Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 250: Your forever sister, Bella

When Ryan finally handed Alice over to the maid, his face was covered in kiss marks, glistening with saliva, and his clothes were so disheveled they were barely presentable. He looked as battle-worn as a soldier who had just survived the Normandy landings.

“Ten minutes! Do you have any idea what those ten minutes were like for me?!”

People learn from experience, and Ryan had definitely learned something new this time: never let Alice near alcohol.

Ryan should’ve known something was off when Alice downed two cans and immediately flopped over, but he had still overestimated her tolerance.

It wasn’t that Alice couldn’t handle alcohol well—she couldn’t handle it at all.

After just two cans of beer, she clung to Ryan and kissed him for ten straight minutes. And it wasn’t like Ryan didn’t try to resist. The sad part was, he realized he couldn’t even fight her off.

Alice had been working out regularly, eating healthy, and living a disciplined life. Her physical strength was leagues ahead of Ryan’s, who was used to staying up late and generally neglecting his health.

So, there he was, pinned to the couch, getting kissed for a full ten minutes. Maybe Alice thought his body felt cooler, so she kept pressing herself against him.

Thankfully, Alice was so tipsy that she couldn’t even find Ryan’s mouth. She spent the whole time pecking around his face. Otherwise, Ryan’s first kiss might’ve been stolen right then and there.

In her current state, Alice wouldn’t be needing dinner. Once she sobered up, someone would take care of her.

Rubbing his sore neck, Ryan headed toward the basement. If the bodyguards had always treated him with respect before, now, seeing the red kiss marks all over his face, they practically worshipped him.

To them, anyone who could tame the cold and aloof Miss Alice was clearly someone even more formidable than she was—definitely not someone to mess with.

“Mr. Ryan, let me escort you downstairs.”

“Uh… sure.”

“Mr. Ryan, would you like something to eat? I can have the maids bring it right away.”

Ryan walked ahead, followed by a group of burly men in black suits. Their overly eager attitude made him a bit uncomfortable. If he didn’t know better, he might’ve thought they had some inappropriate intentions toward him.

“Nah, I’m not really hungry. Just bring me whatever.”

“Just make sure you take good care of Miss Alice.”

Ryan wasn’t too concerned about himself. Right now, Alice was the one who needed attention.

Even though the maid had taken Alice away, she was still upstairs, calling out Ryan’s name over and over. The sound of it made him shudder. Dealing with a drunk Alice was no easy task.

“Of course, Mr. Ryan. We’ll take care of her with the utmost dedication.”

The bodyguards bowed deeply, almost at a 90-degree angle.

Miss Alice was their boss—their only boss. But after what they’d seen today, it was clear that this mansion might soon have a new master.

No wonder Miss Alice had been so insistent on bringing Ryan here in the first place. It was obvious now that her feelings for him ran deep.

But why was Ryan still staying in the basement? With their relationship this close, shouldn’t they be sharing a room by now?

The bodyguards didn’t dare ask. They didn’t even dare to think about it too much. Maybe this was just some kind of… couple’s thing. Not something they could understand.

“Watch your step, sir. Be careful on the stairs.”

Hearing such concerned words from a group of hulking men felt a bit strange. Ryan rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and hurried down to the basement.

He’d been staying in the basement for a while now, and it was starting to feel like home. s are weird like that. The whole idea of “home” is a bit of a lie. What people really crave is a sense of stability.

And right now, Ryan had no desire to go back to his actual home. That place had been taken over by a dangerous intruder. Until he figured things out, there was no way he was going back.

At least things with Alice had settled down for now. Lying on his bed, Ryan stared blankly at the ceiling.

A lot had happened today, and he needed to sort it all out. First, there was the strange person back at his apartment. After Ryan left, nothing in the place had changed. The new tenant was even sleeping in Ryan’s old bed.

That feeling of being watched from the shadows—it made Ryan uneasy.

Then there was the promise he’d made to Anna. There was some kind of school event happening a week from now. If Alice let him out by then, he could probably make it.

Anna was a good girl. She’d been so concerned about him before, and Ryan didn’t want to let her down.

Then came the most troublesome issue. Ryan got up from the bed and pulled out the note from his pocket again.

“Brother, I’m back. Did you miss me?”

“Your forever sister, Bella.”

Bella was back, but Ryan didn’t feel the slightest bit happy about it. Especially after Alice had brought up that hidden chapter of his life at the orphanage earlier today. He found himself resisting those memories more than ever.

It’s natural for boys and girls to develop feelings for each other when they’re together, and Ryan had definitely felt something for Bella back then. In fact, those feelings lingered for years after.

But Bella left. Ryan couldn’t find her no matter how hard he tried. The orphanage director had told him she’d been sent abroad to study by her family.

That unresolved relationship had left its mark on Ryan. Even now, despite how close he was with Alice, he had never seriously considered taking things in a romantic direction. That past experience had something to do with it.

“Your forever sister, huh?”

Ryan muttered to himself as he stared at the note. If she was supposed to be his “forever” sister, then why did she leave?

If Bella hadn’t wanted to go, no one could’ve forced her. She could’ve stayed in the city, just like Ryan had. But she made her choice back then.

Now, just when Ryan thought those feelings had dried up and he could finally face the situation calmly, she quietly came back. What was that supposed to mean?

Ryan wasn’t exactly clueless when it came to emotions. He just deliberately avoided certain things. Whether it was with Miss Alice or Anna, Ryan always chose to sidestep those feelings. He didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again.

Giving everything to protect someone, only to realize that person didn’t need your protection—and worse, wanted to leave that suffocating care behind—that was too cruel.

“I was happy when Bella got adopted. Going abroad would give her better opportunities.”

“At least no one would bully her anymore.”

Ryan let out a bitter laugh. He hadn’t expected that all the things he’d done for Bella back then had gone unnoticed by her, while Alice had figured it out almost immediately.

He crumpled the note in his hand, ready to toss it away. But just as it left his fingers, he regretted it.

The note hit the floor, and Ryan bent down to pick it up again. Slowly, he smoothed it out and carefully tucked it under the mattress.

This wasn’t over yet. Bella was back now, and maybe she’d bring an explanation with her.

With nothing else to do, Ryan lay back on the bed, staring at the now-familiar ceiling. His hands itched, so he reached into his backpack and pulled out the two Skill Points he’d been saving.

As a mobile game player, Ryan had mastered the art of using resources as soon as he got them. The fact that he’d held onto these points for so long was already a huge feat. His fingers had been itching for days.

A few seconds later, a flash of blue light lit up the basement. The bodyguards standing outside the door flinched, startled by the sudden glow. Then, they heard a furious roar from inside.

“I finally get a chance to use these, and you make me lose this badly?!”

“FUCK!”