Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 269: Bastards, all of them!

When Anna walked out of the police station, it was already nighttime, and to say she was in a bad mood would be an understatement.

Her face had completely fallen. Today’s events had really taken a toll on her.

If she hadn’t been pulled away earlier, it was questionable whether Colin would’ve made it to the police station alive for them to face off.

The fact that Anna hit him was undeniable. Too many people had witnessed it, so there was no way to talk her way out of it. Assault and battery, along with disorderly conduct, were pretty much a given.

Anna had only called Mia, not really caring about her response. She knew that if Mia had any sense left, she’d help her sort it out.

Sure enough, a few hours later, surveillance footage from the clothing store was delivered to the police station.

The footage clearly showed Colin eyeing Anna the moment she entered the store, his intentions far from innocent. It also zoomed in on the moment when he grabbed her as she tried to leave.

This whole thing could’ve been blown out of proportion, but with the mob’s influence spread across the city, it was handled quietly.

The officer on duty was experienced. After watching the footage, he labeled it as harassment on Colin’s part, deciding it wasn’t worth the trouble to escalate things further.

So, Anna just had to fill out a few forms before being let go.

As for Colin, he’d been transferred to the hospital. Whether he’d wake up or not was up to fate.

“Miss Anna, Miss Mia asked me to remind you to be more careful in the future.”

A calm voice sounded beside Anna. A middle-aged man, slightly bowing, spoke to her. He was the one who had just pulled her out of the mess.

In a way, Mia had done Anna a huge favor, but expecting Anna to be grateful? Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

Their relationship was purely transactional. If emotions got involved, things would get messy.

“I know what I’m doing. Go back and tell Mia I owe her one for this. I’ll pay her back later.”

Anna waved him off like she was swatting a fly.

Even though Colin had paid the price for his reckless behavior, Anna’s frustration hadn’t eased. In fact, it was only getting worse.

After hitting him, she’d been dragged to the station, and with no way to get any information, she had no idea what was happening with Ryan.

Why had Ryan gotten into a fight?

Anna knew Ryan had some connection to the mob, but hadn’t he explained it to her before? He’d said he had to stay close to Alice because of a mission, meaning his ties to the mob weren’t that deep.

Had Ryan lied to her, or was there something else going on?

But right now, none of that mattered. The most important thing was that Ryan was in serious trouble.

The news had been plastered all over the country’s top media outlets, so by now, a lot of people knew about it. To them, Ryan was basically a mobster.

“Where’s my phone? My phone…”

Her anxiety was getting the best of her. Ever since she’d been sitting in the police station, it felt like a fire had been burning in her stomach.

She had finally found someone she thought was the right person, someone who brought light into her life, but now he was trapped in darkness. How could this be happening?

Frantically, she pulled out her phone and opened the local social media platform. What she saw made her heart sink.

“College student colludes with criminal organizations, bullies honest workers.”

“Subway project bidding lacks transparency, suspected shady dealings.”

“Got the full scoop, detailed info inside!”

The social media page, which usually only had mundane posts that no one paid attention to, was now blowing up. Eight out of ten posts were about today’s news.

In the eyes of the public, the line between the legal world and the criminal underworld was clear. Most people never had the chance to interact with the darker side of society.

This news had painted Ryan as a mobster, and it was drawing a lot of attention. Whether out of curiosity or just to vent their frustrations, people were flocking to their keyboards.

“This is disgusting. What’s up with that guy? He looks so clean-cut, but his actions are filthy.”

“There are plenty of people like that. You never really know someone. Who knows what other shady stuff he’s done?”

Even though the posts had been filtered, the malice in the comments still hung over the page like a dark cloud.

Some people had already started writing long, dramatic posts, showing off their writing skills by painting Ryan as a monster in disguise. Those posts were getting the most likes.

Anna clenched her teeth, forcing herself to keep reading despite the anger boiling inside her. She was biting down so hard she thought her teeth might shatter.

“Bastards, all of them!”

“Ryan isn’t like that at all! These people don’t know anything, so what gives them the right to say this?”

When Colin had first said those things, Anna had held onto a sliver of hope, hoping that the public’s comments would be somewhat rational and objective. But that naive hope had now been shattered into pieces.

The reason Ryan was being treated like this was simple: he wasn’t a true villain, and good people always seem to have a target on their backs.

These people didn’t even stop to think. If Ryan really were part of the mob, wouldn’t those who were posting under their real names be the first to face retaliation?

People loved the thrill of danger, the allure of the unknown, but only when it couldn’t actually hurt them. Ryan fit perfectly into their fantasy of what a villain should be.

Anna shut off her phone, breathing heavily, feeling like her heart was about to split in two.

She knew what kind of person Ryan was. She had to help him, just like he had helped her before.

The real problem here was Alice. Mia had mentioned that the mall project was something Alice was involved in, and Ryan’s current situation was likely because of his connection to her.

But why was it only Ryan being exposed? What about Alice? What about the real people behind all this?

Could it be that Ryan was being used as a scapegoat? If that were the case, then Alice had completely wasted Ryan’s loyalty. She didn’t deserve to have him by her side anymore.

This needed to be dealt with. Now.

Anna took a moment to collect herself, quickly dialing a number. She had memorized it the last time Ryan had called her, hoping for a chance to talk to him again someday.

But all she got was a busy signal. His phone was off.

She had expected this, and though it made her feel even worse, she wasn’t about to lose her cool. Deleting the number from her phone, she dialed Mia instead.

That guy earlier had mentioned Mia was with Ryan, but she had deliberately kept that information from Anna. Her intentions were clear now.

Mia picked up quickly, but just as Anna was about to speak, she hesitated, her brow furrowing slightly as she sensed something was off.

The black sedan behind her… hadn’t it been parked there for too long without moving?

———————-

PS:Well, Anna’s had quite a day, hasn’t she? From throwing punches at Colin to walking out of the police station fuming, she’s really been through the wringer. But things are only getting worse—Ryan’s reputation is being dragged through the mud, and she’s barely keeping her anger in check.

You have to feel for Anna here. All she wants to do is protect Ryan, but now she’s caught between the public turning against him and Alice’s involvement behind the scenes. The social media storm alone would be enough to push anyone over the edge. And with Mia keeping secrets? Let’s just say the tension is through the roof.

But what’s really going on with that black sedan she just noticed? Something’s definitely off, and it seems like Anna’s walking right into another problem. Just when you think things couldn’t get more intense, right?

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