New beginning: Billionaire love story

"You?" he blurted out, disbelief lacing his voice.novelbin

Claire quickly composed herself, slipping back into her usual calm and collected demeanor. But inside, she couldn't help but think how strangely lucky-or perhaps unlucky-she was to run into the arrogant man from last night. It was almost as if fate was playing a cruel joke on her. The man, still staring at her in shock, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?"

Claire was taken aback by the accusation. She hadn't followed him, nor did she know the Mateo Jones Alexander had mentioned was this man. Hell, she hadn't even known his name until now.

With a cool and collected tone, Claire responded, "You've got it all wrong."

But the man wasn't convinced. He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. "Oh, really? My suspicions aren't wrong. You're following me. What, did you want revenge? Or are you trying to ruin my meeting today?" Claire's frown deepened. This guy was clearly full of himself. "I'm here for a meeting with Alexander Harris and Mateo Jones," she said, her voice dripping with calmness, but there was a cold edge to it now.

Mateo-now that she knew his name let out another scoff, clearly not buying her explanation. "Impossible," he retorted. "There's no way you're Claire Peterson."

Claire raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked him over with a mix of amusement and annoyance. "Haven't been keeping up with the news, have you?"

Mateo's eyes narrowed further as he shot back, "You are lying. Claire Peterson is a respectable woman, not someone like you, who doesn't even know what politeness means."

Before Claire could respond, the door to the meeting room flew open, and Alexander Harris walked in, looking slightly exasperated. "Have you two already gotten to know each other?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the tension in the room. Claire turned to Alexander, her cold gaze locking onto his. "Who exactly is Mateo Jones?" she asked, clearly unimpressed with the man in question.

Alexander glanced between the two of them, sensing the awkwardness. "Mateo will be our publicist for the new hotel in Las Vegas," he explained, trying to gauge their reactions.

Claire suddenly burst out laughing, a sound so unexpected and out of character that both Alexander and Mateo stared at her in utter confusion. "Oh my God, I can't believe this." "What's so funny?" Alexander asked, frowning in bewilderment.

Claire composed herself, though a trace of amusement lingered in her eyes. "A man like Mateo? It's impossible for him to be the publicist for your new hotel. He can't even market himself as a trusted and respectable person." Alexander's confusion deepened. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking between Claire and Mateo, hoping for some kind of explanation.

Claire took a seat at the table, crossing her legs with casual confidence. "Let's just say Mateo here doesn't exactly know how to treat people with respect," she said, casting a glance at Mateo, who was starting to look increasingly nervous. Alexander's gaze shifted to Mateo, his expression demanding an explanation. "Is there something I should know?"

Mateo shifted uncomfortably, clearly realizing he was in a tight spot. "There's a misunderstanding," he muttered, avoiding eye contact with both Claire and Alexander.

"Really?" Claire said, leaning back in her chair. "Because it seemed pretty clear to me last night that you have a habit of being rude to strangers." Alexander's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you two met last night?"

Before Mateo could stammer out a response, Claire's lips curled into a smirk. She crossed her legs leisurely, an air of arrogance surrounding her as she turned to Alexander. "Yes, we did. And let me tell you, Mateo here is a disaster waiting to happen for your hotel's public image," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I care about your hotel's reputation, Alexander, and its profits. Maybe it's time to find a new marketing team."

Mateo's eyes darted between Alexander and Claire, his anxiety escalating. "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong," he blurted out, his voice rising in desperation. "This is all just a huge misunderstanding."

Alexander's irritation was palpable as he crossed his arms over his chest, his expression hardening. "Then explain it to me, Mateo. I'm all ears."

With all four eyes trained on him-Claire's icy stare and Alexander's expectant gaze-Mateo swallowed hard. The tension in the room was suffocating. He forced himself to speak, knowing that one wrong word could spell disaster.

"I, uh... I mistook Claire Peterson for someone else," he began, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Claire, who had been nonchalantly inspecting her nails, interrupted him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure that's the only thing you did, Mateo?" she asked, her tone sweet but laced with venom.

Mateo's frustration bubbled just beneath the surface. This wasn't how he had envisioned his day going, especially not when he was supposed to be impressing one of the most influential businessmen in the industry. Gritting his teeth, he tried to remain calm, but it was clear his patience was wearing thin.

Alexander remained stone-faced; his arms still crossed. "I'm waiting for an explanation, Mateo. The whole story."

Mateo took a deep breath, knowing

he had no choice but to lay

everything out, "It was a mistake," he started, his voice lower now as he tried to regain some composure. had an unexpected meeting with Ms. Peterson last night, and... well, I didn't know who she was. I'd heard of Claire Peterson, of course, but I'd never actually seen her before. So, when we met, I, um, didn't exactly treat her with the respect she deserves."

Claire leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest as she gave Mateo look that could freeze over the Sahara. "Let me get this straight," she began, her voice

dripping with sarcasm. "Your net

telling me that a marketing team, specifically hired to handle the publicity of the Harris Hotel, doesn't know who Claire Peterson is? Even after the big announcement about the partnership with Metacortex?"

Mateo, sitting across from her, felt a cold sweat trickle down the back of his neck. His hands were clammy, and he was certain his face was as pale as a ghost. He didn't have a good feeling about where this conversation was headed, not at all. Mateo swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. He could feel the weight of both their gazes on him, pressing down like a ton of bricks. He pointed hesitantly in Claire's direction. "I didn't know who she was," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I swear, I didn't recognize her."

Claire's eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head slightly, her expression one of cold amusement.

"If you had known who I was, you would not have disrespected me? Because I'm an important figure in the business world? Does that mean if you encounter other people, especially women, who aren't as well-known, you'd act like a complete jerk because you think you have more power and control than them?" She said, her tone now laced with mockery.