Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 233: Savior! My savior!

As soon as Ryan got into the car, the first thing he did was call Alice. His heart pounded in sync with the ringing of the phone.

Fortunately, it seemed like things hadn’t gotten any worse on Alice’s end, so she managed to take Ryan’s call.

“Dave, you need to think this through yourself. See if the company can still tolerate you.”

Alice’s voice was cold as ice, clearly still dealing with something on her end when she answered the call.

Ryan couldn’t make out the other person’s response, but if he were in their shoes, he’d definitely be freaking out if Alice spoke to him like that.

He quietly listened to the sounds on the other end, then pulled up the system interface to check Alice’s status. After a while, things finally seemed to calm down.

“Miss Alice, is everything okay over there?”

Ryan listened carefully, but aside from Alice’s slightly heavy breathing, he couldn’t hear much. He cautiously asked, testing the waters.

“No.”

If Ryan were there in person, Alice wouldn’t have hesitated to roll her eyes at him. Her blunt response shut him down immediately.

Things were already bad enough, and Ryan still asked if she was okay. What did he expect her to say, that everything was fine?

But despite herself, Alice’s mood did lighten a bit when she realized Ryan had called her on his own.

“Uh, okay… Well, Miss Alice, try to calm down a bit.”

Ryan awkwardly rubbed his nose, feeling embarrassed for himself. It seemed like the situation on Alice’s side was even worse than he’d thought. She’d never reacted like this before.

“But I still answered your call, so I’m doing alright for now.”

Alice found it a little amusing that Ryan was at a loss for words, and her frown eased slightly. She massaged her temples with two fingers, her tone softening a bit.

“Uh, that’s good to hear.”

“Miss Alice, don’t worry. I’m already on my way and should be there soon. Just hang in there a little longer.”

Ryan couldn’t quite figure out what Alice’s mood was. Why did it feel like she was hinting at something? Was she happy he called, or was she just in a slightly better mood, which is why she picked up?

He spoke cautiously, afraid of saying something that might upset her, all the while keeping an eye on Alice’s system status panel. Her Mood Level had already dropped to 3. If it went any lower, he might not be able to salvage the situation even if he rushed over.

Luckily, Alice didn’t react too strongly. She just gave a slight “hmm” and waited for Ryan to continue.

With Alice silent, Ryan scratched his head, unsure of what to say next. Maybe he should sign up for an emotional intelligence course when he got back—it might help him deal with Alice better.

“Miss Alice, don’t let those jerks get to you. You know they’re just trying to piss you off.”

“You’re a lady of high standing,don’t stoop to their level.”

Ryan had always thought Alice’s biggest flaw was that she was too strong-willed. It was both a blessing and a curse. If someone constantly pushed themselves too hard, their life would inevitably become dull and joyless.

“Not stoop to their level? Then what should I do?”

Alice’s interest was piqued by Ryan’s words. Her tense body relaxed a bit as she crossed her right leg and asked with curiosity.

Dave, who had been trembling and drenched in sweat in front of her, perked up when he noticed the shift in Alice’s tone. He quickly looked up, hoping for a reprieve.

“Did I say you could look up?”

Alice’s icy voice cut through the air again, and within two seconds, Dave felt like he’d been plunged from spring into the dead of winter. He quickly turned away, not daring to make another move.

He didn’t know who was on the other end of the call, but if he wanted to survive, his only hope was that this person could appease Miss Alice. Maybe then she’d let his mistake slide.

“Miss Alice?”

“It’s none of your business. Just keep talking.”

Ryan was a bit confused, starting to wonder if Alice might have a split personality.

“Things can’t just be left unresolved, right? If I don’t step in, no one else will.”

“And where’s my assistant, anyway? As my right-hand man, isn’t it a bit of a failure not to be by my side?”

After scolding Dave, Alice turned her frustration toward Ryan.

Ryan broke into a cold sweat as he listened to Alice. It was clear she was about to take her frustrations out on him, and to be fair, he hadn’t exactly handled things well today.

“Miss Alice, you don’t need to lower yourself to their level. Let me deal with them for you.”

“As for today… well, today was really just an accident.”

Ryan humbled himself, which Alice found quite satisfying.

One of the reasons she had been so quick to anger earlier was because Ryan had slipped out of her control. That unsettling feeling had been gnawing at her all day.

But now, with Ryan calling her out of concern, it reassured her that his loyalty still lay with her. Maybe she didn’t need to scrutinize his every move today. Perhaps giving him a bit more freedom wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

While Ryan was still figuring out how to explain the situation, he had no idea that this very phone call had just saved him from a major crisis.

“And what if there’s another ‘accident’ in the future…”

“No, no, no! There won’t be any more accidents, I promise!”

Ryan quickly pounded his chest in assurance. There was no way he could let anything happen to Alice again.

No kidding—one accident had already raised her Darkening Level by five points. Another couple of incidents like that, and things could spiral out of control.

Even if Alice wanted to kick him out, he couldn’t afford to be careless now. Their fates were tied together.

“You smooth talker. Hurry up and get over here.”

Alice chuckled softly before hanging up. After all, there were still people around, and she didn’t want to reveal too much in front of them.

As the dial tone echoed in his ear, Ryan finally let out a sigh of relief as he checked Alice’s status panel.

[Alice Mood Level +8. Current: 11/100]

After chatting with Alice for a bit, her Mood Level had finally climbed back above ten, pulling her out of the danger zone.

A brief summary of the situation had been sent to Ryan’s phone. He had about five minutes before he reached Alice, so he pulled out his phone to study the details.

Meanwhile, after hanging up, the smile on Alice’s face vanished, replaced by her usual cold demeanor.

She hadn’t expected things to unfold the way they had. She thought she had buried those memories, but clearly, she had underestimated the impact of her childhood.

The person who had once held her by the throat, the one who had made her pay, the one who was now gone—she had never forgotten them.

This matter couldn’t be left unresolved. It was time to bring that issue back to the forefront.

Taking a deep breath, Alice’s gaze sharpened as she regained her composure. She picked up the coffee beside her, took a sip, and then glanced at Dave, who was sitting there as if on pins and needles.

Dave had been present the entire time, even during the phone call. When he noticed Alice’s gaze on him, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply, trembling.

The woman in front of him was fully capable of having him chopped up and turned into fertilizer. He wouldn’t dare show even a hint of disrespect.

“Dave, my assistant is on his way. Go meet him when he arrives.”

“And about what just happened…”

“I was discussing strategies with the team earlier and didn’t hear a word you said, Miss Alice. My apologies.”

Dave wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief, though he couldn’t tell if it was sweat or oil. All he knew was that he was extremely nervous.

It wasn’t until Alice nodded in satisfaction and dismissed him that he finally breathed a sigh of relief as he left the room.

Luckily, he had handled the situation smoothly. Alice’s threat just now had been no less terrifying than the worker riots he’d dealt with before.

Dave headed toward the construction site’s entrance. The workers outside were still causing a commotion, and it was clear that no work would be getting done today.

Given what Miss Alice had said, it was obvious that her assistant, who was finally on his way, was now the most important person.

Dave made a mental note to treat this assistant with the utmost respect, just as he would Miss Alice herself. After all, anyone who could calm Alice down with just a phone call was not someone to be taken lightly.

Dave knew how dire the situation had been. Miss Alice had been furious with him for failing to report the incident, which she only discovered when she arrived the next day. Such negligence was unforgivable.

He had thought he was done for, but just as things were about to take a turn for the worse, Miss Alice’s assistant had called, effectively saving his life.

A lifesaver—there was no other way to describe it. And anyone who could handle Miss Alice so deftly was definitely someone to be reckoned with.

From any angle, this assistant was someone worth pleasing.

And so, the next scene unfolded: Ryan, looking troubled, stepped out of the car. He had already read through the information Alice had sent him and found the situation quite tricky.

Before he could even steady himself after getting out, a figure resembling a human-sized meatball came rushing toward him, wrapping itself around his leg. The person was just shy of wiping their snot and tears on him.

“Savior! My savior!”

“???”