New beginning: Billionaire love story (Claire and Alex) novel Chapter 348

Alexander gritted his teeth. “You’re still upset about that? The apology video was your own fault.”

“My fault?” Claudia scoffed, shaking her head in mock disbelief. “You forced me into it! You made me sit there, like some guilty child, apologizing for things that weren’t even my responsibility. And don’t even get me started on that stupid handwritten letter. Do you have any idea how many people online are laughing at me because of that?”

Alexander’s jaw clenched. “You deserved that. You messed up, and you needed to own it. That’s how adults handle things, Claudia.”

Claudia’s eyes gleamed as she leaned back in her chair once more, crossing her legs in a casual display of triumph. “Oh, darling. I owned it, all right. But now? Now it’s your turn.”

Alexander's hand balled into a fist again, the knuckles turning white as he glared at her. “This isn’t how business works, and you know it.”

“Business?” Claudia laughed, the sound light and carefree as if this were all just a fun little game. “Sweetheart, this isn’t business. This is war. And in war, there are no rules. You should’ve learned that by now.”

Alexander swore under his breath, pacing the room like a caged animal. “You can’t just play with people’s livelihoods like this.”

Claudia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, but I can. And I will. And there's nothing you can do about it because, as you so helpfully pointed out…” She gestured to the contract on the table. “You signed it.”

Alexander grabbed the contract again, feeling like the words on the page were mocking him. He knew he should’ve been more careful.

“I swear, Claudia,” he growled, “I will find a way out of this.”

Claudia stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her perfectly tailored blazer. “You do that. In the meantime, I’ll just sit back and watch you squirm. It’s quite entertaining, really.”

Alexander shot her a withering look. “You’re insufferable.”

The door to Claudia's office flew open with a bang, causing both Claudia and Alexander to snap their heads toward the sound. Standing there, bold as ever, was Claire, her smirk already in place. Behind her, Claudia's secretary, looking flustered, was waving her arms and shouting in her thick French accent.

“Madame! You cannot just walk in here!”

Claire ignored her entirely, sauntering in like she owned the place. “Well, well, well, look who’s playing queen of the castle,” she said with dripping sarcasm, her eyes locking onto Claudia’s. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything too important.”

Claudia’s face flushed with annoyance, her jaw tightening as she glanced from Claire to her secretary. “Get out!” she barked at the poor woman, who mumbled a quick apology before scrambling out of the room. Claudia’s glare then fell back on Claire. “What are you doing here?”

Claire took a step closer, her smirk widening. “Aw, don’t be like that. I thought you’d be happy to see me. Miss me? I mean, our first little get-together wasn’t exactly the warmest.”

Claudia stood up from the couch, her posture stiff, arms crossing tightly over her chest. “Cut the crap, Claire. What do you want?”

Alexander, still seated, looked just as bewildered. He stood up slowly, looking between the two women. “Claire, what the hell is going on?”

Claire's smirk faded, replaced by a serious expression. She met Alexander's gaze before turning back to Claudia. “I’m here to save you, Alexander. Whether you realize it or not.”