Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 241: You know what I care about

Mia cursed under her breath and shot a glare at the bodyguards standing nearby. These guys were practically useless.

She had done everything she could, but still couldn’t stop the evidence from slipping away. All her efforts were in vain.

And to top it off, Ryan had almost gotten beaten up right in front of her. Mia’s face was flushed with anger, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She unleashed her fury on the men Marco had sent.

Technically, she was supposed to be on Marco’s side. She should have been aligned with him.

But for some reason—maybe it was because of Ryan—she found herself leaning more towards Alice’s camp. She had genuinely been trying to put out the fire earlier.

“You idiots! Don’t you know Ryan is with me?!”

Mia kicked one of the men on the ground, making him squeal in pain like a pig. His buddies weren’t faring much better, as the bodyguards’ fists kept landing on their faces.

They didn’t know who Ryan was, but they sure as hell knew who Mia was.

But they couldn’t wrap their heads around it. Didn’t Ryan just say he was with Alice? So why was Mia, who was supposed to be on Marco’s side, standing up for him?

And what did she mean by “with me”? What was so special about Ryan?

By now, the dust had settled. The workers who needed to run had already fled, and the troublemaker had taken advantage of the chaos to make his escape.

Marco’s plan had worked perfectly. He had stirred the waters just enough to muddy them completely.

The bodyguards and Ryan continued to beat the troublemakers until they were practically picking their teeth off the ground. It was only then that the real boss of the place finally showed up.

“Ryan!”

A voice rang out, full of contradictions—cold yet eager, calm yet frantic. Ryan looked up to see a graceful figure striding quickly toward him.

Alice was always composed, giving off the vibe that she had everything under control.

Even when she was staring down the barrel of Tony’s gun earlier, she hadn’t lost her cool. But now, she was genuinely rattled.

Ryan was still kicking the guys on the ground when he looked up and saw Alice standing right in front of him. Beside her was Dave, who was bowing so low he could barely bend any further.

When Marco’s men had started causing trouble, Dave had realized there was no point in hiding anymore. He had immediately run off to find Miss Alice.

Alice had rushed over the moment she got the news, even breaking a sweat on her forehead. But by the time she arrived, the situation had already played out.

“Ryan, what the hell did you do?!”

“Miss Alice…”

Alice was now standing right in front of Ryan, her scent wafting over him. But this time, the usual cool fragrance was tinged with the smell of gunpowder.

Alice rarely showed her emotions, but anyone could see she was furious now. Her beautiful eyes glared at Ryan with a fiery intensity.

She was clearly shorter than Ryan, but at that moment, her presence was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even lift his head.

There was no need to say much. Just look at the situation—workers had fled, the evidence was gone.

Marco’s men had taken a beating from Ryan. While Marco probably wouldn’t start a war over something this small, the relationship between the two sides had definitely taken a hit.

Ryan was Alice’s assistant. His job was to carry out her will, not act on impulse.

In a way, Alice’s anger was justified.

Ryan looked up at Alice. There was no need to check any status screens,the shadow in Alice’s eyes was deep and complex, like a fire burning with a cold flame.

If Ryan knew Alice better, he might have understood what she was thinking. But right now, all he could see was her anger.

Alice was mad. Really mad.

“You were too reckless, Ryan.”

“You shouldn’t have hit them…”

Her voice was full of reproach, and Ryan lowered his head even further. He knew Alice was right to scold him.

If there had been a better option, Ryan would have taken it. But in that moment, he really didn’t have a choice.

Seeing Ryan hang his head, Alice’s chest finally stopped heaving. She looked at him with a resigned expression and reached out to touch his cheek.

But before she could make contact, a small hand had already yanked Ryan away.

“You’re blaming Ryan? He did it all for you!”

Mia was convinced that Alice was only scolding Ryan because she didn’t want to escalate the situation further. Furious, she stomped on the men lying on the ground a few more times before quickly moving to Ryan’s side, wrapping her arms around his. It was clear she was trying to stand up for him.

Mia had always seen Alice as someone to surpass, but right now, she couldn’t help but look down on her.

If Alice was really so capable, she should have anticipated this mess before it happened, instead of calling Ryan to clean it up and then turning around to blame him.

Mia was indignant on Ryan’s behalf. She couldn’t understand why, despite everything, Ryan still stuck by Alice’s side.

“You don’t understand anything.”

Alice withdrew her hand, which had been hanging in the air, and shot a cold glance at Mia.

That wasn’t what she meant at all. She wasn’t blaming Ryan for that reason. Ryan was hers—what right did Mia have to comment on this?

“I don’t understand?”

“Where were you when Ryan was risking his life for you? What right do you have to—mmph…”

Before Mia could finish, Ryan’s large hand covered her mouth.

He gently pulled Mia back, not wanting her to continue.

Throughout this, Alice didn’t say a word. She just frowned, watching the interaction between Ryan and Mia—watching as Mia protectively placed herself in front of Ryan, and as Ryan’s face showed a hint of hurt.

Ryan’s emotions were clearly being swayed by Mia, and Alice’s frown deepened as she observed his expression.

Mia didn’t understand her, and Alice could live with that. But why didn’t Ryan understand her either?

How could he think she was angry just because he hit Marco’s men? Didn’t Ryan realize how much he meant to her?

Alice wasn’t good at expressing herself. She could only clumsily show her concern. She was a mafia boss, and a mafia boss couldn’t afford to be soft.

Why didn’t Ryan see that? Why did he have to look so hurt?

Did she really have to rip her heart out and show it to him for him to believe that she would never hurt him, no matter what?

Watching Mia cling to Ryan’s arm, and seeing Ryan accept it without hesitation, made Alice feel like she couldn’t breathe.

Ryan hitting Marco’s men? That didn’t matter. But him recklessly getting involved and almost getting hurt? That mattered a lot.

The workers filming and accusing her? That didn’t matter. But Ryan appearing in their videos, becoming a target? That mattered a lot.

This was what she was really concerned about, but why couldn’t she just say it?

The pride of being a mafia boss wouldn’t let her bow her head. Even though she was being misunderstood in front of everyone, she couldn’t apologize.

She was even more afraid of showing weakness—afraid that if she showed any vulnerability in front of Ryan, he would stop fearing her, stop following her lead.

Her voice was a bit hoarse as she looked at Ryan’s furrowed brow, feeling her heart shrink in pain.

“Ryan, you know what I care about.”

As she said this, Alice tiredly rubbed her temples. Her voice had softened considerably, but Mia still glared at her with hostility, keeping Ryan firmly behind her.

From start to finish, Alice didn’t even glance at the men on the ground. Her eyes were fixed on Ryan, but unfortunately, he couldn’t understand the look in her eyes.

With a deep sigh, Alice’s proud shoulders slumped, and her words were tinged with exhaustion.

“Get rid of these men.”

“Ryan… come with me.”