Darryl's room was as gloomy as it had always been. For the last several days that Darryl was locked by his own father, he had spent all his time contemplating on his best moves to counter all the things that his Father did to him. He already had something in mind and that something was far beyond his Father or anyone else would possibly imagine. However, he wasn't sure if that was the best thing to do but provided all the circumstances, he knew it was what was best for his family—his and Xhemin's family.

"Dee," The door flew open and Dian came in, with her own pair of worried hazel eyes. She went to throw her arms to Darryl to give her brother an embrace. "I flew back here when I heard the news,"

​​

"Where have you gone to?" Darryl asked as he was not certain where Dian had been. He had waited for her to come and see him but it seemed that Dian wasn't home for few days.

"I went with aunt Blanca to see the elders in Paris," Dian told. She was referring to their aunt, his father's sister who had constantly been abroad to take care and check on the elder's health.

"What's the news with the elders?" Darryl asked. The elders of L Empire all resided abroad and now and then, they went and travel in every parts of the globe for a vacation and visit some of L Empire's businesses overseas.

Dian was a little hesitant to answer but she told her brother anyway, "They were all too disappointed of father. If he wasn't our father, I mean if he wasn't the Lagdameo heir's father, they would have just ousted him from the presidency,"

"Dannah I want—"

"Dee what happened to you? Why did you evaporate just like that? Did you go and see her?" Dian flooded him with questions, seemingly very curious to hear what he had been upto for the past several months that he was gone, "Please tell me you are fine and that you didn't caught any weird diseases from that place,"

"I'm alright Dian," Darryl shoved away her caress. "I'm as healthy as I have been before, probably much healthier than I previously was,"

There was some brightness in Darryl's eyes when he said that and Dian by then understood that her brother had been up to good things in the place where he went. She also noticed that the once empty and expressionless stares that Darryl wore for the last previous years, left no more trace in his eyes. He had been happy, she can tell.

"You had seen her," Dian gave a sweet smile as she concluded. "How was she?"

"She's been great," Darryl answered wearing a bittersweet smile upon Xhemin's memory. Bittersweet because all the things they had in the island were one of the best things that happened to him, but he was sad that now it had come to an end. "She's doing well,"

"I'm glad to know," Dian smiled at him, very much happy that her brother had found what he had been looking for. "Did you both… I mean did you talk or did you—"

"We got married," Darryl announced, and the words halted Dian's world. She was totally shock with the news.

"O my Dee!" Dian's eyes contained emotions Darryl could not read but he was sure her shock was the reason behind all those expressions her face pronounced. With all the rising emotions on Dian's heart and face, she settled with a congratulations right after. "I didn't know what to say, but I'm very happy for you… however, did father know about this?"

"I told him," Darryl revealed. "Of course, he wasn't happy about it and even said he would not allow our marriage to be registered,"

"Well, you might have given father huge shock," Dian commented trying to recover from her own surprise. "Anyways, what's your plan now?"

"I have something crazy in mind and I needed your help," Darryl told her, and another unreadable expression flushed into Dian's face.

"What do you need me for?" She asked curiously.

"I need you to handle all my matters in the South" Darryl announced. "Work with Lawyer Yu"

"But father might—"

"He can do nothing anymore starting tomorrow," Darryl told her, "Please Dian, I just need to manage the things I cannot attend to for the meantime. There's no one I can trust these things to,"

Dian thought about it for a minute but eventually agreed after.

"Okay. I'll do whatever I can," Dian promised. "After the conference tomorrow, I'll fly to the South."

"Thank you," Darryl held her face with so much gratuity. "I know I can always count on you. I promise father will not bother you with this,"

"I'll do whatever I can for you, you know that," Dian said. Her eyes showed nothing but sympathy for her brother. Truth was Dian knew that their Father will not let Darryl go off easily and all she could do to lighten his burden now was to assured him that she will help him although she wasn't sure how far she can extend help with him provided their situation. Everything in their lives was controlled by their father and it would take a mile of extra effort before they can go against his wishes—if they had all that guts to do so.

There was a long silence after Dian said those words. As she looked at Darryl's hazel eyes, it glowed something else this time, something that Dian had never seen before and that alone worried Dian. She knew Darryl was off to something, something bigger that even his father would probably have not predicted, and Dian was afraid of the things that might happened if Darryl takes the path he had been thinking to do.

"Dee…" She called on him, because by the way he looked, it seemed like his mind was out there somewhere. "What are you planning to do this time?"

Darryl's train of thought was pulled back to Dian and he gave her a timid smile when he answered, "Something that I must do to protect her,"