After that nerve-wracking encounter, they had with Franco, Xhemin and Darryl exited the small town safe. They were already back on the road, Darryl's hand was maneuvering the steering wheel while Xhemin was still catching her breath. She didn't really expect those things to happen as swift as it did and she could only sigh with relief that nothing happened and they were safe.

"Fix yourself up," Darryl chided her hard when he noticed her paleness, "Have you not learned from what Franco said? You got to be tougher than you could ever be if you want to continue with the hunt for the man who killed our son,"

​​

"I'm okay," Xhemin denied the horror inside her. It felt like the more they were getting close to justice, there were also getting close to danger.

"You look far too miserable to say you are okay," Darryl remarked. "And look at you, have you not been sleeping for days?"

Darryl thought that since the diamond prince was home, Xhemin was having a good time in Richmond ranch, however, past her usual façade and beautiful face, she could see right through the misery and chaos in her eyes.

"I let you go home because I thought it was good for you," Darryl continued, "Guess I was wrong,"

"Look we just came from a near-death encounter with Franco Lagdameo" Xhemin raised her voice this time, frustrated that Darryl was like treating her like a child that needed some guidance, "You can't expect me to be okay after that,"

"At least I expected that you were ready for this kind of trouble," Darryl pointed. "You must know from the documents I gave you that the person we are looking for is not an ordinary one, and I don't know why but it felt like there was more to this than just Collet's jealousy,"

"I just thought I could go and convince Collet, I never thought we would end up here," Xhemin reasoned which was rather the truth, at least to her. However Darryl was somehow right in what he had said, she should have at least prepared for the worst especially that the files he gave her already hinted that the man they were after was dangerous but she didn't really find the danger too disturbing until then.

"Then at least you should have had someone with you," Darryl answered but his voice this time faltered as if he remembered something. Then he sighed. "This is not an ordinary hunt Xhemin, you should have brought with you your assistant, or the youngest sire or perhaps the prince. You know, knowing that he was here, I never thought he could have allowed you to go by yourself,"

"How did you know the prince was home?" Xhemin dragged her eyes to him with a confronting look. She chilled at the thought of it as if Darryl knowing about Huzey's comeback was far alarming than the fact that they just pissed of Franco Lagdameo.

"I have my sources," Darryl answered back.

Xhemin looked Darryl for a long time but the latter didn't spare him some gaze but rather focused all his eyes on the road. Then as if she needed to explain further she added, "Huzey is up with something. He just came and back and things were not as good as they seemed,"

"With the news about the Montarini Mining Corp getting cleared off its name, I don't think the prince had things to worry about aside from the scandal of his fake death," Darryl sounded political but there was more to his words rather than diplomacy.

"You have no idea," Xhemin replied wanting to dismiss the conversation right away. Huzey's name on Darryl's lips was like a bell ringing through a kiss of betrayal and Xhemin didn't want to deal with it just then. If Darryl knew about the kiss, she wondered if he would be placid.

"Yeah, you have no idea," Darryl repeated her words and ended their conversation by speeding up their car back to Hampshire.

***

L Empire

A week after

It was Willow's last day in L Empire and to bid farewell, they threw her a farewell party. It was a private surprise event conducted by the research team with no other invites aside from all those Willow work within L Empire and a few media personnel who was there to feature the whole thing and of course get a glimpse of Willow. The girl was the only student in the country admitted to Rivendell in her time, plus the fact that she was Ziggorioh Montreal's daughter, her fame simply cannot be taken for granted.

The event was a delightful one and Willow took her time thanking everyone that made her stay in L Empire a great experience. Don Samuelle himself was there with few of his friends and he had never stopped speaking about their little star. He was very proud of her, especially that she was to go to Rivendell right after her work in L Empire.

Dannah was standing at one corner looking at Willow intently as the girl socialized with everyone at the party. Her green eyes were digging at the child's features as her interest surged up. This particular interest birthed at the time Madam Dianna saw the children at the Loch and their mother's words bothered her to end. When people talked about how Willow looked like her, she had dismissed the thing as if it was something coincidental but to hear her mother praised the two children on how they looked very Lagdameo alarmed her greatly. It was made her suspicious to the point that as she was standing, she had not noticed she had already crushed the paper glass she had at her hand.

"You look tensed," Darryl's voice woke Dannah up from whatever was running on her mind.

"I didn't sleep last night, I'm sorry," She apologized as if her actions weren't right. However, Darryl thought she was concerned about work etiquettes so he didn't dwell on her apologies.

"Is everything alright?" He asked. Danna was good at hiding her emotions so Darryl didn't catch the suspicions in her eyes. However, it was natural for him to check on Dannah so he blurted the words innocently, unaware of Dannah's interest with his little employee.