Bitcoin Billionaire: I Regressed to Invest in the First Bitcoin!
Chapter 240 - 240: Back in the City

The Razor's wheels kissed the tarmac with a soft screech, announcing the return of the Prince of Bitcoin to his private airstrip in Los Alverez, California.

The late afternoon sun blazed low, painting the sky in streaks of gold and crimson while the city's skyline shimmering in the distance.

Darren stepped out first, his tailored coat flapping in the warm breeze. Rachel followed immediately after, her hair loose, her usually covered eye completely visible as a look of relief and satisfaction — not to forget — was painted on her face.

She and Darren shared a knowing gaze. She smiled at him, like she was helplessly in love, and he smiled at her, desperately grateful.

"Never thought I'd be so excited to see this place," Rachel said.

"Really? I thought you had a great time in Romania." Darren joked.

She pouted and jerked him by the shoulder and Darren only chuckled.

Ileana Popescu emerged last, her dark jacket zipped tight, her green eyes wide as she took in the sprawling airstrip, the sleek jets, and the distant hum of a city that felt worlds away from the Triad's stone corridors.

There was a hitch in her breath as her fingers brushed the railing when she descended, like she was anchoring herself to this new reality.

Jon tipped his cap, his voice gruff but warm. "Welcome back, boss. Ms. Teschmacher. And…?" His eyes flicked to Ileana again, curious but professional.

"This is Ileana, Jon," Darren said, his tone neutral, introducing her without elaboration. He turned to Rachel, his gaze softening. "You won't be escorting her. Rather, take Rachel home. She's earned a break."

Rachel smirked, adjusting her laptop bag on her shoulder. "See you later, sir. Don't get into too much trouble without me."

Darren half-smiled. "No promises."

He watched as she climbed into the Audi, giving Ileana a quick, unreadable glance before the door shut.

Jon revved the engine, and the car glided away, leaving Darren and the Romanian tech girl alone with the Bentley car.

A female driver arrived and welcomed Darren.

"Come with me," Darren said to Ileana. She obeyed and they both got into the car.

The engine purred to life, and they pulled onto the highway, driving closer and closer into the city and its glass towers.

The drive was quiet at first, the hum of the engine filling the space between them.

Darren spent most of it thinking to himself. Buying Ileana from the Triad hadn't been planned, not at all, but there was something about her that excited him, intrigued him. He knew she was extremely talented, and the Triad themselves were not using her talents.

But that was because they had no idea what her talents could do.

With future knowledge, Darren had a couple.

Nevertheless, Ileana was dangerous, especially because she was tied to the Triad. Even though this move was a surprising one Darren personally couldn't afford to be surprised.

He glanced at her, her profile sharp against the window, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her jacket.

"Let's get this out of the way," he said, his voice low, direct, his Command Aura subtly active, giving his words a weight that demanded honesty. "Do you have any criminal record?"

Ileana's head snapped toward him, her green eyes narrowing. "Uh. I don't have a criminal record."

"Good. How about an arrest? Convictions, open cases?"

"No arrests," she shook her head nervously. "No convictions. The Triad… they don't let their people get caught. If I ever got caught in anything, I would have been disposed of."

Darren's brows relaxed. "Eh... I suppose you're right. That makes sense. The things you've done for them. Is there any that could come back to bite me? Hacks, heists, anything off the books?"

She exhaled, her fingers stilling. "I only coded for them. There are many more like me. Built wallets, encrypted nodes, moved money through dark pools. But I have never pulled a trigger, I... promise. I never stole directly. My hands are clean… mostly." She paused, her voice dropping. "Skinner taught me. He was the mastermind. I just followed."

Darren looked away. "Mostly isn't good enough."

He went ahead to scrutinize her carefully, asking her questions from possible enemies to detailed missions that she was a bit anxious to respond to.

At the end, he had a final important question to ask.

Darren's eyes flicked to her, assessing. "And loyalty? The Triad was your family. Skinner was your mentor. Do you still have loyalty to them?"

Ileana's gaze hardened, her voice low, raw. "What you're asking of me is a... difficult question, Mr. Darren. To have loyalty to the people who sold me and then to you..." she looked at him. "The man who bought me."

Darren kept his gaze straight.

"Skinner was the only one who saw me as more than a tool, and he's dead. But already, you… you gave me a way out. If all you're asking is if the Lotus Triad has my loyalty, the answer is no. But if you're also asking if I will be loyal to you now...

She hesitated. "I owe you more than I owed them. Could that be enough for now?"

Darren gazed at her for a moment, taking in the features of her clear face. Her cheekbones, her green eyes, her nervous brows. "We'll see."

He said and sat back.

They pulled into one of the Golden Hay Hotel Branches, a towering hotel owned by Grant Hayes, which had been given to him as part of the partnership for his special guests to stay free of charge.

Inside, Valets in crisp uniforms moved like shadows, and a concierge with a practiced smile greeted them at the entrance.

Darren led Ileana through the lobby and up an elevator which whisked them to the 22nd floor, opening to a hallway lined with plush carpet and gold-trimmed doors.

Darren unlocked Room 2207, a suite with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the city's skyline.

Once she got inside, she gazed around the decor. But before she could assume anything, she had to ask.

"Is… this for me?" Disbelief was already in her question.

"For now," Darren said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his feet. "You'll meet my team soon— Rachel, Kara, the others. I expect you to pull your weight. To be clear, your skills are why you're here. But we'll get into that detail later. If you need anything, ask for Harper Bell. She works for me."

Then he waited. "Do you have any questions?"

Ileana turned, her green eyes meeting his, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "Am I… your property now?" she asked softly.

Darren froze, shocked by the question.

"No." he replied. "You're my employee. You work for me, same as Rachel or Jon. You're free to make your own choices." He stepped out of the way and gestured toward the door. "If you don't want what I'm offering, I won't hold you back. You can leave."

There was a brief silence.

Then, Ileana's lips parted, her gaze searching his face, eyes shaking. Her hands clenched, then relaxed, and she shook her head slowly. "I want to stay," she said, her voice steady, a spark of resolve igniting. "With you."

Darren was shocked again by her response, and took a moment to scan her gaze.

"Good," he said finally. "Jon'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Get some rest." He turned and shut the hotel door.

Rather than going home, Darren got in his Aston Martin and headed straight to Mauravard Street.

Seeing the dome shape of the Steele Complex, he felt extremely glad to be back in the city. His One-77 pulled into the front garage, and when he got inside, his employees were all too happy to welcome him back with big smiles on their faces and words of gratitude.

He took the private elevator to the special floor where the extremely important IT department resided.

Entering inside, the room was a labyrinth of servers and screens, the air filled with cooling fans and the lights of computers with numbers and codes scrolling across monitors.

Darren realized how long it had been since he'd been either here or the Operations Room.

Kara, head of IT, sat at her desk, playing with her red hair with one hand while the other danced across a tablet with her fingers. She looked up as Darren entered, her sharp brown eyes lighting up with a playful smirk.

"Well, well, the prodigal boss returns!" she said, leaning back in her chair, her voice dripping with mock drama. "Thought I lost you, boss. You and Rachel jet off to Europe, no invite for me? Rude."

Darren didn't smile, he simply eased into the chair across from her, the tension of the Triad lair fading under Kara's familiar wit. "Trust me, Kara, you wouldn't have liked it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't be so sure about that."

He looked at her, and his lips downturned. "Somehow, I agree with you. All that insanity would've been your cup of tea."

Kara laughed, tossing her stylus onto the desk. "Just invite me to the next one then."

Darren's grin faded, his tone shifting to business. "I've got a job for you." He slid an ID card across her tablet, the screen flickering to life with a passport photo and a name:

'Ileana Popescu'

"Run her name through everything— darknet, encrypted databases, Interpol, you know the drill. I want every trace, every alias, every byte of data."

Kara picked up the tablet, her eyes narrowing at the photo — a sharp-faced woman with green eyes and dark hair. "Who's she?" she asked.

Darren leaned back as his gaze slowly turned distant and somber.

"I'm not so sure yet."

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