New beginning: Billionaire love story

Claire and Matthew headed back to the car, their footsteps echoing in the quiet night. As they approached the car, Matthew shot a glance at Claire, breaking the silence. "Are you really just going to let those two guys go?" Matthew asked, his voice laced with doubt.

Claire's expression remained unreadable, her face as calm as ever. "I don't want to hurt them. All I need are answers," she said, her voice cool and measured. Matthew frowned, not entirely convinced. "You know they could've been lying to save themselves, right? That whole story they told you could be made up." Claire stopped in her tracks, turning to face Matthew. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her tone remained steady. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

Matthew, sensing her frustration but unwilling to back down, replied, "You should've put them in jail. Whether their story is true or not, they were involved in putting Abigail in a coma. They deserve some kind of punishment."

Claire sighed, her gaze softening slightly as she considered his words. "I get it, Matthew. But what we need to focus on is finding the woman who ordered them to do this. She's the key to all of this."

Without waiting for a response, Claire opened the passenger door and slid inside the car. Matthew stood there for a moment, shaking his head before walking over to the driver's seat. He started the engine with a sigh, the hum of the car filling the silence between them. As they drove through the city streets, Matthew glanced over at Claire, curiosity gnawing at him. "What are you planning to do with Rafayel?" he asked.

Claire shrugged casually, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. "If he tells me what I need to know about this woman, I'll let him go."

Matthew frowned, clearly not thrilled with her plan. "You're going to let him go, too? Just like his two friends?"

Claire smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I never said I'd let him go easily," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness.

Matthew had no idea what she was up to, but he knew better than to press her further. He sighed and focused on driving, trusting Claire to handle things in her own way.

They eventually pulled up in front of a run-down apartment building, its facade cracked and dirty. The place reeked of neglect, and Claire wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stepped out of the car. "What is this place?" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. Matthew joined her, equally unimpressed by their surroundings. "This is where Rafayel lives, apparently."

Claire snorted, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "No wonder he's willing to do dirty jobs. This place screams desperation."

The two of them walked into the dingy apartment building, the flickering lights above casting an eerie glow. Claire climbed the stairs, her steps light but purposeful. She had memorized the directions from one of Rafayel's friends-third floor, go left, last door near the window. Simple enough, but the stench and grime made it feel like an ordeal.

As they reached the third floor, Claire's sharp ears picked up the sound of loud music blaring from behind a door. She turned to Matthew, raising an eyebrow.

"This is it?" she asked, pointing to the door where the music was practically shaking the walls.

"Yeah," Matthew confirmed with a nod. "This is what his friend told us."

Claire, without hesitation, pushed the door open. She wasn't one for knocking, especially in situations like this. The second the door swung open, a wave of noise and foul smells hit them. The mix of loud music, and the stench of weed, alcohol, and sweat made both Claire and Matthew grimace.

The room was small, and cluttered

with dirty clothes, empty beer bottles, and various questionable substances.scattered around. In the middle of it all, lounging on a stained couch like a king on his throne was Rafayel. He had two girls on either side of him, each one draped over his legs, laughing at something he had just said. He didn't even notice Claire and Matthew walk in at first.

Claire scanned the room quickly, her eyes locking on Rafayel. She leaned closer to Matthew, her voice raised over the pounding music. "There's our guy."

Matthew nodded, following her gaze to Rafayel. Without another word, they made their way through the crowd toward him. Claire stepped in front of Rafayel, arms crossed over her chest, her face set in a look that clearly said she wasn't in the mood for any nonsense. "Rafayel."

He stopped mid-kiss and looked up at her, a smirk instantly spreading across his face. "Who are you again? Doesn't matter if you wanted a turn, all you had to do was ask," he teased, his voice dripping with amusement. The two women on his lap giggled, clearly finding the whole thing hilarious.

Claire's expression didn't change. She wasn't here for jokes. "Party's over, Rafayel."

He chuckled, leaning back into the couch like he didn't have a care in the world. "And who do you think you are, telling me what to do? I don't take orders from you," he said, his voice laced with mockery. The girls on his lap giggled again, clearly enjoying the show.

Claire didn't even bother responding.novelbin

She simply turned to Matthew and gave him a look that said, it's time to end this. Matthew nodded in understanding. He didn't waste any time. He turned around, making his way to the sound system, and with a loud voice that cut through the blaring music, he yelled, "Party's over, everybody! Time to go!"

Rafayel blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting things to escalate so quickly. "Hey!" he shouted, but Matthew was already yanking the plug from the speaker system. The music cut off abruptly, and the sudden silence felt deafening after all the noise. People in the apartment started looking around, confused and unsure of what was happening. Matthew, standing by the now-quiet speakers, pointed toward the door. "Out. Now."

There was a moment of hesitation, but once Matthew flung the door open, people began to shuffle toward the exit, eager to avoid any confrontation. The two women on Rafayel's lap slid off, giving him apologetic looks before hurrying out with the rest of the crowd. The party, it seemed, was officially over.

Rafayel watched as everyone left, his jaw clenched in frustration. "You can't do this," he snapped at Claire, his usual smirk completely gone now. "You think you can just come in here and run my life? You don't own me."

Claire simply raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed by his tantrum. "I hate wasting time talking to nobody like you, but I have no choice but to do it either way," she said calmly. "We need to talk."

Once the last guest filed out,

Matthew shut the door with a solid thud. The apartment was eerily quiet now, save for the distant hum of the city outside. Rafayel, still sitting on the couch, looked between Clate and Matthew, his eyes flashing with irritation. "So, what's this about, huh? Who even are you barging into my place? What's so important you had to kick everyone out?"

Claire took a step closer, her voice firm but measured. "It's time to get serious, Rafayel. You're going to talk now, and you are going to answer all of our questions honestly."