?Chapter 1009:


    Afterpleting the tasks Elena had entrusted him with, Davey departed from the Azure Dragon Unit Base, but not without casting subtle nces toward Elena. He couldn’t make sense of her game. She could have unraveled N’s lies with a single sentence—so what was the point of holding back until the International Advanced Medical Practices Forum?


    It wasn’t just Davey who was baffled. Even Wesley shared his confusion. When he turned to Elena for answers, she responded, “Three days should be enough.”


    Elena figured that would be sufficient time for Avo to track down her mentor. Once that happened, she would seek explicit answers about her mentor’s rtionship with N.


    As soon as themendation ceremony came to an end, Elena rose to her feet and walked out, with Wesley following closely behind.


    Upon returning to the estate, they spotted Charlette descending the staircase. She had changed outfits since that morning and now wore a fresh dress, her demeanor light as she greeted them with a smile.


    Elena asked casually, “You weren’t around earlier—where did you go?”


    Charlette gave a nonchnt shrug. “It got boring, so I came back early.”


    When passing each other, Elena suddenly stopped. She caught a scent that felt oddly familiar on Charlette and turned her head. “Have you stayed indoors since you came back?”


    With an easy tone, Charlette replied, “Yeah. Why?”


    What she said wasn’t false—she had indeed stayed in her room the whole time. What she didn’t mention was that she hadn’t been alone.


    Elena looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “It’s nothing.” Maybe she had imagined the scent.


    Out on the balcony, Charlette lit a cigarette. Her features remained striking, but there was a weariness in her eyes, as though life itself had worn her down. Whenever she spiraled emotionally, she would sink into the pit of self-loathing and gloom. But this time, she had managed to keep herself together.


    She reyed the afternoon’s events in her mind, and a faint darkness clouded her gaze. Maybe she had crossed the line. Maybe she had truly angered Ellis this time.


    Charlette had never been one to second-guess herself. She lived by instinct—doing whatever she pleased, whenever it suited her. To her, existence was a reckless game, one to be yed hard and burned out by the end.


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    Wesley had once pulled Charlette from the edge, and she paid that debt by joining Edgewing, dedicating most of her days to serving under hismand. Aside from that, there wasn’t much else to her story. Then came Ellis. He wasn’t part of any n.


    Charlette was drawn to Ellis’ face at first, expecting the fascination to fade quickly. But things didn’t unfold the way she thought they would.


    Hershes swept downward as her thoughts lingered on Ellis’ sun-browned skin, flushed with raw longing. He had the quiet presence of someone who didn’t belong to desire—a figure too sacred to be touched by want.


    In the beginning she held the reins. She teased his emotions and pulled at the seams of his restraint. Yet as time passed, she found herself tangled in the web. The count of their intimate encounters blurred. Every moment they shared seemed to soften the chaos inside her, little by little. And when it was finally over, she sent him away.


    The cigarette burned low, its heat reaching her fingers and yanking her back to the present.


    By now, the sky had surrendered to nightfall. She crushed the cigarette underfoot and disappeared into the darkness.


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