New beginning: Billionaire love story novel Chapter 297

Back at the abandoned house, Claire was stuck to the chair with ropes that felt like they'd been tied by someone who really had it out for her. Her wrists were sore, but she kept working on them, hoping to get free.

Across from her, Lisa paced around like she owned the place, and honestly, she probably felt like she did. Claire knew she had to keep talking and keep her distracted, so she threw out random comments to waste time.

“So, Lisa,” Claire said, trying to sound casual, “is this your idea of fun? Kidnapping and tying people up?”

Lisa smirked, not even looking at Claire. “Oh, trust me, Claire. This is just the beginning.”

“Great, can't wait for the sequel,” Claire muttered under her breath, still twisting her wrists behind her back. The knots were tight, but she thought maybe, just maybe, she could get them loose.

After what felt like forever, Lisa suddenly stopped pacing. She turned to Claire with that wicked grin she loved so much. The kind that made Claire’s skin crawl.

“You know,” Lisa started, pulling up a dusty chair and sitting across from Claire like they were about to have a casual chat, “I have a confession.”

Claire raised an eyebrow, more out of boredom than anything else. “Oh, goodie. Another one of your thrilling stories. What is it this time?”

Lisa leaned in, her grin growing wider, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Your friend... Abigail? The one in that crash? Yeah, that was because of me.”

Claire's hands froze mid-twist. Her heart skipped a beat. She stared at Lisa, the words not fully sinking in. “What?” It was the only thing she could manage to say.

Lisa laughed, not like a normal laugh, but that creepy, evil kind that belongs in horror movies. “Oh, Claire. Poor Abigail, right? But you should know, that the crash wasn’t part of the plan. Total accident. But I gotta admit... I was grateful for the bonus.”

Claire's shock turned into boiling rage. She gritted her teeth, barely holding it in. “What did you do, you crazy—”

Before she could finish, Lisa threw her head back, laughing as if this was the best day of her life. “Oh, I love it when you get all worked up. It's so predictable.”

“You’re insane,” Claire spat. “So Rafayel was right. I thought he tricked me.”

Lisa raised her brows. “Oh, so that guy snitch on me, huh?”

“He gave me a phone number and I tried to find who owned it. And then… it was you. The woman who opened the door was your mom.”

Lisa’s grin flickered, her eyes narrowing. She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a chilling tone. “You wanna know why this all started, Claire? It’s because of you. Because you just couldn’t leave things alone. Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Claire blinked, stunned. Her brain worked overtime trying to process everything. All this time, she had been digging, trying to figure out who was behind Abigail's accident. Those three men were sent by Lisa to hurt Abigail but why?

“Lucky for me that I wasn't home, huh?” Lisa said with a shrug. Then her expression darkened, her smile fading into a cold, sharp glare. “But because of your little investigation, Alexander found out about my doings. You couldn’t just leave things alone, could you, Claire? If you had kept your mouth shut, everything would’ve gone smoothly.”

Claire froze.

Her thoughts spun wildly. Alexander knew about this? That’s why he wouldn’t tell Claire who was behind all of this. Was he trying to protect Lisa? She couldn’t believe it.

Lisa’s voice snapped her back to the present. “You wanna know why you’re here?” she sneered. “It’s because of everything you’ve done to me! You’ve been in my way, constantly meddling in my life. You’re like some irritating little rat I can’t get rid of!”

Claire rolled her eyes, trying to mask her growing rage. “I wasn’t interfering, Lisa. I was doing the right thing. It’s what people with a moral compass do.” She leaned forward slightly, her voice dripping with contempt. “And why did you have to go after Abigail? What did she ever do to you?”

Lisa leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, that’s simple. Abigail had a crush on Alexander. She was planning to make a move, and I couldn’t have that.”