New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex)

"What the fuck?!" Lisa spun around, her heart racing as she tried to figure out who had just yanked her away from Claire.

"Quiet, or she'll spot you," the woman hissed, throwing Lisa a stern glare. "Follow me."

Lisa stood her ground, frowning. "Where and why?"

The woman sighed dramatically and stepped closer. "Don't you remember me? I'm Gretta. I invited you to golfing a month ago. Ring a bell?"

Lisa squinted, thinking back. Then it hit her. "Gretta! Yeah, I remember. But what the hell are you doing here, and why did you just ruin my plan?"

Gretta rolled her eyes, grabbing Lisa by the arm and carefully pulling her out of the club, making sure Claire didn't notice them sneaking out. Once they were outside, they hopped into Gretta's car. Gretta quickly told her driver to go, and as they sped away, Lisa's irritation bubbled over.

"Alright, Gretta, what's the big idea? Why'd you drag me into your car?" Lisa demanded, crossing her arms and glaring.

Gretta turned to her, her expression serious. "What you were about to do back there was wrong, Lisa."

Lisa scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Didn't expect you to be so kind to Claire. What, you like her now?"

"Oh, please." Gretta waved her hand dismissively. "I still can't stand Claire. But your plan was stupid. You could've ended up in jail! Do you really want that?"

Lisa hesitated, her defiance wavering as she thought about it. Her hands dropped to her lap, and she sighed. "Honestly, it'd be better than watching Claire live her happy little life. She ruined mine, Gretta. My wedding, my career, and now my public image? I have every right to go through with my plan."

Gretta's eyes narrowed. "Okay, let's say you did stab Claire, but she survives. Your life would be completely ruined. If you want revenge, you've got to be smart about it."

Lisa frowned, curiosity piqued. "And what exactly are you thinking?"

A sly smile spread across Gretta's lips. "I've got a better plan. Trust me, I'd love nothing more than to see Claire fall. I'm sick of her succeeding at everything."

Lisa watched as Gretta's expression turned dark, a sneer curling her lips as she thought of Claire. Then Gretta's gaze returned to Lisa, and she stretched out her hand. "Together, we can bring Claire down. So, what do you say?"

Lisa glanced at Gretta's outstretched palm, her own lips curling into a smirk. She shook Gretta's hand firmly. "Deal. Let's bring Claire down."

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Claire heard a knock on her penthouse door. She groaned, glancing at the clock. It was only 6 AM. Who could be here this early?

Dragging herself out of bed, she shuffled to the door and opened it to find Matthew standing there, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. In one hand, he held two cups of coffee, and in the other, a paper bag that looked suspiciously like it contained pastries. "Good morning, sunshine!" Matthew chirped, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

Claire raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Matthew? And at this hour?"

He flashed her a mischievous grin. "I'm ready for the prototype showing today! Figured I'd bring breakfast."

Claire stared at him, then glanced at the clock again, just to be sure she hadn't misread it. "The meeting doesn't start for another three hours. You do know that, right?"

"Better safe than sorry!" Matthew replied with a wink, placing the coffee and pastry on her dining table like he owned the place.

Claire shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips despite herself. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Part of my charm," he said, flopping down on one of her dining chairs. "Come on, sit. We can have breakfast together. You don't want this croissant to get cold, do you?"

Realizing she was already up, Claire decided she might as well get ready for the day. Besides, she was curious to see what the team had put together after that whole Venus debacle. She headed to her room to freshen up, calling back to Matthew, "Don't eat all the pastries while I'm gone!"

"No promises!" he called back, laughing.

After a quick shower, Claire joined Matthew at the table. The croissants were still warm, and the coffee smelled divine. They ate in comfortable silence for a bit before Claire broke it with a question that had been on her mind.

Matthew was already halfway through his coffee, casually flipping through one of her magazines. Claire grabbed her own cup and took a sip, the warmth of the coffee waking her up a little more.

"So are you nervous about today?" Matthew asked eveing her over the rim of his cun

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what they've done. It needs to be perfect."

"It will be," Matthew assured her confidently. "The team knows what's at stake."

After breakfast, they decided it was time to head to Metacortex. As they made their way to Claire's office, the early morning quiet of the city slowly gave way to the usual hustle and bustle. Claire glanced over at Matthew, who was sipping his second coffee of the day. "Are you going to that event Alex is holding?" Claire asked casually, though she was genuinely curious.

Matthew thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I don't want to, but I will. Someone needs to make sure Alex doesn't do something stupid."

Claire chuckled. "You're going to play babysitter?"

"More like a safety net," Matthew quipped, grinning. "Someone has to keep you out of trouble."

They reached her office, and as usual, Matthew made a beeline for her desk, plopping down in her chair like it was his own. Claire followed, shaking her head in amusement.

"You know, Matthew," Claire said with a teasing smile, "maybe this office should just be yours. You're here enough."

Matthew grinned back at her. "You're too kind, Claire. But honestly, my office at Cryptonic is more than enough. Though... I wouldn't say no if you offered," he added with a playful wink.

"Dream on," Claire shot back with a smirk.

The morning flew by, and soon it was time for the meeting. As the team gathered in the conference room, Claire's demeanor shifted into full-on business mode.

The team unveiled the Cortex 2.0 prototype, explaining every detail with precision. Claire listened intently, her expression serious and focused. Every so often, she'd nod or ask a pointed question, her mind clearly racing through every possibility. When tho procontation finally

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Claire stood up, her tone professional as she addressed the room. "I'm satisfied with the result," she said, her voice carrying a note of approval "You've all worked

incredibly hard on this project,

especially after the incident with

Venus, and I appreciate your

dedication. But remember, this stays

confidential. We can't risk this

getting out-too much time and

money has already been lost."

The team nodded, a look of pride and excitement crossing their faces. It was clear they were as eager as Claire to see Cortex 2.0 succeed.

"Oh, and I'll be announcing Cortex 2.0 myself," Claire added. "Let's make sure everything is perfect before we go public."

The room buzzed with excitement as the meeting ended. As everyone filed out, Claire couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. The team had delivered, and now it was up to her to make sure everything went smoothly from here on out.

Back in her office, Claire walked over to the window, gazing out at the city below. She could only hope the rest of the week would go as planned, with no more surprises or interruptions. She'd had enough of those lately.

Matthew joined her a moment later, leaning against the doorframe with a knowing smile. "Looks like everything's on track."

Claire nodded, still staring out the window. "Let's hope it stays that way."