âMiss Alice, are you okay?â
Ryan was holding Aliceâs small hand tightly, sensing that she was in a terrible state.
Like a balloon being overinflated, Alice was on the verge of bursting.
She sat in her chair, motionless like a doll, only moving when Ryan was about to lead her away.
Her pale wrist flipped over to grasp Ryanâs hand, her fingertips digging into his skin. Her gaze flickered unsettlingly.
âPause.â
Just as things were about to spiral out of control, reason prevailed. Alice exhaled a heavy breath, suppressing the chaos in her mind and raised her hand.
Ryan must have misunderstood,she was not that kind of person.
She had to stop, had to make Ryan understand her.
Thinking of Ryanâs unfamiliar look just now, Alice felt her heart bleeding. She had never felt like this before,what was happening to her?
It hurt so much, really hurt.
Aliceâs voice broke the silence, her cold tone her best defense, a mask she had grown accustomed to wearing. Others might have been surprised, but they didnât know what was wrong with Alice.
A meeting pause was unprecedented,they couldnât decide on their own, so all eyes turned to Dante.
Dante twirled his golden thumb ring, not responding immediately to the curious glances. His eyes moved between Ryan and Alice, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Indeed, he had guessed right. There was a problem between Ryan and Alice. Ryan didnât look like someone who could survive in the gang world. For some reason, Ryan and Alice had ended up together.
Alice still dared to bring Ryan here, showing real trust in him.
Alice seemed truly unaware of her current predicament. Showing even a slight weakness could spell big trouble for her.
Dante bore no ill will towards Alice, but that didnât mean others wouldnât seize the opportunity.
If Dante could see it, so could the others sitting around him. Bringing this issue into the open was also a way for Dante to remind Alice.
If she was really smart, she would get Ryan out of there quickly. The cold, distant Alice was the one suited for her current situation.
âMiss Alice has spoken, so letâs pause. Weâll come back in fifteen minutes,everyone take a break.â
Dante issued the command on Aliceâs behalf, the first to stand and head outside.
The others were somewhat baffled. Dante seemed to have some covert connection with Miss Alice, but it was unclear at the moment. They had no choice but to follow Dante out of the conference room.
Danteâs departure took about two-thirds of the people with him, and those left didnât care for the oppressive atmosphere of the meeting room and also left.
Soon, only a few scattered individuals remained in the conference room.
Alice, observing the situation, gained a bit of clarity. She was extremely intelligent and soon grasped Danteâs intention.
In the distance, Lorenzo was huddling with a group, possibly already plotting to sway Ryan.
The best move now was to send Ryan away, finish the meeting, and then explain everything to him in detail.
But without Ryan here, she felt she couldnât last a minute.
Her palm was damp, her nails had pierced the capillaries in Ryanâs palm. She stared at his palm for a moment, then quickly let go.
Ryan inhaled sharply as his hand finally broke free, his wrist slightly whitened, his palm stained with fresh red.
Seeing everyone leave the meeting room, Ryan was also surprised. Miss Alice had actually paused the meeting.
But given her state just now, she definitely couldnât have continued.
âRyanâ¦â
Alice looked at Ryan, her beautiful features now marred by distress. She reached out to gently touch his palm, full of remorse.
She didnât know what had happened, only that thinking of Ryan actually leaving her made her heart feel as if it was being crushed, making even breathing painful.
She looked at Ryan, her heart filled with things she wanted to say, wanting to lay out all her plans and intentions. But she was scared.
Scared that once she spoke, even the status quo couldnât be maintained.
Right now, she able to forcibly keep Ryan by her side. But once she revealed everything, she wouldnât be able to blame Ryan or stop him from leaving.
Her lips parted and closed without a sound, her eyes conveying a multitude of messages, yet she said nothing.
The atmosphere grew awkward. Alice couldnât find the words, and Ryan, waiting, began to feel a growing disappointment.
He shouldnât have expected any explanations. After all, this was just another day for Alice. Why should she apologize for her daily life?
Forcing a smile, Ryan rubbed the back of his head and hid his blood-stained hand behind his back, keeping it away from Alice.
âBy the way, Miss Alice, are you hungry?â
âHungry?â
Alice didnât understand what Ryan was getting at and was momentarily dazed. The next second, Ryan pulled out some bread and milk from his backpack and placed them in her hands.
âI grabbed these from the kitchen earlier. Since weâre on a break, you might as well eat.â
Ryan said this, avoiding Aliceâs piercing gaze. For now, he didnât know how to face Miss Alice.
He almost fled from Aliceâs side, the more he interacted with her, the stronger the discomfort in his heart grew.
He was here to complete a mission that would allow him to revive himself. After all other paths had been blocked, he decided to help Alice achieve her goals.
But now, Ryan realized he didnât understand Alice at all. He didnât even know whether her intentions were good or bad. Was his help actually making things better, or was he just aiding a tyrant?
His mind was increasingly filled with doubts, and all he wanted now was to get some fresh air.
Alice looked at the food in her hands and then at Ryanâs retreating figure.
She wanted to call him back, to have him stay and listen to everything she had to say, but she couldnât show any weakness with the crowd around her like wolves.
She began to hate herself. If she had trusted Ryan more from the start, if she hadnât been so closed off, and had explained everything to him, maybe he wouldnât be trying to escape now.
She stuffed the bread into her mouth and washed it down with milk, but it tasted bitter.
âThe meetingâs finally over~.â
Ryan, still under Aliceâs watchful eye, had barely taken two steps out of the meeting room when a soft presence clung to his arm. Turning his head, he saw Mia, the girl he had met in the kitchen earlier.
The little one smiled brilliantly, her pale cheeks tinged with a blush, her big eyes sparkling.
She clung to Ryanâs arm like a koala, and her adorable demeanor made it hard for anyone to resist.
âMia, let go⦠youâre going to pull my arm off.â
Ryan sighed as he spoke to Mia, but the girl didnât listen, continuing to cling stubbornly to his arm.
Recalling what Mia had been doing during the meeting, Ryan hadnât really paid much attention, only vaguely remembering that the little one seemed to have been playing with her phone on a nearby sofa.
âMeetings are so boring, I almost grew mushrooms.â
Mia looked Ryan up and down, having seen all his interactions with Alice. She could tell Ryan was in a bad mood.
She let go of Ryan, waving her hands in the air, then mimed a growing gesture above her head.
Growing bored enough to sprout mushrooms was quite the metaphor.
âCome on, smile a bit, am I not cute?â
Seeing Ryan still gloomy, Mia was somewhat speechless. She stopped pretending and reached out to his face, trying to force a smile.
âAlright, alright, youâre cute, of course.â
Despite his heavy heart, Ryan couldnât help but be amused by Mia, whose charm was quite powerful when it came to winning people over.
âWhatâs wrong, are you hungry again? Want me to take you to get something to eat?â
Ryan couldnât help but reach out and ruffle Miaâs smooth hair, which felt silky under his touch. Mia even showed a cat-like content expression as he did so.
âIâm not, why do you make it sound like Iâm always hungry?â
Mia pouted, but didnât push away Ryanâs mischievous hand. Instead, she lightly punched his stomach to express her protest.
âActually, big brother, I needed to talk to you about something.â
âOh? Whatâs up?â
Ryan looked at Mia curiously as the little one suddenly became serious, even letting go of his arm.
âItâs about Sister Alice. I want you to answer some questions for me.â