âWait⦠no way, Miss Alice, you must be joking.â
Ryan swallowed hard as he listened to Alice, clearly in disbelief.
âLive with you? In the same room? I mustâve misheard.â
No matter how much he tried to deny it, the shock in his heart was undeniable. The car was dead silent, and Ryan had heard her loud and clear.
Ever since he was kidnapped and brought here, Ryan had been living in a basement full of surveillance cameras.
At first, it was hard to adjust, but over time, he got used to it. The place was actually pretty well-furnished, and the servants were attentive. Honestly, it was way more comfortable than the apartment he used to rent.
After a while, Ryan had grown accustomed to life in the basement, treating it like his second little hideaway.
He figured heâd be stuck down there until the mission was over. That was his plan, anyway.
But now, Alice, dressed in an elegant gown, looking every bit the youthful princess, was telling him to move upstairs and live with her?
Ryan had been to Aliceâs room a few times. There was only one bedâa princess bed. So, she meant⦠sharing the bed?
He rubbed his ears, wondering if heâd misheard.
Wait, isnât Alice supposed to be this cold, aloof ice queen? Why is she suddenly being so⦠forward?
After tonight, Ryan was pretty sure Alice had feelings for him.
And ever since he realized that, heâd been racking his brain trying to figure out a way out of this situation.
He had to leave Alice eventually. He didnât want to get emotionally involved, but he also didnât want to hurt her. Was there a way to handle this without making things worse?
Flat-out rejecting her? No way. That would probably just piss her off, and if she refused to cooperate, the mission would fail. Then theyâd both be screwed.
Agreeing? Ryan wasnât ready for that. Sure, Alice was great, but they were from completely different worlds.
After thinking it over, Ryan came to a conclusion: the best thing he could do right now was⦠nothing.
Alice had that whole tsundere thing going on, right? Ice queens donât just melt on their own. So, as long as he pretended not to understand, Alice wouldnât make the first move.
If she didnât make a move, and he didnât either, they could just drag this out. No big deal, right?
But⦠right now, where was that cold, aloof Alice?
What had gotten into her?
âIâm not joking, and you didnât mishear.â
âItâs exactly what youâre thinkingâsame room, same bed.â
âI mean, itâs not like it hasnât happened before, right?â
Alice watched Ryanâs expression, clearly amused. Wasnât it Ryan who had snuck into her bed in the middle of the night, kissed her, and then said something about not taking responsibility?
On the surface, he seemed like a smooth player, but it was all an act. Deep down, he was just an inexperienced, innocent guy.
As Alice thought about it, a small smile crept onto her lips. Looks like she wasnât the only one lacking experience.
So, would they be each otherâs first?
âHonestly, the basementâs pretty comfortable⦠And Miss Alice, what about your reputation?â
Ryan waved his hands frantically. No way was he agreeing to this. If he did, theyâd be living under the same roof, constantly running into each other. That was definitely not a good idea, especially since he wasnât ready for any of this.
âIsnât there a bunch of other rooms on the second floor? You could just give one to Nella or something.â
âNone of the other rooms are furnished. The floors arenât even done.â
Alice watched Ryan squirm, clearly enjoying herself. She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she waited for him to keep making excuses.
The frustration sheâd felt earlier in the day had completely melted away. Her delicate features relaxed, and if no one had been watching, she mightâve even whistled.
Have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse? Most people think a cat will just eat the mouse right away, but thatâs not how it works.
Cats are natural hunters. After catching their prey, theyâll follow it around, occasionally batting at its tail, just to watch it struggle and try to escape. Itâs all part of the fun.
Only when the mouse is completely exhausted, teetering on the edge of death, its eyes wide with fear, huddled in a corner, does the cat finally decide itâs time to eat.
At that moment, Alice seemed to have an epiphany. Her previous approach had been all wrong. Every time Ryan tried to pull away from her, she would lose her cool, and the things she did afterward were completely out of her control.
But she was Aliceâthe boss of the cityâs underground, the queen of the underworld. Why couldnât she use a little strategy when dealing with Ryan?
Earlier today, she had let Anna and Mia lead her by the nose, watching Ryan interact with them. It felt like needles were stabbing her heart.
But thanks to Annaâs little nudge, Alice had finally made up her mind to change.
Ryan was hers. That was non-negotiable. No one could challenge that. Her feelings for him? Ryan needed to know themâand accept them.
Annaâs relationship with Ryan was built on lies, yet she still managed to win his favor.
So why couldnât Alice use a few underhanded tactics herself? As long as Ryan ended up by her side, wasnât that all that mattered?
She had been so foolish. She shouldâve realized this much sooner.
âI could move out, you know. Iâve got my own place, and itâs pretty close to the villa.â
Aliceâs words were obviously a lie. A villa that luxurious, and she was trying to say it was just an empty shell? That the other rooms didnât even have floors? Who would believe that?
âIf you say one more word, you wonât be sleeping at all tonight. You can stay outside and keep the guards company.â
âIf youâre so unwilling to stay with me, then I guess I have no choice.â
A sharp glint flashed in Aliceâs eyes, and her tone suddenly shifted, becoming as imposing as a towering mountain, pressing down on Ryan until he could barely breathe.
On the surface, the punishment seemed mildâjust standing guard with the bodyguards. But the chilling aura she exuded made it clear how serious the situation was.
Ryanâs system had replaced his main mission with a Crucial Mission. If this had happened two weeks ago, he mightâve been thrilled to see Alice angry. It wouldâve meant he was one step closer to death.
But now? Now, all he felt was a bitter taste in his mouth. Turns out, he wasnât as ready to die as he thought.
âIâm notâ¦â
Ryan didnât hate Alice, of course. His eyes darted around, trying to avoid her gaze. But Aliceâs serious demeanor left him no room to escape. It was clear there was no way out of this.
âThen what is it?â
âWell, you know, men and women are different. I just thought it might be⦠inconvenient for you, Miss Alice.â
âInconvenient?â
Aliceâs lips curled into a smile, as if sheâd just heard the most amusing thing. She turned to face Ryan directly.
âWhen you snuck upstairs and messed with my underwear, did you think about âinconvenienceâ then?â
The backseat was spacious, and the two of them had been sitting a fair distance apart.
But Alice could see Ryanâs instinct to retreat. A shadow flickered in her eyes, and before he could move, she acted.
She slid forward, closing the gap by a foot, leaning in close.
Ryan barely had time to register what was happening before Aliceâs pale arms shifted positionsâone hand braced against the window beside him, the other pressing lightly against his chest.
She had cut off any chance of retreat.
Her hand on his chest felt like a delicate butterfly, its wings softly fluttering, stirring something deep inside him. The space between them shrank rapidly, leaving only a few inches.
Their eyes locked. Ryanâs breath quickened, like a fish out of water, gasping for air, its gills flaring as it teetered on the edge of suffocation.
âI⦠I can explainâ¦â
Ryan knew exactly what Alice was referring to. That incident had been haunting his dreams lately, the memory still fresh and overwhelming.
His face flushed bright red, like a thief caught in the act. He desperately wanted to explain, but the words stuck in his throat, coming out as nothing more than stammering.
Wasnât Alice downstairs at the time? Could she have installed cameras in her own room too?
Embarrassment aside, what filled Ryanâs heart even more was shock. He was starting to realize he didnât understand Alice at allâor rather, he was getting closer to seeing the real Alice.
âOh? Then go ahead, explainâ¦â
Alice wasnât in any rush. She hadnât expected the surveillance footage to actually capture something useful that day.
But now, using that incident as leverage, she was slowly backing Ryan into a corner, waiting for him to fall into her trap. Yet, her mind was already drifting to something else.
The photo. Ryan had seen that photo. Was that why heâd said those things back then?
Something about wanting to see her smile.
âHow cute. So adorably foolish. It makes me want to devour him whole.â