New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 361

Robert Robertson stepped out of his car, the cold November wind biting at his face as it whipped through his jacket. He tugged it tighter around his body, shivering slightly.

The sky was dark, a deep blanket of stars overhead, but Robert wasn’t in the mood for stargazing. Christmas was only a month away, and the air was getting more frigid by the day. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled to Eligos’s number and dialed.

As usual, it went straight to voicemail.

“Of course,” Robert muttered, glaring at the phone. “The most exclusive, mysterious guy in the world, and his phone’s never on.”

He let out a frustrated sigh, tapping the screen aggressively to send a text instead. But just as he was about to hit send, two men in dark suits appeared out of nowhere, walking toward him. Robert blinked, confused, as they stopped directly in front of him.

“Uh… can I help you?” Robert asked, his voice edged with suspicion.

He didn’t get an answer. Before he could react, one of the men yanked a bag over his head, plunging him into complete darkness.

“Hey! What the—!” Robert struggled, his arms flailing as he tried to pull the bag off, but strong hands gripped him tightly. “Let me go!” he demanded, his voice muffled by the fabric.

Suddenly, he felt his feet leave the ground, his body being hoisted into the air as if he weighed nothing. He could hear the sound of a car door opening, and before he knew it, he was shoved into the back seat. The door slammed shut, the noise ringing in his ears.

“I swear to God, you better let me out right now!” Robert shouted, his panic rising.

His outburst was cut short by a sharp prick in his arm. He barely had time to register the sting before his limbs went numb, his head spinning as unconsciousness washed over him.

Meanwhile, the two men who had just kidnapped him exchanged glances in the front seat of the car.

“Why does the boss always gotta be so secretive with this guy?” one of them asked, adjusting his seatbelt.

The other man shrugged. “That’s just how Eligos operates. You know, he’s got his whole mysterious vibe going on. Don’t tell anyone anything.”

“Yeah, but why kidnap him? Why not just, I don’t know, invite the guy over for a chat?”

The driver suddenly snapped, his voice sharp as a whip. “Shut your mouth, both of you! You wanna keep your heads attached? Don’t talk about the boss like that.”

Both men immediately clammed up, their lips sealed tighter than vaults. Only the sound of the car's engine and the tires on the road filled the silence.

The drive was long—longer than usual. Nearly an hour and a half passed before the car finally slowed down. The area they’d arrived at was eerily quiet, like a place forgotten by time.

They had entered a thick forest, the trees casting long, crooked shadows under the moonlight. It looked like no one had lived here in years, and honestly, it was the perfect place for someone like Eligos to hide out.

As they pulled up to the house, the headlights illuminated an old, worn-down mansion nestled deep within the woods. The place was huge but gave off a creepy, abandoned vibe, with vines crawling up the stone walls and windows covered in grime. But this was Eligos’s choice of hideout—he preferred staying off the radar, away from prying eyes.

The men dragged Robert’s limp body out of the car, his arms hanging loosely by his sides as they carried him inside. The front door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit hallway that smelled like old wood and dust. They moved quickly, not wanting to risk waking him up, making their way toward the basement, just like the boss had instructed.

The basement was just as unsettling as the rest of the house. It was damp and cold, with stone walls that seemed to close in on you the longer you stayed. At the bottom of the stairs, two more men stood guard by a heavy metal door, their faces unreadable.