Chapter 169: So, Tony, your sincerity?

Chapter 169: So, Tony, your sincerity?

Chapter 169: So, Tony, your sincerity?

The expected gunshot hadn’t immediately occurred, and the man, tackled by his bodyguard, was in a state of panic.

Hiding behind a chair in a frenzy, he hadn’t even considered whether the thin back of the chair could actually stop a sniper’s bullet.

“Alice! Wait a second!”

The man yelled out, now realizing that Alice had prepared for emergencies in advance, and he had walked right into it without any clue.

“I didn’t mean to kill you! We can still talk!”

The man lost his earlier arrogance as soon as the bodyguard tackled him, realizing his mistake.

Thinking of Alice as a gift to those guys could naturally bring benefits, but only if he lived to enjoy them.

Seeing Alice stand still at a distance, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Where was the sniper? Why hadn’t his people noticed anything?

But at this moment, that didn’t matter anymore. Alice not ordering to shoot meant he still had a chance,there was still room for negotiation.

Lying on the ground, heart still pounding, he felt like he had just walked through the gates of hell.

“Damn it...”

He knew Alice wouldn’t be easy to take down,she was slippery like an eel, always having a backup plan.

Alice, seeing Tony suddenly go from arrogant to pathetic, didn’t know exactly what had happened, only feeling a hand grabbing her in the chaos.

Instinctively wanting to break free and maybe put a few bullets in the guy’s forehead—she never allowed anyone to touch her.

But upon seeing who the hand belonged to, Alice’s heart softened, her principles nearly collapsing as she let him pull her along.

“Quick, get the boss out of here! The building across, nineteenth floor, search it now!” the lead bodyguard shouted into his headset, as a group crawled over, pulling Tony back.

The professionalism was impressive,even in such chaos, they managed to organize an effective rescue. Tony’s money on bodyguards wasn’t wasted.

Meanwhile, a few other bodyguards didn’t come to help but drew their pistols, the dark muzzles aimed at Ryan and Alice.

Even prepared to back down, they still faced a standoff? Typical of someone who had been in the business world for years, never letting himself be at a disadvantage.

Ryan cursed under his breath, holding Alice close, his gaze icy as he stared down the men in front of them.

The best thing would have been to put Alice behind him to block any bullets from the front.

But with the sniper clearly targeting her from behind, putting her there would be like throwing her into the lion’s den.

Wolves in front, a tiger behind, the situation seemed utterly dire.

“Miss Alice, don’t get me wrong, I’m just trying to protect myself,” the man chuckled nervously, wiping sweat from his forehead, though his eyes already showed signs of retreat.

“Miss Alice, they’re still within shooting range,” Ryan whispered into Alice’s ear, their height difference making it seem like he was nibbling at her ear.

He could feel the tremor in the body of the girl in his arms, her earlobes inexplicably reddening, her teeth clenched tight.

The tension seemed no less than during their standoff, Ryan thought it was the pressure getting to Alice.

Seeing no response from her, he raised his voice slightly, repeating into her ear.

“Miss Alice, they’re still within range.”

But recalling Ryan’s calm demeanor earlier, she sensed he had his own plans.

Well... listening wouldn’t hurt.

So, Alice’s expression turned icy, as if the previous displeasure had soured her mood, leaving Ryan to speak on her behalf.

[Alice Mood Level +10, Current 25/100 (Slightly Relieved)]

Ryan’s lips twitched. Miss Alice’s mood had improved slightly.

But if he told her the sniper wasn’t aiming at Tony but at her, would her mood completely collapse?

Ryan paused, adopting what he thought might be Alice’s typical speaking style, and didn’t rush to speak, just looked at Tony calmly.

The silence put the pressure on Tony.

After just half a minute, Tony couldn’t take it anymore.

“Yes... it was underhanded, but I wasn’t the mastermind, as you know. I’m just a legitimate businessman.”

Tony rubbed his hands, his smile forced as he slowly stood up.

His bodyguard had whispered to him that as long as they were on this floor, they couldn’t escape the sniper’s range.

The conference room, unlike other rooms, had no load-bearing walls. If a bullet came, nothing short of a human shield would stop it.

So, other than bowing to Alice, he had no other choice.

Tony stood up, grabbing a bodyguard to half-shield himself, the bodyguard’s face a picture of reluctance.

He wasn’t ready to die for someone else.

“Yes, yes, I was confused. I’ve always admired Miss Alice.”

“My admiration for Miss Alice is like the endless river...”

The man started to ramble again. Alice’s expression didn’t improve,she just turned and glared at Ryan.

She didn’t understand why Ryan was giving this man a chance. Wasn’t he just providing an easy way out?

“Then...”

Ryan pretended not to see Alice’s glare, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted to deal with Tony here and now, but Ryan had been ignoring her all morning, and it was really getting on her nerves.

“How about we both step back?”

Tony, with a sheepish grin, noticed the misunderstanding between Ryan and Alice. Since Alice hadn’t intervened, it meant Ryan’s words were more or less in line with her thoughts.

At this stage, they understood the value of peace better than most. Unless they were absolutely sure they could completely eliminate the opposition, it was better to keep things civil.

After all, no one knew if the other party would hold a grudge and bite back.

“So, Tony, your sincerity?”

“Oh, yes, yes, of course, I was wrong. I should apologize to Miss Alice first.”

“Let’s both step back. I’ll step back first.”