Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 500 Madeline's POV Marcus pulled the car to a stop a few yards from the warehouse, turned off the engine, and let the silence close in around us. We stayed there for a moment, just staring at the structure ahead. We were far from the city. The address led to a less developed area, almost rural, where old houses blended into abandoned lots and wild vegetation grew unchecked. The kind of place where no one heard screams. Where no one asked questions. The warehouse itself wasn't very big.

It looked more like a storage building from some abandoned property-rusted metal framework, corrugated sheet walls, a few windows broken or boarded up. My stomach twisted. My daughter was in there. Or at least information about where she was. She had to "Wait," Marcus said when I started to open the door. He was fiddling with something on the dashboard, pressing a few buttons until a red light began to blink. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be. "Car tracker," he replied, finishing whatever he was doing before turning to me.

"It's active now." Something clenched tight in my chest. "I don't know if that's a good idea," I said, casting a nervous glance at the warehouse. "What if they're monitoring us? What if they realize someone else is involved?" Marcus took my hand, squeezing it firmly. "Someone needs to know where we are, Madeline," he said, his voice low but steady. "If something goes wrong, if we don't check in within half an hour, Christian will know what to do. He'll bring help. The right kind of help." I wanted to argue.

him. And maybe... maybe Marcus was right. Maybe it was smart

the chirping of crickets. No passing cars. No nearby houses with lights on. We were completely isolated. Marcus got out right after me, closing the car door softly. He came to my side, and

empty. The inside of the warehouse was wide but almost bare. A few wooden crates stacked in one corner. Tall, grimy windows. And dust. So much

is the place?" I pulled my phone from my pocket with shaking hands, checking the message for the hundredth time. "Yes," I answered, my voice cracking slightly. "This is the address Vivian sent. This is it." Marcus took a few steps farther into the warehouse, his eyes sweeping every corner, every shadow. I followed him, my breathing growing shallower with every second. Where was Aurora? Where was Vivian? Why was the place empty? "Maybe

calm. I had seen it. In the upper left corner of the warehouse, attached to the metal framework. Small. Discreet. But unmistakable. A camera. I pointed to it. Marcus followed my gaze, his body going rigid when he noticed it. "Maybe she just didn't like," I continued, keeping