New beginning: Billionaire love story

Mateo's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He was completely tongue-tied, trapped under Claire's piercing gaze. The question hung in the air like a sword dangling by a thread, and he had no idea how to answer it. Alexander crossed his arms, his eyes never leaving Mateo. "Well? Answer her."

Claire sat back in her chair, arms crossed, her brows raised in a mix of amusement and impatience as she waited for Mateo to say something, anything. But he just stood there, tongue-tied, his face flushed with embarrassment. The man who had strutted into the meeting full of confidence just moments ago now looked like he wanted to melt into the floor.

Finally, Mateo stammered out, "I... I didn't know it was you last night."

"Clearly," Claire replied dryly, her voice laced with sarcasm. "If you had known, you would've been polite and nice to me. Heck, if I had asked you to kiss my feet, you probably would've done it for the sake of business."

Mateo swallowed hard, nodding slightly. He knew she was right. If he had realized who she was, he would've treated her like royalty. But he hadn't, and now he was paying the price for it.

Claire didn't sit back down. Instead, she stood up, planting both of her hands firmly on the table as she leaned forward, her gaze sharp and unforgiving. "Let me make something clear, Alexander." she said, her voice steady but with an edge that made him squirm. "If you want your hotel to succeed, you can't have someone like Mateo-someone who disrespects people just because he think he's above them on your team. And if he is not even chronically online, how can he possibly market your hotel? Do he even know what your target audience wants?"

Mateo glanced nervously at Alexander, hoping for some support, but all he got was a stony glare. So, he turned back to Claire, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "It was just a misunderstanding," he pleaded. "I won't do it again. I promise." Claire rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "A misunderstanding?" she repeated, her tone dripping with disbelief. "I don't buy it."

But then, just as she was about to deliver another verbal blow, Mateo did something that caught her completely off guard. He dropped to his knees in front of her, bowing his head in a dramatic show of apology. "Please, Ms. Peterson," he begged. "Give me a second chance. This project means everything to me."

Claire recoiled, stepping back in disgust. The sight of him groveling at her feet was the last thing she expected, and it was even more revolting than his earlier behavior. "Get up," she snapped, but Mateo stayed on his knees, pleading with her to reconsider.

"Do you realize what working on a project with Harris Hotels would mean for you?" Claire asked, her voice colder now. "It would benefit you more than anyone else, giving you exposure, profit, and credibility."

Mateo fell silent, knowing full well that everything she said was true. He couldn't argue with her logic, and the reality of losing this opportunity was starting to hit him hard.

Claire then turned her attention to Alexander, who had been watching the exchange with a tight-lipped expression. "So, what's it going to be?" she asked him. "If you still want Mateo on your team, then I'll be the one to walk away."

Alexander's expression darkened, his anger barely contained. "Mateo," he said, his voice dangerously calm.

Mateo turned to Alexander, looking at him with desperate eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Harris," he began, but Alexander cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"I'm disappointed in you, Mateo," Alexander said, his tone laced with disappointment and frustration. "This is not what I expected from you. You've embarrassed yourself and, by extension, me."

"But it was a misunderstanding!" Mateo protested, his voice rising with panic. "I didn't know—"

"The meeting is over," Alexander said firmly, not letting him finish. "I no longer need you to be the marketing lead for my new hotel in Vegas. You're done."

Mateo froze, his face draining of color. He hadn't expected Alexander to make such a quick and final decision. The room seemed to close in around him, and for a moment, he couldn't even breathe. "Please, Mr. Harris," he said, his voice trembling. "Think this through. It's all just a misunderstanding."

Claire stepped forward, her voice

cutting through his protests. "A misunderstanding?" she repeated, her tone icy: "Mateo, you accused me of stalking you. You claimed was at this meeting for revenge. If you could turn back time, I'm sure you'd wish you'd never sat at my table last night. But guess what? You can't. You made your bed, now

lie in it."

Mateo felt like the ground was slipping away beneath him. He couldn't believe how badly things had gone wrong. If only he had recognized Claire, if only he had been more careful, none of this would be happening. But it was too late for 'if onlys' now. Alexander took a step closer to Mateo, his eyes hard. "You've not only shown poor judgment, but you've also shown a complete lack of respect. That's not something I can overlook."

Mateo opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. He was speechless, his mind racing to find a way out of this mess, but there was none.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"You're done here, Mateo," Alexander said with finality. "Leave."

Mateo's legs felt like lead as he turned toward the door, his head hanging low. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Claire or Alexander as he made his way out. The weight of his failure pressed down on him, suffocating, as he left the room in disgrace. The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving Claire and Alexander in silence.

Claire stared at the closed door for a moment, still frowning. She turned her gaze to Alexander, her eyebrows knitting together. "I didn't expect you to change your mind about Mateo so quickly," she said, her tone a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Or, dismiss him right here." Alexander's face was still set in an expression of annoyance, his jaw clenched tightly. "I didn't expect Mateo to treat you like that," he replied, his voice hard. "Nobody should treat you like that, Claire."

Claire raised an eyebrow at his words. "So, you did this because of me? Or did you do it because you wanted to?" There was a hint of skepticism in her voice as if she wasn't entirely convinced of his motives.

Alexander met her gaze, his brows lifting in response to her question. "Why are you asking me that?" he shot back, a little defensive. "I did it for you. Mateo disrespected you, and I don't like it when anyone disrespects you."

Claire tilted her head slightly, studying him. "Would you have done the same if it wasn't me? If it was someone else in my shoes, would you have stood up for them too?"

Alexander didn't hesitate. "Yes, I would have," he said firmly. "No one deserves to be treated like that, no matter who they are."

Claire felt a small sense of relief

wash over her She hated the idea of

people doing nice things for her just because of her status. It made her wonder if she'd get the same treatment if she wasn't in a position of power. "I'm glad to hear that," she said, her tone genuine as she nodded. "Thank you for standing up for me.” Her voice was calm, almost casual as if she was discussing the weather.

Alexander seemed to relax a little at her words, the tension in his shoulders easing. But before he could say anything else, Claire

continued, "Next time, you shown et

find a good publicist who knows

how to treat people with respect, regardless of their background. That's the kind of person you want on your team."

Claire turned and walked toward the door, her hand resting on the handle as she prepared to leave. Just as she was about to pull it open, Alexander's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Why are you so angry about all this?" he asked, his tone laced with confusion.

Claire paused, glancing back at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were cold, her expression unreadable. "Back then, you did the same thing to me," she replied, her voice cutting through the room like a knife.