?<strong>Chapter 699:</strong>


    Allison’s breath caught in her throat. It became clear: he was questioning her. His seemingly nonchnt tone wasced with intent, designed to unnerve her and force a truthful answer.


    She quickly calcted her response, lowering her eyes and feigning innocence. “I just… suddenly felt thirsty.”


    Jareth, who had been watching closely, wasted no time in calling her bluff. “Liar, that’s not why you went to the break room.”


    Verruckt’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing as if he’d caught her in the act. He nced at the finalyer of bandage on her arm, his voice nowced with ice.


    “Is there any point in continuing, Alice?”


    Allison flinched, her eyes flickering with a moment of indecision. “N…no,” she whispered.


    Without hesitation, Verruckt ripped off the finalyer of the bandage, exposing her arm fully. A collective gasp filled the room as everyone’s eyes locked onto her wound.


    Arge, angry burn marred Allison’s skin, its severity clear to anyone who looked. But there was more — near the burn, a cut, clean and deep, unmistakably made by a sharp object.


    Jareth’s frown deepened. “Looks like a knife wound.”


    The ck-d men surrounding them sprang into action, their weapons drawn and trained on Allison.


    Verruckt’s eyes pierced through her, cold and unwavering, as he studied the trembling woman before him.


    “So, Miss Assassin,” he said, his voice dripping with venom, “are you still going to y the helpless victim?”


    His grip on her wrist tightened, a promise of unspoken violence hanging in the air. Despite the pressure, Verruckt found himself doubting her. This delicate, seemingly naive woman couldn’t possibly be the ruthless assassin he had just battled. Perhaps her acting was simply impable.


    “What assassin?” Allison feigned confusion, her voice innocent, yet tinged with fear.


    She broke from her apparent panic, ncing at the guns trained on her before shaking her head in distress. “I… I’m not. I just broke the microwave. Please, don’t fire me…”


    Verruckt’s expression darkened, suspicion crawling across his features. “What did you say?”


    She hurriedly gestured to her arm, her voice pleading. “This wound… It was caused by a coffee can that exploded. You can see the coffee stains on me. I don’t know anything about the knife wound or assassins…”


    Her words tumbled out in a frantic sob, her eyes wide with genuine fear. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw. I didn’t mean to hide the coffee explosion… I was just so scared.”


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