96 CHAPTER 96: MOST CRUCIAL THING

"Look! We're famous now!" Gideon exclaimed as he dashed towards the team who was resting after dining in a native restaurant. He was holding a piece of paper with a black and white picture on it.

"Guys, look what I found." He called out one more time and laid the article on the table for everyone to see. "I got this paper from one of the traveler while I was falling in line at the restroom. They were talking about us!"

"Whoa... Even if I can't see the faces but I'm sure these mighty figures are pretty familiar." Daniel joked.

"Isn't this your team?" Suzette glanced at Liam who was seriously reading what was written on the piece of paper. "You're indeed famous now and I could say whoever wrote this one was amazing."

"But who could it be?" Cole caressed his jaw in deep thought.

"Well, whoever wrote this kind of article was good enough and you should be thankful. Promoting a good story for your team is a great advantage for your mission." Daniel added.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Liam mumbled softly but the team was able to catch his words.

"What do you mean?"

"Cole, find out who wrote this article and make that person stop. We don't need this." Then Liam stood up and went to see Shadows.

The others followed him and mounted their horses. They need to be in the city before nighttime because judging at the sky, it might rain hard later.

"Liam…" Cole called out as soon as he and Asher catch up. "About the…"

"Just as I said, we don't need that. We don't have to be famous to reach our aim. It might bring us more trouble than good."

"I'm not talking about the article." Cole frowned while Asher mockingly laughed.

"Sorry. What is it then?"

"I was supposed to ask about our next move."

Liam looked straight at the road. He was seemingly torn between two choices.

"We will be heading to the Region of Patar. We need to meet the three tribes living at the borders."

"Patar? That's a long journey!" Asher yelped. 

"Do you want to stay here instead?" Liam raised his brow.

"If the young miss will, then I shall." He chuckled jokingly.

"Not happening. We will be sending her back to where she came from as soon as we reached the merchant's coastline."

Asher and Cole looked at each other puzzled.

"Is that for real?" Cole replied. "Did you discuss it to her?"

"I'll tell her as soon as we arrived in the city. She'll end up going back to where she came from anyway so better do it now. She doesn't belong here anyway."

There was a hint of sadness in Liam's voice and they were a bit upset at the idea as well. However, he was right. At the end, the woman will be going back home leaving everyone behind. She was just a temporary friend.

"Do you think she will agree?" Asher butted in.

"She doesn't have a choice. She might be in danger again if she continues to go with the team.''

Well, Liam was right about that. Seems like the young miss was a friend of trouble since she kept engaging herself with it often.

It was already seven in the evening when they reached the city. Liam was thinking to drop by the infirmary before going back to Daniel's residence but it was already closed due to the curfew. 

They were nearing the gates but to their surprise, the villa was so bright that they thought it was still day. There were lights lined up from the entrance gates going inside. 

It looked like a grand parade!

"Welcome back everyone!" They saw Sonia along with the other maidservants greeting them with bright smile but some of the men were looking for a particular person.

"Are you looking for Diana?" She smirked when she saw Liam and the others looking around. "She's inside aiding Mary for the food preparation."

She then hugged Daniel and motioned everyone to enter the house. 

As soon as Liam descended from Shadows, Suzette run beside him and held his arm as they walk side by side. The man didn't pay attention to it for he sees the woman as a little sister. 

They became close while they were at the Ammihod town. 

Diana was indeed busy in the kitchen but she didn't fail to greet the team with a smile. However, when her eyes landed on Liam, she saw the woman clinging at the man's arm. She met Liam's gaze but she quickly looked away.

Dang it! Her heart suddenly felt a throbbing pain.

Are they now…...Dating? 

Omo! Did Daniel's plan worked out? Her mind was in a muddle before Cole and the others came near her.

"And how's our big sister?" Asher grinned and put his one arm on her shoulder. "We missed you so much!" 

Diana forced a smile. "You must be tired and hungry. Settle down and have a meal first." She offered. 

The men occupied the chairs facing the long table while Suzette sat beside Liam. She kept smiling while serving him some meat. Such sweet acts were not hidden from Diana's eyes. Seeing how Liam smiled back, he surely like the woman too!

Diana didn't eat with the team. She chose to stay with Mary and served them instead. However, her cold treatment towards Liam was not hidden among everyone present who knew their closeness. She talked to others and smiled at them from time to time but she never glanced at Liam's side. 

It was quite awkward to see her ignoring the man. And Liam felt that. So after dinner, he excused himself and went to his room upstairs.

As for Daniel, he was enjoying watching the two having a little misunderstanding. Cute! He chuckled unknowingly.

The team finished eating and everyone was at the living room since Sonia demanded the team to inform her about their journey. She's not being nosy but the night was still young so might as well catch up.

As for Diana, she was at the kitchen washing the dishes when Cole came and stood beside her.

"Need some help?" He offered seeing a lot of plates at the sink.

"No. I'm good. You should go and rest. I know your exhausted from your journey and----''

"If someone needed a proper rest then that would be Liam." He butted in. "He was the most beaten up among us all. And though he doesn't say it out loud, he has been itching to come back as soon as possible. Guess he couldn't help but worry about you."

Diana paused for a few minutes.

"Were you all afraid that I might cause you another trouble?" Her tone was a bit sarcastic. "Don't worry, I tried so hard not to."

Though there was sarcasm in her tone, Cole sensed another meaning behind it. Guess that last conversation with Liam before they set out left a big impact on her. 

Who wouldn't be when you always feel left out by the team.

TRUST. It is indeed the most crucial thing for everyone. Once it's broken, it would be so hard to build it up again.

"Even so, please check on Liam's wound. I'm afraid it might get infected. You know how careless he is when it comes to his own body, right?" Cole uttered meaningfully before leaving the woman.

**********

"Come in." 

Liam voiced when he heard a knock on the door. He was sitting at the edge of his bed and was about to lift his shirt to check on his wound. However, he suddenly halted in surprised when he saw the woman walking near him.

"Diana?" She was holding a box of medical kits.

"Cole asked me to check on your wound." Diana knelt before him making every effort to avoid looking at his eyes.

"You don't have to… I'm fine." He mumbled. 

Seeing how Diana tried to avoid him, his heart suddenly felt a pang of pain.

Diana ignored his 'I'm fine' statement and pulled his shirt up a little. However, she couldn't help but frowned as soon as she saw his bleeding wound. She wanted to reprimand the man but she held it in.

She sighed in disappointment before she started disinfecting his wound. An awkward silence covered the room, neither of them were talking.

"Diana… about the other day…." Liam couldn't bear her silence any longer, but Diana seemed to be avoiding that specific matter since she butted in.

"Do you have an important appointment tomorrow?" She interrupted the man. 

"Diana…." Liam wanted to clear his intention the day he left her behind.

"Lily… She needs you right now…" As soon as she finished tending his wounds, she stood up and turned her heels towards the door.

"What do you mean?" Liam stood up and held the woman's arm who was about to exit the room. He saw how she lowered her head and he could feel the woman's grief. "Diana, tell me. Did something happen while we were gone?" He stood in front of the woman and held her shoulder.

"Diana!"

"Mr. Simon…." She was hesitating. "He's..." She teared up all of a sudden.