New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 264

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.”