Chapter 389

Anthony returned to the bedroom and sat by the bed. He rolled up his sleeves with a kind of quiet grace, carefully disinfected his hands, then picked up the ointment.
“This might hurt a bit. Try to bear it,” he said.
“Okay,” Charlotte replied, her voice muffled as she buried her face in the pillow. She didn’t flinch or pull away.
He’d expected her to wince or cry out, given how delicate her skin looked, but Charlotte stayed completely silent, not making a sound from start to finish.
When he was done treating her wound, Anthony set the ointment on the nightstand. He didn’t pull away. Instead, his gaze lingered, and he leaned in closer. Charlotte felt warmth radiate over her lower back. Before she could react, Anthony’s lips brushed gently over her injured shoulder blade, soft and warm. The touch wasn’t passionate—it was almost an apology, a quiet way to comfort her.
Seeing the seriousness and regret in his eyes, Charlotte let a small, secretive smile curve her lips. She wondered what he would do if he ever found out that she was the one who had wiped out his N Organization from Apex.
Charlotte grabbed the blanket, rolled over, and faced Anthony, who still looked shaken. She sighed. “It didn’t really hurt.”
Anthony just looked at her, his breath heavy and uneven. The pain in his eyes was real, as was his guilt.
“If something really happened to me today Charlotte trailed her fingers along his handsome jaw, her eyes playful and calm. “Anthony, what would you do?”
“There is no ‘if,”” Anthony said, his voice rough, his chest tight. He felt like his heart was being squeezed, all his usual calm slipping away in front of her. “This will never happen again.”
He would protect her. He meant it.
“Alright.” Charlotte’s lips curled into a light smile. Her fingers lingered on his cheek, stroking him gently. “I believe you.”
Before she could say anything else, Anthony caught her wrist. The next moment, his lips covered hers, stealing away her words and any resistance she might have had.
Half an hour later, Charlotte was
stretched out on the sofa in a long silk nightgown, one leg draped over the armrest. She listened to the water from
sound of running
bathroom and ate her ice cream, completely at ease.
Soon after, Anthony walked out of the shower and into the living room. He saw her lounging in that loose nightgown, and his expression darkened. Without a word, he scooped her up into his armsand started buttoning up her nightgown for her one button at a time, careful and gentle.
settled her on his lanet
“We agreed you’d only eat half,” he said, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder. He took the ice cream from her, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her mouth, his voice stil
hoarse So tell me, how did you get Helen, Andrew, and Snake to cover for you at the same time?”
Those were three people Anthony thought were completely loyal to him.
“I intercepted Helen’s signal and used a voice changer to talk to you,” Charlotte said honestly.
Anthony’s face went a little pale.
“Andrew scares easily, so he didn’t have a choice. He helped me,” Charlotte went on, her eyes drifting back to the ice cream.
Anthony picked up the ice cream and tossed it straight in the trash.
Charlotte glared at him, her tone growing annoyed. “Next time you want to have someone follow me, try picking someone with actual skills. I spotted Snake the second he started tailing me. So boring.”
Anthony was at a loss for words. Someone with actual skills? Snake was one of the most seasoned agents in the entire Reaper Division.
And to her, he was just a rookie?
Thinking back to her moves at the casino and in the car, Anthony’s eyes darkened as he slipped into thought. How many secrets was Charlotte still hiding from him?