Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 277: Despair

Dinner ended in a strange, tense atmosphere. To be honest, not many people really enjoyed the meal.

Anna and Alice had been subtly competing the whole time. Since Ryan was there, Alice couldn’t fully express her frustration, which left Anna in control of the situation.

In just half an hour, Alice was visibly upset—her face had darkened considerably.

The reason Alice had brought Anna over wasn’t because they had reconciled. If it weren’t for the fact that she had to let Ryan see Anna alive and well, Alice would never have done something so self-sabotaging.

“Thanks so much, Miss Alice. I had a great time tonight,” Anna said, seemingly sincere as she thanked Alice. Alice’s heart was bleeding—she wanted nothing more than to tear Anna apart, but all she could do was twitch the corner of her eye and nod without a word.

The conversation had run its course, and it was Mia who tugged on Anna’s sleeve, signaling her to wrap things up. Only then did Anna reluctantly leave.

During Anna and Ryan’s conversation, Alice had tried to jump in a few times, hoping to reassert her position. But things didn’t go as planned. Both Mia and Anna had a way with words that Alice couldn’t quite match.

Even though Ryan responded to everything Alice said, it never felt as natural as it did with the other two.

It wasn’t until Anna and Mia were about to leave that Alice’s mood started to improve a little. Finally, she’d have some alone time with Ryan…

“Bye, Ryan! Take care, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, see you later.”

As Anna left, she turned around and waved enthusiastically at Ryan. Her energy was infectious, and just watching her made you feel more motivated.

They briefly revisited their plans for the weekend, and Ryan gave her a big smile in return.

You couldn’t deny that Anna was the kind of girl who made people feel at ease. And to be clear, there was nothing inappropriate about that—it was just that she had a knack for making people comfortable.

The villa grew quiet again. The real host, who had been standing silently to the side, finally got her long-awaited chance.

“They’re gone?” Alice asked softly as she slowly approached Ryan, watching the girls’ figures disappear behind the villa’s door.

She flared her nostrils slightly, catching a whiff of the scent on Ryan. It was a sweet, milky smell she didn’t like at all. Mia must’ve done something while she wasn’t around. She needed to get Ryan to take a shower immediately—there was no way she’d let that scent linger on him.

“Yeah, they’re gone,” Ryan exhaled deeply, feeling a bit relieved. But when he noticed Alice getting closer, he instinctively took half a step back, a little wary.

Alice caught the small movement, but she didn’t say anything. She just straightened up and looked at Ryan seriously.

“You seem pretty reluctant to see them go,” she said, her voice tinged with frustration. “And what’s this about the weekend? Did you make plans with her behind my back?”

Ryan looked up and met Alice’s eyes, which were practically burning with anger. She had misunderstood again.

Ryan had always thought Alice was great, but she could be so contradictory.

She’d told him before that she didn’t like him hanging out with other girls, yet today she’d invited two of them over for dinner. She already knew about his previous conversation with Anna—she’d eavesdropped—yet she was acting like she had no idea and was getting mad about it now.

Living with that kind of inner conflict—wasn’t it exhausting?

“I’m not reluctant. Mia’s just exhausting, and I’m a little tired,” Ryan said, rubbing the back of his neck. He wanted to be honest with Alice. Since she already knew everything, what was the point of making him explain? Was she just trying to make things difficult?

Ryan fell silent, lost in thought, while Alice crossed her arms and continued to scrutinize him, still not entirely convinced by his explanation.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do,” Ryan muttered, rubbing his nose. To be honest, Alice’s attitude was starting to make him uncomfortable.

Ryan couldn’t understand why, after living together for so long, Alice still didn’t trust him. It wasn’t like he’d ever do anything to hurt her.

“Give me your phone. You don’t need it anymore.”

Alice didn’t know why Ryan was acting this way, but his attitude clearly irritated her. She extended her pale hand, signaling for him to hand it over.

“I don’t need it anymore?” Ryan thought. Did that mean he didn’t deserve the right to communicate with the outside world? Sure, he didn’t have many friends, but that didn’t mean he had no one to talk to. Why was Alice so intent on controlling him like this?

The thought of the tracker still on him made Ryan feel uncomfortable all over again. The frustration that had subsided earlier was reignited in an instant.

He took off his jacket and carefully hung it on the coat rack, placing his phone on the nearby coffee table. After doing so, he turned to leave.

There was no need to say it out loud—Alice would check his phone later, find out he’d tried to call Anna again, and then blow up at him. But was that really necessary? He and Anna were just friends. What exactly was Alice so afraid of?

Ryan wasn’t sure how he felt about Alice at that moment. He wasn’t angry or disgusted, but he definitely didn’t want to see her cold expression right now.

His movements were quick and decisive, and he turned without a second thought. He’d done what Alice asked, and there was no reason for him to stay any longer.

Ryan thought he’d hidden his emotions well, but Alice still noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Ryan was avoiding her. This was the first time something like this had happened, and for a moment, Alice felt a wave of panic.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m heading to the basement to rest, Miss Alice. I’ve got things to do tomorrow, so you should get some rest too.”

Ryan waved her off and walked toward the basement, not waiting to hear what Alice had to say next.

He needed some time to cool off, and he figured Alice did too. They both needed to take a step back and reassess their relationship.

Ryan tried to convince himself to forgive Alice for her actions. After all, her behavior could be explained by her personality, but it would take time to process everything.

He’d spent so much time with Alice, starting from just trying to complete a task, to genuinely wanting to help her. He’d made a lot of choices and gone through many changes in his mindset.

But this time, he couldn’t understand what was happening.

If this was the kind of unpredictable crisis that came with too much affection, how was he supposed to handle it?

Ryan walked away with such determination that he didn’t give Alice a chance to stop him. But even if he had slowed down, would Alice have been able to say what she wanted to?

As Ryan’s figure faded from Alice’s view, her eyes, once cold, turned bloodshot. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, her chest rising and falling as she teetered on the edge of suffocation.

Instinct told her that Ryan’s change in behavior had something to do with Anna and Mia. What she needed to do was remove those two from Ryan’s life completely.

But she also had to consider Ryan’s feelings. She could easily kill Anna, but she couldn’t bear the thought of Ryan resenting her because of it.

Her gaze flickered, and a sharp pain twisted in her stomach. Her face turned pale as she sank to the floor, overwhelmed by a mix of hatred, frustration, and pain. She couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.

Had Ryan realized her feelings and started avoiding her? Or had Mia said something to him?

Everything seemed possible, yet nothing seemed certain.

Clenching her fists, Alice’s eyes fell on the dining table. Just thinking about Anna’s smug face and the way Ryan had been so gentle with those two made her feel sick.

That should’ve been hers. Ryan’s kindness should’ve been hers and hers alone.

In a fit of rage, Alice yanked the tablecloth, sending the untouched dishes crashing to the floor.

The maids rushed in, startled by the noise, only to find Alice standing in the middle of the mess. Her usually delicate face was now filled with murderous intent, sending chills down their spines.

“M-Miss Alice…” one of the maids stammered, meeting Alice’s gaze. They had been with Alice for years—three, five years, some even longer—and they had never seen her this angry.

“Throw out all the dishes they used. Buy new ones. I don’t want to see any of this tomorrow.”

Without even glancing at the shocked staff, Alice left that one command and hurried upstairs, almost as if she were fleeing.

As she passed by, her eyes couldn’t help but glance toward the basement door. The guard stood at his post, and the iron door was tightly shut.

Ryan was still locked in. There was no way he could leave, yet Alice felt a deep sense of unease.

It was as if something had changed, and she hadn’t noticed. The feeling was unsettling.

She wasn’t stupid. As much as Anna’s behavior at dinner had infuriated her, it had also made her realize something.

She had thought that if she did everything right, Ryan would naturally come to appreciate her, and they could be together. But without expressing her feelings properly, how could Ryan ever understand?

She was furious—furious at Mia and Anna for disrupting the peace she had worked so hard to maintain.

But more than that, she was furious with herself. Why couldn’t she just be honest about her feelings? Ryan had said before that he wanted to see her smile, so why did she keep acting so cold?

She was terrified that Ryan would leave, so she resorted to controlling him. But the more she tried to hold on, the bigger the emptiness inside her grew. Now, it was almost unbearable.

The maids watched as Alice ascended the stairs, wondering what had happened to her.

The always-strong Alice now looked so fragile, her steps unsteady, as if she were on the verge of collapsing from the heights she had once stood so confidently upon.

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