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?"

shrugging. "Last I heard, he and his crew were spending time at

Claire asked,

from the neighborhood," the woman replied, giving them rough directions. "But like I said, I'm not sure he's still

before turning on

the abandoned house, Matthew shot Claire a

seem to be hiding anything," Claire replied, her eyes scanning the road

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,

dismissive hand, already walking toward the house.

well, famous last words," Matthew muttered as he

Claire saw... nothing. The place looked deserted, but that didn't mean it was safe. Pushing the door open, a loud squeak from the rusty hinges made both of

ashtray," she remarked,

seem to be any signs of life, but that didn't stop him from

his head around toward the back of the house. "Did

Claire paused. "Hear what?"

voice lowered. "Someone's moving

caught sight of two

them get

was racing in her chest as she willed herself to catch up, her legs burning for the sudden burst of speed. Matthew

left!" Claire yelled, gesturing for Matthew to split off and

Matthew was able to corral one of the men, reaching out and grabbing him by the arm, yanking

one whit. He, too, was too winded from the

catch up to the second man, who tripped over a rock and went down

rubbing his leg where he had landed. "Damn

Claire's position, both men starting to