New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 201 Free Her Out

"Excuse me? Did I hear you wrong?" a look of shock etched Lisa's face meanwhile Claire looked calm and composed.

Claire's eyes locked onto Lisa's, the coldness in her gaze unnerving the woman who had spent days wondering if she would ever see the outside world again. "I'm here to free you," Claire said, her voice devoid of emotion. Lisa blinked, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as if she couldn't trust her ears.

"You heard me," Claire repeated, her tone flat and unmoved.

Lisa's shock quickly transformed into anger. She lashed out at Claire, her voice rising in the small, suffocating cell. "Don't make fun of me, Claire. I don't need your pity, and I certainly don't need your games!"

Claire remained unfazed, her expression as calm as a still pond. She looked Lisa dead in the eyes, her voice steady. "I'm not making fun of you."

Lisa's anger wavered, and she stared back at Claire, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Why?" she demanded, suspicion lacing her voice. "Why would you want to free me?"

A slow, knowing smirk curled the corners of Claire's lips. "I wanted to do something kind," she replied, her voice soft, almost mocking.

Lisa narrowed her eyes, her skepticism deepening. There was something unsettling about Claire's calmness, something that told Lisa there was more to this than what she was saying. "Prove it," Lisa challenged, her tone sharp.

Claire's smile didn't waver. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the cell, her stilettos clicking against the cold concrete floor as she made her way to the front office. Lisa watched her go, still processing what had just happened, her mind racing with a mixture of hope and mistrust.

Claire approached the police officer at the front desk, her posture straight and her demeanor composed. "I'd like to bail Lisa Thompson out," she said, her voice firm.

the request. "May I

slipping from her lips effortlessly. Inwardly, she scoffed at the absurdity of the situation, already

for a moment, then shrugged, seemingly satisfied with Claire's answer. He handed her the paperwork to sign, and after a few minutes of formalities and a

she expected this to be some kind of trick. She spotted Claire and Matthew standing by the exit,

as she finally reached them. There was no gratitude in her tone, only a reluctant acknowledgment of what Claire

her face void of emotion. She turned to leave, but before she could take more than a few steps, Lisa called out to her. "Wait," she said, her voice more curious than demanding now. "What's the real reason you're doing this?" Claire paused, turning her head slightly to look at Lisa over her shoulder. A smirk played on

hung in the air, thick with implication. Lisa felt a shiver run down her spine. There was a double meaning there, she was sure of it, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was. All she knew was that Claire's smirk,

didn't wait for

no

clicking against the floor echoed in Lisa's ears long after Claire had disappeared from view. For some reason, that sound bugged her, gnawing at the edge of her consciousness like an itch

happened. She was free, but the way Claire had freed he left her feeling anything but liberated. There was a heaviness in her chest, a sense of foreboding that she couldn't shake. Claire's actions didn't make sense-not on the

station, Lisa replayed Claire's words in her mind, over and over. She didn't deserve to be here.

car, Claire sat in the backseat, her gaze fixed on the world outside the window, her shades masking her thoughts. The cityscape blurred by as Matthew drove, but his attention kept drifting back

"Stop glancing and speak your mind, Matthew,"

easily she could read him. "You caught me," he admitted. But his

shades, revealing a faint smile as she met Matthew's eyes in the mirror. "I've already thought about it," she began, her voice calm, almost too calm. "But I want to play it slow. Catch Lisa off guard. It'll be much

"I like

over at Harris

in his

the latest