Is this destiny?

Chloe melted in Noah's embrace and her mind which is usually processing a million thoughts a second, now focused only on the man who was kissing her thoroughly.

The terrace they stood on disappeared together with the apartment building and the rest of Los Angeles, but Chloe didn't fear that she will fall because her body was weightless and about to drift away among the stars, anchored only by strong arms which circled around her.

Chloe clung to Noah desperately because if she was about to leave Earth, she would have no regrets, as long as Noah was by her side.

When Noah broke the kiss, Chloe was breathless and completely dazed. It took her some time to realize that he was observing her with a lopsided grin, and she was not sure where to look.

Noah thought that she was adorable, and he wanted to kiss her more and go beyond that, however, he knew that Chloe's state was fragile, and he didn't want to rush things. There were other matters that needed to be addressed first.

"Come…", Noah said, as he took Chloe's hand and led the way inside.

They sat on the sofa in the living room and Noah held both of her hands in his.

He rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs gently and waited for her to meet his gaze before saying, "I need you to tell me why you feel that you can't stay here."

His voice was soft, but his expression told her that he was determined to find out what is going on.

Chloe pressed her lips into a line. Why did he ask that? Wasn't he aware that he was ruining the moment? She was floating a minute ago and enjoying Noah's flavors mixed with wine, and she didn't want to face the reality. Not so soon. Or maybe that kiss was only casual fun for him, without any meaning.

Noah saw that Chloe was reluctant to speak and that her mood was dropping. He had no idea what was going on in her mind, but he knew that it's nothing good and that he had to stop it.

"Chloe, I don't want to pry into your personal matters, but after what happened on the terrace, I want to know about things that can impact our relationship. Are you bothered by the marriage thing that your family is trying to force on you? Is there something else?"

Chloe exhaled in relief. He said that there is a relationship between them, and it made her feel warm and fluffy on the inside. She chided herself, why is she thinking about a relationship if her departure is approaching with every passing minute? For a moment, she dropped her guard and enjoyed the kiss and the way he held her, but now that he mentioned her family and the marriage, the ugly truth is back front and center.

"It's complicated."

"If it's simple, it wouldn't be troublesome. Talk to me, Chloe."

Chloe didn't see the point in talking, but she knew that Noah will not let her leave without an explanation.

"My seniors are proud, calculated, and they have connections. Going against them is not a good idea. I don't want you to fight a battle you can't win. In the best-case scenario, you will fail. And in any other scenario, you will fail AND suffer consequences."

Noah didn't like Chloe's negative mindset, but he knew Chloe is like that only because so far she was surrounded by people who wanted to control and use her.

In a way, Noah understood Chloe's state of mind, because he was in a similar position, without goals, and without hope, and he was falling under his own destructive behavior. However, instead of punishing him for the things he did, Sarah gave him a chance and he took it.

At first, he saw that chance only as a way to get close to Sarah, but one day he realized that his world is filled with much more than his obsession with Sarah.

Noah had a high position in the Army of Chaos, he was one of the executives in Blanc, the residents of the whole neighborhood respected him, heads of many organizations trembled in fear when they heard his name, kids in the youth center looked up to him for guidance, and the most important thing was that Sarah trusted him. After everything he did, she trusted him.

Noah recognized in Chloe the same destructive behavior he had. Chloe was giving up on fighting for her happiness because she couldn't find a way out and she didn't think that anyone will help her, and just how Sarah went out of her way to give him a chance, Noah was determined to help Chloe.

Noah knew that Chloe needs him. The way she held him and returned his kisses confirmed his previous assessment that she fell for him, and he fell for her as well. Hard.

"I assumed that you have more faith in my abilities.", Noah said.

"This is not about you, Noah. This is about me knowing the depth of greed in the Long family. They will not stop amicably. They believe that I owe them and that it's my turn to pay up. They don't see anything bad with what they are doing."

Noah had a feeling that Chloe was not talking only about three people he found in her apartment the previous day. "How many of them are part of this?"

"All of them.", Chloe said. "That is why I'm saying that it's hopeless. They might come after you and maybe even cause damage to Blanc or Sarah and Aiden. I don't want this to turn into an issue of Longs versus Whites."

Noah was moved by her consideration toward Blanc and Sarah and Aiden. Well, mostly about Sarah, as Noah didn't care much about Aiden's feelings. This spoke about Chloe and her kindness and his heart ached at the realization that she will put everyone else in front of her own interests.

"Do you really believe that it's OK for you to suffer in silence while your seniors are enjoying? What benefits will they get after you sacrifice yourself? Will it add a layer of money to their already fat bank accounts? Will they even notice it? They obviously don't care if you will be happy or miserable. Why do you care about them?"

Chloe saw that Noah was getting agitated and she did her best to calm him down.

"Noah… can you let this go? There is nothing you can do about this."

"You are right.", Noah said, and Chloe was surprised that he agreed so easily. Before she could say anything, Noah spoke again, "I can't fix your situation. But I think that TOGETHER we can do something about it. However, I need to know the details. I don't care about the Long family, but I care about you. Come on, Chloe, tell me about your situation. What's the worst that can happen?"

Chloe crumbled under the pressure of Noah's intense gaze which pleaded for her to open up. He said that they will work together and that he cares about her, and her heart was moved.

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