Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Does anyone know where Nella is?

Alice had her suspicions about something going on between Nella and Ryan, but they were supposed to have just met for the first time.

Nella had no reason to suppress her emotions for a stranger, and all the subtle tests Alice had tried before had resulted in nothing but cold indifference.

Thinking back, the only odd thing about the situation was Ryan’s unreadable attitude earlier. What was going through his mind when he saw Nella?

The event had already unfolded, and Alice made a mental note of it, though she hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly.

Let’s rewind a bit. Ryan had stepped out to use the restroom, and just a few minutes later, Alice received an emergency call from him.

At that moment, Alice was practically fuming. After confirming that Ryan was safe for the time being, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

But her reaction afterward seemed a bit strange to those around her.

There was nothing particularly suspicious about Ryan’s explanation, but Alice’s natural instincts told her something was off. Her first thought was to scan the room for Nella.

“Where’s Nella?”

She impatiently cut off the man in front of her, who had been rambling on. Ever since her identity had been revealed, she’d been swarmed by all sorts of people—some seeking business opportunities, others whose intentions Alice had no interest in entertaining.

“Miss Nella?”

The man paused for a second, clearly thrown off by the interruption, but quickly masked his irritation. He glanced around the banquet hall and called over the event host, who had been standing in the corner.

“Where’s Miss Nella? I need to speak with her urgently.”

The man, eager to make a good impression on Alice, took it upon himself to handle the situation.

Alice, however, couldn’t care less about his efforts. She was already on the phone with Ryan, her suspicions growing by the second.

“Miss Nella… I think she went to the restroom?” the host replied uncertainly. Naturally, Nella didn’t need to report her whereabouts to him—he was just an employee, and he didn’t have her phone number. The urgency of Alice’s question clearly made him uncomfortable.

Alice’s expression darkened. As expected, Nella wasn’t here.

A possibility began to form in her mind, solidifying before she could even confirm it. She hated that possibility, which only made her more inclined to believe it.

“Where’s the restroom?”

Alice didn’t bother questioning how reliable the host’s information was. Her top priority now was ensuring Ryan’s safety. Everything else could wait.

She hung up on Ryan and immediately called for her men, who had been waiting in the parking lot. Even though this was the Langston family’s banquet, the thought that Ryan might be in danger left her with no reservations.

Both the host and the man who had been pestering Alice were visibly startled by her sudden actions. They knew Alice was the reigning queen of the city’s underworld, but no one had ever seen her make a move like this.

Several teams of men stormed through the banquet hall’s entrance, moving swiftly toward Alice. They stopped beside her and bowed respectfully.

The guests in the room all paled, instinctively stepping back a few paces as they watched the scene unfold.

What are these people doing here? When did they even get in?

“You, go find Ryan. He should be in the restroom. Your top priority is his safety.”

“And you, go find Nella.”

Alice’s slender finger pointed in the air, dividing her men into two teams, who immediately sprang into action.

The guests’ faces were grim. This was the Langston family’s banquet hall, and Alice had just stormed in with her men. No one knew what had set her off, but it was clear she wasn’t playing around.

Many of the attendees were influential figures, some of whom had hired bodyguards for their own protection. But in a setting like this, they hadn’t brought them inside.

Now, they were defenseless. And Alice’s men? They were probably armed. If she lost it, no one here would be able to protect themselves.

The host’s face turned ghostly pale. No one had expected things to escalate like this, and he couldn’t understand how it had come to this point.

Under pressure, he nervously led one of the teams toward the restroom to find Ryan. The rest of the guests tried their best to maintain their composure, continuing with their previous activities, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

“Does anyone know where Nella is?”

Alice scanned the room, her voice cutting through the air. This time, her tone was completely different from before—now it was a demand, a command to produce Nella.

“Miss Alice, what’s going on? If you wanted to find me, all you had to do was ask.”

Just as the tension in the room reached its peak and everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, a voice came from the back of the banquet hall. All eyes turned toward the source, and the collective frowns deepened.

It was none other than the very person Alice had been so aggressively searching for—Nella Langston, the third daughter of the Langston family.

Alice turned her head toward the voice, locking eyes with Nella. The intensity between them was palpable, as if sparks could fly from their gaze alone.

So, all that previous politeness had been an act. This unyielding stance—this was the real Nella.

Nella’s eyes were filled with anger. To make such a scene at the Langston family’s event, to openly hunt down Nella like this, was nothing short of a slap in the face to Mr. Langston himself.

If Alice couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation today, she’d be making an enemy of the Langston family, no doubt about it.

But Alice seemed completely unfazed by this. She simply stared at Nella for a long moment, her fingers lightly brushing her chin, as if deep in thought.

“I was worried when I couldn’t find Miss Nella.”

“Now that I see you’re safe, I’m somewhat relieved.”

Her tone was cold, devoid of any real emotion, but the words themselves sounded like concern. Anyone could tell something was off about Alice’s behavior, but no one dared to speak up—not even Nella.

Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if what you say is true. What matters is whether people choose to believe it.

“My assistant mentioned seeing some suspicious people outside earlier. Given the current climate, I was concerned that someone with bad intentions might be lurking around.”

“I noticed you weren’t in the banquet hall, Miss Nella, and I feared that person might have targeted you. I was just about to send people to find you.”

Alice wasn’t one for subtlety or social finesse. She couldn’t manipulate people with the smooth charm of someone like Mia, nor did she care to. She wasn’t interested in playing those kinds of games.

With just a few sentences, she had completely reframed the situation. What had started as a blatant manhunt for Nella was now spun as a concern for her safety. The actions were the same, but the narrative had shifted, leaving no room for open conflict—at least on the surface.

“Is that so? Well, thank you, Miss Alice.”

Nella stared at Alice for a long moment before finally conceding, offering her a way out.

“As for the suspicious person Mr. Ryan mentioned, I was just in the courtyard and didn’t see anyone. It seems the Langston family’s security was lacking. I apologize to Miss Alice for the inconvenience.”

With that, Nella placed a hand over her chest, covering the pale skin that peeked through her neckline, and bowed slightly toward Alice. Her expression was neutral, neither happy nor sad, as if she were merely stating a fact.

As soon as Nella finished speaking, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew even more awkward. The guests exchanged glances, silently gossiping about Alice in their minds.

To come as a guest to the Langston family’s banquet, cause such a scene, and force the Langston family’s third daughter to back down—this left a lasting impression on everyone present. None of them could imagine doing what Alice had just done.

They were all wealthy, powerful people, but the Langston family was a giant. Only someone like Alice, a queen of the underworld, could dare to challenge them.

It was a reminder that you can’t judge someone by their appearance. Who would’ve thought that the elegant and composed Alice had such a wild, reckless side?

Alice, however, couldn’t care less about what anyone thought of her. She glanced at her watch, showing no interest in wasting any more time on Nella.

Nella had returned too quickly. Almost as soon as Alice had hung up the phone with Ryan, Nella had appeared in the banquet hall.

She probably had nothing to do with whatever was going on with Ryan. If she did, well, that would make her a much more dangerous person than Alice had anticipated.