Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 265: Tracker

At this moment, Mia was holding a thin, transparent chip, no more than half an inch in diameter.

Even if Ryan had seen it stuck openly on his clothes, he might not have noticed it. Let alone when it was hidden under the collar at the back of his neck—there was no way he could have discovered it on his own.

“What is this?”

Even though he had a guess, Ryan still asked out loud.

Right now, Mia had him pinned down, unable to move. The restless feeling in his lower abdomen had cooled off by now.

Compared to the physical tension, what he was seeing in front of him was far more concerning. Mia had just slapped his wandering hand away, and now he didn’t dare to move, waiting for her explanation.

Mia simply flipped the chip over in her palm, studying it carefully. Then, a cold smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Alice really did go all out on Ryan, didn’t she? She wasn’t holding back at all.

A while ago, the gang had spent a fortune to acquire three advanced tracking devices. One was placed on an important politician, another on a dangerous traitor, and the last one had been taken by Alice, disappearing without a trace.

Mia had assumed Alice would use it to set up some kind of plan, maybe to improve her own situation. But to find it on Ryan? That was unexpected.

Was keeping Ryan from slipping away more important to Alice than her own safety?

“As you can see, it’s a tracker.”

Mia looked at Ryan’s expression and felt a sense of satisfaction. He had always been so concerned about Alice, to the point of obsession. Anytime Alice was mentioned, Ryan would immediately get worked up.

But now? The look of betrayal on his face was almost… cute, in Mia’s eyes.

“A tracker?!”

Ryan gritted his teeth, staring at the thin chip between Mia’s fingers. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem all that shocked. Maybe, deep down, he had suspected something like this all along but had been suppressing his doubts.

Alice’s call over the weekend had been the biggest clue. He had barely stepped out of the orphanage when she called, asking about his next move. And the strict rules about what he wore every day? That was probably part of it too. The whole “it’s not embarrassing” excuse was just a cover. The real goal was to make sure he always had this tracker on him.

Ryan’s face went blank as he reached out to take the tiny chip, but Mia slapped his hand away.

“Mia?”

“Don’t touch it. It might trigger an alarm.”

Seeing Ryan’s confused expression, Mia’s voice was calm, but inside, a strange feeling was growing.

For the first time, she felt like things were slipping out of her control.

She had known for a while that something was off with Alice, but she hadn’t realized it was this bad. If Ryan kept getting closer to her, who knew when he’d be completely consumed?

Mia admitted she had her own reasons for being involved with Ryan, but she would never go as far as Alice had.

Installing a GPS on him? Monitoring his calls? This wasn’t how you treated a person. It was more like… how you’d treat a caged bird.

A bizarre thought crossed her mind: Ryan’s next move was crucial. If he couldn’t stay by Alice’s side forever, he should leave now, while he still could. Otherwise, it might be too late to escape later…

Mia carefully held the chip. If it weren’t for the occasional red light flashing on it, she wouldn’t have been able to tell what it was for.

Her mind was racing with ideas. She wanted to grab Ryan and run, but that clearly wasn’t an option. Alice would find them both, and besides, who knew if Ryan would even agree to go with her?

This was enough to shake Ryan, but to make him completely cut ties with Alice? That was impossible.

For now, the best course of action was to do nothing. Mia had confirmed her suspicions, and with a quick motion, she slipped the chip back where it had been.

“Don’t mess with it. If Alice finds out, you’re in for a world of trouble.”

This wasn’t a joke or some attempt to stir things up. It was a serious warning. Alice’s actions had gone beyond what Mia had imagined, and it needed to be taken seriously.

After this, Ryan was clearly uneasy about the thing on his neck. It was like something was pressing down on him, making it impossible to stand up straight.

He really wanted to call Alice and ask her straight up: if she didn’t trust him at all, then why bother keeping him around?

He had thought he’d finally gotten through to her, that the coldness in her was starting to melt away bit by bit. But this discovery? It was like a slap in the face.

Alice had never trusted him. In fact, she was more guarded around him than she was with her actual rivals.

But what about all those tender moments? The concern she showed? Were those fake too?

“Ryan, do you really think she’s just being cautious around you?”

Mia, still sitting on Ryan’s legs, pushed herself up a bit, using her hands for leverage. She pressed her palms against his cheeks, forcing him to look directly at her.

She could sense something off. It seemed like Ryan was seeing things from a completely different angle than she was.

“What else could it be? Look at this.”

Ryan sighed, exasperated. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He had such a high favorability with Alice, yet she was still this suspicious of him. Was Alice just a walking contradiction?

“…”

Mia’s big eyes darted around, as if she knew something. But after thinking it over, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Ryan had completely misunderstood the situation. Alice’s behavior wasn’t about distrusting him—it was because she cared too much.

The flicker in Mia’s eyes showed she was debating whether to tell him. But even if she did, Ryan probably wouldn’t believe her.

How could she even explain it? Should she just come out and say, “Alice is hopelessly in love with you, and you need to be careful about that”?

No, Mia was smart enough to stay quiet. Ryan would figure it out on his own eventually. Telling him too much now would only disrupt the delicate balance they had.

“If you ever need help, you can come to me. I’ll be there for you.”

Mia stared at Ryan for a long time before finally pouting and making her promise.

Sure, she could mess with Alice, but she knew better than anyone what it meant to go up against the leader of a crime syndicate like Alice.

Right now, Ryan was clearly Alice’s bottom line. Trying to pull him away from her would be exponentially harder than Mia had anticipated.

Was it really worth going head-to-head with Alice over Ryan?

Mia wasn’t sure. She just felt an instinctive pull toward Ryan. Sure, she could be mischievous at times, but she’d never do anything to actually hurt him.

Alice, though? She was different. Alice had no limits when it came to getting what she wanted.

All Mia could do was offer her support. When the time came, when Alice’s feelings inevitably tore Ryan apart, she’d be there to pick up the pieces.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, Ryan. We’re here.”

Since discovering the tracker on Ryan’s neck, Mia had been lost in thought. The cocky attitude she’d had earlier was gone, and she quietly slid off Ryan and back into the rear seat, deep in her own worries.

“Oh, right… we’re here.”

Ryan glanced out the window, finally snapping back to reality. The location his skill had been tracking was just up ahead—a small, unassuming house. This was the end of the trail.

No matter how chaotic his thoughts were, Ryan had to force himself to focus. Even if Alice didn’t trust him, he still had a job to do.

“You sure you’re okay, Ryan?”

Mia had already opened the car door and stepped out. Alice’s behavior was definitely something to think about, but the sudden shift in the situation had hit Mia just as hard as it had Ryan.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Mia’s voice was still soft and sweet, but Ryan barely registered it. After everything that had just happened, something inside him was starting to change.

A seed of doubt had been planted, and it was only a matter of time before it grew into something much bigger.

Wait—what was that? Ryan’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting in shock. He couldn’t hide his surprise anymore.

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