Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 193: It was Lorenzo

“Miss Alice, since everyone’s here, let’s get started.”

Dante glanced around, noting the reactions of those present, and snorted coldly. The delay had already tested his patience to the limit.

To him, it didn’t matter whether Alice or Rocco was lying. All he needed to do was wait for the liar to reveal themselves and then one bullet would settle it.

“Of course, let’s begin.”

Alice nodded, leading Ryan to the front where she sat down facing Lorenzo and Travis. Her face showed no fear, bolstered by the surprising news Ryan had just shared with her. More than the impending outcome, she was curious about what Ryan had actually done.

“Miss Alice, why don’t you take over the questioning?”

“After all, he’s your man. It might seem a bit off if we do it.”

Rocco smirked from the side. Despite not understanding why Alice remained so composed face-to-face, he was sure she had no way out this time.

Alice gave Rocco a serious look, maintaining her silence. Just when Rocco thought she might refuse, she surprisingly agreed quite easily.

Alice turned to Travis, ready to probe for a breakthrough.

No, this wasn’t right. Why was Alice reacting like this? Did she really not care if Ryan lived?

In such a desperate situation, sacrificing her assistant might seem understandable,her life was surely worth more than Ryan’s.

“Uh, Miss Alice, hold on a second. I need to remind you of something.”

“Mr. Russo said if you can’t prove your innocence, your assistant will…” Rocco made a throat-slitting gesture. Alice had agreed to his request so easily, it baffled him.

Did Alice not realize what this meant? But she didn’t seem like someone who was out of touch with reality.

“I’m well aware.” Alice scoffed coldly, giving Rocco a stern look.

Rocco had been kicking her when she was down, and now he was still buzzing in her ear, which was incredibly annoying.

She knew exactly what Rocco was implying,he wanted her to make Travis confess that he was acting under her orders.

If it weren’t for Ryan, she would have been in real trouble today.

It was too much, and Alice felt she needed to respond to Rocco’s provocations.

“You’re not involved in this, so you’re neutral. It might be better if you ask.”

“If I do it, people might nitpick.”

With that, Alice casually took Ryan by the hand and sat to the side, giving her spot directly across from Lorenzo and Travis to Rocco.

Rocco clenched his teeth and sat down without hesitation.

Though this might slightly weaken the effect, he felt a flicker of doubt.

Alice was too calm, unnervingly so.

He needed to conduct the interrogation himself, to dispel this unease and corner Alice.

“Big brother… if you ask for my help now, I can still do something for you.” Mia, who hadn’t heard the whisper between Ryan and Alice, saw that things were spiraling out of control and didn’t care how it looked, she just called out to Ryan loudly.

Dante’s gaze swept over, and Marco clenched his fists, glaring at Ryan with anger.

Mia was Marco’s pawn, yet she was showing closeness to Ryan, which irked him.

If Ryan agreed now, Marco figured he’d have to step in and stir things up.

Ryan looked at Mia, her cheeks flushed, and patted her head, feeling a bit moved.

Mia’s boldness in such a situation showed how much she valued him, which touched Ryan.

But merely stirring the pot wasn’t enough,Ryan also wanted Lorenzo’s side to be completely ruined.

Covering Mia’s mouth, Ryan pulled her back. The little one flailed her arms like windmills, wailing at Marco.

But Marco pretended to look elsewhere the whole time. Ryan was doing him a favor, so he didn’t need to intervene.

Lorenzo found Ryan’s situation amusing. Despite many chances to save himself, he had refused each one.

Did he really believe in the power of his so-called persuasion?

Knowing that Travis’s wife and daughter were in his grasp, Travis would never side with Miss Alice.

“So, I’ll start asking now, Travis. You’ve committed serious crimes, but here’s your chance to survive.”

“I want the whole truth from you. If Miss Alice forced you, both Mr. Russo and I will back you up, got it?”

Rocco said this, now showing his true colors, far from his earlier humble demeanor.

This was a blatant threat, reminding Travis he had no way out unless he implicated Alice as the mastermind behind everything.

“Understood…”

Travis glanced at Ryan, and only after receiving a nod did he slowly begin to speak. His pupils dilated slightly, and he seemed a bit stiff. Rocco thought he had resigned himself to his fate and felt a surge of joy inside.

It was a good thing he was conducting the interrogation. Just moments ago, Travis seemed hesitant.

Without hesitation, Rocco pressed on while the iron was hot.

“Did you kidnap Mr. Russo’s granddaughter and take her to the construction site?”

Rocco asked aggressively, and Travis, playing along, nodded slightly in response.

Crack—

Dante’s glass shattered in his hand, the shards embedding in his flesh, though he felt no pain. If Travis wasn’t still useful, he would have filled his face with bullet holes by now.

Things were going smoothly, and both Rocco and Lorenzo were inwardly pleased. Travis hadn’t been swayed by Ryan,he was now the sharp blade poised to strike at Alice.

“This wasn’t your idea, was it? You were acting under someone else’s orders, right?”

Rocco stood up, slamming his hands on the table like a menacing wolf, his eyes now bloodshot.

The room fell silent, everyone holding their breath, watching the unfolding scene.

Just moments ago, Rocco had suggested that Travis might have been the mastermind and Alice was unaware. Now, his sudden questioning perfectly showcased his duplicity.

Alice clicked her tongue in disgust at his behavior.

Ryan, observing Alice’s profile, fell into thought. Had Miss Alice always been in such environments?

Those supporting Alice swallowed hard, watching Rocco’s aggressive questioning and beginning to doubt their allegiance.

Others silently noted never to cross Rocco, who seemed harmless like a green snake but could inject venom into his prey at critical moments.

“Yes…”

Travis paused for a couple of seconds, pondering something, then nodded solemnly.

“Exactly, I knew it! How could a mere subordinate plan such an operation? How would he have the guts to do such a thing!”

Rocco excitedly slapped the table, turning to Alice with a triumphant look, eager to see her regretful expression.

The worst mistake she made was crossing him—a mere girl thinking she’s a mob boss?

Lorenzo’s gaze swept over Ryan, his lips curling into an uncontrollable smirk.

“Ryan, I admire your loyalty, but alas…”

“Following the wrong leader only means one thing for you—you’re done for.”

Lorenzo laughed maniacally, and everyone sighed softly, seeing the two revel in their apparent victory. They thought the outcome was sealed, shocked that Miss Alice could be such a deceitful villain.

To achieve her goals, she stooped to kidnapping children, an act even despised within the underworld.

Ryan ignored Lorenzo’s words, simply folding his arms and coldly watching the performance, even clapping softly.

“Aren’t you going to confess now? Travis, tell me everything now. Who was behind this?”

“Don’t worry about Miss Alice’s threats,I’ll keep you safe.”

Rocco, seeing Ryan’s defiance, scoffed and turned back to Travis.

Dante stood up, and everyone else watched tensely. Mia covered her ears, unable to bear the outcome.

But then…

Travis’s eyes shifted, his neck creaking like a rusty robot as he turned towards Lorenzo and blandly uttered a name.

“It was Lorenzo.”

The smiles on Lorenzo and Rocco’s faces hadn’t yet faded when they were struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.