New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 449 Lights, Action, Chaos

The warehouse was pitch dark, and Claire's heartbeat thundered in her ears. She tensed as the cold grip tightened around her wrist. On instinct, she swung her free hand hard, and the satisfying crack of her palm meeting someone's face echoed through the room. SMACK!

"Ah, Claire, it's me!" a familiar voice hissed, followed by a sharp beam of light aimed at his own face. Adrian squinted under the flashlight's glare, rubbing his cheek.

A flashlight clicked on, illuminating the face of none other than Adrian. His expression was a mix of surprise and mild annoyance, his free hand rubbing his cheek where her slap had landed.

Claire's eyes widened in shock. "Adrian?! What are you doing here?" she whispered harshly.

Adrian gave her a lopsided grin despite the sting on his face. "What does it look like? I'm here to save you."

"Save me?" Claire frowned, half incredulous and half touched. She hadn't expected Adrian to come charging in himself, not when this kind of situation wasn't exactly his comfort zone.

Adrian nodded, turning off the flashlight and tugging her gently by the wrist. "Yeah, yeah. You can ask tons of questions later, but right now we need to leave before they come back and end up catching us both."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the warehouse, chaos was brewing. Eligos stood in the darkness, his frustration barely contained as he barked orders into his radio.

"What the hell is going on?! Get the power back on! And secure every exit-now! I don't want her slipping through our fingers," he snapped, his voice sharp enough to make even his most seasoned men jump. One of his subordinates hesitated. "Sir, we're not sure="

"Just do it! Then secure the place. Peterson must not escape! Spread out, now." Eligos cut him off, storming toward the warehouse's main floor. Sitting idle in the dark wasn't his style, and if Claire Peterson thought she could just waltz out of his trap, she had another thing coming.

The men scrambled to obey, their footsteps echoing as they hurried into action. Eligos grabbed a flashlight himself and followed, his usually calm demeanor replaced with visible frustration.

Outside the warehouse, Adrian and Claire emerged into the cool night air. Claire's eyes darted around, and she spotted a car not far from the building.

"There!" Adrian whispered, pointing to the vehicle. "Get in!"

Claire didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted toward the car, threw open the passenger door, and slid in. To her surprise, Matthew was behind the wheel, his hands already gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Finally, you guys came. We need to hurry before they realize Claire is missing!"

"Matthew?!" Claire asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "How did you find me?"

tense. "Explanations later. Right now, we need

press further, the roar of engines filled the air. She turned her head and

slamming the door shut just as Matthew floored the gas pedal. The

the love of-seatbelt!" Adrian shouted, fumbling to click it

"They're coming. And they don't look like they

who's Eligos?" but none of them answer his question as they are

kidding," Matthew muttered, his focus laser-sharp on the

above the

a beat. "He called me after you disappeared. Said some guys forced him to stop and took you." "And what about him?" Claire asked, nodding toward

"and tell him

could respond, a loud bang rang out. A bullet grazed the car, making all three

shouted,

"Matthew, focus on driving," she said

his eyes widening in alarm. "What do you

answer. Instead,

she revealed a disassembled handgun, which she began piecing

dropped. "Is that

loaded the weapon, the sharp click of the magazine sliding

her in the rearview mirror, grinned. "I told you she'd

down the window,

despite the speed of the car and the bouncing road beneath

elbet

to

their riders firing shots of their

her aim. The motorcycles' agility made them harder targets

herself for a clearer shot. Adrian, still trying to process what

focused on the nearest bike's wheel. She exhaled, steadied her hand, and