New beginning: Billionaire love story

Adrian paced around Matthew's small, chaotic workstation, his expensive leather shoes echoing faintly on the tile floor. "How exactly are we supposed to find Claire?" he asked, rubbing his temple. Panic was beginning to edge his voice, though he tried to keep his cool. "It's not like she left a trail of breadcrumbs."

Matthew, hunched over his desk, barely spared Adrian a glance. "Easy," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Every car Claire owns has a tracker."

Adrian blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Yep," Matthew replied, his tone casual as he started typing furiously on his keyboard. His fingers flew across the keys like they had a life of their own. "You know, just in case something like this happens. She knows about it. It's a safety thing. And honestly, if whoever's got her hasn't found the tracker yet, that'll be a piece of cake."noveldrama

"That's... unexpected or should I say smart? I mean, Claire's a tech genius, for sure, she'd think of something like that," Adrian said, watching the screen flash with lines of code and maps. "But you? I didn't peg you as the hacker type."

Matthew paused just long enough to flash a smug grin. "You'd be surprised. Claire taught me a thing or two back in the day. She said I needed to 'up my game' if I wanted to survive in her world."

"Well," Adrian admitted, leaning closer to the screen, "it's impressive. Not the tracking part-bit creepy-but the skills? I can respect that."

"Thanks," Matthew said, his tone dripping with faux modesty. "What can I say? I had a good teacher."

Adrian couldn't help but grin. "Humble much?"

"Never," Matthew quipped.

Suddenly, a red dot pinged onto the screen. Matthew's grin disappeared, replaced by a frown.

"What?" Adrian asked, alarmed. "What is it?"

"The location," Matthew muttered, squinting at the map. "It's... familiar."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Familiar how?"

Matthew hesitated, his jaw tightening. "Because I had been there before. You know, when I got kidnapped."

Adrian blinked at him, his jaw dropping slightly. "Kidnapped?! You are joking."

Matthew shrugged like it was no big deal. "Wish I was. Long story. Anyway, let's go."

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit, abandoned warehouse, Claire was testing the limits of her patience and her wrists. The ropes digging into her skin weren't exactly comfy, but she wasn't about to sit around waiting to be rescued.

She took a deep breath and thought back to those ridiculous training sessions with Matthew. They'd been bored one weekend and decided to see who could free themselves from various bindings the fastest. At the time, it had been more of a joke than anything serious. But now? She was eternally grateful for Matthew's penchant for weird hobbies.

"Okay, Claire, you've got this," she whispered to herself, twisting her wrists this way and that. The ropes were tight, but she knew the trick: wiggle, loosen, pull. It was slow going, and the rope burned against her skin, but she didn't care.

The pain was a problem for future Claire.

After what felt like an eternity, the rope finally gave way. "Yes!" she whispered fiercely, immediately moving to untie her legs. Her fingers were cramping, but adrenaline kept her going.

Free at last, she stood and stretched, wincing at the soreness in her wrists. Now came the hard part: figuring out how to get out of this place.

Back at Cryptonic, Adrian followed him to the parking garage, where Matthew's car was waiting. Sliding into the driver's seat, Matthew barely gave Adrian a chance to buckle up before he slammed his foot on the gas, sending the car rocketing forward. "Whoa!" Adrian yelped as he was flung backward. "Seatbelt! Seatbelt!"

Matthew glanced at him and then raised his brows. "You are fine. Relax."

"Do you always drive like this?" Adrian asked, gripping the door handle as if his life depended on it.

"Only when it's an emergency," Matthew replied, weaving through traffic with unnerving precision.

Adrian groaned. "Can you at least pretend to care about speed limits?"

"Nope," Matthew said cheerfully. "We're on the outskirts of London. It's a long drive, and I don't plan on wasting any time."

They sped through the outskirts of

London, the city lights fading as they approached the warehouse district Adrian, who had long since given up trying to reason with Matthew's driving, focused on the task ahead. "So this place...it's where they took you before?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, his tone clipped. "Not my favorite spot in London, if I'm honest." "Great," Adrian muttered. "Really looking forward to this."

Back in the warehouse, Claire was eyeing her surroundings, searching for potential escape routes. The front exit seemed like the obvious choice, but it also felt like the most dangerous. If there were guards, she'd be walking straight into their arms.

Her eyes darted around, looking for something-anything-that could be used as a weapon. A pipe, a loose board, even a rusty nail. But before she could make a move, a crackling sound echoed through the room. "Planning your escape already, Claire?"

She froze, her heart sinking. The voice came from a speaker mounted high on the wall. It was unmistakable: Eligos.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed," Eligos continued, his tone light and mocking. "Not many people manage to get out of those ropes. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You've always been resourceful."

Claire rolled her eyes, trying to mask her unease with dry humor. "ow, thanks for the compliment. I'm flattered. I'll be sure to add it to my résumé."

Eligos chuckled. "You should. It's not every day that I find myself genuinely impressed. Tell me, are you planning to run? Or were you hoping I'd give you directions?"

Claire kept moving, pacing the room

as if she were considering her options. In reality, she was buying

time, trying to figure out here

move. Actually, I was hoping for an Uber. But you don't seem like the kind of guy who'd offer a ride."

"Oh, Claire," Eligos said, his voice oozing amusement. "Always so witty, even in the face of danger. But let's be honest, Claire. You know you're not getting out of here. Not without a little help.” "Funny," she shot back. "That's exactly what I was thinking about you."

"You know," Eligos said, ignoring her jab, "this whole act of yours is fascinating. You pretend to be so calm, so collected, but I can hear it in your voice. You're scared."

Claire stopped, her jaw tightening. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, but I do," he said smoothly. "I've been watching you for a long time, Claire. I know your every move."

"Creepy," she muttered under her breath.

The conversation was cut short by a sudden blackout. The lights flickered off, plunging the warehouse into total darkness. The speakers went silent, leaving Claire in eerie, suffocating quiet. "Okay, Claire," she whispered to herself. "Stay calm."

Her heart pounded in her chest, the darkness amplifying every sound. She held her breath, straining her ears for any hint of movement. Was this another one of Eligos's games, or had something gone wrong? She didn't have time to think. Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her wrist.