Chapter 305 : I’m Done Pretending

Chapter 305 : I’m Done Pretending
Allison said softly, "Jareth, if you're really having a hard time, I can help you sleep for a while."
Jareth immediately caught the meaning behind her words. "Do you mean you'll help me sleep, or you'll let me sleep with you?"
Allison looked at him without looking away. She had long prepared herself for the possibility that one day she and Jareth would really become husband and wife.
She was just about to say, “If sleeping with me will make you feel better, then I'm okay with it.”
But before the words could leave her mouth, Jareth quickly said, "I originally wanted to wait until you were willing. But now it's obvious you'll never fall in love with me, so I don't want to keep pretending."
A faint frown appeared between Allison's brows. She stared into Jareth's eyes, trying to figure out why they seemed so distant and cold.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm done pretending," Jareth uttered.
The moment Allison realized he wasn't joking, she immediately tried to get to her feet.
Jareth grabbed the back of her neck, stopping her from getting away.
Allison frowned. "We've barely started this little act, and you already want to quit? I haven't even fallen for it yet."
She had always been well aware of the things Jareth enjoyed most.
He liked being the hunter. And he was a very patient one. He preferred to lure his prey slowly with sweet words and false promises. Then, the moment they lowered their guard and started to believe they were safe, he would strike.
Taking someone from the height of happiness to the depths of pain was the game he loved most.
That was why, no matter how well Jareth treated her, Allison always kept a small part of herself on guard.
What she hadn't expected was for him to lose patience after only a few months.
Then again, for Jareth, a few months was already a long time.
With the women before her, a single month had usually been enough. No wonder he was tired of waiting.
Jareth's hand remained on the back of her neck. He clenched his jaw as he stared at her. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough. “Yeah, I don't want to keep pretending anymore.”
Allison tried to pull away, but Jareth's hand stayed on the back of her neck, holding her forcefully like someone refusing to let go of a troublesome cat. No matter how much she shifted, she couldn't get free.
His eyes lowered and stopped at the collar of her shirt. "Take it off."
Allison didn't move. The irritation she had been holding back finally started to rise.
She looked at him and said, "I'm willing to sleep with you. But if you're forcing me, then I won't."
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "And what if I insist?"
Allison's fingers trembled slightly. She didn't answer.
Taking her silence as an answer, Jareth lifted her chin and kissed her lips.
Allison's body trembled. A storm of emotions churned inside her, leaving her caught in a struggle she couldn't put into words.
She had been willing to give herself to Jareth. But now that everything had been laid out so plainly, it no longer felt the same.
The feeling dragged up bad memories she had spent a long time trying to bury.
As Jareth's kisses became more forceful and his hands began crossing boundaries, Allison suddenly shoved him away. Then, in one smooth movement, she reached beside her leg, pulled something out, and raised it with a sharp click.
Holding it firmly with both hands, she pointed it straight at Jareth's forehead.
Jareth leaned back in his chair and stared at Allison. She was kneeling over him, a dark, loaded gun aimed directly at his face.
His eyes flicked to the weapon before a faint, mocking smile appeared. Looking back at Allison, he said, "I really underestimated you. So all that obedience was an act, too?"
As he spoke, he lifted a hand toward the gun. "Do you even know how to use that thing?"
Before his hand could reach it, Allison shouted, "Don't move!"
Jareth stopped, looking utterly puzzled. "Why not?"
His eyes darted to her trembling hands. “Afraid you'll pull the trigger by accident? You don't want me dead?”
Allison's grip tightened. Her hands shook even harder, and when she spoke, her voice was strained. "Don't push me. I don't want to hurt you."
Jareth chuckled and asked, "Why don't you want to hurt me?"
"You've never hurt me," Allison said. "You've actually treated me very well. I've always been grateful for that."
"Grateful..." Jareth slowly repeated the word.
His lips curled into a mocking smile. "And this is how you show it? By pointing a gun at me?"
Then he grabbed the wrists holding the gun. "Let's find out," he said. "Do you actually dare pull the trigger?"
Allison's hands trembled even more under his strong grip. However, Jareth didn't stop. Allison struggled to break free. In the chaos, the gun slipped from her hands. It hit the floor with a loud clang and slid across the room.
Outside in the living room, the servants waited for the two of them to come out for dinner. But no one appeared.
Not only did Jareth stay inside, but Allison never came out again after entering the bedroom.
Then a series of loud crashes suddenly came from inside the room. The sounds of things hitting the floor echoed through the silent house.
The servants immediately went pale. That didn't sound good at all. Were the two of them fighting?
"You go check..."
"I-I don't dare. You go..."
The servants immediately started pushing the responsibility onto each other. No one wanted to be the one standing outside Jareth's door.
But the crashing sounds coming from inside the bedroom only grew louder and more alarming. Afraid that something serious had happened, the servants hurried off to call Oliver, hoping he would know what to do.
Oliver happened to be heading back to Pavilion Hall when he got the call.
The moment he answered and heard the servant's report, he thought he must have misheard it. "Who did you say is fighting?"
"Sir and Madam," the servant repeated nervously.
Oliver fell silent for a moment. He thought it over and confirmed that today definitely wasn't April Fools' Day.
"Hold on... are you sure?" he asked.
Was Allison fighting Jareth? Just looking at her, that sounded impossible.