Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 242: You belong to me

Ryan looked at Alice’s expression, feeling a mix of emotions himself.

In just a few seconds, Alice’s face had shifted from anger to worry, and then, for some reason, settled into a kind of quiet sadness.

And somehow, that sadness seemed to seep into Ryan as well, leaving him feeling troubled.

[Alice Mood Level-5, Current: 20/100 (Sadness)]

What could Miss Alice be so upset about?

Ryan stared at Alice, unable to figure it out.

Just a moment ago, Miss Alice was clearly angry with him. He hadn’t even said anything yet, so why was she suddenly sad?

Whatever the reason, this couldn’t go on. He needed to clear things up.

With the enemy at their doorstep, they still needed Alice to make the final decisions. If Miss Alice had a breakdown now, both of their lives could be in danger.

Ryan’s mind was entirely focused on how he should explain himself when Miss Alice questioned him. Because of this, he completely missed the most crucial part of what Alice had just said.

[Ryan, you should know what I care about.]

If he had understood her then, maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control later on, leading to so much pain, struggle, and regret.

“Ugh, what am I supposed to do?”

Ryan rubbed the back of his head in frustration, but before he could finish his thought, a small hand slapped his side and twisted sharply.

“Ow—”

Ryan sucked in a breath, cursing silently. That pinch was way too strong, like something you’d reserve for an enemy.

Alice had already walked away, but Ryan didn’t need to look down to know exactly who was responsible for the pain.

As if Alice’s attitude wasn’t enough of a headache, now Mia was causing trouble too. Life really wasn’t cutting him any slack.

“You little troublemaker, what now?”

Ryan sighed deeply, looking down at the girl beside him, his eyes full of helplessness.

Mia wasn’t looking at Ryan,instead, she was glaring daggers at Alice’s back, her lips pouting in anger. Her small hands clenched and unclenched, her knuckles cracking as if she was gearing up for a fight.

“What now? Aren’t you even a little mad?”

Mia mimicked Ryan’s words in a mocking tone, then stomped her foot in frustration.

Her big eyes stared at Ryan, filled with a mix of surprise and anger, as if she were studying some kind of alien species.

“Alice treated you like that, and you’re just going to let it slide?”

“Don’t you think she was out of line?”

Ryan just waved his hand dismissively at Mia’s attempt to stir things up.

Angry? Not really.

Even if Alice had been genuinely upset with him over those thugs, what could he do about it?

If he got mad and lashed out at Alice, it would only make things worse for him.

Alice wouldn’t kill him, but she could easily lock him back up in the villa and not let him out again.

After seeing how quickly things could go south today, Ryan had a feeling that another Dangerous Event was just around the corner. He couldn’t afford to be away from Alice.

He still needed that Wish Point to turn his fate around. If he couldn’t help Alice complete the Crucial Mission, they were both as good as dead.

“No way, I can’t just let this go. I’m going to stand up for you.”

Mia pinched Ryan’s side again, her face full of righteous anger—or maybe it was something more personal. Either way, her expression was all fury.

Ignoring Ryan’s repeated attempts to calm her down, Mia grabbed his hand and stormed off after Alice, her determination almost inspiring.

Alice had only asked Ryan to follow her earlier, so Mia should’ve been left out. But now, seeing Mia charging forward like a little locomotive, none of the bodyguards dared to stop her. They just let her pass.

A few minutes later, the three of them were sitting in a makeshift office in the middle of the construction site.

The room they were in was nothing like the villa—no elegant decor here. But it was clean enough, considering it was originally the site manager’s office, now clearly taken over by Alice.

From the moment he stepped inside, Ryan felt a chill in the air, and he couldn’t help but sneeze a few times.

Now, sitting in the middle of the room, he watched the two girls facing off on either side of him. He didn’t dare breathe too loudly, staring blankly at the ceiling instead.

Mia had stormed in, determined to stand up for him, and she certainly launched a series of attacks on Alice. But the impact of her words was disappointingly small compared to the fiery energy she had when she started.

“Alice, what do you even think Ryan is? He’s not someone you can just order around whenever you feel like it.”

“Ryan is mine. What does that have to do with you?”

“You shouldn’t have treated him like that. Ryan only fought for you, and you don’t even appreciate it?”

“That’s between Ryan and me. What’s it got to do with you?”

Ryan had heard this kind of exchange many times before. If Mia was a blazing fire, then Alice was an unyielding block of ice.

Every one of Mia’s attacks was effortlessly deflected by Alice, who didn’t even have a scratch to show for it.

“I only asked Ryan to come. I don’t remember inviting you.”

“Are you here because you and Marco planned this together? Trying to put on a show for me?”

Mia’s momentum faltered for a moment, and Alice immediately seized the opportunity to counterattack. Her gaze flickered between Ryan and Mia, her eyes narrowing.

The image of Mia clinging to Ryan’s arm flashed through Alice’s mind. Why didn’t Ryan pull away? Was he enjoying it?

Ryan was supposed to be her assistant. He shouldn’t have anything to do with Mia. And yet, when Mia held onto his arm, he just let it happen?

Alice’s eyes grew colder, and Mia couldn’t help but shrink back a little. Even Ryan, who had been lost in thought, suddenly felt a chill and rubbed his arms.

“Don’t you dare accuse me of anything. If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have bothered helping you.”

“Helping? Ha, you think you’re capable of that?”

Their argument had been superficial up until now, but suddenly it escalated, both of them refusing to back down, like two sharp blades about to clash.

Ryan sighed softly, staring at his knees.

He couldn’t afford to get on either of their bad sides. Better to stay out of it entirely—if he didn’t say anything, he couldn’t be blamed for anything.

Finally, Ryan had a moment to think back on what Alice had said earlier and to piece together the events that had just unfolded.

From Mia and Alice’s conversation, Ryan was now certain that Miss Alice didn’t take Marco seriously at all. In fact, she had anticipated trouble from the gang long before it happened.

If anything, it would’ve been strange if those guys hadn’t caused problems for her.

So, Alice wasn’t angry because he fought Marco’s men. Then what was it?

As for the incident itself, the clues Mia had given him were clearly important. The man who caused the trouble wasn’t just some nobody—he was wealthy, even powerful.

Why would someone like that go out of their way to mess with Alice? What was their motive?

The timing of Marco’s men showing up alongside those troublemakers was too coincidental. Ryan racked his brain, feeling like he was on the verge of grasping something crucial.

But his thoughts were cut short as the argument between the two girls came to an abrupt end.

“Ryan’s business is none of your concern.”

“And let me warn you—don’t go after things you can’t have. You’ll only end up getting burned, and no one will be able to save you.”

Alice’s final words were like a hammer striking down, her cold voice making the air around them seem to tremble.

Mia jumped to her feet, her face flushed with anger. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Alice didn’t give her the chance. She stood up, grabbed Ryan by the arm, and started to drag him out of the room.

Ryan glanced at the two of them, his lips curling slightly. The outcome was exactly what he had expected.

Alice had won this round, and Mia had failed in her challenge. It wouldn’t be long before she tried again, though.

But this time, something was different. As Ryan watched Alice, waiting for the right moment to leave, his gaze suddenly froze, and even his breath caught in his throat.

As Alice moved closer, her cold scent filling his senses, he thought he heard her whisper something.

“You belong to me. If I ever catch you with Mia again…”

“I’ll kill you.”