The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman novel Chapter 301

~Leo~

The meeting with the Stepnaovs went pretty well. Gezel knowing and trusting them was a good sign, but we could not be relaxed and let them in on our plans. We had to be extra careful because we would only get one shot at this. Yuri was a slippery bastard, and we could not afford to let him slip. Everything mattered.

We did not mislead the Stepanovs. We just did not tell them why we would be in the West. The fact that they believed only Alexei and Clay would be there to fight would throw Yuri off.

I needed to tell Sylvester something before I departed the next day. Knowing we only had one shot at this, we had to somehow find a way to direct the matter carefully.

The Stepanovs were led to the delta wings, and the unmated men were allowed to get acquainted with the women in the Harem. I still did not understand why Sylvester called that gathering a harem since he had never touched them. I knew they were hopeful some women would find love, and this was a great opportunity. Only two of the Stepanovs opted out, and I could tell it was because they felt too old to mingle. The two were Peter and another guy. I did not bother to catch his name.

"Sylvester, I would like us to have a meeting in your office before we retire," I linked him, and he looked at me before he stood up. Speaking out loud when in the open wasn't a great idea, especially while we had strangers in our midst.

I figured he linked everyone on the issue because they all moved to the Royal wing of the mansion.

We went to Sylvester's office and shut the door for the first time.

Everyone was there, just as I had hoped.

Sylvester sat on the couch with the rest of us instead of sitting behind his desk.

"Guess the lounge is out of bounds," David joked, and we laughed.

He always had a way of enlivening the situation, no matter how serious it seemed. Dominic nudged him, and they both laughed.

I couldn't help but notice how close the brothers had become. Four of them behaved like they came from the same woman and grew up together.

I kind of envied what they had. It sucked being an only child. Even Alexei and Clay had a bond I envied.

I wondered why my parent had only me and rested. I planned to have many children with Amelia.

Thinking about everything, I was pretty stupid when I told Tamia I wasn't ready for a child. It wasn't meant to be, really, because, with Amelia, I was very prepared for everything. There were no rules or limits.

Although it seemed like it initially, Amelia was too stubborn and unaffected to let me have my way. I thanked her for it. Thanks to her, I have a family now, and her brothers are like mine.

I also had an unlikely bond with Sylvester and his brothers and cousins. They were my family too. It was amazing to find out that we were literally family.

Knowing we had developed a bond before we found out we were related was also pleasing. I smiled and watched them.

They served Sylvester's whiskey, and they all seemed more relaxed than we were in the morning. Having two hundred and fifty true Stepanovs on our side was a massive shift and a definite win if everything went as planned.

"So why do you want to see us, Leo?" Marcel asked me, taking a sip of his drink.

"Now that we have sent the Stepanovs to head West and settle in Gad of all places, I think Yuri might get suspicious," I said, and Dominic chuckled dismissively.

"How can he be suspicious of Alexei and Clay? Had we said we were going, then he would have been suspicious regardless of Alexei's story," Dominic said. Some of them agreed, but they didn't see my angle. I needed them to see my angle.

"Yuri is a mastermind. He is intelligent and thinks thoroughly; that is why we have been unable to catch him. Even the information we have isn't certain.

He might already know that we have You-know-who in custody and might be feeding us with the information he wants. Has it ever occurred to you that the person in question might have someone he was supposed to meet on Cains Island? With Yuri, we really do not know what to expect. So I am imploring us to be wise and be on our guard,"

I pleaded with them, and Marcel got a bit short.

"What else do you want us to do, Leo? We have been cautious. We even let you run this thing for a while in the East. Now that we have some action, you are doubting our break?" He asked, and I shook my head.

"I do not doubt our break. And for the record, you did not allow me to run things in the East. I had no choice because it was my territory. I have done nothing but maintain my place in the North. I do not appreciate your tone, Marcel," I said because his words were condescending. Saying they allowed me as if it wasn't my place, but they just humoured me. I was a bit mad.

"Calm down, Leo," Sylvester said, realising I was getting angry.

"Apologise to him, Marcel. You did cross the line there by saying we allowed him. It is his region, so he had to be in charge, and he did a damn good job at it. What you said was unfair," Sylvester reprimanded him taking my side. Marcel ran his fingers through his hair and apologised to me.

"I am sorry, Leo. I am just tired of this Yuri's bullshit. I miss my son, and I miss my quality time with my wife. I miss my life in general. I shouldn't take it out on you. We are all in this." He said, and I nodded.

"Hey, we were bound to crack at a point. The only thing keeping me is this Whiskey", David added, and we all laughed and clinked out glasses.

"So what are you suggesting, Leo?" Theodore asked me, and I nodded.

"I say we mislead Yuri so he does not see us coming. We cannot be obvious about either of our movements. We have to confuse him," I said, and they were all attentive.