"Um?!"
Leonid imitated Charlotte's way of answering his question.
"Seriously, are you listening to me?"
He narrowed his eyes and caressed her cheek, in his eyes at least Charlotte was still comfortable with the coldness of his hand.
"You're definitely not okay."
Leonid moved his thumb and caressed charlotte's dry lips. It was unusual for her lips to look so dry.
Leonid stared silently and assessed the situation. He slowly opened Charlotte's lips and touched with his thumb part of her pearly front teeth. Moments later, he frowned his lips.
"Where were you yesterday?"
Whatever his actions or movements, Charlotte did not respond to anything from him, as if she did not realize anything around her or did not have the energy.
"Tell me what you did last night that made you feel like this."
Leonid did not leave any room for Charlotte. He suddenly approached her face and stared into her eyes for a moment, then took her hand, raised it towards him, and stared at her fingers.
A deep sigh escaped his lips. Leonid checked the time on his phone and said.
"Forget it, you don't need an answer. I'll take you right away to the hospital and-."
"no!"
"What?"
A moment ago, Charlotte was in a state of stagnation, in addition to not responding to any questions that Leonid asked her, and now she was screaming at him in her tired voice, and on top of that, she was pushing away the hand that was comforting her.
Was it because he mentioned the hospital, or did she know what was wrong with her?
His lips curled, and his desire to carry her now and take her with him increased, but Leonid retracted this idea and grabbed Charlotte's shoulders and pulled her towards him.
He took a deep breath and then asked.
"What do you mean by no?"
"No means no."
Charlotte explained her meaning as she placed her hands on Leonid's wrists.
On the other hand, Leonid stopped moving and just stared at her pale and tired facial expressions, then added.
"First of all. If you are refusing to go to the hospital out of fear, then let me tell you that you are not a little girl anymore."
Leonid continued speaking and carefully planted his cold fingers on Charlotte's shoulders.
His cold fingers were touching a portion of Charlotte's sensitive skin next to her neck, making her plump lips frown due to the coldness that stung them.
"Secondly. If this is because…"
Leonid closed his lips and thought a hundred times before saying something. At that moment, Charlotte opened her lips and said quickly.
"I just don't want to go, why do you keep asking me questions!"
Tears streamed down Charlotte's cheeks and she lifted Leonid's fingers from her delicate skin as she looked into his icy blue eyes.
"Let me go, and leave my apartment."
Charlotte expressed her decision clearly, her black eyes pumping with seriousness and sternness as she looked at Leonid.
"You."
Leonid spoke calmly and continued.
"You will go with me."
Not only were his eyes serious and stern, but his whole face seemed very serious about taking Charlotte to the hospital.
Suddenly he pulled Charlotte towards him and entered her apartment and closed the door saying.
"No more rejection."
His cold breath was hitting Charlotte's pale face, making her feel afraid.
She wasn't afraid of Leonid himself, it was just that the thought of going to the hospital made her stomach turn upside down.
"Why are you insisting!"
Charlotte does not stop resisting even though she realizes that Leonid will drag her with him wherever he wants.
"Why?"
Leonid raised an eyebrow and stood tall in front of Charlotte.
"Because I am not your patient father who pamper you just the way you want."
Leonid answered coldly, and suddenly he lifted her onto his chest with one arm and headed towards her bedroom.
"Leave me alone!"
Charlotte was surprised by Leonid's unexpected answer and screamed at the same time, her eyes dripping with tears as she tried to look serious.
"I don't want to!"
While she struggled, Leonid headed to her bedroom without obstructing his path.
He ignored all her attempts to escape and her persistent ways of refusing.
"Do you want to change your clothes or not?"
"no!"
After hearing Charlotte's answer, Leonid reversed his way and headed to the coat closet. Since Charlotte did not want to change her clothes, all he had to do was wrap her in her coat and carry her against her will to the hospital.
"Hey where are you going? Leonid please let me go!"
As soon as she saw the coat closet, Charlotte secretly knew that Leonid would not care what she had to say and would take her to the hospital against her will.
She was weak compared to him, too weak to get Leonid's arm away from her waist.
"Listen to me carefully. I will not repeat my words any more."
Leonid gently lowered Charlotte to her feet and opened the coat closet to take out the longest and thickest coat, adding in a dry tone.
"You're going mean you're going, okay?"
Without waiting for further complaints, Leonid wrapped the coat around her and closed it before grabbing her body again, holding her with one hand.
On his way out, he took Charlotte's phone as well as her house keys from the dining table.
Finally, he placed him on the ground next to the door, then put her shoes on after he bent down on one knee. Despite Charlotte's resistance, moving her feet away and her pushing him from his chest, Leonid was able, after the trouble, put her shoes on and lift them up again.
But this time Leonid gently held Charlotte in his arms as her strength to resist faded.
He closed the door to her apartment behind him and locked it, then began walking toward the elevator.
The wind was light and the weather was calm, as Leonid expected. The situation was well controlled and no one noticed the policemen coming, or perhaps someone noticed and remained silent.
"Stop."
Suddenly Charlotte's weak fist hit Leonid's chest, making him lower his silver eyelashes to look at her.
"Stop, I don't want to… go."
Charlotte complained as she felt dizzy in Leonid's arms. She gritted her teeth even though her mouth was dry and uncomfortable.
"Please."
She pleaded in a low tone, but Leonid was not affected at all.
"I thought you gave up."
"I didn't give up."
Leonid tightened his grip on Hunter's collar and breathed a sigh of relief. Charlotte's stubbornness was the last thing he wanted to face on this day.
He said trying to sound nice.
"There's no going back, so stop complaining and begging."
"I didn't beg!"
"I did, and a few moments ago, too."
"no! "
Leonid rolled his eyes and sighed deeply.
Why is Charlotte unable to move while she can complain and scream at him? He asked himself and then he said coldly.
"You can take a quick nap until we get there. You're not allowed to complain or scream."
He paused for a moment, then said in a colder tone.
"This is an order, understand?"
She was calm as she looked at him as he warned her sternly. In Charlotte's eyes, Leonid was now threatening her, which made tears roll down her cheeks as she tried to hold back the sound of her crying.
"How could you say something like that…"
She bit her lower lip while complaining in a very low voice.
"You're the one forcing me to go and yet you threaten me."
"I wasn't threatening this call-"
"I don't care what it's called!"
Charlotte interrupted Leonid's response and did not stop there.
"You're all like this. No one understands my desires."
Charlotte buried her face into Leonid's shoulder and continued to cry, for some reason Leonid felt a kind of guilt.
Maybe he was exaggerating a little, but he still had to look tough to take her, because words wouldn't work on Charlotte anyway.
"When I don't want to do something, I'm forced to do it. Isn't that unfair!?"
"It's unfair."
Charlotte's eyes widened after hearing Leonid's frank answer, she raised her head and looked at him.
"You're right, it's unfair, but I'm not your father so I can pity your desires and fulfill them like blind people."
She was about to forgive him and be convinced to force him to take her to the hospital, but not anymore.
Not after hearing the last words and seeing Leonid's sarcastic smile.
"Fucking mean…"
Charlotte gritted her teeth and stroked Leonid's chest with one hand while her other hand clung to his suit jacket and pushed her face into his clothes.
"Fucking~?"
Leonid smiled, satisfied with the way she cursed him. He might be the first person she cursed and the first person to hear her curse audibly.
"That's very nice."
Leonid smiled smoothly as he said this as he entered the elevator with Charlotte in his arms.
The elevator closed its doors and began to descend.
"Tell the truth…"
In the middle of waiting, Charlotte spoke again, but this time in a tired and heavy tone.
"Why do you keep provoking me?"
"I am not provoking you."
"You lie."
"I don't lie."
"I-…"
Charlotte closed her lips when she was about to say, "I hate you." Despite Leonid's behavior against her, he was doing it for her benefit, but in his own way.
In the middle of waiting for the elevator, Daniel yawned and shook his head to ward off drowsiness. Last night, he took care of the barbershop with his boss and made some adjustments.
Yesterday was supposed to be a holiday, but his boss urgently requested his attendance, increasing his salary and giving him another day off.
"If it wasn't for the salary increase, I wouldn't have gone."
Daniel grumbled and raised his arms in the air.
Suddenly the elevator doors opened and his eyes narrowed at the form of Leonid carrying Charlotte.