Claimed By the billionaire

The air inside the abandoned warehouse was thick with dust and the smell of rusting metal. Rachel’s hands were bound tightly behind her back, a thick strip of heavy tape sealing her mouth and turning her frantic cries into muffled whimpers. Her white dress was ruined, torn and caked in grime, exposing her pale, trembling legs against the cold dirt floor. A man wearing a dark ski mask crouched in front of her, his voice a low, raspy growl. "You’re Dominic Vance’s woman. Five million dollars is pocket change to a man like him. Here—call him yourself." He tossed a battered, cracked smartphone at her feet. Without waiting, the man brutally ripped the tape from her lips and sliced the ropes around her wrists. Before she could even gasp, the cold steel of a knife was pressed firmly against her throat. Beep... beep... beep... After an agonizing silence, a deep, devastatingly calm male voice answered. "Speak." Rachel trembled violently, her voice cracking with terror. "Dominic... it’s Rachel. I’ve been kidnapped. They’re holding me in a warehouse, they want five million dollars... Please, save me!" There was a heavy, suffocating silence on the other end. When Dominic spoke again, his voice had turned completely sub-zero. "Rachel, I’ve already warned you. Natalie is ill. This wedding is her final wish, and I am fulfilling it. Stop staging these pathetic stunts." The truth hit her like a physical blow. Their wedding was supposed to be today. Natalie was Dominic’s first love, recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, and her ultimate dying wish was to walk down the aisle with him. When Rachel had found out he agreed to it, she had fought bitterly against it. She shook her head frantically, tears blurring her vision. "I'm not making trouble this time! I swear! Please, just believe me!" Dominic’s voice remained entirely emotionless, cold as ice. "Rachel, you will always be Mrs. Vance. Why can’t you be more understanding? My patience is wearing thin. You’ve crossed the line." "Dominic, do you really not care if I live or die?" Rachel clenched her teeth, a desperate, broken edge to her voice. "If you don’t come for me, we’re done!" At the other end of the line, Dominic frowned. Here she went again with the breakup threats. 'Rachel, why can’t you just behave?' His patience had officially run out. Before Rachel could say another word, the kidnapper snatched the phone away. "Mr. Vance, seems like you don’t care about this woman at all. Five million is pocket change for you. Are you paying or not?" At that exact moment, inside the grand cathedral, Dominic stood tall in a crisp, flawless white suit, phone in hand. Opposite him, Natalie stood in a flowing, intricate white wedding dress. Outside, the ocean breeze rustled through the courtyard while the wealthy guests sat in awe of the romantic ceremony. Dominic’s lips curled into a cold, indifferent smirk. "Not paying." The kidnapper was stunned. If he had known, he would have targeted Dominic’s first love instead—at least she was worth something. Through the phone speaker, Natalie’s soft, frail voice filtered through. "Dominic, I’m so happy you’re fulfilling my final wish. Even if this wedding is fake, it’s enough for me to remember forever. If Rachel is so upset she resorted to something like this, maybe we should cancel it..." Dominic’s tone was absolute. "I made a promise to you. I’ll keep it." The kidnapper let out a frustrated, ugly laugh into the receiver. "Vance, your woman is quite the beauty. Aren’t you afraid we might just have some fun with her?" Dominic’s voice dripped with pure scorn. "Do whatever you want. If you actually go through with it, I might even throw in an extra million." Hearing this, Rachel forced back the hot tears welling in her eyes. She had spent five long years chasing Dominic, loving him, indulging his every whim, believing that one day she would finally melt his frozen heart. But the moment Natalie came back, everything she had worked for went up in smoke. And now, Dominic was holding a grand wedding with her, completely abandoning Rachel to her fate. The kidnapper grinned wickedly, snapping the phone shut. "Alright then, Mr. Vance. Since you said so, we’ll have to follow through!" He turned back to Rachel, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "Ms. Rachel, your man is ruthless. He’s practically forcing us to have our way with you." Laughing darkly, he grabbed her chin and shoved a bitter pill between her lips, forcing her to swallow. At that exact moment, whatever tiny spark of hope Rachel had left for Dominic was completely shattered. She was entirely on her own. She would have to save herself. Quietly, her eyes scanned the floor until they landed on the small fruit knife the kidnapper had set down on a crate. She waited for the perfect moment—then lunged forward, grabbed the blade, and stabbed the man with all her strength before bolting toward the heavy warehouse doors. "s**t!" the kidnapper roared in pure fury, clutching his wound. "Get her! Don’t let her escape!" The drug was already starting to take effect. Rachel could feel a sudden, terrifying heat coursing through her veins, but she pushed through the dizziness, sprinting down the desolate, unpaved road, barefoot and desperate. The heavy thud of footsteps behind her grew closer and closer. Her heart pounded violently in her throat. The surrounding area was completely isolated, abandoned, and empty. Just then, the roar of a powerful engine cut through the silence. A sleek, midnight-black sports car—an ultra-rare, limited-edition model—sped down the lonely road. Rachel didn’t hesitate. Better to die by a sudden impact than to fall back into the hands of those monsters. She squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself directly in front of the speeding vehicle. The tires screeched violently against the pavement, slicing through the dead silence. The sports car came to a sudden, dramatic stop—mere inches from her body. The sheer momentum sent Rachel crashing heavily to the ground. A few seconds later, the sleek car door swung open. A pair of polished black leather shoes stepped onto the gravel. Long, powerful legs wrapped in tailored trousers moved forward with effortless authority. The stranger crouched down in front of her, casting a long shadow over her trembling form. As Rachel forced her eyes open and got a clear look at his strikingly handsome, commanding face, her heart skipped a beat. "You... it’s you."