Is this destiny?

"Sarah, can we talk?", Marija asked Sarah when they finished with lunch.

"Sure…", Sarah reluctantly accepted.

The weather is nice, and Sarah and Marija walked through the garden, toward the stables.

Sarah had an idea that this will not be a pleasant talk and she wanted to move away from others so that the two of them can\'t be overheard.

"You wanted to talk about something?", Sarah asked Marija. They are out of the garden already and Marija is still not saying anything.

"Did I do something to offend you?", Marija started with a question.

Sarah pretended that she does not know what Marija is talking about. "What makes you think so?"

"Ever since this morning, you are either snapping at me or ignoring me. Did I do something?"

Sarah was irritated. Is Marija faking ignorance or is she really so blind? "What do you think?"

Marija shrugged. "I thought about it, and last night everything seemed as usual. So, something happened between dinner and this morning. I thought that the only thing affecting you was when I speak to Aiden, but I didn\'t do that so… I don\'t want to play games. Just tell me what is bothering you."

"I am not bothered when you speak with Aiden. I am bothered that you are flirting with him.", Sarah said flatly.

Marija grimaced. Where did that come from? "I didn\'t flirt with him."

"True, you didn\'t. Not with him."

Marija paused while thinking about this last statement. "Are you upset that I flirted with Jesse?"

"You did much more than flirting."

Marija\'s eyebrows shoot up in surprise before she dissolved into giggles. "I thought that you are exclusive with Aiden. Why do you care about Jesse? Are you with him as well?"

Sarah shook her head while dispelling dark clouds which are gathering above her head. What does she mean by \'exclusive with Aiden\'? Is Marija implying that Sarah is sleeping with Jesse (and maybe someone else) as well? "Jesse is a friend. I am not the one who cares about Jesse romantically."

"Aha…", Marija smiled knowingly and made a dramatic pause before saying: "It\'s about that little girl who left with him."

Marija\'s mocking tone rubbed Sarah the wrong way. "Oni. That little girl\'s name is Oni. ... Do you love Jesse? Do you plan to be in a relationship with him? Or is it just casual hookups?"

Marija\'s playful smirk answered Sarah\'s questions.

Sarah sighed. "What you and Jesse did, hurt Oni. As much as I have no right to blame you, I can\'t say that I approve of your lifestyle. I see that you knew how Oni is in love with him and you still went for it. Is one night with him worth breaking Oni\'s heart? Or you simply don\'t care whose life your destroy in order to have fun?"

"We are both grown-ups and single.", Marija said matter-of-factly.

"As I said, I have no right to blame you."

"But you are blaming me."

Sarah exhaled in frustration. "More than once, you openly flirted with Aiden, knowing that he is with me. And last night you spent the night with Jesse, even though you noticed that Oni is in love with him. Aiden was not interested in you, and Jesse was not in a relationship with Oni. But your actions hurt me, and it hurt Oni as well."

Marija rolled her eyes. Why is it her fault that Oni has a crush on Jesse and Jesse decided to spend the night with her? If she worries about things like secret crushes, she will never be with a man in her life. "Why are you talking like I forced anyone into anything?"

"I know you didn\'t force anyone. I don\'t know how to explain this so that you understand… With how many men you slept?"

Marija paused and lowered her head. It looked like she is counting… or estimating.

Sarah did her best to stay calm while clarifying her point. "You don\'t know, do you? For you spending a night with Jesse or with someone else is a night of fun. I am not saying how that is wrong. I am not judging you. I am trying to explain my point of view… I slept only with Aiden and I can\'t imagine any other man touching me. Aiden is very important to me. If you end up spending a night with him, for you it would be a night of fun, but for me it would be a devastating loss. You flirting with him might be harmless, but I see it as you trying to take from me someone who is… irreplaceable. Tell me honestly, if Aiden wishes to spend the night with you, would you reject him?"

Marija pursed her lips. If a hunk like Aiden wants to sleep with her, she is not crazy to deny herself that treat, but…"How is that related to me being with Jesse?"

"Oni is my girl. Think of her as my daughter. By sleeping with Jesse, you didn\'t just take away the man she loves, but you shattered the idea of love itself."

Marija snorted. "How I see it, I did her a favor. If he slept with me, he would sleep with others as well."

"That is true. But it was not some other woman. It was you."

Marija can see that Sarah disapproves. There is no point in talking further. They can agree that they disagree, but Marija does not know where she stands with Sarah. It\'s obvious that this little group (aka Sigma army) is gathering around Sarah (aka Sigma), and if Sarah does not approve of her, where does that leave her? "So… now what?"

Sarah shrugged. "You asked me why I\'m treating you differently, and I answered your question."

"Do you need some time and it will wear off and we will go back to friendly?"

Sarah thought about Marija\'s question. Can she be friendly with Marija? Was she ever friendly with Marija? Sure, they got along well because before Aiden came into her life, Sarah didn\'t pay attention to Marija\'s flirty behavior. Even if she noticed Marija\'s flirting, Sarah said how it\'s not impacting their work and the reason they gathered. But now it\'s different.

"Honestly, I don\'t know. Can you promise me that you will keep your personal and professional life separate? This thing that we are doing is very important. When I say that it\'s a matter of life and death, I am not exaggerating. That is why I need people whom I can trust. I need people who can work together as a team, without drama because of who slept with whom. As of now, I don\'t trust that you can work with Jesse, Oni or with Aiden. So, you tell me… can I trust you?" Sarah saw that Marija is silent and she continued: "Think about it and let me know."

Sarah turned toward the Chateau and walked away, leaving Marija behind. Somehow, this chat with Marija shrunk the knot Sarah felt in her chest.

Sarah is torn between trusting Marija or not. As much as Marija has good skills, her fickle personality is making everyone else tense and is sowing discord in their group. Sarah can only imagine damage Marija\'s behavior will cause when their intimate group expands into a company with a hundred employees. Marija will be like a ticking bomb.

Part of Sarah hopes that Marija will admit that she can\'t be trusted. That would make Marija exit the Sigma army on her own, and Sarah believes how that would be the best outcome for everyone.

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