Chapter 816: Chapter 816

Chapter 816:

He had always seen Verruckt as cold, like a machine that lacked any trace of humanity. But when it came to Alice, something about him shifted. There was a strange possessiveness there.

“Mr. Shaw, if we don’t make it out of here alive tonight, then Alice—I—”

Before Jareth could finish, Verruckt cut him off. “We will win tonight.” Verruckt spoke with unwavering confidence.

“Even if, by some miracle, we lose, someone else will bring Alice back to the research institute.”

Jareth frowned, his confusion deepening. “But that place would be even more dangerous then.”

If Verruckt truly cared about her, he’d send her as far away as possible.

There was no denying it now—Verruckt wasn’t like other people. His blood-red eyes were ice-cold, sharp, and full of calculation.

“Of course,” Verruckt continued, his tone disturbingly calm. “Because I’ll trigger the lab’s self-destruct system. By then, the lab—and Alice—will follow us straight to hell.”

Jareth froze, his words strangled in his throat. “What…” His eyes widened in disbelief. Had he misheard?

He’d thought Verruckt cared about Alice. But no—he was wrong. Verruckt was the kind of madman who would drag everyone down with him.

“Don’t you like Alice?” Jareth asked, the words slipping out before he could stop himself. He clamped his mouth shut immediately.

Damn. He shouldn’t have said that.

To his surprise, Verruckt didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

“How could I possibly like Alice?” Verruckt replied, the word “like” dripping with mockery, as if it was a joke.

To him, whatever he felt for her wasn’t affection—it was something darker. He thought that it was just a possessive impulse he couldn’t shake.

“Feelings aside, one thing is certain. I’ll keep her with me. Always.”

Jareth didn’t respond.

He suspected Verruckt didn’t realize it himself. This warped possessiveness might actually be love—a love so twisted that it bred his need to control her completely.

“Mr. Shaw, let’s be honest. The odds of tonight’s plan working are slim. If Alice couldn’t convince Mrs. Blake, we really might die here.”

Jareth still struggled to accept that his life now depended on a female employee.

“If that happens, the Immortality Group will take control of everything in the lab. Destroying it does make sense.” Verruckt pressed down on his bleeding wound, saying, “It’s not just the test subjects. The staff will end up in their hands too. You know what’ll happen next—dissection on some cold table by their researchers.” His face was lost in shadow, leaving his expression impossible to read.

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