New beginning: Billionaire love story

"What the hell are you doing?"

Alexander tilted his head to look at her, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "Contemplating life," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What does it look like?"

Claire crossed her arms, giving him a withering look. "It looks like you're being an idiot, as usual. Why are you on the floor?"

He shrugged, still not bothering to get up. "It's more comfortable down here. And it's quiet. No one to bother me. Well, except you, obviously."

Claire rolled her eyes. "Get up, Alexander."

Alexander just grinned lazily, unrepentant, and refused to budge from where he was sprawled out on the floor of the lift. With his casual attitude even when half-drunk, it was maddening. Claire folded her arms and tapped her foot as she muttered under her breath. "What am I going to do with you?" she sighed. The doors had closed behind, leaving them in this box, with Claire glaring down at Alex who had obviously no plans of moving soon.

She looked down at the panel of floor buttons, undecided. Taking him back to his place was not an option. Truly the last thing she needed was some roaming paparazzi capturing a shot of her dragging a tipsy Alexander Harris out of a hotel. Another headline with their names sharing the same black ink was not on the agenda.

After an instant's hesitation, Claire ducked and grabbed his arm, yanking him upright with more strength than her delicate appearance would have suggested. "Come on, up you go," she growled, striving to support him against the elevator wall.

As she approached the lift and was about to press any floor number, the lift doors opened, and a hotel employee came into it, surprised to see the two of them inside.

Suddenly, an idea came to Claire's mind. In the fraction of a second, she threw a smile at the hotel employee. "I need your help," she started off, her voice taking on that sweet, sweet tone she reserved only for getting what she wanted. "Well, actually, it is your boss here who needs help," she added, nodding toward Alexander.

In his eyes, the employee glanced from Claire to Alexander, his eyes widening in recognition of the man. "Oh! Mr. Harris! Is he all right? What can I do to help?" he asked, showing significant enthusiasm to help or please them.

Claire motioned to Alexander, who was leaning heavily against her. "He's unwell and needs a place to rest," she said, coming across as every inch the worried partner. "Could you arrange a room for him?"

The hotel worker didn't miss a beat, just nodded and pressed the button for the top floor. "Of course, Miss. The penthouse should be available."

Claire breathed out a relieved smile as things finally seemed to go their way. Going up, she glanced at Alex. Incapacitated at the moment, he somehow still managed to look handsome and infuriating all at once.

As the elevator doors opened at the top floor, they were led down a plush hallway and the door to one of the luxurious suites was unlocked. With a lot of struggling, they managed to drag Alexander to the nearest bed and drop him onto it. Claire straightened and brushed a stray lock of hair off her face before she turned to the staff member.

"Thank you," she said, this time with genuine thanks.

The man nodded politely, expectantly looking at her. "If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to inform the hotel," he said, before he took his leave.

Claire watched the door slam behind him and then looked over at Alexander, who was already spread out and sound asleep. She sighed in exasperation. "Of all the nights, Alex. You had to pick tonight to be a problem."

She glanced down at her watch; it was almost midnight, and she had to be up at the crack of dawn to catch meetings at the office, check on the robot-building project, and swing by to help Talia set up the fashion show. She had no time to babysit a passed-out Alexander. Standing at the door of the bathroom, she felt the experience was familiar for some reason. Her mind roamed back to when she had been poisoned. No matter how bitter she was to him, Alex had been there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to lean on. He had made sure she had the attention needed, and he had even gone to the extent of inquiring into the incident himself. As she watched the footage of him taking care of her, something churned within her-something she didn't want to bring to light. Claire sighed, pulling out her phone as she walked over and sank into an armchair near the window. She scrolled through her messages, praying Alex would wake up soon so she could leave. His presence had already ruined her night, but she wasn't heartless enough to just walk out and leave him here.

"Come on, Alex," she muttered to herself. "Wake up so I can go home."

The sun was shining brightly

through the curtains, casting a warm glow around the room. Alexander's eyes fluttered open, and he winced at the sudden headache that

प

pounded through his skull. He groaned, rolling over to squint at the unfamiliar ceiling. "Where am I?" he mumbled to himself, his voice hoarse.

Alexander slowly sat up, taking in the room around him. It was spacious and elegantly decorated. He knows where he is but the question how did he ended up there?

The bed was a mess of tangled sheets, and he noticed a bottle of water and an Advil sitting on the nightstand beside him. Not one to question a good thing, Alexander grabbed the Advil, popped it into his mouth, and downed it with the water.

As the cold water slid down his throat, he pulled out his phone from his suit jacket. A few missed calls greeted him, from his father, his mother, and Christian, his best friend.

He glanced at the time. "Past 9 AM? Damn it," Alexander muttered, running a hand through his hair. He had overslept, and from the looks of his phone, his family was probably wondering where he was.novelbin

"Great, just great," he scolded himself, rubbing his temples. "I'm a grown man, and here I am, getting drunk like some college kid." He tried to piece together the events of last night, but it was all a blur. The last clear memory he had was having five drinks.

Deciding he needed to clear his

head, Alexander headed to the bathroom fora shower. The hot water worked wonders, relaxing his tense muscles and washing away the lingering grogginess. As hez stood under the steady stream, he closed his eyes and tried to piece together the previous night. Slowly, bits and pieces came back to him-laughing too loud, clinking glasses, and... Claire.

Alexander's eyes snapped open, and he groaned, burying his face in his hands. "No, no, no," he muttered to himself. The last thing he remembered clearly was Claire. He had been talking to her-or more like slurring at her-while she gave him that icy stare she was famous for. The realization made his stomach

turn, and he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him.

He leaned his head against the cool tiles of the shower, feeling the water beat down on his back.

"How could I let this happen?" he muttered to himself.

He had acted like a fool in front of the one person who already couldn't stand him. Now, she probably had even more reason to hate him. Or worse, maybe she was disgusted by him.