Billionaire's Regret Finding Her (Caitlin and Sebastian) novel Chapter 701

Chapter 701

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“Don’t panic. We need to stay calm. There’s still enough oxygen for us to last a little while.”

Caitlin forced herself to think clearly, searching for any possible way out. She combed through every corner of the room again, opening drawers, looking behind furniture, feeling along the walls–but there was nothing useful.

The air was thinning fast. Each breath grew shallower, heavier.

“I can’t… I can’t breathe…” Zinnia gasped, sliding down from the sofa onto the floor.

Caitlin leaned back against the sofa, forcing air into her lungs, trying not to give in to the dark haze pressing at the edges of her vision. Her chest burned, her temples throbbed, and sharp pain pulsed through her head as oxygen drained away.

She jabbed a sharp object into the palm of her hand, using the sting to keep herself awake. She couldn’t afford to lose consciousness–not when she had finally found the ledgers, not when her grandfather’s stolen inheritance had yet to be reclaimed, not when her brother was still lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

She couldn’t die here.

Outside the sealed chamber, the men who had been standing guard began to realize something was wrong. Too much time had passed. No one had come out.

They hurried down the narrow passageway leading to the hidden room, but the heavy door was tightly shut. They tried everything–kicking, prying, striking–but the door wouldn’t budge.

Fortunately, Sebastian had already been informed of Caitlin’s location. After handling the aftermath of Dustin’s capture, he and Tyler immediately rushed to the villa.

“Where are they?” Sebastian demanded as soon as he arrived, scanning the room and finding it empty.

“Mr. Vanderbilt,” one of the men said, “Madam and Miss Zinnia went into the secret chamber with Nicoletta. They haven’t come out. We tried to get in, but the door won’t open.”

“How long have they been inside?”

“Over forty minutes.”

Sebastian’s heart clenched. Half an hour ago, Caitlin had stopped answering her phone. Every message had gone unread, every call unanswered.

“Where’s the entrance?”

“This way.”

They led him into the study. Sebastian strode straight to the concealed door and slammed his foot against it, but the reinforced metal didn’t move.

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Chapter 701

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“Mr. Vanderbilt, we already tried,” one of the men said. “It’s a special–grade security door. We can’t break it.”

Tyler stepped forward. “The longer they’re in there, the more dangerous it gets. We need to open it now.”

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. “Set the charges. Blow it open.”

He didn’t care about the risks–he needed to get to her.

Tyler and the team quickly placed small explosive charges against the door, then pulled everyone back to a safe distance.

A deafening blast shook the ground. Thick black smoke and flames billowed out from the doorway.

Sebastian shielded his face from the heat, waving away the smoke. Before it fully cleared, he rushed in. Tyler was right behind him.

The staircase curved downward. As soon as they reached the bottom, the rich scent of perfume and wine hit their noses, but the air was thin–far too thin.

Sebastian barely noticed the lavish surroundings. His eyes immediately found Caitlin, slumped against the sofa like a sleeping doll.

“Mr. Vanderbilt!” Tyler shouted as he spotted both women–Caitlin limp on the sofa, Zinnia collapsed on the floor. “There’s no oxygen in here! They might have suffocated!”

“Caitlin! Caitlin!” Sebastian ran to her, dropping to his knees. He touched her face–it was clammy, slick with sweat. Her pulse fluttered weakly beneath his fingers. She was still alive, but fading fast.

A fierce, desperate ache tore through his chest.

“You’re going to be fine,” he whispered hoarsely. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He gathered her into his arms and carried her toward the stairs as fast as he could. Tyler lifted Zinnia, following close behind.

They didn’t even check whether Nicoletta was inside. There was no time. As soon as they reached open air, Sebastian barked orders.

“Get the emergency oxygen–now!”

His men sprinted to the vehicles and returned moments later with portable oxygen tanks.

Sebastian laid Caitlin on the ground and began chest compressions, rhythmically pressing on her sternum to force air circulation through her lungs.

Tyler did the same for Zinnia, performing CPR with practiced precision.

Minutes crawled by. Then the oxygen masks were fitted over their noses and mouths. Slowly, blessedly, both women’s breathing began to steady.

“They’re responding,” Tyler said between breaths.

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Chapter 700

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Caitlin’s head snapped up. She saw Nicoletta pivot toward a narrow passage opening behind her.

“She’s escaping!” Caitlin shouted.

Zinnia moved instantly, lunging toward the older woman. But Nicoletta had already drawn a concealed pistol she’d slipped from the safe earlier. She fired wildly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets tore through the air. Caitlin and Zinnia dove behind the velvet sofa, glass and plaster exploding around them.

The secret door slammed shut. When the echo of gunfire faded, Nicoletta was gone.

Caitlin and Zinnia rushed to the wall, searching for a latch, but the panel wouldn’t budge.

“That damned woman,” Zinnia hissed. “She tricked us!”

“It’s my fault,” Caitlin said through gritted teeth. “I should’ve known she’d have another way out.”

They hadn’t realized this room had multiple exits. Nicoletta’s foresight was maddening.

“Come on–we’ll go back the way we came.”

They turned and hurried to the stairway, only to find the metal door above sealed shut.

Caitlin tugged the handle. It didn’t move. Zinnia threw her shoulder against it, to no effect.

“She locked the main entrance!”

Both women pushed, hammered, clawed at the door, but it didn’t even rattle.

“She must’ve triggered something that sealed both doors,” Caitlin muttered.

“What do we do now?” Zinnia asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“Find the mechanism,” Caitlin ordered. “There must be a control somewhere near the hidden door.”

They ran their hands along the smooth wall, searching for hidden seams.

Outside, Nicoletta was already making her way through a dark, narrow corridor lined with old pipes and power conduits. She stopped to catch her breath, smirking as she stared back at the sealed door behind her.

“Oh, Caitlin,” she murmured mockingly. “Haven’t you heard the saying–old foxes don’t die easily? You’re still too young to play my game.”

She flipped a lever beside her. With a loud mechanical clank, the outer locks engaged. Now, even if Caitlin and Zinnia found the mechanism inside, the doors wouldn’t open.

“Let’s see if you can still enjoy your precious ledger when you’re gasping for air,” she whispered with a gleam in her eye.

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Chapter 700

Then she reached for another valve and twisted it sharply.

Inside the chamber, Caitlin and Zinnia heard a faint hiss above them.

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Unaware of what Nicoletta had done, they continued searching. Finally, Caitlin pried open a small metal cover in the wall, revealing a hook–like lever inside.

“I think this is it!” she said.

“Try it!” Zinnia urged.

Caitlin pulled the hook hard. Nothing happened.

“Let me,” Zinnia said, taking over. She yanked it again, harder this time, but the door didn’t move an inch.

“It’s not working,” she panted. “No reaction at all.”

Caitlin’s jaw tightened. “It should be the right one. That means she locked it from outside.”

“So what now?”

“Call for help. Try your phone.”

They both pulled out their phones–but the screens showed no signal bars.

“I lost service when we came down,” Zinnia said.

“Same here,” Caitlin replied grimly.

The weight of their situation sank in.

Caitlin forced herself to breathe steadily. “We need another plan. Try pounding on the door. Maybe the

others can hear us.”

Zinnia grabbed a heavy candlestick and ran to the stairwell, slamming it against the door again and again.

The sound thudded dully, swallowed by the thick metal.

Meanwhile, Caitlin searched the walls for another lever, another hidden latch–but there was nothing.

Zinnia returned, panting. “It’s useless, Caitlin. No one can hear us.”

Caitlin looked up, her pulse quickening. The air was growing heavy, thick, harder to breathe.

Her gaze shifted to the ventilation ducts above. The faint hum that had been present before–the steady flow of oxygen–was gone.

Her eyes widened. “No… she’s shut off the oxygen supply!

Zinnia tugged at her collar, her voice tight. “That’s why it’s getting so hot in here. She’s trying to suffocate us!”

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Caitlin clenched her fists, forcing calm into her voice. “Then we find another way out–fast. Or this room becomes our tomb.”

Chapter 701

“Don’t panic. We need to stay calm. There’s still enough oxygen for us to last a little while.”

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Caitlin forced herself to think clearly, searching for any possible way out. She combed through every corner of the room again, opening drawers, looking behind furniture, feeling along the walls–but there was nothing useful.

The air was thinning fast. Each breath grew shallower, heavier.

“I can’t… I can’t breathe…” Zinnia gasped, sliding down from the sofa onto the floor.

Caitlin leaned back against the sofa, forcing air into her lungs, trying not to give in to the dark haze pressing at the edges of her vision. Her chest burned, her temples throbbed, and sharp pain pulsed through her head as oxygen drained away.

She jabbed a sharp object into the palm of her hand, using the sting to keep herself awake. She couldn’t afford to lose consciousness–not when she had finally found the ledgers, not when her grandfather’s stolen inheritance had yet to be reclaimed, not when her brother was still lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

She couldn’t die here.

Outside the sealed chamber, the men who had been standing guard began to realize something was wrong. Too much time had passed. No one had come out.

They hurried down the narrow passageway leading to the hidden room, but the heavy door was tightly shut. They tried everything–kicking, prying, striking–but the door wouldn’t budge.

Fortunately, Sebastian had already been informed of Caitlin’s location. After handling the aftermath of Dustin’s capture, he and Tyler immediately rushed to the villa.

“Where are they?” Sebastian demanded as soon as he arrived, scanning the room and finding it empty.

“Mr. Vanderbilt,” one of the men said, “Madam and Miss Zinnia went into the secret chamber with Nicoletta. They haven’t come out. We tried to get in, but the door won’t open.”

“How long have they been inside?”

“Over forty minutes.”

Sebastian’s heart clenched. Half an hour ago, Caitlin had stopped answering her phone. Every message had gone unread, every call unanswered.

“Where’s the entrance?”

“This way.”

They led him into the study. Sebastian strode straight to the concealed door and slammed his foot against it, but the reinforced metal didn’t move.

“Mr. Vanderbilt, we already tried,” one of the men said. “It’s a special–grade security door. We can’t break it.”

Tyler stepped forward. “The longer they’re in there, the more dangerous it gets. We need to open it now.”