Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 258: Remember who your real boss is

As Ryan had anticipated, the gang members respected strength and power. Even though he had Miss Alice’s special backing, there were still plenty of people who didn’t fully accept him.

Take the new foreman at the construction site, for example. Sure, he had a certain level of fear toward Ryan, but if Ryan wanted real cooperation, he’d have to show off a bit.

Ryan’s analysis was spot on. A big part of it was because there wasn’t much room for doubt in the situation.

There had only been one suspicious person at the site in the past few days. The injured guy and the thief hadn’t been found, but it was obvious they were the same person.

Ryan was just repeating the simplest facts, but his usual mysterious demeanor made him seem pretty intimidating. A seemingly ordinary young guy suddenly turning into a master detective? Anyone would be caught off guard.

Mia watched Ryan with growing interest. The foreman had been hesitant, but since Ryan’s analysis seemed to make sense, he decided to spill everything.

Something important had indeed been stolen from the site. It wasn’t just any random item—it was the procurement documents for some of the building materials.

“This project is a huge opportunity for Miss Alice, and for the suppliers, it’s a rare big contract. Whoever supplies the materials is looking at a massive order.”

The foreman slowly explained the situation. He walked over to his desk, pulled out a freshly printed document from a pile of blueprints, and handed it to Ryan.

“A price reduction notice?”

Ryan glanced at the document, slightly surprised. It was a contract from a company called StoneRiver Materials. After a quick scan, he understood the gist of it.

“Yeah, this is StoneRiver Materials’ price reduction notice for the building materials.”

“StoneRiver was originally our second choice. We were going to go with BlueSky Materials.”

“But after the price drop, the supplier changed?”

Ryan asked, mentally noting the two companies involved.

The foreman nodded. Up until today, he had been the purchasing manager for the site, and since he had discussed the matter with Miss Alice, he knew more than most.

“A price drop is a good thing. The site has to consider costs, and StoneRiver’s offer was too good to pass up.”

As the foreman explained, Ryan pondered for a moment, then handed the document to Mia, who had been waiting eagerly. He crouched down to continue inspecting the broken drawer.

The missing procurement documents—this could be a big deal, or it could be nothing.

Compared to one-of-a-kind documents, procurement forms could be reprinted endlessly. Losing one wasn’t a huge issue.

But if those documents fell into the wrong hands, things could get serious.

StoneRiver had undercut BlueSky to win the contract. Even with the price drop, they were still going to make a killing.

So, unless BlueSky’s people were complete idiots, they’d know something was up. Since pricing between suppliers wasn’t transparent, the only way they could confirm anything would be by getting information from the purchasing team.

Given how specific the stolen documents were, it almost seemed like BlueSky was behind it.

But something about it didn’t sit right with Ryan. Forget whether BlueSky would even need to stoop to such underhanded tactics—how did they know exactly where the procurement documents were? The thief hadn’t even bothered with the other drawers, going straight for the third one. That meant they had inside information.

Ryan’s gaze flickered toward the foreman, his suspicions deepening. Things weren’t getting simpler—they were getting more complicated.

Ryan continued searching the site for evidence. Following a trail of blood, he discovered that the man had escaped through the back gate.

There were no cameras at the site, and no one had witnessed anything, making the search difficult.

However, as noon approached, food vendors began setting up near the back gate, giving Ryan a glimmer of hope.

The foreman went to the front gate to deal with the reporters, while Ryan called Alice to update her on the situation.

Alice already knew a bit about what was happening at the site, but only that the procurement documents had been stolen.

“Is this about the two companies’ procurement?”

“Yes, Miss Alice. I suspect someone at the site is helping them.”

Alice fell silent at Ryan’s words. She had suspected for a while now that not everyone around her was trustworthy.

It wasn’t just this incident at the construction site. Even Mia’s uncanny ability to always know her whereabouts had been troubling her for some time.

“How are you doing? Have you run into any reporters?”

Alice temporarily set aside the more troublesome matters. She had been feeling uneasy all morning, but she couldn’t leave her current situation. The fact that Ryan had taken the initiative to call her was something she appreciated.

Normally, Alice wasn’t one to easily show concern, but ever since her emotional outburst the previous day, the distance between them had closed rapidly. It seemed she no longer felt the need to hold back her care.

Expressing her feelings openly was the only way to prevent Mia, that troublesome woman, from taking advantage of the situation.

“Reporters? Not too bad. I don’t think they’ll recognize me that easily.”

Ryan glanced toward the front gate, where the media still had the place surrounded. Thankfully, no one had yet discovered the back entrance to the construction site.

“And Mia? Has she done anything to you?”

Alice felt a bit more at ease knowing Ryan was safe for the moment, but in her mind, the real danger wasn’t Ryan’s situation—it was Mia, who was always by his side.

“Her? Do something to me?”

Ryan looked over at the girl standing next to him, a bit confused. It was lunchtime, and the little one seemed hungry. She was at a nearby food stall, buying a hot dog.

“Auntie, this is so good! It’s even better than Boston lobster!”

Mia had grown up surrounded by servants and had probably never encountered street food like this. After taking a bite, she immediately covered her mouth in surprise, her big eyes sparkling with delight.

The woman selling the hot dogs seemed a bit taken aback by the compliment. She had no idea what Boston lobster tasted like, but she was clearly flattered by Mia’s praise.

In this day and age, appearances matter. No matter how reluctant you are, you have to admit that cute people get special treatment.

“I’ve never had Boston lobster, but I can make grilled sausages. Here, little girl, take this one—it’s on the house.”

Mia was chatting happily with the vendor when Ryan glanced over. She flashed him a sweet smile and held out the hot dog.

“Ryan, do you want some too?”

Ryan was still on the phone, but hearing the sudden heavy breathing on the other end, he knew things were about to go south. He quickly covered the phone and turned his back.

Mia was like that—she looked like an innocent, adorable girl, but if you really believed that, you’d end up in a world of trouble later on.

“Is Mia behaving herself? She’s always been… a bit strange.”

Ryan muttered quietly into the phone. So far, Mia had been relatively well-behaved that morning—she hadn’t caused any trouble, but she hadn’t been much help either.

Not that he expected the little devil to be of any assistance. As long as she wasn’t causing problems behind his back, that was good enough.

“Alright, just keep your distance from her. And remember who your real boss is.”

Alice’s mood noticeably darkened when Mia came up. She sternly warned Ryan, and only after he repeatedly reassured her did her tone soften a little.

She hung up the phone, gracefully smoothing out the creases in her dress. After a brief moment of silence, she tucked away the small flicker of tenderness in her heart. Alice lifted her gaze, her sharpness returning, and the two people in front of her could only tremble in fear.

They were just ordinary reporters, but facing Alice, the boss of the underworld, they didn’t stand a chance.

They had thought Alice would take a few days to react, giving them enough time to take the money and leave the city. But before they could even board the train to freedom, they had been thrown into a sack and dragged here.

When you make a mistake, there are always consequences. With Alice, those consequences just come a lot faster.

Alice let out a cold chuckle, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the leather seat beneath her. When she spoke again, her voice was as icy as winter.

“I’ve said my piece. Now it’s your turn… Who sent you after Ryan?”