Billionaire's Second Chance At Love

Chapter Sixty-One

When Ronin and Jasper reached the address that the detective had sent them two hours later, after their conversation at the club, they weren't prepared to find themselves in the middle of practically nowhere. The barren landscape stretched before them, a desolate expanse of cracked asphalt and faded yellow lines.

Ronin's uncertainty about this part of the city deepened. He glanced around, searching for any familiar landmarks, but found none. It was as though they had entered a forgotten corner of the metropolis, a place lost to time. The ghostly remnants of ambition lingered in the form of half-constructed buildings, their skeletal frames reaching for the sky like abandoned dreams.

Warehouses loomed like silent sentinels, their windows shattered and their doors hanging askew. A heavy silence enveloped the area, broken only by the distant whisper of the wind rustling through forgotten debris. The roads, long and cracked, stretched into the unknown, disappearing into a horizon shrouded in mystery. It was as if they had stepped into a forsaken realm, where the past had collided with the present, leaving behind a haunting, empty shell of what once was.

He didn't see many people lingering around on his way, except for a few men and women who looked as if they had been deprived of nourishment for days, their sunken eyes and frail frames contrasting starkly with the grim surroundings. Drawing in a deep breath, Ronin ran a hand through his hair and cast a glance over at Jasper. To his not-so-surprise, his best friend seemed to be having the same thought process in his head, his brow furrowing as he surveyed their eerie surroundings.

"Is it just me, or is this place creepy as fuck?"

Ronin couldn't have agreed more. He shrugged, the tension in the air making his skin crawl. "Maybe that's what makes it the safest place for holding a guy."

It had to be. Why else would the detective want them to be there? Although Ronin had to say, he hadn't expected that man to execute the whole kidnapping thing so swiftly. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of associates he must have, who were willing to assist him in such a dangerous endeavour.

Not that it was his problem at the moment. He had already transferred the money on his way to the location—all he could hope for now was for everything to unfold smoothly, like a well-scripted drama he was responsible for producing.

"Let's go," Ronin signalled Jasper with a nod, heading for the large metal gates ahead. He just wanted to get done with this, wanted nothing more than the names of the people behind the attacks on him and his sister.

The mere thought of her was enough to turn his veins into rivers of molten hate and anger.

Ronin clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, his footsteps suddenly heavier and faster against the concrete.

Jasper followed right behind. "Hey, are you okay?"

He must have sensed something was off with Ronin. Hence, before Ronin could push the small door on the side open, Jasper blocked his path and stood in front of him.

"You need to calm down, man. I know you're mad, but we have to approach this with caution—your words, not mine."

For a moment, Ronin's eyes flashed with anger, his jaw clenching so tightly it felt like his teeth might shatter under the pressure. The weight of his emotions pressed down on him, like a dark storm cloud threatening to unleash its fury. He thought about Grandpa and Carmen. He thought hard.

Finally, a heavy sigh, like a gust of wind escaping a locked room, finally broke through his clenched lips, and he closed his eyes to regain control.

"You're right," he said after a series of deep, deliberate breaths, running another hand through his hair. "I must be mindful about this. We should stick to the plan."