Azra and Leonardo were the only ones at the cabin.
Azra had skipped training because her arm was injured, and Leo because Levi wasn't around.
Since no one would be there to control him, he slept longer than usual.
Azra was still mad at him, so she decided to eat the food he had saved. From the very beginning, Leo had made it clear that no one was allowed to touch his food—and no one ever dared to.
She didn't know how else to get back at him for stealing Ash.
She sat there, scrolling through the news on her phone, patiently waiting for him to wake up.
She held back her laughter as he checked every possible spot in the kitchen, quietly cursing to himself.
"Where's my food?" he sighed, turning toward her.
"I was hungry, so I ate it," she answered casually, still looking at her phone.
"You ate it…" Leo repeated in a different tone, just to make sure he heard her right.
"Mhm."
He pressed his lips together in anger, squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to kill her with his gaze.
"I will curse you for this. I'll steal a strand of your hair and give it to a witch. You're my worst enemy," Leonardo said quickly, throwing out every threat that came to his mind while pointing at her.
He looked genuinely terrifying. Azra believed every word, and it sent a chill down her spine.
"We're here!" Ash shouted as he entered the cabin.
Azra immediately jumped up and hugged him. "You're my savior. Thank you!"
⸻
"Lately, Natasha hasn't been very dedicated to her work," the President said while talking to one of his men.
"Do you think she found out something she doesn't like?" the man asked.
"No," the President answered confidently.
"I think Levi is slowly influencing her."
"It would be a shame to lose her. No one does the job as well as she does," the man commented, recalling the times he worked with her.
"I won't allow that," the President said firmly, already thinking about how to keep her.
⸻
Natasha waited until she was alone with Azra, trying to figure out what to say.
"I'm sorry about earlier," she said immediately once they were alone.
Azra stayed silent, refusing to look at her.
"I don't think you're weak," Natasha stepped closer and gently touched her arm.
"I've noticed you haven't been yourself lately."
"I was angry when I saw you hurt, and I let myself speak without thinking." Her voice was soft—she was always careful with Azra.
"It's okay," Azra finally looked at her and smiled. She knew Natasha didn't mean anything bad, she was just worried.
At that moment, her phone rang. She immediately reacted when she saw the President calling.
"Hello?" she said as she stepped outside.
"Do you have a task for me or any information?" she asked once she was sure no one could hear her.
"No. I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done," the President said, sounding kinder than usual, which made her suspicious.
"You can rest tonight. You're in your best years, after all," he added, informing her—just like the others—that a party had been organized.
"Okay," she replied suspiciously before hanging up.
She had a feeling—no, she knew—he was hiding something from her.
⸻
Azra and Ash were excited about the party.
Leonardo didn't want to go because he was still mad at Azra, but Ash kept insisting.
"Fine!" Leo said, just to stop him—and to annoy Azra.
"Then get ready right now if you don't want me to leave without you," Natasha said, tired from Ash's constant complaining.
Since Natasha didn't drink alcohol, she was always the one driving.
Soon, they were ready and on their way.
Ash sat in the back seat, fearing for his life, while Leo in the front pressed his foot against the floor even though he knew he couldn't brake.
Azra, who wasn't even wearing a seatbelt, laughed at them. She was used to Natasha's crazy driving—she even liked it.
"Do you want my seatbelt too?" she teased Ash, who had his eyes shut.
"We've arrived, that will be—" Natasha started joking like a taxi driver before Leo cut her off.
"You should be paying us for endangering our lives."
"I would never endanger the safety of my future husband!" she said dramatically, placing her hand on her chest.
Leonardo rolled his eyes and pushed her toward the club entrance.
That had once been their parents' wish—that they should end up together.
Neither Natasha nor Leonardo agreed with it.
Now that they made their own decisions and their parents no longer had influence, that wish would never come true.
⸻
There weren't many people inside yet, but they were still having fun.
Natasha found the alcohol they were drinking unpleasant. She hated alcohol because of her father.
That smell always brought back memories.
When she saw Levi entering with his group, her mood instantly changed.
"Don't call him over," she said a bit louder so they could hear her over the music.
She wasn't happy to see him. Anger and tension took over immediately.
"Looking for another girl who'll try to kill you?" Ash shouted when he noticed Leonardo seemed distracted.
"I'll break you," Leo said angrily as everyone burst into laughter.
"Be a good boy until I come back," Natasha said, hitting his shoulder lightly as she laughed before going outside to buy cigarettes.
"Thank you," she said politely while handing over the money.
It was cold since she didn't bring a jacket, so she turned to hurry back inside.
But shouting caught her attention.
She looked around, searching for where it was coming from.
In front of a rundown bar, two older men were fighting.
Her heart tightened for a moment when she saw her father in a scene she knew all too well.
"Shit…" she muttered, clenching her fists.
Don't go.
It's not your problem.
…
She cursed herself as she walked toward them anyway.
She kicked the man who was on top of her father. "Get lost," she hissed as he got up with a cry and stumbled back toward the bar.
She then kicked her father, who was laughing like a madman. "Your punishment is over."
When she saw him getting up, she stepped back a little.
There was no version of him she wasn't afraid of—but this one terrified her the most.
"Your wife and son are waiting for you at home. Act properly," she said with disgust.
"Don't make the same mistakes twice."
She didn't have any strong emotions toward that woman—she knew she was just another one of his victims.
But she loved her half-brother. She didn't want him to go through even a fraction of what she had.
His bloody face and crazed look showed that he was exactly where he wanted to be.
"You are the punishment for all my sins," he said, smiling, but his expression slowly turned into anger.
Every word he spoke made her feel dirty.
"One day, maybe. But today is not that day," she said firmly, her voice filled with both anger and disgust.
The look in his eyes changed, and his smile disappeared.
She froze.
She stood still as he approached her.
With her, he didn't hold back.
His punch was so strong that it knocked her to the ground.
"I didn't raise you to threaten your father," he said coldly before stopping.
She heard his footsteps.
He left.
Her hands started trembling as she let a tear fall.
Everyone has their kryptonite, she tried to comfort herself.
It became hard to control her emotions again.
⸻
Her phone rang, pulling her back to reality.
"I know you're at a party, but can you handle a small job nearby? Just don't kill him," the President said in a serious tone.
"Okay," she replied.
She planned to follow orders. The perfect moment to release her anger.
Her tension kept rising as she waited for the address. Seconds felt like minutes.
She did something she almost never did.
At that same stand, she bought a bottle of strong alcohol.
"Fuck it…" she muttered.
For a moment, she hesitated, but then she drank it.
The message arrived just as she got into the car, and she immediately drove there.
⸻
"I heard the mission went well. Good job," Rea said, praising Levi.
She wasn't just his friend, but also a colleague he often worked with.
Whenever the military went on missions with him, Rea was there too.
"Yeah, it wasn't anything serious," he replied shortly, his gaze wandering as if he was looking for someone.
Natasha had left earlier and still hadn't come back.
He wasn't worried—just curious.
⸻
Meanwhile, Natasha was taking out her anger on the man.
After hitting him with the bottle and knocking him to the ground, she continued punching him.
The man didn't have the strength to defend himself. Her fists didn't give him a second to react.
She couldn't get the earlier scene out of her head, so she kept hitting him.
Little by little, she felt better.
Dirtying herself like this felt like washing away the filth her father left on her—the only kind she could tolerate.
When she felt drops of blood hitting her face, she stopped.
She struggled to catch her breath. Her hands were covered in blood.
"Oh shit…" she muttered.
The man lay motionless, and she thought she might have gone too far.
She touched his neck and felt a pulse.
She let out a breath of relief.
She got up and started heading back.
People who had been standing nearby watched in shock.
She raised two fingers to her forehead in a casual salute before staggering slightly, barely avoiding falling.
She hoped she'd make it back safely. The road was short—she would drive slower.
"Oh…" she whispered as she stepped out of the car, suddenly feeling dizzy.
She tied her hair as she walked inside, but the flashing lights immediately made her feel worse.
She felt hot. Sick. Like she was burning from the inside.
Levi almost choked when he saw her.
There were stains on her face—hard to notice under the lights—but he knew exactly what they were.
When she spotted the group, she walked toward them.
Levi realized he wouldn't reach her in time.
They would see her.
"What happened?" Azra asked, confused as Natasha approached.
Maybe she means because I was gone, Natasha thought, while subtly trying to wipe her face.
"Are you okay?" Ash grabbed her shoulder when he realized she had been drinking. Natasha didn't drink—he knew that.
"Yeah, yeah…" she said, pushing him away because everything was too much for her at that moment. The loud music only made her nausea worse.
"What happened?!" he widened his eyes when he noticed the blood on her face.
Idiot, she thought.
"Nothing," she said irritably.
"I ran into my father."
She said it as quietly as possible, hoping they wouldn't hear—but their expressions told her they did.
"Forget it," she waved it off carelessly so he wouldn't worry. She took his hand and kissed it. "I'm fine, I promise."
Of course, she didn't convince him.
He was too shaken to know what to do, what to say, or how to help.
She then hugged Leo, who looked just as confused as the others.
"The only thing I like about you is that you don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," she whispered.
He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult.
"But I can't find a single thing I like about you," Leo whispered coldly, still keeping his hands to himself.
Maybe they didn't like each other out of spite—because their parents wanted them to.
Or maybe they were hiding something out of spite.
She smirked. "I know one very specific thing you like."
That was enough to irritate him.
He grabbed her ponytail and pulled.
"You smell like blood and alcohol." The disappointment in his voice hit her harder than expected.
"Do I look like him?" her voice trembled as she asked.
Her eyes weren't shining just because of the alcohol—and he saw that.
"No," he said immediately.
"You look like someone who's lost but refuses help."
He also knew she wasn't telling the full story.
He had been ignoring all her bullshit, but she was starting to go too far.
She was becoming a problem that needed to be solved.
⸻
Not far from them, Levi struggled with himself not to walk over. His eyes were blazed with anger.
Just let it go.
Let it go.
Le—
Fuck it.
His legs moved on their own toward them.