BXBX NOVEL Chapter 2101 - Ninth Medallion
Sarah and Aiden were in warehouse number two, going through boxes that Nala, Haru, Oni, and Michael brought with them.
That was the loot from Albert and Rance.
Aiden was going through documents, while Sarah was inspecting the non-paper items. Their assistants were helping in sorting out and cataloging everything while discussing details about their mission.
It was a lot of things to go through. Sarah was super happy because there were many sparkly things, precious gems and quite a bit of jewelry.
One palm-sized golden brooch went through her hand. It was shaped like an eight-pointed star, and in the middle was an oval-shaped piece of white jade. Other than its generous size, it was not very remarkable, and it slid from Sarah\'s hand into the box with miscellaneous shiny stuff she doesn\'t care about.
Two seconds later, Sarah paused and returned her attention to the brooch.
"What\'s the matter?", Aiden noticed the change in Sarah\'s behavior. So far, she was smiling and bobbing her head excitedly, yet now her expression was solemn.
"What do you think this is?"
"A pendant, brooch, medallion, shiny knick-knack…", Aiden started listing options.
Sarah flipped it to inspect the backside. "Look at these grooves. Does it remind you of something?"
Aiden was not sure what Sarah was getting at, but he still took it to investigate. If he just refuses, she might get upset. Pregnancy hormones are making her touchy.
The more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed.
"What are the chances this is one of the medallions that signify membership in the Council?", Aiden asked after some time.
He was not sure, but it was about the right size, and the grooves at the back reminded him of the ones at the back of Sarah\'s medallion.
Sarah took a laptop and played a video recording from Eve\'s storage that was streamed during the last meeting of the Council that Sarah attended. She paused the video on the image that showed the table and the empty groove.
"The dimensions are matching.", Sarah said while her eyes didn\'t leave the medallion that was in Aiden\'s hand.
Aiden looked at Nala, Haru, Michael, and Oni. "From where this medallion came?"
Haru checked the box Sarah was going through. "This is from Albert\'s villa in Zurich. We found two safes there…"
Aiden and Sarah exchanged suspicious glances that were laced with concern. Why would Albert have another medallion?
"We need to talk to Jarred…", Sarah said to Aiden.
"Do you think he will talk about this openly?"
Sarah shrugged. "Jarred said that he will help out. I don\'t expect him to act against his fellow councilmembers, but he should at least provide us with information…"
…
About one hour later…
Sarah and Aiden took their seats in the living room of Jarred\'s villa.
Donnie joined them, as it didn\'t seem to be business-related. And even if it was, Jarred never kept things hidden from her (at least that\'s what she thought), so she decided to stay.
"How can I help you?", Jarred asked.
Sarah went right to the point. She placed the golden eight-pointed star medallion on the coffee table in front of Jarred, and asked, "What can you tell us about this?"
Jarred\'s brows furrowed and then his eyes flashed.
"Where did you get this?", he asked.
"I asked my question first.", Sarah responded.
Revealing where the medallion came from would also reveal that she is the one behind attacks on Albert and Rance, but at this point, Sarah didn\'t care. However, she didn\'t want to answer Jarred\'s questions before he provided her with some information. She was still angry about this whole Council business and Jarred needed to prove his sincerity in Sarah\'s eyes if she is going to be friendly with him again.
Jarred rubbed his chin nervously and glanced at Donnie. "Darling, can you give us a minute?"
Donnie looked at him in disbelief. Why is he telling her to leave? "Are you serious?"
Jarred was conflicted. He promised her no secrets, yet here he is... with a big one. "This is related to some dealings I have. I will tell you about it in an orderly way. If you stay here, you will hear the middle and it won\'t sound good."
Donnie narrowed her eyes at him. "I\'m fine with the middle."
"Do you see what you\'ve done?", Jarred asked Sarah.
Sarah shook her head. "Don\'t blame me for your marital issues. I came here with this medallion looking for answers. Will you give them, or…?"
Sarah indicated that they are about to leave, and Jarred panicked.
"I will, I will…", Jarred responded with haste. He knew that Sarah\'s fuse is short and that she might turn hostile at any moment.
Jarred wanted to keep amiable relationship with Sarah at any cost. Not because of the Army of Chaos, but because he knew that Charlie and Emma are close to Sarah and that if the two of them fight, there is a chance that Charlie and Emma will take Sarah\'s side. To add to that trouble, there is Donnie also. Donnie picked Jarred while leaving behind a memory of Angelo, but Jarred was not confident that Donnie will pick him again if the other choice is her children.
"Akter Kim.", Jarred said. "As you can guess, he was a member."
"Was?", Sarah asked.
"Based on the fact that we didn\'t hear from him in more than 5 years, and that you have the medallion, it\'s safe to assume he is dead."
Sarah had to agree with that. "Who was he?"
"He had a base in Cambodia, and extensive network in Asia…", Jarred started telling Sarah what he knew about Akter Kim. It was not much, because Jarred was not close to him and Akter was a secretive character, just like any other member of the Council.
When Jarred ended his story about Akter, Sarah asked, "What was the relationship between Akter and Albert?"
Jarred shrugged. "Akter didn\'t get too close to anyone. As for Albert, you saw him. His arrogance doesn\'t make him the best friend material."
Jarred paused and observed Sarah. "Is there a reason why you are asking about Albert specifically?"
Sarah nodded solemnly. "We found this medallion hidden in Albert\'s house in Zurich."
"What were you doing in his house in Zurich?", Jarred asked and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he saw Sarah\'s grin. "You are the robber he is raging about? What about Rance?"
Sarah stifled a laugh. "Did you think I will let them bully me and not retaliate? Robbing them is just the beginning."
Jarred licked his lips nervously. "Sarah, you don\'t understand. We don\'t take action against each other. You robbing them is a declaration of war. The Council will not take this sitting down."
Sarah placed her index finger on the golden eight-point star that was resting on the coffee table. "And what will the Council do in case one member murders another?"
"Uhm…", Jarred was stunned. "You don\'t know if Albert killed Akter."
"True. But why else would he hide this medallion?", Sarah asked.
Jarred was at loss for words. He had to agree with Sarah but… "We can\'t accuse him of murder without evidence."
Sarah glanced at Aiden and they had matching evil smiles. "How about we play a game of truth or dare?"
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