The Billionaire’s Deadly Love

Chapter 2: The Tracking Chip

“You…” Her face paled as her mind connected the dots.

Edward’s eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. His expression remained unreadable, but a dark shadow passed over his face. “What’s going on here?” he asked quietly, his voice icy.

Scarface Lee spun around at the sound of Edward’s voice, his demeanor shifting. “Edward! It’s been a while,” he said with a wide grin, revealing a row of gold teeth as he hurried over to greet him.

Knowing Edward’s formidable reputation, Scarface quickly attempted to suck up to him. “What would you like to drink, Edward? I’ll get it for you right away.”

Edward ignored the false friendliness and cut straight to the point. “What’s going on with her?” He cast a cold glance toward the woman.

“Oh, her? It’s nothing, really. Just a woman. Edward, come have a seat, and we—”

“Did you drug her?” Edward’s voice dropped several degrees colder as he interrupted.

Scarface laughed nervously. “You’re sharp, Edward. Yeah, I just got this drug, thought I’d try it out. It’s banned here, you know, but I managed to get my hands on some. Heard it’s powerful stuff.”

He pulled a small vial from his pocket and started rambling excitedly. “Women who take this… let’s just say, they’ll do anything to avoid passing out. Even the purest woman will turn into a vixen. She’ll satisfy you like five women combined. It’s guaranteed to be a good time!”

Scarface grinned, expecting Edward to share in his excitement. “If you want, I can get you a whole box of the stuff.”

But before Scarface could finish his sentence, Edward's expression turned lethal. With a swift, brutal motion, Edward kneed Scarface in the groin, sending him crashing to the floor with a guttural scream of pain. The café fell silent as chairs and tables toppled over in the chaos.

“Ahhh!” Scarface wailed, clutching his groin as he writhed on the floor.

Edward's menacing figure loomed over him. “Grab him,” he commanded, his voice low and deadly.

“Yes, sir!” Tom immediately ordered the others to seize Scarface.

Edward stepped closer, his cold gaze piercing into Scarface's eyes. “We were here to talk business, not for you to pull something as disgusting as drugging a woman.”

“E-Edward… I…” Scarface’s face twisted in terror as he realized how badly he had miscalculated.

“If you want to live as a lowlife thug, I don’t care. But don’t ever pull that kind of crap in front of me. Understood?” Edward’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“U-understood!” Scarface stammered, nodding furiously. His fear was palpable.

Without even sitting down to negotiate, Edward’s men knew the deal had fallen through. They were well aware of what this meant: The Gates would soon take over all of Scarface's territory.

“Edward, what should we do with Scarface’s territory now? Should we stick with your original 70/30 split, or just hand the whole thing over to Tom?” Samuel grinned mischievously as he whispered the question.

Receiving no response for a long while and seeing Edward’s cold, unreadable expression, Samuel’s grin grew wider.

No response meant approval, and approval meant that Samuel had won his bet with White.

Feeling triumphant, Samuel extended his hand toward White with an expectant look.

White glared at him bitterly, before pulling out his wallet and slapping ten $100 bills into Samuel’s hand with obvious reluctance.

“Come on, why so sour? Haven’t you heard of ‘a bet’s a bet’?” Samuel shot White an annoyed look.

Hearing the commotion, Edward turned his icy gaze toward the two men. When he saw the money in Samuel’s hand, he immediately understood what was going on—once again, the two had turned his decision into a wager.

With a cold face, Edward snatched five of the bills from Samuel’s hand and returned them to White.

“Edward, that’s my money!” Samuel cried, wide-eyed.

“This time was an exception. You didn’t win the whole bet,” Edward said coldly, clearly in a bad mood.

“Fair as always, Edward,” White said smugly, pocketing the cash with a grin.

Once the money was sorted, White called Tom over and whispered a few instructions to him.

Edward, whose mood had worsened, turned his cold gaze toward the woman, now restrained by two men, her face pale but still holding her pride.

He clenched his fists tightly, his dark eyes flickering with emotion, as if an endless storm of thoughts were swirling inside him.

He wanted her to ask him for help, to acknowledge that he was someone she could trust, someone who could protect her.

“Let go of me! Let go!” With a burst of strength, the woman managed to break free from the two men holding her.

Her face was pale as she staggered toward the café’s exit, only to crash into Edward’s solid chest.

“Ugh!” The impact nearly knocked her out.

She looked up at him, her flushed face covered in a sheen of sweat, meeting his dark, penetrating gaze.

Her overheated body was clouding her mind, making it harder for her to think clearly. She bit her lip hard, trying to focus through the pain.

“Please…” she began, about to ask for his help, but then stopped herself.

She hadn’t forgotten that this man knew Scarface Lee, the one who had drugged her. She hadn’t forgotten the danger in his eyes, nor the fact that even after learning she had been drugged, he had done nothing.

Shoving aside the thought of asking Edward for help, she steadied herself against a nearby table, taking a deep breath. She turned her body, intending to walk past him and escape from this dangerous place.

If she could just get outside, any passerby could help her. She didn’t need him.

Edward waited, expecting her to ask for his help, to trust him. But…

As he watched her stumble forward, trying desperately to walk away, his expression hardened. His eyes darkened as he glanced toward the shadows outside, where Scarface Lee’s men were lurking.

Without his intervention, she would never make it out of the alley.

A sleek Rolls-Royce, followed by several black Mercedes, sped down the highway through the countryside.

Edward’s face was cold and stern as he sat in the back seat, holding the woman close. Her eyes were closed, her lips tightly pursed as she tried to push him away, but she lacked the strength to do so and ended up leaning against him.

Though she hadn’t asked for his help, though his actions had shocked his men, Edward hadn’t hesitated to intervene.

He couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else laying claim to the woman he had set his sights on. The emotions she stirred in him were too powerful, too vivid for him to ignore. Every step she took away from him made his heart sink further into the abyss.

So, acting was his only choice.

“Ah…” The heat and pain building inside her caused her to let out a soft moan of discomfort.

Edward’s eyes darkened as he looked down at her flushed cheeks, her uneven breathing, and the beads of sweat forming on her skin. Her body was alternating between hot and cold, and he knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

“We’re almost there. Hold on a little longer,” he said, his face tense, tightening his grip around her.

Thirty seconds later, a towering iron gate and a seemingly endless driveway came into view.

The Gates’ northern base was located on a massive estate near the outskirts of the city. The property stretched across several acres, with high walls and tall trees ensuring that no one could spy on the activities inside.

As soon as the security personnel saw the approaching Rolls-Royce, they quickly opened the iron gate.

The lead car passed through the high-tech scanning system without issue, but as the Rolls-Royce approached, the alarm suddenly went off, flashing red lights and sending out a warning.

“Tracking chip detected, R-Model, third generation. The first generation was developed in 2017 by the West German Tech Group… The third generation was modified in March 2023…”

The detailed warning stopped the car in its tracks, leaving Edward momentarily stunned. He was being tracked?

A team of thirty elite soldiers armed with advanced weaponry rushed toward the gate. Upon realizing it was their leader inside the car, they stood frozen in shock.

“Sir!” White quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Edward.

Edward said nothing as he stepped out of the car to go through the scanner again. He passed the scan without issue. His car was always under strict guard, so it wasn’t possible that someone had tampered with it. The only possibility was…

Her.

With a deep frown, Edward bent down and lifted the woman out of the car, carrying her through the scanner.

Once again, the red light flashed, and the warning sounded. It was her, no doubt.

After a thorough inspection, the scanner revealed that a tracking chip had been implanted under the skin of her left arm.

Edward immediately ordered White to contact the West German Tech Group, while also summoning a medical and tech team stationed at the base to stand by.

According to White’s report, the chip had been designed by the tech group for wealthy families to track their members in case of kidnapping. Thankfully, it didn’t pose a risk of explosion, which allowed Edward to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Ah…” The woman groaned in pain, her voice faint.

“Get the chip out of her, now,” Edward ordered, noticing that her condition was worsening.

Glancing at the sharp instruments the medical team was preparing, Edward’s face darkened further as he gave a stern reminder. “Be careful. Don’t hurt her too much.”