ra moved closer, but every time she did, Ryan would nervously step back. Her face hardened, and she said firmly, "Stay right there."


    She could tell if he''d been smoking just by sniffing his fingers. Ryan stood still, not daring to move as ra approached. She grabbed his hand and took a whiff yep, the smoky smell was obvious.


    "Ryan, are you really lying to me now?" ra asked.


    Ryan flinched, quickly apologizing, "I just didn''t want you to be mad."


    ra let go of his hand. "Make sure it doesn''t happen again."


    "ra, I promise I won''t smoke anymore. I''ve just been stressed with school stuff and was in a bad mood. I''m sorry."


    Seeing how sincere he was, ra couldn''t stay mad. She just ruffled his hair and let it go, but the next day, she still decided to check out his school to see if he was really busy with schoolwork.


    Not knowing Ryan''s major made finding him tricky, especially with sses constantly changing rooms. She ended up at the car dealership where one of Ryan''s ssmates worked. This was the same guy who had stolen Ryan''s crush once, and ra had pped him before, leaving him bitter.


    As she walked into the dealership, she immediately spotted him. She approached slowly, "Hey there."


    The guy, about Ryan''s age, nced at her, recognition flickering in his eyes. "I''m Ryan''s sister. I just wanted to know if he''s been going to schooltely or if you guys have any big projectsing up?"


    He pressed his lips together, continuing to wipe the car window. Just when ra thought he wouldn''t answer, he quietly said, "He hasn''t been around in a while. Didn''t he switch to online sses?"


    ra paused, then pulled out her phone to call Ryan, but he didn''t pick up. Worried, she hurried out and hired a private investigator to find out where Ryan was that day.


    Feeling anxious, she waited at home for three hours until the investigator finally told her where Ryan was. ra drove straight to a low-key bar.


    Upon arriving, she stepped out of the car and walked in. It was the evening, but the bar was already packed with young people. Ryan used to hang out with friends at school, drinking light stuff, never in wild bars like this.


    ra''s worry intensified as she opened a door to find several young people sprawled out, surrounded by items that were clearly illegal. She froze, but quickly recovered and stormed inside.


    There was Ryan, right in the middle, sound asleep. She grabbed his cor and pped him awake.


    Ryan winced, frowning slightly. When he saw her, all the color drained from his face. "ra, what... what are you doing here?"


    He looked guilty, trying to hide his face. Furious, ra yanked him up with a surge of anger.