After Daniel left, a calm silence settled over the living room.
Charlotte was quietly fidgeting with her fingertips, her head resting gently on Leonid's arm.
Leonid said nothing. He continued browsing his phone in silence, reading more about the menstrual cycle, as if trying to understand.
"By the way… it's strange that Daniel didn't comment on your appearance."
"Comment?"
Leonid echoed the word mockingly, then said coolly:
"That boy just stared… but his eyes told me so much."
"Really? That's good."
Charlotte smiled proudly, even though she hadn't seen Daniel's reaction with her own eyes.
She tilted her head slightly, observing Leonid with seriousness.
"Now that I think about it… why aren't you wearing your shirt? You look like you're—…"
"Like what?"
Leonid raised an eyebrow, then shrugged indifferently before turning to her with a teasing look:
"Your man? Your lover? Well, I am… but what about your future husband? Or the man who stole your first night? Which one do you prefer?"
Charlotte sighed, then mumbled while staring into the void:
"Sometimes… I wish I'd just kept quiet."
A brief silence followed, and then Leonid said in a low voice, devoid of his usual sarcasm:
"Don't say that."
He said it calmly, but the weight of it was serious, unquestionable.
Leonid stood up, turned off his phone and put it in his pocket, then added with a practical tone:
"It's almost noon. I'll go out and get breakfast."
"Hmm… but I don't feel like eating anything."
Charlotte slowly slid her body down and lay on her side. The blanket covered only her legs, so Leonid quietly approached and leaned down to adjust it, gently pulling it over her entire body.
Although she was wearing a high-neck blouse, a long skirt, and stockings, caution was necessary.
That's what he thought as he lightly patted the edge of the blanket.
"I won't listen to your excuses anymore. I gave you enough time to avoid the nausea."
"Leonid…"
Charlotte murmured his name with a faint frown, but Leonid ignored her. He picked up his shirt from the couch and put it on, then headed to the door and left, leaving her alone in the warmth of the blanket.
Once outside, Leonid returned to his neighboring apartment, changed his clothes quietly, and left again, heading out to buy the ingredients he needed to make the best breakfast.
A breakfast to make up for everything Charlotte's body had missed.
On the other side of the police station, Pyotr exited the general director's office with a smug smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his latest achievement.
He had obtained a new permit to interrogate the suspect again, along with permission to speak once more with Daniel and Charlotte to complete their statements.
All thanks to his usual persistence though the director hadn't hesitated to warn him against crossing the line or abusing his authority.
In the empty hallway, Pyotr nodded to himself, then turned and walked forward with steady, balanced steps that carried a subtle urgency.
Just before reaching the exit, he ran into Alia at the last corner.
She gave him a calm look, then quickly asked,
"You're heading to the STARS residential building, right?"
"News spreads that fast?"
Pyotr replied with a fake smile as he stepped lightly to the side, trying to pass her, but she blocked his path again.
"Everyone knows the director called you in. If you're really going, take me with you."
"And why should I?"
Pyotr stopped, crossed his arms, and looked at her, waiting for a convincing explanation.
"You want a reason?"
Alia narrowed her eyes and took a step toward him, while Pyotr raised his eyebrows and replied sarcastically:
"Of course, I do."
Both of them seemed stubborn.
Alia was insistent, and Piotr was clearly unwilling.
"Take me with you!"
"Not without a good reason."
Pyotr uncrossed his arms and raised a finger in front of her eyes.
"When we went out for dinner, you made it very clear you didn't want to go anywhere with me. So, just surrender… and move."
He motioned with his finger toward the wall, signaling her to step aside.
"No."
Alia's answer was firm, and then she suddenly grabbed his finger. Her grip was unexpectedly strong, enough to make Pyotr visibly tense.
"I said I don't want to seem aggressive, Officer Pyotr… "
she whispered in a low, threatening voice.
"So why do you insist on making me look like the bad guy? Can't you just be nice… and take me with you?"
This was her golden opportunity to see Charlotte Smith again and perhaps... monitor her relationship with Leonid more closely.
"Please don't make me beg… or else—"
She suddenly tightened her grip, making his eyebrows furrow and his eyes widen involuntarily.
"Are you... threatening me?"
Pyotr muttered, then sighed with troubled resignation.
"Fine, I'll take you. But don't think this will come without a price. You'll owe me later."
"Perfect!"
As soon as she heard his agreement, Alia let go of his finger and smiled like someone who'd won a crucial round, as if nothing had happened.
"okay, let's go!"
She clung to his arm with a fake friendly expression, as if trying to secure her position in case he changed his mind at the last minute. Then she started walking beside him toward the exit, light on her feet.
Pyotr, for his part, gave her a frustrated glance, then sighed deeply and finally surrendered to the situation.
As they made their way toward the exit, they passed two officers returning from their morning shift, who paused to stare. One of them raised his eyebrows, curiously eyeing Alia clinging to Pyotr's arm, while the other murmured quietly:
"Are they… dating?"
His colleague chuckled softly while watching the scene:
"Alia and Pyotr? Weird couple… but I kind of like it. Come on, let's get back to work."
Time passed slowly, and Leonid had yet to return.
Charlotte sighed in boredom and lay on her back, her movements lazy, her eyes staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.
Yesterday, she had experienced something hard to forget, especially those warm, damp whispers Leonid had breathed into her ear. They still echoed in her memory, curling around her like a silky scarf.
She closed her eyes and recalled his words: "Or the man who stole your first night away."
She raised her hands and covered her face, muttering in a low, annoyed voice,
"What a shameless man…"
But the quiet moment didn't last. The sound of the doorbell shattered the stillness of the apartment.
Charlotte sat up quickly and was about to stand, but a sudden cramp in her abdomen stopped her. She paused for a few seconds, breathing slowly, trying to endure the pain.
"Ah… same as always. Painful."
She whispered under her breath, then steeled herself and got up. She had to open the door quickly, Leonid couldn't be kept waiting.
She walked toward the door with calm steps. Upon reaching it, she grabbed the handle and opened it.
"You're really late… huh?"
A bright smile formed on her face, but it faltered the moment she saw who was standing there.
"Na… Natalia?!"
She barely finished her greeting before a sharp slap struck her cheek with brutal force, jerking her head to the side in shock.
Charlotte froze in place, her hand still suspended midair, while her left cheek burned with a stinging heat.
She stared at Natalia in utter disbelief, not comprehending what had just happened. The only thing she could clearly feel was the thunderous beating of her heart.
"What…?"
She whispered in a shaky voice, her tongue working faster than her thoughts, but Natalia gave her no time to breathe.
She grabbed Charlotte by the collar and yanked her forward violently, pushing her out of the apartment without mercy.
"You think playing the victim is a privilege, huh?!"
Natalia screamed, her green eyes blazing with fury.
Charlotte's body trembled under the iron grip of Natalia, and she was quickly shoved into the hallway wall, her body aching once again.
"Playing the victim…?"
Charlotte whispered, clinging to a shred of hope, gritting her teeth to hold back a scream. Her voice rasped as she added:
"What do you mean…? What are you talking about?"
Natalia let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh, then leaned in until she was inches from Charlotte's face:
"Now you pretend to be clueless, huh?! You curse… talented in everything vile."
Charlotte's eyes widened at the cutting words. Her fists trembled as she fought back tears.
"Natalia! I don't understand…"
Tears began to well up in her eyes, but Natalia's glare was harsher than anything else.
Those green eyes stared at her like she was a criminal guilty of something unforgivable.
"Why are you slapping me and yelling like this? I didn't do anything to you… The last time we spoke was just a few days ago—"
"And that is exactly what makes what you did a crime."
Natalia shouted, tightening her grip on Charlotte's blouse, pinning her to the wall.
"Charlotte, can't you just die already?"
"Die?"
Charlotte's eyes widened in shock, her body freezing at the desperate plea. The words hit her like a brutal punch to the chest.
"Yes! You keep ruining my happiness, stealing everything from me, even Kaiser. Do you think he didn't tell me?!"
Kaiser.
The moment Natalia said his name, Charlotte felt a suffocating pressure in her chest, as if the air had been sucked out.
Her dark eyes gleamed like shattered glass, her expression shifting from shock to hopelessness, and then to simmering rage.
"You drink wine with him at his place, then accuse him of dishonor? How low can you sink? Are you really… a whore?!"
Up until that moment, Charlotte hadn't felt the need to stop Natalia or respond with equal violence.
She'd tried to avoid confrontation, clinging to shaky answers… until that false accusation. Being called a whore felt like a dagger to the heart.
Did Kaiser turn everything against her?
"I'm not…"
She whispered, barely audible, between the ringing in her ears and the pounding of her heart.
"I'm not…"
"Don't try to deny it!"
Natalia screamed, growing even more aggressive.
"A woman chasing a man while already involved with another? You're a whore in every sense of the word!"
"I said I'm NOT!!"
Charlotte finally shouted, her voice breaking with grief and fury.
"And I say you ARE! Stop denying the truth!"
Natalia raised her hand to slap her again, with all her strength but a strong hand suddenly shot forward, gripping her wrist in a firm, decisive hold, stopping her in her tracks.
"A drunken whore accusing a peaceful woman?"
The voice was cold, emotionless.
"That's pathetic."
Devin looked at Natalia with a deadpan stare, a sarcastic smile briefly flickering and then vanishing from his lips. He didn't move, nor did he loosen his grip.
Natalia stared at him in shock, but before she could respond, Devin yanked her wrist and flung her aside, sending her stumbling to the ground.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he leaned one hand against the wall near Charlotte and slowly bent toward her.
"We finally meet~"
He smiled.
But this time… it was a playful smile.