New beginning: Billionaire love story

Claire leaned back in her chair, a determined glint in her eyes as she looked across the table at Mrs. Armetta. "I want to redo the fashion show," she said, her voice steady but filled with purpose. Mrs. Armetta's brows furrowed in confusion. "Redo it? But why? The show already happened."

Claire sighed, glancing at Talia, who nodded encouragingly beside her. "I just feel like the collection went to waste. Not enough people remember it, and even if they do, all they probably think about is the fire."

At the mention of the fire, a sad look crossed Mrs. Armetta's face. Claire instantly regretted bringing it up and quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to remind you of the bad things that happened."

Mrs. Armetta shook her head, a deep sigh escaping her lips. "It's alright, Claire. That fire... it was the first time I've ever failed at holding a fashion show. The magazines talked more about the fire than the clothes. Some even had the nerve to give me negative reviews." "Even VOGUE called it a disaster." Mrs. Armetta added, her voice tinged with sadness. "I've never seen anything like it. I still feel a little traumatized by the whole event. The only thing I'm grateful for is that everyone was safe."

Talia, ever the optimist, quickly chimed in. "Those magazines don't know you, Mrs. Armetta. You're one of the best designers out there, and everyone knows it. They're just jealous, trying to bring you down because you're on top." Mrs. Armetta gave a small, sad smile. "Maybe. But people do love to see the best fall. It's like they enjoy watching others suffer."

Claire couldn't help but agree. "People can be cruel," she said, her voice soft but firm. "They'll pay a fortune to ruin someone's life if it entertains them. But that's exactly why we need to do this show again. I'm not going to force you, Mrs. Armetta, but I'm a hundred percent sure this redo will be a game-changer. It'll put your name back on everyone's lips, and this comeback will go down in history."

At that moment, a maid entered the room, carefully placing a tray of tea on the table. The delicate clink of China against the tray filled the room as she served each of them a cup. Mrs. Armetta picked up her cup but didn't drink, instead staring into the swirling liquid as if it held the answers to all her worries.

"What makes you so sure this will work?" Mrs. Armetta asked, her eyes lifting to meet Claire's.

Claire's lips curved into a confident smirk. "Because I've been in your shoes before," she said simply. Then, without another word, she lifted her cup, took a sip of tea, and waited.

"So, what do you say, Mrs. Armetta. Are you in?"

Mrs. Armetta studied Claire for a long moment, her fingers lightly tapping the rim of her teacup. The silence stretched on, and Talia and Claire exchanged a quick glance, both wondering what Mrs. Armetta would say.

Finally, Mrs. Armetta took a sip of her own tea and then placed the cup back on the table with a soft clink. "Alright," she said, her voice firm. "I'll let you redo the fashion show. But on one condition." Claire raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Name it."

Mrs. Armetta leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with the fire of a true artist. "This show needs to be talked about. It needs to go viral. I want everyone to be buzzing about it. Can you make that happen?" Claire's smirk grew wider, her confidence practically radiating off her. "Consider it done," she replied, the words filled with certainty.

Mrs. Armetta couldn't help but smile at Claire's enthusiasm. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, Claire. You've got that spark, that drive to make things happen."

"Thank you, Mrs. Armetta," Claire said, genuinely appreciative. "I promise you won't regret this."

For the past few days, Claire had

been juggling more tasks than a circus performer with a dozen spinning plates. Between the upcoming fashion show and the- secretive robot project, she barely had time to breathe, let alone manage the mountain of paperwork that never seemed to shrink. But Claire was nothing if not resilient. She thrived under pressure, and today was no different.

Inside her sleek, minimalist office, Matthew stood by the window, his brow furrowed in thought. "Claire," he began, turning to face her, "do you think we should inform the shareholders about this new division? I mean, building robots isn't exactly what Metacortex is known for."

Claire, who had been skimming

through a thick file, paused to think.

She tapped a perfectly manicuredMaterial © of NôvelDrama.Org.

nail on the edge of her desk, considering his words. After a moment, she shook her head. "No, not yet. I still don't trust them fully. I want to keep this project under Wraps until we've actually succeeded in building something. The last thing we need is a leak."

Matthew nodded, understanding her caution. "What about Jack? Are you planning to loop him in?"

A small smile played on Claire's lips. "Yes, I'll probably inform Jack. He's the only one I trust with something this big."

"Good idea," Matthew replied, giving her a thumbs-up. "I'll go check on the team and see how things are progressing." "Thanks, Matthew," Claire said, already turning back to her work. But Matthew hesitated, lingering near the door.

"There's one more thing," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "It's about that employee over at Cryptonic-Stephen. You know, the tech geek? He's got a real talent for robotics. In fact, he won the national robotics championship a while back. Do you think we should bring him on board for this?"

Claire raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Stephen, huh? Sounds promising. I'll check out his profile and see if he's the right fit."

Matthew gave her a nod and finally left the office. As soon as the door clicked shut, Claire leaned back in her chair and opened the employee files on her computer. She typed in the name "Stephen" and frowned as four different profiles popped up. "Great," she muttered. "Thanks for the last name, Matthew."

She went through each profile,

scanning the details until she found

the Stephen that Matthew had

mentioned. As she read through his achievements and qualifications, Claire couldn't help but be impressed. This guy wasn't just passionate about technology-he lived and breathed it. She made a mental note to visit Cryptonic and meet him in person when she had the chance.

But first, she needed to talk to Jack about the robot project. Claire stood up, smoothing out her skirt, and headed out of her office. She took the lift down to the floor below, where Jack's office was located. Knocking on his door, she heard his familiar hoarse voice from inside. "Come in."

Claire pushed the door open and greeted Jack with a smile. The older man looked up from his desk, his face breaking into a warm smile as he saw her. The wrinkles near his eyes crinkled in the way they always did when he was genuinely happy.

"Claire! What a nice surprise," Jack said, standing up to shake her hand. "Come, sit down. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

They both settled on the couch, Claire sitting across from him. She could feel the slight tension in her shoulders easing in his presence-Jack had always been a calming influence on her.

"I've got some...surprising news to share," Claire began, her smile turning into a grin.