New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 230

Claire blinked, completely caught off guard by the suggestion. She stared at Matthew as he’d just proposed they fly to the moon using rubber bands and paper clips. “What? Us? Build the robots?”

Matthew grinned, that mischievous glint in his eyes suggesting he wasn’t kidding. “Sure, why not? We’ve got the brains, the resources. Why not give it a shot?”

“Because it’s crazy,” Claire shot back, still trying to wrap her head around the idea. “We’re not robot engineers. Metacortex doesn’t even have a robotics department! It’s way too risky.”

“Too risky?” Matthew leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a look that screamed ‘I know better.’ “Come on, Claire. You’re The Raven. You can be a world-class hacker and run Metacortex at the same time. How hard can it be to build a robot?”

Claire’s eyes narrowed as she gave him a weird look. “I get your point, but comparing hacking and corporate management to building a robot? Not exactly the same thing.”

“Tomato, tomahto,” Matthew replied with a chuckle, waving her concerns away like they were trivial. “And hey, you won’t be doing this alone. I’ll help. Plus, you’ve got all those geniuses over at Cryptonic. You could ask them to pitch in.”

Claire bit her lip, her mind racing. The idea was out there, no doubt about it. But maybe that was exactly why it had potential. Still, she had to weigh the risks.

“It’s not a terrible idea, but we don’t exactly have a robotics division.”

“So, we start one,” Matthew said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’ve always said Metacortex is about innovation, right? What’s more innovative than building our own robots when no one else will?”

Claire couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Because it is,” Matthew insisted. “We hire the best people, we give them what they need, and we get to work. Worst case, we’re in the same spot we are now, but best case, we end up with robots that are exactly what we need.”

Claire leaned back, thinking it over. “You know, Matthew, you might just be onto something.”

Matthew grinned. “I usually am. So, what do you say? Ready to start our own robotics division?”

Claire felt a spark of excitement, something she hadn’t felt all day. “Let’s do it. We’ll need to move fast, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s us.”

Matthew’s grin widened, clearly pleased with himself for planting the seed. “That’s the spirit! Think about it, Claire. If we pull this off, it’s going to be a game-changer. People won’t just see Metacortex as a tech giant—they’ll see us as innovators. Pioneers.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “You make it sound like we’re trying to build an electric spaceship."

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll do that next,” Matthew joked, leaning forward with enthusiasm. “But seriously, imagine the headlines. ‘Metacortex Enters Robotics: A New Era of Innovation.’ It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“I can see the headlines now,” Claire said dryly. “‘Metacortex CEO Goes Crazy, Decides to Build Robots on a Whim.’”

Matthew laughed. “Hey, people love a good underdog story. We start with robots, then who knows? World domination?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Claire replied, though she couldn’t help but smile at his infectious enthusiasm. “But let’s say we do this. Where would we even start? It’s not like we can just Google ‘how to build a robot’ and call it a day.”

Matthew tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Well, first, we’d need to figure out what kind of robots we’re talking about. Are we thinking humanoid robots, industrial bots, something else entirely?”

“More like helper robots. Something to serve and greet guests in hotels. You know, a friendly, efficient assistant that makes the stay more enjoyable for the guests.”

“First thing first, we need a design,”