New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 280 The Hard Way

Matthew frowned, his brows knitting together as he looked at Claire. "Are you sure you want to see this guy right away?" Claire nodded without a hint of hesitation. "Yes. We don't have time to waste."

Matthew scratched the back of his neck. "Shouldn't we dig up more information first? I mean, what if the guy isn't even home? We should have backup plan."

Claire had already tried tracing Rafayel's phone number, but no luck-his SIM card wasn't in use anymore. "We've got no other leads. All we can do now is show up at his house and hope for the best," she said, standing up from her desk, determination etched on her face. Without another word, Claire marched out of her office, Matthew trailing behind her with a resigned sigh. Soon enough, they found themselves heading toward the helicopter waiting on the roof of Metacortex.

The flight wasn't long, and after they landed, they hopped into a car. Matthew took the driver's seat while Claire, in her usual efficient way, navigated.

Matthew glanced over at her every now and then, but the journey was mostly quiet, save for the hum of the engine and Claire's occasional instructions. The drive was a long one-about two hours-but finally, they arrived at the neighborhood. It wasn't exactly welcoming. "It's worse than the photos," Matthew muttered under his breath as they drove past run-down houses with peeling paint, and yards littered with debris.

Claire barely acknowledged him, her focus sharp as she scanned the area. "Keep going. The house should be on the left."

Matthew parked outside the crumbling building Claire pointed to. They both got out of the car, Claire walking straight toward the door with a sense of urgency. She knocked firmly and waited, but after a long silence, no one came. Frowning, she knocked again-this time harder.

Finally, the door creaked open, and an older woman stood there, looking mildly irritated. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Claire's expression was all business. "Sorry to interrupt your morning, but I'm looking for Rafayel. Is he here?"

The woman's brow furrowed, her arms crossing over her chest. "Why are you looking for my son?"

Claire didn't beat around the bush. "So, he is your son?" she asked, though her voice carried more confirmation than question.

The woman let out a tired sigh. "He was. He ran away months ago."

Claire exchanged a quick glance with Matthew, but didn't press further. "Do you know where he hangs out these days?"

were

house?" Claire asked, leaning

the neighborhood," the woman replied, giving them rough directions. "But like I said, I'm not

offering a brief, "Thank you," before turning on

they drove to the abandoned house, Matthew shot Claire a side glance. "Think she's telling the

Claire replied, her eyes scanning the

the woman's words, they eventually reached a house that looked like it had seen better days-many, many years ago. The windows were broken, the door barely hanging on its hinges, and the overgrown yard made it clear no one had lived there properly in ages. Matthew stopped the car, and Claire hopped out before he could say anything. He scrambled after her. "Hey, don't just rush

already walking toward the

well, famous last words," Matthew muttered as

that didn't mean it was safe. Pushing the door open, a loud squeak from the rusty hinges made both of them freeze for a second. Claire wrinkled her nose as the smell of stale cigarettes

smells like an ashtray," she remarked, glancing around the dim,

seem to be any signs of life, but that

up. He whipped his head around toward the back

Claire paused. "Hear what?"

Matthew's voice lowered. "Someone's moving

overgrown yard. He caught sight of two figures darting away in the distance, weaving through the tall grass. "Hey! Stop!"

"We can't let them get

and Matthew ran faster. The rough terrain did little to aid the fugitives' chances Claire's heart was racing in her chest as she willed herself to catch up, her legs burning for

split off and cut them off from the

slowing up, straight ahead. It didn't take long before Matthew was able to corral one of the men, reaching out and grabbing him

whit. He, too, was

a rock and went down hard. She was standing over

his leg

starting to look nervous