New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 275

Claire sat in the back of the taxi staring out the window as the buildings whizzed by. Her mind wasn't really on the scenery, though. Her thoughts were interrupted as the taxi pulled up in front of Metacortex.

She took a deep breath, stepped out, thanked the driver, and walked into the sleek lobby of her building. There, as always, was Sandra at her desk, typing away in that efficient rhythm she always had. Claire barely looked her way as she made directly for her office, but Sandra leaped up quickly and hurried after her.

“Ms. Peterson, wait! Don't—” The door creaked open at Claire's nudge as Sandra's voice cut off.

And then she froze. Seated on her couch, looking perfectly at ease, was Mr. Montgomery. For a split second, his presence took her aback, but then in a flash, her poise clicked back into place. Behind her, Sandra bit her lip, clearly nervous as she whispered a rushed apology. Claire shot her a quick glare and Sandra promptly scurried away, shutting the door behind her.

“Claire,” Mr. Montgomery greeted her with a warm smile as if he hadn't just ambushed her in her own office.

“Mr. Montgomery,” Claire said in greeting as she extended her hand and stepped further into the room. She dropped her bag to the floor before sitting down on the couch across from him. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

His smile never wavered as he eased back, getting comfortable. “I wanted to check in on you, and see how you're doing.”

Claire raised one eyebrow, her poker face firmly set. “That's it? I have the feeling there's more to this than just a wellness check.”

Mr. Montgomery chuckled low in his throat, shaking his head. “You've always been sharp, Claire. You're right. There is something else.” His expression turned serious. “Is there something you'd like to tell me about?”

Claire shrugged, keeping her voice casual. “Not really. Everything's running smoothly, as usual.”

Mr. Montgomery gave her a long, estimating look. “Claire, I've vouch for you to throw Robert away from this company because you are the sole owner of this company and made it more profitable than I ever imagined. But that doesn't mean you can hide things from me or from the other stakeholders.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but outwardly she didn't bat an eyelash. She had a bad feeling about where this might lead. He reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a small stack of photos, and slid them across the table toward her.

“Take a look,” he said, his voice serious.

Claire picked up the photos; her eyes scanned each. Pictures of delivery trucks outside the building, packages being unloaded—packages meant for the robot project. The less-than-subtle couriers had dropped them off in broad daylight right in front of the company.

“Where did you get this?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It was sent to my house.”

She placed the photos back down, resting her hands on her lap as she met Mr. Montgomery’s gaze. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I just didn’t want the wrong people finding out before we’re ready to make an official announcement.”

Mr. Montgomery sat back and furrowed his brow. “Claire, you may be the CEO, and you may hold the majority of the shares, but we-myself and the other stakeholders equally invested in the success of this company. We need to know exactly what's going on. So, what is the situation, exactly?”

Claire blew out, knowing she had limited options. The project wasn't something she could keep in the closet forever, not with snoopy couriers and investors sniffing around. “Alright,” she said, still trying to keep a poker face, “we are building a robot. From scratch.”