I'm sorry (part2)

"Hunter wasn't angry or sad... at you."

Alia clenched her fist tightly and kept her eyes on Leonid for a moment before leaving Kaiser's bedroom. Her face was visibly disturbed, to the point that Vasily didn't dare to speak to her. Instead, he turned to Pyotr and began discussing the necessity of keeping what had happened between them a secret from the public and the rest of the officers.

"We ask for your cooperation, Officer Pyotr."

Vasili extended his hand for a handshake in a sincere gesture. Pyotr remained still for a moment but tried to hide any hesitation or reluctance in his demeanor. Then, he quickly extended his hand and shook Vasily's before letting go and leaving the room.

As he stepped out of the apartment, he noticed that the hallway was being cleaned by two janitors. After Leonid signed the document regarding the transfer of Hunter's burial arrangements to the appropriate authority, his body had been moved to its designated place.

Pyotr paused for a moment, glancing at Kaiser, who was speaking anxiously with Maxime, the building's security officer. Then, he walked away with the other police officer and Alia, whose face still bore signs of displeasure.

For a brief moment, Pyotr wondered if Alia might be a federal agent, but he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, her arrival at the police station at almost the same time as Vasili was not enough evidence to suggest such a thing.

The rain was gradually easing, and so were Charlotte's tears. Leonid gently lifted her face, carefully wiping away the dried tears with his thumbs.

Daniel stood by the wall, watching Charlotte, trying to imprint in his mind what she had just told him.

Was the decision right or wrong? Daniel didn't know what the coming days would bring after they chose to bury the truth.

Once Leonid finished wiping the tears from Charlotte's lashes and cheeks, he asked her quietly,

"How do you feel now? Any better?"

"I don't know… but I'm tired."

Her voice was soft and hoarse from prolonged crying. Despite the distance between them, Charlotte tried to avoid looking into Leonid's eyes as much as possible.

A moment ago, she hadn't felt anything from his closeness, not even when his lips were near hers. But now, she was deeply affected, especially since his gaze seemed to pierce through her, awakening emotions she thought had been numbed by her wounds.

"That's normal,"

Leonid replied gently, ignoring her uncertain response.

Suddenly, he leaned toward her, resting his hands on the mattress. In a fleeting moment, Charlotte felt a light touch on her lips, soft and unexpectedly warm. The warmth lingered for a brief second before he pulled away, just as his hands slipped beneath her thighs.

With a swift motion, he lifted her into his arms, gripping the loose, dark shirt that covered her bare body down to her thighs.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she clung to him tightly. She was still half-dazed when the unexpected contact on her lips caught her off guard.

"Hold on to me… don't let go until the very last moment, alright?"

Leonid whispered softly over her lips, as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary.

Daniel's eyes widened, and so did Vasili's, who had just returned to check on them.

To Daniel, it was an intimate kiss.

To Vasili, this had been quite a day. First, Leonid's icy demeanor had cracked, and now he was showing affection, intimate affection to a woman. Not even in his wildest dreams would Vasili have imagined Leonid behaving this way.

But the question that lingered in his mind was: Did Leonid do this out of love for Charlotte? Or was it merely for the sake of the mission?

Regardless of the answer, the one reassuring thing was that Alia hadn't witnessed any of it. Otherwise, she would have caused quite a commotion.

Leonid… kissing a woman.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

Vasili drawled lazily, glancing at Daniel, who shot him a look of disgust before walking away first.

Leonid started moving, carrying Charlotte in his arms in absolute silence. Her eyes were fixed on his lips, the very ones that had stolen her first kiss in the blink of an eye. She blinked slowly, as if still trying to process what had happened.

And despite the unfamiliarity of the kiss, she wasn't angry. She wasn't upset.

On the contrary, the feeling that swept over her in that moment filled her with an unparalleled warmth.

"Hmm…"

She murmured softly, then wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the curve of it the only place where she truly felt safe.

Leonid stepped out of the apartment with quiet steps, and as soon as his feet crossed the threshold, Kaiser immediately turned toward him.

The moment his amber eyes landed on Charlotte, cradled in Leonid's arms, he moved without thinking.

"Where do you think you're going with Charlotte?!"

Kaiser roared, blocking Leonid's path to stop him from moving forward.

"I can't believe your audacity! You're taking her from my bedroom while wearing my shirt? Don't you see you're trespassing on my property and stealing my things?!"

"My things?"

Leonid raised an eyebrow mockingly before replying in a calm yet subtly challenging tone.

"I don't think so. She's my friend. And if this is about your shirt, I can easily fix that… Once I put her down on her bed, I'll take it off and return it to you."

"You bastard!"

Kaiser's breath hitched, and he clenched his fist tightly, as if ready to punch Leonid in the face.

"You're overstepping your bounds."

Leonid spoke coldly, then added,

"And also, lower your voice. I don't want my girlfriend to wake up, she barely managed to fall asleep."

"You—!"

Kaiser raised his fist, prepared to land a harsh punch on Leonid, but suddenly, Natalia clung tightly to his arm, crying out.

"Kaiser, don't!"

From behind, Daniel rushed in and grabbed him as well.

"Please, Kaiser, this isn't the time for anger."

Natalia looked at him pleadingly before speaking in a quiet yet firm voice.

"Daniel is right, and besides… why are you angry? Weren't you the one who said you didn't care—"

"Natalia Stalin, shut your mouth!"

Natalia's face froze, and her shoulders trembled as Kaiser snapped at her. He yanked his arm free from her grasp and shoved Daniel aside. His eyes burned with fury as he shot Leonid a sharp glare before brushing past him without another word.

He entered his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, the loud bang echoing through the hallway.

Vasili stood still for a moment, silently observing what had just happened before he finally spoke in an indifferent tone.

"We'll return later to investigate the culprit. Take the incident seriously and make sure to lock your doors properly when entering or leaving."

He lifted the brim of his uniform cap, causing strands of his black hair to fall slightly over his forehead, then added with exaggerated politeness,

"Have a good evening."

He walked away toward the elevator without looking back.

Leonid didn't stare at Vasili's retreating figure for long; instead, he moved immediately toward Charlotte's apartment. But as soon as he reached her door, he felt her grip tighten around his shirt, making him pause.

Tilting his head slightly, he lowered his voice and whispered near her ear, his gaze lingering on the strands of chestnut hair cascading down her back.

"What's wrong? Don't you feel comfortable staying in your apartment?"

Leonid knew she wasn't asleep, but he had lied to Kaiser about it to keep her out of their argument. He didn't want her to interfere or bear any more tension.

And thankfully, she hadn't.

After a few moments of silence, Charlotte finally answered in a faint voice.

"... Yes."

Her fingers tensed even more around his shirt, as if clinging to him for security.

"Alright, that's fine."

Leonid adjusted his left arm beneath her thighs while his right hand gently ran through her hair, his fingers slowly threading through the soft strands.

"I'll take you to my apartment."

He said it simply, then shut her door and carried her to his place.

He didn't mind her sleeping in his bed.

On the contrary, he was relieved that she knew exactly where she could feel safe.

In the back, Daniel stood for a moment, staring at the floor, then looked at Natalia and asked her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Natalia answered directly, but a moment of sadness crossed her beautiful features.

"No need to be sad..."

Daniel whispered, raising his hand to gently pat Natalia's shoulder in comfort.

"We both know Kaiser's temper. He gets angry quickly and can't control his nerves. By the way, if you're in pain, I can accompany you to the hospital."

"I'm fine, really. Just go to your apartment, and Daniel, don't think about today's incident, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good boy, now go."

Daniel nodded and then walked toward his apartment. Natalia's green eyes were fixed on his back until they moved to the door of Kaiser's apartment.

Even after all her efforts, Kaiser still harbored feelings for Charlotte, to the point where he hurt her because he was angry for Charlotte.

Natalia lowered her lashes and examined the scratches on her wrist. He had pushed her away twice, which meant she was the one he truly didn't care about.