Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 322: Just stay out of my way

“Ryan?” A voice called out to him unexpectedly. He turned around, surprised to hear someone familiar in a place like this.

He didn’t know many people, and there was only one person who would call him “Ryan” in that particular tone—Anna.

Mia had already started to walk away, but when she noticed Ryan stop in his tracks, her face darkened. She knew this wasn’t going to end as smoothly as she had hoped.

As Ryan and Mia watched, a strikingly beautiful girl quickly ran up to them. Her face was flushed, clearly excited to see Ryan, and she was slightly out of breath from running. Once she stopped, she greeted Ryan with a bright, sincere smile.

“Hey, Ryan! Long time no see~”

Her voice was as clear and refreshing as a mountain stream, sweet but not overly cutesy. It was unmistakably Anna.

“Anna? What are you doing here?” Ryan asked, pleasantly surprised. After all, they had just seen each other yesterday.

“I’m here with some friends. I didn’t expect to run into you!” Anna replied, still catching her breath. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger and flashed him a sweet smile.

Anna was clearly dressed for a day of fun. She wore a simple white tank top and denim shorts, her sun-kissed skin glowing under the sunlight. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a pair of oversized sunglasses rested on her nose, giving her a cute yet sporty look.

“Oh? Where are your friends?” Ryan asked, not doubting her story for a second.

“Let me see… Huh? Where did they go? They were just here!” Anna said, standing on her tiptoes and scanning the crowd. But after looking around for a while, she couldn’t spot the friends she had come with.

This was the city’s biggest amusement park, and with the massive crowds, it was easy to get separated.

“Eh, whatever. There’s a whole group of them, they won’t miss me,” Anna said, scratching her head in frustration. But then her eyes lit up as she looked at Ryan, clearly having a new idea.

Ryan could pretty much guess what she was about to ask. While ditching her friends didn’t seem like the best move, if Anna had already made up her mind, he didn’t see much point in arguing. After all, it’s an amusement park—having more people around could make things more fun.

But before Anna could even finish her sentence, a cold laugh came from behind Ryan. Mia stepped forward, placing herself between Ryan and Anna, glaring at Anna with a fierce look.

“Oh, really? You just lost them, huh?” Mia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She didn’t believe Anna’s story for a second. How could it be such a coincidence?

The park closed at 5 PM, and Ryan and Mia had only arrived around 3:30 because that was the only time they were free. If Anna had come with her friends, why would they show up so late, right before closing time? The whole “I’m here with friends” excuse was clearly a lie, one that might fool someone as trusting as Ryan, but Mia wasn’t buying it.

“Mia, we’re all just here to have fun. No need to be like this,” Ryan said, trying to defuse the tension. The air between Mia and Anna was growing colder by the second, and it felt like the atmosphere might freeze over entirely.

He had no idea what was going on between the two of them. In front of Alice, they acted like they were the best of friends, but the moment Alice wasn’t around, it was like they were mortal enemies. The drama between girls was something Ryan could never fully understand.

Mia shot Ryan a frustrated look, then glanced at Anna, who was standing there looking all innocent. With a huff, Mia turned away, but not before grabbing Ryan’s hand tightly—tighter than she ever had before.

Anna’s sudden appearance had completely thrown off Mia’s plans. What was supposed to be a nice date for just the two of them had now been interrupted by a third person. It felt like she had spent hours cooking a meal, only for someone to show up and declare it bad before even tasting it.

Throughout the rest of the encounter, Mia kept a wary eye on Anna, watching her every move, ready to step in if she tried anything funny.

At first, Mia had teamed up with Anna to deal with Alice. But over time, she realized things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Sure, Alice was still the toughest “boss” to handle, but Anna was no pushover either.

Mia had initially thought Anna would be easier to control, but that turned out to be far from the truth.

There was that incident not too long ago—the one where Anna had beaten a man so badly he ended up in the hospital. When Mia went to clean up the mess, she made a point to check on the guy. While she didn’t exactly feel sorry for him, she had to admit, he was in pretty bad shape.

Alice’s possessiveness over Ryan was intense, sure. She’d even gone as far as to put tracking devices and listening equipment on him. But at least Alice hadn’t physically hurt him. Anna, on the other hand, was different. In Mia’s eyes, Anna was becoming increasingly unhinged. Beneath her calm and sweet exterior lurked a violent streak, one that could explode at any moment.

The three of them walked side by side, with Mia gripping Ryan’s hand tightly, pulling him closer to her. Anna, meanwhile, seemed completely relaxed, casually snapping photos with her camera like any other tourist.

It was already 3:30 in the afternoon, but the sun was still blazing, making it hard to keep their eyes open.

“I’ll go buy the tickets. You two can wait over there in the shade,” Ryan offered, ever the gentleman. Normally, if it were just Mia or Anna, either one would have insisted on going with him. But with both of them here, the situation was a bit different.

“Ryan, could you get me an ice cream after you buy the tickets? Mia’s craving one,” Mia said, tugging on his arm and pointing to a nearby ice cream cart. Ryan glanced at Anna, who was also looking at him with a hopeful expression.

Do they both really want ice cream that badly? Ryan thought. Well, it was scorching hot, so he couldn’t blame them.

For some reason, Ryan got the feeling that the girls didn’t want him around right now, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Shaking his head, he turned and headed into the crowd.

As soon as Ryan was out of sight, both Mia and Anna let out a small sigh of relief. The tension between them was palpable, and the moment Ryan was gone, their friendly facades dropped. The air between them crackled with hostility as they locked eyes, neither bothering to hide their animosity.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you worried Ryan will start getting suspicious?” Mia asked coldly, her eyes narrowing.

“You should really work on keeping up that innocent ‘sweet little sister’ act of yours. If Ryan ever sees through it, you’re done for,” Mia added, her voice dripping with venom. She knew exactly where to strike, and her words hit Anna right where it hurt.

But Anna didn’t seem fazed. She glanced down at her fingernail, which had accidentally broken, and looked more annoyed by that than by Mia’s words. After Mia finished, Anna let out a long breath, her lips curling into a sly, fox-like smile.

“Ryan doesn’t care about trivial things like that. But you… have you dealt with Alice yet? You’re awfully bold to be acting like this,” Anna replied, her tone casual but her words sharp.

“I don’t care what you’re planning, Mia. Just stay out of my way,” Anna warned, her voice low and dangerous.

“And you? Always calling him ‘Ryan, my big brother.’ If he ever finds out what’s really going on in that head of yours, do you really think you’ll be any better off than me?” Anna added, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and threat.

Meanwhile, Ryan was still standing in line, but something didn’t feel right. The dynamic between Mia and Anna was… off. He started to regret leaving them alone together. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to force the two of them to hang out.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. What if they started fighting? His pace quickened as he rushed to get the tickets and ice cream.

But when he finally returned, ice cream in hand, he was stunned. The two girls were standing quietly under the shade of a tree, looking perfectly calm. They even smiled at him as he approached, as if nothing had happened.

It was like the calm before a storm.

“Ryan, what’s wrong? You look worried,” Anna asked, her voice sweet and innocent.

“Ryan, let’s hurry up and go inside. Mia’s been dying to get started,” Mia chimed in, her tone light and cheerful.

Ryan blinked, confused. Did I imagine all that tension? He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, but for now, he just handed them their ice creams and led the way into the park.