New beginning: Billionaire love story

Claire's eyes were icy as she glared at Alexander, the tension between them palpable.

The paparazzi were buzzing like bees, their cameras flashing from afar. Since no paparazzi were allowed to get close to the hotel, they settled for taking long-distance shots, their lenses zooming in on Claire and Alexander as they stood in front of the hotel entrance. "I'm not walking in with you," Claire said coldly. "Go ahead. I don't want anyone to think we arrived together."

Alexander frowned, clearly not pleased with her dramatics. "Oh, come on, Claire. You're being way too dramatic about this. We're going to bump into each other at the banquet anyway. Might even have to exchange a few pleasantries. The guests don't care about how we get there."

Claire crossed her arms, ready to argue, but Alexander cut her off before she could get a word out.

"Look," he said, "let's just walk in together and talk about the robot project. We can discuss the progress, and it'll look professional. Problem solved."

Claire paused, the mention of the robot project reminding her of some important updates she needed to report to him. She sighed, realizing he had a point. "Fine," she relented, her voice less icy. "But this is purely about work."

They walked through the grand entrance of the hotel, ignoring the flash of cameras from the other side of the street. As they made their way to the ballroom, Alexander glanced over at Claire. "So, how's the robot coming along?" he asked, keeping his tone casual. "It's going well," Claire replied, her voice confident. "I've got the best team working on it. We're making good progress, and Abigail is also helping out."

"Abigail?" Alexander raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "Isn't she supposed to be designing the robot? Why is she helping with the building? Her expertise is in design, not engineering."

They stepped into the elevator, and Alexander pressed the button for the sixth floor. The doors slid shut, sealing them in together.

"Abigail volunteered to help," Claire explained as the elevator began its ascent. "She's a graduate of an engineering major. It's not her first time dealing with robots. I'm surprised you didn't know that about your own childhood friend."

Alexander shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "Honestly, I never paid much attention. Abigail's always been into a lot of different things. Hard to keep up."

Claire rolled her eyes, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. "Of course, you didn't," she said as the elevator doors opened with a soft ding. They stepped out, walking down the plush carpeted hallway toward the ballroom.

They reached the entrance to the ballroom, and Claire stopped, turning to face Alexander. "I'll keep you updated on the robot. There's no need for you to worry."

Alexander's expression grew serious, his tone shifting into business mode. "I don't want this project to fail, Claire. We've invested a lot into it. Failure isn't an option." Claire's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling a hint of offense at his implication. "Don't worry," she said, her lips curling into a smirk. "I won't fail. In fact, you'll be amazed."

With that, Claire turned on her heels and strode into the ballroom, leaving Alexander standing there, watching her go. He shook his head, unsure if he should be impressed by Claire's confidence or annoyed by her constant coldness and sarcasm toward him. The ballroom was already buzzing with activity. Guests mingled, waiters moved gracefully among them with trays of champagne, and a soft, elegant melody played from the string quartet in the corner.

Alexander, meanwhile, took a

moment to compose himself before

entering the grand ballroom. He

plastered a smile on his face, ready

to charm the crowd as always. This

was his game-mingling,

networking, and keeping up appearances. As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes scanned the room, searching for his parents. This was, after all, a charity event hosted by the Harris family, and he needed to be present when his father gave his speech.

It didn't take long for him to spot his mother, Joan, standing near a small group of elegantly dressed guests. Her eyes it up as soon as she saw him, and she opened her arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Alex" she exclaimed, pulling him into a warm embrace.

Alexander kissed her cheek, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'm here, Mum. No need for the dramatics," he teased, noting the relief in her voice as if he'd been missing for years. Joan gave him a playful swat on the arm. "Oh, hush. I'm just glad you finally made it," she said with a mock pout. "You know how your father likes everything to be perfect."

Alexander chuckled, knowing all too well how his father could be about these events. "Speaking of Dad where is he?" he asked, glancing around the room.

Joan gestured towards a corner of the ballroom, where a group of men were deep in conversation. "He's catching up with an old friend. You know how he is, always making connections." Alexander nodded, following her gaze. His father was indeed engrossed in a lively discussion, his booming laugh echoing across the room. "I see," Alexander said. "And have you seen Christian anywhere?" Joan shook her head, a slight frown creasing her brow. "No, I haven't seen him. He might be running late."

Alexander excused himself, telling his mother he'd go find Christian. He pulled out his phone and dialed Christian's number, heading towards a quieter corner of the room to avoid the chatter of the crowd.

Meanwhile, Christian was sitting at a

cozy table in a dimly lit restaurant, a wide grin on his face as he told Talia about an embarrassing incident from his college days. Talia laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement, clearly enjoying the story. Just as Christian was about to deliver the

punchline, his phone buzzed on thenovelbin

table.

He glanced at the screen, seeing Alexander's name flashing. Talia noticed the shift in his expression and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to answer that?" she asked, her voice teasing. Christian hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his phone. "Sorry, give me a sec," he said, sliding out of his seat and heading towards the restroom to take the call.

"Alex, hey!" Christian greeted, trying to sound casual as he answered.

Before Christian could say anything more, Alexander's voice came through, slightly exasperated. "Where are you, Christian? I've been looking for you everywhere, and I haven't seen you at the banquet." Christian rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. He had forgotten-or more like deliberately avoided-telling Alexander he wasn't planning on showing up. "Uh, hey, Alex. Yeah, about that..." Alexander cut him off, his tone impatient. "Are you at the office? Is something wrong? If there's a problem, I'll head over there right now."

Alexander started to make his way towards the exit, but Christian quickly interrupted, trying to calm him down. "No, no, everything's fine! No problem at the office. It's just... I'm not going to the banquet." Alexander stopped in his tracks, frowning in confusion. "You're not going? Why not?" Christian hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Well, I'm kind of... on a date right now."