The 8th floor

Knock! Knock!

Daniel kept knocking on the door of Apartment 397, his patience running thin as he waited for Kaiser to answer.

Earlier that morning, Daniel had tried reaching out to Charlotte, only to be ignored. Now he needed to head to work but had no idea where to leave the adorable puppy looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"All of this because of that dead ghost,"

he muttered, clenching his teeth and resuming his knocking.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Kaiser appeared, leaning against the frame, shirtless, his messy red hair framing his face.

"What do you want this early, you brat?"

Kaiser grumbled.

"Did Charlotte contact you?"

"Charlotte, huh!"

Kaiser smirked mockingly, running his left hand through his red hair.

"No. Why? What's your business with her?"

Daniel raised a blond eyebrow, glaring at Kaiser with disbelief under his violet bangs. Cradling Hunter in his arms, he responded, exasperated,

"You're not serious, are you? You usually know everything about Charlotte. Why are you hiding the truth from me?"

"I'm serious,"

Kaiser replied firmly, his amber eyes briefly scanning the husky pup in Daniel's arms before asking,

"What's the dog doing with you?"

"You mean Hunter?"

"I don't care what his name is. What's he doing here?"

"Leonid asked me to..."

Daniel hesitated, struggling to pronounce Leonid's name, which he wasn't used to, but he pressed on.

"...take care of Hunter while he took Charlotte to the hospital. But he hasn't come back since yesterday, and Charlotte isn't responding to my messages either."

"Since yesterday,"

Kaiser repeated, his expression darkening as his sharp amber gaze searched Daniel's face for any signs of deceit.

"What's going on here?"

came a drowsy voice from behind, as Natalia wrapped her arms around Kaiser's waist. She was wearing one of Kaiser's oversized black shirts, which modestly covered her petite frame.

"What's going on here…?"

Daniel echoed, his eyes darting between Natalia and Kaiser before settling on the latter with a piercing gaze.

"You two… what were you doing together?"

"Nothing…"

Kaiser shrugged.

"Just private moments. Why do you ask?"

Daniel's blonde lashes fluttered in disbelief. He had assumed they were just friends but hadn't expected this level of openness and brazenness.

"How can you be having fun while our friend is feverish in the hospital?"

"Tch,"

Kaiser clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes.

"You might want to choose your words carefully before accusing us,"

he warned.

"What?"

Kaiser slammed his hand against the door frame, leaning in.

"Charlotte, the one you're so concerned about, is out there having a good time with the guy who confessed to her!"

"What?"

Daniel and Natalia both froze, staring at Kaiser.

"What did you say?"

Daniel asked again, while Natalia chimed in excitedly,

"Charlotte got a confession~!"

Tilting her head slightly, her lips parted in surprise.

"Huh…?"

Meanwhile, Charlotte stood frozen in shock as Leonid adjusted the sunglasses slipping down her nose, his hand briefly brushing against her forehead.

"It's a morning kiss. You know, we're in a relationship now."

"Oh.. "

Leonid extended his hand, intertwining his slender fingers with Charlotte's delicate ones. Then, he opened the door and began walking down the hospital hallway with her.

"By the way, we don't need a dating phase, right? We've known each other for a whole month, so let's act freely like a couple."

"...Are you sure?"

"Of course. You and I aren't like any other couple who just like each other. We've been through so much in just a month. You could say it was admiration that turned into love. Do you understand, Charlotte?"

Leonid stopped and gently pulled her closer.

The height difference between them was endearing, offering a subtle sense of security.

"Can you understand my feelings for you?"

For the first time, his icy blue eyes gazed at Charlotte with a trace of vulnerability.

Leonid raised Charlotte's hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of her hand.

Charlotte felt embarrassed by Leonid's gesture at that moment, so she quickly said.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to calm myself."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

Leonid stopped kissing her hand, looked at her calmly, and said,

"Did you forget? I'm not..."

He gently lowered her hand and leaned toward her, their breaths mingling as he whispered,

"...a gentleman anymore."

Leonid smiled as he watched Charlotte's pale complexion turn crimson again because of his actions.

His unexpected behavior created a scene between them, drawing the attention of the surrounding medical staff and patients. They all paused, watching with interest and encouragement.

Charlotte covered her face with her free hand and whispered,

"You're really a pervert..."

"What did you just say?"

Leonid raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to repeat her words, but Charlotte ignored him. Shrugging, he resumed walking.

Following behind him, Charlotte suddenly remembered that she hadn't even washed her face yet, all thanks to Leonid, who had woken her up and stayed with her ever since.

She rubbed her eyes quickly while Leonid paid her medical bills and handled her discharge procedures. Remarkably, he didn't let go of her hand even once.

"Thank you, sir. You may leave now. Have a safe journey."

Leonid nodded and left with Charlotte, heading toward his car. His steps were slow, matching her pace. He stopped, opened the car door for her, and helped her into the passenger seat. Her chestnut-colored hair swayed as she sat, partially covering her face.

Leaning against the car door, Leonid said,

"Don't forget to fasten your seatbelt."

His tone was cool. He closed the door and walked to the driver's seat.

Charlotte sighed, buckled her seatbelt on her own, and leaned against the window, gazing outside.

Sometimes Leonid was scarily romantic, and other times he was a cold-hearted man who wouldn't even fasten his girlfriend's seatbelt.

As he started the engine, Leonid noticed Charlotte's quietness.

"What's wrong?"

he asked calmly, lifting his foot from the pedal. The car moved slowly backward out of the parking space.

"Nothing... I'm just thinking,"

Charlotte answered honestly, then removed Leonid's sunglasses from her face and placed them back in their spot while sighing.

Watching her tired sigh, Leonid said,

"Can you share your thoughts with me?"

"Alright, I guess..."

Charlotte leaned back in her seat, clasping her hands as Leonid gently pressed the accelerator, beginning to drive.

"I want to talk to you honestly about our relationship."

"I'm listening."

"Don't you think we are crossing many boundaries? I mean, in just one day we became close, and you boldly keep saying that you are a lustful pervert."

"Did I really say that?"

Leonid asked, his tone cold as he kept his eyes on the road.

"When did I say I was a pervert?"

Charlotte hesitated, sensing a chill around him. She tried not to sound flustered as she answered,

"You!... You didn't say it outright, but you seemed that way to me."

"Hmm... I see."

Leonid gave a faint smile, steering the car to turn onto another street.

"Forget it. Tell me are you serious about our relationship? I mean, do you feel like it's..."

Charlotte clenched her fingers, struggling before saying,

"...love at first sight, like I do?"

"Love at first sight, you say."

Charlotte's words brought back memories of the day Leonid first met her.

He stopped at a traffic light and looked at her.

Charlotte waited for him to say more, noticing the faint, warm glimmer in his eyes.

Smiling sincerely, Leonid said,

"For me, it wasn't just love at first sight. Maybe you don't understand what I mean now, but later, when everything is over, you'll realize our relationship was..."

He paused, gazing into her black eyes, then added,

"...destined from the start."

Charlotte's eyebrows rose as she clasped her hands. She felt her heart tremble in her chest.

"Before we met, it was meant to be. Can you understand what I mean?"

Leonid offered his gentlest smile before resuming driving as the light turned green.

Charlotte remained silent, staring at Leonid, who seemed like a star illuminating her dark world. For someone like her, struggling with personal insecurities, finding someone who spoke to her like Leonid did was everything she had ever wished for.

"Yes... kind of,"

she answered, lowering her head. Her chestnut hair fell over her beautiful face, almost on the verge of tears.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Charlotte felt thankful to have been born into this world and to have met amazing people especially this man who had changed her life in just over a month.

Leonid continued driving toward the residential building, partially aware of the turbulent emotions in Charlotte's heart. In fact, he was ready to see her cry again and comfort her as much as he could. However, this time Charlotte surprised him by showing a bit of resilience.

She inserted the key into the lock and turned it to open the door.

Charlotte entered her apartment with Leonid lazily following behind. She haphazardly kicked off her shoes and walked toward her bedroom, her eyes swollen from the tears she had shed in the car despite her efforts to hold them back.

Fortunately, Leonid didn't make any teasing comments. Instead, he gently patted her head a few times and held her hand.

"You're messier than usual,"

he remarked with a sigh, bending down to arrange her discarded shoes.

He appreciated the emotional strain Charlotte was experiencing.

"This—"

Leonid paused as his eyes fell on a familiar shoe a black high heel that looked identical to the one he had seen in Sophia's apartment.

Why was this shoe here? Had Charlotte worn it yesterday? Questions began swirling in his mind but were interrupted when Charlotte called out to him.

"Leonid!"

"What?"

Leonid adjusted the shoe and straightened up before approaching Charlotte.

"What is it?"

he asked quietly, taking off his jacket and loosening his tie.

"It's nothing important..."

Charlotte blinked as she watched Leonid walk toward the living room.

"I just wanted to ask if you needed anything before I go take a shower."

"I see."