and she believes that they will decide to stay as well.

Sarah told all the girls to take their time and consider their options well. After this incident with Merve, Sarah will not encourage any girl to go home. They know best what awaits for them, and if they choose to abandon that, they must have a reason to do so.

Sarah took a mental note to talk to Louis and Cash about adding (at least) one more floor underground to the building where kids are staying at the Cliffside villa because soon they will need to accommodate more girls.

After lunch, Sarah and Aiden bid farewell to everyone and headed to the jet.

"Sorry for everything, love...", Sarah told Aiden. "The rest of the honeymoon will be without interruptions..."

"I know.", Aiden said with a smile and led the way inside the jet.

~ Above the Pacific Ocean ~

4:30 PM

Sarah woke up when she felt that the plane is descending.

From the Beach house to Las Vegas, Sarah wanted to go with a helicopter, but Aiden said that the jet is faster. She didn't suspect anything and even slept off shortly after the lift-off, unaware that a few minutes later Aiden told the pilot to turn the jet in a different direction.

Back to the present..

Sarah glanced through the window and blinked a few times when she saw that everything is blue.

"This does not look like Vegas..", Sarah mumbled and turned to Aiden who was busy on his laptop.

She noticed that he is ignoring her, so she decided not to ask him what is going on. She will figure it out by herself. Maybe.

They are definitely above the ocean, and they are descending, so.. Sarah leaned more, and her face was stuck to the window while she observed the ocean below them.

The plane turned while getting into the position to land and Sarah's eyes widened at the familiar outline of the island which was getting closer by the second. It's the private island with birds and the lake and the gazebo and.. that is where Aiden proposed to Sarah (the first time).

Sarah looked at Aiden who was still focused on the laptop, but the smug smile on his face revealed that he is paying attention to her.

"You can stop fake-working..", Sarah told him while closing his laptop. "Technically, this is kidnapping."

Aiden kept the laptop on the side and turned to Sarah. "You left me with no other choice. If there are people in need around us, there is a strong possibility that you will want to adopt them and punish the bad guys. And you will want to help our siblings and maybe even save the world. I am extending our honeymoon by ten days. The moment we reach the villa, I want your phone powered off as well as any other devices which connect you to the world beyond that island. You have no right to object because until we return, I don't want to share you with anyone."

Sarah shook her head helplessly. "I am sorry for spoiling our honeymoon and I am willing to let you kidnap me for as long as you wish.."

Aiden leaned closer and kissed her on the lips. "Forever."

Sarah smiled. "Forever it is.", she whispered and kissed him back.

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