Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Do you like Alice?

“Alice is really struggling with some stuff right now, and I just don’t know how to help her out.”

Ryan stirred his coffee absentmindedly, clearly preoccupied with his own worries. It was like the arrow was already notched to the bowstring, and he had no choice but to shoot.

“Do you really want to help Miss Alice that much?”

Anna’s gaze froze as she listened to Ryan, her voice turning icy, though she managed to mask it before Ryan looked her way.

Ryan’s words pierced her heart like an icicle. Even though she had heard about his recent troubles from Mia yesterday, hearing him say it out loud still made her clench her fists.

Does he really care about Alice that much?

“I guess so. After all, Miss Alice is all alone, and dealing with gang-related stuff is tough.”

Ryan responded earnestly to Anna’s words.

Anna’s mouth twitched. She had always been on her own too, so why was Ryan so eager to help Alice and not her?

Would he come to her side if he knew what she was going through?

“Well, she’s actually pretty lucky then.”

Anna gave a noncommittal response and quickly steered the conversation to a close.

She didn’t want to delve deeper into this topic,it might make her start acting weird.

Ryan’s words were like a spear thrust into Anna’s heart, and she couldn’t help but feel the urge to open up to him.

She was a strong person, only ever showing her vulnerability to her sister. She didn’t want to admit her weaknesses or expose that side of herself.

But what if showing her vulnerability got Ryan’s attention? Maybe then he would come to her side?

No, she didn’t want his pity,she wanted genuine affection.

Still, she wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever means necessary to make sure she was on his mind.

Yesterday, Mia had come to her with some strange advice.

The kid seemed a bit dramatic, and her words were cringe-worthy, but Anna could tell Mia had feelings for Ryan too. She was looking to form an alliance.

Mia’s advice was to keep Ryan close by using “apologies.”

Anna couldn’t go back to the villa to find Ryan,she needed to make him come to her. Ryan cared a lot about others’ feelings, and an apology could help her achieve her goal.

“Um… Anna, I still want to apologize for yesterday.”

As the previous topic ended, Anna was still pondering what to say next when she heard Ryan awkwardly starting to apologize.

The boy seemed uncomfortable with the gesture, and his apology came out a bit clumsy.

But Anna didn’t see any of this in a negative light. Even a clumsy Ryan was interesting to her.

He was talking to her, making an effort to apologize, and that was what mattered. The content was secondary.

“Anna?”

“Yeah, I’m listening.”

Anna nodded to let Ryan continue, and though he felt reassured by her response, he was also a bit flustered.

Normally, shouldn’t she at least respond politely or show some subtlety? Was she really just accepting it like that?

But indeed, he had caused her trouble, so her reaction was justified.

“First off, I really appreciate you coming to see me yesterday.”

Ryan said, looking at Anna with a hint of nervousness, but she seemed unimpressed, just nodding calmly.

More than his gratitude, she wanted to hear why he was apologizing.

From her perspective, while she was furious about yesterday, her anger wasn’t directed at Ryan—it was focused squarely on Alice.

If it weren’t for Alice, Ryan would never have acted that way.

“That’s okay, it’s what I should do.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Anna lifted her latte and took a delicate sip, smiling as she responded.

She casually tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a pale earlobe adorned with a crescent-shaped earring.

“But I turned down your kindness yesterday. I didn’t explain well because we were short on time, but I want to clear things up now.”

Anna’s calm demeanor took Ryan by surprise. Her attitude seemed to say that being rejected by him was no big deal, which somehow made Ryan even more anxious.

“I wasn’t kidnapped by Miss Alice. I’m with her because…”

Ryan felt that this was where their misunderstanding lay. From his perspective, he had chosen to stay with Alice, but everyone seemed to think he was kidnapped.

However, before Ryan could finish, Anna, slightly agitated, cut him off.

She was breathing heavily, setting her cup on the table so abruptly that coffee splashed out.

Ryan was startled by the sudden change, watching Anna in confusion. But she just grabbed a napkin as if nothing had happened and wiped her hand.

“There’s no need to explain. I understand it all.”

Anna sighed, then looked at Ryan with a gentle, all-encompassing gaze.

“You have your reasons, your own difficulties. I get that.”

“If you feel it’s hard to talk about, you don’t need to explain to me. I know what kind of person you are, senior, and that doesn’t change.”

Saying this, she gazed out the window at the bustling street and took a light sip of her coffee.

Just sitting there, she exuded a sense of serene contentment.

Ryan understood what Anna meant, feeling a warmth in his heart. She must have seen his hesitation and interrupted him for that reason.

Since Anna trusted him so much, Ryan didn’t insist further, just watching her profile, slightly lost in thought.

If it weren’t for the initial mishap, Ryan might have been living a similar life, perhaps even sharing a coffee with Anna on some lazy afternoon. That too would have been a way of life.

Anna could feel Ryan’s gaze but didn’t turn immediately. Instead, she shifted slightly, covering her eyes with the back of her hand.

In that moment, her eyes, previously soft, turned bloodshot, and the corners twitched. What was once a picture of tranquility now seemed haunted by demons.

Alice, always Alice. Hearing about her repeatedly from Ryan was pushing Anna to her limits.

She couldn’t understand why, after knowing Alice for only half a month, Ryan’s relationship with her had progressed so quickly.

Despite denying it countless times internally, a burning question was raging within Anna, impossible to suppress any longer.

“Can I ask you just one question, senior Ryan?”

Anna’s gaze hardened as she turned to face Ryan, her expression suddenly serious.

Why had it suddenly become like this?

Ryan felt the shift in the young woman’s presence, reminded that her gentle demeanor was only one side of her,she had another side too.

As Anna posed her question, her tone was unmistakably frosty.

“Go ahead, not just one question, I’ll answer ten if you need.”

Ryan, feeling somewhat guilty, quickly responded, but Anna just shook her head slightly and then held up one finger.

“No, just one question, and I need the truth, senior.”

“Do you like Alice?”