New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 342

Alexander leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen. The video of Claudia was right there, waiting to be watched again. He had already seen it three times, but something about it still nagged at him. Maybe it was the forced smile she plastered on her face or the way she almost rolled her eyes when she apologized. He wasn’t sure. But whatever it was, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just another one of Claudia’s games.

The phone in his hand buzzed. Claire was calling.

“Claire,” he answered, trying to keep his tone neutral.

“I got it,” Claire said, her voice clipped and business-like as usual. “Claudia made the video and sent the letter. We’ll upload it on Metacortex’s social media.”

Alexander nodded, though Claire couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I figured you would. It’s pretty polished for something so... last minute.”

Claire didn’t miss a beat. “Of course. We can’t afford for this to get any messier than it already is.”

Alexander couldn’t help but wince. “Yeah, about that. You’re sure this will smooth things over?”

“Alexander, I’m sure,” Claire replied, her voice calm but firm. “But you need to make a statement as well. People are confused about what’s happening. If you don’t address it, they’ll start speculating, and that’s the last thing we need right now.”

He sighed. “Right. I’ll put something together.”

Claire didn’t soften. “I hope this kind of mistake doesn’t happen again, Alexander.”

He clenched his jaw. The disappointment in her voice stung more than he’d like to admit. “I’ll take care of it.”

The line went silent for a moment, and then Claire said, “Good,” before hanging up.

Alexander sat there for a while, staring at his phone, feeling... what? Sad? Disappointed? Maybe both. He did everything Claire asked him to, but it never seemed to be enough. No matter how hard he worked to clean up the messes or follow her lead, their relationship wasn’t improving. She was always one step ahead of him, and he was stuck playing catch-up.

Shaking his head, he decided to pull up the video again. This time, he wasn’t watching Claudia’s stiff apology—he was reading the comments below it.

“Who is she???”

“Why is she even apologizing? Did I miss something?”

“This seems like a PR stunt...”

“She should’ve done this privately, it’s so awkward to watch.”

“I don’t care what she’s apologizing for, she’s gorgeous!”

Alexander couldn’t help but chuckle at that last one. The public was so fickle, and half of them didn’t even know why they were watching the video in the first place.

Claire was sitting at her desk, watching the same video with a cold, detached expression. She scrolled through the comments as well, but her focus was different. She wasn’t amused by the confusion or the random compliments. She was analyzing every word, every reaction. Public perception was everything in her world, and Claudia’s little stunt was bound to stir up mixed reactions.

One comment caught her eye: “How can someone mess up this badly and still look like they don’t care?”

Claire smirked, leaning back in her chair. Exactly, she thought. How can someone be so reckless?

Just then, the door to her office opened, and Matthew walked in, looking curious. “She really made the video, huh?”

Claire looked up, calm as ever, and nodded. “Yes. But she should’ve been more careful. This kind of thing can spiral out of control if you’re not cautious.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorway. “Seems like she’s not too worried about that.”

Claire stood up, reaching for her bag. “No, she’s not. And that’s exactly why she’s going to trip over herself at some point. You can’t be that careless in this business.”

Matthew watched her, a small grin tugging at his lips. “Where are you headed?”