Chapter 45: Chloe’s Confession

1 a.m.

The Rosenberg Mansion, guest room on the third floor of the main building.

Leo pushed open the door and was about to take off his coat when he noticed a slender figure sitting on the living room sofa.

Chloe was still awake.

She wore a black silk robe, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders, glowing softly under the dim lamplight.

Her delicate hand held a glass of red wine, the liquid gently swirling in the glass.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Leo closed the door and casually hung his coat on the rack.

"Couldn't sleep."

Chloe put down her glass and stood up, walking toward him. "I've been waiting for you to come back."

Her eyes were full of worry. "Leo, I saw the news. All of Manhattan was locked down by the military. They're looking for you, aren't they?"

"Yes."

Leo didn't hide it. He walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "But it's been taken care of."

"Taken care of?"

Chloe quickly walked to his side, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief. "That's the military! How could you possibly..."

"I went to see Roland."

"What? You... are you crazy? He's the Deputy Secretary of Defense!"

Chloe let go of him and stepped back, looking at him in disbelief. "Leo, do you know what you're doing?"

"So what? Now he doesn't dare touch me anymore."

Leo took off his coat and draped it over a nearby chair.

Chloe looked at the man before her, momentarily at a loss for words.

In this world, probably only Leo would dare to go alone and threaten an active-duty general. And... succeed.

"Leo... do you know? Every time you disappear, I worry so much."

Chloe reached out with trembling hands and gripped Leo's collar tightly. "I'm really scared. Scared of losing you, scared you'll suddenly disappear..."

"I won't disappear."

Leo's voice was soft but unusually firm. "I promised you I'd avenge your mother and protect you. I never break my word."

Tears slid down Chloe's cheeks.

Those azure eyes looked directly at Leo, filled with determination.

Leo carried his glass and sat down beside her.

"Don't worry. I promised you I'd give you an answer."

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. "Before that, I won't die."

"Leo, I don't need an answer."

Chloe held his hand and pressed her face against his palm. "I just need you alive."

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, enveloping them both in a hazy glow.

Leo looked into those clear eyes, warmth surging in his heart.

He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.

"Leo..."

Chloe closed her eyes, feeling his warmth. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have something to tell you."

"Tell me."

"I love you."

Though Chloe's voice trembled, each word was clear and strong. "From the first time I saw you in high school, I fell in love with you."

"All these years, I've been waiting for you to come back."

"I know Sophia likes you too, and I know there are other women around you. But I don't care..."

Chloe stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Leo's neck. "I just want you to know that you're the only one I'll ever love in this lifetime."

Leo looked at the girl crying for him, warmth surging in his heart.

He reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Chloe..."

"You don't have to answer me."

Chloe interrupted him. "I just wanted to tell you. No matter what happens, I'll stand by your side."

Leo was silent for a few seconds.

Then he leaned down and kissed Chloe's lips.

It was a gentle and affectionate kiss.

Different from Sophia's passion, different from Ivy's aggressiveness.

It was a kind of cherishing and tenderness from the heart.

Chloe instantly melted in his arms, holding his waist tightly with both hands, responding to the kiss with all her strength.

After a long while, they separated.

"Chloe."

Leo gazed into her eyes, his voice low and tender. "I also..."

Before he could finish, Chloe stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again.

This time, her kiss was more proactive, more passionate.

Leo wrapped his arms around her slender waist and held her tighter.

The tie of her black silk robe came undone inadvertently, revealing a large expanse of delicate skin.

The living room light was dim and intimate, casting their intertwined shadows on the wall.

"Leo..."

Chloe's voice became seductive and alluring. "Tonight, I want..."

Leo looked down at the crying girl in his arms.

Their eyes met.

Chloe's cheeks were flushed, her breathing rapid, tears still clinging to her long lashes, sparkling in the firelight.

Leo bent down and swept her up in his arms.

"Ah!"

Chloe let out a surprised cry and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Leo said nothing, just carried her step by step toward the bedroom.

The firelight stretched their shadows longer and longer, finally disappearing into the depths of the bedroom.

The next morning.

New Jersey, outskirts of Camden.

This was a desolate industrial wasteland, the air thick with the smell of rust and motor oil.

Rusty wire fencing separated this area from the outside world. Several towering smokestacks stood silently against the gray sky, like forgotten giants.

In the deepest part of the wasteland stood an unremarkable gray building.

This was the headquarters of "Falcon Tech."

It was also the Drake family's most critical secret base.

Just then, a black SUV was driving along the sparsely populated New Jersey highway, flanked by endless wilderness and woods.

Leo sat in the passenger seat, holding a satellite map.

"Boss, three miles ahead is Falcon Tech's secret base."

The driver was Olivia, dressed in black combat gear, looking sharp and capable.

"OK." Leo nodded and put down the map. "According to the intelligence Roland provided, this base appears to be a military R&D center on the surface, but inside there's also a complete air defense system and heavy weapons."

"Our objective this time is to infiltrate the base and find Luke's new energy technology data."

"Understood!" The three Shadow team members in the back seat responded in unison.

The SUV continued forward. Soon, an area enclosed by wire fencing appeared ahead.

"Stop the car." Leo ordered.

Olivia parked the vehicle in the woods about half a mile from the base.

"Boss, how do we get in?" a team member asked.

"We don't go in." Leo pulled out a tablet from his backpack and opened the satellite map. "They're underground, so we go in from underground."

He marked several points on the map. "Here is the base's ventilation system."

"Here is the underground water pipeline."

"And here is an abandoned sewer."

"We split into three routes and infiltrate simultaneously."

"Understood!" The Shadow team members immediately began preparing their equipment.