Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 181: The meeting is paused

“Miss Alice, are you okay?”

Ryan was holding Alice’s small hand tightly, sensing that she was in a terrible state.

Like a balloon being overinflated, Alice was on the verge of bursting.

She sat in her chair, motionless like a doll, only moving when Ryan was about to lead her away.

Her pale wrist flipped over to grasp Ryan’s hand, her fingertips digging into his skin. Her gaze flickered unsettlingly.

“Pause.”

Just as things were about to spiral out of control, reason prevailed. Alice exhaled a heavy breath, suppressing the chaos in her mind and raised her hand.

Ryan must have misunderstood,she was not that kind of person.

She had to stop, had to make Ryan understand her.

Thinking of Ryan’s unfamiliar look just now, Alice felt her heart bleeding. She had never felt like this before,what was happening to her?

It hurt so much, really hurt.

Alice’s voice broke the silence, her cold tone her best defense, a mask she had grown accustomed to wearing. Others might have been surprised, but they didn’t know what was wrong with Alice.

A meeting pause was unprecedented,they couldn’t decide on their own, so all eyes turned to Dante.

Dante twirled his golden thumb ring, not responding immediately to the curious glances. His eyes moved between Ryan and Alice, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Indeed, he had guessed right. There was a problem between Ryan and Alice. Ryan didn’t look like someone who could survive in the gang world. For some reason, Ryan and Alice had ended up together.

Alice still dared to bring Ryan here, showing real trust in him.

Alice seemed truly unaware of her current predicament. Showing even a slight weakness could spell big trouble for her.

Dante bore no ill will towards Alice, but that didn’t mean others wouldn’t seize the opportunity.

If Dante could see it, so could the others sitting around him. Bringing this issue into the open was also a way for Dante to remind Alice.

If she was really smart, she would get Ryan out of there quickly. The cold, distant Alice was the one suited for her current situation.

“Miss Alice has spoken, so let’s pause. We’ll come back in fifteen minutes,everyone take a break.”

Dante issued the command on Alice’s behalf, the first to stand and head outside.

The others were somewhat baffled. Dante seemed to have some covert connection with Miss Alice, but it was unclear at the moment. They had no choice but to follow Dante out of the conference room.

Dante’s departure took about two-thirds of the people with him, and those left didn’t care for the oppressive atmosphere of the meeting room and also left.

Soon, only a few scattered individuals remained in the conference room.

Alice, observing the situation, gained a bit of clarity. She was extremely intelligent and soon grasped Dante’s intention.

In the distance, Lorenzo was huddling with a group, possibly already plotting to sway Ryan.

The best move now was to send Ryan away, finish the meeting, and then explain everything to him in detail.

But without Ryan here, she felt she couldn’t last a minute.

Her palm was damp, her nails had pierced the capillaries in Ryan’s palm. She stared at his palm for a moment, then quickly let go.

Ryan inhaled sharply as his hand finally broke free, his wrist slightly whitened, his palm stained with fresh red.

Seeing everyone leave the meeting room, Ryan was also surprised. Miss Alice had actually paused the meeting.

But given her state just now, she definitely couldn’t have continued.

“Ryan…”

Alice looked at Ryan, her beautiful features now marred by distress. She reached out to gently touch his palm, full of remorse.

She didn’t know what had happened, only that thinking of Ryan actually leaving her made her heart feel as if it was being crushed, making even breathing painful.

She looked at Ryan, her heart filled with things she wanted to say, wanting to lay out all her plans and intentions. But she was scared.

Scared that once she spoke, even the status quo couldn’t be maintained.

Right now, she able to forcibly keep Ryan by her side. But once she revealed everything, she wouldn’t be able to blame Ryan or stop him from leaving.

Her lips parted and closed without a sound, her eyes conveying a multitude of messages, yet she said nothing.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Alice couldn’t find the words, and Ryan, waiting, began to feel a growing disappointment.

He shouldn’t have expected any explanations. After all, this was just another day for Alice. Why should she apologize for her daily life?

Forcing a smile, Ryan rubbed the back of his head and hid his blood-stained hand behind his back, keeping it away from Alice.

“By the way, Miss Alice, are you hungry?”

“Hungry?”

Alice didn’t understand what Ryan was getting at and was momentarily dazed. The next second, Ryan pulled out some bread and milk from his backpack and placed them in her hands.

“I grabbed these from the kitchen earlier. Since we’re on a break, you might as well eat.”

Ryan said this, avoiding Alice’s piercing gaze. For now, he didn’t know how to face Miss Alice.

He almost fled from Alice’s side, the more he interacted with her, the stronger the discomfort in his heart grew.

He was here to complete a mission that would allow him to revive himself. After all other paths had been blocked, he decided to help Alice achieve her goals.

But now, Ryan realized he didn’t understand Alice at all. He didn’t even know whether her intentions were good or bad. Was his help actually making things better, or was he just aiding a tyrant?

His mind was increasingly filled with doubts, and all he wanted now was to get some fresh air.

Alice looked at the food in her hands and then at Ryan’s retreating figure.

She wanted to call him back, to have him stay and listen to everything she had to say, but she couldn’t show any weakness with the crowd around her like wolves.

She began to hate herself. If she had trusted Ryan more from the start, if she hadn’t been so closed off, and had explained everything to him, maybe he wouldn’t be trying to escape now.

She stuffed the bread into her mouth and washed it down with milk, but it tasted bitter.

“The meeting’s finally over~.”

Ryan, still under Alice’s watchful eye, had barely taken two steps out of the meeting room when a soft presence clung to his arm. Turning his head, he saw Mia, the girl he had met in the kitchen earlier.

The little one smiled brilliantly, her pale cheeks tinged with a blush, her big eyes sparkling.

She clung to Ryan’s arm like a koala, and her adorable demeanor made it hard for anyone to resist.

“Mia, let go… you’re going to pull my arm off.”

Ryan sighed as he spoke to Mia, but the girl didn’t listen, continuing to cling stubbornly to his arm.

Recalling what Mia had been doing during the meeting, Ryan hadn’t really paid much attention, only vaguely remembering that the little one seemed to have been playing with her phone on a nearby sofa.

“Meetings are so boring, I almost grew mushrooms.”

Mia looked Ryan up and down, having seen all his interactions with Alice. She could tell Ryan was in a bad mood.

She let go of Ryan, waving her hands in the air, then mimed a growing gesture above her head.

Growing bored enough to sprout mushrooms was quite the metaphor.

“Come on, smile a bit, am I not cute?”

Seeing Ryan still gloomy, Mia was somewhat speechless. She stopped pretending and reached out to his face, trying to force a smile.

“Alright, alright, you’re cute, of course.”

Despite his heavy heart, Ryan couldn’t help but be amused by Mia, whose charm was quite powerful when it came to winning people over.

“What’s wrong, are you hungry again? Want me to take you to get something to eat?”

Ryan couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle Mia’s smooth hair, which felt silky under his touch. Mia even showed a cat-like content expression as he did so.

“I’m not, why do you make it sound like I’m always hungry?”

Mia pouted, but didn’t push away Ryan’s mischievous hand. Instead, she lightly punched his stomach to express her protest.

“Actually, big brother, I needed to talk to you about something.”

“Oh? What’s up?”

Ryan looked at Mia curiously as the little one suddenly became serious, even letting go of his arm.

“It’s about Sister Alice. I want you to answer some questions for me.”