New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 326

Claudia’s foot tapped nervously under the table as she glared at Alexander. The empty restaurant makes the air around them more thick with tension.

“It wasn’t about that—” Alexander began, his tone calm but frustrated.

“Then what was it about, huh?” Claudia shot back, cutting him off, her voice rising. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white as she leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

Alexander sighed, rubbing his temple. “Look, Claudia, I told you before. The deal wasn’t made with me. It was with my father. Jason made the deal with him, not me. I didn’t have any say in it.”

Claudia scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Oh, please. You expect me to believe that? You’ve been sitting pretty, reaping the benefits, while Solstice gets crumbs. You didn’t notice anything was wrong?”

Alexander sat up straighter, fixing his gaze on her. “I didn’t take over the wine project. I wasn’t even involved. No one told me about the continuation of the deal. I haven’t received a single document to sign, not here, not there, nothing.” His voice grew firmer as he spoke, frustration creeping in. “And as for you taking over the vineyard? I had no idea. My secretary didn’t inform me. How could I know something I wasn’t told about?”

Claudia crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Convenient excuse, don’t you think? Blame it on the secretary.”

“Blame?” Alexander let out a sharp laugh. “I’m not blaming anyone, I’m telling you the truth. If I had known, I would’ve dealt with it. But I didn’t.” He leaned back in his chair, still holding her gaze. “This isn’t on me.”

Claudia’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Right. You expect me to just take your word for it?”

Alexander leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as his face inched closer to hers. “No,” he said, his voice low and firm. “If you don’t believe me, talk to my father. Ask him yourself. He’s the one who made the deal with Jason.”

Claudia’s eyes widened, momentarily caught off guard by how close he was. But she quickly masked her surprise with a scoff. “I’m supposed to call up your father and ask why your company is ripping mine off? Real professional, Alexander.”

He smirked. “You’ve got a better idea? If you want answers, that’s where you’ll get them. And when you do,” he said, standing up abruptly, “you owe me an apology. And Claire Peterson, too.”

Claudia frowned, her eyes narrowing as she watched him rise from his seat. “Claire? What does she have to do with this?”

“She’s been dragged into this mess just like me,” Alexander said, his tone casual as he adjusted his suit jacket. “If you’re wrong—and you are—then you owe both of us an apology.”

With that, he leaned down slightly, his face inches from hers again, a playful smirk on his lips. “Deal with it, Claudia.”

Before she could respond, Alexander straightened up, turned on his heel, and walked out of the restaurant. Claudia watched, her heart suddenly racing as he exited the door and headed to his car. The nerve of him! But for some reason, her pulse quickened as she watched him drive away, the challenge still hanging in the air between them.

She grabbed her phone and dialed her secretary’s number, her fingers shaking slightly from a mix of frustration and something else she didn’t want to name.

The moment the call connected, she didn’t even give her secretary a chance to speak. “Get me an appointment with Alexander Harris’s father. Now. I don’t care how you do it, just make it happen.”

Hanging up, Claudia leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. The gall of Alexander to throw this back at her. The audacity to accuse her of needing to apologize. But there was something in the way he spoke, that confident, almost teasing tone that made her wonder… what if he wasn’t lying? What if he really didn’t know?

Claire shook hands with the journalist as she stepped into the studio at Metacortex. She felt the familiar hum of the building, her preferred spot for media duties. Claire always liked doing interviews at Metacortex rather than going out into the wild world unless she absolutely had to. It was more controlled, and more comfortable here.

As soon as she was inside, the makeup artist swooped in, adding a quick touch-up to her face. Claire sat still, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. The last thing she wanted to do today was another interview, but after the big press release yesterday, she knew it was important to keep up appearances.

A little media duty never hurt. “Gotta keep the machine rolling,” she thought with a small sigh.