Chapter 6

At nine o'clock that morning, the sun shone on the Oakhaven beach. A seaside villa stood nearby; Oakhaven was a coastal city known for its upscale seaside villas and soft beaches. A young, beautiful woman emerged from a large villa. This was Claire.

Claire, wearing a white cap, sunglasses, a fashionable white T-shirt, white sneakers, and denim shorts, revealed long, straight legs. She looked energetic and sexy, and she was walking a white Bichon Frise—a lovely little toy dog with big, round, black eyes. This was her beloved dog, Snowball. Claire walked Snowball leisurely along the seaside road without her bodyguards. Despite an unpleasant incident the previous night, she seemed unaffected; she clearly didn't care about Brandon.

After walking less than a mile, Claire saw a young man lying on a rock. He wore a hat pulled low over his eyes and held a fishing rod. "Is this person here to fish or to sleep?" she mumbled. Catching a fish that way seemed unlikely.

Suddenly, the young man removed his hat, revealing himself as Gilmore. He sat up, yelling, "Finally, a fish has taken the bait!" He quickly reeled in a fish weighing over half a kilogram, removed it from the hook, and tossed it into a nearby bucket. Smiling at Claire, who stood nearby, he said, "Who says you can't fish and sleep at the same time? I can!"

He then rebaited his hook, cast his line, lay back down, and replaced his hat. Claire couldn't help but smile. "This man is interesting!" she thought. "He can catch a fish like this."

Claire continued her walk. As her footsteps faded, Gilmore subtly removed his hat and sat up. Watching her go, he thought, "It's almost time for Brandon to attack Claire." He grabbed his fishing rod, put on his hat, and walked toward her.

The seaside road was quiet, with occasional luxury cars traveling to and from the villas and few pedestrians. Lush green trees lined the roadside, sunlight dappling through the leaves. Sparrows chirped and hopped happily in the branches. This put Claire in a good mood. "Snowball," she said to her dog, "say hello to the sparrows!"

Snowball, looking at her with its black eyes, seemed to understand and barked at the sparrows. They immediately twittered and flew away. Claire laughed. "Snowball," she said, "you scared them away. Remember to be gentler next time." Snowball, however, lifted its head and barked at Claire, as if retorting.

After playing with Snowball for a while, Claire continued walking. Rounding a bend, while still holding Snowball's leash, she saw a masked man rush from behind a large tree.

Before Claire could react, the man grabbed her arm and pulled her behind the tree, grabbing her throat and pressing her against the trunk. Unable to shout or move, she released Snowball's leash. Snowball, seeing Claire's distress, ran quickly toward the villa. Claire silently prayed Snowball would alert her bodyguards.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she managed to croak.

"Claire," the man growled, "you and the Carters are cruel! You've severed ties with the Wilsons, intending to destroy their business. Now that my grandfather expelled me, I'll ruin you!"

Claire recognized Brandon's voice. "You're Brandon? Why why are you here?" she asked, surprised, as she'd only told her family about her villa.

Brandon sneered. "Over a month ago, I placed a tracker on your Ferrari. I knew you had a villa here and walked your dog along this road."

Claire understood. "Brandon, what do you want?" she asked calmly, regaining her composure.

Brandon removed his sunglasses. "First," he said sharply, "the Carters must agree to cooperate with the Wilsons again. Second, transfer 150 million dollars to my Juliss Bank account as a security deposit. If they break the agreement, the money is compensation."

His motives were clear: restoring his family ties with renewed cooperation and securing a large sum of money regardless of his family's situation.

Claire said calmly, "I accept your demands, but release me and let me call my grandfather."

Brandon loosened his grip, but pulled a dagger. "Call your grandfather quickly!" he warned.

Claire called her grandfather. As Brandon watched, a car sped past. The tree obscured their view from the road, but Brandon glanced toward it subconsciously. Claire seized this opportunity, throwing her phone at Brandon's face.

He cried out in pain, and Claire escaped to the road. "Bitch!" Brandon yelled, ignoring his face, "You can't run!"

Claire ran, but slipped on the sand, falling. Brandon lunged at her, dagger raised. Claire screamed for help. Just as the dagger was about to strike, something struck Brandon from behind, sending him crashing several meters away.

(The final sentence is incomplete in the original text. It needs a conclusion.)