New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 379 Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Claire squinted at the trunk, her gut telling her something was off. The lid was slightly ajar, just enough to make her suspicious. She hesitated for a second before lifting it fully, her eyes widening as a gasp escaped her lips. Stumbling back, she nearly tripped over her own feet, hands trembling. Matthew, who had been fiddling with something nearby, immediately rushed over at the sound of her gasp. "What happened? Claire, what's wrong?"

She pointed, too horrified to speak. Matthew followed her gaze, and as soon as he saw what was inside the trunk, his own eyes widened in shock. Lying there, sprawled out awkwardly, was the body of a man.

"Is... is he dead?" Claire stammered, her voice shaking. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight.

Matthew crouched down, squinting as if trying to figure it out from a distance. "I don't know. I can check."

He moved to reach for the man's neck, his hand hovering over where he'd feel for a pulse, but Claire grabbed his wrist, pulling him back. "Wait! What if he's dead, and your fingerprints are all over him? If the police show up, they'll think we did this!" Matthew gave her a look, half frustration, half understanding. "Claire, we need to know if he's alive. If there's a chance, we can still save him. If he's dead, we have to call the cops right away. Leaving him here is going to look even worse." Claire bit her lip, torn between panic and logic. She hated that Matthew was right, but she also hated the idea of them being implicated in some gruesome murder scene. After a moment's hesitation, she let go of his wrist. "Fine... but just be quick."

Matthew nodded, steeling himself. His fingers gently pressed against the man's neck, searching for a pulse. Claire held her breath, eyes wide, waiting for him to say something.

A few tense seconds passed before Matthew pulled his hand back and met her gaze with a hard, grim look. "He's dead."

Claire cursed under her breath, pacing in a tight circle, her fists clenching and unclenching. "This is getting out of hand. First the hacking, now this? Who the hell is doing this to us?"

Matthew stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans as if the mere act of touching the body made him feel unclean. "I know. But we need to stay calm. I'm going to call the police. If we leave this here and someone finds it later, they're going to think we killed him." Claire nodded, though her eyes kept flicking back to the man's body, no matter how much she tried to avoid looking. Matthew had his phone out, dialing emergency services, while Claire's gaze lingered on something odd sticking out of the dead man's suit pocket. A letter.

reach for it, but curiosity got the better of her. Slowly,

to her.

paper in her hand, frowning in confusion.

deeper as she read what was inside. Or rather, what wasn't inside. "It's...

stepped closer, looking over her shoulder. "A

them staring at the number as if it might reveal more information just by looking at

his neck, his face twisted in confusion. "What does that even mean? Why

no idea. But I'm going to find out." She folded the paper and tucked it into her pocket, already thinking

frowned, crossing his arms. "Wait, wait, wait. You're not

course I am!" Claire snapped, eyes flashing with determination. "This could

lead you straight into a trap! You don't know who this person is. Whoever killed this guy clearly doesn't care about getting

going to figure this out, Matthew. You know they won't. If

get hurt. This is dangerous. Whoever did this, they're clearly not afraid

at him,

up. So, what,

sit around and wait? Wait for what, Matthew? For the police to bumble through their investigation and come up with nothing? I'm not giving up. I'm going toofigure out who this