Chapter 83 : Are You Satisfied Now?
Archer walked into the room in sneakers and a designer tee, his whole presence radiating hostility. He shot a glare at the young nurse. “Get out!”
His face was sharp and hostile, like he could lose his temper at any moment. The nurse was visibly shaken.
Dr. Joe had told her not to leave Allison alone, but she still dared not stay.
Allison glanced at the nurse and nodded. “It’s okay. Go.”
Only then did the nurse hurry away, terrified out of her mind.
Archer shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants and kicked the door shut with a lazy sweep of his foot, radiating that delinquent air like he owned the place.
Allison didn't even bother to look up. She continued working through her physics problems.
Archer slouched over to her, leaned down, and sneered, “Ugly freak. You really think you can ignore me? Don’t want your eyes anymore?”
She looked up at him. There… Are you satisfied now?
Archer frowned the moment he noticed the faint pink scar on her face. It stung his eyes. “Forget it. Keep your head down.”
Allison lowered her eyes again, and she suddenly noticed the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch on his wrist.
The Berry family had money, sure, but not that huge or enough to buy a watch like that.
Even Ronan had struggled to get one from this rare watch brand.
So either Archer was hiding something, or someone with real power was backing him.
When she thought about who could have that kind of reach, only one name came to mind. It was Jareth.
Yet even after spending so much time around him, Allison still didn't understand what his connection to Madam Berry really was.
The man she was about to marry was almost a stranger to her. Everything she knew came from secondhand stories.
Her future felt like a black hole. Like Pandora's box waiting to be opened, with no idea what kind of nightmare might crawl out.
She silently turned her attention back to her notes.
Archer reached out and yanked the tray off her lap. “Don’t pretend like you’re some hardworking genius. Do you really think any man would ignore that face of yours just to admire your so-called inner beauty?”
Then he laughed. “Oh, right. Jareth would!”
He grabbed her chin and forced her face up.
Archer had always been violent, and he didn't hold back this time, but Allison didn't make a sound.
He didn't tighten his grip. He simply studied her face with a mocking look.
Then he burst out laughing. “It’s hard to imagine Jareth getting it up with that face staring back at him.”
He paused, then added, “Actually, maybe he can’t get it up at all. Hahahaha!”
The laughter filled the room. It was sharp and loud, until it slowly faded, and his eyes turned cold.
Suddenly, he stared at Allison like a butcher sizing up a lamb.
That look...Allison had seen it before. Every murderer in the asylum wore the same expression.
And the fact that she had been locked in a mental institution for three years while people like him walked free felt absurd.
She tightened her grip on the pen, preparing for whatever came next.
Archer clenched her chin tightly, and his expression grew even darker.
Then he slowly chuckled.
“Maybe I should add a few more marks to your face. Jareth might like that.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding knife. With a click, the blade popped out.
Allison’s eyes followed the knife. Her mind spun. What was Archer’s problem with Jareth? If he hated Jareth that much, fine. But why take it out on me?
As the blade hovered closer, Allison still couldn't break free. So she opened her mouth and said calmly, “Did you fall in love with Jareth or something? Can’t stand the thought of him getting married, so you came here to ruin my face?”
Archer stiffened for a few seconds, his face turning an ugly shade of green. Then he grabbed Allison’s chin and snarled, “Have you completely lost your mind?”
When he saw her blank, dopey expression, the vicious glint in his eyes faded. His usual arrogant, lazy attitude returned.
He released her chin. He dropped the leg that had been resting on the bed. With a sharp click, he folded the spring-loaded knife and threw it onto the tray, where it landed with a loud clatter.
With his hands in his pockets, he spoke in the tone of someone used to giving orders. “Didn’t they say you’re good with medicine? Make something for me. Or I’ll ruin that face.”
Allison straightened her back. “What kind of medicine?”
Archer leaned closer, his lip curling like a snake about to strike as a grin of sick amusement spread across his face. “The kind that makes women scream and men… excited. You know what I mean.”
The way he said it left no room for misunderstanding. Whether the idiot standing in front of him understood it was part of his twisted fun didn’t matter.
Allison hesitated, then shot him a frightened glance. She slid off the bed barefoot, went to Joe’s medicine cabinet, sniffed a few vials, and carefully ground several powders together.
She wrapped the mixture in a piece of paper and handed it to him cautiously.
Archer snatched it up with a smirk, and his eyes swept over her timid posture. “Coward,” he muttered.
Jareth really was pathetic, letting himself be blackmailed into marrying this thing.
The more Archer thought about it, the angrier he became. Without warning, he grabbed Allison by the chin again and poured the powder into her mouth.
He let out a dark laugh as she choked and coughed. “Perfect. You can test it first. If it doesn’t work, just wait and see what I’ll do to you.”
He released her.
Allison’s legs buckled beneath her. She fell to the floor, heat flooding her cheeks, her vision blurring as her breath turned shallow and warm.
Footsteps sounded outside. Archer let out a low chuckle and turned away.
Jareth opened the door just in time to see Allison crumpled on the floor.
His eyes swept the room quickly. She was alone in the room.
Frowning, he rushed inside and crouched beside her.
“What happened?”
Allison lifted her eyes to him. They were damp and dark, shining with unmistakable desire, fixed on him without a single blink.