At the End of the Road, We’re Strangers

“Captain, thank you for your hard work.”

As the car drove toward a manor villa on the outskirts of Crestfall, I gazed at the strange yet familiar city through the window.

For three years, I had only heard of every change at Night Rose headquarters through reports, but seeing it again with my own eyes stirred deep emotions.

When the car stopped, I walked straight to the villa’s grand entrance.

Two rows of uniformed members stood neatly along the corridor. As soon as I entered, they greeted me in unison:

“Welcome back, Captain!”

I shook my head helplessly. James Carter, the deputy leader beside me, caught my thoughts and explained with a smile:

“You’ve been gone too long. Everyone has missed you. When word came that you were returning, they prepared this on their own. The core members are waiting in the conference room.”

Pushing open the door, I was met with a room full of familiar faces—the very backbone of Night Rose’s international strength.

I greeted them one by one. Sitting down at the head of the table, I felt warmth rising in my chest.

These people were my true family.

Unlike Adrian Grant, where I had to pretend to be harmless, here I could finally be myself.

I leaned back, an old fatigue washing over me.

From my first mission at fifteen to taking full command at twenty, I had always been the cold-blooded “Red Rose.”

It wasn’t until I met Adrian that I tasted the life of an ordinary woman. In those three years, I believed I had found someone worth giving up everything for, someone with whom I could live a simple, happy life.

In the end, I was nothing more than a disposable toy in his heart.

James Carter noticed my mood and gently reassured me.

“Let the past go. What matters is you’re home. Night Rose will always be your family.”

His words calmed me.

The others quickly began reporting on their work, eager to move forward.

I listened closely.

The growth of Night Rose in just three years had far surpassed my imagination. Not only had it solidified its base, but it had also expanded into new industries.

At the center of the table sat a blood-red ring.

Forged from rare blood diamonds, it bore the symbol of the Red Rose—an emblem of ultimate authority.

Just as I reached to put it on again, James Carter spoke casually:

“By the way, Chief, didn’t you just break up? A partner of mine has a man back from abroad—single, successful. Want me to set up a meeting?”

I froze, then quickly waved my hand. “No.”

But James didn’t give up. He pulled out his phone, showing me a profile.

To my surprise, the man was already in my contacts.

I opened his profile. No notes, only a photo of a lone moon hanging in the night sky. His username was a single word: “Jensen.”

I frowned, racking my brain, but couldn’t recall when I had added him.

Still, I didn’t ask further. I simply closed my phone as if nothing had happened.

When we meet, I think, all questions will answer themselves.