Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 208: It's actually me who needs to have a serious talk with you

Chapter 208: It’s actually me who needs to have a serious talk with you

Ryan was caught in a whirlwind trying to manage the jealousy and bickering between Anna and Mia at the villa. In his mind, Anna was supposed to be this sweet, well-behaved girl, but today, for some reason, she was just as mischievous as Mia.

Whenever Mia demanded something, Anna had to be appeased too, or else her displeasure was plain to see on her face.

“Big bro, come watch a movie with me~”

“Uh, sure.”

“Senior, I have some questions about literature I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Oh, alright then.”

For hours on end, Ryan was running around like a personal butler, catering to their every whim. It was utterly exhausting.

Why he had to do this was beyond him. Sometimes, he really wished he could be the bad guy,life would be so much easier.

Around noon, both Mia and Anna decided to stay for lunch, and Ryan had no real reason to send them away, so he ended up sharing a meal with them.

Ryan pondered whether he should give Alice a heads-up call. If Alice came back to find Mia had taken over her place, she wouldn’t be too thrilled.

Just as Ryan was thinking about Alice, she seemed to have a sixth sense about him too.

That morning, Alice had spent a couple of hours with some big shots in the business world, getting some advice on management.

Alice wasn’t exactly popular in the underworld, but to these businessmen, she was golden.

On one hand, Alice was genuinely eager to learn and didn’t put on airs,on the other, she was willing to share her profits with them.

People in the underworld usually didn’t have this attitude,getting them to share profits was harder than getting to the moon.

Alice could use her underworld influence to provide protection for these businessmen and share the profits with them, so naturally, they liked her.

A business where everyone makes money is the best kind of business.

At that moment, Alice was sitting in the back of a car, having just finished signing all the necessary documents, finally finding a moment to rest.

The morning had been exhausting, and if possible, she really wished Ryan could give her a massage right then.

But even with such thoughts, she’d have to wait until the evening,the afternoon still held important matters to attend to.

“Hannah, what did you do at the villa this morning?”

Hannah had suddenly remembered she forgot some documents and had turned back to the villa after getting in the car.

It wasn’t like Hannah to leave things till the next day and then have to redo them,it wasn’t her style.

“Uh, nothing much, Miss Alice, just grabbing some documents.”

Hannah, sitting in the front passenger seat, felt a shiver down her spine as Alice brought up the question again, but she managed to keep a straight face as she responded.

What she had actually done was let Anna in as part of her plan, something she definitely couldn’t let Miss Alice know about just yet.

“Just grabbing some documents…”

Alice sensed something off in her tone and repeated the phrase, but couldn’t pinpoint anything concrete, so she let it slide for the moment.

Hannah had always been reliable, but ever since Ryan came along, things had started to go awry.

“And why do you always seem to have a grudge against Ryan?”

“You’re both close to me, and I don’t like seeing this.”

Alice said softly, closing her eyes. Hannah had been with her for years, and Ryan was obviously a more complex issue. Both were important to her.

Alice’s words made Hannah feel guilty, but she didn’t regret her actions.

Miss Alice was too influenced by Ryan, and that wasn’t good. An unemotional Alice was an invincible Alice. As long as Alice fell in love, she had a weakness, and Hannah couldn’t bear to see her face setbacks one day.

Plus, Ryan was undoubtedly a flirt. It was clear that Anna was already smitten with him, and Alice wouldn’t be happy with him.

“Miss Alice, you’re mistaken. I have no issues with Mr. Ryan.”

Hannah decided to stabilize the situation with Alice for now. As long as she could get Ryan out of the way, she was prepared to face any punishment from Miss Alice later.

“That would be best. Pass me the tablet, please.”

Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly. She could feel Hannah’s hostility towards Ryan, and she was always very sensitive to such tensions.

It seemed like the friction between the two would need to be managed slowly. As long as no complications arose for now, that was fine.

Hannah nodded, relieved to have dodged the issue for the moment. She hoped that by the time she got home in the evening, Anna would have managed to drive Ryan away, and things could return to normal.

Hannah handed the tablet to Alice, thinking Alice just wanted to relax a bit, so she didn’t think much of it.

But within seconds, she sensed something was off. Why had the temperature in the car dropped so suddenly?

It was March,such a chill was unusual.

Glancing at the rearview mirror to check on Alice, Hannah froze the moment she looked into the mirror.

Have you ever been stared at by a large predator? If you could stare down a cheetah in a wildlife park, you might empathize with Hannah right now.

Every hair on her body stood on end, a reaction she hadn’t even had in the face of the most dangerous situations.

But now, under Alice’s gaze, she felt as if every cell was under scrutiny, and she couldn’t even swallow.

“Hannah…”

Miss Alice’s voice was chilling, as cold as water drawn from a deep winter well, sending shivers down one’s spine.

Could it be? Did Miss Alice already know something?

But how could that be possible?

“Miss…Miss Alice.”

“Hannah, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

Alice struggled to keep her anger in check, but she was far from calm. If it weren’t for Hannah’s long service, Alice might have been tempted to throw her out of the car right then.

“Miss Alice…”

Hannah’s heart pounded as she faced this terrifying version of Alice, who was staring blankly at the tablet, clearly aware of Hannah’s actions.

“Shut up now, and don’t make me angry.”

“Go home, immediately…”

With that command, Alice looked away from Hannah, who knew she had messed up and didn’t dare provoke Alice further, quickly instructing the driver to head home.

But how could Miss Alice have known what happened? She shouldn’t have found out until they got home, at least.

What Hannah didn’t realize was that the secret lay in the very tablet she had just handed to Alice.

Alice stared at the screen, her knuckles white from gripping the tablet so tightly, her complexion pale.

Alice hadn’t left her home unguarded,there were cameras everywhere, and the footage was streamed to an app on her tablet.

Partly to keep an eye on Ryan and ensure he didn’t leave, and partly out of habit.

Dealing with all sorts of people outside drained her, and everyone needs an outlet for emotional release. Under stress, Alice had gotten into the habit of watching the surveillance to see what was happening in Ryan’s life.

It was supposed to be just another check-in, but today’s footage was far from satisfactory, even stirring a murderous rage within her.

Ryan was supposed to be under her control at all times, but perhaps yesterday’s incident had made her a bit more confident in him, leading her to lower her guard.

She shouldn’t have. She should have kept Ryan close, always under her watchful eye.

She glanced again at the tablet’s screen, where Ryan was seen chatting and laughing with the two girls, a smile she’d never seen him wear in her presence.

Was he really that happy with the freedom she gave him?

Clearly, she couldn’t afford to take her eyes off Ryan,there were just too many temptations around him.

Her gaze returned to the scene at home. Right now, Ryan was in the kitchen washing dishes, while the two girls lounged on the sofa watching TV.

The villa had maids,washing dishes was certainly not Ryan’s job, but he had taken it upon himself, likely as a way to find some space to breathe.

Dealing with Mia alone was taxing enough, but with Anna and Mia both fired up, it was double trouble for Ryan.

Lunch had not gone well for Ryan. First, Mia had wanted to taste his cooking, which soon escalated to Anna demanding to be fed by him.

The girls seemed satisfied, having gotten what they wanted, but Ryan had barely eaten anything. And with dinner still to come, how was he going to survive?

Maybe he should just call Alice and get these two little devils out of here. A peaceful life didn’t need their kind of embellishment.

But as Ryan was washing up, the sound of the door opening caught his attention. He looked up just in time to see Hannah sneaking in.

What was she up to now?

“Hannah, I need to talk to you seriously, what exactly are you—”

Before Ryan could finish, Hannah urgently gestured for him to be quiet with a shushing motion. It was too late for more words now.

Ryan didn’t understand Hannah’s intent and, frustrated, walked towards the door to have a serious conversation with her.

But before he could confront her, a cold voice came from outside, freezing everyone in the room.

“Ryan, it’s actually me who needs to have a serious talk with you.”