Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 257: Getting hurt was just an accident

“Wait, seriously? Something really got stolen?”

Ryan was taken aback by the sudden change in the foreman’s expression.

After all, this was just one of the many guesses he had. If it wasn’t this, there were plenty of other things to try. But who would’ve thought his intuition would be so spot-on, hitting the mark on the first try?

“Mr. Ryan, if I may ask, this is a pretty serious matter. How did you know?”

The foreman couldn’t help but be serious. The stolen item wasn’t just any ordinary thing. Only the site management and Miss Alice should’ve known about it.

Their conversation caught Mia’s attention. She had been watching from the sidelines, just waiting for Ryan to mess up so she could swoop in and help, making him admire her. That was her plan.

But now, her brows furrowed slightly. Something felt off.

Judging by the foreman’s serious expression, whatever was stolen definitely wasn’t something trivial. Even Mia, who was usually well-informed, hadn’t heard anything about this.

If she didn’t know, then hardly anyone else could’ve known either.

Did Ryan really just guess right?

Or… did Alice tell him?

Both Mia and the foreman focused their gazes on Ryan, waiting for his explanation.

This was way more important than just mixing up the workers’ dorms earlier. And yet, Ryan still looked so calm. Could it be that he really had everything under control?

Mia leaned in closer to Ryan, her big eyes filled with curiosity, staring at him so intensely that it made his skin crawl a little.

“I guessed.”

“You guessed?”

The foreman looked skeptical, clearly not buying Ryan’s explanation.

‘If Alice told you ahead of time, just admit it. Is there really a need to act all mysterious?’ the foreman thought to himself.

“Yeah, just a guess.”

Ryan casually rubbed his nose, responding nonchalantly. But the more laid-back he acted, the more Mia felt like something was off. Ryan was definitely hiding something from her.

The three of them had reached the office by now. Ryan sniffed the air slightly. Even though his skill worked through sight, he still wanted to see if he could catch a whiff of that metallic, bloody scent.

Unfortunately, the bloodstains had faded after a few days of wind and rain. Even with his skill, they were barely noticeable.

“What exactly was stolen?”

Ryan stepped into the office. The setup was pretty basic, as expected for a temporary space.

It was a container-like structure, the kind of makeshift room you’d see all over construction sites, made from insulated panels. If the foreman hadn’t pointed it out, Ryan wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference between this and the workers’ dorms.

If he couldn’t tell, then the worker from before probably couldn’t either—unless it was premeditated.

“Mr. Ryan, this…”

Ryan turned to look at the foreman, whose face had grown a bit awkward.

Even though Alice had already told him that Ryan had the same level of authority as her, this situation was no small matter. And Ryan claiming he just “guessed” made it all the more suspicious.

Seeing the foreman’s hesitation, Ryan didn’t push him to speak. Instead, he turned back and began inspecting the office more closely.

The bloodstains disappeared once they entered the office. That was the limitation of his A-rank skill—it was powerful, but only up to a point. If he wanted to figure out where the person had stopped or lingered, it wasn’t going to be possible.

The office layout was simple. The ground floor was spacious, with seven or eight workstations neatly arranged. The desk in the center, piled high with documents, caught Ryan’s attention.

“If someone’s stealing something, they’d probably go for the most valuable stuff, right?”

Mia strolled over to Ryan, giving him a playful wink before heading straight for the central desk. Before the foreman could stop her, she was already flipping through the papers.

Not that stopping her would’ve made a difference. Even if Alice were here, Mia wouldn’t necessarily listen to her. So what chance did the foreman have?

“Ryan, come over and take a look.”

Mia glanced at the rolled-up blueprints in her hands, barely giving them a second look before tossing them aside. She wasn’t interested in those at all.

What she was interested in, though, was whether Ryan actually knew something—and if so, how he knew it.

After going home last night, she had reflected on everything that had happened during the day. Like Alice, she had noticed something unusual about Ryan. She was becoming more and more curious about whether he could really turn things around.

He hadn’t been taken seriously during the meeting before, but he’d ended up surprising everyone with an answer no one had expected. Could he do it again this time?

Ryan approached the desk, while Mia casually hopped up onto it, sitting down and watching him with great interest.

Ryan could feel her eyes on him, and it made him a little uneasy—like when a teacher pulls up a chair right next to you during an exam and watches you write.

“Is there a connection between the stolen item and that guy getting hurt?”

Mia’s bright eyes were fixed on Ryan’s profile. She’d always heard people say that men look their best when they’re focused, but she’d never believed it. Now, though, she was starting to see the appeal.

Thinking back on her time with Ryan, it had always been pretty chaotic. This was the first time she’d quietly observed him like this.

Her gaze was intense, and Ryan, feeling the heat rise to his face, turned his head away, a little uncomfortable.

But Mia wasn’t about to let him off that easily. She shifted her position on the desk, scooting back into his line of sight. Propping her chin up with her hands, she looked at him with what seemed like genuine curiosity, waiting for his answer.

The foreman, standing off to the side, couldn’t help but twitch at the sight. It wasn’t just because of Mia’s behavior—it was because she was sitting on his desk. Seeing the blueprints crumpled under her made his heart ache.

Maybe I should just tell Ryan what was stolen, he thought. At least that way, we can stop this circus.

But before he could say anything, Ryan’s response left everyone stunned. It was completely different from what they had initially thought.

“The guy was after the stolen item. Getting hurt was just an accident.”

Ryan’s voice was calm and confident, just like before. The foreman’s first instinct was to dismiss it, but when Ryan’s gaze swept over him, he froze in place.

“At first, I thought the worker’s injury was just tied to the other workers’ demands for a raise. But now, it’s clear that was just a coincidence.”

“The stolen item isn’t valuable in terms of money, but it’s crucial. Without it, the project could face serious delays.”

“If I were the thief, I wouldn’t complicate things. I’d take the item and leave as quickly as possible.”

Ryan spoke as if he were thinking out loud, reaching over to tug at the third drawer on the right side of the desk. The lock had been broken, clearly forced open. This was the clue that had led Ryan to his conclusion.

The injured worker hadn’t registered any information at the site. If he’d gone to the medical office, his identity would’ve been checked, and his cover blown. There was no way he could’ve completed his mission after that.

The injury had been an accident, but it had forced the thief to speed up his plan. That’s why, despite being hurt, he’d come to the office and, when no one was around, violently broke open the drawer to steal the item he’d been after all along.

Ryan didn’t even glance at the foreman. He didn’t need to—he could already imagine the man’s expression. He was probably standing there with his jaw on the floor.

Ryan had figured out everything he could at this point. If the foreman didn’t tell him what had been stolen, there wasn’t much more he could do.

But still, he’d set the stage. From here on out, things would move at his pace.

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