New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 222

Alex wasn't exactly thrilled about heading to work, especially after the night he'd had, but Christian had insisted. "You’ve got a ton of work to do," Christian had said, in that annoyingly chipper tone of his. So, here Alex was, cruising through the city streets, wishing he could be anywhere but the office. The project he’d been slaving over for weeks was almost done, and that should’ve been a good thing, but right now, all Alex wanted was a long nap.

As they made their way to the office, Christian who was in the driver's seat, glanced at Alex and said, “Hey, two investors want to meet with you.”

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Already? I just gave that presentation with Claire last night.”

Christian nodded. “I guess they liked what they saw. They sounded pretty interested.”

Alex stared out the window, watching the city blur by. “Guess I’ll have to talk to them soon,” he muttered. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was just that his brain felt like it was still stuck in sleep mode. But work was work, and investors were important, so he’d just have to suck it up.

Once they arrived at Harris Company, they headed straight to their floor. Alex’s secretary stood up as soon as she saw him. “Good morning, Mr. Harris. Your black coffee is waiting for you inside.”

Alex’s eyebrows shot up again. “Coffee?”

Christian, who was still hanging around, grinned like the cat that got the cream. “Yeah, I asked for it. Figured you could use something to sober up.”

Alex rolled his eyes, half amused, half annoyed. “Thanks, I guess.” He stepped into his office, where the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit him like a warm hug. It was tempting, but Alex wasn’t in the mood for caffeine right now.

As he settled into his desk chair, Christian gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll get back to work. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Alex frowned, looking at Christian like he’d grown a second head. “Why would I need your help? I’m the CEO, remember?”

Christian just flashed him a wide, knowing smile and sauntered out of the office without a word. Alex watched him go, shaking his head. That guy was something else.

With a deep sigh, Alex tried to focus on his work. The mountain of paperwork on his desk wasn’t going to tackle itself. He also needed to keep an eye on his hotel project in Las Vegas. The place was almost ready, and he had to make sure everything was on track.

He video-called the manager he’d assigned to oversee the final stages of construction. As the video feed connected, Alex was greeted by the sight of half-furnished rooms, sleek and modern, just the way he’d envisioned. The manager walked him through the progress, showing off the nearly completed rooms, the stylish lounge, and the areas still under construction, like the kitchen, penthouse, and gym.

“It’s coming together nicely,” the manager said, clearly proud of the work.

Alex nodded, feeling a rare spark of satisfaction. “It’s perfect. Definitely fits the futuristic, matrix-like theme we were going for.”

The call ended, and Alex turned back to the paperwork on his desk. He managed to get through a few pages before his mind started wandering. His thoughts drifted, uninvited, to Claire. He knew that if he texted or called her, she wouldn’t answer. Claire had this way of going completely off the grid when she wanted to, and right now, Alex was pretty sure she was doing exactly that.

He sat there in silence for a moment, tapping his pen against the desk, feeling a mix of frustration and something else he couldn’t quite pin down. Finally, he muttered under his breath, “Fuck it.”

Before he could stop himself, Alex grabbed his jacket and dashed out of his office, straight to Claire's. He wasn't sure what he was going to say when he arrived, but sitting around doing nothing was no longer an option.

However, as he stepped out of his office, Christian appeared in front of his office. His eyebrow raised as he stared at Alex while holding a document.