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Ryan Sumner is a wealthy, well-connected man who presents himself as charming and steady, a figure of stability in Evie’s chaotic world. He is deeply involved in his community, and although he appears indifferent to societal expectations when he chooses to date Evie, he remains deeply entrenched in the elite culture and lifestyle around him. His polished exterior conceals a darker side, as he carefully compartmentalizes his life. To Evie, Ryan shows kindness and tenderness, but in his work, he is capable of cruelty, threatening people with brutal consequences when they cross him. This duality mirrors Evie’s own life, where she must assume different identities to survive, though Ryan’s separation of roles is more deliberate—one identity as a community pillar and the other as a man deeply entangled in crime.
Ryan’s family history plays a pivotal role in his development. After losing his father at a young age, Ryan was raised by his grandparents, who shaped his values and left him with a strong attachment to the family business. His investment in both the legitimate and illegitimate sides of the business stems from a need to uphold his family’s legacy, ensuring that the dual identities he maintains—law-abiding citizen and secret criminal—remain intact. Ryan’s dynamic with Evie highlights the tension between public appearance and private reality, as they both struggle with incompatible identities. Ultimately, his willingness to embrace Evie’s morally complex world makes him the perfect match for her, as their relationship becomes a space where they can be both honest and complicit together.
Despite his affection and kindness toward Evie, Ryan shows a darker, more ruthless side when it comes to protecting his business interests. In moments of confrontation, he is capable of calculated cruelty, threatening people with severe consequences without hesitation. This capacity to compartmentalize—acting kind and supportive to those close to him while ruthless in business—parallels Evie’s struggle to reconcile the different facets of her life.
