Hunter...

After finishing his work, Daniel looked out the window and realized he had forgotten his umbrella. Unfortunately, the rain outside had become heavy.

"Do you want my umbrella?"

Lyudmila, his girlfriend and the daughter of his boss, approached him and offered him her umbrella. Her blue eyes sparkled under her thick lashes, while her short red hair swayed over her shoulders.

Daniel stared at the dark sky for a moment, then turned to his girlfriend and smiled.

"I wouldn't be a man if I took your umbrella, my beautiful one."

"You are such a stubborn man~"

Lyudmila laughed lightly and enthusiastically hugged his arm.

"But I insist, my love~"

The warmth of her body seeped into Daniel's arm as she gently raised her hand to stroke his cheek with clear intimacy.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable seeing you run in this storm."

She tried to convince him with her soft style, fluttering her lashes and gazing deeply into his eyes, waiting for his response. But Daniel, instead of replying, gazed at her eyes for a moment, then quickly glanced at her lips, which seemed to silently call out to him.

After a few moments of silence, Daniel forced himself to look away, then gently freed his arm from her hands.

"You are very persistent, but I won't take your umbrella, no matter how hard you try."

His voice was steady and firm, completely different from the gentle tone he usually used with Charlotte.

"Ah, stubborn as expected… but I like it~"

Lyudmila stood on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. She wanted to overwhelm him with kisses, but her shy little one was determined to maintain his dignity in front of her, even though he was a year younger.

"Tsk!"

Daniel clicked his tongue, then wrapped his arm around her waist and gently pulled her towards him.

"Don't kiss during work, it's inappropriate."

"But we are the last ones here!"

Lyudmila gestured around her, then looked back at him, placing her hands on his shoulders. Her closeness to Daniel was making her body heat up quickly, but, on the contrary, he was able to control himself.

"Hmm~ You're right, my beautiful one..."

He smiled mischievously, then gave her a light slap on the behind and winked at her before walking toward the door.

"But that doesn't give you the freedom to do as you please. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow~!"

"Rude as always…"

Lyudmila smiled a mischievous smile, rubbed her behind where he had slapped her, then continued in a playful tone.

"Well, see you later. And please, don't forget to invite your friends to my birthday party. Also, try to convince Charlotte any way you can, I miss her, I haven't seen her in a while."

Daniel stopped at the doorframe, turned to her with a sarcastic smile.

"Convince Charlotte any way I can? I thought you were jealous of her, and now you want me to bring her by any means?"

"Me? Jealous of Charlotte? Don't be silly, I'm not that stupid."

"Okay, I'll try."

Daniel raised his hand in farewell and left.

As soon as he stepped outside, the cold air hit him, making him regret refusing the umbrella. The heavy raindrops quickly soaked his clothes, and he started running without thinking toward the building.

"I didn't think it was this bad!"

He kept running until he reached the gate, quickly entered, and then stood panting as he watched the rain-soaked streets. His clothes and hair were drenched, and he muttered in annoyance as he lifted his wet blonde locks, revealing his sharp features. A drop of water slid down his cheek, and he wiped it away with the tip of his finger before entering the elevator.

Once the elevator reached the eighth floor and the doors opened, Daniel headed toward his apartment, but slowed down at Charlotte's door. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to get any closer; just talking to her from afar was enough. But as soon as he looked up, he noticed that her door was slightly ajar.

He froze in place.

It wasn't Charlotte's habit to leave her door open. Maybe she had someone over, but... something didn't feel right.

He approached cautiously, bent down slightly, and then extended his finger to gently push the door, but before he could touch it, the door suddenly opened.

Daniel took a step back, and before he could comprehend what was happening, a tall man emerged, wearing a mask and black gloves, his piercing green eyes calmly staring at him beneath his dark hair, almost mockingly.

But Daniel wasn't focused on the man's face.

He was focused on what the man was holding in his hand.

A small, familiar body, dangling lifelessly.

The man smiled faintly, then dropped what he was holding onto the hard floor. The sound of the impact was light, but it sent a chilling shiver down Daniel's spine.

"This pup almost bit me, so I crushed its head."

"Huh?"

Daniel's breath quickened. His legs froze in place, and he felt the world spinning around him. He could barely force himself to look down...

And there, on the tiled floor, was Hunter, lying, bleeding slowly.

"Hunter..."

His legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees, his gray eyes staring in shock, disbelief, with a mix of emotions tearing at him until tears involuntarily spilled from his eyes.

"Good to see you."

With unsettling calmness, the man bent down and extended his blood-covered hand, then slipped a small card into Daniel's jacket pocket.

"Give it to my girl."

He stood up, lightly patted Daniel's shoulder as if comforting him, before straightening up and smiling mockingly.

"Goodbye, little barber boy~."

Daniel could no longer hear anything. Everything became dull, as if his consciousness was slowly slipping away. He could no longer feel his body, until he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Daniel!"

His body jolted at the sound of Charlotte's voice, as if struck by lightning. Daniel gasped, his eyes widened in shock, and his awareness returned all at once. He quickly turned around, his tear-filled eyes meeting Charlotte's wide, astonished gaze.

Meanwhile, Leonid rushed through the emergency exit, heading towards the nearby grocery store. He ran through the rain, his thoughts crashing in his head.

Why had Vladimir asked him to come? Leonid didn't understand the reason, but he was sure his summons hadn't been for nothing.

As he ran, his sharp eyes caught sight of a man standing next to the trash bins, without an umbrella, fully drenched in the rain. He looked strange... but maybe he was just a homeless man. Leonid ignored him and didn't stop.

"Please, Daniel, move away."

Daniel wrapped his arms around Charlotte, holding her tightly, while silent tears ran down his face, refusing to respond or move away. In contrast, Charlotte felt as though a heavy blow had struck her head. Her hands trembled as she raised her fingers, pressed into Daniel's jacket, blinking her confused eyes, unable to see anything but the gray fur lying on the waterlogged, bloodstained floor, motionless.

Under the bright hallway light, the crimson color reflected in her dark eyes, as if she were witnessing the nightmare come to life before her.

"Daniel..."

She called out to him desperately, trying to push him away, but Daniel held on tightly, as if embracing her was the only way to protect her from what she would see.

"Please, Charlotte, stay away."

Daniel whispered in a trembling voice, more of a plea than an order.

"You won't be able to handle seeing it up close..."

"What... do you mean?"

Pain surged in her head, the alarm bells ringing loudly in her ears, as if her mind was refusing to accept what was happening. She tried to push Daniel away, but he didn't move, wouldn't let her.

"I'm really sorry, but you won't be able to see Hunter anymore..."

"Hunter—!"

Charlotte choked on her tears, feeling dizzy as if the air was being sucked from her lungs just by hearing his name. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but no air reached her, her breaths were shallow, and everything around her started to collapse.

"So... it really is Hunter?"

Her voice trembled, barely escaping her throat, before turning into a hoarse scream.

"But why is he lying on the ground? Why, tell me why?!"

Like someone losing their mind, Charlotte screamed, pounding her fists on Daniel's back, trying to free herself from his hold and reach him.

"Hunter! No! This is impossible... this is impossible!"

But Daniel didn't let go. He simply closed his eyes and tightened his grip, as if the pain were tearing him apart as well.

"I'm sorry..."

His words came as a whisper, barely audible, but they were as heavy as hell.

But those words didn't reach Charlotte. His faint voice was drowned in the chaos raging inside her mind. She couldn't think, couldn't understand. The only thing she could see was the small body lying on the ground, the wet gray fur, and the crimson spot that was slowly expanding beneath Hunter.

"No... no, no, no, this is impossible…"

Charlotte murmured, barely audible, as her knees trembled, almost giving way beneath Daniel's arms. But even if she fell, even if she crawled on the floor, she would reach Hunter.