Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 217: The diary... is lost

Chapter 217: The diary… is lost

The next morning, Ryan slowly woke up in his bed.

Ever since he arrived here, his daily routine had unwittingly synced up with Alice’s.

“Miss Alice, why can’t you just sleep in a bit longer?”

Ryan yawned, looking somewhat helplessly at the still-maturing sunlight outside.

If he were living alone, he’d much prefer to sleep till noon. Waking up at eight in the morning was hardly his idea of a perfect life.

“Mr. Ryan, it’s time for breakfast.”

The maid gently reminded him, and Ryan, still groggy, hurriedly agreed, abandoning any thoughts of snoozing a bit longer.

Struggling to get up, he fumbled around to put his laptop away.

But as Ryan lifted his mattress, his hand searched around and then he frowned, sensing something was off.

The terrifying possibility instantly wiped away all his sleepiness, and his movements suddenly quickened, flinging the blanket away.

“No… that can’t be right, I definitely left it here.”

What he was referring to was his long-written strategy notebook.

Ryan looked terrified. He could handle losing almost anything, but not the notebook—it was absolutely crucial that it didn’t get lost or fall into the wrong hands!

Ever since his days in the Department of English, Ryan had developed the habit of jotting down his daily thoughts.

So, on the surface, that notebook was a strategy guide for handling tasks related to Alice, but in reality, it had also become a script of Ryan’s inner dramas.

Damn it, why did I even start keeping a diary? Who in their right mind keeps a diary!

The real danger of a diary was someone discovering your secrets, and if someone saw Ryan’s notebook, it wouldn’t just be social suicide.

[Alice’s ‘cold outside, warm inside’ personality is actually quite adorable.]

[Alice is very sensitive,if you pinch her waist, she makes the cutest noises.]

Statements like these filled the notebook, each one enough to make Ryan cringe.

But being found out for these would at most label him a creep.

The real issue was that Ryan had written his intentional plans for self-sabotage in there. If discovered, his motives would be completely exposed.

“Oh my God, why did I write that stuff down.”

Ryan wished he could slap himself, but anxiety offered no solutions, and he could only search everywhere with a glimmer of hope.

After flipping the entire mattress and nearly checking every tile in the basement, the notebook was nowhere to be found.

He should have put it away before going to sleep,after all, this wasn’t his house.

This is bad, really bad.

Fifteen minutes later, still empty-handed, Ryan followed the maid to the dining room in utter despair.

Breakfast time hadn’t been delayed because of Ryan’s mishap,he had to face what was coming.

His biggest fear was that the notebook had already ended up in Alice’s hands. If so, he was totally screwed.

This was Alice’s house,if his notebook was missing, it meant someone had taken it. And would the servants return it to him or hand it over to Alice?

Isn’t that obvious?

As he was led into the dining room, Alice was already seated at the table.

When Ryan approached, she merely glanced up at him without much reaction.

Her indifferent response actually relieved Ryan a bit,it seemed Alice didn’t know about the notebook yet, or she wouldn’t be acting so nonchalantly.

For a moment, Ryan even found Alice’s cool demeanor more approachable.

“Sit down.”

Saying so, Alice gestured to the seat next to her.

Still in a state of despair, Ryan hadn’t quite caught what Alice had said and habitually started to sit across the table.

“I said, sit here.”

Alice, noticing Ryan’s action, frowned slightly and pointed again to the seat beside her, clearly indicating for him to sit there.

“Huh?”

Ryan glanced at the spot next to Alice and then back at his own seat.

Usually, there was a table between him and Alice, and they ate separately. Sometimes, if Ryan was late, Alice wouldn’t wait and would start eating without him.

But now, Alice was asking him to sit next to her. They were still using separate utensils to share food, but the breakfast items were now the same.

The distance seemed to have closed. What did this mean?

Ryan stroked his chin, pondering. Alice’s favorability was already at sixty-seven. If he got any closer, wouldn’t he quickly break through seventy and face disaster?

“Not willing? If you’re not willing, you might as well skip breakfast.”

Seeing Ryan hesitate, Alice didn’t allow him to explain further. With a wave of her hand, the maid behind her moved to take Ryan’s plate away.

In an instant, Ryan caved. All his concerns were thrown to the back of his mind.

No, no, no, that won’t do. Starving is not an option.

Back in the orphanage, when times were tough and the director often had to dip into his own pockets, there were still kids who went hungry.

Ryan always cared about the younger kids’ health, often giving up his own share of bread.

Now that he was grown, he didn’t want to experience hunger again.

Quickly sliding next to Alice, Ryan held onto his plate that the maid was about to take away and flashed Alice a bright smile.

Alice seemed slightly startled by his reaction, then quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.

She didn’t say anything, just signaled the maid to back off.

She hadn’t really intended for Ryan to go hungry,she just wanted him closer.

Alice had her own ideas about how to cultivate a relationship with the man before her. A little punishment for Ryan was enough,he should remember not to defy her in the future.

If she wanted him to stay by her side for a long time, she needed to apply both carrot and stick, making sure he neither dared nor wanted to leave.

The stick had been enough before,now it was time to offer Ryan some benefits to win him over.

“What are you planning to do today?”

Breaking from her usual reserve, Alice initiated conversation about Ryan’s plans for the day.

Previously, it was always Ryan showing concern for her. After pondering all night, she had decided she needed to let Ryan feel her care too.

Ryan blinked, slightly puzzled. He couldn’t help but feel that Miss Alice was acting a bit differently today.

But with the recent experience, he figured it was best to speak up directly, or else his breakfast might be at risk again.

“I think I’ll visit the orphanage, check on the kids.”

Ryan thought for a moment before answering, deliberately not mentioning his plan to meet Anna.

Alice had set three rules for him yesterday, one of which was not to interact with any women.

Anna was definitely a woman, and undoubtedly a pretty one. If Alice knew Ryan was going to see her, his plans for the day would likely be ruined.

Although easing Anna’s concerns would also benefit Alice, Ryan didn’t think Miss Alice would agree if he mentioned it.

“Anything else planned?”

“No, that’s it.”

Ryan stated firmly, without a hint of guilt.

This was a skill honed over years of life experiences,he believed that if he could deceive himself, he could deceive anyone else.

He now convinced himself he was just visiting the orphanage, so logically, Alice shouldn’t suspect anything.

Sure enough, after Ryan said this, Alice just nodded slightly and continued eating her meal quietly.

Alice fell silent, but Ryan started to worry again.

His notebook was missing, and it could only have ended up in the hands of someone else in this villa, and any servant who found it would definitely hand it over to Alice.

Logically, Alice should have gotten his notebook by now, but why did she seem so normal, without any strange reactions?

Ryan’s gaze lingered on Alice, openly scrutinizing her.

And Alice didn’t resist,she actually seemed to enjoy the attention, letting Ryan think whatever he wanted.

“By the way, change your clothes before you go out. The maid has prepared something for you.”

Alice added this, her head bowing lower and her neck turning a delicate shade of pink.

Last night, when she returned to her room, the first thing she saw was the clothes laid out on the bed, including some intimate garments.

She had unknowingly asked Ryan to bring the clothes up, which undoubtedly meant Ryan had seen them.

The thought of what Ryan might have seen made Alice flush with embarrassment.

Ryan had seen them and hadn’t explained or taken responsibility, which angered her.

But these things couldn’t be rushed,she needed to learn to manage her emotions, not to be led around by Ryan, which would be too embarrassing.

“Change clothes?”

Ryan, oblivious to Alice’s discomfort, looked down at his own attire.

Although his clothes were cheaper compared to Alice’s, they were suitable for him. Wearing a suit or something similar wouldn’t really suit him.

“Do I have to change?”

“Yes, you must. You need to understand, you’re mine now.”

“When you go out, you represent me. You wouldn’t want to embarrass me, right?”