?<strong>Chapter 1036:</strong>


    But to everyone’s surprise, Allison shifted her focus to him, her voice steady and cutting.


    “Dr. Swain, you im I stole something. So, tell me, how did you know it was the snake-shaped ne?”


    Barton stiffened, caught off guard.


    “Well… because I saw it!” he blurted, unwittingly stepping into her trap.


    “You saw it?”


    Allison’s lips curled into a calm smile as she gestured toward the surveince camera.


    “The footage is unclear, and you can’t even identify what was taken. How could you possibly discern anything from that?”


    Barton shifted uneasily, his tone defensive. “It wasn’t from the surveince. I was hiding in the corner when you were stealing, and I saw it happen with my own eyes,” he replied hastily.


    His exnation only deepened the sharpness of Allison’s gaze, making her next words cut even sharper.


    “Ken has kept this ne close to him for years. Even if it had been misced at the nursing home, there’s no chance you could’ve stumbled upon it by ident. And if you did find it, why didn’t you let Ken know immediately? Why didn’t you tell others earlier that I had stolen the ne?


    Dr. Swain, I have to say, your story doesn’t add up.”


    Your escape begins with ga ln ov els .


    Her piercing eyes locked onto his, the silence stretching between them.


    “That’s because… well…”


    Barton faltered, struggling to piece together a defense.


    The tension in the room escted, and Ken’s re darkened with rising fury. “The snake ne was never at the nursing home. I personally entrusted it to Allison. How dare you try to frame her?” His head tilted slightly, hismand as ruthless as his expression. “Toss him into the forest nearby and feed him to the wolves.”


    The threat sent Barton’s legs trembling, and he turned to Nova in desperation.


    “Everything I said is true! Maybe I misjudged what I saw, but Ms. rke was definitely up to something suspicious that night!”


    Allison’s eyes narrowed, her gaze flickering with a hint of disdain. It didn’t take much to figure out the mastermind behind this spectacle. Nova was pulling the strings.


    “Dr. Swain, you really shouldn’t say that,” Allison said, her words dripping with sarcasm. “As Mrs. Lloyd has already mentioned, without an extensive investigation, it’s impossible for anyone outside the Lloyd family to know about this snake-shaped ne.”


    Her words pushed Barton closer to breaking, but Nova interjected smoothly before he could copsepletely. “Ms. rke, there’s no misunderstanding here. I mentioned the ne to Dr. Swain because, when he imed there was a thief at the nursing home, the blurry figure in the footage reminded me of it.”


    She turned to Brook with a practiced air of sincerity. “You know how much that ne means to me. It’s a symbol of the Lloyd family, something meant exclusively for the wife of the heir.” A sh of bitterness flickered in her eyes.


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