Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 169: So, Tony, your sincerity?

The expected gunshot hadn’t immediately occurred, and the man, tackled by his bodyguard, was in a state of panic.

Hiding behind a chair in a frenzy, he hadn’t even considered whether the thin back of the chair could actually stop a sniper’s bullet.

“Alice! Wait a second!”

The man yelled out, now realizing that Alice had prepared for emergencies in advance, and he had walked right into it without any clue.

“I didn’t mean to kill you! We can still talk!”

The man lost his earlier arrogance as soon as the bodyguard tackled him, realizing his mistake.

Thinking of Alice as a gift to those guys could naturally bring benefits, but only if he lived to enjoy them.

Seeing Alice stand still at a distance, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Where was the sniper? Why hadn’t his people noticed anything?

But at this moment, that didn’t matter anymore. Alice not ordering to shoot meant he still had a chance,there was still room for negotiation.

Lying on the ground, heart still pounding, he felt like he had just walked through the gates of hell.

“Damn it…”

He knew Alice wouldn’t be easy to take down,she was slippery like an eel, always having a backup plan.

Alice, seeing Tony suddenly go from arrogant to pathetic, didn’t know exactly what had happened, only feeling a hand grabbing her in the chaos.

Instinctively wanting to break free and maybe put a few bullets in the guy’s forehead—she never allowed anyone to touch her.

But upon seeing who the hand belonged to, Alice’s heart softened, her principles nearly collapsing as she let him pull her along.

“Quick, get the boss out of here! The building across, nineteenth floor, search it now!” the lead bodyguard shouted into his headset, as a group crawled over, pulling Tony back.

The professionalism was impressive,even in such chaos, they managed to organize an effective rescue. Tony’s money on bodyguards wasn’t wasted.

Meanwhile, a few other bodyguards didn’t come to help but drew their pistols, the dark muzzles aimed at Ryan and Alice.

Even prepared to back down, they still faced a standoff? Typical of someone who had been in the business world for years, never letting himself be at a disadvantage.

Ryan cursed under his breath, holding Alice close, his gaze icy as he stared down the men in front of them.

The best thing would have been to put Alice behind him to block any bullets from the front.

But with the sniper clearly targeting her from behind, putting her there would be like throwing her into the lion’s den.

Wolves in front, a tiger behind, the situation seemed utterly dire.

“Miss Alice, don’t get me wrong, I’m just trying to protect myself,” the man chuckled nervously, wiping sweat from his forehead, though his eyes already showed signs of retreat.

“Miss Alice, they’re still within shooting range,” Ryan whispered into Alice’s ear, their height difference making it seem like he was nibbling at her ear.

He could feel the tremor in the body of the girl in his arms, her earlobes inexplicably reddening, her teeth clenched tight.

The tension seemed no less than during their standoff, Ryan thought it was the pressure getting to Alice.

Seeing no response from her, he raised his voice slightly, repeating into her ear.

“Miss Alice, they’re still within range.”

“Oh… right.”

Alice finally caught on, not knowing when she had arranged a sniper on the opposite building.

But since Ryan said so, she felt a weight lift off her chest.

Maybe it was Hannah’s doing,she always meticulously planned every detail of the places she went to, placing a sniper might seem overkill, but it was understandable.

From despair to suddenly holding an ace up her sleeve.

Tony’s momentum waned, while Alice’s surged, now confident she could get out of this.

She glanced at Ryan, as if to say, “How long are you going to hold me?” Before he could react, she had already wriggled out of his embrace.

If not for the onlookers, Alice would have loved to stomp Ryan’s foot into the ground, that would be the consequence of his forwardness.

But even now, no matter how unexpected the events, Alice had to act as if it was all part of her plan.

Alice had already left, but the lingering scent of wintersweet still clung to Ryan, a reminder of her presence.

She strolled through the conference room with the grace of a high-bred Abyssinian cat, seemingly unbothered by the chaos around her.

She glanced indifferently at Tony, who was now groveling on the floor, his earlier arrogance replaced by a desperate attempt to please.

Smooth-talking was his best defense, the skill that had kept him alive all these years.

His face was plastered with a bright smile, but inside, he was seething with rage.

He should have known he was just being used as a pawn by those old foxes.

If they really could have killed Alice, why would they hand him the opportunity?

Now, not only was he unlikely to kill Alice, but he had also made an enemy of her. He regretted it more than he could express.

Alice ignored the guns pointed at her as if they were nothing, but Ryan couldn’t afford to.

With every step she took, he followed closely behind, sticking to her like a shadow.

It wasn’t that Ryan had any peculiar habits,he was just terrified that if he stepped away, Alice would get her head blown off right in front of him, especially with a sniper still in play.

“Miss Alice, maybe take it a bit easy?” he thought, noticing how casually she walked.

Alice sensed Ryan’s proximity and frowned slightly in displeasure, though she said nothing.

This close, she could feel the scent of him, comforting like a sun-warmed blanket, just like the man himself.

“Tony, look at the situation now.”

Ryan dared not touch Alice, fearing the man opposite would notice something amiss.

The people opposite thought the sniper was Alice’s, and Alice thought the same.

Only Ryan knew the truth and knew they couldn’t afford to delay.

“We, Miss Alice, are genuinely interested in discussing a partnership with you. This behavior of yours is somewhat underhanded.”

Before Alice could speak, Ryan quickly intervened, giving her a look.

Alice didn’t understand Ryan’s urgency,to her, this was an excellent opportunity.

Tony was clearly leaning towards their enemies. Even if they didn’t eliminate him now, they needed to make him suffer to avoid future threats.

But recalling Ryan’s calm demeanor earlier, she sensed he had his own plans.

Well… listening wouldn’t hurt.

So, Alice’s expression turned icy, as if the previous displeasure had soured her mood, leaving Ryan to speak on her behalf.

[Alice Mood Level +10, Current 25/100 (Slightly Relieved)]

Ryan’s lips twitched. Miss Alice’s mood had improved slightly.

But if he told her the sniper wasn’t aiming at Tony but at her, would her mood completely collapse?

Ryan paused, adopting what he thought might be Alice’s typical speaking style, and didn’t rush to speak, just looked at Tony calmly.

The silence put the pressure on Tony.

After just half a minute, Tony couldn’t take it anymore.

“Yes… it was underhanded, but I wasn’t the mastermind, as you know. I’m just a legitimate businessman.”

Tony rubbed his hands, his smile forced as he slowly stood up.

His bodyguard had whispered to him that as long as they were on this floor, they couldn’t escape the sniper’s range.

The conference room, unlike other rooms, had no load-bearing walls. If a bullet came, nothing short of a human shield would stop it.

So, other than bowing to Alice, he had no other choice.

Tony stood up, grabbing a bodyguard to half-shield himself, the bodyguard’s face a picture of reluctance.

He wasn’t ready to die for someone else.

“Yes, yes, I was confused. I’ve always admired Miss Alice.”

“My admiration for Miss Alice is like the endless river…”

The man started to ramble again. Alice’s expression didn’t improve,she just turned and glared at Ryan.

She didn’t understand why Ryan was giving this man a chance. Wasn’t he just providing an easy way out?

“Then…”

Ryan pretended not to see Alice’s glare, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted to deal with Tony here and now, but Ryan had been ignoring her all morning, and it was really getting on her nerves.

“How about we both step back?”

Tony, with a sheepish grin, noticed the misunderstanding between Ryan and Alice. Since Alice hadn’t intervened, it meant Ryan’s words were more or less in line with her thoughts.

At this stage, they understood the value of peace better than most. Unless they were absolutely sure they could completely eliminate the opposition, it was better to keep things civil.

After all, no one knew if the other party would hold a grudge and bite back.

“So, Tony, your sincerity?”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course, I was wrong. I should apologize to Miss Alice first.”

“Let’s both step back. I’ll step back first.”