Daniel barely wiped away his tears, his cheeks burning with shame and embarrassment. He finished his plate in an instant, then said goodbye to Charlotte before quickly heading to work.
After Daniel's departure, Charlotte stood for a moment by the door, then sighed slowly and stepped back, as if an invisible weight still burdened her heart.
Leonid had already finished his plate and began collecting the dishes, leaving Charlotte's plate on the table since she hadn't finished her breakfast yet.
Charlotte stood next to the table, blinking for a moment as if thinking about something, then followed Leonid into the kitchen. She crossed in front of him but suddenly stopped, extending her arms as if trying to stop him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Charlotte said quickly, in a serious tone.
In response, Leonid looked at her indifferently, then answered while stepping past her with calm steps toward the dishwashing sink.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to wash the dishes for you, nothing more."
"Wait!"
Charlotte clenched her fists while standing behind Leonid for a moment, before quickly moving and stepping in front of him, attempting to grab the dishes from his hands. But Leonid was faster.
In the blink of an eye, he raised the dishes above his head, and his icy blue eyes locked with Charlotte's dark ones in a clear challenge.
"Give me the dishes."
Charlotte said while raising her hands politely, trying to maintain her calm despite feeling wronged. In response, Leonid replied in a cold tone, reflecting his firmness.
"I don't want to."
"Why don't you want to?!"
Charlotte furrowed her brows, immersed in a feeling of resentment, while her eyes stared at him with mutual defiance.
"Because I don't want to. Seriously, is there a need to stop me when all I want to do is help you, darling~?"
"Huh?"
Charlotte flinched for a moment, and as a faint blush spread across her cheeks, she tried to step away. But Leonid calmly passed her by, ignoring her hesitation.
He suddenly stood in front of her, blocking her way to the dishwashing sink.
"But you're my guest… doesn't that seem like a lack of appreciation from me…?"
"No. Quite the opposite, I'm the one insisting on helping you, and I'm not just your guest either."
Leonid spoke calmly, but his tone was unusually soft and humble. He held the dishes with one hand while using the other to gently guide Charlotte to the side of the sink, so that her back was facing him.
"Now let me wash the dishes, darling~"
Leonid smiled a serene smile, leaning slightly over her shoulder as he placed dish soap on the sponge. He turned on the water faucet lightly, starting to wash the dishes, while Charlotte was squeezed between him and the sink, feeling confused and amazed, not knowing how she ended up in this situation.
"Leonid… umm… why am I here…?"
Charlotte asked shyly, as Leonid's body brushed against hers from behind unintentionally, making her heart beat faster.
"Hmm…"
Leonid pretended to think, but in reality, he was completely focused on washing the dishes. He concentrated on cleaning each plate carefully, as though performing a complicated task. After a moment, he answered calmly, his breath gently brushing Charlotte's chestnut hair.
"I don't know, maybe because you insisted on stopping me?"
His response was straightforward with a rhetorical question. There was no need for her to answer it. Leonid continued his work, while Charlotte felt her embarrassment growing, and over time, she covered her face with her hands. Even though there were only a couple of plates, Leonid took his time inspecting each plate in detail before rinsing it with water.
After three minutes, Leonid finally finished washing the dishes, standing up to dry his hands with the small towel beside him and freeing Charlotte.
At that moment, Charlotte stepped away from the sink and walked toward the dining table, gently pulling her blouse's high collar a bit to feel more comfortable. But she suddenly stopped when she heard Leonid speak.
"What's this?"
Leonid stopped her, extending his hand gently, inserting his finger, and pulling her blouse's high collar down, exposing her sensitive skin clearly.
"Huh?!"
Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise, and her body froze in place. Fortunately, Leonid was behind her and couldn't see her facial expression or neck, where the violent marks were more evident.
"Apparently, your neck skin is sensitive. Is it because of the fabric, or is it because of the tight collar?"
Leonid raised his thumb and almost touched her sensitive skin, but stopped at the last moment. Perhaps it wasn't wise to touch the skin if it was this sensitive.
He let go of Charlotte's collar and crossed his arms over his bare chest, facing her with an examining look.
"Does this happen often?"
"Yes..."
Charlotte's voice was low and hoarse, as if the only sound she could hear was the pounding of her own heart, drowning out everything else.
"Yes."
She repeated her answer, her voice slightly louder than expected, as though realizing her words hadn't reached him.
Leonid nodded slowly, then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Charlotte was startled for a moment, but somehow managed to maintain her composure, while concern was clearly visible on Leonid's face.
"Should I take you to the hospital? This might hurt you later on."
Charlotte slowly pressed her lips together, her eyes locking with Leonid's for a brief moment before she looked away. The pain in her neck was much lighter today than it had been the night before, but she knew convincing Leonid that she was fine wouldn't be easy, especially since he thought she was just dealing with a skin allergy.
She spoke in a quiet, soft tone.
"There's no need to go to the hospital. This sometimes happens when I stand too long in front of the stove. I'm fine… don't worry."
She clasped her trembling hands behind her back as she replied in a low voice, trying to swallow the truth.
"Really? Are you sure?"
Charlotte quickly nodded, then instinctively said.
"Yes."
Silence settled around them for a moment, as if she were weighing her words before finally speaking.
"By the way, I'm hungry. Can you let me finish my breakfast?"
"Hmm..."
Leonid pretended to think, frowning slightly as he looked at her, but in the end, he reluctantly let her go and withdrew his arm. He decided not to argue with her this time.
Charlotte moved quietly toward the dining table and sat in front of her plate of pancakes. Still, she felt no real desire to eat, but she had to appear normal, so she took a small piece and forced herself to chew and swallow in silence.
Leonid stood still for a moment, his eyes fixed on Charlotte's back, then he glanced at the stove and noticed the dirty pan left after cooking.
He sighed softly, picked up the pan along with the other utensils Charlotte had used, and headed toward the sink to start washing the cookware again.
While the sound of water flowed gently from the faucet, Charlotte continued to pretend she was eating, cutting small pieces of pancakes without tasting them. Her mind swirled in a whirlpool of thoughts.
The sound of clinking dishes interrupted her thoughts, and she lifted her head slightly to observe Leonid from the corner of her eye. He seemed calm and handsome, especially with his shirt off. But why was he like that?
Charlotte wondered, furrowing her brows as she watched his movements.
How could she act normal in front of him when this was the first time she saw him this way? No, wait... it wasn't the first time. She recalled that moment when Leonid came out with his hair damp, wearing only his sweatpants.
But why did he take off his shirt?!
"Charlotte Smith!"
"Yes!?"
Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts and immediately jumped to her feet.
"I apologize for calling you so loudly."
Leonid first apologized, then added.
"Could you bring my phone from the bedroom? I need to answer the call."
"Okay!"
"Good. Actually, the caller might be my father..."
Leonid spoke to himself aloud.
He turned off the faucet and dried his hands. When he turned around, he found his phone in front of him. He smiled at Charlotte and said.
"Thank you, you can go back to your meal."
"No... need... to thank me."
While Charlotte tried to catch her breath, Leonid read the caller's name on the screen, and he was right in his expectation. He raised the phone to his ear after answering the call and spoke coldly, his voice calm as though nothing mattered to him.
"What's wrong, father?"
He spoke on the phone while his hand rested on Charlotte's back, gently guiding her toward the dining table. He seated her in the chair, then picked up a fork and began feeding her pancakes.
At first, Charlotte's cheeks flushed with embarrassment from the unusual situation, but as time passed, her hesitations faded. She parted her lips slightly and began eating.
Leonid had noticed earlier that Charlotte's appetite seemed almost nonexistent; after all, how could a normal person fail to finish two pancakes in one go?