Through a moment of silence after Leonid lost his composure, he was mentally battling himself, but now he was battling the one in front of him. Before he could part his lips again, Maxime stormed into the bedroom, trying to maintain his composure, despite the tension creeping into his voice.
He waited patiently for their screams to subside so he could enter and speak. During those minutes, he took a brief glance at Charlotte's apartment, feeling a tightness in his chest.
"Excuse me, I came to inform you, at the request of the police officer, that Charlotte Smith has woken up."
"Do you mean the owner of the apartment? She finally woke up?"
Pyotr asked in astonishment, as though he had completely forgotten that Charlotte was part of this case. But barely moving, he was shocked when Leonid suddenly surged forward, pushing Vasili's hand away, bypassing the officer blocking the door. His presence was cold and suffocating, sending a shudder of dread through the room.
He exited quickly, with Maxime walking behind him, before hesitating at the threshold of Kaiser's apartment, while Leonid continued forward without looking back.
He entered the apartment, his mind weighed down by questions. His steps were steady, hurried, but still exuding an eerie calm. At the threshold of the bedroom door, Pyotr stopped him, gripping his wrist tightly.
"You're not going in."
His words were firm, but Leonid didn't hesitate. With a swift movement, he seized Pyotr's collar and yanked him towards him in one motion.
"Wait, how dare you?!"
"You... "
Leonid whispered coldly, trying not to disturb Charlotte, who was separated from them only by the door.
"I'm not the one who takes orders from you."
Then, calmly, he released his grip on Pyotr's collar. Pyotr's eyes widened, and without realizing it, his hand loosened its grip on Leonid's wrist. Leonid ignored his surprised gaze and finally entered.
The room was filled with silence. With his cold, icy blue eyes, he observed the scene before him, Alia gently patting Daniel's back, and Natalia staring at Kaiser, who was comforting Charlotte with soft touches.
Finally, his eyes landed on her. She was covering her face with her hand, as if trying to hide from the world, or perhaps just from him.
Beneath his cold and serious exterior, Leonid's heart was troubled, but he didn't feel hatred or animosity toward her. There wasn't even disappointment… all of those negative emotions were directed at himself with intensity.
He hated himself for forgetting, even for a moment, that she was a potential victim in this series of gruesome crimes. He felt disappointed because he hadn't been there for her while she was shedding tears alone.
"Charlotte..."
He whispered her name in a barely audible voice, then knelt beside her, next to the bed.
Kaiser, Natalia, and even Daniel, who struggled to hold back his tears, stared at Leonid's face. Since they had known him, whether by chance or after he declared himself Charlotte's friend, none of them had ever seen the cold aura on his face shatter like this.
"Look at me, please."
Even Alia was startled by the pleading tone in his voice, one she never expected to hear from him.
Long moments passed with no response from Charlotte. Leonid's hand slowly extended toward her wrist, but he stopped halfway. He didn't want to force her into anything... not even to make her look at him against her will.
"It scares her!"
Pyotr's eyes widened as he made his direct accusation toward Leonid, then moved angrily as if to drag him out. But Vasili stopped him, extending his arm to block him coldly.
"Stay where you are, please."
For the first time, Vasili stepped away from his role as a cooperative colleague. His voice was calm, but his tone left no room for argument.
"From this moment on, Officer Pyotr, you're forbidden from intervening in this matter."
"What are you saying?!"
Pyotr furrowed his brow, and as he was about to protest, Vasili took out his ID badge. For a moment, the narrow hallway seemed to freeze, as Pyotr stared at the badge bearing the elite federal emblem, silent in the face of the shock.
"I told you, step back."
Vasili repeated his order in a calm but firm voice, then turned to witness what would happen next.
For a moment, Leonid lowered his hand, but suddenly, he stood up and pushed Charlotte's hand away from her face. A faint light seeped into her black eyes, but they remained empty, lifeless, as if she had lost everything she ever had.
Quietly, he took her by the shoulders and lifted her to sit facing him. He stood between her legs and leaned toward her, lifting her chin with his fingers. For a moment, her eyes widened slightly as if she had regained consciousness, but her lips remained shut, and tears trickled slowly down the sides of her face.
His right hand slid gently, his fingertips brushing against her neck. He touched her pale skin, reddened beneath the loose collar of the shirt that wasn't hers. His fingers moved slowly, tracing the curve of her neck until they reached the blue diamond resting there.
Leonid's right hand slid down and caressed Charlotte's neck. With his fingertips, he brushed against her pale skin, reddened beneath the wide collar of the shirt that did not belong to her. His fingers moved gently, tracing the curve of her neck until they reached the blue diamond resting there.
He examined the red marks on her skin, fearing they were signs of an assault, then looked at the diamond again. Lowering his head slowly, he rested his forehead against hers.
"Charlotte… my mind is heavy with questions…"
He whispered softly, his voice carrying a mixture of concern and emotion.
But she remained still, unresponsive to his words or touch. She barely seemed alive after everything she had endured over the past few days.
Why did she endure her suffering? Even she didn't understand why.
Fortunately, she had torn up the card that bore the message and name of that man. She had asked Daniel to throw it out the window, to rid herself of the last trace of him before anyone could get their hands on it.
Mr. D.
Just thinking of his name sent a chill through her veins, as if an icy wave had washed over her heart all at once.
"Please…"
Leonid pleaded in a hushed voice before removing his hand from her neck and pulling her into his embrace.
"I'm not angry."
He whispered to her, his tone more of a plea than reassurance. He was trying to bring her back, as if she were slipping away from his grasp despite being in his arms.
Her innocent features, her emotions that were always so transparent like an open book, everything about her… from her shimmering eyes to the slight frown that often graced her lips. He tried to recall it all, as if clinging to a memory before it faded away.
He wanted to keep her close, as if he could protect her from everything… even from himself.
Even though she was the reason his puppy had died literally.
Leonid was certain that she might never confide in him about the weight she carried in her heart, yet he still wanted to convey his trust in her… his longing, his hopes.
Had she forgotten that he once told her she was his destiny?
At that moment, Kaiser suddenly moved and got up, striding out of the room quickly. Natalia followed moments later, as if she had suddenly snapped out of the scene's effect.
"Kaiser!"
She called after him, trying to stop him, but he pushed her hand away gently yet firmly and walked out of his apartment without looking back.
"Young Master."
Maxime was by the door, but he immediately stepped back upon seeing the fury on Kaiser's face.
His amber eyes quickly scanned the floor, where blood still stained the tiles.
Kaiser clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tsk, why is the floor still dirty?!"
Maxime stepped back quickly as Kaiser glanced at the bloodstained floor and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, why is the floor still dirty?!"
He snapped in annoyance, making Maxime lower his head immediately.
"I apologize for my negligence. I will clean the hallway at once."
"Do it quickly."
Kaiser waved his hand impatiently, still seething with anger. Seeing Charlotte so intimately close to Leonid made his blood boil, as if everything was violating his rules, his clear vision of this place.
Leonid rested his head on her shoulder, his warm breath brushing against her flushed skin. He held her tightly, pulling her even closer, as if trying to pour some of his warmth into her. He felt the curves of her body pressing against him, but it still wasn't enough.
Despite all his emotional efforts, Charlotte remained empty… unable to absorb the warmth surrounding her, the warmth Leonid was offering her alone.
"I'm sorry…"
Finally, after a long struggle, Charlotte whispered in a weak voice, clutching Leonid's shirt with trembling hands.
Hearing her fragile, broken tone, Leonid lifted his head and stared into her eyes. His gaze held something restrained, a wild emotion he was still trying to keep in check.
"There's no need to apologize."
His warm breath mixed with her shaky ones, his lips so close to hers, as if they were slowly being drawn together despite the distance still between them.
He tried to reassure her, lowering his voice to a whisper like hers.
"It's not your fault."
Charlotte's lips trembled slightly, hesitation flickering in her eyes before she whispered hoarsely,
"But… if we hadn't gone to the rooftop, none of this would have happened."
"Everything has its fate, Charlotte."
Leonid narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, then continued in a calm yet firm voice.
"And I was the one who followed you. If I have to blame someone… I'll blame myself."
"Leonid…"
She called his name in fear, as if she was afraid he would take his words back.
She whispered with a trembling voice,
"Please… I can't bear what happened."
Silence filled the space for a moment before Leonid whispered, as if his confession was harder than it seemed.
"Neither can I, Charlotte… neither can I."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to suppress her sobs. She buried her face in Leonid's chest, her hands still clutching onto him, as if afraid of being left alone.
"I'm sorry…"
She whispered in a choked voice.
"I told you, there's no need to apologize. What's gone… is gone. And I'm sure Hunter wasn't angry or sad."
At the mention of Hunter's name, Charlotte felt a sharp sting in her heart. The pain was crushing… He had truly died because of her.