New beginning: Billionaire love story

making sense. Her body swayed slightly, and she realized she was moving. No, not her-the car was moving.

Claire groaned, shifting uncomfortably as something tight pressed against her wrist. She blinked her eyes open, but everything felt blurry and hazy like she had just woken up from a deep sleep. Her mind was trying to piece together where she was, but nothing was She heard the hum of the engine, and the next thing she noticed was the woman in the driver's seat glancing back at her through the rearview mirror. Lisa's smirk was hard to miss, even in Claire's groggy state.

"Well, well, look who's awake," Lisa said with a mocking tone, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Did you have a nice nap, sweetheart?"

Claire blinked a few more times, trying to process Lisa's words. What was happening? Why was she tied up? Her brain was still struggling to catch up.

"Too bad it's not time for you to be awake yet," Lisa added with a fake pout before she reached into the seat next to her and grabbed something.

Claire's heart raced as Lisa leaned over the front seat, a cloth in her hand. Before Claire could react, Lisa pressed it firmly against her nose and mouth. Claire struggled, but her hands were tied, and she couldn't fight back. Her vision blurred once again, and the world quickly faded into darkness.

Meanwhile, on a deserted road far from the flashing cameras of the paparazzi, Matthew pulled the car over and parked on the side. His eyes were glued to his phone, and his fingers tapped furiously on the screen.

Alexander, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked, his tone impatient.

Matthew didn't look up, too focused on whatever he was doing. "I'm tracking Claire's phone," he said casually.

Alexander frowned. "Wait, you can track her phone?" He leaned over, trying to get a peek at Matthew's screen.

Matthew smirked but didn't answer, his fingers still flying across his phone screen. Alexander huffed, not appreciating being left in the dark.

"How?" Alexander pressed, clearly more interested now.

"I've got my ways," Matthew said with a shrug, still not offering any real explanation. "It's kind of a hassle doing it without my laptop, though. But going back to the office isn't an option right now." Alexander folded his arms, watching Matthew work. "No wonder Claire hired you."

Matthew thought to himself if only Alex knew that Claire was more professional than him. Sure, before Claire took Matthew under his wings, he could do some hacking but only the simple ones but Claire taught him more.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Matthew's face lit up. "Got it!" he announced triumphantly, holding his phone up like he had just won a game.

Alexander straightened in his seat, ready to spring into action. "Alright, let's go!"

But Matthew didn't move. He just sat there, staring at his phone screen.

"Uh, why aren't we driving?" Alexander asked, throwing Matthew a confused look.

Matthew frowned, his excitement fading a little. "It's... too easy."

"What do you mean 'too easy'?! isn't it good that we can locate her fast?" Alexander asked, his patience wearing thin. "What's so easy about this?"

Matthew sighed, clearly not as thrilled as he had been a moment ago. He wasn't new to this kind of situation. In fact, working with Claire had taught him a lot about strange things happening at the worst times. His instincts were telling him something was off. He tapped the screen of his phone, zooming in on the little blinking dot that represented Claire's location. "She's at the park."

Alexander's frown deepened. "So? Maybe she needed some fresh air."

Matthew shot him a skeptical look. "If she wanted fresh air, she'd tell me. She wouldn't just disappear without a word." "Maybe she forgot?" Alexander suggested though he didn't sound too convinced himself.

Matthew shook his head. "No way. Claire doesn't just forget to tell me where she's going. And even if she did leave without saying anything why is her phone still on, and why is she just hanging out at the park? If something's wrong, why the park?"

Alexander finally looked up, his brow furrowing a little as if he hadn't considered that. "Uh, maybe nothing happened? Maybe she's fine, and you're just freaking out for no reason?"

Alexander doesn't know who he is assuring, himself or Matthew. Deep down he knew something happened, but he refused to believe it.

Matthew rolled his eyes at how amateur Alexander was. Matthew thought to himself that Alexander never dealt with this kind of situation unlike him.

He may be a businessman and good at business but when it comes to instinct, he is not the brightest. His mind wasn't as sharp as Matthew's. Matthew's mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

Still, something wasn't sitting right with him. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing. His gut told him something was off.

"Alright, that is it," Matthew said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I'm driving to the park. I gotta know what's going on."

Alexander stared at him weirdly. "You're seriously going? I thought you said it's too easy,"

"It is. Just want to confirm my suspicion."

Claire groaned as she slowly came to her senses. Her head felt heavy, and her eyes fluttered open, only to immediately squeeze shut again, harsh lights blinded her. She shifted in her seat but quickly realized something was very, very wrong. She couldn't move her arms.

Before she could even fully comprehend what was happening, something cold and wet splashed across her face. Her eyes flew open in shock. Her heart pounded in her chest. "What the" Claire sputtered, blinking rapidly as the water dripped down her face. She looked up, and there, standing before her with a smirk plastered across her face, was Lisa. "Rise and shine, princess," Lisa said in a mocking sing-song voice. She twirled the now-empty bottle of water in her hand, her smirk widening. "What the heck are you doing, Lisa?"novelbin

Lisa placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Kidnapping you of course. I thought that was obvious."

Claire's eyes narrowed. "You are out of line, Lisa. Let me go."

Lisa let out a laugh that sent chills down Claire's spine. It wasn't a normal laugh-it was one of those 'I'm in control, and you're screwed' kind of laughs.

"Oh, sweetie," Lisa cooed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "you are really not in a position to be giving me orders, Claire. You're tied to a chair, remember?"

Claire tugged against the ropes

around her wrists, hating the fact

that Lisa was right. She was

completely helpless. The ropes were tight, cutting into her skin, and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't free herself. She needed to stay calm, though. If she panicked, Lisa would win.

Trying to buy herself some time, Claire spoke again, her voice steadier this time. "What do you think you're doing, Lisa? Kidnapping me? What's your endgame here?" Lisa rolled her eyes as if the answer were obvious. "Revenge, duh."