Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 177: Can't you see the situation clearly?

Chapter 177: Can't you see the situation clearly?

Chapter 177: Can’t you see the situation clearly?

Mia Sinclair? Same last name as Alice.

Ryan was taken aback as he listened to the little one introduce herself. Sinclair? And here of all places? Could she really be related to Alice?

But having spent a few days with Alice, he hadn’t heard her mention having a sister or any relatives like that.

Could she be the little sister from the family?

“Big brother—what’s your name—”

Seeing Ryan zoning out again, lost in his thoughts, Mia pouted her cute little lips.

Her small hand reached straight for Ryan’s face and pinched his cheek with a strength that seemed too much for her tiny frame.

Ouch—

Her temper seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Alice’s. Maybe it’s a Sinclair thing to have a fierce temper.

Ryan, his cheek still in Mia’s grip, managed a helpless smile, not daring to ignore the young girl any longer, and quickly responded.

“Ryan, my name’s Ryan. Can you let go, please?”

Ryan generally believed in the principle of influencing kids positively, something he’d read about in a book. Kids being noisy or acting out wasn’t a sign of bad character, but rather an attempt to get adults’ attention.

Like now... the girl was just trying to get his attention.

“Brother, does it really hurt?”

Mia paused her actions as she listened to Ryan, her big eyes misting over, her little nose twitching, seemingly sorry for what she had done.

“Well... not really.”

Seeing the girl’s pitiful look softened Ryan’s heart, but he regretted it the next second.

“Oh, if it doesn’t hurt, then why—why do you keep ignoring me—”

Her hand hadn’t moved from Ryan’s face, and the pitiful look vanished instantly, her grip stronger than before.

In front of Ryan wasn’t an angel but a little devil who seemed to have escaped from hell to roam the earth.

Glancing at the time, it was nearly two o’clock. He had spent too much time in the kitchen, and he wondered how Alice was doing.

Of course, he couldn’t forget what was important. Ryan’s thoughts quickly drifted back to Alice.

After promising repeatedly not to ignore Mia anymore, the little one finally huffed and withdrew her hand.

Ryan’s cheek was so stretched it felt breezy, swollen in a comically endearing way.

He sighed and reached out to Mia, who this time didn’t resist but placed her small hand in his.

Ryan’s hand was warm, and Mia seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, but when Ryan looked at her, she returned to her usual self.

She frowned slightly and quickly stood up, bowing respectfully once she saw who it was.

“Mr. Russo, you’ve arrived.”

Standing before Alice was an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in traditional attire with flat cloth shoes, his back straight and eyes bright, showing no signs of fatigue.

He was Dante Russo, her father’s right-hand man and a major figure in the gang, second only to her father.

“How have you been feeling lately?”

Alice didn’t dare to be presumptuous. She knew the resistance to her plans was significant, and if she wanted to succeed, she needed Dante Russo’s approval.

But she had tried many times, and Dante Russo, the old fox, wasn’t easy to sway.

“Thank you for your concern, Miss Alice. This old man is still quite robust.”

“You’ve been fighting for the gang for most of your life,you should take some time to rest. Did you receive the item I sent?”

Alice asked casually, seemingly indifferent but actually gauging his attitude.

Alice’s gifts were usually not ordinary,she had purchased a property for Dante in Australia, the expense of which even made her wince.

“Miss Alice sent me a gift? I... this...”

Dante’s expression changed to one of surprise, then he turned to look at his secretary.

The secretary, looking embarrassed, smiled awkwardly at Alice and whispered something in Dante’s ear.

“See, I’ve been quite busy lately, and I told my secretary to only inform me about work-related matters, so he intercepted your gift.”

“That’s my fault. I’ll definitely make a visit to apologize to Miss Alice when I’m free.”

Dante smiled at Alice, who just smiled back and waved it off as no big deal.

No assistant would dare intercept something from Miss Alice without good reason. Dante’s act was just for show,he wasn’t ready to pick sides yet.

It was understandable. After Alice’s father died, the gang was thrown into internal strife. As the person with the most influence, Dante had the hardest choices to make.

Leaning towards one side could lead to significant consequences he couldn’t explain to the late Boss Richard Sinclair, so he was still observing.

Dante Russo took his seat, and Alice resumed her facade, her smile intact but her heart somewhat disappointed.

These past few days had been rough, and even Alice herself wasn’t sure if her plans would succeed.

But thankfully, Ryan was still supporting her, even though she had never fully explained her intentions to him.

Alice slightly bowed her body, exhaling a heavy breath. The meeting hadn’t even started, and she was already feeling exhausted.

Just as one problem seemed to settle, another arose. Another voice sounded behind Alice, and just hearing it made her teeth itch with irritation.

“Miss Alice, long time no see.”

“If you ask me, you should stop playing these games. Can’t you see the situation clearly?”