?Chapter 1242:


    She didn’t realize it, but with those frantic denials, she had already given something away.


    Lucas’ lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “So you do know about Kylee’s kidnapping and assault.”


    Verena’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment, she didn’t register the implication of his words. Then, it hit her.


    Kylee’s kidnapping and assault were something few people knew. Even Ryan didn’t know about it. If she had truly been unaware, her reaction should have been one of shock—confusion, even.


    Instead, she had immediately jumped to deny her involvement.


    When Verena realized this, her heart sank. She had been too careless.


    From the moment Lucas questioned her about Belinda’s incident, she had lost control of the conversation. And in her desperation to deny her involvement, she had walked straight into his trap.


    Now, she had exposed herself.


    A low chuckle rumbled from Lucas’ chest as he watched the realization dawn on Verena. It wasn’t the kind ofugh that held amusement. It was sharp and cutting, and it sent an icy chill crawling down Verena’s spine.


    “Lucas, I promise you, I had no part in what happened to Kylee,” Verena said, her voice trembling slightly.


    She clung desperately to her denial, unwilling to admit that she had secretly been working with Kylee. Confessing that was simply out of the question for her.


    Lucas looked at Verena, his face frozen with an icy detachment. “You don’t need me to tell you how much Belinda means to me, do you? Verena, you had the audacity to harm her. Surely, you’ve already braced yourself for the consequences, haven’t you?”


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    Did he really need to spell it out for her?


    A wave of dread washed over Verena, draining the color from her cheeks. After a shaky breath, she met Lucas’s gaze with anguished eyes. “Lucas, what are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me and be done with it?” Her voice dripped with bitter irony.


    Lucas let out a quiet, mocking scoff and shook his head. “Kill you? No, I wouldn’t do that. Taking a life like that… It’s against thew, after all.”


    Verena’s expression remained unchanged.


    She knew, deep down, that Lucas wouldn’t resort to murder.


    At that moment, Lucas asked, “Have you ever heard of Irond?”


    Verena stayed silent, offering no response.


    Unfazed by herck of reply, Lucas continued, “There’s a ce in Irond called Cliffton. It’s a city notorious as a refuge for ouws. People there are tangled up in all sorts of bad things: gambling, narcotics, and things far darker. And the men there vastly outnumber the women. A woman in that ce? She bes a gift, something they all scramble to im.”


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