CHAPTER SIXTY

Lia had just woken up from hours of sleep. She felt good and relaxed. She stretched herself a little before glancing at her watch. And to her surprise, she had slept for almost the full day.
Lia jolted up from the bed and searched around for her phone, but it was nowhere to be seen. She could have sworn that she slept with it by her side.
Lia rushed out of the room and met with Ben who was sitting with his laptop placed on his lap. He was sipping from a cup of coffee.
She saw her phone and purse on the center table just at Ben's front.
"Dad," Lia said.
"Oh, Lia you are awake," Ben said as he put the laptop away.
"What happened to wake me up in an hour?" Lia asked.
"You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you" Ben stated.
"Well, I have to get going now. I have already overstayed" Lia said.
"I prepared you dinner, please eat"
" Leo must be waiting for me, I don't want to delay any further" Lia said as she turned on her phone expecting to see about a dozen missed calls from Leo, but sadly she couldn't find any.
"Please Lia, I spent a lot of time and effort to make it special and I don't know when next I would be able to prepare you dinner again," Ben said trying to sound pitiful.
Since Leo didn't bother to check on her, then perhaps he wasn't in a hurry for her to come home. So Lia gave it a thought and then agreed.
" Fine, but after dinner, not a minute more," Lia said.
"Ok, I will take you home myself," Ben said.
"Deal"
Ben gave Lia her plate and she dug in almost immediately. She was really hungry, but she was ready to ignore the hunger just so she could keep her promise to Leo.
...
Diana sat beside Liana's bed as she combed her hair with her fingers. Diana was still a little teary because of her loss.
She might not have known the girl (Mabel) before she died, but it still hurt to know that she died again for the second time.
"I'm sorry for not being there for you and your sister. Maybe if I was, then she would still be here with us" Diana cried out as she blamed herself for her daughter's death.
After Mabel died, she refused to speak to Cynthia and Leo. They had tried to talk to her and get some answers from her, like how Liana was in danger and what Mr. Black's involvement was with her.
Meanwhile,
Ben and Lia had just arrived at the manor.
"Leo, I'm b..." Lia stopped talking immediately as she sensed the tense atmosphere.
"Is something the matter?" Lia asked.
"Someone tried to assassinate Liana," Cynthia said.
"Tried?" Ben asked with gritted teeth.
"Yes. Thankfully she was unsuccessful" Cynthia said again as Ben clenched his fists.
" Do you know who it was?" Lia asked.
" It was... Your friend" Leo paused a little trying to remember Mabel's name but gave up eventually.
" Mabel?" Lia asked unsurely.
" Mmn" Leo hummed.
Cynthia eyed Lia with disgust. Of course, it just had to be related to Lia. Everything bad that has happened to Liana, always got its source from Lia. First, it was a kidnapping and now it is an assassination.
And now, a thought came to her.
"You," Cynthia said as she pointed at Ben.
"What?" Ben said not in the mood to deal with the woman's crap.
"You sent that girl to kill Liana, didn't you" Cynthia accused.
"What? My father will never do such a thing. He had already cut ties with Mabel long ago" Lia said trying to defend Ben but Cynthia completely ignored her and continued.
"You called me earlier and told me to distract the guards, that's probably how that girl got in here in the first place"
"I did no such thing," Ben said.
"Yes you did, you called me and I will prove it," Cynthia said as she brought her phone out and scrolled through her call log, but Ben's number wasn't there anymore. Even the one she saved wasn't there.
"How?" Cynthia asked him with disbelief.
"What? Are you going to say that I took your phone and got rid of the evidence too?" Ben said.
"But..."
" Even if my father called you and told you to distract the guards, why would you listen to him anyway?" Lia said.
" Because he promised me that your relationship with Leo would be destr..." Cynthia stopped herself from completing that sentence.
" Would be what?" Ben asked.
Cynthia didn't know what to say, she turned to Lia and began to speak.
"You know what Lia, this is all your fault. Liana got kidnapped because of you and I'm sure that girl came here to kill you and not Liana. Don't you get it, you are a pain to our lives. You are nothing but bad lu..." Cynthia stopped talking when she saw the expression on Leo's face.
He looked as if he would burst any moment from now.
" Don't you ever yell at my daughter and let me remind you. You and that girl tagged into Lia's life and the next time you want to accuse someone, be sure to do it with proof" Ben said.
" I wasn't talking to you," Cynthia said.
" Cynthia" Leo warned.
" What did you guys do with Mabel?" Lia asked.
"Dead" Leo gave a short reply.
" What? Leo, you could have handled this matter differently" Lia said with shock.
She felt bad for Mabel. They shouldn't have ended her life, Mabel still deserved a chance.
" My men shot her before I got there," Leo said.
" Oh"
" What about the girl?" Ben asked.
" She was unharmed," Leo said.
" Where is she?" Ben asked.
" Stop asking so many questions, hurry up and leave" Cynthia snapped at him.
" No, he can stay here as long as he wants. This is his home too" Lia said.
Diana who had heard all the ruckus coming from outside Liana's room came out to check what was going on.
She had noticed too late, her brother who was standing amongst the crowd. Ben and Diana's eyes locked with each other at the same time.
"Diana?"