A look of immense joy appeared in Ste''s eyes. She was about to run in the direction Leonard was looking but suddenly remembered something.


    She stopped and turned back to Leonard.


    "You need to go. Now."


    Leonard smiled faintly.


    He was a little jealous, yet also a little satisfied. He knew she was telling him to leave for Joshua''s sake.


    But the fact that she didn''t want him to die was enough.


    Seeing him just standing there, Ste frowned.


    "What are you waiting for? Get out of here!"


    Leonard gave her onest deep look before finally turning and boarding the helicopter.


    Only when the helicopter was in the air did the tension finally leave Ste''s body.


    It felt like a dream. She was finally back.


    Just then, she caught a glimpse of a tall, lean figure running toward her.


    Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn''t even called out his name, "Joshua," before she was pulled into a tight embrace.


    Though it had only been a month, for Ste, it felt like a lifetime had passed.


    "Star," the man''s low, hoarse voice whispered in her ear. "I finally found you."


    Held tightly in Joshua''s arms, Ste could feel his heart hammering against his ribs. He held her so tightly it almost hurt.


    But Ste didn''t push him away. Instead, she gently wrapped her arms around his waist, trying tofort him.


    As if remembering something, Joshua released her and began to examine her carefully from head to toe.


    "Star, are you hurt?"


    It was only then that Ste noticed the bloodshot veins in his eyes. It wasn''t just that he hadn''t rested welfat looked like he hadn''t slept in a very long time


    Ste shook her head. "No."


    Joshua''s expression softened slightly, but he looked up when he heard the sound of rotors.


    His eyes met Leonard''s without fail.


    Leonard''s helicopter had already crossed over the water, but it hadn''t reached a high altitude yet, so they could see each other''s expressions clearly.


    The sky had turned gloomy, no longer the clear blue it had been earlier. It looked like it was about to rain.


    The wind was strong, and the waves crashed against the sand. The once gentle sea had transformed, its waves now churning violently like a ravenous beast.


    The salt-thick windshed Ste''s hair across her face, each strand stinging like a tiny whip against her skin.


    A strange light flickered in Joshua''s eyes. A subtle smile yed on his lips, but his deep, dark eyes were filled with an unfamiliar coldness and cruelty.


    Ste''s heart leaped as she realized what was happening.


    "Joshua!" she cried out.


    But it was toote. In the blink of an eye, Joshua had drawn his gun and fired.


    A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a deafening p of thunder that drowned out the gunshot.


    The bullet pierced the helicopter''s windshield and struck Leonard.


    With no one at the controls, the aircraft began to sway wildly in the air.


    Raindrops, cold and sharp, began to fall on Ste''s face.


    Thunder and lightning shed overhead.


    Ste watched as the helicopter Leonard was piloting wobbled and plunged into the dark, churning sea. It was quickly swallowed by the violent waves, disappearing without a trace.


    Joshua watched the scene unfold with a nk expression. His face


    was a mask of cold fury, bilet


    features mirroring the storm dashed sky-dark, sharp, and lethal.


    Leonard had been shot, his fate already uncertain, and now his helicopter had


    crashed into such turbulent waters.


    Leonard... his chances of survival were slim to none.