I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 212: Chapter 122: Sentiment

Werner’s face grew hot, but he neither denied nor admitted it.

"But—" Von Brown’s tone suddenly turned serious. "Werner, I need to remind you of something. A man can be taken with a woman, but he can’t fall in too deep. Especially men like us. We’re walking a tightrope every minute of every day. One slip, and you’re shattered to pieces. You can have women, but your career is more important."

He walked over to Werner and patted his shoulder.

"You’re my most important informant. You’ve given me a lot of valuable intelligence recently, helped me crack quite a few cases. I don’t want to see you ruin your future over a woman, understand?"

Werner nodded. "I understand."

"Good." Von Brown went back to his desk and sat down. "Now, about Anna. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to apply pressure from above and demand a review of the case." Werner had already worked out his strategy. "Emphasize Anna’s value in intelligence gathering in West Germany; say she’s still useful. Master might want to move against you, but he wouldn’t dare defy a direct order from a superior. As long as the higher-ups believe Anna still has value, Master won’t dare touch her."

Von Brown pondered for a moment.

"This plan could work." He nodded. "But I need you to understand something, Werner. I’m doing this for you. You’ve racked up quite a few successes for me, and I owe you. I’m repaying that debt now, but in the future, you’re going to have to work even harder for me. Understood?"

"I understand." Werner stood up and gave a deep bow. "Thank you, Major von Brown."

Von Brown waved his hand. "Go on. Wait for my word."

Werner walked out of the office and let out a long sigh of relief.

He knew Von Brown had guessed some things—that Anna might not be completely innocent, that Werner was also hiding something, and maybe even that there was some kind of indefinable relationship between him and Anna. But Von Brown had chosen to trust Werner, or rather, to use him.

Either way, Anna would be saved.

***********

Five days later, Anna was released.

It wasn’t an acquittal, but a "demotion and party probation." The charge was changed from "treason" to "improper work methods and violation of confidentiality regulations."

But at least, she survived.

Werner waited for her at the Song of the Workers restaurant.

At eight in the evening, Anna pushed the door open and came in. She was wearing a dark gray trench coat, its belt tied tightly, outlining her slender waist. Her hair was still impeccably styled, but her face was a little pale and her eyes held a hint of exhaustion. But her back was ramrod straight as she walked over to Werner’s table and sat down across from him, just like always.

"You look pale." Werner poured her a cup of coffee.

"You too." Anna picked up the cup and took a small sip. "Looks like you haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, either."

Werner just smiled and said nothing.

Anna put down her cup and stared at him, a probing look in her eyes.

"It was you, wasn’t it?"

"What?"

"You saved me." Anna’s voice was calm, but certain. "Von Brown suddenly applied pressure from the top, demanding a review of my case. At a time like this, the only person who could get Von Brown to act is you."

Werner was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"You’re my partner. I couldn’t just stand by and watch something happen to you."

"Partner?" A slight smile touched the corner of Anna’s mouth. There was a hint of mockery in it, but more than that, some other complex emotion. "Werner, do you really only see me as a partner?"

Werner looked up, meeting her eyes.

In those eyes, there was exhaustion, gratitude, and something else he couldn’t quite name.

"What else?" he asked in return.

Anna didn’t answer right away. She just looked at him for a long time.

The heater in the restaurant hissed. Outside, the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. The sound of the East German People’s Radio Station drifted from a radio.

"When I was in the interrogation room, I thought about a lot of things every day." Anna lowered her head, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. "Master’s men took turns, using both the carrot and the stick, trying to make me admit I was a West German spy, trying to make me name more people. I gritted my teeth and said nothing, my mind calculating the worst-case scenario—execution by firing squad, or being sent to a labor camp."

She looked up. "But I never thought I’d get out, and I certainly never thought you would be the one to save me. Werner, do you have any idea what a huge risk you took? Going to Von Brown to plead for me is the same as exposing yourself to danger. If Von Brown suspected you were working with me, you would have been arrested too."

"I know." Werner lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "But I also knew that if I didn’t go, you were sure to die."

"Why?" Anna stared at him. "Why would you take such a risk for me?"

Werner exhaled a plume of smoke and was silent for a moment.

"Maybe because... you’re different."

Anna’s gaze softened slightly.

She lowered her head, her voice growing soft. "I’m just a woman who’ll do anything to survive. I’m not as good as you think."

"I’m just a man who’ll do anything to survive. There’s nothing noble about me."

Anna looked up, and their eyes met.

In that moment, the clamor of the restaurant seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them.

"Werner," Anna said suddenly, her voice carrying a rare gentleness. "You know, what I thought about most in the interrogation room wasn’t whether I would die, but whether you would come to see me one last time if I did."

Werner’s heart skipped a beat.

"Then I figured it out. You wouldn’t come, because it would be too dangerous," Anna continued, a flicker of self-mockery in her eyes. "But I never expected that instead of coming to see me one last time, you’d come to save me."

"Werner... you’re even more foolish than I imagined, and also more..." Anna paused, a genuine smile touching her lips. "More trustworthy."

Werner watched her smile, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

It was a sight he rarely saw: Anna’s genuine smile. Not the professional, polite smile, nor the bitter, mocking one, but a smile from the heart, carrying a trace of warmth.

"You look beautiful when you smile," he said suddenly.

Anna froze for a second, then her smile grew even wider.

"Are you flirting with me, Comrade Werner?" she asked, deliberately using the official form of address, her tone playful. "Be careful, or I’ll report you to the organization for your improper conduct."

"Go ahead and report me," Werner laughed as well. "My file has enough black marks already. What’s one more?"

They looked at each other and smiled.

Anna picked up her coffee, took a big gulp, and then frowned. "This coffee is truly awful. I don’t know why we always meet here."

"Because it’s quiet, and the owner keeps to himself." Werner stubbed out his cigarette. "Next time, I’ll take you somewhere nice. They have Italian coffee, freshly brought in from West Berlin."

"From West Berlin?" Anna raised an eyebrow. "Your channels really are everywhere."

"It’s a professional requirement."

Anna put down her cup, her expression turning serious. "Werner, I owe you my life. It’s too big a debt. I don’t know how I could ever repay you."

"You don’t have to." Werner shook his head. "We’re the same kind. People like us should help each other."

Anna’s gaze grew complex. "Yes... we’re both people who have clawed our way through this system, people who will do anything to survive, people who are..."

She paused, then said in a very soft voice, "...lonely."

Werner said nothing, just watched her.

Outside, one of the streetlights suddenly went out, plunging the restaurant into deeper shadow. The announcer on the radio was still speaking passionately, but in this small corner, those rousing words seemed distant and illusory.

"Werner," Anna said, suddenly reaching her hand out across the table, placing it very close to his. "If one day, we could both leave this place, go somewhere with no walls, no surveillance, no fear... would you go with me?"

Werner looked at her hand. It was a beautiful hand, with long fingers and neatly trimmed nails. But on the back of it were several faint scars—marks left from her time in the interrogation room.

He reached out and gently took her hand.

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