Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 303: If I can help, I’d be happy to…

Ryan was busy filling out the paperwork for his visit, and even he couldn’t help but frown at how tedious the process was.

The forms required real information, along with a verified driver’s license. Given his current situation, there was no way Ryan could go through with it.

He wasn’t exactly a wanted criminal, but walking around in public would definitely cause trouble. Handing over his license for registration would be like waving a flag for the cops to come and arrest him.

Luckily, Ryan didn’t have to panic or make a run for it. Alice had anticipated this. Before they left the house that morning, she handed him a new driver’s license.

Ryan had no idea how she managed to get a fake license, but using it made him feel like he was officially Alice’s accomplice.

“Rylan?”

“Yeah, that’s me…”

Well, if he was an accomplice, so be it. He was already on this ride and there was no getting off now. As long as Alice didn’t do anything too crazy, Ryan figured he could live with it.

After passing the ID verification with his fake identity, Ryan let out a long sigh of relief and sat down on a nearby chair, waiting for the full disinfection process before he could enter the hospital room.

Meanwhile, just a few hundred feet away, in a small Italian café, a pair of sharp eyes were fixed on the hospital building in the distance.

The gaze swept over the police officers stationed outside, before settling on the sixteenth-floor wall, as if it could see right through it.

A spoon gently scraped the edge of a cup, stirring the steam rising from the coffee.

“Miss Alice, your break seems to be running a bit long.”

If no one had interrupted, that gaze might have lingered indefinitely. So, when Alice was interrupted, her face naturally showed a hint of annoyance.

“With all due respect, Miss Nella, you’re overstepping.”

Alice shot back in the same tone, shutting Bella up instantly.

Her attitude didn’t soften in the slightest, even though the person sitting across from her was no ordinary figure. It didn’t matter if it was the third daughter of the Langston family or even the old patriarch himself—if anyone tried to interfere with her and Ryan, the result would be the same.

Their conversation had moved beyond subtle jabs. It was now an open confrontation.

Alice watched Bella’s expression, hoping to see something different.

But Bella didn’t react much to Alice’s words. She simply lowered her head and continued working on the tablet in front of her, which left Alice feeling a bit bored.

It had been half an hour since they parted ways with Ryan. From then until now, they had mostly been working in the café.

This café wasn’t particularly famous in the city, and when they first arrived, it was pretty empty. But once Alice and Bella, two striking figures, sat by the window, business started to pick up.

In the past half hour, the number of customers had already matched what the café would normally see in a full day.

Of course, the customers weren’t just here for the coffee. While they sat at their tables, their eyes kept drifting toward Alice and Bella.

Alice was dressed in a sleek, black, form-fitting suit, sticking to her usual androgynous style. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her expression was cold, her gaze even colder.

Her slender fingers tapped lightly on her arm, and it seemed like the rhythm of people’s heartbeats around her started to sync with it. There was something almost magical about her presence.

Someone like her, the kind you’d only see in movies, had stepped into reality. And to make things even more surreal, the girl sitting across from Alice was just as striking.

In contrast to Alice’s black suit, Bella had deliberately chosen a white outfit, with a more feminine cut. But even so, no one would describe her as delicate. There was a certain unyielding quality about her.

That was the most immediate impression Bella gave off.

Just by sitting there, they attracted countless stares. Feeling slightly irritated, Alice waved toward a black car parked outside the café. A minute later, those annoying gazes were gone.

“Classic Miss Alice,” Bella remarked.

Bella didn’t seem bothered by the attention. As the third daughter of the Langston family, she was used to people staring at her wherever she went. She had long since grown numb to it.

“I didn’t realize Miss Nella had such a sharp tongue.”

“Is the Langston family known for being so clean? You seem like the odd one out, Miss Nella.”

Alice didn’t bother responding to Bella’s sarcasm. Bella wasn’t wrong, after all. This was just how Alice handled things—if something bothered her, she dealt with it. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

She thought back to her interactions with Bella. At first, they had been relatively polite to each other. But ever since the incident at the party last night, Bella had been throwing snide remarks her way.

It made sense. No one would be friendly to someone they saw as a threat.

Still, Alice couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It seemed like Bella’s hostility wasn’t just about what happened at the party.

For example, just now, all Alice did was glance at the hospital, and it set Bella off, making her say something that risked Alice’s ire.

Of course, there was no proof of anything yet.

“Looks like you’ve wrapped up some work, Miss Nella. How about a sip of your coffee?”

Alice glanced at her phone, checking the time. She figured Ryan should be making his move by now. Her eyes flicked over to Bella’s still-full cup of coffee, and she casually reminded her, as if it didn’t really matter.

Bella looked down at the now lukewarm coffee, then slowly picked up the cup and took a sip.

It tasted awful. The bitterness exploded in her mouth, a far cry from the Italian coffee she was used to drinking abroad. But when she noticed Alice watching her with interest, Bella kept her expression neutral, swallowing the liquid without a hint of discomfort.

“Is there something you want to say, Miss Alice?”

“Not really. Just thought we could chat a bit while taking a break from work.”

Alice waved her hand with a smile. To Bella, that smile seemed so fake, like it could be torn apart in an instant.

But there was no need to call her out. Bella was also curious to test Alice, to see how she could use this conversation for her next move.

“If you have something to say, Miss Alice, just say it. No need to hold back.”

Bella turned off her tablet and leaned back slightly, exhaling deeply, as if they really were just two people casually chatting in a café.

Alice, on the other hand, wasn’t as restrained as Bella. She was serious but not timid, always managing to maintain the upper hand no matter who she was with. It was probably a natural talent of hers.

“No need to hold back, huh…”

“To be honest, Miss Nella, there is something I’d like to get off my chest. Maybe you could even help me.”

Alice shrugged off her suit jacket and tossed it onto the seat next to her. The white shirt underneath clung to her figure, effortlessly drawing attention without needing to reveal anything. She was the kind of woman anyone would envy, and even Bella couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Was Ryan really falling for someone like this?

Bella’s gaze shifted around the room. At some point, the café had emptied out. Even the owner seemed to have retreated to the back, leaving the large space to just Alice and Bella.

Alice leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on the table, her whole posture pressing in on Bella. Her eyes were sharp, piercing straight through her.

“If I can help, I’d be happy to…”

Bella’s eyelid twitched. She took another sip of coffee to hide her unease.

Even though she had rehearsed this scenario many times in her head, Alice’s presence was no joke. Bella had already sensed that at the party last night.

Alice was an incredibly sharp and powerful young woman, with a maturity far beyond her years. As an opponent, she was terrifying.

But if that was all there was to her, Bella would be disappointed.

A faint, almost mocking smile tugged at Bella’s lips as she leaned back further, sinking into the sofa. It looked like she was retreating, but in reality, she was more relaxed than ever.

She was confident. From the moment they met yesterday until now, her performance had been flawless. No matter how sharp Alice was, she wouldn’t find any evidence.

Bella’s confidence washed away the tension that had briefly crept up on her. She met Alice’s gaze head-on, her eyes filled with a lazy indifference, exactly the look she wanted Alice to see.

“Go ahead, Miss Alice. Let’s hear it.”

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