New beginning: Billionaire love story

"I think I will have to decline your offer."

Claire blinked, trying to hide her surprise at Stephen's words. She hadn't expected that answer, especially not from someone like Stephen, who practically had robots running through his veins. How could he say no to this opportunity? It didn't make any sense. Matthew, who had been lounging on the sofa with his legs stretched out, almost fell off in surprise. He jumped up, quickly made his way over to Claire's desk, and leaned over, staring at Stephen with wide eyes. "What the hell, man? You love robots! Why would you turn down such a good offer?" Stephen shuffled his feet, looking nervous. His eyes darted around the room, glancing everywhere but at Matthew and Claire. "I just... I mean... I've been working hard to get accepted into Cryptonic," he finally said, his voice shaky. "You know how hard it is to get in there. It's this super-secret website, so secret even the government doesn't know it exists. It took everything I had to get in, and now... I don't know if I can just let it go."

Claire tilted her head, trying to keep her expression calm and collected. "Stephen," she said gently, drawing his attention back to her. "I understand that Cryptonic is a big deal, but this is Metacortex we're talking about. We're on the cutting edge of robotics, and you'd be a perfect fit here. What's really holding you back?"

Stephen hesitated, biting his lip. "It's just... it's been a while since I dealt with robots, you know? I'm not sure my skills are up to it anymore. I don't want to mess things up."

Matthew snorted. "You? Mess things up? Come on, Stephen, you've been building robots since you were a kid. At least that's what you told me."

"You've got the skills, Stephen. And we're not asking you to make a decision right now. How about this: why don't you come to Metacortex tomorrow and see how the project's going? You can take a look at the robot building, maybe even do a bit of work if you feel like it. Then you can decide if you want to stick with Cryptonic or join us."

Stephen's eyes lit up a little at the suggestion. "I could do that?" he asked, his voice uncertain but hopeful.

"Of course," Claire said, nodding. "Come by tomorrow at nine. Just tell the receptionist your name, and she'll let you in. No pressure, no strings. Just take a look and see how you feel."

Stephen thought for a moment, his face a mixture of nerves and excitement. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, I'll come by and take a look. Thanks, Ms. Peterson."

Claire smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Stephen. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think."

Stephen nodded, looking a little more confident as he turned and left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Matthew turned to Claire, raising an eyebrow. "So, what are you going to do if Stephen decides not to join? What's plan B?"

Claire shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "It's fine. We still have plenty of talented people on the team. I just thought Stephen could help speed things up a bit. Some of the teams are struggling, especially with building three robots at once. It's a lot to handle." Matthew sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Yeah, no kidding. Building three robots in three months is no walk in the park. Still, I hope Stephen changes his mind. It would be good to have him on board."

"Me too," Claire admitted, tapping her fingers on the desk. "But we'll manage either way. We always do."

After Abigail finished her work at Metacortex, she stretched and let out a sigh of relief. It was lunchtime, and her stomach was growling. She glanced at her phone and decided to text Alex, hoping they could have lunch together. Abigail: "Hey, Alex! Want to grab lunch together? I'm starving!"

She waited, tapping her foot impatiently. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed with his response.

Alex: "Hey, Abby. Sorry, can't today. Too much work."

Abigail frowned at her phone, feeling a pang of disappointment. Alex was always busy, but she couldn't help feeling a little let down. She quickly typed back.

Abigail: "Alright, another time then. Don't overwork yourself!"novelbin

She put her phone away with a sigh. "Another time," she muttered to herself, joining the line at a nearby sandwich shop. As she waited, she pulled out her phone again and called her best friend, Jessica. "Hey, Jess," Abigail greeted, trying to sound cheerful. "Guess what? Alex turned me down for lunch. Again."

Jessica's voice crackled through the phone. "Oh no, not again! What's his excuse this time?"

Abigail rolled her eyes, even though Jessica couldn't see her. "He's 'too busy,' as usual. I swear, it's like he doesn't even see me as a woman. Just his old childhood friend."

"You've had a crush on him forever, Abi," Jessica said sympathetically. "Have you thought about, I don't know, telling him?"

Abigail groaned. "Oh, come on, Jess.

You know I can't just tell him! It's not that simple. Besides, I've tried everything-new clothes, new hairstyle, even that time I spent in America. I came back a whole new person, but it's like he still sees me as the little girl who used to play tag with him.

Jessica laughed softly. "Well, guys can be dense. Maybe he just needs a little push. Are you sure he doesn't like anyone else?"

Abigail thought about it, biting her lip. "No, I'm pretty sure he's not crushing on anyone. I mean, Alex isn't the kind to keep secrets, and he would've told me if he liked someone, right?" Jessica was quiet for a moment, then said, "I don't know, Abby. A guy like Alex? Handsome, successful-there's no way he doesn't have a crush on someone. Maybe he's just good at hiding it."

Abigail felt a small knot of doubt in her stomach Her mind flicked to Claire Peterson, Alex's business partner. Claire was beautiful, smart, and always seemed to have Alex's attention. But then again, Claire wasn't exactly friendly toward Alex, and they had that weird history of being married and then divorced.

"No, it can't be." Abigail said, shaking her head.

It was her turn to order, so she quickly told the cashier, "One sandwich to go, please."

As Abigail waited for her food, Lisa, the woman standing behind her, couldn't help but overhear her conversation. The mention of Alex caught her attention immediately. There was only one Alex she knew who had such an impact on women-Alexander Harris. Lisa's mind raced as she tried to process what she'd just heard. So, this Abigail was pining for Alex, huh? Lisa couldn't believe she might have to deal with another woman after Alex's heart.

It seems like Lisa couldn't take a

break from Claire who is trying to steal Alex from her despite Claire statement saying she is not

interested in Alexander in which Lisa doesn't believe her and now she

have to face this new girl. She needed to find out if the Alex they were talking about was really Alexander Harris.