CGC Tower

When Xhemin learned that the Lagdameo heir was there to see her, her heart pounded as her hand began to feel clammy against her bouncing knee. She remembered allowing his entrance and right then she paced back and forth, stomping her feet impatiently at the each end of the room. She did not expect his sudden visit at all that her heart was already threatening to burst forth from her ribcage.

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When the door flew open, she exhaled slowly, trying so hard to hold her emotions under control. Until then even when Darryl had miraculously turned okay, she was still entertaining the fact that he might come to say his goodbyes. Right then, she was not ready for anything and she wasn't even sure what's her stand for in their complicated relationship now that the culprit had been found. However, she knew so well that they needed to talk, especially at this time when LGC and L'Empire were having a cold war.

Darryl emerged from the door and immediately, his hazel eyes whom she adored very well dug down on hers giving her implied assurance he was alright and that there was nothing she needed to worry about his health, not anymore.

"You are okay," Xhemin felt the need to open the conversation as Darryl for a few minutes did nothing but stare at her with a certain smile that she could not comprehend the meaning. The indifference in his expression was the one that shut off her urge to go and embrace him because suddenly, a wall was created, something Darryl built for himself. "That's...good to see,"

"I am," He answered, his speech finally was cured this time and so he sounded as he previously was before the accident. "Thank you for being there,"

Darryl knew that Xhemin had purposely stayed at the hospital for days after his last surgery and even before that. When he finally woke up, he never got any visit from her and the children but he was aware she had kept a close communication with his doctor about his situation and improvements. Feather HealthCare was afterall owned by the late doctor Miles and so it was easy for her to get news about him.

He was also aware about the current situation of LGC and L'Empire and understood why his family wasn't mentioning Xhemin's name in the hospital nor the fact that the Dugmoch's never visited. At that time when everyone was in deep sorrow and complication, it was best to avoid each other.

"I needed to be there," Xhemin answered and smiled bitterly at the fact that even after all the things she did to protect everyone she loved the most, everything still ended in such a terrible tragedy. She was just thankful that everyone turned okay at the end, not emotionally—as the tragedy changed their lives so suddenly—but at least most of them lived to continue with their lives and be better persons as they previously were.

"Please have a seat," Xhemin invited him and went to the center of her table and held her hand at the end, trying to find support for her weakening legs. Darryl even until then was making her breathless but his eyes stared differently this time, as if he was trying to paint all the details of her face in his mind, like he was there to see her for the last time and that got Xhemin scared.

"I won't take long," Darryl promised and instead of sitting down, he just glided toward Xhemin until there was nothing between them but her office table, giving enough space for them to hide all their tremors and heavy sighs. "I heard you stop the negotiations with your intention to get L'Empire,"

Darryl's question was unexpected provided they had more things to talk to right this time and that was the least of the matters that Xhemin thought Darryl would ask. However, she answered as honestly as she could. "I told you I only want L'Empire because I wanted to find the culprit within it. Now that the culprit was found, I don't need it anymore,"

"I see," Darryl said and paused for a moment before he pushed an envelope in Xhemin's table. "But I still want you to have it, so here it is,"

For a moment Xhemin did not understand what Darryl meant, not until she took the envelope and read the papers herself. When she was done reading, she raised her eyes with incredulity at her estranged husband seeking for answers for what seemed a very reckless business move. "Darryl what's this? You can't do this!"

"I can since I am the current Lagdameo heir," Darryl was phlegmatic to the surprise that went on Xhemin's face. "For you to have L'Empire, you need to get most and relevant shares, the shares that a Lagdameo heir holds. You can have it, I'm going to give it you,"

"But Darryl I cannot accept this," Xhemin refused it outright. She knew she fought with him with regards to L'Empire previously when she was still desperate to find the culprit but her intention then because she felt the need to protect her children. Now that there was no more culprit to speak about, Xhemin could not just take away Darryl's shares as the Lagdameo heir. She had no need for it and most of all, she can't take everything from Darryl. He just almost lost his life, now he was about to lose all his wealth!

"It's already yours," He simply answered as if what he was giving was of no value at all.

"Darryl, what are you doing?" Xhemin panicked when she realized that he was really determined to give away all that he had. She thought of anything that would make him change his mind and so she went on blabbering everything that her mind could come up to. "Your debts have already been paid. Dannah returned the money a few months ago already. You have no debt in LGC to speak of for you to give me this and besides even if I can have all your shares, there's no way your family will accept me as the new L'Empire president. There had never been a woman president ever since, all the more a president that don't belong to their kin,"

"I will make them accept you," Darryl said, not a single emotion burst out from his facade. He was instead calm and composed, signifying very well how sure and determined he was with this move.