Chapter 304: You’re Lying Again

The turmoil in Allison's eyes gradually settled. Keeping her voice even, she said, "Nothing. I just remembered that I've seen the scarf before."

Joe finally let out a breath of relief. "Whatever you do, don't touch it," he warned. "Don't even think about washing it. Honestly, it's better if you don't move anything in Pavilion Hall. It's really easy to set him off."

The moment the words left his mouth, Joe realized they might sound a little harsh.

He quickly added, "Jareth's been carrying a lot of emotional baggage for years. It's normal that you'll need to be a bit more understanding with him."

"I know," Allison said.

After a few more words, she ended the call.

The living room fell silent once again. Allison sat there quietly for a long time. Gradually, the answers to questions that had long troubled her began to emerge.

She still remembered the first time she saw that scarf. Back then, she had been sitting in the pavilion outside Ronan's courtyard when a servant brought it to her. She had asked who sent it, but the servant never gave her an answer.

Later, she wore that scarf, and Jackson gave her a strange look.

Soon after, news of her engagement to Jareth spread throughout the Lopez family.

Back then, Allison couldn't understand why Jackson had suddenly made that decision.

Now, she finally knew the truth. It was because of that scarf.

The scarf was one of Jareth's most treasured possessions. No one else was allowed to touch it. Yet at that time, it had been resting on her shoulders.

What would Jackson have thought after seeing that? Of course, he would assume that Jareth cared about Allison. Otherwise, why would he allow her to wear something that had belonged to his mother?

At the same time, Jackson believed forcing Allison onto Jareth would be a way to humiliate him. Since Jareth wasn't in a position to refuse, the marriage was arranged immediately.

But now that Allison looked back on it, something felt different.

Who had really been manipulating whom? Why had Jareth given her that scarf in the first place? Why had he allowed Jackson to see her wearing it?

It hadn't been an accident. From the very beginning, Jareth had intended to marry her.

Allison sat outside for a long time, lost in thought. She knew she had helped Jareth more than once, but was that really enough for him to go this far?

If he simply wanted to repay her, he could have treated her the way he treated Zoey and given her a few benefits.

So why insist on marrying her?

And if he really liked her, then why had he looked at her with such caution and suspicion the first time they met?

What exactly had he been thinking all this time?

"Ma'am, dinner is ready. Would you like me to ask sir to come out and eat?" a servant walked over and asked softly.

Even the servants knew that when Jareth was in this kind of mood, the best thing to do was stay as far away from him as possible.

But everyone else could avoid him. She couldn't.

No matter what, she was still his wife in name. If even she kept her distance, it would be too cold.

Allison got up and walked to the bedroom door. She raised her hand and knocked three times.

After waiting for a full minute without hearing any response, she slowly lowered her hand and didn't knock again.

She knew that when someone was in a bad mood, too much knocking would only irritate them more.

So she silently turned the doorknob and carefully opened the door slightly, peering inside.

Jareth was sitting in a chair with his arms resting on the table, doing absolutely nothing.

The moment Allison peeked through the doorway, Jareth looked over at her.

Seeing that he didn't seem angry, Allison pushed the door open and entered.

She walked across the carpet and stopped in front of him. Leaning down slightly, she asked in a gentle voice, "Are you coming out to eat, or should I bring your dinner in here?"

She didn't ask whether he wanted to eat. She only gave him two choices. Of course, there was always a third option. He could simply refuse. But Jareth chose neither.

Instead, he lifted a hand and gently cupped her face. Allison didn't move. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Back at the bamboo courtyard in the Lopez estate, she had deliberately said a few things to provoke Ronan. There was a good chance Jareth had heard every word.

There was no way to know whether he had taken those words to heart.

Allison had always preferred to wait and see. Unless someone came after her first, she rarely made the first move.

But that approach didn't work with Jareth. When it came to him, she had to take the initiative.

Allison stared at him and said, "Everything I said to Ronan today was just to provoke him."

Jareth's expression didn't change. "Which part?" he asked.

Allison paused for a moment before answering, "Whichever part bothered you the most."

Jareth stared at her for a long moment before asking, "So when you said you loved my power and the advantages I give you, that was just to get under Ronan's skin, too?"

Allison immediately fell silent. Jareth was the only person who always managed to hit the exact spot she wanted to avoid.

She couldn't say yes. If she admitted it was only meant to provoke Ronan, then it would mean she didn't love power at all. It would mean she loved Jareth.

Deep down, Allison was certain of one thing. Her feelings for Jareth came from trust and mutual dependence, the kind of relationship that existed between allies. They had yet to become love.

But she couldn't say no either. If she did, Jareth would definitely be upset.

When Allison remained silent, Jareth let out a cold laugh. "You’re  lying again."

His eyes stayed fixed on her. "Whether it's love or not, what difference does it make? In the end, everyone lies."

The hand holding her face slowly tightened, and the darkness in his eyes deepened.

A moment later, Jareth suddenly pressed a hand against the back of Allison's neck and pulled her closer.

The distance between them disappeared in an instant, leaving only a few inches separating their faces.

Allison had no idea what he was planning, but her instincts immediately sounded the alarm. The moment she looked into his eyes, a sense of danger rose in her chest.