Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 176: Mia Sinclair

When Ryan found himself in danger, he instinctively ducked and covered his head, just like the bystanders in movies do when they face robbers. It’s the best way to stay alive.

But the next second, the scene in front of him left him stunned.

After ducking, from under the table, he could see a pair of cute little leather shoes, and looking further up, a glimpse of snow-white legs wrapped in white socks.

What is this?

Ryan was confused, but he could be sure of one thing—whatever this was, it definitely wasn’t an assassin.

Then, there was another noise, the sound of the little shoes tapping on the tile floor, as the owner of those white feet ran out from behind the table.

“What… what are you doing!”

The shout came in a crisp little girl’s voice, and Ryan quickly stood up.

She wasn’t very tall, but she had a strong presence.

As the figure fully appeared before Ryan, he could confirm that she was just a kid, nothing to do with an assassin.

When had the little girl gotten into the kitchen? Hadn’t the bodyguards cleared out all unrelated personnel earlier?

Ryan rubbed his forehead, the little girl’s gaze filled with a mix of fear and plenty of distrust, which gave him a headache.

She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, even younger than Alice, with delicate features and an adorable face, dressed in slightly gothic attire, completely resembling a porcelain doll.

At that moment, the little girl was clutching a stainless steel bowl, eyeing Ryan warily.

Why did every girl he met lately look at him like that? He was clearly not a bad guy.

Ryan felt hurt inside, but he kept a gentle demeanor.

“Uh, I’m the manager of this hotel. Little miss, what are you doing here?” Ryan nodded slightly, making up a convincing role for himself.

Since the hotel belonged to Alice, pretending to be a manager as her assistant wasn’t really a big deal.

“I… I won’t tell you!”

“Are you here to take me back? Who sent you!” The little girl waved the object in her hand menacingly at Ryan and wrinkled her little nose.

Her slightly chubby cheeks were smeared with something that looked like cream, making her even cuter as she got angrier.

Take her back? Did she dislike being taken back that much?

Ryan paused for a moment, pondering how to respond, and looked carefully at the nervous little girl, then his gaze gradually softened.

Before being adopted by his mom, Miller, and living in the orphanage, he was the eldest brother and took on half the task of soothing the kids.

Ryan still remembered, there was one little girl among those kids who was very special.

The first time she met Ryan, she was just as resistant, but once he got closer, he realized she was just a little angel.

But after he died, he had no idea where she had gone…

“Are you, or are you not, here to take me back!”

Seeing Ryan’s silence, the little girl grew even more nervous, as if in her eyes Ryan was already figuring out how to carry her away more conveniently.

Ryan, slightly startled by being called back to reality, realized that this little one’s daily life was obviously not carefree.

“I’m not here to take you back, it’s actually my first time seeing you.”

Ryan spoke truthfully, but the little girl, unappreciative, waved her “weapon” again.

Her personality was just like Alice’s. If he didn’t know Alice was upstairs at the moment, Ryan would have thought this was a mini version of her.

Both of them had tempers as stubborn as bulls.

“Tell me, why are you here? Are you hungry?”

Ryan stopped backing away and walked towards the little girl, his face wearing a kind smile, believing his charm was quite effective on kids.

He felt that as long as he showed such a smile, no child could resist it.

The little girl kept her eyes fixed on Ryan, her gaze tangled but she managed to maintain a cold demeanor.

After hearing that he wasn’t there to take her back, the little girl’s mood eased a bit, and she gave a small nod.

Actually, Ryan didn’t need a nod to know—several feet away, he could already hear the little one’s stomach growling.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. I just happened to be here. Let me get you something to eat.”

“There’s going to be an event here soon, and it’s not open to the public. Eat up and then you’ll need to leave, okay? Don’t make trouble for me, alright?”

Speaking softly, Ryan had already approached the little girl.

Kids are usually easy to talk to, and the smile on Ryan’s face gave the little girl a warm feeling, making her nod involuntarily.

Then, while the little girl was distracted, Ryan gently took the stainless steel bowl from her hands.

Holding onto a “weapon” wasn’t a good thing, and she didn’t need to be so guarded around Ryan.

He had heard some noises earlier, and now that he was closer, he could see clearly.

The back of the kitchen was a mess, a cream canister had been knocked over, spilling its white, sticky contents, some of which had gotten onto the little girl’s hands.

The fridge door was open, and its contents had been rummaged through.

“You must be really hungry,” Ryan sighed, extending his hand to the little girl, intending to lead her to a cleaner spot.

But the little one was very wary, keeping her hands behind her back, refusing to let Ryan lead her.

Miss Alice also didn’t like holding hands, and Ryan was more convinced that this was a mini version of Alice.s have no resistance to cute things, and Ryan was no exception. Facing the little girl, his tolerance was much higher.

Spreading his hands to show he meant no harm, Ryan gave up on the idea of moving her.

He squeezed through the narrow aisle, kicked the cream canister further away, and then started rummaging through the storage cabinets.

The fridge was full of frozen ingredients, obviously not ready to eat. Ryan searched the cabinets and soon found some bread.

He sniffed it,it still smelled of malt, probably leftovers from that morning’s baking.

While doing this, the little girl watched him silently, looking very nervous as he squeezed past her, her small hands pinching her own fingernails.

When Ryan placed the bread in front of her, her eyes lit up, as if meteors were streaking through them.

Once she took the bread, the tension finally left her.

The little girl’s clothes looked expensive, yet here she was, hungry. Ryan found it puzzling.

Whose child was this, and why was she being treated this way?

The little girl didn’t mind the man watching her eat. The cream that had smeared on her hands earlier wasn’t wasted,she smeared it all over the bread, making it even tastier.

Ryan’s mouth twitched, and he grabbed another piece of bread and placed it beside the little girl, seeing that one piece wouldn’t be enough.

The little girl devoured the food like a cute little puffin.

Ryan didn’t forget his main task, cutting the remaining bread into small slices and putting them in a food bag to take up to Alice later.

No wonder Alice took breakfast and dinner so seriously,if he didn’t show up on time, she’d get upset. Her schedule hardly allowed time for lunch.

Feeling a bit sorry for Alice upstairs, Ryan also grabbed a bottle of milk.

After finishing up, Ryan crouched down to take a good look at the little girl in front of him, who resembled a small wild beast. She had already demolished an entire loaf of bread and was now fiercely tackling a second one.

Glancing at his watch, Ryan planned to escort her out of the hotel as soon as she finished eating.

The situation was about to get dicey,mob bosses were gathering here, and things could easily turn deadly.

It was clear the little girl couldn’t stay in the hotel. Ryan would have to stick close to Alice to protect her, leaving the girl’s safety completely unsecured.

As he was thinking this over, he heard a small cough.

The little girl beside him suddenly convulsed, her pale face turning bright red, and tears began to form in her eyes from discomfort—it was obvious she was choking.

Startled, Ryan quickly stood up and poured her a glass of milk.

This time, the girl didn’t hesitate. She placed the bread on her lap, grabbed the glass with both hands from Ryan, and started gulping it down.

Her hands were warm, a contrast to Alice’s.

She guzzled down the milk, which helped push down the bread that had been stuck in her throat.

As her little stomach gradually swelled, the milk mixed with the bread settled in her belly, easing her discomfort. She wiped her forehead with her small hand and let out a long sigh of relief.

“That was close, I almost died.”

Her dramatic statement left Ryan at a loss for words. He just watched her, waiting for what she might say next.

It was odd for the girl to be here. The bodyguards had cleared out unrelated individuals, so could this little girl be the daughter of one of the mob bosses attending the meeting?

Taking another look at her clothes, Ryan was convinced of his guess.

The fabric of her outfit was clearly not something ordinary people could afford,Ryan had only felt such material in Alice’s clothes.

But then, which of the attendees would let their daughter go hungry like this?

“Um, I’m full now, really full.”

The little girl patted her slightly bulging belly and flashed a content smile, a stark contrast to her earlier standoffish demeanor with Ryan.

“Anyway, thanks a lot, Mr. Manager.”

The meal had quickly warmed up the relationship between the little girl and Ryan,at least she was now sure that Ryan meant no harm.

She wiped her creamy hands on her clothes without a care for their cost.

Seeing her hands clean, she then reached out and casually ruffled Ryan’s hair.

Her big eyes half-closed, the earlier coldness gone, it was clear she was quite happy after having her fill.

“My name is Mia Sinclair.”

“And what’s your name, big brother?”