New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 341

Alexander Harris was not in a particularly good mood after his call with Claire. His conversation with her had been tense, to say the least, and the pressure from the situation involving Claudia Wright was really starting to weigh on him. As soon as he was back in his car, he didn’t waste time. He grabbed his phone and dialed Claudia's number, the edge in his voice sharp even before she answered.

Claudia was lounging in bed, flipping through a magazine when her phone buzzed. Glancing at the screen, she saw Alexander’s name and rolled her eyes. “Here we go,” she muttered to herself before answering.

“What now, Alexander?” she said, her tone playful, expecting yet another lecture. But Alexander wasn’t playing.

“You need to make an apology video,” he said, straight to the point, his voice firm and cold. “And I expect a handwritten apology letter. Post them both on your social media, and send the letter to me as well.”

Claudia sat up straight, her magazine forgotten. “Wait, what?” she scoffed, the disbelief clear in her voice. “That’s too much, Alex. You’re overreacting. I didn’t ruin anything. All I did was show up and maybe interrupt a bit, but it wasn’t like I crashed the whole Q&A session. I’ve told you this a thousand times!”

Alexander’s voice didn’t soften. “I don’t care how many times you’ve said it, Claudia. You started this mess, and now you’re going to clean it up.”

“I started it?” she snapped. “I didn’t realize attending a public event was a crime. It wasn’t even that serious! The audience loved me.”

Alexander's patience was hanging by a thread. “Loved you? Are you kidding me? The whole thing turned into a circus after you showed up. It’s not about what you think happened, it’s about how it looks to everyone else. You made a scene, Claudia, and now you have to fix it.”

Claudia was fuming. “You’re acting like I set the place on fire or something! It was just a little Q&A, Alex. Lighten up!”

“Lighten up?” Alexander repeated, his tone icy. “Let me make this clear. If you don’t do this, if you don’t apologize and make things right, I’m terminating the contract between Solstice Vineyard and Harris Hotel. End of story.”

That hit Claudia hard. Her grip tightened on the phone, knuckles turning white as she stood up from her bed. “You can’t do that,” she hissed, pacing back and forth. “You signed the contract, remember?”

“There’s a termination clause,” Alexander shot back without hesitation as if he’d been waiting for her to bring it up. “The one about disputes or disagreements between the parties involved. I can pull the plug if I want to.”

Claudia cursed under her breath. That clause. She’d added it herself, thinking it would protect her from any shady moves Alexander might pull. She never imagined it would be used against her like this. She pressed her lips together, trying to think of a way out.

Alexander’s voice cut through her thoughts again. “It’s up to you, Claudia. You can either make the apology or watch the deal fall apart.”

She glared at the floor, her heart racing. There was no way she was going to let him win this, but right now, her options were limited. He had her cornered, and she knew it.

“Fine,” she snapped, her voice dripping with resentment. “I’ll do it. But this is ridiculous, Alex. You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

“That’s for you to think about later. I want the video and the letter posted before noon tomorrow,” Alexander said, his tone not leaving any room for negotiation. “And don’t even think about missing the deadline, because you know exactly what will happen if you do.”

Before Claudia could throw another retort, the line went dead. She stared at her phone in disbelief, the silence ringing in her ears. With a frustrated growl, she tossed the phone onto the couch, sinking back onto the bed, and fuming.

“He wants to play games, huh?” she muttered to herself, glaring at the ceiling. “Fine. Let’s play.”

Claudia Wright leaned back in her chair, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she picked up her phone. She had an idea that would hit Alexander Harris right where it hurt, and she wasn’t wasting any time.