New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 418 Abandon Warehouse

As Claire finally entered her hotel room, she dropped her bag on the couch with a tired sigh and immediately dialed Matthew's number. It was past 9 PM in London, and knowing him, he might've crashed on his couch in front of his laptop, entirely forgetting the concept of a bed.

But her call went unanswered. Claire raised an eyebrow, checking the time again. Was he actually asleep this early? Somehow, she doubted that.

A few hours earlier...

Matthew was squinting at his laptop screen, brow furrowed as he studied the bizarre code streaming across it. He'd been seeing these disturbances on his system for hours now. It was as if someone was trying to hack him-or maybe even taunt him.

And he had a strong hunch it was the same person who had led them on that ridiculous wild goose chase a few days ago with the car and all. The question was... why? This mysterious hacker had always seemed focused on irritating Claire, but now, suddenly, Matthew was in the crosshairs.

Curiosity got the best of him. Matthew knew it wasn't wise to stay at Metacortex where anyone especially a savvy hacker-could easily find him. So, he grabbed his laptop and headed straight up to the building's helipad. He gave the pilot a quick nod. "We're going to Cryptonic," he said, settling into his seat. Cryptonic was Claire's ultra-secure facility, and it wasn't exactly common knowledge. It didn't even show up on maps, so Matthew figured it was probably the safest place he could be.

The helicopter landed ten minutes later, and he bolted down to his office. He set up at his workstation with two monitors in front of him and opened his laptop to trace the intruder. It wasn't easy. Whoever was on the other end was cloaked in layers of encryption. But Matthew wasn't one to back down.

He sent a bold message through the chat portal: "Why don't you show yourself and stop hiding in the dark?"

Seconds later, a message popped back onto his screen. "Oh, should I? Patience, Matthew."

Matthew frowned, fingers flying across the keys. "What are you, a scaredy cat? All bark, no bite."

a sharp, amused smirk. "Oh, you wanna play, huh?" he muttered to himself, typing back. Instead of going after Metacortex or Cryptonic

typed, "Alright, then. Since you're so curious, let's meet. I'll even let you throw that punch, if you dare." Matthew shot back

a little amused. Matthew had spirit, he'd give him that. He sent the location-an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city-and noted the time: 8 PM. A little cliché, sure, but he was hardly aiming for creativity tonight. "See you then. Bring

His plan was simple: he'd arrive with backup hiding in the shadows, ready to intervene if necessary. The idea of possibly kidnapping Matthew crossed his mind as well. He'd always

you and a few others stationed at the warehouse, but stay out of sight. I don't want our guest

replied, heading

walked over to a hidden shelf in his office, revealing a sleek pistol. He ran his fingers over it thoughtfully, debating whether to bring it along. "No," he decided with a smirk, "that's for another time." He returned it to its spot, feeling the weight of anticipation build as he prepared for

Back in the Present...

place was empty, save for a few crates scattered around and a heavy, eerie silence that felt just

like he'd walked straight out of a villain casting call and a mask to hide his face. Matthew rolled his eyes. "Nice outfit. Going to a

across the concrete floor. "Funny. I thought you'd appreciate a little drama, given your

raised an eyebrow, clenching his fists. "I came here to settle things. I'm tired

circling around Matthew slowly. "You and Claire made yourselves pretty good targets. Always so self-righteous. You made this easy for me." "Well, I'm here now.

maybe a bit of fun. You know, messing with you is a good warm-up before the main event with Claire." Matthew face hardened at the mention of Claire name, and he fisted his palm. "Don't you dare

darkly. "You can

scoffed. "Eligos? What kind of name is that? What are you five? You're nothing but a coward, Eligos. Hiding behind tech and henchmen because you're too afraid to get your

"I'm not afraid. You

show me,"

that moment, a faint rustling sound came from the shadows. Matthew stiffened, glancing