Forgive. Let go of your hatred. Don't think about getting even. Do not hold onto bitterness and resentment. Because when you hold on to your past, you'll only hurt yourself. Forgiving the people that wronged you doesn't mean what they did was right or justified; it means that you no longer punish yourself with sadness and frustration for what they did. It means you accept the past for what it is, so that you can move forward. It might be hard to forgive at times, but it is much harder to keep carrying the weight of anger.
Diana didn't memorize the exact wordings of the quotation she once read but she relayed the thought for Liam to ponder on.
"Forgive those people in your life, even those who are not sorry for their actions. They may not deserve it but holding on to anger only hurts you and not them." She added.
"Easily said than done." He mumbled.
"I know but it's your choice whether to do it or not." She sighed. "A little kindness won't hurt." She meaningfully smiled at the man and tapped his shoulder for a second.
"Try doing yourself a little favor and free your heart from your past hurts. I know you're ready." The woman turned her heels and went out the room. She decided to visit Beverly for the time being.
"Diana." She was already at the doorway when Leo called her name. "Are you going out?"
"Ehm. I need to see Beverly."
"Then I will go with you."
Seeing that the boys were entertaining the little kid, she nodded in response.
Unknown to them, Liam glanced at the two who were walking out the room. He just noticed that there was a new person. Was he that preoccupied a while ago not to notice who that man was?
Cole saw his suspicious look so he stood up and went to where Liam was.
"Conscious about the new guy?" He grinned tauntingly.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Leo. I guess he was Diana's new found friend."
"New friend?" He raised his brow unbelievingly.
"Aha." He grinned once again seeing how Liam suddenly gritted his teeth. He seemed… Jealous!
He wanted to tease the man but looked like it was not a good time.
"Liam." He doesn't want to get involved at Liam's business but seeing his reservations, Cole can't help but be concern.
"What?"
"About Beverly's brothers..."
"Stop thinking about them because they are not a part of our mission to begin with."
Cole raised his brow. How could he say 'stop thinking about it' when he himself couldn't help but think about them? tsk.
"You are clearly thinking about them." He made a face.
Liam looked at him with a murderous intent. "Cole, do you want to----"
"No." He interrupted. "I still love my life. But what I truly want to say is that, if you ever change your mind then just tell the team. We'll always be here for you." He gave out a meaningful smile and walked back to where the others were.
Liam watched the man until he reached the other men. '…always here for you…' He smiled. How could he be blessed with kind and faithful men who are willing to die for his cause?
He suddenly paused for a few seconds. Realizing how blessed he was, his mind involuntarily remembered a certain scenario in the past.
Meanwhile, Leo and Diana were on their way to Beverly's residence. The pain of seeing your brothers being dragged by some rebels was totally painful and the rejection from the man who you thought would help you surely added on her grief.
She needed comfort that's for sure.
"The men at the infirmary, they look familiar. Were they a part of the group that everyone was talking about?" Leo strike a conversation when he saw Diana thinking deeply.
"You mean the shadow knights?" She replied without thinking twice. "Yeah, it's them. The heroes who saved the people of Tubal." She answered but her thoughts were still on Beverly's concern.
Leo��s eyes widened and he fell silent for a few seconds. So that man must be their leader! He was thinking of Liam. He never had the chance to meet him, he only saw him from a distance and he must say he looked familiar.
The shadow knights! He never thought that Diana was close to the group he has been searching for the past few weeks. If he knew then he should have stayed with the woman more often.
Guess he doesn't have a choice but to get the woman's trust. The young men were quite elusive of him so he might have a hard time getting along with them. But this woman is different, it's easy to earn her trust.
He smirked at his own thoughts. This woman is the easiest way to them. He must stick with her no matter what.
They reached Beverly's residence after a few minutes. However, the servants were all busy cleaning the messy surroundings. Broken pots and furniture were scattered all around. Guess the rebels made a big fuss.
"Excuse me. Is Beverly home right now?��� Diana asked one of the old servants.
"Sorry, but who are you?" The old woman asked shyly.
"My name is Diana. This man is Leo, we are Beverly's friends." She smiled. "Can we speak with her?"
"I'm sorry but the young miss isn't home yet."
"Eh?" Diana glanced at Leo. She felt perplexed all of a sudden.
Where could she be? Did she possibly reported the matter to the authorities just as Liam suggested?
Maybe.
Diana and Leo was about to leave the area when they heard a man running and shouting in haste.
"Master! Master! Bad news!" A young man in his teenage years was seen rushing inside the Sven vicinity. Then a man in his mid-fifties came out of the house. Guess he was the head of the family.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Miss Beverly! She went after the gang who took the young masters!"
"What?!" The man roared in distressed. Terror covered his face. His wife who heard the news also collapsed. "No!"
******************
They are called 'Gadites'. They were known as ruthless money lenders. They have acquired a lot of properties from nobles who couldn't pay off their debts. They became wealthy because of their unreasonable interest. Also, they have expanded all over the kingdom.
Cole reported his findings about the group who took the Sven brothers.
As soon as Diana notified Liam about Beverly's disappearance, he gathered his primary men and sent them to investigate and gather information about the said group. They needed to know the enemy before they make a move.
"Does anybody knew where their fortress is?" Liam inquired.
No one seemed to know the group's den but one unfamiliar voice spoke out of nowhere.
"I heard they bought the hill of Arioch."
Everybody looked around and saw Leo standing at the doorway. Seeing that he got their attention, he walked entered the room.
Gray eyes!? He halted in surprise when he got a glimpse of the man they call Liam. But Liam stared at him suspiciously so he immediately hid his qualms.
"And who are you?" Liam bickered.
"I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself first." He faced the man and kowtowed. "My name is Leo, Diana's friend. I came here in Rouen to settle my friend's problem with the Gadites as well and I heard they were at the hill of Arioch."
"Then I bet you already met their leader."
"Unfortunately, no. I didn't have the chance to meet him. The process of meeting the boss was quite hard because you have to make an appointment. However, it will take you months before that happens."
"What do you mean?"
"Social classification. He is very particular with that." He immediately looked at the man's eyes.
Liam paused for a minute.
"Then I guess we don't have a choice but to attack them up front." He uttered with determination.