The car started right on time, and the scenery on both sides of the window swiftly receded into the background. The villa was out of sight in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, the female assistant was sitting in the passenger seat, observing the two people in the back through the rearview mirror. She was clenching her teeth tightly, her gaze towards Ryan filled with obvious hostility.
Back when Aliceâs father, the real head of the organization, was still around, this woman had already been Aliceâs right-hand woman.
She had been by Aliceâs side for over two years and believed she had a thorough understanding of Miss Aliceâs temperament.
Miss Alice didnât let people get too close to her, especially men. A second-in-command from a rival gang who showed disrespect to Miss Alice ended up buried.
She felt that being by Aliceâs side had become the norm in her life, and silently supporting her after her fatherâs departure was only natural.
Miss Alice didnât need to be understood by others, nor did she need the sympathy of the weak. Thatâs what she always believed.
However, suddenly, she felt that all her past experiences were no longer effective.
And without a doubt, the root cause of all this was the man sitting next to Miss Alice.
The assistant glared at Ryan, her eyes venomous.
If Alice hadnât been there, she would have âtaken good care ofâ Ryan and then asked what kind of spell he had cast on Miss Alice.
Feeling the sting of her gaze, Ryan looked back at the assistant innocently. They had just met,Ryan couldnât think of any reason he might have offended her.
âHannah, send Ryan a copy of the itinerary.â
As Alice spoke, both Ryan and Hannahâs mouths dropped open.
Are you kidding me? Theyâre treating him like an assistant?
Hannah coldly watched Ryan, bristling with hostility, clearly unwilling to hand over the itinerary in her hand.
She had just met Ryan and had no clue about his character.
What if he was a spy sent by rival forces? Who would be responsible for any security issues?
As Aliceâs assistant, she would never allow such absurdity to happen.
And Ryan, hearing Aliceâs words, also stared at the itinerary in Hannahâs hands.
Are you kidding me? Theyâre treating him like an assistant?
Although Ryan wanted to help Alice, he didnât want to get too close, and being an assistant was definitely too close.
Firstly, itâs hard to control favorability, and secondly, if he had to betray her later, it might cause too much emotional damage to the young girl.
And clearly, it was because of this that Hannah harbored such hostility. If he agreed, wouldnât that just entangle them further?
Being an assistant was definitely not a good choice.
âMiss Alice, forgive my bluntness, heâs not suitable.â
âMiss Alice, forgive my bluntness, Iâm not suitable.â
Hannah and Ryan spoke in unison, at least agreeing on this matter.
âI say he is.â
In the end, it was just⦠vetoed. This wasnât a place for democratic proposals,autocracy clearly had more power.
The result was that Ryan ended up taking the itinerary and began to report bit by bit, with Hannah correcting any mistakes or omissions.
Ryan could feel the disgust in Hannahâs eyes growing even more intense.
Miss Alice had a busy day ahead. In the morning, she was meeting with several business tycoons of the city. The underworld and the legitimate world have always been intertwined.
In the afternoon, she was heading to her organizationâs territory for an important meeting.
Miss Alice rested in the car, and both Ryan and Hannah wisely kept their mouths shut, though Hannahâs gaze clearly warned Ryan that this wasnât over.
Ryan, however, wasnât in the mood to clash with Hannah,he was just seriously reviewing Aliceâs schedule.
Where could the potential crisis be?
Half an hour later, the car smoothly stopped in front of a high-end hotel. Seeing that they had arrived, Ryan prepared to wake Alice.
He had already reached out to tap Miss Aliceâs shoulder when Hannah, without any mercy, slapped his hand away.
âWhat are you doing!â
She stared at Ryan incredulously, her mouth seemingly roaring.
Ryan had already been sitting in the back with Alice, and Hannah had been biting her tongue about it.
But Alice never lets any man touch her. Didnât Ryan know that?
Blocked from approaching, Hannah wouldnât let him get close and turned her back to Ryan, whispering gently into Aliceâs ear.
Ryan smacked his lips, realizing that being an assistant had its own set of intricacies.
He turned his head towards the hotel, which, though not ostentatiously luxurious, certainly carried an air of grandeur.
Looking up at the towering floors, the hotel seemed to stretch beyond Ryanâs line of sight.
Across from the hotel stood another skyscraper, a common sight in the heart of Capitol City.
But something suddenly caught Ryanâs eyeâa flash from around the tenth floor of the building across the street. Was it glass?
Alice slowly woke up, asked for the time, and then perked up. The meeting was set for the eighteenth floor of the hotel, and it was just about time to head up.
Ryan followed with the materials, while Hannah meticulously adjusted Aliceâs hair in front, ensuring she looked perfect at all times.
Ryan checked Aliceâs status bar,it wasnât particularly good, but it was normal.
The trio ascended to the eighteenth floor in the elevator, and upon entering, the atmosphere of the hotel seemed to shift.
The massive conference room doors were tightly shut. Alice went in alone to handle her business, leaving Ryan and Hannah outside.
Besides them, there were two bodyguards from the opposing faction, making the situation slightly awkward.
The bodyguards sized each other up, a silent contest of strength.
The opposition had two traditional tough guys, dressed sharply in suits, complete with earpieces and sunglasses.
And on Aliceâs sideâ¦
Hannah counted for something. Though a woman, her sharp demeanor and piercing gaze were proof enough of her mettle.
The only one out of place here was Ryan.
Dressed casually, with no tactical gear in sight and not a trace of physical training, he didnât look like a bodyguard at all.
What was this guy even doing here?
This was not only the question on the minds of the two opposite bodyguards but also on Hannahâs.
In her view, Ryan was utterly unqualified to be Aliceâs assistant.
Yet, Alice seemed to value Ryan for some reason, and it was clear he couldnât be easily dismissed.
Hannah had a plan: if Ryan got scared off, it would be good for everyone.
It wasnât long before an opportunity presented itself.
Someone from inside the conference room relayed a message,Alice needed Hannah to bring something in.
For Hannah, this was no challenge, but she had an idea.
Delivering something was easy for her, but for Ryan, in such a setting, it was a first.
The opposing bodyguards were enough to pack an elevator, standing ready, their mere presence intimidating.
Ryan looked like a kid who hadnât seen the harsh realities of life. Getting involved in gang life could only scare him silly, it seemed.
Without a word, Hannah took the documents out of the box and handed them to Ryan, instructing him to make sure they reached Miss Aliceâs hands.
Of course, if Ryan hadnât seen the slight sneer in Hannahâs eyes, he might have believed her intentions were genuine.
Just delivering something, right?
Ryanâs competitive spirit was sparked. Although the bodyguards were indeed intimidating, that was all they wereâintimidating.
He was representing Alice now, and any issue they had with him was an issue with Alice.
And to understand the dangers Alice faced, what better way than to dive right in?
Ryan took the documents, pushed open the conference room door gently, and stepped inside.