New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 182

Matthew and Claire sat side by side in their dimly lit office, surrounded by multiple monitors displaying different parts of London. They were in the middle of hacking into the city's surveillance system to track a person of interest.

Claire's fingers flew over the keyboard with practiced ease, her eyes focused on the code streaming across the screen.

“Almost there,” Claire murmured, her concentration unbroken. “Just a few more seconds.”

Matthew watched her work, impressed by her skill. He knew she had a knack for this kind of thing, often using her abilities to gather crucial information.

“Got it,” Claire said, leaning back with a satisfied smile. “We're in.”

Matthew nodded. “Nice work. Let's start with the footage from the last internet café.”

Claire quickly navigated to the location and pulled up the surveillance footage, rewinding to the timestamp where they had last seen the person wearing the hoodie. They watched as the figure walked out of the café, crossing the street before hailing a cab.

“There,” Claire said, pointing at the screen. “He left the café at around 10 AM.”

They followed the cab through the city streets, the camera feeds switching seamlessly to track its journey. Eventually, the cab stopped outside what appeared to be a bar.

“It’s 10:30 AM,” Claire noted. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was already 1 PM. “Damn it.”

Matthew noticed her frustration. “What's wrong?”

Claire sighed. “If it was still around eleven or twelve, I was thinking we could ambush him. But now it's 1 PM, and I'm not sure if he's still there.”

Matthew thought for a moment. “Why don't you check the surveillance to see if he’s left the bar?”

Claire nodded, feeling a bit more hopeful. “Good idea.”

She rewound the footage and watched intently, scanning for any sign of the person in the hoodie. The minutes ticked by as they fast-forwarded through the recording, their eyes glued to the screen.

As she watched intently, there was no sign of the person leaving the bar. A smirk slowly spread across her face. “Looks like he's still there. We're going on a field trip.”

Matthew's eyes lit up with determination. “Great. Let's go then.”

They hurried down to the lobby, with Claire limping slightly from a recent injury. She winced but pushed through the pain, eager to catch their target. They reached Matthew's car, and Claire slid into the passenger seat while Matthew took the wheel.

As Matthew typed the location into the GPS, he glanced over at Claire, who was still keeping an eye on the surveillance camera fed on her phone. “Is the person still there?”

Claire nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen. “Yeah, the person hasn't moved. We need to get there fast before it decides to leave.”

Matthew started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. “Hang tight. We'll be there soon.”

Just as they turned onto the main road, the car came to a sudden stop. Traffic was at a standstill, a long line of cars stretching out before them.

“Shit!”

“Damn!”

Both Claire and Matthew cursed under their breath.

Claire checked the maps on her phone and groaned. “It's bad, Matthew. The traffic is backed up for miles.”

Matthew sighed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in frustration. He quickly typed something into the maps app on his phone, his eyes darting back and forth between the screen and the road.

Claire glanced over, curious. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to find a shortcut,” Matthew replied, his voice tense. “We can't afford to sit here all day.”

Claire raised her eyebrows, doubt evident on her face. “Do you think we'll make it in time?”