New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex)

Adrian stepped out of the elevator into the basement, his footsteps echoing in the quiet, almost eerie space. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop, and that made his hunch even stronger. Something told him Claire might be down here. As he crept further into the basement, he caught sight of a shadowy figure making a dash toward a black van parked in the farthest corner, practically in the blind spot. The hairs on the back of Adrian's neck stood up. He squinted and his heart nearly stopped when he realized who the unconscious person in the man's arms was. "Claire?" he muttered under his breath, then yelled, "Hey! Stop right there!"

The man glanced back but didn't slow down. He sped up, like he was making a break for it. Not on Adrian's watch. Adrian broke into a full sprint, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He didn't care that his dress shoes weren't exactly built for a chase scene he was catching this guy if it was the last thing he did.

With a final burst of speed, Adrian launched himself at the man, tackling him to the ground. They both hit the cold concrete hard, the impact sending a jolt of pain through Adrian's elbow. He winced but quickly scrambled to his feet, ready to face the guy. The man was already up, towering over him, and looking seriously pissed off.

"Okay, big guy, let's see what you've got," Adrian muttered, bracing himself. The man swung a kick at him, but Adrian was quicker, dodging just in time. He grabbed the guy's foot and shoved him backward, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Adrian rushed over to Claire, dropping to his knees beside her. "Claire, wake up! Come on, don't do this," he urged, gently shaking her. But she didn't stir. Panic flickered in his chest. "Damn it!" he cursed out loud, glancing back to see the man getting up again. "Oh, great," Adrian muttered. He wasn't exactly trained for hand-to-hand combat, but he'd do whatever it took to keep Claire safe.

Meanwhile, back upstairs, Alex's phone buzzed. It was the security team in the control room. "Sir, we've located the man you're looking for. He's in the basement," the guard informed him.

Alex didn't need to hear more. "Matthew let's go!" he barked, already heading for the elevator. Matthew was right behind him, his usually calm demeanor replaced by a look of fierce determination.

The elevator ride down to the basement felt like it took forever. Alex tapped his foot impatiently, glancing at the floor numbers as they slowly ticked down. When the doors finally dinged open, the two of them bolted out, sprinting towards the sounds of a struggle echoing through the basement.

Matthew was the first to spot the scene. Without missing a beat, he charged forward and delivered a solid kick to the man who was about to make another move on Adrian. The man stumbled back, and Matthew quickly turned to Adrian. "Check on Claire, now!" Adrian didn't need to be told twice. He rushed back to Claire's side, desperately trying to wake her up again. His fingers trembled as he checked her pulse. It was weak-too weak. "Matthew, her pulse is weak!" he shouted, his voice laced with panic. Matthew's eyes darkened with anger as he turned back to the man. He didn't waste any time, throwing a hard punch at the guy's face, followed by another to his gut. "Who sent you?!" Matthew growled, but the man only grunted in pain.

Alex, who had just caught up, joined in, delivering a fierce punch to the guy's stomach. "Answer him!" he demanded, his own anger flaring up. But the man remained stubbornly silent.

Meanwhile, Adrian was frantically trying to figure out what had caused Claire to lose consciousness. He placed his ear near her mouth, checking her breath. It was faint and shallow-this wasn't good. Without hesitation, Adrian began performing CPR, pressing down on her chest and then moving to give her mouth-to-mouth.

"Stay with me, Claire," Adrian muttered between breaths. "Come on, you're stronger than this."

Alex glanced over at them and did a double take, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What the hell, Adrian? Are you kissing Claire right now?"

Adrian didn't stop, but he managed to throw an irritated look over his shoulder. "I'm performing CPR, Alex! Her pulse is weak, and her breathing is fading!"

Alex stormed over, fuming. "CPR doesn't need mouth-to-mouth! You're just taking advantage of the situation! There are other ways!"

Adrian was about ready to lose it. "For the love of Alex, if you want Claire to survive, shut the fuck up and let me do my job!"

That shut Alex up really quickly. He watched in frustrated silence as Adrian continued to work on Claire. his heart pounding in his chest. The seconds felt like hours, every breath

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pushing Alex closer to the edge.

Before Alex could fire back, Matthew chimed in from the corner of the room, where he'd just knocked a guy out cold. "Alex shut up and let Adrian do his thing!"

Adrian was back to work, pumping Claire's chest with more urgency. "Someone call a medic! She needs help, now!"

With one final rescue breath, Adrian carefully turned Claire to her side, making sure she wouldn't choke. He looked up at Alex, who was still fuming. "We need to get her to a doctor, and quickly." Alex, clearly torn between wanting to argue and wanting to help, finally pulled out his phone. "I'll call a doctor."

He dialed the hotel manager, barking out orders to secure the penthouse and keep everything hush-hush.

Meanwhile, Adrian scooped Claire up in his arms, holding her like she was the most precious thing in the world. "What floor?" he asked, his voice urgent.

But Matthew stepped in, putting a firm hand on Alex's chest. "Adrian, get back to the event. Let Adrian take care of her."

"Are you insane? Are you thinking about the event when Claire's unconscious? What the hell is wrong with you?" Alex looked at Matthew like he'd lost his mind.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

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up and finds out the event was ruined because of her, she'll blame herself."

"Penthouse, top floor," Alex finally said, his voice cold and dripping with resentment.

Without another word, Adrian rushed to the elevator, Claire cradled against his chest. He kept checking her breathing, whispering reassurances even though she was still cold.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Alex spun around to face Matthew. "Did you do this on purpose?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Matthew didn't flinch. "I'm not

playing games, Alex. You need to be

at that event. If neither you nor

Claire shows up, people will start asking questions, and you know how fast things can spiral out of control. Now go."