It was time and Darryl stood at the backstage listening to the host introductions. The host already greeted the elders and had called several personalities on stage to give a word, this time he was already calling on stage those who shall assist the Lagdameo heir in the take over ceremony.

Darryl's hands were cold. He wasn't feeling nervous about the ceremony, but he was anxious for some reasons. He wished the ceremony would just end as swiftly as possible so he can travel back to his country and make some calls.

​​

Darryl was waiting for his name to be called when a janitor came at the backstage and approached him. His head formed lines with the thing as it was rather odd for a janitor to be where he was at. Was he lost?

"Young master, I am sorry for coming here at your presence," The janitor bowed at him and immediately pulled a phone from his pocket, "But you need to answer this call,"

Darryl knew right then that the janitor was sent by someone with great influence inside L Empire because if he's not, there was no chance for a simple janitor to be able to approach him specially during the takeover.

Darryl hesitantly took the phone but when he heard the voice from the other line, his expression changed.

"Dian?" He called her name when he recognized her cry.

"Dee, you need to come home now," Dian's voice struggled to say whatever she had to from the other line "Now please, right now!"

"I don't understand, the takeover…." Dian cut off whatever he had to say and revealed the bad news to him. Darryl was thunderstruck and for the first time, his knees shook in fear. Even his hand did, and the phone fell in the floor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I gave you the Lagdameo heir," He heard the voice of the host calling his name, but it only swept into his hears without substance. He was lost for a moment.

The whole media hall became quiet when Darryl did not come out, so his father's executive assistant checked on him on the backstage. He found him standing alone, with an expression that one cannot ascertain.

"Young master," he called "Your presence is needed here."

Darryl heard his call and he turned to the assistant with his hazel eyes flushing with regret. Darryl took a step but to the assistant's surprise, instead of going with him, Darryl went for the exit door.

"Young master!" The assistant followed Darryl to stop him, but Darryl was already on his back, running away leaving only his suit that he stripped away.

***

Xhemin was in an endless darkness, and there was nothing but the sound of analogue clock ticking loudly as if trying to remind her that she was losing time. She was trapped somewhere she didn't know where, and at times, she saw a bright luminous light that was giving her view of something—some vague happenings that she cannot determine whether real of just hallucinations.

One time, she saw herself bathed with blood and the next, she saw Ziggy looking down at her with his worried and exhausted grey eyes. There was also a time that she saw her old self, happily singing a lullaby to her newborn and a scene when she saw herself driving an expensive car with tears in her eyes.

Soon, Xhemin felt like she was losing her breathe and all the life in her faded away. She tried so hard to breathe and moved but she realized she was all paralyzed. She tried to shake her head mutely, but she couldn't and the only thing she was able to do was let a tear fall from her eye.

"Please God," Xhemin tried to scream, "Don't let me die, not in this place!"

"Please," She begged again, hoping someone above would hear her call, "PLEASE!"

With her last scream, a big ball of light fell on her and swallowed all the darkness. Immediately she was able to move herself and found that she was already somewhere else. She pressed both her eyes to get rid of the blur that was covering her sight and noticed that she was on a bed in middle of a small room.

"A hospital," Xhemin thought but on how the room looked like, she was sure it wasn't Hampshire hospital. It was somewhere else.

Right then, the door opened, and Dian's face brightened when she saw she had woken up. "My god! Thank god you are awake!"

"I don't know how to face my brother if…" Dian swallowed a cry. Xhemin could tell that she was in mess, her eyebags darkened and she had puffy eyes, although she remained as beautiful as he was.

"What happened to me?" Xhemin asked her. The last thing she remembered was that they were on the way to Puente De Amor but their car had to stop because Dian had to take Darryl's call.

Dian gave her pitiful look, "You were an in an accident. A mad drunk man had recklessly drove off the street and swipe all my cars away,"

"What?" Xhemin became worriedly surprised the revelation. So that explains why she was feeling weak and every inch of her was aching, specially her belly and everything down below… her belly… omygod her belly… her baby…

Xhemin immediately checked and found that her belly wasn't anymore as bumpy as they used to, and something was in there that pained her…. She slowly pulled her hospital gown to see her belly and found a slanting fresh wound.

"The doctor performed a caesarian on you," Dian revealed, "You need to rest for a couple days,"

"And my baby?"

"He had hazel eyes," Dian smiled bitterly, and another tear fell from her eye.

"Is he okay?" Dian's reaction made Xhemin worried.

"The doctor is going to bring him here," She announced and just as she said, the doctor came holding a tiny baby wrapped in swaddled clothes. She gave it to Xhemin cautiously and the Little Miss was tearful upon seeing her baby for the first time.

But then…

"He isn't moving," Xhemin pulled her eyes from the baby to the doctor, trying to question why and with it, Dian let go of a sob. "He's only sleeping right?"

Dian's tears were flowing endless as guilt overtook, "No Xhemin. He's dead. The new Lagdameo heir is dead,"