Chapter 753:
Alice had really gone to the lab.
Verruckt found the feeling odd. He shut the door with a blank look, as if he had forgotten that he was the owner of the house. âIt was absolutely crazy.â
Verruckt now remembered everything from the night before. Not only that, but even in his dreams, he kept making Alice cry, then licking the tears off her skin. The meaning of that was clear.
Annoyed, he walked to the master bedroom and stripped off his clothes. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and saw a smear of blood on his lower lip. Had she bitten him?
Verruckt tried to piece together the events of the previous night, but after pushing her against the wall, all he could recall was a vague, burning sensation. So, she mustâve been angry then? He wiped the dried blood off his lip with his finger, his face unreadable.
After a quick rinse, Verruckt slipped into fresh clothes and made his way to the lab. The moment he reached his workstation, he caught sight of Allison nearby. She was unusually quiet, keeping her head down and moving as though she hoped to blend into the background. She shuffled some documents mechanically, her focus glued to the papers in her hands.
Allison didnât greet him like she usually did. Instead, she busied herself arranging a precarious stack of documents on the table, almost as if building a physical barrier between them. Verruckt felt a flicker of irritation but kept his voice calm.
âYou forgot this,â he said, tossing the keys to Allison.
âThank you, Mr. Shaw,â she replied, her tone polite but distant. Without another word, she turned and left, walking deliberately toward the break room. She avoided making eye contact the entire time.
Verrucktâs mood darkened, the tension in the room becoming almost tangible. A chill seemed to seep into the air, and the researchers immediately picked up on it. They lowered their heads, pretending to be deeply engrossed in their work, desperate to avoid his attention.
Only Jareth had the nerve to approach. He knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside.
âMr. Shaw, weâve received word that two international clients will be arriving this afternoon. They want to discuss a pharmaceutical research collaboration.â
âWhat kind of pharmaceuticals?â Verruckt asked.
âThey mentioned something related to treating neurological headaches. They claim to be acting in good faith.â
Jareth set the client dossier on Verrucktâs desk, but as he straightened, his eyes caught something unusualâa small cut on Verrucktâs lip. The sight stirred his curiosity. He hadnât missed the fact that Verruckt and Allison had spent the previous evening together. The odds of the injury being purely accidental were slim. The only plausible explanation for such a mark was a kiss.
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