New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 397 Back to London

Eligos grinned wide, his satisfaction spilling over as he leaned back in the plush hotel chair. Italy had been a decent hideaway so far, with a good espresso here, a glass of wine there, and, apparently, Cindy finally calling him back. He'd kept her on hold, knowing she'd be reaching out sooner or later. Cindy wasn't the type to come begging for help unless something had genuinely rattled her-and whatever that was, it would make her far easier to convince. Her voice crackled through the phone, and she didn't sound pleased. "Hello? Are you even there?" she snapped, obviously annoyed.

Eligos chuckled silently, letting her frustration hang in the air a second longer. "I'm here, Cindy. Just... savoring this lovely call. And happy to hear you're finally on board."

Her scoff on the other end was almost satisfying enough to get him through the rest of her rant.

"Don't start with that sweet talk," she said. "I just had to deal with that snake, Claire Peterson. Do you know what it's like to watch her float around like she owns the world? She even has this exclusive, ridiculous little card for... something. L-S-H or something like that. Ring a bell?"

Eligos's brow went up. LSH? He didn't know what it was, but anything that annoyed Cindy enough to bring her to him was worth looking into. His fingers flew over his laptop keys as he searched for them, letting Cindy simmer while she rambled about her infuriating encounter with Claire.

Finally, Cindy's impatient voice cut in again. "What, did you suddenly go deaf? Can you hear me, or are you ignoring me on purpose?"

Eligos rolled his eyes and thought, This one's going to be a handful. But still, she was driven, and she had her sights set on revenge. That could come in handy. "Apologies, Cindy, I was just doing a little research. LSH stands for London High Socialite. It's an elite organization-very hush-hush, female-only, and about as exclusive as they come. The only way in is through an invitation from Adrianna Saint Laurent herself."

"So, it's like some secret society?" Cindy rolled her eyes, sounding unimpressed. "Nothing special, but I'll admit, that little card of hers seems to unlock quite a few doors."

"Sure," Eligos replied with a nonchalant shrug. "But it's mostly for appearances. If you have money and connections, the LSH card doesn't get you much you can't get on your own."

"Yeah, well, I'm about to get everything Claire has anyway," Cindy said confidently. "But don't think I'm doing this for you, Eligos. I'm doing this because it's time someone put Claire Peterson in her place. No one's ever tried to go toe-to-toe with her-or if they have, they clearly didn't have the brains or the guts for it."

to hear you're so motivated. Just remember, once

"Claire's going to know she doesn't run this city-or anyone else,

reach out when I

call ended, and Cindy let out a long breath, staring down at her phone. Then, as she looked out the cab window, her eyes caught a massive billboard featuring Claire's face and her company, Metacortex, in bold letters. Cindy could practically feel the urge to burn it down, or maybe go buy some

his wine, thoroughly amused. His plan was falling into place-piece by piece. He had Andrea, the secret half-sibling no one knew about, and now Cindy, a woman

his men, he said, "Prepare the jet. We're heading back to London. This Italian getaway wasn't half-bad,

in his tone. "Sir, there's someone here to see you." Eligos raised a brow, gesturing for him to let them in.

his arms. "Andrea. Didn't expect to see you here. How'd you find

"Not hard to figure out where the rich and powerful hideaway," he replied with a hint of a smirk. "I'm not here to play games, though. I

his head, curious. "You're serious? Just a

I want out of that tiny apartment I'm stuck in. If you have a way to make that happen, I'm listening." Eligos's lips curled into a triumphant grin. This was going even better than he'd planned.

back,

be rubbing elbows

Claire, playing along

pretending to be

of

have to what I

to hold your own?"