New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex)

Claire was beginning to lose her mind from the endless hours spent cooped up in her penthouse. The once luxurious space was now starting to feel more like a gilded cage, and she was itching to do something-anything-to break the monotony. She tried yoga, hoping that some deep stretches and calming breaths would help clear her head, but after a few minutes, she gave up. The yoga mat felt more like a place to nap than a path to inner peace, and her brain was practically screaming for stimulation. "Alright, that's it," Claire muttered to herself as she rolled up the mat. "I need to do something before I go completely nuts."

With nothing else coming to mind, Claire found herself scrolling through YouTube, and that's when she stumbled upon a baking tutorial. "Baking can't be that hard, right?" she thought, watching a cheerful baker whip up a batch of gooey brownies. Famous last words.

Claire followed the recipe step by step, mixing the ingredients with precision. But when it came time to bake the brownies, something went horribly wrong. The sweet aroma she had been expecting was quickly replaced by the sharp smell of something burning. She yanked open the oven door, only to be greeted by a tray of charred, blackened squares that could only be described as culinary disasters.

"Well, at least I know I'm not a baker," she said with a shrug, tossing the ruined brownies into the trash.

Defeated but not quite ready to give up on finding something productive to do, Claire sat down with her laptop. She stared at the screen, trying to figure out what work she could possibly tackle from home. Unfortunately, all the important documents and files she needed were safely stored at Metacortex, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Matthew was already handling her tasks in her absence.

But as she clicked aimlessly through her emails, her mind drifted back to the events of last night. The memory of what happened gnawed at her. How had someone managed to poison her drink right under her nose? And how had she been so unaware? The more she thought about it, the more questions popped into her head. Was the hotel staff involved? Had someone tampered with the drinks?

Claire frowned, her curiosity piqued. She needed answers. But she couldn't just waltz into the Harris Hotel and demand to see their security footage. Alexander would find out, and she didn't want him involved not to mention the barrage of questions he'd ask her if he found out.

Determined, Claire sat up straighter, her mind racing with ideas. If she couldn't physically go to the hotel, she'd just have to get creative. A plan started to form, and within minutes, she was typing furiously on her keyboard. "Hacking into the hotel's security system from here won't be easy," she muttered to herself. "But it's not impossible."

Claire navigated to the Harris Hotel website, her fingers flying over the keys as she worked her way through their digital defenses. It was a hassle, sure, but nothing she couldn't handle. A few minutes later, she was in. "Too easy," she smirked, marveling at how outdated the hotel's security software was. "They really should invest in better cybersecurity."

Now that she had access, Claire quickly located the footage from the previous night and began scanning through it. She fast-forwarded through every angle in the ballroom, her eyes glued to the screen. At first, everything seemed normal-she watched herself giving the presentation with Alex, looking perfectly composed. But then she saw herself heading off to find Matthew, and that's when things got strange.

Claire leaned in closer, her brow furrowing as she watched herself on the screen. She saw herself grab a glass of champagne, then she fast-forwarded again, watching the moment she started talking to Adrian. That's when she noticed it her behavior was off. She was starting to sway slightly, her movements less controlled.

"What the hell?" Claire whispered, rewinding the footage to watch it again.

She quickly switched to another camera angle, this time in the hallway, and there it was-clear as day. She saw herself staggering slightly, and then, not long after, she lost consciousness. The sight of her own body collapsing made her heart skip a beat. She paused the video, staring at the screen in disbelief.

"Damn it," Claire muttered, rubbing her temples as she tried to piece together what she had just seen.

Claire clicked play on the video again. This time, the camera captured something or rather, someone else. Ivanov appeared, wearing a black mask and a hat that completely obscured his face. Claire's stomach twisted as she watched him calmly pick up her unconscious body like she weighed nothing, then head straight to the lift.

The camera angle switched again,

vel.

and she saw Matthew, Adrian, and Alex rushing into the hallway, looking frantic as they searched for her. Claire, couldn't help but wonder what they were saying in that moment. They looked stressed-okay, maybe panicked was a better word. They split up after what seemed like a quick exchange, and Claire's curiosity spiked. Where were they going? What were they planning?

Determined to find out, Claire began hacking into the rest of the hotel's surveillance footage.

Eventually, she found Adrian in the basement, and what she saw next made her heart race all over again.

Adrian had tracked down Ivanov and

was now pushing him around like a

madman. The two of them were locked in a brutal fight, and Claire watched with wide eyes as punches were thrown and bodies slammed into walls. Then, just when it looked like Ivanov might get the upper hand, Alex and Matthew burst onto the scene, turning the tables.

Claire's eyes stayed glued to the screen as Adrian finally managed to bring her back to life with a desperate attempt at CPR chest compressions and all. But when he leaned down for mouth-to-mouth, Claire's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Oh my God..." she whispered, leaning back on her couch. She hadn't expected that. Not at all.

She kept watching, biting her lip as Alex appeared on the screen, glaring at Adrian with a look that could melt steel. Whatever he was saying, it wasn't friendly-that much was clear. Claire had a strong hunch they were arguing, and she had to admit, Alex looked seriously pissed. She wondered what they were talking about, but the camera didn't come with audio, leaving her to guess.

The rest of the footage showed how the three men finally overpowered Ivanov, leaving him incapacitated. Then, as the video played out, she saw Adrian gently lift her and carry her to the lift, his expression one of pure concern.

Claire closed her laptop with a sigh, her mind spinning in a thousand directions. She glanced out the window and realized the sun was dipping below the horizon. How long had she been at this? Hours, clearly. But despite all the time she'd spent hacking into the system, she still didn't have the answers she was looking for.

It was her order that had led to his death, and now she was back to square one, trying to figure out who had sent him after her in the first place. Even if she asked the hotel staff, she doubted they'd know anything useful. They'd probably just point her right back to Ivanov. And Ivanov? Well, he wasn't exactly available for questioning anymore.

"Ivanov's dead," she muttered to herself, the weight of her actions pressing down on her.

"Damn it," she cursed again, this time with more frustration. "What am I supposed to do, now?"